Fragmented Families

“Confirm Thy Soul in Self-Control, Thy Liberty in Law” from M. Pearlstein (ed.), Fragmented Families and Silence of the Faithful (2015) By George W. Liebmann In addressing the problems presented by fragmented families, religious institutions must first strengthen themselves. There was a time when the ministry was considered one of the three great learned professions, […]

The Feds, the States, and the Controlled Substances Act

The Feds, the States and the Controlled Substances Act How exactly is Colorado undermining federal law? Nothing requires a state to make marijuana illegal. Wall Street Journal January 12, 2015   To the Editor: Maryland, under Gov. Albert Ritchie, steadfastly refused to prohibit alcohol sales throughout Prohibition, and Al Smith’s New York repealed its prohibition […]

Time for ‘Bottom Up’ Education Reform

Time for ‘Bottom-Up’ Education Reform by George W. Liebmann The renewed clamor for postponement of ‘common core’ testing provides further evidence of the failure of ‘top-down’ reform in Maryland public schools. Who can forget MSPAP, the State Board’s high stakes tests for graduation, and the procrastination in fulfilling the ‘Race to the Top’ promise that […]

Expanding Distance Learning in Maryland Schools

Expanding Distance Learning in Maryland Schools   A Comparative Analysis of Distance Learning in Maryland and Other States   by Nicholas Schwaderer   Calvert Institute for Policy Research 8 West Hamilton Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201 Tel: (410) 752 5887                     Contents   1 MARYLAND ONLINE EDUCATION […]

The Institute’s Executive Director’s Pratt Library talk on his book The Last American Diplomat was broadcast on C-Span2’s Book Week on Saturday August 9 at 8:45 p.m. and will be re-broadcasted on Sunday August 17 at 2 p.m.

The King of Pop Issues

O’Malley’s latest ‘pop’ issue – baltimoresun.com Maryland’s governor has proposed that undocumented child immigrants should be placed in foster care By George W. Liebmann 1:31 p.m. EDT, August 6, 2014 O’Malley takes on another ‘pop’ issue [Commentary] Gov. Martin O’Malley, a presidential hopeful, has taken on yet another “pop issue,” proposing that we provide foster […]

Brief Book Regulation Primer

  Letters Brief Book-Price Regulation Primer This latest adventure isn’t directed against exclusionary practices but fosters concentration in publishing and distribution and is contrary to the public interest.   June 4, 2014 2:25 p.m. ET Regarding L. Gordon Crovitz’s “The Antitrust Book Boomerang” (Information Age, June 2) and Holman Jenkins’s “Washington vs. Books” (Business World, […]

Property Tax Incentives for Business–Another Folly

A Worthy Report on Property Tax Incentives for Business The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has issued an exceptionally valuable report on state and local misuse of property tax incentives for economic development. Its authors are Daphne A. Kenyon, Adam H. Langley, and Bethany P. Paquin. Ms Kenyon is well known as the principal author […]

More Pension Follies

More Pension Follies With great fanfare, Governor O’Malley announced his 2014-15 budget. Three thick budget volumes were released. Nowhere in these volumes (with one minor exception) are any of the pertinent data concerning Maryland’s pension and employee health obligations disclosed. The re-design of Maryland’s budget documents carried out by the present budget secretary, Eloise Foster, […]

Intellectual Complacency and Arrogance

17 Green Bag 2nd 12 (Autumn 2013) INTELLECTUAL COMPLACENCY AND INTOLERANCE To the Bag: I am certain, or at least hopeful, that I am not the only one of your readers to be astounded by the propositions put forward in your Summer issue by Suzanna Sherry and her academic admirers. The danger of judicial review […]