Here are a few links from around the web that we’ve been talking about.
The Confederacy rises again — this time at the Supreme Court
Fascinating debate over whether rebel flag license plates in Texas are protected by the First Amendment.
Parents should welcome the new Common Core tests
“Succeeding in the 21st century requires competence in reading, writing, and math as well as analyzing and problem solving. That’s true whether you’re headed for a skilled trade or a career that requires a Bachelor’s or graduate degree. And knowing annually whether students are track in these core areas is critical to their ability to achieve their dreams.”
What makes Americans so optimistic?
Here’s a pretty good analysis of our persistent belief that things will get better.
“That Tocquevillian optimism has certainly dimmed with the Great Recession: People in advanced nations including the U.S. are far less optimistic than those in poorer ones about the financial future of the next generation of citizens, in part because emerging and developing nations weathered the global financial crisis better than anyone expected. But Americans continue to see life on the up and up despite the burdens of economic downturn, social and racial unrest and the specter of terrorism.”
How the Maritimes became Canada’s incredible shrinking region
Our neighbors to the north are facing “‘a perfect storm’ of economic and demographic decline.”
“Within five years, a provincial study predicts, the working-age population of New Brunswick will have declined by 30,000, again largely due to the exodus of younger workers, even as 50,000 more people pass the age of 65. A provincial commission in Nova Scotia forecasts that, within 20 years, that province’s working-age population will have declined by 100,000, or about 20 per cent.
