Conservative Principles Now

Credit the Pittsburgh Tribune Review for being one of the nation’s first newspapers to editorialize about last month’s national Head Start evaluation, which found that the program provided children with zero lasting benefits.

They editors write: “That it took the feds more than 40 years for a proper analysis suggests it’s the spending that matters, not results. And yet Congress is moving ahead to increase early childhood education programs with $8 billion in new spending. Mr. Obama has said, repeatedly, that federal programs without benefit should be dumped. Well, Mr. President, here’s one.”

Yet most national media outlets continue to ignore this story. The evaluation—the most rigorous evaluation of one of the nation’s largest and long-standing “war on poverty” education programs which has received $167 billion since 1965—has still not been covered by the USA Today, The Washington Post, The New York Times, or The Wall Street Journal.

Former Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt (R-Ocean Twp.) was indicted today for accepting a $10,000 bribe. He was arrested on July 23 and resigned soon after.  His arraignment has not been scheduled. Van Pelt allegedly met with a cooperating witness, widely believed to be Solomon Dwek, on February 11 at a Waretown restaurant.  He is accused of promising to help with development approvals with the state Department of Environmental Protection on Coastal Area Facilities Act (CAFRA) permits. "You should hire me as a consultant," federal prosecutors say that Van Pelt told the witness, boasting that he had relationships with state officials that pre-dated his election to the Legislature.  Van Pelt is a former mayor and served as the Lumberton Township Administrator.