My instincts, political and otherwise, have been conservative for as long as I can remember (Goldwater ’64, etc.), although, at least until lately, my definition has not always been as clear as I would have liked. For me, conservatism consists in dispositions and habits of mind and heart encompassing the accumulation of experience and wisdom […]
Archives for July 2001
Education Accountability Revisited
In November 2000, I wrote that, in spite of incremental improvement in some areas, the public school accountability measures adopted around the country over the past several years will never be enough to truly transform public education. The problem is incentives and what passes for accountability. The only real accountability rests with customers (parents) who […]
Patient “Rights”
The debate in Congress on the Patients’ Bill of Rights legislation sent me back to my notes on a Rice University lecture series of several years ago on ethics in today’s society. The subject then was “Hillary Care”, but the questions remain. The most basic one is “is there a right to health care?” You […]
Death Watch
Texas Governor Rick Perry has been roundly criticized editorially for several of his vetoes of legislation passed in the recently concluded legislative session, none more vociferously than his rejection of a bill banning the execution of mentally retarded murderers. Some suggested that this adds to Texas’ image as a callous and cruel place. But, in […]
Promoting Fatherhood
One of the programs that has a nice fit with President Bush’s faith-based initiative is the promotion of responsible fatherhood, and one particular organization, the National Fatherhood Initiative, has done a good job of leading a movement toward restoration of traditional concepts of family, marriage, and fatherhood. Recent U. S. Census statistics reflect that one-third […]