Week in Review: President Biden Wants to Teach Kids Prejudice

You won’t believe what the Biden Administration wants to teach America’s children. This week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it plans to use taxpayer money for K-12 schools to advocate the idea that America is systemically racist, and anyone who thinks differently, children included, are part of the problem—whether students know it or not.

Under a proposed rule, the federal government would offer grants that support the teaching of Critical Race Theory, a worldview that says racism is everywhere and anyone who disagrees is oppressing other people. Proponents of this theory reject the idea that people should be judged based on their character, insisting they be judged instead only on their identities, rejecting the Civil Rights-era notion of colorblindness. 

All of these concepts create a culture of fear, where Americans are told to focus on their differences and to reward victimization. Even worse, Critical Race Theory sets up people for failure by telling certain individuals that America was not created for them—that the American Dream was never theirs—when, in fact, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is promised to all Americans, regardless of gender, color, or social circumstance. Unfortunately, Critical Race Theory is already common in K-12 school curriculum and college classes. The Goldwater Institute is taking action to expose this curriculum so parents know what their children are being taught.

Goldwater’s proposed academic transparency law – which is being considered in several states – mandates that public schools post curriculum that will be taught each year on a publicly accessible website with clear instructions for how parents can request access to specific materials used at the school. Making sure parents know what is being taught in schools is just the first step to pushing back against this dangerous movement toward teaching anti-American ideas to future generations. You can learn more about Critical Race Theory here and academic transparency here.

Kansas Enacts Goldwater’s Breaking Down Barriers to Work Reform

Today, about one in four jobs in America requires an occupational license—which costs a lot of money and time to obtain. And when licensed workers move to a new state, they are frequently forced to put their careers on hold to go through the licensing process all over again.

But not in Kansas anymore: This week, Goldwater passed a law in Kansas making it the latest state to ease the process for new residents with occupational licenses to get to work. Under HB 2066, a new resident who has held an out-of-state license in good standing for at least one year can apply for and be quickly approved for a license at a similar scope of practice in Kansas. Kansas’ new law, which received bipartisan backing, has its origins in the Breaking Down Barriers to Work Act, a law designed by the Goldwater Institute and the Institute for Justice. Read more about Kansas’ law here.

Especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s crucial that we remove the barriers that so often stand between workers and their right to earn a living. And even in this challenging time, it’s undeniable that Goldwater’s Breaking Down Barriers to work is having a real impact. To date, more than a dozen states have enacted a version of this landmark reform. In 2019, Arizona became the first state to do so, and since then, more than 3,100 Arizonans have benefited from the law, working in professions ranging from medicine to engineering to cosmetology. You can read more about our reform and the impact it’s having across the country here.

Goldwater Takes on Unconstitutional Tax Increase at AZ Supreme Court

Last fall saw the enactment of Proposition 208, the largest tax hike in Arizona’s history. It makes the Grand Canyon State the 10th highest-taxing state in the nation—and it violates the state Constitution’s protections against increased taxes and spending. That’s why the Goldwater Institute has gone to court to challenge the constitutionality of Proposition 208 on behalf of a coalition of taxpayers, legislators, and small business groups—you can read about our lawsuit here.

This past Tuesday, the case was argued before the Arizona Supreme Court, and just after the hearing concluded, Goldwater Institute Vice President for Litigation Timothy Sandefur and Director of National Litigation Jon Riches participated in an exclusive post-argument phone briefing, discussing how the arguments went, what questions the justices posed, and what they see as the next steps for the litigation. Listen to a recording of the discussion here.

Video Forum: Experimental Treatments, Innovations, and Giving Patients a Fighting Chance

This week, Goldwater Executive Vice President Christina Sandefur joined the Minnesota Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society for a conversation about how government red tape stifles healthcare innovation and what we can do to unleash the future of medicine so that more patients can get the treatments they need. Also on the panel were Nick Zerwas, a man whose life was saved thanks to an experimental surgery, and Howard Root, CEO of a cutting-edge medical device company, both of whom have seen firsthand how government is standing in the way of innovation in healthcare. You can watch the conversation here.