New Jersey GOP Governor Chris Christie’s plan to cut $475 million in aid to school districts will help keep the federal government from further enmeshing itself in local education decisions.  more

The First Lady believes that only more government spending can help Americans protect their children from the obesity epidemic.  more

Simply bringing the Republican party to the center is not enough. Centrists can be just as disingenuous and unprincipled as their far-right counterparts.   more

Its doubtful anything interesting will emerge out of David Frum’s call for a center-right counterweight to CPAC. The right has lost its center, no doubt, but it won’t necessarily find it by simply being more “moderate”.  more

Rep. Paul Ryan has shown true grit in crafting a budget that is actually balanced, but implementing a healthcare voucher program without first fixing the broken, dysfunctional health insurance market would be a mistake.  more

Liberals may blame Republicans for obstructionism but there is a valid argument for the minority taking an oppositional stance when the legislation in question is something they fundamentally disagree with.  more

The government limits choice, but the trade-off can be worth it. It may mean less affordable abortions but more people covered. It may mean gay people are given the right to wed, but religious charities have fewer dollars to provide for the poor.  more

The Census Bureau, using a new calculation, increased the number of Americans living in poverty by 7 million. This new figure will also raise the estimated cost of healthcare reform.  more

If Americans are serious about launching a green energy revolution, they will need to bust up some very entrenched monopolies and special interest groups. Free energy markets can spur a green revolution with real, lasting economic benefits.  more

Since 1970, federal spending on education per student has skyrocketed. Increasingly, state and local governments are turning to the federal government to help provide needed funds for education.  more

The surest way to kill the next wave of innovative education reform is to allow the federal government to become even more involved than it already is. If anything, No Child Left Behind should serve as a cautionary tale, not as the first step in nationalizing America’s schools.  more

NM SYMPOSIUM: In the end, doing nothing and playing the role of obstructionist and defender of the healthcare status quo is not an option for the GOP. By opening up competition and choice and ensuring portability of insurance, Republicans can provide a basic safety net without the need for a vast new entitlement.  more