Schools across America are scrambling to figure out whether and how to reopen. Complying with the rigid bureaucratic structure of union requirements and government regulations is impossible.

This week Sen. McConnell is proposing a new stimulus, with strings. What’s missing, we think, is a principled vision for a new social contract for dealing with pandemics. Here’s our proposal in The Hill.

America’s schools were already mired in red tape before COVID-19. Now a system unable to adapt to predictable daily challenges must innovate with distance learning and distancing protocols.

Last week, the Trump administration announced new regulations to streamline infrastructure permitting. Citing Common Good’s report, "Two Years, Not Ten Years," the new regulations put presumptive limits on size (300 pages) and time (two years) of environmental reviews.

Accountability is key to fixing broken government. Accountability is vital to public trust, and also to a healthy internal public culture. Nothing is more corrosive to a department than the knowledge that personal performance doesn't matter. Why go the extra mile if others don't? Like a leak in a tire, energy and pride quickly go flat.

Who has a coherent vision for better government? Good leadership is vital but not sufficient. The current framework frustrates everyone.