During his campaign Barack Obama talked a lot about change, but will his education reform bring the good kind of change? Or will it contain a teaspoon of bad and a dash of ugly? As a man who wore many hats leading up to his election, (was he anti- or pro-NEA? Is he for or against school choice?) his education policy decisions loom on the horizon with many opposing sides feeling optimistic. Our newest issue paper titled, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Will President Obama’s School Reform Bring the Change Kids Need? tackles the impending Obama presidency with a look at what could go right, what could go wrong, and what should frighten us. Take a look and you’ll see, some of it will make you smile and some of it will give you nightmares.

Dave Kopel has a fantastic piece in the December 4th edition of the Wall Street Journal concerning New York City’s, as Dave puts it, “draconian gun laws.” In the article, he implores NYC to “Free Plaxico Burress,” the NY Giants wide receiver who recently brought a gun into a midtown Manhattan night club and accidentally shot himself. What makes the case interesting is that he is being charged for possessing a firearm without a license, not his negligence, mishandling, or discharge of the gun. What’s more, the offense carries a mandatory minimum of 3.5 years in prison, effectively ending Plaxico’s football career. To add another twist, Plaxico previously had a Florida carry permit to which he was exposed to the necessary background checks, all of which NYC gun laws do not recognize. It’s a sad story; a star football player faces a career ending charge all for not having a license. If Plaxico would have waited a few more years to commit this “crime,” might the precedent of the Supreme Court’s DC v. Heller decision granting gun ownership as an individual right been enough to exonerate him? Perhaps.

© 2008, Benjamin Hummel. To see more cartoons like this go to www.politixcartoons.com.

If you so choose, you can get back some of your political money from the CEA, if you act before December 15th. Every year the CEA takes out $39 for Democratic and left-leaning causes. (Additionally, local unions take as much as $24). Now if you agree with how your political money was spent, you don’t have to do anything. But if you don’t agree, or just want a few extra bucks in your pocket, make sure you visit IndependentTeachers.org to learn more about the refund process.

And for those of us who, like myself, can hardly read, there’s this great 2 minute YouTube PSA from a local Jeffco teacher:

With the stock market going down and unemployment going up, Americans are in need of affordable energy. How is the economic crisis affecting the global warming movement and followers’ desires to get the US off all fossil fuels within ten years? To discuss energy, economics and climate change the Heartland Institute’s James Taylor, managing editor of Environment & Climate News, joins me on Independent Thinking. Tune in Friday night at 8:30 p.m. to KBDI Channel 12; repeated the following Tuesday evening at 5 p.m.

UPDATE:  Notice the new time for Independent Thinking: 8:30 on Fridays.