Platte Institute Publications
Listed below are all Platte Institute publications. To the left, you can browse these publications by Publication Type and by Author.
MARCH 11, 2010
Hate the Sin, Tax the Sinner?
By Berk Brown
Platte Institute
No state in the Midwest is as on harsh on citizens who consume products with “sin taxes” than Nebraska. And, at the end of the day, these wildly varying taxes with arbitrary rates worthy of much head scratching don’t have a history of reducing the consumption of “sins” they are meant to reduce.
Taxation is meant to raise revenue for the operations of government. Yet, as sin-tax revenue has grown by leaps and bounds across the country and here in Nebraska, government has not-so-gingerly crossed the line into trying to change people’s behavior and implementing moral values. As the following statistics will show you, these sin taxes in Nebraska have not curbed behavior nearly as much as they have lined the state’s coffers with more of its citizens’ money.
MARCH 4, 2010
The True Cost of Remedial Education in Nebraska
By Rubria Jessica Hintz
Platte Institute
Remedial classes are taken by students who are not prepared for entrance level courses taken by most college students. These young scholars and their parents fully expect that successful graduation from an accredited high school has prepared them for success; however, 21% of all post secondary students were enrolled in at least one remedial class in 2003-04.1 Although this is an alarming statistic, a significant number of these students may be older adults returning to college. "Nearly four out of five students who undergo remediation in college graduated from high school with grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher," which suggests they met their high school graduation requirements, but did not meet college performance standards.2 The bottom line is our public schools are not adequately preparing some college bound students for the rigors of higher education.
FEBRUARY 26, 2010
Omaha is at a Crossroads
By Bob Zabawa
Former President of
Nebraska Taxpayers Association
Omaha is at a crossroads. Our City leaders can take the easy pathway and raise property taxes or honestly deal with some obvious long-term employment issues.
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
Virtual Education Benefits All of Nebraska
By Anne Duda
Senior Policy Analyst
Technology has transformed everything in our daily lives. We carry cell phones in our pockets and GPS mapping equipment in our tractors, but yet, we in Nebraska have not fully allowed technology into our school systems. Despite computers being a staple in almost every classroom, they are not being used to their full potential. If technology were properly integrated then students in Cozad and Louisville would be able to take Arabic and Cantonese along with all thirty-seven Advanced Placement (AP) classes. There should be no reason students in Lexington and McCook do not have the same opportunities as students in Millard or Lincoln.
FEBRUARY 11, 2010
High School Dropout Rates, Economy Go Hand-in-Hand
One in every nine high school freshmen in Nebraska will drop out of school before graduating, but in Omaha more than one out of four will drop out. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, the economic impact of having that many children failing to get a high school diploma has a staggering economic impact.
FEBRUARY 4, 2010
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Nebraska Health Care
To put it in medical terminology, Nebraska's health care quality is in stable condition but has somewhat deteriorated.
That's the diagnosis from the Commonwealth Fund's 2009 State Scorecard on Health System Performance.
Overall, the 2009 State Scorecard paints a picture of health care systems under stress. The measurements provide a framework for state and federal action to address common concerns as well as specific areas of need. It assesses benchmarks for 38 indicators of access, quality, costs and health outcomes. To view the complete report, please CLICK HERE.
JANUARY 28, 2010
The Faustian Bargain in Omaha Politics
Editor's Note: Beginning this year, the Platte Institute for Economic Research will be having guest writers contribute to our Platte Chat newsletter. This is the first such guest Platte Chat. The writer is Dan Welch, an Omaha lawyer who served on the Omaha City Council from 2001-2009. He was the Omaha City Council President from 2005-2009.
Like all unionized organizations, the City of Omaha is now in the normal process of negotiating long-term contracts with union employees. Omaha's elected officials are responsible for negotiating and approving these contracts. But unlike most collective bargaining arrangements, the State of Nebraska allows for public unions to contribute to elected officials campaigns, despite the fact that these officials will set the salaries and benefits of the very same unions. This is a clear conflict of interest and creates a problem for taxpayers.
JANUARY 20, 2010
Wallets on Empty - Is There a Fuel Tax Increase Down the Road?
In fiscal year 2006, the State of Nebraska collected $172.04 from every man, woman and child in the state in the form of motor fuel taxes - the sixth highest per-capita amount in the United States. And yet, Nebraska is looking for even more revenue to help fill its ever dwindling bucket of cash to maintain and improve our roads. Apparently digging their hands into citizens' pockets for more cash than 44 other states just isn't quite enough.
JANUARY 13, 2010
Time is Now for Charter Schools in Nebraska
The Platte Institute today releases its latest study, “Race to the Top – Can We Compete: Nebraska’s Charter School Initiative.” Authored by Vicki E. Murray, Ph.D., the study outlines the compelling need for Nebraska to adopt legislation allowing for charter schools.
Below is the executive summary from the study. You may download the entire 52-page study by following THIS LINK.
JANUARY 7, 2010
A Better Way to Educate in Nebraska
Without question, Nebraskans place a high value on their education system. However, asking what kind of value the Nebraska K-12 education system provides to its citizens is a valid question. The following report examines whether the high investment being made into the system by Nebraska’s citizens provides the children in the K-12 system the kind of education Nebraska citizens believe they are receiving. Many Nebraska school districts claim they are providing value, however, based on weak state standards, significant increases in receipts and stagnant test scores, our findings indicate otherwise.
Total Records: 58
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