Newly-Adopted Idaho Laws Kind of Like the Yummy Tater Tots of Education Reform
Mashed. Baked. Au gratin. French fries. Hash browns. Tater tots…. Other than the fact it’s almost lunchtime, why am I talking about potatoes? In honor of my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow’s newly-published School Reform News article “Idaho Gov. Signs Two Sweeping Reform Bills”:
Amid a rancorous atmosphere that included vandalism against Idaho’s top public […]
Why Does the Office of Consumer Counsel Exist?
As I explain here, two thirds of the Public Utilities Commission care more about advancing “green” energy, than they do about ratepayer protection. I’m sad to say that the same holds true for the Office of Consumer Counsel. Evidently, in Colorado, ratepayers don’t have a public sector advocate. By any rational calculation, Xcel’s Solar*Rewards program […]
Why ObamaCare is wrong for America
The first in-depth examination of the impact of the new national health care law on American individuals, families, and businesses. Written by an esteemed quartet of health policy experts, Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America demystifies the convoluted plan that the Obama administration and a Democratic Congress pushed through, exploring its effect on real people.
Is LaHood Admitting Defeat?
Last week, Secretary of Immobility Ray LaHood designated the Boston-to-Washington corridor as an eleventh high-speed rail corridor. This makes Amtrak eligible for some of the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds released when Florida rejected federal funds for the Tampa-Orlando route. Of course, $2.4 billion won’t even scratch the surface of Amtrak’s $117 billion plan […]
Want a Glimpse of the Education Future? Time to Get to Know Khan Academy
A random Monday posting… First of all, let me clarify that this post has nothing to do with old Star Trek movies or even older Mongol hordes. If you are interested at all in the future of education but haven’t heard of Khan Academy yet, now is the time to start getting up to speed. […]
The Constitution and Property Rights
It is sometimes suggested that the Founders did not consider property rights important because the term “property” was mentioned only once in the Constitution. The truth is that the Founders were concerned about a range of human values, but property rights were high on their list. Their Constitution and Bill of Rights protected property in […]
Teachers Union and Tea Party Agree
After the dispute in Wisconsin, it is hard to believe that school teachers and Tea Party members would ever agree on anything. But 150 teachers and other school advocates held a protest march in Chicago demanding an end to tax-increment financing (TIF)–something that most Tea Partiers would readily agree to. The protesters noted that half […]
Vote for best anti-ObamaCare / pro-liberty video by Tues, 10 PM Mountain Time
Cast your vote in the in Independent Women’s Voice ObamaCare Anniversary Video Contest. Deadline: 10 PM Mountain time, Tuesday, March 22. The Liberty on the Rocks entry is posted here.
Corrective Constitutional Amendments?
“A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation. Without such means it might even risque the loss of that part of the constitution which it wished most religiously to preserve.” – Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), in 2 Select Works of Edmund Burke 108 […]
New Comments Policy
The Antiplanner has traditionally allowed anyone to post anything they want as a comment. Although I dislike namecalling and ad hominem attacks, I regard them as more reflections on the commenter. A couple of commenters — you know who they are — primarily engage in namecalling and I’ve urged others to simply ignore them. But […]
Staff, Parents Discuss Falcon Innovation: Ideas Emerging as Promise Remains Strong
I began the week by telling you about the series of “Innovation Conventions” going on in Falcon 49 — a school district serving about 15,000 students east of Colorado Springs. (Background: Check out District 49’s innovations page and the links it contains, especially the open letter from the Board, the iVoices podcast interview and the […]
Ratepayers Lose Big with PUC’s Solar Settlement
This afternoon the Public Utilities Commission approved a Settlement Agreement to end the Solar*Rewards imbroglio. The Settlement Parties were Xcel, the Office of Consumer Council, the Governor’s Energy Office, Western Resource Advocates, Colorado Solar Energy Industry Association, the Solar Alliance, and Public Utilities Commission Staff. As I explain in detail here, the underlying cause of […]
