(NCAP) Recent reports state that due to over-estimated discount rates, the public employee retirement pension liabilities of many state and local governments have been under-estimated by 75-86 percent.
Financial Regulation Bill Exempts SEC From FOIA Requests
(Fox Business) Under a little-noticed provision of the recently passed financial-reform legislation, the Securities and Exchange Commission no longer has to comply with virtually all requests for information releases from the public, including those filed under the Freedom of Information Act.
D.C. teachers pressed to perform
(NCAP) With a new union contract under her arm Chancellor Michelle Rhee, of the the District of Columbia, has fired 241 under-performing teachers. Recent teachers’ union negotiations have given teachers their own report cards, with large raises and the boot on either ends of the scale.
New Orleans Schools After Katrina
Sixty percent of students in New Orleans now attend charter schools. It’s expected to rise to 70 percent next year.
The politics and policy of online education
(Reason Magazine) While online education offers some great opportunities for kids, the traditional monopolies across the states are fighting to limit its growth.
Audio: The Ideology Behind Federal Health Care Reform
Burke Balch explains how the federal health care law was passed to avoid a two-tiered system and about The Darthmouth Atlas and how it is used to justify health care rationing.
It begins: Some insurers won’t issue new policies for children
Some major health insurance companies will no longer issue certain types of policies for children, an unintended consequence of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law.
‘Slacker’ health insurance now mandatory
‘Slacker’ health insurance now mandatory
Invisible Ink In Teacher Contracts
Across the country, many cash-strapped districts fretting over likely layoffs are eyeing seniority rules as they hammer out new contracts. To the surprise of some district superintendents, contract negotiations are not likely to offer much relief. In fact, when it comes to seniority rules, and many other core aspects of teachers’ employment, the contract is not the problem. State law is.
Budget manipulation and its effects on taxpayers
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University takes a serious look at state budgets and the inflation of them caused by gimmickry, fiscal evasion, and fiscal illusion; all common practices which pass extra costs off to taxpayers.
Responsible ways to stop digging the debt hole
(The Heritage Foundation) Five must-do’s to curb spending and reverse the soaring national debt before it’s too late.
Are Michigan Public Schools Underfunded?
A common claim by Michigan’s public school establishment and its political allies is that, despite spending $20 billion annually on education, our schools are “underfunded.”
Education Vouchers Raise Property Values in Texas District
(National Center for Policy Analysis) The sudden increase in property values and demand for housing in San Antonio’s Edgewood indicates the desire of parents to move into the district’s boundaries in order to qualify their child for the voucher program.
Banks Repossess Property at Record Pace
(Reuters) Banks repossessed a record number of U.S. homes in the second quarter, but slowed new foreclosure notices to manage distressed properties on the market.
State rolls millions in to General Fund
(AlaskaWatchdog.org) After several years of internal discussion and organization, the Legislative Finance Division has completed a project that adds more than $750 million into the General Fund in an effort to simplify State finances.
State tests new parole system
(AlaskaWatchdog.org) The Department of Corrections is partnering with the Anchorage Police Department to test drive a new program intended to deal with probation violations more quickly and effectively.