The Heartlander: May 2004

ROBERT NOVAK TO KEYNOTE 20TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER

Illinois native Robert Novak will deliver the keynote address at The Heartland Institute’s twentieth anniversary benefit dinner on Thursday, September 23, 2004, at the Chicago Hilton Hotel.

Novak writes “Inside Report,” a syndicated column he launched in May 1963 with Rowland Evans, who died in 2001. Since 1966, the Chicago Sun-Times has been the column’s home newspaper; it is currently syndicated to more than 300 newspapers nationwide. Novak is also a contributing editor to Reader’s Digest. In 2001, Novak was awarded the National Press Club’s Fourth Estate Award for lifetime achievement in journalism.

Novak participates in Crossfire and The Capital Gang, CNN’s political public affairs programs, and hosts CNN’s The Novak Zone, a weekly feature in which Novak interviews top newsmakers and world leaders.

Novak was born in Joliet, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois - Champaign-Urbana. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the university in 1952 and since then has received a distinguished alumnus award and an honorary doctorate degree. His first newspaper jobs were as a reporter for the Joliet Herald-News and the Champaign-Urbana Courier.

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HEARTLAND DIRECTOR AUTHORS WALKING TOUR OF CHICAGO LOOP

Jim Johnston--a founding donor to The Heartland Institute and charter member of its Board of Directors--has prepared a “free-market walking tour” of downtown Chicago.

“Chicago is the scene of some very important institutions that have had a large impact on the world and contain important lessons for the future,” explains Johnston. “Other guides cover much of that history in an admirable way.

“However, what tends to be left out are the present-day market institutions and the economic history, specifically the free-market history.”

Johnston’s tour--a “preliminary edition” of which was printed by Heartland in April and appears on its Web site--highlights sites along the Chicago River, including the site of the 1915 Eastland capsizing; the “L” and North Shore Railroad; Chicago’s tunnel system; the Harrison Street power station; and more--including the LaSalle Street headquarters of The Heartland Institute, of course!

Copies of the illustrated 42-page guide are available for $5.95 a copy, or a PDF of the walking tour document and a PowerPoint “virtual walking tour” are available online at http://www.heartland.org.

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SRN TRACES A SCHOOL REFORMER’S JOURNEY

Many thanks for your nice article on high school writing in this month’s [March 2004] School Reform News. One of these days we will see standards inch up for academic writing and essay competitions. You are sure helping. Will Fitzhugh, publisher The Concord Review

The May issue of School Reform News features an exclusive interview with Sol Stern: product of public schools, parent, journalist, policy analyst, and author of Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice.

Stern calls himself “a late bloomer” on the school choice issue, starting as a “public education consumer” whose “reporter’s instincts took over” as his children worked their way through public schools. Says Stern, “if you have a school that is horrendous, that is destroying children, then it’s morally incumbent on us as a society to provide any opportunity for those children to get out and find a school that works for them ...”

The issue’s “Just the Facts” feature offers an extensive data table on teacher salaries and overall education spending; other articles address teacher quality, unions, certification, and merit pay.

The issue also offers the Friedman Report School Choice Roundup and covers the failure of K-12 education to prepare students for college and work; the need for productivity, rather than simply more money, in public education; DC vouchers and No Child Left Behind; charter schools; and teaching teachers to teach reading.

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SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS SENT EDUCATION AND CAPITALISM

Nearly 500 members of the nation’s largest public school boards--including Boston, Dallas, Detroit, the District of Columbia, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia--were each sent a complimentary copy of Education and Capitalism in early April. The 343-page book, written by Heartland Chairman Herbert Walberg and Heartland President Joseph Bast, was published by the Hoover Press in late 2003. Heartland has distributed 2,400 copies of the book so far.

Bast predicts the book will be well-received by school board members because “these people understand school board membership is an important responsibility, and they confront the failures of government schools on a daily basis. Most of them will appreciate the opportunity to think creatively about reforms that go well beyond the ‘givens’ of the status quo.”

