Common Sense Digest

Boosting Iowa's Economy: The Childcare Solutions Fund featuring Sherri Penney

Like other states across the nation, Iowa faces a severe shortage of quality affordable childcare. Research by the Iowa Women’s Foundation found that the annual average cost of infant care in Iowa is 18.4% higher than in-state tuition at a four-year public college and 14.1% higher than annual housing costs. The fact is, childcare is prohibitively expensive if not entirely inaccessible to many Iowa families with young kids. Without affordable and reliable childcare, parents’—especially mothers—miss out on work. When women forego employment early in their careers because they don’t have childcare, not only do they lose the opportunity to earn income, but they also miss out on crucial years to build their careers and increase their earning potential over the long term, causing them to fall behind economically. And when childcare reduces participation in Iowa’s workforce, the state’s businesses and economy also lose.

Joining Host and CSI Chairman Earl Wright is Sheri Penny, who serves as Employment Engagement Director for the Iowa Women’s Foundation, a Des Moines-based non-profit focused on shattering the barriers to economic self-sufficiency for Iowa’s women and girls. The organization is engaged with 85 communities, more than 160 business leaders, 44 economic development and chamber of commerce offices, and 37 out-of-state leaders—all working with the Iowa Women’s Foundation on childcare solutions. She and CSI Iowa's Director of Policy & Research Ben Murrey discuss the issue from a variety of angles including the causes, solutions, potential impacts, and how childcare profoundly affects Iowa's workforce. Our full study on the issue can be found here.

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The CSI 2024 Ballot Guide and Inflation Misery featuring Kelly Caufield and Zach Milne

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. 

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Reforming Arizona's Homeless Service Ecosystem featuring Julie Katsel and Ted Maxwell

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. 

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Iowa's Healthcare Landscape featuring Dr. Chelsea Lensing

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 16^th 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—21^st 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.

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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.

The Potential Impacts of Oregon Ballot Measure 118 featuring Lynn Snodgrass

This November Oregon voters will decide on Ballot Measure 118, which would increase Oregon’s taxes on corporations six-fold, with the proceeds to be distributed equally across all eligible individuals. Under the proposal, Oregonians would face the most aggressive gross receipts tax in the nation by far.

Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Mark McMullen, Vice President of Research and Policy for CSI Oregon, and CSI Oregon Board Member Lynn Snodgrass, CEO of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce and former Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. They unpack what the measure seeks to do, the reasoning behind it, and ultimately what would happen if this measure is passed. Every voter in Oregon should listen to this episode to understand the likely impacts of Ballot Measure 118. You can read our research about it here. 

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SPECIAL EPISODE: Eggs & The Economy - September 10, 2024

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

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A Chat with CSI's Daniels Fund Junior Scholars

Our President and CEO Kristin Strohm fills in for Earl Wright on this edition of Common Sense Digest as she welcomes four full-time Daniels Fund Scholars to the show to discuss the work of four remarkable summer interns. 

These young men and women are working to help advance CSI’s mission of examining the fiscal impacts of policies and legislation by crafting reports that better inform citizens. Over the course of the summer, the Daniels Scholar Junior Fellows have conducted informative research, assisted with data collection, and are each working with a CSI
Fellow to construct a final report that will be released in the upcoming weeks.

Join us in welcoming Josh Green, Sr. Vice President of Scholarships for the Daniels Fund who spearheaded this partnership along with Avery Martinez, Toby Lee, Jade Gromer, and Rasheed Garza Archuleta as they discuss their experience this summer, share what they've learned, and reflect on the work they did with our CSI fellows.

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SPECIAL EPISODE: Fentanyl: Our Nation's Most Devastating Challenge

In this special edition of of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Thursday, June 27, Common Sense Institute hosted an event titled "Fentanyl: Our Nation's Most Devastating Challenge" where speakers from across the country will share research and insights on one of the most challenging issues of our time. Our panelists included:

Max Williams - Community Leader; Portland, Oregon

Rachel Mitchell - Maricopa County Attorney

Mitch Morrissey - CSI Colorado Owens-Early Criminal Justice Fellow

Paul Pazen - CSI Public Safety Fellow and Former Denver Police Chief

Vince Bzdek- Executive Editor of The Gazette (Moderator)

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Introducing Common Sense Institute Oregon featuring Mark McMullen

In January, CSI made a bold move to kick off 2024 and launched in two new states: Iowa and Oregon. Both states are already releasing new studies and engaging in the public policy arena. Along with its successful counterparts in Colorado and Arizona, as well as a newly launched chapter in Iowa, CSI Oregon is guided by a board of local leaders, each bringing expertise from various industries. These board members share CSI's dedication to factual and non-partisan policy analysis. 

To discuss the launch of CSI Oregon, our Chairman and Host Earl Wright is joined by Mark McMullen, Vice President of Policy & Research. They discuss why Oregon is suited for a new chapter of Common Sense Institute, the unique strengths and challenges facing Oregon currently, and give a sneak peek of some of the research to come from this new chapter. It's an exciting look into CSI's newest expansion, and we're thrilled to continue to provide our non-partisan research to Oregonians as they consider public policy in their state. 

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How DSST Became a Successful Educational Model featuring Bill Kurtz and Van Schoales

Founded in 2004 as a high school in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood, Denver School of Science & Technology (DSST) is now nationally renowned for its unique design, diversity, and consistent high achievement—considered one of the leading open enrollment STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) schools in the United States. DSST’s mission is to transform urban public education by eliminating educational inequity and preparing all students for success in college and the 21st century. With a focus on character development and rigorous academics in equal measure, which are represented by DSST’s six core values: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Courage, Curiosity, and Doing Your Best. 

Our research on DSST can be found on our website here.

Chairman and Host Earl Wright welcomes Bill Kurtz, DSST’s founding CEO, and Van Schoales, senior director of policy at the Keystone Policy Center to discuss DSST services to nearly 7,400 students across eight middle schools and eight high schools. The seven middle schools within the Denver school district accounted for 13% of all Denver middle school students. The seven Denver high schools accounted for 12% of all high school students. They discuss their ethos, what they hope to see from Colorado's educational system as a whole, what the future holds, and most notably, what people can take away from DSST's success.

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.