MORE ARTICLES
Mapping Mass Migration: New Census Data Shows Continued Out-Migration from Massachusetts to Competitor StatesDecember 19, 2024 - 8:52 am
UK’s John Suchet, OBE, on Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker, & BalletsDecember 18, 2024 - 9:40 am
Tim’s Take: An Education Reform Stalwart Takes a Curious Look at Homeschoolers With ESAsDecember 12, 2024 - 1:10 pm
U-OK’s Dan Hamlin on Emerging School Models & Learning LossDecember 11, 2024 - 10:20 am
What To Do About 340BDecember 11, 2024 - 9:47 am
Pioneer Institute Offers Blueprint for Federal Administrative ReformDecember 10, 2024 - 9:06 am
The House Call – Mayor Wu Wants to Overhaul Boston’s Arcane Development Approvals Process? Here Are Three Reform OptionsDecember 9, 2024 - 11:05 am
Pioneer Institute Releases Examination of Metropolitan Housing Markets; Obtains Insights Into Improving Affordability December 5, 2024 - 9:03 am
NYT #1 Bestseller Dava Sobel on Marie Curie & Women in ScienceDecember 4, 2024 - 10:58 am
The Roger Perry Internship ProgramDecember 3, 2024 - 2:00 pm
Whining About Legislative Process
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byYesterday’s Globe highlighted a troubling aspect of the state Legislature’s current process: cramming really detailed pieces of legislation into a few short days. What does this do? It concentrates power in the hands of lobbyists (who provide drafts of amendments) and staffers (who create the actual product). It drains power from elected representatives, who have no hope of actually reading, analyzing and pondering the consequences of all the paper that flies through the chamber. And it also cuts the press and the public out of the process almost altogether. The Globe piece examined an amendment offered by Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz that severely limited the number of districts where the charter cap might be raised. From my read of the amendments, […]
Awkward Juxtaposition Department — Probation
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byToday’s Globe detailed a new Boston Foundation report that shows state spending on the probation department rising at a rate of 163 percent over the last ten years, far outstripping almost every other part of state government. So, where’s the money going? Well, it appears that at least $2 million of it just walked out the door with one of their accounting clerks.
Going Off the Rails On the Khazei Train
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /by(sorry about the title, could not resist). In the last two weeks, two separate polls have come out (Globe and Rasmussen), both showing Martha Coakley with a significant lead. (Sidebar: The careful reader will note how much time is spent in the Globe poll determining that the respondent is a registered Democrat, unlike its previous effort in the Mayor’s race). The interesting part, at least for this observer, will be to see how Alan Khazei fares. In an abbreviated election cycle and starting with almost zero name recognition, he’s either running last or tied for third depending on which poll you believe. He’s managed to spin his amazing rolodex (note to self: make more billionaire friends) into fairly shocking endorsements […]
Too high a price to pay?
/0 Comments/in Blog, News, Related Education Blogs /byThe Chicago Tribune editorial page ran an incredible piece just before Thanksgiving. I will give much of it to you below, but you have to promise to watch the video I am linking to. We watched an interesting YouTube video the other day. It was brought to our attention by state Sen. James Meeks, the Chicago Democrat who is also pastor of Salem Baptist Church on the South Side. We think our readers should check out the video. It’ll open your eyes. Meeks, who chairs the Illinois Senate Education Committee, has been in a war with the Chicago Teachers Union since he had some tough things to say about public education in a Tribune essay and in a speech at […]
Be Careful What You Ask For
/0 Comments/in Blog, Healthcare /byWhen I read the informative report released by DHCFP and reported on in the Boston Globe today, I was struck by how well this insurance seems to meet the needs of most students. Less than 1% of students reach the caps that are imposed by the plans. That seems like a small number to me. And, the Safety Net Pool will wrap around these plans if the services that exceed that amount are sought in a hospital or community health center. So, what’s real beef here? I think some legislators cannot stand that insurance companies are a business and like any other for-profit business need to make a profit. Is the solution to require every student have coverage equivalent to […]