In the last 60 years, since Republicans relinquished their Senate majority to the Democrats on January 3, 1955, the Grand Old Party has controlled the United States Senate for only 16 years (plus four months*), and they shared control with the House of Representatives for only 10 of those years, as well as the aforementioned four months. Looking back even further to 1933, the GOP held the Senate for only an additional four years, all shared with the House. This January, as a result of the 2014 “wave” election, the Republicans once again control both chambers.
Fiscally Drunk and Disorderly
In spite of the decisive drubbing that President Obama and his party sustained in the mid-term elections, he continues to gallop along on his (gift) horse, proposing all kinds of new government spending programs, as if nothing has changed. His behavior is reminiscent of the over-served guy drowning his sorrows at the local watering hole, running up a big tab on his maxed-out credit card, yelling “another round on me for everybody!”
The War on (Minimum) Wage Payers
Our nation’s Founding Fathers never intended to put the government in charge of picking winners and losers, but as citizens look more and more to Uncle Sam for special favors and handouts, that is precisely what is happening. In the process, the storied American character that once valued hard work and venerated self-reliance has itself […]
Schoolhouse Crock
On September 7, 2014, ABC television asked viewers to rank the best songs from the bygone “Schoolhouse Rock” series of educational vignettes. At first, this might sound like a fun diversion from daily realities. But for adults in the public policy arena, catchy lyrics like “I am only a bill… sitting here on Capitol Hill” remind us instead of gridlock in Congress, where a conservative House passes bills that an obstructionist Senate sits on, for fear of forcing tough votes by endangered Democratic incumbents. Meanwhile, the mention of “Conjunction Junction” is less likely to conjure up nostalgic memories of clever grammar lessons than the battle over diminished highway infrastructure funding. And the slick spiel by “Tax Man Max” is not nearly as likely to convince us of our “patriotic duty” (to pay ever higher taxes) as it might have been when it first aired some 40 years ago.
A Common Problem in U.S. Education
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, originally sponsored by the National Governor’s Association, and supported by President Obama, will change the way students are tested and how teachers will teach by the year 2014. If there’s any confusion on what that means, just read the Common Core’s mission statement: “The standards are designed to be […]
Rotten to the (Common) Core
Starting in mid-August, children began returning to classrooms across the country. The individuals who work in school districts have the most personal (and visceral) contact of any level of government, especially since parents entrust them with their progeny. But this close relationship may be supplanted by mandates from on high (or wherever it is that education apparatchiks perch), where a handful of policy wonks (not Father) supposedly knows best. If they have their way, these D.C. do-gooders will dictate the curricula for elementary schools in Elmira, junior highs in Joplin, and high schools in High Point.
Fraudsters Eating Your Lunch
In July, the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) released an investigative report entitled, “Fraudulent School Lunch Program Applications Filed by Public Employees.” The OSC discovered that 83 public employees, 26 individuals that were a spouse or partner of the public employee, and eight individuals that were another member of the employee’s family provided false information regarding their household income on applications for the school lunch program. Even more disturbing, six elected school board members from Newark, Paterson, and Pleasantville were part of the scam.
Private Sector Solution to Digital Literacy
As students return to school this fall, they are finding that their teachers are using technology tools, such as online curriculums and textbooks, and assigning online homework more frequently. Today, virtually all schools and libraries are connected to the Internet. However, once the school day has ended, students may find a different picture when they […]
E-Rate Program Reform To Take Center Stage at FCC
On Friday, July 19, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be meeting to discuss, among other items, reforms to the Universal Service Fund (USF)’ E-Rate program, which was highlighted in the July edition of Wastewatcher. It is expected that the outcome of this meeting will be a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to […]
Beyond its Intended Scope – The Pell Grant Predicament
On July 1, 2013, the interest rate for federally subsidized student loans doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Lawmakers left for the July 4 recess without addressing the increase, in part due to differing opinions regarding the extent to which the federal government should subsidize higher education, which has become significantly more expensive in recent years. One reason for rising costs is the government’s subsidy portfolio, which includes Pell grants.