Outreach

On April 1, Heartland President Joseph L. Bast appeared on KVON-AM Radio’s “Morning Edition” in San Francisco, discussing Education and Capitalism with talk show host Jeff Schechtman.

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LET’S PUT PARENTS BACK IN CHARGE! A HIT WITH STATE LEGISLATORS

Copies of Let’s Put Parents Back in Charge!--the “chapbook” version of Education and Capitalism--were mailed in early April to the 341 members of Heartland’s Legislative Advisory Board. Another 200 copies were provided to R. Scott Bludorn, a Libertarian Party candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives.

State elected officials have been extraordinarily receptive to the book since its release last summer. In March, Allen Fore, Heartland’s Vice President - Public Affairs, phoned dozens of state legislators who had earlier requested multiple copies of the book ... just to ask how they liked it and what they did with their copies. Among the responses Allen received:

• State Rep. Woody Burton of Indiana distributed more than 100 copies of the book to his constituents and asked for more, saying, “every parent needs to read this. I found the book eye-opening and resourceful.”

• State Rep. Ted Heidrich of Maine called the book “the best argument for school choice that I’ve seen. I took them to the Statehouse and immediately passed them out to every member of the Education Committee. Heartland once again has done a super job of making an important issue easy to understand.”

• State Rep. Carl Haas of Vermont found the book “concise and does a fabulous job of advocating school choice.”

• State Rep. Diane White Delisi of Texas has had a “great reception for this innovative book.” She displays the books in her office and brings them with her to speaking engagements.

• Assemblyman Tim Leslie of California said Let’s Put Parents Back in Charge! “shows why we need school choice and how to get it.”

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ECN SHOWS SUBURBS ARE GOOD FOR WILDLIFE

The May issue of Environment & Climate News features PERC Senior Associate Jane Shaw’s report on how suburban development benefits wildlife. “The claim that urban sprawl is wiping out wildlife is simply poppycock,” writes Shaw.

The issue also covers three new reports:

• the states’ role in endangered species management, issued by the Center for Best Practices of the National Governors Association;

• the impact of “smart growth” development restrictions on the economy of Nevada; and

• the Public Interest Research Group’s “latest effort by anti-automobile activists to torture the data until it gives the desired confession,” in the words of American Enterprise Institute scholar Joel Schwartz.

Also in this issue: a lawsuit aimed at stopping oil production in the National Petroleum Reserve; climate change and the Kyoto Protocol; the energy bill; asbestos litigation; election-year attacks on the Bush administration’s environmental record; hog farming restrictions debated in Iowa; and champions of private property.

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HCN WEIGHS IN ON KENTUCKY INSURANCE REFORM EFFORT

The May issue of Health Care News highlights an insurance reform measure Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher signed on April 2. Since 1994, Kentucky’s insurance market has been “reformed” half-a-dozen times, most often with disastrous results. Managing Editor Conrad F. Meier believes the current effort might be different. “Consumers, policy wonks, and insurance industry analysts will be watching closely. Kentucky may be on its way back from the abyss,” he notes.

This issue also reports on the failure of Canadian pharmacies to pass inspections by Minnesota state officials; offers a status report on health care legislation pending in Congress; reports the launching this summer of Maine’s Dirigo Health experiment in socialized medicine; and exposes a little-known provision in last year’s Medicare reform measure that establishes a task force reminiscent of the health care working group headed by former First Lady Hillary Clinton. The slow collapse of Canada’s health care system and the value of arbitration as an alternative to lawsuits are also discussed.

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BTN HAILS CALIFORNIA’S REJECTION OF PROP 56

Leading the May issue of Budget & Tax News is a report from California, where voters overwhelmingly defeated a proposal that would have lifted the state’s supermajority requirement for spending and tax bills. Proposition 56--dubbed the “blank check” or “take my wallet, please” initiative--was rejected by 66 percent of the state’s voters in a March referendum.

