Fresh from his overwhelming re-election victory, Gov. Bobby Jindal has unveiled an audacious education reform agenda that built around an expanded school voucher program, new charter schools, a rigorous teacher evaluation system and a revamped tenure system. With the Louisiana state legislature set to go back into session this coming March, the governor is expected to win broad support for many of the proposed changes.
If so, the voucher program, which is now limited to New Orleans, would go statewide. Low-income families with a child enrolled in a school that has received a C rating or lower could use public dollars to cover the cost of private school tuition.
Obviously, the American Conservative Union (ACU) didn’t get the memo. After all, Governor Palin is irrelevant, donchaknow. At least that’s what the mainstream media told me, and the mainstream media never lies.
Was that the sound of Katie Couric’s head exploding I just heard ? from the set of the old Geraldo show?
The other news is that this will be the Governor’s first ever appearance at the annual three-day DC gathering of thousands of grassroots conservatives from all over the country, and the timing couldn’t be better. ACU Chairman Al Cardenas sums up why perfectly in today’s announcement:
A watchdog for conservative ideas, the Goldwater Institute is emerging as a key player in the defense of liberties large and small from its headquarters in Arizona, according to The New York Times.
In recent years, it has not only waged court battles on national issues in Washington. It has also used its team of lawyers to monitor state laws and school board missteps, according to the Times. The libertarian powerhouse, as the Times describes it, has also sued a professional hockey team and the Arizona Board of Cosmetology over the rights of tattoo artists.
“There are lots of cozy deals in Arizona, just like everywhere else,” said Institute director Clint Bolick. “The last thing you want is for us to find out. It’s like a skunk coming to a picnic. We ruin everything.”
The institute was founded by conservative activists in 1988, with the blessing of its namesake, Barry M. Goldwater, the longtime Arizona senator and conservative icon. It was primarily a public policy shop that issued reports, until 2007, when it added a crack litigation outfit. The institute’s aggressive lawyers strike fear in the hearts of the state’s public officials.
Read the rest.
Friend:
Thank you. Promises Made, Promises Kept: We have much to be proud of. Those that love Freedom and Respect the Rule of Law stand with us.
I’d be lying if I said I was not extremely disappointed by being voted out in a recall election. It has been an honor to serve the people of Arizona in the legislature for the last decade and I am sad to go under these circumstances.
There is still much to be done, even though we lead the nation in many areas, such as economic recovery, safer neighborhoods, job creation, quality education, 2nd Amendment freedom, lower taxes, less regulation, defense of the unborn, protection of property rights, and yes, a return to the principles laid down by our Founding Fathers. We have changed the national debate in a good way. More than 34 states are modeling legislation after Arizona. WOW, who would have ever thought we could have had that kind of an impact? I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to serve and to have made a difference.
The World War II pilots had a saying; “If you’re not taking flak, you’re not over the target.” Well apparently I’ve been living over the target for some time.
The company behind the film Atlas Shrugged Part 1 is replacing 100,000 title sheets from the film’s newly released DVD and Blue Ray versions because the copy writer incorrectly described the late Ayn Rand’s 1957 novel, Atlas Shrugged, as a story of “self-sacrifice.”
Put simply, that’s like calling Michael Moore a tea partier.
Rand, who in 1964 published a collection of essays called the The Virtue of Selfishness, renounced self-sacrifice on principle. She famously argued that altruism must be rejected “if any civilization is to survive.”
As the producers noted in an apology announcement, Rand’s work extols “a society driven by rational self-interest.” On the back of the film’s retail DVD and Blu-ray however, the movie’s synopsis contradictorily states “AYN RAND’s timeless novel of courage and self-sacrifice comes to life…’”
In the words of Texas Gov. Rick Perry: Oops.
Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, discusses the Declaration of Independence, the founders, Woodrow Wilson, and the founders of modern liberalism and how they gave more power to government.
If you haven’t been following the Alinsky methods being used by Randy Parraz and his far-left associates to take down Arizona Senator Russell Pearce (R), you should pay close attention. They may target your Republican legislator very soon. If they can destroy Pearce, they can destroy anybody. The recall election will be held November 8, 2011; early balloting begins on October 13 (that is, tomorrow).
So who is Russell Pearce?
Senator Pearce gained national prominence in April 2010 as the architect of SB1070, one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in America. It allows Arizona to enforce the federal immigration laws which have been left unenforced for many years.
Pearce has spent his political career writing and sponsoring legislation that honors constitutional conservative principles.
Here are some brief highlights.
After former Gov. Janet Napolitano resigned, Sen. Pearce oversaw the biggest budget cut in Arizona’s history: $500,000,000.
He sponsored legislation to stop eminent domain abuse and protect property rights. He sponsored SB1108, the “Freedom to Carry Act,” making Arizona the number one-state for 2nd-Amendment freedom.
