Want to help teachers? Don't tax them

From the Washington Monthly:

America has a long and successful record of using the tax code to reward desirable social actions. Congress did this for VISTA and Peace Corps volunteers in the 1960s and it does so today for active-duty military personnel.

We urge Congress to now do the same for America’s 3.7 million K-12 teachers who are instructing the country’s 56.6 million school age children. A refundable tax credit program would help school boards employ and retain teachers. In particular, it would help recruit and retain the science, technology, and math teachers who today are such a high priority.

All informed citizens want high teaching standards and accountability. But they also understand that the economic plight of our K-12 teachers is a major obstacle when it comes to engaging with and developing top talent. 

This obstacle is especially difficult to overcome given the strain on municipal budgets and the low priority that aging communities place on school funding. 

America has a long and successful record of using the tax code to reward desirable social actions. Congress did this for VISTA and Peace Corps volunteers in the 1960s and it does so today for active-duty military personnel.

We urge Congress to now do the same for America’s 3.7 million K-12 teachers who are instructing the country’s 56.6 million school age children. A refundable tax credit program would help school boards employ and retain teachers. In particular, it would help recruit and retain the science, technology, and math teachers who today are such a high priority.

All informed citizens want high teaching standards and accountability. But they also understand that the economic plight of our K-12 teachers is a major obstacle when it comes to engaging with and developing top talent. This obstacle is especially difficult to overcome given the strain on municipal budgets and the low priority that aging communities place on school funding...

Another dumb rail project

Randal O'Toole

From Randal O'Toole:

Oxford has added a new word to its English dictionary: hammajang, which means something is “all messed up.” The word comes from Hawaiian pidgin, which is appropriate considering how messed up Honolulu’s rail project has become. Originally expected to open this year at a cost of less than $3 billion, the current projected cost is more than $9 billion and, since they don’t have funds to complete it, it probably won’t open until 2026 at the earliest...

See also Honolulu Rail Agency Hit With Federal Subpoena.

Trump on the job during our national emergency

just in — a source at the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach just texted me this photo taken a short time ago.

omelette bar: pic.twitter.com/eWqMbdRTwW

— J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) February 16, 2019

Thanks to the Huffington Post