The Cardinal's Nest

Not Everyone Wants Families to Choose Their Child’s Education People who think they know better than parents often seek to challenge programs aimed at empowering families. When West Virginia passed the Hope Scholarship, it was lauded by supporters as an opportunity to help invest in children w… Read More

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… Read More

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’… Read More

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 thei… Read More

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 Virg… Read More

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 officia… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More