Common Good Chair Writes on the Lack of 'Common Sense' in Washington, Is Interviewed by the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Law Blog’

Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard argues in the Wall Street Journal that President Obama’s recent State of the Union address “revealed why common sense is nonexistent” in Washington.  “Mr. Obama wants new laws to tell us how to do things better,” Howard writes, “when the need is to overhaul old laws to restore freedom of choice and individual responsibility.  Up and down the chain of authority, the accumulation of law and entitlements precludes sensible decisions.”  Howard cites examples of how law and bureaucracy have stymied schools, American infrastructure, and health care reform, and concludes: “What's missing in government is the activating principle of all human accomplishment—individual responsibility.  America must shift the goal of reform from desired results—universal health care, effective schools—to a new philosophy that allows people to get things done.”

And with the recent release of his latest book, Life Without Lawyers, in paperback, Howard was interviewed last week by Ashby Jones of the Wall Street Journal’s “Law Blog.”  You can read Part 1 of that interview here. 

Health Care

» American College of Physicians: Congress Should Dedicate Funding to Test Health Courts

» Op-Ed: Health Courts Are a ‘Good, Bipartisan Idea’ 

» Medical Liability System Survives Health Care Overhaul Intact

» NYT Letters: When Doctors Are Sued

Society

» Survey: Recess Boosts Student Learning

» UK: Restaurant Makes Diners Sign a Waiver Before Eating Dessert

» PA Town Bans Sledding in Public Parks Due to Liability Concerns

» Liability Concerns Spark Removal of Traffic Guards at Schools

» Philip K. Howard: Avoiding Institutional Madness

Education

» 12-Year-Old Queens Girl Hauled Out of School in Handcuffs After Getting Caught Doodling on Desk

» Fourth-Grader Nearly Suspended for Plastic, Two-Inch Toy Gun

» Editorial: Zero Tolerance Policies Often Allow for Zero Common Sense

» Washington Post: Union Leader's Speech Bodes Well for DC Education Reform

» NYT: A Serious Proposal

Common Good Chair on Health Reform's Missing Rx: Personal Responsibility

In an op-ed for the New York Daily News, Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard writes that, with the American health care system’s estimated $1 trillion of wasted spending every year, reform needs to focus on containing costs.  "That's the only way America can afford universal care," Howard argues.  "What's missing in American health care," he continues, "is a basic principle essential to all human accomplishment: Individual responsibility, in this case responsibility for prudent use of health care resources."

NPR's Robert Siegel Interviews Common Good Chair

On December 11th, Philip K. Howard sat down with National Public Radio host Robert Siegel to discuss medical liability reform as part of the Maxwell School/Public Agenda Policy Breakfast Series.

Common Good Chair Discusses School Discipline at EducationNext

Philip K. Howard writes that applying due process to schools has made classrooms disorderly and harmed the learning process.  Howard suggests that we re-enforce the role of teachers as leaders in the classroom, and foster a culture that will “encourage all members of the school community to participate in promoting the values and discipline protocols in schools.”

CBS News’ 'Sunday Morning' Report on Legal Fear in America

RECENT EVENT

FULFILLING THE PROMISE:
ADVANCING PATIENT SAFETY AND MEDICAL LIABILITY REFORM INNOVATIONS

A forum organized by Common Good, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for states, health care systems, and other interested entities and individuals to learn more about patient safety and medical liability reform innovations, and how to develop viable proposals for submission to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality next January.

Thursday, December 10^th
in Washington, DC

Learn more here.

POLL: NOW IS THE MOMENT FOR MEDICAL LIABILITY REFORM

A 2009 poll released jointly by Common Good and CED shows that 83% of American voters want Congress to address medical liability reform as part of comprehensive health care reform, and that 67% support the creation of special health courts.  Read the press release announcing the poll’s findings here, and a summary of the results here.

NEWTALK

Most Recent:
Social Innovation in America's Cities

In September, NewTalk hosted a special collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School on how to foster successful social innovations to meet community needs.

LIFE WITHOUT LAWYERS
Now in paperback, with a new Afterword