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#DEI – We know the Supreme Court made race-based admissions preferences illegal for institutions of higher education. But we also know that in the past universities have tried to get around such prohibitions at the state level by using various proxies for race. Frederick M. Hess and Greg Fournier at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal point out that we can’t just trust colleges on race-based admissions and go over ways to make sure admissions are truly race-blind.
#HigherEd – Speaking of higher ed and discrimination, AEI’s Frederick M. Hess (him again) put out a report pointing out that the Truman Scholarship, a taxpayer-funded program, discriminates against conservatives.
#Education – At National Affairs, Frederick M. Hess (we can’t help it if he’s all over the news today!) and Michael Q. Shane have a very interesting article outlining what they call a “unified theory of education“, or in other words, a “broader agenda” to answer the question: “What are the guiding principles that can frame our approach to education, whether we’re thinking about preschool or graduate school?” Among their prescriptions: less standardization, a greater emphasis on human formation, and a focus on “truth, goodness, and beauty.”
#WorkingClass – In a report we are sure to follow up on, the Economic Innovation Group has put together “original analysis from EIG scholars, public opinion research, and a wide-ranging series of guest essays” in order to “forge a much-needed consensus about the condition of American workers that transcends partisan and ideological divides.” This is a fantastic resource, which we encourage you to look at.
#TaxPolicy – As you know, next year will feature a huge battle over tax reform as several provisions of the TCJA are set to expire. Caitlin Reilly at Roll Call points out something important: there has been substantial turnover of relevant staff and members on the tax-writing committees in Congress. “The effects of this turnover are likely to be felt more deeply in a Republican sweep or divided government next year, as churn has been more dramatic on the GOP side of the dais. The lineup changes pose two primary challenges for those who would like to see the 2017 law extended: the need to educate new members on the policies and trade-offs included in the law, and adapt to shifting political winds less friendly to wealthy individuals and big corporations.”
#TaxPolicy – Speaking of, many wonks on the left are starting to coalesce around a truly strange wealth tax proposal: so-called “ULTRAs,” which stands for UnLiquidated Tax Reserve Accounts. The problem with a wealth tax is that most wealthy people’s assets are not liquid. ULTRAs would get around this by granting the government “notional ownership” of a part of the asset to be taxed, to be realized when that asset is sold. Yes, it sounds very strange. Michael Munger of the American Institute for Economic Research has more.
#Healthcare – The National Conference of State Legislatures has come out with a welcome briefing on a vital, but overlooked profession: community health workers. As the report notes, states decide on certification and training requirements, financing of services, retention and recruitment strategies to integrate CHWs into the health care system. We like policy papers from bipartisan outfits because they are usually sober-minded and factual (there are exceptions, of course…) and so make for relaxing, interesting reading.
#Infrastructure – States are spending $20 billion of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds included in the American Rescue Plan Act on water infrastructure. How is this money being spent? Aleena Oberthur, a project director with Pew’s state fiscal policy project, has some answers.
#LGBT – The battle over so-called “gender-affirming” procedures for minors continues, in spite of ever-accumulating scientific evidence against it. Paul Terdal reports for National Review that today, preteen Oregonians can be put on powerful chemicals without FDA approval, before moving onto surgeries as adolescents. These can irreversibly alter their bodies and even leave them unable to have children of their own later.
#FreeSpeech – Greg Piper, legal analyst at Just the News, has a good overview of the consequences of the Supreme Court’s two recent decisions on free speech and Big Tech.
#Antisemitism – James Doar and Tim Rosenberger at City Journal point out that the antisemitic violence that has recently blown up in the US didn’t just happen. Officials are complicit through neglect.
#Statistics – Demographer Lyman Stone has a good thread explaining something that hadn’t occurred to us but is important to you if, like us, survey-based studies are part of your bread and butter: “International surveys will underestimate cross-cultural variation to the extent that they rely on identical recruitment strategies across very different contexts.” More.
Chart of the Day
For the first time, US Census Bureau reported ‘data centers’ as a separate category in its construction spending reports. (Via Shanu Mathew)
Meme of the Day
