Innovation and Autonomy Tie DeGrow’s New Op-Ed to State of the Union Address
So what does my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow’s brand new op-ed in the Colorado Springs Gazette have to do with President Obama’s State of the Union address last night? Piqued your curiosity at all? Maybe just a tad?
A couple weeks ago I told you about what’s going on in Falcon School District 49 […]
1/26/11
Newsletter January 26 2011
How many are uninsurable because of pre-existing conditions?
An HHS study says 1% of Americans have been denied coverage because of a pre-existing conditions. Economists conclude that less than 1% of the population is uninsurable. The individual market pools risks well, and that allowing insurers to risk-rate premiums would encourage innovative products like health status insurance.
State of the Federal Budget
In his state of the union address, President Obama proposed to build a high-speed rail network reaching 80 percent of Americans within 25 years. But he also proposed to freeze domestic spending for five years. These two goals are incompatible. We can build that rail network, but it will not lead to the economic revival […]
Perfect for School Choice Week: Dr. Jay Greene’s Education Reform Agenda
In the second edition of special National School Choice Week blog posts, I’m mostly going to take a break and point you to another great video in reason.tv’s topical series. Last week it was former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Today it’s Dr. Jay Greene, a preeminent education scholar from the University of Arkansas — perhaps […]
More Security Issues
The Antiplanner is having a battle with someone who is hacking this blog. They are somehow signing up as a user and giving themselves administrative privileges over the site. Then they add some software which is probably spreading viruses across the Internet or something. There doesn’t appear to be any risk to users, but I’ve […]
Heritage: Postpone Reauthorization
Congress is scheduled to reauthorize federal surface transportation funding this year, but faithful Antiplanner ally Ron Utt of the Heritage Foundation recommends that it postpone reauthorization for two years. In the meantime, Utt would suspend all earmarks and grant programs (such as New Starts) and just give that portion of the money to the states […]
School Choice Road Trip
Philip Brand talks about the lessons learned from his road trip experience that led to the 2010 publication of his book “The Neighbor’s Kid: A Cross-Country Journey in Search of What Education Means to Americans.” Then working for the Capital Research Center, Phil traveled from coast to coast visiting two schools each in 49 different states, to gain insights from a firsthand look at a diverse cross-section of American schooling.
Blight at the End of the Tunnel
As the Regional Transportation District’s FasTracks program begins to materialize, RTD is colluding with several Denver-area urban renewal entities to redevelop areas around new and existing light rail stations. Taxpayers and property owners should beware.
Hey, It’s National School Choice Week!
Let’s see how many times I can say it between now and Friday: It’s National School Choice Week! January 23-29 is set aside “to shine a spotlight on effective education options for every child.” To celebrate the occasion, there are a couple big events going on here in Colorado that I know about.
Energy legislation to watch in 2011
The 2011 legislative session began in earnest last week in Colorado. Below are several bills we are watching. SB11-058 Electric Utilities Employ Least-Cost Planning for New Resource Acquisition Senator Scott Renfroe (R-SD13) is the prime sponsor. The Public Utilities Commission must consider “cost” when deciding on new energy facilities and resource acquisition. Cost to ratepayers […]
Hey FDA, government doesn’t ban cars because people drive them off cliffs
The government doesn’t ban cars just because some idiots drive cars off cliffs; it doesn’t ban pencils because pencils can be shoved into the eye; and it [e.g., the FDA] has no business banning a painkiller just because some patients don’t know how to use it correctly.
