In
most cases, it is next to impossible for a U.S. citizen to work as a paid member of the scientific staff in a career position at either an
academic institution or European
laboratory such as a Max Plank institute or the European synchrotron light sources.
One of the
most notable «
laboratories of democracy» was Texas, where governors on both sides of the aisle pursued a reform agenda, starting in the early 1980s, centered on higher
academic standards, standardized testing, school accountability, competition, and choice.