Millions of families have benefitted from Milton Friedman’s legacy and his vision of school choice being available to every American child. On July 21, free-market allies will celebrate educational choice on what would have been Friedman’s 104th birthday!
Robert C. Enlow, president and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, recently celebrated Friedman’s passion for educational choice, calling it the fairest and most effective way to provide education. “The Friedmans’ interest in improving the American education system began in 1955. By 1996, the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice was born, and now, more than half of the U.S. offers families school choice programs.”
Free-market organizations advocating for school choice are the heirs to Friedman’s legacy, and many of these groups, including The Heartland Institute, will celebrate the life and work of Friedman this week.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy and Northwood University Forum for Citizenship and Enterprise will celebrate Friedman at their 10th Annual Milton Friedman Legacy Day, which will be held on Friday, July 29 at 11:30 a.m. in Midland, MI.
Missouri’s Show-Me Institute will celebrate the work of Friedman and the diverse set of educational options that exist in St. Louis by hosting its Friedman Legacy Day Event, keynoted by James Shuls, the distinguished fellow of education policy, on Friday, July 29 at noon.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation will honor Milton Friedman Legacy Day by hosting a birthday celebration for the renowned free-market economist on Thursday, July 28 at 3:30 p.m. The event will offer games, prizes, and ice cream, which will be enjoyed as attendees remember Friedman’s life and his lasting impact on today’s economy.
On Friday, July 29 at noon, the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity will host a Milton Friedman Legacy Day luncheon in Tucson “to discuss the future of school choice and education reform, and to celebrate the birthday of the late economist Milton Friedman.” Max Eden, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, will speak at the event.
If you are in Indianapolis for the American Legislative Exchange Council’s event, please don’t miss the Friedman Foundation ceremony on Friday, July 29.
In addition to all the festivities taking place across the nation, the Friedman Foundation has a big announcement scheduled for Friday, July 29. At its Friedman Legacy Day, the board of directors and staff leadership at the Friedman Foundation will announce a new name and strategic plan for the organization “that will keep their vision of universal school choice at the forefront of the school choice movement.” Staff from The Heartland Institute will attend this exciting event to celebrate Friedman’s life and legacy.
What We’re Working On
Don’t Miss the Premiere of ‘A Billion Lives’
After a successful international film festival run, the award-winning documentary A Billion Lives will have its red-carpet North American premiere at the historic Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Please join The Heartland Institute on Saturday, August 6 for a special showing of this important film. General admission tickets start at only $20, and doors open at 7:00 p.m. For more information, go to ABillionLives.com.
Budget & Tax
Research & Commentary: Economic Development Programs Rarely Work, New York’s START-UP Is Latest Example
New York’s multimillion-dollar signature economic development plan, START-UP, was recently reported to have created only 408 jobs in its first two years, far below the numbers initially predicted by START-UP proponents. In this Research & Commentary, Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Glans examines START-UP and how it could serve as a cautionary tale for other states. “State tax incentives often fail to live up to their promises to encourage economic growth and are usually given for business and industries with the most political clout. Lawmakers should avoid complicating the tax code by creating new tax credits and exemptions and instead focus on attracting business by simplifying and lowering marginal tax rates,” wrote Glans. Read more
Education
ACLU Appeals Nevada Judge’s Ruling Upholding ESA
Nevada ranks 49th or in studies examining student achievement, but that hasn’t stopped the American Civil Liberties Union from opposing school choice by appealing a Las Vegas judge’s ruling determining the state’s education savings accounts (ESA) program to be constitutional. ESAs allow parents to customize their children’s education by empowering them with the ability to use public funds on a wide variety of educational goods or services. Government Relations Intern Tori Hart reports in a recent Heartlander article how the state’s ESA program works to improve education. “Ninety-six percent of K–12 students in Nevada are eligible for the state’s ESA program, which allows parents to transfer their students out of public schools and have access to all or a portion of the state money that would have been spent on their child in public school to spend on their choice of educational services, such as private school tuition, textbooks, or tutoring.” Read more
Energy & Environment
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Draft Comprehensive Study Finds Frac Sand Mining Environmentally Sound
A draft report of a strategic analysis of the mining of industrial silica sand, also called “frac sand,” was released in June 2016 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The study found the process used to mine frac sand is safe for the environment and for people. The DNR report also provides “factual information about the industry and typical operations, as well as about air quality, water quality, wetlands, groundwater, wildlife, endangered resources, and socio-economics.” In this Research & Commentary, Policy Analyst Tim Benson argues frac sand mining is not a threat to tourism, scenic beauty, or property values. “The DNR strategic analysis, in a blow to anti-frac-sand groups, found no elevated levels of particulate matter in the air near mining sites,” wrote Benson. Read more
Health Care
Research & Commentary: Massachusetts Is Latest State to Consider Single-Payer Health Care
Massachusetts lawmakers are now considering two bills that would make Massachusetts the first state to institute a statewide single-payer health care system, which would be called MassCare. In this Research & Commentary, Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Glans discusses the many problems that would be created by a single-payer system and warns legislators against moving in that direction. “Single-payer systems face major obstacles that make implementation difficult, if not impossible. MassCare’s proponents have greatly underestimated the costs of implementing and maintaining a single-payer health insurance system and the effects it would have on individual patients and the health care market,” Read more
Nathan Makla is a former state government relations manager for the Government Relations Department at The Heartland Institute.
