Happy Sue Year!

By Larry Sand
12/30/2014
The Chinese zodiac is transitioning from “horse” to “sheep,” but in the U.S., where school choice is involved, the species in 2014-2015 is “lawyer.” School choice comes in many flavors, but the privatization kind is the most threatening to various special interests because government-run schools are money-makers and power bases for them. Teachers unions, entrenched...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Cato Institute, education savings account, Florida Education Association, Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Jason Bedrick, Larry Sand, National Education Association, school choice, tax-credit scholarships, teachers union, vouchers, Wisconsin

The Best State Governors: Two Examples

By Jon Coupal
04/03/2014
Suppose you pick up your typical California newspaper and see headlines like, “State Unemployment Far Below the National Average” and “State Running Healthy Surplus; Gov. to Return Money to Taxpayers.” You just might find yourself paraphrasing Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, “Sutter Brown, I’ve got a feeling were not in California anymore.” (For those...

TAGS: Governor Scott Walker, public sector union reform, Texas, Wisconsin

Surly Unions Make Wisconsin the Badgering State

By Steven Greenhut
06/04/2012
Before Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker became a recall target for his efforts to reform collective bargaining in his state, I was a guest on a Madison radio show discussing the influence of public-sector unions and the significance of the state’s unfunded pension liabilities. Instead of “Wisconsin Nice” – a euphemism for the polite, conflict-avoiding nature...

TAGS: public employee compensation, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker