Teachers Also Are Flunking

                       

The National Assessment of Educational Progress has been called the Nation’s Report Card. It reported that only 23% of fourth-graders, 30% of eighth-graders, and 21% of 12th-graders were” proficient” or “advanced” on their national geography exam, given in January to March, 2010. The trend persists.

                       

I saw one of the simple questions posted in the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that only 33% of eight-graders got it right.

                       

With a student body such as this in the U.S. we certainly do not get our money’s worth when it gets to education cost. But I do notice teachers’ unionized pay and benefits are highest ever. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.

Disastrous European Unemployment

                                           

Too many European countries are on the edge of bankruptcy amidst well over permanent 10%-Plus unemployment.

With younger workers, who do not get counted as unemployed because they give up early on, and are, in fact, permanently on the dole the moment they leave school in their teens. If they excel at something, it’s in their demand for funds from their neighbors’ taxes. Those neighbors who work.

                       

This is the society many of our politicians fail to point to, when they sell us on government-supervised services the Europeans get so “cheaply.” (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

“Experts” Enhance Government Spending

                       

Americans should always think seriously about politicians who tell them government “experts” know all about spending and deficit control.

                       

Any politician or bureaucrat with a short-term horizon is never reliable on this score. Especially a politician unfriendly to, or unfamiliar with the true understanding of capitalism.

                       

Our tremendous deficit will spell enormous inflation. Or a loss of currency value. And the certain loss of the eminence of America. As an economic and, therefore, a political and military entity. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

                   

Media’s Free Market Ignorance

                       

Few general media reporters, columnists and editors have free market views and, certainly, a background on financial subjects. In addition to what generalities journalists are ever taught, they receive a modicum of economic and financial training in school.

                       

Not theory from economists such as Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, and present-day commentators such as Thomas Sowell, Walter E. Williams, among others.

                       

Thus you get common left-leaning slants in many financial articles. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

ObamaCare- Post Office Efficiency?

                       

Everything the government has done, including its health care under Medicaid, have been inefficient with equally poor service, comparable to that of the Post Office.

                       

Government never fosters competition. It can cut out competition when it is permitted to write rules to have taxpayer money undercut the pricing of products or services of potential private producers. As with ObamaCare.

                       

The Post Office will not give up its first class mail handling privilege. It knows it cannot compete if it has competition. Other forms of non-first class package shipping are handled by private shippers efficiently and at low cost. While private carriers would love to carry first class mail, the Post Office continues to maintain its monopoly.

                       

The Post Office says it provides service to areas no private carrier will want to service. Not true, as evidenced by cutbacks the Post Office constantly imposes. And destinations to which private carriers now go.

                                           

ObamaCare claims to provide everything private medicine can do better and cheaply but government has never allowed real health care reform. Such as interstate competition and tort reform and fraud correction, (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

Understand The Constitution

                       

Our inefficient schools prove to be a waste of so much of our educational funds. They appear to do more for the welfare of the teachers than they do the kids being taught.

   

As one example I refer to Prof. Walter E. Williams, in a past column. Professor Williams, is now retired as head of the Economics Dept. of George Mason University but still actively writes and comments about his specialty.

                       

According to one survey, Dr. Williams says, only 28% of students can identify the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. And that fewer than 25% of students knew that George Washington was the first president of the United States.

                       

And that only 26% of students knew that the first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.

                       

Years ago, kids did better, when they sat, 30 and 40 to a class, and in one-room school houses. And so did the taxpayers funding their education do better. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

Why Not Health Malpractice Courts?

 

                       

We have special courts for bankruptcies where judges handle creditor and debtor claims, tax liens, workers compensation, and so on.

                       

One of the complications that requires change, and proves costly with health care, is malpractice cost. The problem is primarily due to the huge amounts of lawsuits against providers. And fraud that permeates the system.

                       

The result: The high outlays due to defensive medicine and doctor malpractice insurance premiums.

                       

ObamaCare intentionally does nothing to stop this menace.

                       

The practical solution: Arbitration courts made up of judges, trained in science and medicine. That would eliminate awards because of “junk science.”

                       

The courts could eliminate attorney’s cuts of the award proceeds and put a cap on outsized sums that ordinarily come from ignorant juries and jurists. While seeing that patients are compensated for actual malpractice. The courts would be financed from doctors' insurance premiums. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)