tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53686952008-05-12T08:41:26.201-05:00PolicyGuyPolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comBlogger1931125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-66017261670905543102008-05-12T08:00:00.000-05:002008-05-12T08:32:56.917-05:00Wealthy School Districts, Lousy Schools
If you want good schools, spending a lot of money is no guarantee. That's true whether you're talking about aggregate spending numbers, or a more personal concern--the amount of your mortgage. Here's something I wrote on the topic last year.
California Dreamin': Delusions About School Performance can Hurt Families in the Pocketbook
December 10, 2008
IfPolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-74368828694094133962008-04-15T06:16:00.000-05:002008-04-15T06:52:14.835-05:00Tax Day 2008.
It's the ugliest day of the year, isn't it? Pay your taxes for all those counterproductive, wasteful federal and state programs--and a handful of useful things, too.
But the burden of government is not confined to what happens when you write a check. There's also the time required to gather forms, assemble papers and take on other tasks. For example, it took an hour out of my day PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-7079216212824191932008-04-09T02:18:00.000-05:002008-04-09T10:52:07.995-05:00If we remove schools from the culture wars, maybe we'll find better schools
Since this next item came out on Christmas Eve, it was rather topical on its date of publication. Nothing much has changed since then, however.
December 24, 2007
One reason why children don’t know as much as they should may be that we expect public schools to do too much—or at least do things they aren’t suited for.PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-72132400906162522008-04-04T13:40:00.001-05:002008-04-04T14:13:40.057-05:00Boosting Public Parks through Private Parties
Springtime is underway, which means that visits to local, state and federal parks will soon increase. One way improve their condition is to make more use of the private sector, as I described in this column from last year.
Funding public parks through private incentives
August 6, 2007
It's summertime, which means that a lot of people are enjoying PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-67888222401525939712008-03-15T12:25:00.002-05:002008-03-15T12:33:55.420-05:00State and Local Regulations Drive up Cost of Housing
Yet another chapter in a book that could be titled "There's no such thing as a free lunch." This theme: regulations meant to control the size, appearance, location, design and construction of housing also drive up the price of housing--sometimes dramatically.
Housing Policy Perils
Seattle: 44 percent of housing prices driven by regulations
PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-9258935514166302112008-03-05T08:52:00.003-06:002008-03-05T08:58:05.424-06:00Minnesota is #1 for Charter Schools
Here’s a #1 ranking that Minnesota can be proud of. According to an annual report card report card published by the Center for Education Reform, Minnesota has the strongest charter school laws of any state. That is, charter schools are more secure here, and have a better chance of having an effect on education than anywhere in any other state.
Under the centerPolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-83408236092723889772008-02-11T00:01:00.000-06:002008-02-10T20:09:14.181-06:00No Prices, No Progress
Single payer makes health care simple, advocates tell us. How cute and charming. And nonsensical--to try to operate without prices.
When I read that under a proposal that draws at least some interest from Minnesota’s Rep. Keith Ellison, "Physicians and other health care staff are reimbursed within 30 days of service ..." my first thought was "And what price do they get PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-36465105862561620702008-01-24T19:17:00.001-06:002008-01-24T19:19:25.742-06:00Show Us Our Money
With the new year well underway, it's time to start thinking of ... yep, April 15.
So how well is your state and local government spending your hard-earned tax dollars? Not always well.
Fortunately, a new coalition has developed to let people see what's going on across the states. It's called Show Me the Spending.
Minnesota has enacted a law letting residents search for PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-67636972575803738082008-01-10T07:53:00.000-06:002008-01-10T07:57:30.065-06:00The "Decline" of the Middle Class
The populist card is getting played a lot these days. Just to show how terrible things aren't, the crying is about the middle class.
As George Bullard reminds us, though, one reason for the decline of the middle class is the growth of the upper class: People are, to borrow a line from a 70s TV show, "moving on up."PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-67821747259406919872007-12-28T10:15:00.000-06:002007-12-28T10:25:13.645-06:00Writing for Pay and Pleasure.
It's been noted in the blogosphere, often by economists, that people give away something valuable (their time) when they write free of charge on the web.
Now, sometimes you pay nothing because, face it, you get nothing in return. But some blog authors do give readers something of value: information, insight, edification, and so forth. And blog authors get in return PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-3941004705581783372007-12-10T11:37:00.001-06:002007-12-10T12:12:39.443-06:00Who Should Control Your Health Care? You or Politicians?
One of the hottest issues of the day is health care. The following commercial is encouraging to anyone who believes in sensible state policy. Why? It's a demonstration that people who understand that markets work are fighting against the lure of government-run health care.
Did I just say "lure of government-run health care?" When you PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-12055704565854857632007-12-06T07:31:00.000-06:002007-12-06T07:42:24.322-06:00On Immigration
I'm sometimes amazed at how much attention "them foreigners" get. A large number of people--I have long since forgotten how many--think, for example, that aid to foreign countries is a significant portion of the U.S. federal budget. It's not.
The concern about foreigners has of course been on the national scene this year due to the various questions surrounding the treatment of PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-81074903901370975452007-11-27T10:05:00.001-06:002007-11-27T10:14:45.015-06:00Educational Choice in Minnesota
Minnesota is among the leaders in school choice in the country, though that's not saying much.
Charter schools flourish, and the state has both a tax credit and a tax deduction program for education expenses.
