• SUPPORT CATO
• FOR STUDENTS
• FOR MEDIA
• FREE NEWSLETTERS

• HOME

• ABOUT

• BLOG

• BOOKSTORE

• EVENTS

• EXPERTS

• MULTIMEDIA

• PUBLICATIONS

Books

Reviews & Journals

Public Filings

Policy Studies

Opinion & Commentary

• RESEARCH AREAS

• SPEAKERS BUREAU

• SUPPORT CATO

• CATO UNBOUND

• DOWNSIZING
  GOVERNMENT.ORG

• ELCATO.ORG

Cato Dispatch for December 4, 2007

Subscribe to the Cato Dispatch via email

(Links to outside sources were active as of the date of this dispatch; however, not all news sources maintain links to current stories indefinitely. Some links also may require registration.)

U.S. Students Still Lagging in Math and Science

"Teenagers in a majority of industrialized nations taking part in a leading international exam showed greater scientific understanding than students in the United States--and they far surpassed their American peers in mathematics, in results that seem likely to add to recent consternation over U.S. students' core academic skills," reports Education Week. "New results from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, released today, show U.S. students ranking lower, on average, than their peers in 16 other countries in science, out of 30 developed nations taking part in the exam." 

Neal McCluskey, policy analyst with Cato's Center for Educational Freedom, comments on the results:

"Between the release of a major assessment last week (the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) showing American students continuing to fall behind their international peers in literacy, and today's troubling PISA math and science results, the case against top-down reforms like No Child Left Behind is becoming increasingly conclusive: they don't work. The time has come to scrap our decades-long efforts to improve American education through more and more centralization, and give power back to parents and educators through decentralization and universal school choice."

Andrew Coulson, the Center's director, adds:

"A key fact that is often missed in the reporting of international test results is that most of the countries that the U.S. outscores (like Mexico and Turkey) are not even among its economic peers. When you look only at the world's wealthy, industrialized countries you find that the U.S. ranking falls still further. The overall results -- which are already sobering -- actually overstate how well we're doing."

U.S. Finds Iran Halted Its Nuclear Arms Effort in 2003

"A new assessment by American intelligence agencies released Monday concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting a judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb," reports The New York Times. "The conclusions of the new assessment are likely to reshape the final year of the Bush administration, which has made halting Iran's nuclear program a cornerstone of its foreign policy. The assessment, a National Intelligence Estimate that represents the consensus view of all 16 American spy agencies, states that Tehran is likely to keep its options open with respect to building a weapon, but that intelligence agencies 'do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.'" 

Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst, comments on the report:

"Declassified portions of Monday's National Intelligence Estimate, the most authoritative national security assessment produced by the government, concluded that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003. This revelation severely undermines the Bush administration's push for aggressive foreign policy against Tehran, reveals the pragmatism driving Iranian foreign policy and supports the diplomatic approach endorsed by the Cato Institute's foreign policy scholars. The NIE report also undercuts the accusation that Iran has refused to provide objective guarantees that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, raises questions about the validity of national intelligence used as a pretext for war, and could possibly weaken international pressure for tougher multilateral sanctions. The NIE should be used as a springboard in pursuing greater bilateral cooperation for a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear problem."

Ron Paul Backers Show Support in N.H.

"They're coming from Miami and Seattle, from the 'big sky' state of Montana, and from close to home here in New Hampshire," reports The Christian Science Monitor. "They're coming to help political iconoclast Ron Paul get elected president -- many as campaign first-timers who, characteristically independent, may not even feel obliged to tell the Paul camp what exactly they're planning to do on the candidate's behalf.

"The Paulites' push for old-style, on-the-ground politicking in New Hampshire, coming just five weeks before the primary, marks a change for a support network that has always relied on websites and online fundraising. They're here now because they see the Granite State -- with its reputation as antitax, anti-big government, and pro-individual freedom -- as especially fertile ground for a libertarian-leaning Republican candidate like Mr. Paul."

In "The Libertarian Vote," David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, and David Kirby, executive director of America's Future Foundation, write:

"Not all Americans can be classified as liberal or conservative. In particular, polls find that some 10 to 20 percent of voting-age Americans are libertarian, tending to agree with conservatives on economic issues and with liberals on personal freedom. The Gallup Governance Survey consistently finds about 20 percent of respondents giving libertarian answers to a two-question screen. ... For those on the trail of the elusive swing voter, it may be most notable that the libertarian vote shifted sharply in 2004. Libertarians preferred George W. Bush over Al Gore by 72 to 20 percent, but Bush's margin dropped in 2004 to 59-38 over John Kerry. Congressional voting showed a similar swing from 2002 to 2004. Libertarians apparently became disillusioned with Republican overspending, social intolerance, civil liberties infringements, and the floundering war in Iraq. If that trend continues into 2006 and 2008, Republicans will lose elections they would otherwise win. The libertarian vote is in play. At some 13 percent of the electorate, it is sizable enough to swing elections. Pollsters, political strategists, candidates, and the media should take note of it."

Laura Osio, editor, losio@cato.org