Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro is in the news for a plan that lets students boost test scores by making a donation to the school (See article). I find this whole episode troubling on several levels, not the least of which is the plan amount to nothing less than selling of grades and teaching young [...]
Monthly Archives: November 2009
- Nov11
Hagan gives no clear answer on health care reform
In an N&O article, Sen. Kay Hagan says, “I think people have to get their heads around this, that we can’t continue where we are right now …We’re in a window of opportunity right now, and it’s time for health care reform in our country.” Reform – yes. The type of liberal reform Congress is [...]
- Nov11
My Salary Could Use This Kind of “Cut”
Media stories and political spin about government budget “cuts” often need a translator for taxpayers to understand the true picture. It’s common practice to label something a “cut” when in reality it simply means that government is spending less on something than it had previously hoped to spend – even though expenditures on that program [...]
- Nov11
Grades For Sale
‘Desperate times call for desperate measures’ seems to be the motto at Rosewood Middle School located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The N&O reports, “A $20 donation to the middle school will get a student 20 test points- 10 extra points on two tests of the student’s choosing. That could raise a B to an A [...]
- Nov11
Deficit Neutral or Fiscal Nightmare?
The Cato Institute’s Dan Mitchell talks about the real cost of government run health care…
- Nov11
Why Are Corporations Not Investing?
Robert Higgs of the Independent Institute is a distinguished economic historian, author of several books, expert on the Great Depression and arguably the creator of the concept of “regime uncertainty.” This concept simply states that economic investment (and therefore growth) is stymied because entrepreneurs are uncertain (and often nervous) about the public policies politicians are readying [...]
- Nov10
NC Governments: Drowning in Debt
The Civitas Institute has posted this study examining the true debt burden of state and local governments across North Carolina. State and local governments across North Carolina have accumulated nearly $90 billion in debt and unfunded liabilities. That’s equivalent to more than $9,600 for every man, woman, and child across the state – or approximately [...]
- Nov10
SEIU Ignores NC Campaign Laws
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) which is the mother-organization of the state employees association (SEANC) apparently feels it is above the law when it comes to complying with North Carolina’s campaign finance laws. The SEIU’s political action committee, like all PACs, is required to file regular reports with the NC State Board of Elections [...]
- 2Nov10
On the Road Again…
This WRAL story highlights state government waste relating to the state’s motor fleet. North Carolina’s state motor fleet is more than 8,500 vehicles strong and travels more than 100 million miles each year. A WRAL News investigation found that some state agencies paid millions for miles they did not drive and others had questionable record-keeping practices. [...]
- Nov09
Wake Scores Shatter Conventional Wisdom About Diversity Plan
Though it’s far from perfect, the North Carolina School Report Card is usually a helpful place to get information about how students are performing in public schools across the state. Last week the Department of Public Instruction released the 2008-2009 data. One of the most interesting tidbits to come out of the new data is that [...]