Week in Review: A Report Card Parents Will Want to See?

Woke public school bureaucrats? Teachers unions’ special interests? A one-size-fits-all education apparatus? America’s students deserve better, and Arizona is leading the way in freeing families from this failing system—thanks in large part to the Goldwater Institute’s work.

Arizona scored an impressive #2 ranking out of all 50 states in the Heritage Foundation’s recently released Education Freedom Report Card. And Arizona won the top spot for “School Choice” after the Goldwater Institute passed legislation that provides every family in the state with the opportunity to customize their child’s education experience to best meet their unique needs—the most expansive such reform in the nation.

Next, Arizona should adopt the Goldwater Institute’s academic transparency reform, which protects parents’ right to know what their children are learning in taxpayer-funded schools, as well as Goldwater Institute-led provisions against race-based educational practices. “Enacting these laws will not only help vault Arizona to the top of the Heritage Education Freedom rankings next year, but will help fulfill the call to action embedded in those rankings: aligning our education systems with the needs and priorities of students and parents,” the Goldwater Institute’s Matt Beienburg, Director of the Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy and Director of Education Policy, writes in the Arizona Capitol Times.

Read more in the Arizona Capitol Times.

Goldwater Named “Freedom Award” Finalist

Americans deserve to shape their own destinies in the career path of their choice, and the Goldwater Institute has empowered countless people to do just that. Now, the Goldwater Institute is proud to have been named a Finalist for the Atlas Network’s Templeton Freedom Award for its Breaking Down Barriers to Work reform.

Currently, around one in four Americans is required to obtain a license just to do their job—a government permission slip to work in professions ranging from floristry to interior design. And when a licensed professional moves from one state to the next, they are often forced to go through the costly and time-consuming licensing process all over again. But Breaking Down Barriers to Work ensures qualified professionals’ occupational licenses are honored when they move to a new state, so that new arrivals can exercise their right to earn a living by continuing a career they were already doing safely and productively elsewhere.

The Goldwater Institute first enacted Breaking Down Barriers to work in Arizona in 2019 before passing it in more than 20 other states around the country, freeing countless workers—including thousands in Arizona alone—to pursue their American Dream.

Read more about the Templeton Freedom Award here, and learn more about Breaking Down Barriers to Work here.

A Prescription for Failure

It would be the most sweeping prohibition the country has seen in over 100 years—and the consequences would be devastating. At some point in the next year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could require tobacco companies to cut nicotine levels in cigarettes by up to 95 percent, forcing nearly 30 million Americans to go practically “cold turkey” overnight and catapulting them into the painful symptoms of withdrawal.

It’s a prescription for failure, Goldwater Institute Healthcare Policy Analyst Amanda Hagerman writes at Townhall. To force smokers to quit, the FDA would be coupling a sweeping prohibition with policies to actively block them from accessing products that could actually help them quit—like a proposed ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, cigars, and menthol cigarettes.

“At the end of the day, a large percentage of Americans who smoke do not want to be forced to quit—they want to do it when they are ready and have a social support structure and healthcare professionals in place,” Hagerman adds. “Whether it’s tobacco, alcohol, or any other substance, lawmakers should not decide what ‘risky’ behaviors Americans can engage in or when Americans are prepared to address their addictions.”

Read more at Townhall.

Tickets Are Going Fast! Goldwater 2022 Annual Dinner, Featuring Glenn Beck

Arizona’s premier liberty event returns for an in-person celebration on Friday, October 7, and you are cordially invited!

The Goldwater Institute is successfully working daily in capitols, communities, and courtrooms to defend and strengthen Americans’ freedoms. In celebration of our accomplishments, we invite you to attend the 2022 Goldwater Institute Annual Dinner —”Winning The Fight For Freedom”—featuring radio host and best-selling author Glenn Beck.

You can find out more about our Annual Dinner and RSVP here.