Featured Article
Are Children "Creatures of the State?"
By David W. Kirkpatrick
Most parents undoubtedly believe that their children are their responsibility. But a contrary view has a long history.The point was made by Philadelphian Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Ten years later, in proposing a plan for education in Pennsylvania he wrote, "Let our pupil be taught that he does not belong to himself, but that he is public property."
Buckeye Voices
In
this week's Buckeye
Voices, Ohio Coalition for Quality Education President Ron
Adler sits down with David Hansen to discuss the success of charter
schools, vouchers and other parent-empowering educational options.
Save the Date
The Friedman legacy
in Ohio: How Far Have We Come and What remains to Be Done
July 31, 2008,
would have been Milton Friedman's 96th birthday. To honor his vision
and the impact he has had on our society, we will celebrate the
Friedman Legacy for Freedom in partnership with the Friedman Foundation
for Educational Choice. Our keynote speaker will be Matthew Carr, the
Buckeye Institute's Education Policy Director.5:30 p.m. - Cocktail Reception
6:15 p.m. - Program begins
7:30 p.m. - Event Concludes
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Athletic Club of Columbus
136 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-2606
This is a complimentary event, but space is limited. Please R.S.V.P. by emailing Heidi Smith at hsmith@buckeyeinstitute.org or calling (614) 224-4422 with your name and your guests' names exactly as they should appear on name tags.
McCain Touts School Choice
The
Cleveland Plain Dealer reports,
"Making his education pitch, [Sen. John McCain] said he will offer all
parents the choice of getting their children out of failing public
schools through the expansion of voucher programs. He said he will
offer incentives to entice top teachers to work in troubled school
districts and make it easier for parents to use federal money to get
tutoring for their children."
In
Pivotal Battleground,
Buckeye Institute Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow Ken Blackwell
writes, "Parents want the empowerment that comes with educational
choice. Pilot voucher programs in cities like New York, Cleveland, and
Milwaukee are consistently overwhelmed with tens of thousands of
applicants for a few hundred slots. Parents in those cities desperately
want to rescue their children from failing public schools and
unresponsive education bureaucrats. Children receive between $500 and
$3,000 in scholarships depending on their parents' income. Every child
currently in public school can participate. Children attending
independent schools will be evaluated according to criteria such as
prior qualification for federal lunch programs where lunch is either
free or at a reduced cost. Students entering kindergarten this year are
immediately eligible, with all students qualifying by 2020."
DHL Actions Set Bad Precedent
"[Governor Ted Strickland] said officials are going to fight using all the tools that are available at every level to try to keep DHL jobs here. 'I can tell you that our two senators and our congressional members jointly sent letters asking the (U.S.) attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission asking them to explore every possible way to stop this from happening through antitrust action,'" according to the Wilmington News Journal.
In Suing our Way to Prosperity, Buckeye Institute Senior Fellow Sam Staley writes, "The DHL precedent has far bigger implications for the future of Ohio's economy than many think. Few companies will want to locate in Ohio if they believe state officials will be second guessing strategic business decisions, or examining the details of their bottom line to ensure investments are justified. In a state where the lack of job creation is the primary driver of economic stagnation, putting the government in charge is unlikely to create the kind of investment climate that encourages the private investment necessary to expand our employment based."
Clarity on the "Uninsured"
The Akron Beacon Journal reports, "The plight of the uninsured is marked, with the National Coalition on Health Care reporting nearly 47 million Americans without health insurance. But having insurance has become a burden of its own, with drastically increased premiums and out-of-pocket expenses."
In
Who are Ohio's Uninsured?,
Buckeye Institute policy analyst Marc Kilmer
writes, "While there are certainly a good number of poor people among
the uninsured, what is left largely unexplored is the fact that a large
portion of the uninsured choose to go without insurance. And, in fact,
it is likely that a majority of the uninsured are only uninsured for a
few months. The people who choose to go without insurance or who are
between insurance plans do not fit the media stereotype, but they fill
the ranks of the uninsured in far greater numbers than do the families
living in poverty who want insurance but cannot afford it."
Buckeye Institute in the News
The Columbus Dispatch published Marc Kilmer's letter to the editor on the payday lending referendum.
The Hillsboro Times Gazette published Mike Maurer's article on the transparency and good government.
