Robert Leonard continues to write some of the most important commentary for not only Iowa but our nation and world. This is the value of good journalism and public education. Digging in to understand not just what an organization says but what it does and who they are. And most importantly how they use the talent and work of others for their own ideological purposes. Worth the read whether you're an Iowan or not.
On the mark! Extreme right “think tanks” are running our state government. Talk about “deep state”. I’m sure it’s coincidental that the governors of Texas Florida, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas etc all come up with cookie cutter legislation at the same time. School vouchers, abortion, lgbt issues, feeding poor kids etc all arrive at governors offices in neat packages from their Koch/Alec handlers.
The overreaching influence of Alec, Heritage Foundation, etc on the oped sections and legislative back rooms is a true threat to democracy.
Thank you for your research. I read the Gazette's news story and remembered my grandmother's adage, "There is something rotten in Denmark." Your ending questions are spot on. The lowest rate of poverty in Iowa is Sioux County (NW Iowa) and its citizens receive the most ESA (education stolen account) funds in the state.
As a Democrat in blood red Iowa, it is important to have information like this. The problem is conveying this to Iowans who are affected by the ALECs of the world. The language of freedoms and rights have become banners for extremism and misinterpretation thus putting all Iowans in danger of the erosion of democracy.
Sounds like it has the potential to be a “think tank” like the Kansas Policy Institute. Their current CEO is the dude who went after me while I was on the school board in response to writing those pieces for Salon. Hopefully they won’t be as bad as KPI, but good to trust your spidey-sense. I think your point about using the basketball study as a PR move to normalize their work makes sense.
Hopefully more Iowans have the opportunity to read this and wake up to the real facts which so negatively affect the real needs of our state and not the agendas of these partisan representatives.
Great look at the inside, layer upon layer, revealing advocacy masquerading as education. Good job.
Openly partisan groups--whether conservative or neoliberal--are not the problem as we know where they stand, but we could often benefit from a "Bob Leonard dissection" of several others.
Case-in-point: the WSJ editorial board just offered up their own critique (echoed by Larry Summers, prior Harvard president) of Harvard's recently appointed Presidential Task Force on Combatting Antisemitism, for naming as co-chairman a faculty member who has in the past equated Israel with apartheid. Not as elegant nor as in depth as Leonard's work but equally impassioned.
A very good piece, Bob. So often when people trot out the phrase "common sense" it's a rhetorical ploy, a way avoid examination, or claim to be above ideology. It's quite a pirouette, actually: pretending to be anti-elitist while being patronizing. Your suggested research questions for the "institute" are excellent.
Also, calling themselves an "institute"? Sheesh. What venerable wisdom will they stroke out of their gray beards?
Robert Leonard continues to write some of the most important commentary for not only Iowa but our nation and world. This is the value of good journalism and public education. Digging in to understand not just what an organization says but what it does and who they are. And most importantly how they use the talent and work of others for their own ideological purposes. Worth the read whether you're an Iowan or not.
On the mark! Extreme right “think tanks” are running our state government. Talk about “deep state”. I’m sure it’s coincidental that the governors of Texas Florida, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas etc all come up with cookie cutter legislation at the same time. School vouchers, abortion, lgbt issues, feeding poor kids etc all arrive at governors offices in neat packages from their Koch/Alec handlers.
The overreaching influence of Alec, Heritage Foundation, etc on the oped sections and legislative back rooms is a true threat to democracy.
Thank you for your research. I read the Gazette's news story and remembered my grandmother's adage, "There is something rotten in Denmark." Your ending questions are spot on. The lowest rate of poverty in Iowa is Sioux County (NW Iowa) and its citizens receive the most ESA (education stolen account) funds in the state.
As a Democrat in blood red Iowa, it is important to have information like this. The problem is conveying this to Iowans who are affected by the ALECs of the world. The language of freedoms and rights have become banners for extremism and misinterpretation thus putting all Iowans in danger of the erosion of democracy.
Sounds like it has the potential to be a “think tank” like the Kansas Policy Institute. Their current CEO is the dude who went after me while I was on the school board in response to writing those pieces for Salon. Hopefully they won’t be as bad as KPI, but good to trust your spidey-sense. I think your point about using the basketball study as a PR move to normalize their work makes sense.
We should all take Bob's siren call literally. The governance and power brokers in our State of Iowa are indeed predators in fine clothing.
Hopefully more Iowans have the opportunity to read this and wake up to the real facts which so negatively affect the real needs of our state and not the agendas of these partisan representatives.
Great look at the inside, layer upon layer, revealing advocacy masquerading as education. Good job.
Openly partisan groups--whether conservative or neoliberal--are not the problem as we know where they stand, but we could often benefit from a "Bob Leonard dissection" of several others.
Case-in-point: the WSJ editorial board just offered up their own critique (echoed by Larry Summers, prior Harvard president) of Harvard's recently appointed Presidential Task Force on Combatting Antisemitism, for naming as co-chairman a faculty member who has in the past equated Israel with apartheid. Not as elegant nor as in depth as Leonard's work but equally impassioned.
Love them toasty toes!
thanks for doing the homework on this think tank. egads. another alec want to be or sister group.
just what we don't need.
A very good piece, Bob. So often when people trot out the phrase "common sense" it's a rhetorical ploy, a way avoid examination, or claim to be above ideology. It's quite a pirouette, actually: pretending to be anti-elitist while being patronizing. Your suggested research questions for the "institute" are excellent.
Also, calling themselves an "institute"? Sheesh. What venerable wisdom will they stroke out of their gray beards?
None are actual economists in other words.
👍great analysis. So how do we counter, making sure our citizens know “the other side of the story!?”
Thanks for digging into this, Bob! Common sense? Nonpartisan? So is horse manure!