Ridiculous: Mich. School Districts Defy Reform Law with $1 Teacher Bonuses
Far too often the world of K-12 education seems like a venture into the ridiculous. Forget the sublime. Some of us would be happy with a handful of common sense. But there’s also a good practical lesson for school reformers in a new from Michigan Capitol Confidential story highlighting a couple school districts’ sarcastic approach […]
Ten Reasons ObamaCare is a Government Takeover of Health Care
Some argue that ObamaCare isn’t a government takeover of health care. Here are ten reasons why it is: Continue reading
Denver Post Adds a Little Institute Balance to School Tax Hike Coverage
When you’re a Colorado reporter looking for a somewhat different point of view on major local school tax increases, where do you go? Karen Auge shows that she read my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow’s concise new paper “Colorado K-12 Tax Hikes Challenged” in her story’s third paragraph as she covered the issue in […]
Private Buses or Public Boondoggles
A team of graphics artists has attempted to map the private buses that carry workers from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, reports the Wall Street Journal. At least six employers–Apple, ebay, Electronic Arts, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo–offer such services, but they are very secretive about where they go and how many people they carry. Click […]
Gas or Groceries Relief Party!
Bad economy got you down? Feeling like you can use a break from the “economy tax?” Well, the Independence Institute is here to provide relief! Come party with us on Friday, October 19th, from 5-8pm here at the Freedom Embassy. We will be providing relief in the form of delicious food, refreshments, and FUN! FUN! […]
ObamaCare’s ‘Essential Health Benefits’: Few States Implement, HHS ‘Is in Clear Violation of the Law’
U.S. Health and Human Services flouts federal law in its attempt to have states define “essential health benefits.” Continue reading
“Just One-Seventh of Capacity”
The San Francisco Chronicle is aghast that new 140-seat ferry boats between South San Francisco and Oakland/Alameda are filling an average of just 20 of their seats (scroll down to “On the line”). The service, which cost $42 million to start up, was expensive enough at projected ridership rates, but actual ridership so far is […]
Federal “Campaign Finance” Laws are Mostly Unconstitutional
In a recent posting, I wrote: [I]t is dubious whether the Constitution even gives Congress power to regulate the source and amount of campaign contributions and expenditures. The background and meaning of the Constitution’s “Time, Places and Manner Clause”—which Congress uses to justify such laws—strongly suggests not. The Time, Places and Manner Clause is Article […]
Dougco Moving Forward with Bold Innovations to Performance Pay, Evaluation
A quick Friday hit, thanks to Ed News Colorado, as the local Douglas County paper highlights the reform-minded school board’s progress in implementing performance pay and related upgrades to teacher policies:
While pay for performance isn’t new in Douglas County, the program still under development pushes aside the traditional pay system based on years of experience […]
Spookiness at the DOE
Instead of figuring out what happened to your tax dollars with the bankrupt Colorado-based Abound Solar (leaving that to Congress and the Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck), the Department of Energy continues to be the PR firm for the Big Green agenda by promoting energy themed pumpkin carving patterns. Give them credit for including nuclear, but […]
Canadians paying much more for health coverage then ten years ago
Canadian families are paying at least 20% more for health coverage then in 2002. “The share of income that a Canadian has to pay for health care has also increased relative to the changes in cost of other necessities of life.” Continue reading
More on the European Transport Myth
While many people believe that European travel modes are quite different from those of the United States, a close look at the data reveals two main points. First, Europeans travel a lot less than Americans: including flying, the average American travels about 85 percent more miles per year than the average Western European. Second, the […]
