Opinion
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Report: Sales Tax Increase Would Cut Jobs, Income in Washington State
Opinion -State of Washington voters will rule in November on a ballot initiative that would raise the state's sales tax to increase school funding. -
Resolutions Illustrate Teacher Union Views
Opinion -At the Representative Assembly of the National Education Association (NEA), New Business Item (NBI) 5 initially called on NEA to oppose the use of Professor William Sanders' value-added method of measuring student (and teacher) performance. -
School Data Now Available for Decision-Making
Opinion -The growth of the standards and assessment movement is yielding an abundance of school-level student achievement data for parents, educators, and policy makers. Several organizations provide school-level achievement information online. -
States Lower Accountability Bar to Boost Pass Rates
Opinion -Although pass rates on state exams are a key accountability provision of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), several states are weakening that component by lowering the number of correct answers required on accountability exams in order to get more -
States Lower Standards for ‘Highly Qualified’ Teachers
Opinion -Just about everyone agrees that the quality of the teacher in the classroom is by far the most important factor affecting student achievement. -
States Need a Telecom Reality Check
Opinion -Nothing spooks legislators more than the loss of tax revenue, and nothing threatens public utility commissioners more than the loss of power. VoIP--voice over Internet Protocol--does both. -
Study Reveals Wisconsin State and Local Tax Burden Is Sixth-Highest in Nation
Opinion -As the Wisconsin legislature debated tax limitations amid much confusion and political maneuvering (see "Watered-Down TABOR Bill Rushed to Committee Vote in Wisconsin"), a Washington, DC-based tax analysis group documented why such a law should be -
Tables: State and Local Taxes Per Capita and Per $1000 Personal Income, 2002
Opinion -Table 1: State and Local Taxes Per Capita, 2002 Rank State Amount 1 New York $4,645 2 Connecticut 4,373 3 New Jersey 4,038 4 Massachusetts 3721 5 Minnesota3,673 6 Maryland3,646 7 Wyoming3,644 8 Maine3,507 9 California3,440 10 -
Tax Hike Leaders Lose in Kansas GOP Primary
Opinion -Republican tax hike advocates lost several high-profile races in the August 3 Kansas primary. -
Teacher Union Gains, Losses Mean Little Membership Growth
Opinion -Figures released at this summer's annual conventions of the nation's two largest teacher unions, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), show membership increasing only slightly over the previous year. -
Teacher Unions Back Kerry
Opinion -More than six of every seven delegates to the July 3-7 Representative Assembly of the National Education Association (NEA) supported the recommendation of U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) for president of the United States. The 86. -
Trade Unionist McElroy Takes Helm of AFT Labor Union
Opinion -At its July 14-17 convention in Washington DC, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) installed union secretary-treasurer Edward McElroy as president, replacing outgoing president Sandra Feldman, who did not seek reelection due to health concerns. -
U.S. Productivity Soars in Business, Slumps in Education
Opinion -Productivity in the U.S. economy soared an impressive 60 percent over the past three decades in terms of output per hour, but productivity in U.S. -
Virginia Town Reconsiders Cigarette Tax Hike
Opinion -In Clintwood, Virginia, population 1,549, businessman Randy Davis said he would move his tobacco business out of town if the Clintwood city council won't do away with a newly instituted 10 cents-per-pack cigarette tax. -
Watered-Down TABOR Bill Rushed to Committee Vote in Wisconsin
Opinion -For six years, Wisconsin State Representative Frank Lasee (R-Bellevue) has urged adoption of government spending limits as part of a constitutional amendment. -
Turkey of the Sea
Opinion -Your editorial of August 22 embracing the Law of the Sea Treaty accuses the opposition of being “right-wing ... xenophobic activists.” Calling names indicates to me that you lack persuasive arguments. -
Prescription Roulette
Opinion -In response to a lack of interest in Governor Rod Blagojevich’s Illinois Rx Buying Club, launched in January, the team of Blagojevich and Rep. -
New Hampshire Should Be Applauded for Seeking Market Reform
Opinion -On January 1, 2004, key provisions of a law deregulating New Hampshire’s small group health insurance market went into effect. -
Joint Ventures
Opinion -The August 26 editorial on avoiding electricity blackouts in the future did an excellent job of laying out the problem. -
Let Market Decide on Smoking
Opinion -Dear Editor: Your editorial (“Litigation will not resolve smoking ban controversy,” August 24, 2004) suggests the City Tavern League, the City of Oshkosh, and Breathe Free Oshkosh should negotiate a compromise position on the regulation of smoking in -
Will the Bay State’s Elected Officials Never Learn?
Opinion -Philosopher George Santayana warned that those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. He could have been writing about the Massachusetts legislature. -
The Drug Importation Bandwagon, the Long-term Consequences
Opinion -There’s a great “Importing Drugs from Canada” bandwagon currently moving through the political landscape, and it offers citizens of now three states--Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois--the opportunity to buy their drugs over the Internet from Canadian -
Media Advisory: Link Between Soft Drinks and Diabetes Unproven and Exaggerated
Opinion -Chicago, August 25, 2004: Articles today in several newspapers report the results of a study claiming a link in younger- and middle-aged women between soft drink consumption and type-2 diabetes. -
More Self-Employed Bet On Not Getting Sick, Hurt
Opinion -Dear Editor, There's no question the cost of health insurance is a burden to the self-employed (More self-employed bet on not getting sick, hurt, 08/23/04, Money).