Failing the Intelligence Test
Garl Boyd Latham, of the Texas Association of Railroad Passengers, predicts that San Antonians will be “pleased by streetcars once they are running.” His response to the Antiplanner’s op ed critiquing the city’s streetcar plan basically amounts to, “don’t confuse me with the facts; I know what I believe.” To be precise, Latham says, “An […]
Regardless of fiscal cliff, ObamaCare will make you pay more in taxes
Cliff or no cliff, taxes will go way up next year because of Obamacare. Continue reading
Denver’s Rocky Mountain Prep Opens Door to Cutting-Edge Learning Success
The Education Policy Center recently visited a Denver charter school on the cutting edge of blended learning in Colorado. Rocky Mountain Prep follows in the footsteps of successful forebears that serve high-need student populations — placing a foundational emphasis on high expectations with competent, caring and dedicated teachers — while testing an innovative approach that could help disrupt a broken system.
Defining Success for Amtrak
The Auto Train, which carries passengers and their autos between Virginia and Florida, was a “private failure” but a “public success,” says the January, 2013 issue of Trains magazine. For those who don’t know the story, the Auto-Train began as a private venture when a Department of Transportation employee named Eugene Garfield took a DOT […]
Amy Oliver Show: Ending the Education Plantation
Senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow guest hosts a conversation with John Conlin, founder and CEO of the new group End the Education Plantation. Conlin looks to lead a grassroots movement toward changing the K-12 system and empowering parents through Education Freedom Accounts.
Adams 12 Interview Raises Case to Stop Underwriting Union Officers
I love anniversaries, don’t you? Exactly one year ago I commented on a front-page Denver Post story documenting the use of taxpayer-funded union release time in Colorado school districts. Without taking a comprehensive look, the Post reporter found $5.8 million in subsidies to teacher unions.
So on this not-quite-historic 1st anniversary, it’s interesting to see a […]
The Benefits and Costs of Tolling
The costs of collecting electronic tolls are rapidly declining, particularly for roads that only accept electronic tolls. In 2009, when I was writing Gridlock, the best available estimates indicated that 12 to 23 percent of toll revenues went to collection costs, compared with just 3 percent for state gas taxes. However, a recent paper from […]
David Kopel: Guns, Mental Illness and Newtown
There were 18 random mass shootings in the 1980s, 54 in the 1990s, and 87 in the 2000s. Continue reading
Colorado School Grades Website Returns to Inform Parents for Second Year
Can you believe it’s been a whole year since the launch of the Colorado School Grades website? My friends at the Independence Institute are proud to be one of the 18 sponsoring partners of this helpful resource.
The passing of 12 months means a whole new set of data, and a lot of curious parents searching […]
Colorado Medicaid Expansion: Seven reasons Colorado should say “no”
Medicaid Is Bad Coverage. The Exploding Medicaid Population. The Woodwork and Crowd-Out Effects. The Cost to State Budgets
Federal Controls. Rampant Fraud. Loss of State Sovereignty Continue reading
Who Needs Freedom When You Have Obamacare?
“When does regulating a person’s habits in the name of good health become our moral and social duty?” Dr. David Agus asks in a New York Times op ed. The answer, says Agus, is “when all of us are stuck paying for one another’s medical bills (which is what we do now, by way of […]
Ridgeview Classical Continues Exceptional Approach in Pursuit of Excellence
Recently I told you about my Education Policy Center friends’ visit to Liberty Common High School in Fort Collins — which principal just so happens to be outgoing State Board of Education chair Bob Schaffer (whose farewell dinner earned a nice tribute in the Colorado Statesman). Well, if you’re going to make the 2-hour round […]
