Biden ’s Student‐Debt Forgiveness Plan Is Illegal
Thomas A. BerryIn 2003, Congress enacted theHEROES Act ( “HEROES” stands for Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students). As implied by its name and timing, the law was enacted as a reaction to the Iraq War. Several of thefloor statements from members of Congress reveal that a primary motivation for the Act was to ensure that military members could have their student loan payments deferred while serving their country.Now, the Biden administration is attempting to use the HEROES Act to achieve a policy goal that is far different, and far more sweeping, than anything the law has been used for in th...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 6, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas A. Berry Source Type: blogs
Fighting for the Future of Privacy
Nicholas AnthonyWhether it be for internet activity or financial transactions, it has become abundantly clear in recent years that Americans want privacy from the government. In fact, early in January,38 different organizations joined hands to call on Congress to defend privacy.The open letter was organized byFight for the Future and featured co ‐signers from the Blockchain Association, Crypto Freedom Lab, DeFi Education Fund, Electric Coin Company, Filecoin Foundation, and many others. The letter opened with the following statement:Protecting the privacy of everyday people is key to ensuring safety, self ‐determ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 6, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Nicholas Anthony Source Type: blogs
New Pennsylvania Governor Hopes to Trim Pension System Investment Costs
Marc JoffePennsylvania ’s new governor, Josh Shapiro, hopes to end state pension funds’ reliance on external managers who often charge high fees and place funds in opaque “alternative investment” vehicles. As thePhiladelphia Inquirer reported in late January, Shapiro told reporters: “We need to get rid of these risky investments. We need to move away from relying on Wall Street money managers.” If Shapiro is successful, Pennsylvania’sState Employees ’ Retirement System (SERS) andPublic School Employees ’ Retirement System (PSERS) may achieve better returns with less risk, which is good for both public emp...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 6, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Marc Joffe Source Type: blogs
Constitutional Amendments With Cross ‐Ideological Appeal?
Walter OlsonThe National Constitution Center recentlyconvened three ideological “teams” (libertarian,progressive, andconservative) to see whether they could come up with ideas for amending the constitution that might draw consensus support from all three teams. (If this idea sounds familiar, it ’s because the NCC last year convened three teams to think about how to bolster the guardrails of democracy; more on the resultshere.)This time the libertarian team consisted of Ilya Shapiro, Timothy Sandefur, and Christina Mulligan. The three teams managed to agree on five proposed constitutional amendments. Here ’s the run...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 3, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Walter Olson Source Type: blogs
Friday Feature: Soar Academy
Colleen HroncichIf you ’re designing a school for kids who have been left behind, you ’re going to need flexibility, an individualized approach, and a willingness to go at different paces. That ’s exactly what Kenisha Skaggs has created with Soar Academy in Augusta, Georgia.Kenisha worked at a tutoring center, but the methods they used weren ’t working. In 2010, she began tutoring students in her home after school. Parents liked the customized multi‐sensory approach she used—which she mainly learned from her mom homeschooling her in high school. Some parents asked her to homeschool their child...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 3, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Colleen Hroncich Source Type: blogs
