Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was in town today to kickoff the A+ Arkansas education rally. Afterwards, he spoke with reporters. Below is a little video I snagged of the Q&A. He had some very interesting things to say, including some comments about the 2014 gubernatorial race (sorry for the poor audio quality -- if you makes you feel any better, I was standing right there and could barely hear): … [Read more...]
Let’s Make Arkansas #1 in Education!
January 26, 2013 3 Comments
I know we’re already “5th in education” in Arkansas, so we should probably just declare victory and move on to other more meaningful tasks, like entrapping 35% of Arkansans in the Medicaid program. But, just in case that ranking is wrong and, I dunno, we’re actually 34th in achievement, maybe we should talk about some ideas for improving Arkansas’ edukashion sistem? Ya know, jest in kase. Good news: the folks at the Arkansas Reform Alliance are on it! In fact, they’re hosting an … [Read more...]
Advancing Arkansas: Senator Rapert Eyes Grocery Tax Elimination, Broad Tax Reform
January 9, 2013
For the latest interview in my “Advancing Arkansas” series, I sat down with Senator Jason Rapert (R-Conway) about his plans for the upcoming legislative session. The session begins in just 5 days. Other than reforming the Medicaid system -- which is at its breaking point -- Senator Rapert said school funding is the biggest issue currently facing the legislature: “The second item behind Medicaid would be school funding. The Supreme Court’s ruling that came through that basically … [Read more...]
The Top 10 Stories of 2012
December 31, 2012
Well, it’s New Year’s Eve so everyone’s doing those “year in review” type things, and we just can’t resist the urge to jump in. Furthermore, producing one of these is much easier than writing a substantive article, especially considering that the eggnog hasn’t quite worn off yet. So, here you have it: a look at the absolute, without a doubt, bar-none top stories of 2012, provided to you by The Arkansas Project (in terms of web traffic, not quality of content -- because God knows … [Read more...]
The Reviews Are In!
December 13, 2012
Highly acclaimed radio host Paul Harrell has reviewed AAI's Action Plan for Arkansas which I told you about earlier this week. Needless to say, Paul is a big fan of the book, particularly the chapter beginning on page 77 which talks about the need for more transparency in the committee voting process. Hear his comments on AAI's plan from his show yesterday, beginning around the 5 minute mark in the video below. And don't forget to catch me on Paul's show today at 5:00 for our weekly segment. … [Read more...]
Governor Beebe Calls AFP Ad “False, Misleading”
October 13, 2012
Governor Mike Beebe's assault on Americans For Prosperity - Arkansas continued this week. This time, Beebe is taking the fight to the airwaves, starring in a new television ad produced by the Democrat Party of Arkansas. In the ad, Beebe calls AFP a "Virginia group" that is using "secret money" to "trash Arkansas" in a "false and misleading ad." Watch and take pride in your state's chief executive: AFP-Arkansas Director Teresa Oelke addressed some of the governor's comments directly … [Read more...]
AAI Announces Freedom Scorecard for State Legislators
October 11, 2012
Today, the Advance Arkansas Institute has unveiled its latest masterpiece: Arkansas’s Freedom Scorecard. The Scorecard ranks the voting record of Arkansas legislators based on their support for liberty and good government. The report rates legislators on six different values: economic freedom, education reform, good government, personal liberty, small government, and tax/budget policy. Then the scores for these six categories are combined into an overall score. The report notes that … [Read more...]
Governor Beebe, You’re Not Always Right
September 27, 2012
Earlier this week, Governor Mike Beebe created a bit of a kerfuffle when he spoke before a group of business leaders at the Arkansas Governor’s Quality Awards ceremony. Rather than discussing whatever it is you discuss at those fancy dinners, Beebe took to the lectern to criticize the allegedly sinister Americans For Prosperity-Arkansas and their new television ad. The ad talks about the shrinking opportunity in our state due to the growth of government and lack of economic freedom (which, … [Read more...]
