Waiting for Superman: Why charter schools have lotteries
In yesterday’s installment on “Waiting for Superman,” I closed by asking why the students who wanted to enter a charter school had to be on a wait list or endure a lottery. The short answer: laws on the books today are part of the problem. In his book, Learning as We Go: Why School Choice is Worth the Wait, Paul T. Hill asks why there aren’t […]
The Coveted Golf-Course Owners’ Endorsement
The Michigan Golf Course Owner’s Association has endorsed Rick Snyder for governor. Will it make a difference? There are still a lot of golfers left in the state. The “Golf Blogger,” based in Washtenaw County, says this is probably the first time the association has made a political endorsement of any sort. Sure, the endorsement plays to the stereotypes that equate “wealthy,” “Republican” and “golfer.” (Never […]
Waiting for Superman, Part 2
Yesterday I wrote about education reform and Waiting for Superman in general terms. Today I’ll give you a more detailed review. I want to believe in public schools, but … One thing I like about the movie is that it makes clear that it isn’t just libertarian-minded economists who want structural reforms in schools. As it starts, we hear Davis Guggenheim, the film’s director, talking about his […]
Waiting for Superman, Part 1
Public schools are facing “an inconvenient truth” in the form of a movie produced by the man behind Al Gore’s eco-disaster movie. Will it save the fate of America’s children? I’ve just returned from seeing it, and I have one word of advice: Go. Uptown Landmark theater. This week. Waiting for Superman is a documentary about some horrible public schools and several children who attend […]
Part 2 in a Series on the Minnesota Corporate Income Tax: What Does Larry Summers Say?
Today, we continue to examine the effects of corporate income taxes on investment. Dr. Larry Summers, a Harvard professor and currently an economic adviser to President Obama, recently wrote about this. (Summers has announced he will return to Harvard at the end of the year.) In 2009, he published an article with Dr. James Hines of the University of Michigan. Here’s their review of the effects of […]
Bans on texting-while-driving may be dangerous
One characteristic of modern government is the move to ban something that might be dangerous. The latest victim: the ability to send or receive text messages or e-mail while driving. It may seem like banning the practice would be a no-brainer. But some researchers have observed that accidents have increased, not decreased, in states that have enacted such bans. Clevelander.com puts it this way: “Laws […]
Is cutting corporate income tax rates a “failed strategy”?
The Minnesota Free Market will be publishing a series of short commentaries I wrote, examining the effects of the corporate income tax, using some academic journals as the jumping-off point. The first one came out today.