Justin Katz
Obviously, the two articles aren’t in direct opposition, and I’m not suggesting that one presents anything nearing an argument against the other, but the two felt related, so perhaps they’re worth juxtaposing. First, AP education writer Nancy Zuckerbrod’s memoirish piece comparing early childhood education in the England versus the United States: The head teacher and…
No doubt it’s healthy and productive for schools to seek to mimic those fading opportunities for group gatherings and discussion, but Julia Steiny’s column on “circles” at the Paul Cuffee Charter School carries a hint of the “war on boys.” This part is particularly creepy: The power of circles to reintegrate wrongdoers back into the…
Just wondering: how much money have people seen flowing out of Rhode Island, today, to take advantage of Massachusetts’s tax-free weekend? I know of a flat-screen TV and a computer and have received witness accounts of both such items flying out the door of the Dartmouth BJ’s. (Sadly, my budget remains much too tight to…
Victor Davis Hanson is must reading: In reality, to the extent globalism worked, it followed from three unspoken assumptions: First, the U.S. economy would keep importing goods from abroad to drive international economic growth. Second, the U.S. military would keep the sea-lanes open, and trade and travel protected. After the past destruction of fascism and…
PROEM: The streaming link wasn’t working all day, so having fixed it, I’ve moved the post back up to the top of the blog. Sorry for the muddleheadedness. Listen as I stun Matt Allen with my confession that I voted for Sheldon Whitehouse, explain our Engaged Citizen, and summarize Bill Felkner’s post using that feature…
Presumably such rhetoric is the result of having stopped somewhat short of full consideration of circumstances, so pointing out additional considerations should bring us at least to the point of admitting that we individually lack sufficient information to justify either vitriol or broad policy changes. Here’s the basis for the hasty jibe: Unlike the rest…
It probably hasn’t surprised readers that a recent op-ed by Lincoln Chafee and Ari Savitzky arguing in favor of a national popular vote system for president strings together muddled thinking. On the one hand, they claim that “the apportionment of Electoral College does not benefit small states.” Yet, a few sentences later, “the Electoral College…
Not to scuttle all that harmony over dreams of a “working waterfront,” but something’s too eerie about this not to highlight it: Launching an invasion while the world news is focused on the Olympics is pretty savy… and a grand first step towards a renewed, major US/Russia confrontation. Yes, quite a clever fellow, that Putin,…
Reading some of the comments to my post on the Lincoln teacher union contract agreement, it strikes me that many of my anti-union compatriots give due appreciation to the reality of change. The bottom line, as far as I can see, is that the union acknowledged the reality of limited funds and, rather than tumble…
Ah, the magic of the Lincoln compromise: Despite these tensions, Lincoln is an example of what a community can accomplish, even when money is scarce, says [Larry] Purtill, president of NEARI. “What Lincoln shows is that both sides were willing, in a tough financial environment, to find a way to make sure that they reach…