Why Teachers Should Hate Common Core
IN A WORD: INFLEXIBILITY “Common Core has nothing to do with curriculum, instruction, or testing.” No matter how many times Common Core’s most prominent supporters make that claim, it’s still…
Sadly, Common Core Is Not Dead
IT’LL ONLY GO AWAY WHEN LAWMAKERS LEARN TO TURN AWAY FEDERAL CASH On several recent occasions we’ve heard pundits or public officials – and in one case a candidate for…
State Budget: Enough to Fund Roads Already
THE GOOD NEWS: THE STATE HAS ENOUGH TO FUND ROADS. THE BAD NEWS: LAWMAKERS WILL NEED TO GO WITHOUT PAY HIKES, CORPORATE WELFARE, AND PORK. State budgets are a big deal.…
The Attorney General’s Appeal: An Analysis
“The lower court’s order is unprecedented in American law and unsupported by any known legal authority.” On May 19, Attorney General Alan Wilson filed an appeal with the Supreme Court…
House Version of “Ethics Reform”: Smoke & Mirrors
SH.3945 HAS GIVEN LAWMAKERS FAR TOO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO DO BAD THINGS The House version of the “ethics reform bill,” H.3945, approved this week, is a beautiful example of why…
Harrell v. Wilson: What’s at Stake?
IT’S MORE THAN A SPAT BETWEEN POLITICIANS One June 24, 2014, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether Judge Casey Manning ruled properly when he shut down the Attorney…
Reforming S.C.’s Eminent Domain Law
THE GOVERNMENT CAN TAKE YOUR LAND FOR ALMOST ANY REASON. HERE’S WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. In June of 2005 the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in the now…
A Judge’s Misguided Ruling
IT’S NOT JUST WRONG. IT’S DANGEROUS. Judge Casey Manning’s recent ruling in the matter of the state grand jury investigation of House Speaker Bobby Harrell will, if allowed to stand,…
Hey Senators, Here’s What to Cut
WE KNOW, YOU WON’T CUT MUCH. BUT COULD YOU AT LEAST SKIM A LITTLE? The Senate is set to take up the budget recently approved by the Senate Finance Committee.…
Sketchy Things Happening with the “Ethics Bill”
APPARENTLY THE PURPOSE OF “ETHICS REFORM” IS TO USE ALL AVAILABLE MEANS TO PROTECT POLITICIANS FROM SCRUTINY The more lawmakers amend the ethics bill, the more we’re put in mind of…
The Truth about Licensing Laws
THEY STIFLE COMPETITION AND PENALIZE LOW-INCOME CITIZENS. SO WHY DO S.C. LAWMAKERS LIKE THEM SO MUCH? Last week the Policy Council drew attention to the contrast between South Carolina’s free market reputation…