The bottom line for me on this election: It was not as big as Reagan’s election in 1980 or the Republican “Contract with America” election of 1994, but it was close. In order for it to be validated it terms of a watershed turnaround for the country, it will require a Republican in the White […]
Archives for 2014
Economic Growth is Decisive
Whatever the mix of the underlying causes of the election results, there is little doubt that lingering anxiety about the weak economic recovery was a major factor. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece a couple of days after the election, Daniel Henninger identified it as the primary determinant of electoral outcomes–you preside over a […]
A Worthy Proposal for Reform of Federal Higher Education Grants
Paul Peterson of Harvard’s Kennedy School has a very simple and common sense proposal to jump start the conversation on reform of the federal higher education grant system—we should require students who apply for financial aid through programs like Pell Grants to demonstrate that they are ready for postsecondary work by passing a state exam […]
The Wrong Model for the VA
I just watched a 60 Minutes segment on the Veterans Administration medical care disaster, featuring the new VA Secretary, Bob McDonald. He is obviously eminently qualified and appears almost right out of “central casting” for this job–West Point graduate, Vietnam veteran, former CEO of Proctor and Gamble, etc. He is clearly a good man with […]
The NAS “Beach Books” Survey: No Surprises Here
Last month, the National Association of Scholars released its annual comprehensive survey of books assigned to entering college freshmen (Beach Books 2013-2014: What Do Colleges Want Students to Read Outside Class?) and it was true to form. This year the survey reached 341 colleges and universities, including 51 ranked among the top 100 National Universities […]
Good for the Scots
It was encouraging that the voters in Scotland rejected the separation from the United Kingdom. Let’s hope they did it for mostly the right reasons. Self-determination is a noble concept, developed and championed by Woodrow Wilson in the Fourteen Points that became the organizing principle of the Treaty of Versailles, and it can be applied […]
The University of Houston and the TIER I Conundrum
The recent dustup between University of Houston Chancellor Renu Khator and Texas Senator John Whitmire over the school’s proposed requirement that, with some exceptions, all freshmen would be required to live on campus, poses some interesting questions about the role and aspirations of this and other similarly situated universities. Under Khator’s inspiring and impressive leadership […]
Just Another Entitlement
Obamacare has almost disappeared from the above the fold major daily newspaper headlines and updates are now mainly covered by Fox News, National Review, and the Wall Street Journal editorial pages. The various political campaigns have essentially dropped the issue. The Republicans are basically tongue tied on it, with nothing meaningful to say. Not that […]
Short-Changing a Lot of Bright Kids
A recent article by Harold Levy, executive director of Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, highlighted what seems to me to be a glaring oversight. A study by his foundation using data from the Department of Education to track talented students found that only 59% of smart children from low-income households, defined as those who scored in […]
The Reformation That Awaits
The irony is almost poetic: We now have a deeply troubled and humbled Presidency the historical legacy of the incumbent of which will now rise or fall based on his success as a war President! That is if and when he ever really admits that he in fact is a war President. You can’t make […]
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