The Gut-Wrenching Truth About Pensions By Thomas C. Nyhan, executive director and general counsel of the Central States Pension Fund The Star Tribune’s recent article about the Central States Pension Fund’s need to reduce pension benefits to save the fund (“New law threatens to slash pensions,” Dec. 14) curiously leaves out one very important detail about the causes for our severe underfunding. T... Read more »
Republicans have long warned of the harmful consequences of ObamaCare – consequences that include higher costs, less access to trusted health care providers, and fewer full-time jobs. After years of living in denial, it seems some leading Democrats are starting to face reality. At a recent event in Iowa, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton volunteered one reason for the disturbing trend of p... Read more »
If at first you don’t succeed, change the rules and try again. That seems to be the motto adopted by Big Labor in its effort to unionize a Tennessee-based Volkswagen plant. After failing to win an election involving all of the plant’s hourly employees, the United Auto Workers prevailed last week in a vote that included only 164 skilled tradesmen, a fraction of the plant’s 1,400 workers. This ploy ... Read more »
Yesterday the House passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, taking an important step toward replacing No Child Left Behind and improving K-12 education. The bicameral bill (S. 1177), which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support: Significantly shift(s) authority over the nation’s 100,000 public schools from the federal government to states and local school districts. (Washington Post) Represent... Read more »
After years of executive overreach and congressional inaction, the House is considering today a proposal that would replace No Child Left Behind and rein in the federal government’s ability to intervene in K-12 education. As news reports highlight, the bicameral legislation, known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), reflects principles House Republicans have long-championed: reducing the fed... Read more »
After decades of federal intrusion into the nation’s schools, it’s no surprise the congressional effort to replace No Child Left Behind has been met with some myths and misinformation about how a new education law will affect students, parents, and teachers. In particular, many have voiced concerns about whether the bill prohibits Washington’s involvement in Common Core. Fortunately, it absolutely... Read more »
Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN): Restoring Local Control to K-12 Education Since I was sworn in to Congress in 2009, I've proudly served on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. A former mayor, I am keenly aware of the importance of our educators and school administrators. They shape the future of our communities, and their work greatly affects the economy, which is why I've made it a po... Read more »
Parents play a critical role in helping to ensure their children receive a quality education. Unfortunately, under current federal law, teachers and state and local education leaders are bound by what Washington wants, not by what parents know their children need. The House-Senate proposal to replace No Child Left Behind rejects the Washington-knows-best approach to education and empowers those wh... Read more »
Under No Child Left Behind, federal bureaucrats exercise decision-making power that once rested with states and school districts. Today, Washington controls how states hold schools accountable, how schools hire classroom teachers, and how school districts spend taxpayer dollars. States looking for relief from the federal government’s onerous requirements were greeted with new rules set by the Obam... Read more »
Washington’s role in education is at an all-time high. Today, the Department of Education: Operates more than 80 programs tied to the nation’s classrooms – the majority of which are ineffective, duplicative, and unnecessary; Controls how states and school districts gauge student achievement, improve underperforming schools, spend limited taxpayer dollars, and hire and fire teachers; and Coerces st... Read more »