Also on page 1:

• Responding to the recently released trustees’ report on Medicare finances, taxpayer advocacy groups note a bad situation was made much worse by last year’s budget-busting Medicare reform measure.

• Florida Governor Jeb Bush has directed his Department of Management Services to evaluate the state’s current privatization initiatives and identify new outsourcing opportunities.

• Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher has unveiled a “tax modernization plan” that reduces marginal income tax rates but also extends the corporate income tax to new entities and increases or expands a wide range of excise taxes.

The issue’s centerfold exposes the federal budget deficit, featuring the work of syndicated columnist Terry Savage and a new Institute for Policy Innovation report offering a “weight loss plan” for the federal budget.

Also in this issue: tax and budget news from Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Oregon; Treasury Secretary John Snow’s call for making the Bush tax cuts permanent; how states are (mis)using tobacco settlement funds; estate taxes; toll road privatization in Chicago; and the effect of U.S. tax policy on foreign capital and trade.

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STATE POLICYMAKERS JOIN HEARTLAND ADVISORY BOARD

Seven state legislators joined The Heartland Institute’s Board of Legislative Advisors in March and April, bringing the number of members to 343. We are pleased to welcome to the group:

Hon. Luke Esser (R)

State Senator

State of Washington

Hon. Carl J. Haas (R)

State Representative

State of Vermont

Hon. Charles E. Jefferson (D)

State Representative

State of Illinois

Hon. Doug Quelland (R)

State Representative

State of Arizona

Hon. Colette Rosati (R)

State Representative

State of Arizona

Hon. Thomas C. Taylor (R)

State Representative

State of New Mexico

Hon. Mark Weprin (D)

State Representative

State of New York

Members of Heartland’s Legislative Advisory Board give us advice on what topics to address in our regular publications and which documents to post on PolicyBot, write for Heartland publications, and help convince other elected officials to use our products.

For more information, contact Vice President - Public Affairs Allen Fore at 312/377-4000, email fore@heartland.org.

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A BUSY MONTH FOR P.R.

It’s been a busy month in the public affairs department (aka Allen Fore). In addition to daily press contacts and outreach, Fore had a successful month recruiting members of the Legislative Advisory Board (as noted above), issued nine news releases promoting Heartland, and did several mailings promoting Senior Fellows.

Fore reports he was “particularly pleased with our success in San Francisco--two radio interviews and a letter to the editor in the San Francisco Chronicle (circ. 482,268).”

Fore has made Heartland’s p.r. department more aggressive in its distribution of information to media outlets, focusing not only on the top markets, but mid-level markets as well. “Reporters are becoming more familiar with Heartland and are pleased with our quick response to their requests,” reports Fore, who worked with reporters from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Ft. Worth Herald, Denver Post, and ABC television in just the past few weeks. “Heartland is growing in reputation as the go-to think tank for quick responses,” Fore said.

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SENIOR FELLOWS: ON THE ROAD, ON THE AIR, IN THE NEWS

“The message that Dr. Lehr had to deliver was one that we all needed to hear. His inspirational words helped to set the tone for what turned out to be our best seminar ever, and attendees were still commenting on Dr. Lehr’s talk as they left to return home two days later. ... In fact the comments have been so overwhelmingly positive that the president of our company (who did not even get to hear Dr. Lehr speak) would like o have Dr. Lehr speak at some of our other seminars, particularly our Sales Conference next year.” Patrick Parker Program Director SavA Tree

Science Director Jay Lehr

Lehr spent a busy February and March on the road promoting Heartland. On February 11 he addressed the Wheaton, Illinois Rotary club, then enjoyed lunch at Heartland headquarters, where he briefed staff and a few directors on current key environment issues. The following week he addressed 250 agricultural specialists on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture in Ottawa. That meeting was followed by addresses at an Ohio Farm Exposition, in Connecticut for a meeting of SavA Tree (a large tree care company headquartered in Bedford Hills, New York), the First Farm Bank of Indiana, and back to Ohio for a Delaware County Farm extension meeting.

