School Lunch Controversy Shows Problems of Centralized Planning
Students in Sharon Springs, Kansas, have produced a YouTube sensation mocking school-lunch guidelines laid down by the federal government.In the video, students collapse from hunger while playing school sports, or even sitting in a classroom. Critics say the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” is leaving students hungry by limiting the calories they can get, and restricting their intake of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Even so, some […]
Your government (barely) at work
A friend of mine has launched into retirement by buying an RV and driving it around the American west. He recently related this story: In April, I camped at Sunset Campground in Death Valley National Park. I paid my camping fees using my ATM card in one of the machines provided. That payment was never deducted from my account until today, September 27th, 2012. That […]
Let’s honor great teachers by recognizing that not all teachers are great
Arne Duncan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, has been visiting Kansas this week as part of a national tour designed to highlight the importance of excellent teachers. Duncan’s tour couldn’t come at a better time. As he pointed out in Topeka, one million students drop out of high school each year–with serious consequences for them and everyone else. He added that “far too many of […]
Voting isn’t always the answer
If you remember your high school civics class, you should recall that the U.S. is not a pure democracy. That is, not everything is put up for a vote. (Thank you, Bill of Rights!) Good thing, too, since it appears that some people are woefully ill-informed about some very important topics, including voting. Take a look at this video from 2011. First published at the […]
I’ll take rule of law over majority rule
Opposition to a photo ID requirement stresses the importance of voting, but it forgets the more important principles of republican governance and rule of law. Earlier this week, John Fund (co-author of Who’s Counting?) and Mike Freeman (Hennepin County Attorney) debated the issue of photo ID at the University of St. Thomas Law School. Two thoughts stuck out to me as I listened: Parochialism is universal, […]
Are you tired of subsidizing the NFL?
This week, a group of people known for grabbing all they can from the public trough is having a grand event that attracts thousands of people and non-stop media coverage. No, I’m not talking about the Democratic National Convention, meeting this week in North Carolina. I mean the National Football League, which kicks off its new season tonight. Put aside for the moment the problem […]
The sacred, once-unconstitutional health care program
In general, I liked Paul Ryan’s speech tonight. But I was troubled by a few things, including his staunch defense of Medicare. “The greatest threat to Medicare is ObamaCare.” That’s true, and it’s a great political tactic to point that out. But is Medicare worth saving for generations to come? Did I just see thousands of Republican leaders give a standing ovation to the claim […]