Rep. John Kline: Education is a jobs issue According to the so-called experts, the Great Recession that began during the winter of 2007 ended in June of 2009. This should be welcome news, but many Americans find it hard to believe. More than 14.8 million workers are still unemployed, and 27 states recently reported an increase in unemployment. Earlier this month, the Department of Labor issued an... Read more »
Congress may not have been in session these last several weeks, but plenty has been happening in Washington and around the nation. Below is a brief recap of notable education and labor news – what you might have missed and what is worth watching in the waning days of the congressional session. Common Standards Pave Way for National Tests For months, advocates for local control of education have wa... Read more »
Here is something college students probably didn’t want to learn on their way back to school: thanks to ObamaCare, many may soon lose their school-sponsored health care plan. An editorial from the Wall Street Journal provides the details on why some college students risk losing their current health care plan: Big Foot on Campus Why colleges want a waiver from ObamaCare. In the movie "Animal House,... Read more »
With yesterday’s release of the final report on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, government researchers have once again concluded the groundbreaking program is providing benefits to low-income children and families in the nation’s capital. As confirmed by the report, students offered a scholarship – whether they use that scholarship during some or all of their elementary and secondary yea... Read more »
Democrats’ internal feud about whether to add a $50 billion state bailout to the nation’s credit card continues to delay vital troop funding. Meanwhile, The Washington Times reports this morning on the president’s proposal to prop up over-inflated state budgets – including a $23 billion fund sought by teachers’ unions – suggesting yet another federal bailout will only delay state efforts to balanc... Read more »
Last year, an economic analysis estimated passage of the Democrats’ card check unionization scheme would destroy between 2.3 and 5.4 million American jobs, increasing the unemployment rate by between 1.5 and 3.5 percentage points. At a time when 15 million Americans are looking for work and the unemployment rate is stuck near 10 percent, it’s hard to imagine anyone would consider passing this kind... Read more »
The Wall Street Journal reports today on a curious request from the National Labor Relations Board, the panel that arbitrates private-sector labor disputes: “The National Labor Relations Board is exploring electronic-voting methods for unionization elections, which employer advocates fear could be used to circumvent the current secret-ballot process and favor unions.” It’s not clear precisely what... Read more »
The New York Times reports this morning the Obama administration, facing “deep skepticism” over its government takeover of health care, is “orchestrating an elaborate campaign to sell the public on the law.” Meanwhile, the public continues to learn about and oppose ObamaCare with its higher costs, job-killing mandates, and tax hikes. Yesterday, an editorial by the Columbus Dispatch recapped the de... Read more »
In Pittsburgh, Penn., President Obama credited his administration’s economic policies for “breaking the freefall” of the current recession. Despite more than 15 million Americans still looking for work, the president declared the nation is “again moving in the right direction.” But as the Wall Street Journal reports, the nation’s seven million long-term unemployed workers – those unable to find wo... Read more »
The Washington Times editorial page is crying foul over recent efforts by the Obama Administration to pressure and cajole colleges and universities to abandon the most widely used federal student loan program in favor of the government-run alternative known as the Direct Loan program. “Despite the fact that the scheme is not yet law, Department of Education officials began writing letters as early... Read more »
