News that Starbucks is closing 500 stores reminds me of something I wrote earlier this year on the difference between the private sector and the public sector. McDonalds thinks that they can make a lot of money by going head-to-head with Starbucks for customers of expensive coffee. Will their plans succeed? I haven’t a clue. If they fail, they will be shut down, and the company […]
John LaPlante
About John LaPlante
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When the Legislature is in session …
There have been so many bad ideas floating around this legislative session. One place that has chronicled them is the Saint Paul Legal Ledger, a place for legal notices (business is doing very well due to bankruptcy filings and foreclosures) and wonky news articles and commentary. What follows are some brief notes on articles published there in the last month. The topics include legislative pay; […]
Minnesota 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 center’s framework, a strong […]
Show me the spending
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 information on […]
Educational 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 tax credit, of course, […]
The 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 government to parents is a […]
Are states grading themselves on the curve?
Since the latest issue of Education Next mentions how some states set low standards for schools, it’s time to bring up an article I wrote on the subject last year. Nothing much has changed since then. November 5, 2007 ‘No Child’ leading to grade laxity We all know about the old problem of “grade inflation.” Lately, when it comes to following the federal No Child […]
An opportunity missed–and that’s a good thing
Since I’ve written before on the folly of local governments straying from their core mission by going into the sports entertainment business, I was encouraged by one recent development in Mankato. Unfortunately, it has little to do with government officials recognizing the limits of their roles. Phil Miller, an economist who publishes the Market Power blog, writes that plans for a muni-run water park are on hold. The […]
Does Educational Choice Threaten Community Stability?
Stumbling through the Internet one day, I came across an article I wrote some years ago. It was, I think, a version of something I wrote for the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, an organization that now goes under the name of the Kansas Policy Institute. Regardless of the vintage of the piece, it’s still relevant. John LaPlante, TownHall.com, October 4, 2007 Does Educational Choice Threaten […]
No 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 reimbursed at?” Before I […]