Reads of the Week: Advancing School Choice, Rejecting Federal Funds, and Honoring Memorial Day Weekend

Each week, we’ll be featuring opinion pieces from the alumni and current participants of AF’s Writing Fellows Program. A few highlights from the past week are below. Do you dream of having bylines like these? Learn more about how the Writing Fellows Program can help boost your writing career!

To Unite the Nation, Biden Should Take Up School Choice by Cooper Conway (Spring 2021) in RealClearEducation

Throughout his campaign and his presidency so far, Joe Biden has focused his message on fostering unity in the country. Newsflash: it’s not working. 

Despite the president’s stated goal of ending the “uncivil war that pits red against blue,” as he called it in his inaugural address, issues including health care, immigration, racial justice, and even Covid-19 continue to divide the American electorate. Ostensibly, few issues remain on which Republicans and Democrats can find common ground…

Gov. Reynolds’ rejection of federal funds shows care for state and country by Patricia Patnode (Spring 2021) in The Gazette

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently decided to reject $95 million in federal COVID funds for testing and contact tracing in K-12 schools and end Iowa’s participation in the $300 federal pandemic unemployment compensation. This is reflective of Iowa’s budgetary philosophy, set in our state constitution.

Iowa was one of a few states with a budget surplus in 2020, well before any federal COVID bailouts through the CARES Act were dolled out to rectify financial debt cities and states racked up during the pandemic and before. The reason Iowa continues to experience economic success and is one of the most affordable states to live is because of our healthy spending habits. Beyond greed and irresponsibility, taking unnecessary federal funding is antithetical to Iowa’s philosophy…

A multitude of ways to honor Memorial Day weekend by Beth Bailey (Fall 2018) in the Washington Examiner

After a long period of pandemic isolation, many people may desire to eschew commemoration for three days of communal frivolity. We should reject that urge.

Instead, we should pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by our nation’s warriors. Whether the season is one of joy or one of hardship, it is our duty to preserve Memorial Day. This year’s holiday offers a mixture of options that will allow everyone to honor the men and women who gave their lives for each other and for us…