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Becket Fund’s Eric Rassbach on Loffman v. CA DOE, Religious Liberty, & SchoolingNovember 27, 2024 - 10:30 am
Pioneer Institute Statement on Vocational-Technical School AdmissionsNovember 26, 2024 - 8:00 am
FY2026 Consensus Revenue Hearing – Forecasting of Revenues is Tricky BusinessNovember 25, 2024 - 8:00 am
Ever wish….
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /bythat Federico Fellini directed a allegorical history of Yugoslavia incorporating the cast of Animal House? Sure you did. Time permitting, I urge you to view the best film you’ve never heard of — Underground, playing Thursday at the Brattle Theater.
Urban education on the move… elsewhere
/0 Comments/in Blog, News, Related Education Blogs /byPassed on by Whitney Tilson of Democrats for Education Reform: Some great news from Washington DC — and by a 10-3 vote! (courtesy of the Center for Education Reform): The Council of the District of Columbia approved the Public Education Personnel Reform Act late this afternoon, 10-3, after several hours of deliberations. The act would give D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee the authority to turn around the district, including cutting ineffective or unproductive personnel in central administration. A majority of the Council embraced this historical landmark reform, recognizing the need for drastic change within the D.C. Public School System. This act shall take effect after final approval by Mayor Adrian Fenty and a 30-day period of Congressional review. In DC they […]
Councilor Feeney, invite some firefighters to your forum.
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, News /byThe Globe’s Juxtaposition Desk is really on the ball this morning. Right below an investigative piece on alleged abuses of the firefighters’ pension system, there’s a bit about Councilor Maureen Feeney’s wish for a “New England-style town meeting” in Boston. Great idea. Once the Convention Center is packed with ordinary Bostonians – all, presumably, asking for better services or lower taxes – please get some representative of the firefighters or the city up on the dais. And please, someone wave a Pioneer White Paper on pension abuse and mismanagement at that public servant. Ask if the city can distinguish citizens’ interests from those of its employees. I promise that Research Director Steve Poftak will autograph that White Paper, if not […]
New Business Creation and The Urban Economy
/0 Comments/in Economic Opportunity, News /by Editorial StaffAuthor(s): John H. Friar — Publication date: 2008-02-28 Category: Economic Opportunity Abstract: Policymakers have long grappled with the challenge of revitalizing cities whose economies have declined as manufacturing jobs moved elsewhere. Older industrial cities’ economic woes have compounded other problems, including municipal budget crises, struggling schools, high crime rates, and persistent poverty. [wpdm_package id=79]
The Knock-on Effect of the Subprime Mess
/2 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government, Economic Opportunity /byI attended the Finance Advisory Board meeting last week and one of the new appointees to the Board, Robert McConnaughey, (who replaced the previous incompetent), raised an interesting and insightful point — how will downgrades to bond insurers impact public sector debt? To unpack his question a bit — much public sector (i.e. municipalities, authorities, states, etc.) debt is enhanced with bond insurance, which provides a higher bond rating and reduces borrowing costs. If these bond insurers themselves get downgraded (largely as a result of exposure to bad subprime debt that they insured), it flows through the market and affects the bonds that they insured. Mr. McConnaughey’s question is already looking even more timely. S&P just downgraded a major bond […]