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Keep artificial intelligence out of American classrooms

Norway is, by almost any metric, a profoundly successful nation. It's rich, democratic and relatively corruption-free. It's not a socialist country, but fans of a robust welfare state and high taxes see much to admire in the very progressive Norwegian model. It also benefits from having the biggest and arguably best-run sovereign wealth fund in the world. And yet, Norway nearly ruined its children. In 2016, flush with cash and progressive values, Norway gave every child in the country, starting at the age of 5, their own iPad or similar digital device. A decade later, young Norwegians ...

Corporate welfare for hospitals has been raising costs

Hospitals are not as unpopular as other health care sectors, such as drug manufacturers and insurance companies. But like other businesses, they are prone to rent-seeking and fiercely defensive of special breaks. Case in point: The 340B drug discount program. The federal program was created in 1992 to help hospitals and clinics in poor communities. In recent weeks, it has become the target of new lawsuits over complaints that wealthy health systems are abusing the benefits and driving up costs for everyone else. The program requires pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs at a ...

Take the high road

We’ve all been there. Whether blinded by the high beams of a tailgating vehicle or unexpectedly cut off by another, the unexpected maneuvers that occur on short jaunts to the grocery or long drives to the beach are enough to provoke even the most even-tempered among us to raise a shaking fist in frustration. But road rage incidents appear to have accelerated beyond the occasional rude gesture or honk of a horn. Last week, a South Strabane Township driver was jailed after he was accused of assaulting a woman who apparently had been following him with her vehicle’s high beams on. ...

Inflation will be factor in election

Eye-opening at the top of the Wall Street Journal’s April 11-12 edition was the headline “Inflation hits two-year high.” Reporting that consumer prices jumped 3.3% in March from a year earlier, the largest increase in two years, the Journal said the April 10 inflation report from the U.S. Labor Department “was in line with the expectations of economists surveyed” by the newspaper “but the March reading was much hotter than February’s gain of 2.4%” The Journal continued: “The report is the first to capture the impact of the Iran war on inflation.” The Journal ...

911 dispatchers are unseen first responders

When the worst happens, we rely on the people who answer the call to be there. We need the police to stand between us and violence. We need firefighters to walk into flames. We need paramedics and emergency medical technicians to stop the bleeding. But while those are the first responders we see, we cannot forget the ones who actually answer the call. A bill before the Pennsylvania Senate would recognize that reality. House Bill 453 would reclassify 911 dispatchers as first responders. Why does that matter? Is putting dispatchers in a particular occupational box that important? It ...

Rural county promotes agriculture

When the average city dweller thinks of agriculture and farm life, they likely conjure up a bucolic, timeless scene of the farmer toiling in the fields using tools invented long ago. But in Frederick County, when you think of agriculture, you really should be thinking about innovation and experimentation. That is the reality of farm life in the 21st century here. The county government is aware of the change, and it is making the speed of change even faster, by offering cash grants to farmers seeking to innovate. It is a successful program, at minimal cost to the taxpayers. The grant ...