Today the American Federation of Teachers targeted the Show-Me Institute for our work to improve educational opportunities for Missouri's families.

The public-sector union included Show-Me Institute board members as part of a national blacklist of fund managers that public pension trustees are encouraged to avoid.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, the union's goal is to "strong-arm pension trustees not to invest in hedge funds or private-equity funds that support education reform." (Full Article)

"The Show-Me Institute will not be bullied by the American Federation of Teachers into abandoning ideas that are in the interests of the people of Missouri," Show-Me Institute Executive Director Brenda Talent said. "It is ironic, and sad, that a union which claims to represent kids and teachers is using pressure tactics to defeat proposals that would benefit both groups. We will continue our principled fight for Missouri's students, taxpayers, and pensioners — whether the AFT likes it or not."

Read a post on this event on Show-Me Daily.

On January 25th, 2013 National School Choice Week will begin their coast-to-coast Whistle-Stop Train Tour. Along the way, the historic train will stop in 14 cities at school choice rallies. The Show-Me Institute is proud to partner with NSCW in hosting the event at the train’s fourth stop in Kansas City.

School choice is an issue that impacts all people and one that all should be able to support. The basic principal is that families should have the ability to choose the best educational option for their child. From a practical perspective, we see that giving families options improves educational outcomes for students. In short, school choice works.

We hope you will join us in Kansas City as we celebrate all forms of school choice.

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SAINT LOUIS - Crosby Kemper III, chairman of the Show-Me Institute, announced today that Brenda Talent has been selected as the institute's executive director. Talent was selected after a lengthy and comprehensive search to find the best and most qualified candidate to help lead the institute in its efforts to promote public policies that are driven by free-market principles and a desire to advance liberty. 

SAINT LOUIS - Judicial selection is a hot political issue in Missouri. Groups and individuals throughout the state have taken sides in efforts to either alter or preserve the methods by which judges are chosen in their particular jurisdictions. The Show-Me Institute has become aware that some political activists have linked its research to a particular side in these political debates, and so it has become necessary to issue this press release as clarification that the institute's judicial selection research is more limited and qualified than it has been portrayed.

SAINT LOUIS - The licensing of occupations in Missouri could be could be costing consumers more for some services, according to a new case study being released by the Show-Me Institute. Although a nationwide survey by the Reason Foundation last year listed Missouri as the state with the fewest statewide occupational licensing requirements, many occupations are still subject to unnecessary restrictions on who may enter the profession. This drives up prices and can, in many cases, spur business owners to locate elsewhere.

SAINT LOUIS - The Missouri public pension system currently faces serious long-term financial challenges, according to a new study released by the Show-Me Institute. The study's author, Richard C. Dreyfuss, an actuary and pension expert, points out that Missouri taxpayers are facing compound problems regarding the state's ability to manage effectively both defined benefit public pension and retiree medical liabilities. While current payments to retirees are not in jeopardy, the emerging cost patterns to both current and future members and taxpayers will be predicated upon future asset growth and favorable health care cost trends, both of which present significant risks to taxpayers.

The Show-Me Institute is excited to announce a new ongoing book review contest, targeted to Missouri college students and college-age non-students. The contest is intended to encourage the appraisal and critical exploration of a broad spectrum of the ideas of liberty, and will feature books both classic and current that focus on the economics and philosophy of freedom.

SAINT LOUIS — The Show-Me Institute released its 2007 annual report today, presenting a detailed look at its second full year of operations. The report presents a summary of the year's major accomplishments in each of the institute's six research areas: taxes, education, corporate welfare, health care, privatization, and red tape. It also provides a look at some of the institute's other accomplishments, including its youth outreach program, media coverage, and academic influence.

SAINT LOUIS - Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? What makes a perfect parent? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? These are questions that Steven D. Levitt asks in his controversial, critically acclaimed book FREAKONOMICS: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. Levitt will expand on his book’s inquisitive premise during an address on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Saint Louis University.

A new policy study from the Show-Me Institute examines the varying systems of judicial selection found throughout the United States. Asking the question, “Is the ‘Missouri Plan’ Good for Missouri?” the study considers the state’s method of merit-based selection for Supreme Court judges in comparison both to the similar systems and alternate selection methods used elsewhere.

SAINT LOUIS - A new online application created by Justin Hauke, a policy analyst with the Show-Me Institute, provides Missouri families with a series of free and useful tools for comparing public schools across the state. Students, parents, school administrators, teachers, legislators, and other citizens now have a resource for better understanding academic performance in Missouri.

COLUMBIA - The Show-Me Institute has opened a satellite office in Columbia, Mo., allowing it to expand its operations in central Missouri. The institute already had ties to the area; Michael Podgursky, a member of the institute's board of directors, is an economics professor at the University of Missouri Columbia, as is Joseph Haslag, the institute's executive vice president.

SAINT LOUIS - Nobody likes to pay taxes, but no matter where you live or work, some level of taxation is a certainty. Not all locations are the same, though. Sometimes, moving just a few miles down the road may have a significant effect on how much of your own money you get to keep.

SAINT LOUIS - A new study, jointly produced by the Show-Me Institute and the Reason Foundation, examines the relatively new funding paradigm of public-private partnerships and how such arrangements may benefit Missouri's public transportation infrastructure. The study provides an overview of the types of public-private partnerships that can be utilized for transportation projects, including their benefits and best practices, and responses to common concerns. It also explores how public-private partnerships can be used not only to upgrade, modernize, and expand Missouri's road and bridge network, but also to improve the delivery of transit services.

JEFFERSON CITY - On Wednesday, Feb. 13, Show-Me Institute policy analyst Dave Roland testified before the Missouri House Special Committee on Student Achievement and Senate Pensions, Veterans Affairs & General Laws. Roland considered common objections to tuition tax credit programs that are raised on constitutional grounds, but argued that tax credits do not constitute a grant of public funds, and therefore would not run afoul of religion-related constitutional restrictions.

SAINT LOUIS - A new policy study from the Show-Me Institute considers whether light-rail transit is a worthwhile investment for Kansas City. The study, Review of Kansas City Transit Plans, analyzes recent proposals and, in the process, repudiates many of light rail's presumed benefits as a transit solution. The study also makes recommendations for ways in which Kansas City can address its transit needs in a fiscally responsible manner.

JEFFERSON CITY - On January 17 at 9:30 a.m., the Missouri Supreme Court will hear arguments in City of Arnold v. Tourkakis. This case will decide whether the Missouri Constitution still offers property owners any meaningful protection against municipalities seeking to give their homes, businesses, or houses of worship to commercial developers.

SAINT LOUIS — Today, the Show-Me Institute released a policy study about the fiscal effects of tuition tax credits in Missouri. Tax credit programs have helped to reduce inequality of educational access in states where they have been adopted. In many cases, they have also helped save taxpayer dollars by lowering the per-student district costs of educating public school students.

SAINT LOUIS — A new policy study from the Show-Me Institute asks, "Should Missouri Eliminate the Individual Income Tax?" The study compares Missouri's relatively stagnant economy with states that do not levy individual income taxes, and concludes that altering or eliminating Missouri's individual income tax could well improve the state's economic condition.

SAINT LOUIS — The Show-Me Institute has released a new policy study about the abuses of eminent domain in Missouri, "The Specter of Condemnation: The Case Against Eminent Domain for Private Profit in Missouri," by Timothy B. Lee and Shaida Dezfuli.