Common Sense Unfiltered

Public concern over crime in Oregon has intensified, with a significant majority of residents expressing dissatisfaction with local government responses. A May 2024 poll revealed that 78% of Portland-area voters disapprove of how local authorities are handling crime, reflecting widespread unease across various demographics. This sentiment is further underscored by a December 2023 survey, where 74% of respondents expressed worry about becoming crime victims, and 90% were dissatisfied with public safety. These concerns are substantiated by recent crime statistics. Between 2019 and 2023, Oregon experienced a 10% increase in violent crime, contrasting with a 4% national decline. Notably, the state's murder rate surged by 53%, more than double the national increase of 22%. Aggravated assaults rose by 23% in Oregon, surpassing the national uptick of 10%. While property crimes in Oregon decreased by 11%, this reduction lags behind the national decline of 23%. Motor vehicle thefts in the state escalated by 28%, outpacing the national rise of 15%. You can read our full report on the issue here. Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Mark McMullen, Vice President of Research and Policy for CSI Oregon, and Max Williams, former State Representative, former Director of Oregon Department of Corrections, and Past President and Senior Advisor of the Oregon Community Foundation to discuss the report, its findings, recommendations for a path forward and much more. Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

The Common Sense Institute's 2024 Ballot Guide highlights the potential economic and fiscal impacts of key ballot measures in Colorado. Proposition 127, for instance, could lead to significant revenue losses for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and reduce overall economic output by $61.65 million. Other measures, such as school choice and law enforcement funding, focus on improving education options and public safety, while initiatives like the fur ban and affordable housing tax could have broad implications for local businesses and residents. You can find our full ballot guide here. On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and Chairman of CSI Earl Wright welcomes CSI Colorado Executive Director Kelly Caufield and Senior Economist and Research Analyst Zach Milne to the show to discuss selected ballot issues and their likely impacts. Earl also asks Zach about inflation, and the three discuss the issue along with housing, energy and how local governments can impact all of these issues. Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Earlier this year, the Common Sense Institute released a thorough review of homelessness spending at all levels – non-profits, state and local governments, and federal grants and transfers. The report identified over 200 Arizona providers – public and private - who today spend a collective $1 billion per year on homelessness-related expenses. Despite those resources, Arizona’s counted homeless population has increased more than 40% in the past five years; over half of them are unsheltered. Following up on that initial research, Common Sense Institute has worked with two dozen stakeholders throughout Arizona from the more than 200 public and private homeless service providers and other stakeholders. They were asked a simple question: What is needed to solve the homelessness crisis in Arizona? Our full report can be found here. On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and CSI Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Julie Katsel, Jim Kolbe Free Enterprise Fellow and one of the report's authors, and Ted Maxwell, President & CEO of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council to discuss the report, the complexity of the homelessness issue, the many approaches currently deployed, what an ideal path forward might look like, and much more. Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Iowa’s policymakers, providers, and insurers operate within a state comprised of an aging population and large rural areas. According to the Iowa Department of Justice, the state ranks 16th nationally for the number of residents 50-years-old and over. Approximately 18% of Iowa’s more-than-three-million residents are 65 years old and older while 23% are under 18 years old. The average life expectancy in Iowa is 78.12—21st highest in the country. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers 77 of the state’s 99 counties “rural” based on the amount of open countryside and rural towns. These are only some of the findings in our report titled "Iowa's Healthcare Landscape." The full report explores and presents data on Iowa’s healthcare business climate, healthcare expenditures, insurance, and rural healthcare. In doing so, it highlights Iowa’s unique healthcare landscape to help public- and private-sector decision makers understand the state’s challenges and identify where to focus solutions to improve the state’s healthcare system. On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and CSI Chairman Earl Wright dives into all of these issues and more with one of the report's authors, Dr. Chelsea Lensing, CSI's Health & Wellness Fellow. Dr. Lensing shares her insights from writing this report including trends regarding the ages of doctors, access to care, obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's rates, and much more. This episode paints a very clear picture of the state of affairs of healthcare in Iowa. To read our complete report, you can find it here. Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here. Dr. Chelsea Lensing is an assistant professor at the Stead Department of Business Administration and Economics at Coe College where she teaches Principles of Microeconomics, Health Economics, Intermediate Economics, International Economics, and Econometrics II. She previously instructed at the University of Iowa in Principles of Microeconomics and Business Statistics. Her research focuses on health, labor, and public economics with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between nutrition, obesity, and healthcare costs. Her academic work explores how health behaviors and nutrition decisions intersect, manifesting in externalities that reverberate within our healthcare system. Dr. Lensing earned a B.A. in Mathematics at Coe College and a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Iowa.

In this episode, DJ Summers is joined by Kelly Caufield, CSI Colorado’s Executive Director, to discuss Amendment 80, a key proposition on the upcoming November ballot. If passed, this amendment would embed school choice into the Colorado Constitution. Tune in to learn what this could mean for education, families, and the future of schooling in the state.

In this special edition of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, September 10, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This edition was titled: "Unscrambling the 2024 November Ballot" Our panelists included: Paul Pazen - CSI Public Safety Fellow and Former Denver Police Chief Lang Sias - CSI Mike A. Leprino Free Enterprise Fellow Paul Andrews - President & CEO of the National Western Stock Show Kelly Caufield - CSI Colorado Executive Director Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Ballot Initiative 91, a bold move to ban big cat hunting in Colorado. The group "Cats Aren't Trophies" is leading the charge to stop the killing, wounding, pursuing, or trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynxes. This quirky yet crucial issue is stirring up debates across the state, especially among rural residents and hunters. How will this impact Colorado's economy? Will taxpayers foot the bill? And what can we learn from California's experience with similar legislation? Tune in to explore the complexities and potential consequences of this contentious proposal.