A new report from the House Research department describes the two different tax plans.
Minnesota has both a tax credit and a tax deduction provision. A taxPolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-32686724617600826282007-11-12T19:53:00.001-06:002007-11-13T09:51:49.281-06:00The Moral Case for School Choice.
There are many reasons for enacting school choice. Improving educational achievement and saving money are two of the big ones. But Richard John Neuhaus points us to another one that doesn't get as much play as it should: Enacting choice is the moral thing to do.
He points to an earlier essay by John Coons, who writes:
Shifting educational authority from PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-41381195224842592622007-11-12T11:40:00.002-06:002008-04-09T10:47:23.065-05:00The Dark Side of Ethanol
Has ethanol jumped the shark? I hope so. Here's an article I recently wrote on the subject.
October 8, 2007
Popular yes, but there is a dark side to ethanol
What would you call a public policy that raises the price of food and other products for Americans, degrades the natural environment, enriches a few well-connected companies, fails to live up to its promises, andPolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-5645783542639766782007-10-31T12:11:00.000-05:002007-10-31T12:19:16.825-05:00Isn't Poverty Quaint?
Plan old environmentalism--clean up the water, the water, don't pollute, that sort of things, is fine.
But too often it stands in the way of human development. Worse, it is carried out in a condescending tone that thinks poverty is good--for someone else.
That's one theme you'll find from the film Mine Your Own Business. This video clip of an interview with the film's PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-25199864925956726312007-10-29T11:39:00.000-05:002007-10-29T11:58:46.760-05:00A Smoking Ban is Implemented the Way it Should Be Done.
The image and place of smoking in American life has come a long way, baby.
The other day I saw what would now be called a retro style advertisement featuring golf legend Arnold Palmer hawking cigarettes. And of course you can't watch an old movie without seeing at least one character light up.
Smoking has been on the decline for a long PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-56561456129295380542007-10-17T11:46:00.000-05:002007-10-17T12:02:43.297-05:00Do You Really Want Government to Be Reading Your E-Mail?
What following item from the vault took on greater importance last week when I listened to a panel presentation on the growth of the telecom/broadband/Internet industry. The chief speaker illustrated, using many different statistics, how important this sector is to the economy, and how rapidly it has grown. Pick any metric--user will work PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-89435786453347636412007-10-02T14:25:00.000-05:002007-10-17T11:45:14.405-05:00Political Promises Will Pound Taxpayer
Who guards the guardians? That question is usually applied to national security. But it's pretty applicable to the public budget. When it comes to public employee pensions, the public gets pounded.
Here's an article from the vault, as it appeared in March 5, 2007
Public pension funds are a ticking time bombJohn La Plante
You probably know about the PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-40793260176310324652007-09-24T07:24:00.000-05:002007-09-24T07:28:54.811-05:00A Smoking Ban in Private Cars. For the Children.
A legislative committee is Utah is taking what may be the first step towards banning cigarette smoking entirely. It wants to ban smoking in cars when young children are present.
Sure, folks who smoke in their car when there's someone around--especially kids--are at the very least rude and inconsiderate. But expect this to be a battering ram in an PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-16116105578669562222007-09-11T11:16:00.000-05:002007-09-11T11:44:14.025-05:00Politics is Exciting. Policy is Boring. Right?
Picking up on yesterday's comments, I notice that the "politics is exciting, policy is boring" theme is making its way 'round the old blogosphere.
Just this morning I was driving around town, and listened to a podcast of the McLaughlin Group. It's the old shout-em-up version of a TV public affairs program that was around long before whatever goes PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-51853876752041259362007-09-10T10:37:00.000-05:002007-09-10T10:50:05.840-05:00True North is Here.
About two weeks ago I noted the imminent launch of True North. It's up and running.
Most of the writers dwell on politics, which is OK. That's what a lot of blog readers are interested in.
On the other hand, I'll be holding down the "boring" side of the site, writing on occasion about policy questions.
There are several reasons for that. One is that I don't find politicsPolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-3144118947847329192007-09-07T09:42:00.000-05:002007-09-07T09:44:32.510-05:00Bring Back BRAC
If you thought that the Democratic Party takeover of Congress would do away with earmarks, think again.
There's a VA hospital in Los Angeles. A Department of Veteran's Affairs study suggested that some of the excess land on which it sits could be sold. Since the site is in a super-rich area of LA, it could fetch up to $4 billion that could be used to upgrade the care of veterans.PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-46040593676021101502007-08-29T10:35:00.000-05:002007-08-29T10:37:20.297-05:00Where We Need to Go on Health Care.
Health care is the wedge issue for those who would insert more government control over the individual's life. And why not, given public dissatisfaction with the status quo? But there's a better way.
From Sen. Norm Coleman's junk mail one page "annual report" comes these encouraging words on health care policy. It's a start. (I have introduced paragraph breaks PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368695.post-1158460259517522662007-08-27T21:22:00.000-05:002007-08-27T12:43:36.955-05:00You May NOT Shop at Wal-Mart
"I know what's better for you than you, and I'm going to use the power of law to make sure you don't do something stupid."
Whether it's a smoking ban (you're too stupid to decide where to eat dinner), Social Security (you're too stupid to plan for your own retirement) or any number of other issues, there's a lot of that attitude going around.
Another expression of PolicyGuynoreply@blogger.com