On March 4, Lehr addressed the Economics Club of Southeast Missouri University in Springfield, where he taught that capitalism protects the environment far better than command-and-control socialistic government programs.

On March 28, Lehr was the luncheon keynote speaker at a Washington, DC meeting of the National Animal Interest Alliance, delivering a speech titled “The Effect of Radical Agendas, Junk Science, and Propaganda on Public Policy Decisions.” Lehr joined a group of distinguished speakers at the NAIA conference, including Congressmen George Nethercutt (R-Washington) and Chris Chocola (R-Indiana); Matt Hogan, Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and William Hawks, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

After the event, the group’s president, Patti Strand, wrote, “The conference was absolutely fabulous. Dr. Lehr presented a great speech, lots of energy, substance, and great podium skills!”

Senior Fellow Maureen Martin: Legal Affairs

Heartland’s newest senior fellow, attorney Maureen Martin, made her Heartland radio debut in late February, when she addressed lawsuit abuse on a Radio America Network program syndicated out of Washington, DC to 50 stations nationwide.

Since then, Martin has written two op-ed pieces distributed by Heartland: one addressing medical malpractice in Illinois, the other commenting on Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s veto of tort reform legislation--essentially an “open invitation” to obesity claimants and their lawyers. Both op-eds are available on Heartland’s Web site.

Martin also has submitted a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune on medical malpractice issues; drafted a Heartland Policy Study on lawsuit abuse; and responded to a series of questions on legal issues raised by American Legion magazine for a forthcoming issue.

Senior Fellow Wendell Cox: Sprawl and Urban Transit

Cox will return to the United States in early May after a two-month stint as Visiting Professor in Transport and Demographics at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (CNAM) in Paris. This French national university has approximately 80,000 students and grants degrees to the doctoral level. Cox offered seminars on U.S. and international public transport, intercity rail (including Amtrak), freight transport, and world urban areas; he also conducted research on French and European demographics and transport.

Senior Fellow Merrill Matthews: Health Care

Matthews addressed the April Fool’s Day meeting (hmmmm ...) of the Economics Club of Southeast Missouri University in Springfield.

On May 11, he will speak in Indianapolis to the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care on the topic “How Government Is Crippling Health Care.”

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WALKER MAKES CASE FOR NEW COALITION

On March 9, New Coalition founder and director Lee H. Walker was interviewed for 30 minutes on education issues by well-known libertarian talk radio show host Gene Burns on KGO-AM Radio in San Francisco. In September 2002, Burns was named one of the “25 Greatest Radio Talk Show Hosts of All Time” by Talkers Magazine, a trade publication of the talk radio industry.

On March 10, Walker spoke with reporters for the Medill News Service (a newswire operated by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism) on race relations and business.

On March 29, the Chicago Defender (circ. 33,314) published Walker’s letter to the editor chastising the Chicago Public School System for its recent decision to eliminate math as a subject that could keep a student from repeating a grade. “I could not believe the school board would take such an irresponsible action,” wrote Walker. The full text of his letter is available on The New Coalition Web site at http://www.newcoalition.org.

On April 9, Walker issued a statement challenging the mainstream media’s coverage of Dr. Condoleezza Rice’s testimony before the 9/11 commission. Wrote Walker, “While the press are certainly entitled not to ‘like’ [Dr. Rice] or the testimony she delivered before the 9/11 commission, she is also entitled to something: fair treatment and respect for the positions she holds.” The full text of Walker’s statement is available on The New Coalition Web site at http://www.newcoalition.org.

New Speaker Brochure Available

A brochure promoting New Coalition director Lee Walker was developed and printed in April. Among the topics Walker addresses:

• Lawsuit Abuse

• Race and Environmentalism

• Prescription Drug Issues

• Booker T. Washington: Wisdom for Today

• The Imperative of School Reform

To make arrangements for Walker to address your service organization, civic group, college classroom, etc., please contact Allen Fore, Heartland’s vice president - public affairs, at 312/377-4000, email fore@heartland.org.