Centralization

Dec 032013
 

Uh, oh.  Another crazy patchwork of state and local regulations is under attack.  (The Reticulator is almost always in favor of these crazy patchworks on anti-monopoly grounds.)

In Trempealeau County, Wis., where a number of new sand mines have opened, officials recently imposed a one-year ban on issuing new permits.

“We were looking at hundreds of permits being taken out, dozens of proposed mines that could become operational within a year,” said Sally Miller, a member of the county’s board of supervisors. “I didn’t want us to be 20 years from now saying we wish we had known.”

Even so, some state lawmakers worry a much needed job-creating sector is under threat, and hope to shift regulatory control to the state.

via In Fracking, Sand Is the New Gold – WSJ.com.

Jan 162013
 

These people in Vermont get a Leviathan Ankle-Biter award for trying to keep their local school local.

The group that led the privatization effort praises the school, which performs well on state achievement exams, but sees the move as a way to ward off a state push for consolidation that the group says could lead to a merger of the school.

via New Spur to Take Vermont School Private – WSJ.com.

Nov 292010
 

Excellent article by Diane Ravitch at the WSJ, on “The GOP’s Education Dilemna.”

In addition to reminding us of all the usual bad things about George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” act, she tells us that it’s also causing the closure of community schools.    I wish she had given us some examples of how that works, but it’s not surprising.   Every time you centralize more authority (= funding) you tend to wipe out some of the smaller players.

Way to destroy local communities, Mr. Compassionate Conservative.