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 […]