Ginn: Bolster the Texas model to sustain prosperity

August 27, 2014

Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Austin

Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in the city of Austin? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the city’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using these audited estimates, we can gauge the growth of government (i.e., tax levy trends), assess its reasonability...

February 19, 2026

Family

What George Bailey Understood About Housing and Families

In It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey’s great ambition is not wealth or status. It is something far more ordinary and far more powerful: the ability for working families to afford a home, put down roots, and build a future together. Bedford Falls thrives not because of grand social programs, but because ordinary people can buy modest homes...

December 17, 2025

Election Integrity

‘Prove it’ isn’t an insult. It’s a standard.

Trust needs guardrails. The SAVE Act promotes straightforward verification that most voters already support. President Donald Trump last Friday night took to Truth Social to reiterate his support for voter ID and proof of citizenship for voting. His message was simple and direct: Elections should be decided by eligible American citizens. That position aligns with what most...

February 19, 2026

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Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Austin

What George Bailey Understood About Housing and Families

‘Prove it’ isn’t an insult. It’s a standard.