How politicians destroy entreneurship & beneficial profit-seeking
“[Y]ou can almost guarantee there will be no entrepreneurship if you do two things: (a) eliminate all possibility of getting rich, and (b) make it impossible to change anything without the approval of an intractable bureaucracy” Continue reading
Inside the Consulting World
Last Saturday the Antiplanner participated in a conference about the Columbia River Crossing, a government-planning effort aimed at replacing a bridge that doesn’t need to be replaced so Portland can sneak its light-rail system (and associated land-use planning) into Vancouver, Washington. One of the more fascinating presentations at the conference came from Tiffany Couch, a […]
R.I.P. Steve Jobs, Sensible and Courageous Voice for Education Reform, Too
A couple days ago we lost a great American entrepreneur: Steve Jobs. A million words have been offered up to commemorate his untimely passing, and the tremendous impact his genius and innovation have had on our society and our daily lives. There’s not much more I can say. I’m too young to remember life before […]
Florida's 'fuel mix' a warning to Colorado
Florida has higher electric rates than those of neighboring states because of its reliance on natural gas to generate electric power according to a study released in September. In a September 27, 2011, press release the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) said it requested the study from the Public Utility Research Center (PURC) located at the […]
Remembering Jane Jacobs
An article in The American Conservative commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of publication of The Death and Life of Great American Cities. The publication also asked the Antiplanner to join a number of New Urbanists and others in an on-line seminar about the influence of Jacobs on American cities. The Antiplanner’s response was that “Jacobs was […]
NREL's Bob Noun ties to Congressman Perlmutter
With this headline — “Golden’s NREL to shed more than 10 percent of workforce” — Golden’s National Renewable Energy Lab made national news on Monday. I’ve been skeptical of NREL spokesman Bob Noun’s “blame Congress” and “Washington gridlock” sob story over a possible 1.5 percent reduction in funding, considering NREL has enjoyed a 63.4 percent increase […]
Making sense of NREL's budget math and job creation
The story surrounding NREL’s possible $8 million reduction in 2012 doesn’t make sense. Is it a “savings” or a “cut”? Does NREL “create” green jobs or not? And NREL spokesman Bob Noun’s comments have not helped to clarify. Consider this story from CBS 4 Denver where Noun was questioned about NREL‘s funding and stimulus money it received: Noun […]
The Best Jobs Program? Full Repeal Of ObamaCare
“The president may never admit it, but the best jobs program out there is the repeal of ObamaCare.” – Sally Pipes Continue reading
Then Why Did They Vote for It in the First Place?
A new poll finds that, if high-speed rail were on the ballot today, 62 percent of California voters would vote against it. The complete poll report also indicates that 63 percent of Californians say they would never ride it if it were built. The poll asked people about their state funding priorities. The top priorities […]
Proposition 103: More Tax Dollars for Schools Makes No Sense
Do you want government to throw even more of your tax dollars at Colorado teachers unions and their pet politicians, or do you actually want better education for Colorado children? Proposition 103 is about throwing money. Sponsored by Sen. Rollie Heath (D-Boulder), and endorsed by Colorado’s largest teachers union, the initiative would increase income tax rates by 8.0% and sales tax rates by 3.4% — both for five years. But decades of increasing school funding has not increased student test scores.
Time to Follow Florida and End Social Promotion for 3rd Graders Who Can’t Read
Yesterday I told you that effective education reform might be ready to give Iowa a try. A major piece of the plan proposed by Gov. Terry Branstad and education department leader Jason Glass is to end social promotion for 3rd graders who can’t read. Well, my timing as usual is golden, since key Colorado education […]
The Density Fallacy
A decade or so ago, an Economist senior editor named Frances Cairncross wrote a book called The Death of Distance which argued that, thanks to declining transportation and telecommunications costs, distance really doesn’t matter anymore. So it is ironic that another Economist writer, Ryan Avent, has written a new book arguing that “Distance is not […]
