Philip Howard

So a combination of kind of excessive red tape and union controls have made it so that the really important and honorable but profoundly human institution of teaching is human. You can't have a good school unless the educators are free to be themselves. And what's happened is that teachers have been disempowered and principals have been disempowered by the union controls that make it unmanageable.

So a combination of kind of excessive red tape and union controls have made it so that the really important and honorable but profoundly human institution of teaching is human. You can't have a good school unless the educators are free to be themselves. And what's happened is that teachers have been disempowered and principals have been disempowered by the union controls that make it unmanageable.

When by red tape that makes you fill what special ed teachers spend half the day filling out forms. So you've got to put humans back in control of schools. And we've created this horrible kind of rigid bureaucratic institution that's designed to fail.

When by red tape that makes you fill what special ed teachers spend half the day filling out forms. So you've got to put humans back in control of schools. And we've created this horrible kind of rigid bureaucratic institution that's designed to fail.

Right. So you have unions bargaining over how to collect the garbage. And the result of that is that garbage, municipal garbage collection in the big cities costs basically twice as what private garbage collection in those same cities cost because of the union rules on what the routes are and what the hours are and everything else. There's just no flexibility in the system.

Right. So you have unions bargaining over how to collect the garbage. And the result of that is that garbage, municipal garbage collection in the big cities costs basically twice as what private garbage collection in those same cities cost because of the union rules on what the routes are and what the hours are and everything else. There's just no flexibility in the system.

And so presetting work schedules in advance denies the basic microeconomic truth that nothing works unless you make it work on the ground, on the spot. You constantly have to adjust and adapt. And public unions instead rigidify everything in advance and it fails. There's a great phrase from Thomas Edison, nothing that's any good works by itself. You got to make the damn thing work.

And so presetting work schedules in advance denies the basic microeconomic truth that nothing works unless you make it work on the ground, on the spot. You constantly have to adjust and adapt. And public unions instead rigidify everything in advance and it fails. There's a great phrase from Thomas Edison, nothing that's any good works by itself. You got to make the damn thing work.

Well, first of all, the correctional officers have gotten involved in the making of policy. So they were one of the biggest proponents of the three strikes and you're out rule in California, because that meant more people went to jail, which meant more demand for correctional officers. Well, you know, it was a terribly unfair rule.

Well, first of all, the correctional officers have gotten involved in the making of policy. So they were one of the biggest proponents of the three strikes and you're out rule in California, because that meant more people went to jail, which meant more demand for correctional officers. Well, you know, it was a terribly unfair rule.

You know, somebody who steals a banana goes to jail for life because he had earlier stolen a golf club. And then they have all these recent work rules. So in New York, New York City or the state, one of the rules is you can have unlimited sick time. So last year there were sick kids. Nobody came to work. Prisons were literally out of control.

You know, somebody who steals a banana goes to jail for life because he had earlier stolen a golf club. And then they have all these recent work rules. So in New York, New York City or the state, one of the rules is you can have unlimited sick time. So last year there were sick kids. Nobody came to work. Prisons were literally out of control.

And the people who were the supervisors had in their contract that they never had any obligation to go into the cell blocks. So you had people in the central office refusing to fill in after the officers all declared that they were sick, even if they weren't. It was just chaos. You know, people get killed in situations like that.

And the people who were the supervisors had in their contract that they never had any obligation to go into the cell blocks. So you had people in the central office refusing to fill in after the officers all declared that they were sick, even if they weren't. It was just chaos. You know, people get killed in situations like that.

There have been very few studies that have attempted to calculate the costs. At one point, David Osborne, who wrote Reinventing Government, and he and a colleague estimated that costs went up by 35% to 95%, depending on the area of government. But I think that understates it.

There have been very few studies that have attempted to calculate the costs. At one point, David Osborne, who wrote Reinventing Government, and he and a colleague estimated that costs went up by 35% to 95%, depending on the area of government. But I think that understates it.

When COVID hit, there was a thought early on that maybe it could be transmitted by hand contact on the subways, for example. So the MTA in New York decided to have regular cleanings of the subway cars. They'd go clean all the bars that were sanitizing. And they didn't have enough cleaning workers, so they hired outside contractors to come in and clean.

When COVID hit, there was a thought early on that maybe it could be transmitted by hand contact on the subways, for example. So the MTA in New York decided to have regular cleanings of the subway cars. They'd go clean all the bars that were sanitizing. And they didn't have enough cleaning workers, so they hired outside contractors to come in and clean.

Well, the outside contractors apparently did three times the work for the dollar. And that's an example of the ineffectiveness.

Well, the outside contractors apparently did three times the work for the dollar. And that's an example of the ineffectiveness.