Wednesday, October 31, 2007

A Cheer for Small Schools 

The perils of consolidation

Filed As:  Education (k-12)

The state of Maine is on a path towards dramatically reducing the number of school districts it has. If local monopolies are bad, regional monopolies are worse.

The Maine Heritage Policy Center goes into detail about the more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 8:07 am
• 0 comment

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Can Muni Wi-Fi Cash "Reality Check" 

Filed As:  Information Technology

A few years ago, one of the latest fads in municipal government was muni wi-fi, under which city government made an agreement with a single company to provide "free" wi-fi. Some cities even went so far as to get into the broadband business themselves.

The more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 7:08 am
• 0 comment

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Progress--of Sorts 

Sign up for Medicaid online

Filed As:  Health Care

In Louisiana, you can now sign up for Medicaid online. At least 6 kinds of coverage are available.

Adding a paperless option is good, though if you think of the hopelessly optimistic term "paperless office," you might wonder if ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 12:41 pm
• 0 comment

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

When Death is a Good Thing 

California proposal in grave condition

Filed As:  Health Care

In California, the health care reform package of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is having a near-death experience, says the San Diego Tribune. It is being opposed by Democrats and Republicans alike, though for different ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 12:54 pm
• 0 comment

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

What Will Another $500 Do? 

Why there's never "enough" in schools

Filed As:  Education (k-12)

Lynn Harsh, writing from the state of Washington, comments on the ever-increasing demand for "more" ...

We’re now up to $11,000 per student annually, but most of our schools are still underperforming.

What kind of success can be bought with an ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 12:25 pm
• 0 comment

Monday, October 29, 2007

Victory for Economic Freedom 

Filed As:  Economic principles, Transportation

Fresh from the in-box, this note from the Institute for Justice, celebrating a win for entrepreneurship in Minnesota . It may be hard to think of "Minnesota" and "Economic freedom" in the same sentence, especially if you think of the ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 3:48 pm
• 0 comment

Monday, October 22, 2007

Masonomics Explained 

Filed As:  Economic principles

The "Big Thing" in economic thought may be "Masonomics," says Arnold Kling.

What's that? Economics according to the economic department at George Mason University.

"Most economists favor the free ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 10:05 am
• 0 comment

Friday, October 26, 2007

Get Out of the Way 

The latest fad in economic development: economic clusters

Filed As:  Economic principles

During the late 1990s, government officials everywhere wanted to play host to the next Silicon Alley. The Economist suggests that the desire is still around, with governments showering money on selected geographic areas ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 7:07 am
• 0 comment

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Is there a Conservative Health Care Solution? 

AFF roundtable discusses different approaches

Filed As:  Health Care

Is opposition to HillaryCare 2.0 enough? Clearly not. America's Future Foundation recently held a roundtable discussion on the topic, which you can download for listening.

Here's part of the description of the ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 10:28 am
• 0 comment

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Problems with School Consolidation 

Filed As:  Education (k-12)

Like many states, Maine is looking at reducing the number of school districts that it has. The Kennebec Journal reports on the latest effort in Maine, which would reduce the number of districts from 290 down to 80.

This ... more »»

• posted by John LaPlante
• 10:04 am
• 0 comment