The Cardinal's Nest Blog

  • [maxbutton id="1" url="https://www.hopescholarshipwv.com/Home" text="Apply Now!" ] What is the Hope Scholarship? West Virginia parents now have more flexibility and choices to educate their children. The Hope Scholarship, passed in the Legislature during the 2021 Regular Session, is a portion of state-allocated educational dollars that funds a student for use on a range of state-approved educational…

    February 28, 2022

  • Closing Remarks, NSCW Rally (These remarks were delivered by Garrett Ballengee at the closing celebration of West Virginia’s week-long National School Choice Week festivities on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at the West Virginia Capitol.)   First, I would like to thank everyone who attended today’s closing celebration of this week’s National School Choice Week activities…

    January 27, 2022

  • Are There Free-Market Solutions to Monetary Policy? Have you ever wondered what a monetary system that inherently embraces the free market might look like? Perhaps there is a new phenomenon in the market that can answer the questions about what happens when one has complete and total control of their money. Imagine a technology that…

    January 20, 2022

  • In addition to the Hope Scholarship Program, West Virginia is currently preparing for the implementation of its charter school program. Charter schools were legalized to, “empower new, innovative, and more flexible ways of educating all children.” With the expansion of the program in 2021, West Virginia continues to stand as a national leader for school…

    January 13, 2022

  • Handouts for Businesses Throughout the country, state and local governments have employed economic development incentives in an attempt to catalyze local economic conditions. These incentives often take the form of tax breaks to businesses. Sometimes, they take the form of grants. Government officials claim that these measures create jobs, and otherwise enhance general economic growth.…

    January 10, 2022

  • Leaving Home Ten years ago, my family and I loaded up a small U-Haul truck and drove it to the DC suburbs. As I started graduate school at George Mason University, 21-year-old me was so excited for this new adventure.   As I caught a final glimpse of the ‘Welcome to Wild and Wonderful West…

    January 9, 2022

  • As most West Virginians know, the state’s population trend has been on a downward slope since the 1950s. The state had a larger population then than it does today in 2021. This is despite the nation’s overall population more than doubling over the same time period. However, something may be starting to shift. Net Migration…

    December 30, 2021

  • Conservatives give me the stink eye when I tell them I favor ranked-choice voting, which many jurisdictions are considering for 2022. But when combined with election integrity and voter education, this alternative voting process has advantages that outweigh its costs.    What is Ranked-Choice Voting? Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is not hard to learn. Voters rank…

    December 29, 2021

  • New Year, New Policies As the calendar nears its annual turnover, the Cardinal Institute will be turning its attention to new endeavors as well. While education will continue to be a major priority for us, the fact remains that West Virginia has many more mountaintops of policy reform that must be summited before the state…

    December 22, 2021

  • Find your perfect school at the School Fair!

    December 20, 2021

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