These are classic discussions published back in December 2005
Achievement Gap
I read this article today on the achievement gap. It reminded me that last October I drafted the following post on the topic:
This morning [ed. -- last October] I heard a report on No Child Left Behind (“NCLB”). Then, I watched my nephew run in the state cross country (“CC”) meet. The two events might relate.
NCLB: The NCLB report shows that the Nation is not making significant progress in improving education performance overall; however, it shows that the “achievement gap” — the performance differences between various groups (primarily racial groups) — is closing. In other words, we’re not doing better as a whole. But, the distance between the top and bottom is shrinking.
CC: The runners started in a pack, but, by the end of the race, there was a huge spread between the first and last runners. The winners were congratulated. It would be a joke to suggest that the sport as a... (read more)
Urban Homesteading
The United States should rekindle its homesteading program.
America has good, hard-working citizens – teachers, law-enforcement and military personnel, and many other dedicated community servants – who cannot afford to own a piece of ground in the community they serve. And, just like 140 years ago, America has a lot of empty land where those people could stake a claim and become stakeholders in the American dream. It would cost Government nothing, but it would benefit the country significantly.
I’m not talking about 40 or 160 acres per homesteader. Society has moved away from the agrarian lifestyle that required so much land for each family. Instead, these good people and good families need a quarter-acre in a nice development. That would be plenty to give them a leg up in obtaining manageable financing that they could meet with the meager salaries that accompany their great service to society.
For those of you familiar with St. George,... (read more)
Intelligent Design
Though the details of an intelligent design bill are still evolving, I received a thoughtful email from a retired BYU science professor that I thought readers might enjoy. It reads,
I oppose any legal requirement that “intelligent design”, or comparable idea, be taught along with evolution as a competing theory. I have several reasons for my opposition:
1. It would create a problem where none exists. The problem would be that students would be forced to choose between intelligent design and evolution and, by extension, religion and science. This choice is not necessary and would do harm. Over my professional career, I have talked with a number of people (or their relatives) who have chosen science and left their religion, falsely believing that they were antithetical. But it is possible to accept both, if one is willing to wait to resolve apparent conflicts (point 3 below.)
2. Intelligent design, or similar ideas,... (read more)
Budget
Bob Bernick has an insightful article on the direction Gov. Huntsman’s budget proposal likely will take. If the Gov does push (1) Rep. Dougall’s “H3″ personal income tax proposal (flat rate below 5%, with variable credits for mortgage interest and charitable contributions) and (2) elimination of the sales tax on food, that would be a great launch into the session.
We should dig deeper in removing the sales tax on food than the $37 million mentioned in the article. The more I think about this issue, the less inclined I am to replace the State’s portion of the revenue that would be lost. I think we’d be better off leaving most of that money in our citizens’ pockets. It might make sense to let local governments recoup their share of the lost revenues (by increasing the sales tax on non-food items .15%) and having the State recoup .15%, rather than the .5% originally proposed. This would... (read more)
Roughing It