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When informed, attitudes toward public school spending change
Read more: When informed, attitudes toward public school spending changeOne of the problems with forming public policy is the lack of information possessed by the general public, and, sometimes, even by elected officials. A recent research report published by the Hoover Institution titled Educating the Public measures the problem. Importantly, this report shows the changes in people’s attitudes when they receive correct information.
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‘Story of Stuff’ video attempts to shame us into depression
Read more: ‘Story of Stuff’ video attempts to shame us into depressionA video claiming that American-style capitalism is ruining the earth is making its way into our nation’s schools as “a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation,” according to a story on the front page of the New York Times in May. It’s produced by one Annie Leonard, described in the Times as “a former…
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Democracy thrives as Ballotpedia surpasses the 10 million page views milestone
Read more: Democracy thrives as Ballotpedia surpasses the 10 million page views milestoneWhen Americans went to the polls in November and continued casting ballots during the 2009 off-year elections, they turned to Ballotpedia (www.ballotpedia.org) to get objective information about candidates and ballot initiatives. The California pages pertaining to Proposition 8 and the more recent ballot measures alone garnered more than 1.3 million page views. That is why…
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Kansas teacher may face firing for political views
Read more: Kansas teacher may face firing for political viewsIn Lawrence, a Kansas high school teacher may be fired for his political views. The Kansas Meadowlark reports in his post “Save Mr. Latham,” Lawrence High School History and Government Teacher.
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Kansas school spending lobby pot calls kettle black
Read more: Kansas school spending lobby pot calls kettle blackAfter the 2009 Kansas Legislature ended its session in May (notwithstanding the formal closing in June), the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA, the teachers union) produced a document wrapping up the session and setting the stage for the future. Kansans need to be aware of the agenda of this organization and its allied school spending…
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$29 cut marks end of Kansas school spending rise
Read more: $29 cut marks end of Kansas school spending risePaul Soutar of the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy reports on the rapid rise in Kansas school spending, and what may be in store for the future.
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More doubt about man-made global warming
Read more: More doubt about man-made global warmingThe evidence that global warming is a man-made phenomenon continues to fall under sharp questioning and doubt.
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Regulation is expensive
Read more: Regulation is expensiveWe often hear of the burden of excessive regulation. When we measure the cost of federal regulation, we find that the numbers are truly shocking. How much does federal regulation cost? “A very rough extrapolation from an estimate of the federal regulatory enterprise by economist Mark Crain estimates that regulatory compliance costs hit $1.172 trillion…
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I’m using a different theme
Read more: I’m using a different themeToday I’ve made a switch in the theme this blog uses.
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More myths of green jobs
Read more: More myths of green jobsOn its surface, a seemingly strong argument for adopting a national policy of increasing reliance on renewable energy is all the jobs and economic growth that will result. It’s claimed by some that the switch to so-called “green” sources of energy will pay for itself this way.
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The effectiveness of court-ordered funding of schools
Read more: The effectiveness of court-ordered funding of schoolsAs the school spending lobby in Kansas beats the drums of a new school funding lawsuit, we ought to consider whether these lawsuits have any merit. That is, have they produced positive results in the classroom? Or do these suits serve only to increase spending?
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Markets could guide Wichita school district
Read more: Markets could guide Wichita school districtReduce either the number of administrators or their salaries, and that would make more money available for other things, such as teachers. Currently the district needs to cut its budget, however, so the savings would more likely be used to meet that demand. This brings up the broader question of staffing in the Wichita public…