Last Thursday, Paul Peterson, Director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University and editor-in-chief of Education Next, treated a Heritage audience to a discussion about his new book Saving Schools: From Horace Mann to Virtual Learning. He was joined by an all-star panel of discussants, which included Susan Patrick, President and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), Michael Horn, Executive Director of the Innosight Institute and co-author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, and Adam …
There’s nothing funny about the state of America’s finances, or those in even more dire straights in Europe. Greece has lined up a bailout from other European countries and the International Monetary Fund. The European Union has announced a trillion dollar defense fund to ward off attacks on the Euro that are sure to come as other countries like Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Ireland come under the debt markets merciless microscope. And all that is holding the ball of wax together is faith that the Germans will be willing and …
Diplomats based in Vienna leaked some interesting news on Friday: IAEA nuclear inspectors have discovered that Iran has removed equipment that was the focus of an investigation into experiments to advance Iran’s clandestine nuclear weapons program. The inspectors are concerned that the Iranians may be involved in yet another cover-up: “At issue is pyroprocessing, a procedure that can be used to purify uranium metal used in nuclear warheads. Iran in January confirmed to the agency that it had carried out pyroprocessing experiments, prompting a request from the nuclear agency for …
In honor of those who lost their lives while serving our country, we would like to share with you President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery: Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the splendor of America and those of her children who rest in this cemetery and others. It’s a day to be …
According to Reuters, “U.S. military leaders are reviewing options for a unilateral strike in Pakistan if there is a successful attack on American soil tied to the country’s tribal areas, The Washington Post reported in its Saturday edition.” Problem One–military contingency planning is supposed to be secret. Why this information is getting out is far from clear. If it is meant as a deterrent–forget it. Odds are if al Qaeda and the Taliban knew they could prompt attacks on Pakistan by striking the US they would just up their efforts–knowing …
On Wednesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan tried to publicly shore-up support for the $23 billion “Education Jobs Fund” being considered by Congress. Flanked by union heads Dennis Van Roekel (President, National Education Association) and Randi Weingarten (President, American Federation of Teachers) and Representatives Dave Obey (D-WI) and George Miller (D-CA), Secretary Duncan pleaded for additional taxpayers dollars: School boards and state legislatures are finalizing their education budgets for the upcoming school year and many face tough choices about whether to retain teachers and continue programs that are vital to their …
DefenseNews, an influential U.S. publication, is running an editorial headlined “Britain’s Defense Choices: What To Cut.” The piece is an object lesson in how not to think about Britain’s defense problems going forward. The piece doesn’t start out badly: it points out that Britain’s armed forces, all told, are smaller than the U.S. Marine Corps, that the forces have been cut for years to make ends meet in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the result is a huge, unfunded modernization bill. And now, with the OECD reporting that Britain, with …
This Wednesday CBO Director Doug Elmendorf gave a slide presentation on Capitol Hill titled: Health Costs and the Federal Budget. Elemendorf’s very first slide reads: Rising health costs will put tremendous pressure on the federal budget during the next few decades and beyond. In CBO’s judgment, the health legislation enacted earlier this year does not substantially diminish that pressure. The presentation concludes: Putting the federal budget on a sustainable path would almost certainly require a significant reduction in the growth of federal health spending relative to current law (including this …
Vice President Joe Biden explained to graduates today why the Obama Doctrine and new national security strategy have all the right answers. First, it will “guarantee” US prosperity and security. In a world where the enemy gets a vote that seems an incredible boast for an administration committed to more humble and apologetic America. Most important, Biden rightly stated that America cannot be a great power without having a great economy…but then he also touted the stimulus package that has done little more than stimulate the national debt. Biden also …
Elena Kagan’s treatment of military recruiters while dean of Harvard Law School was supposed to be an insignificant blip during her Supreme Court confirmation. Vice President Joe Biden, for instance, brushed aside the suggestion that she did anything wrong in a recent TV interview. But a closer look at the timeline of events reveals Kagan mounted an unprecedented legal challenge to bar recruiters from visiting the Cambridge campus. Today the Washington Post adds new details of the struggle Kagan faced: appeasing gay activists on campus vs. satisfying the military’s desire to …
