Taxes & Spending
Strong leadership, right policies are key to fixing Houston’s finances
Contrary to the article, local debt is a major problem in the Bayou City.
August 14, 2015
Economy
Texas Cities: One-Size-Fits-All Minimum Wages or Otherwise Impoverishes Workers
There’s a wave of dystopia infecting cities across Texas that one-size-fits-all wages will solve workers cries for a “living wage.” It’s not what you think though. Their proposals are to increase only municipal worker wages, they leave out private sector workers who apparently don’t matter as much. Or, maybe city officials understand the costs that...
August 6, 2015
Taxes & Spending
San Antonio digs deeper into debt with $13 wage plan
Will [San Antonio] residents see a 13.3 percent increase in the value of their city service [after raising the minimum wage]? Probably not.
August 6, 2015
Taxes & Spending
Local government should follow state’s lean budget lead
Broadly speaking, policies enacted by [Texan] cities, counties, and school districts tend to favor government-centric solutions that often corrode individual liberty and economic freedom.
August 4, 2015
Taxes & Spending
Houston needs better tools to fix pension problems
Once local pension control has been restored, then Texans in each of the affected communities, including Houston, can have a candid conversation about the best way to fix the problem.
August 4, 2015
Taxes & Spending
Most amortization pension periods beyond “recommended” range
When evaluating the financial health and well-being of Texas’ public pension systems, the Pension Review Board (PRB), the state agency charged with overseeing state and local retirement systems, considers a plan’s amortization period to be best measure.
July 28, 2015
Taxes & Spending
Private and public sectors are worlds apart on pensions
Over the last few decades, a majority of private sector employers have abandoned defined benefit (DB) pension plans, which guarantee beneficiaries a lifetime of monthly benefits irrespective of the fund’s fiscal health, in favor of defined contribution (DC) plans, which are individual accounts that employers and employees can make contributions into.
July 27, 2015
Economy
Big jolly politics highlights Houston’s debt woes
With the City of Houston facing such large and growing problems, now is the time to make bold and lasting reforms.
July 23, 2015
Property Rights
Forced annexation threatens Texans’ liberties
Enshrined within the founding documents of both the United States and Texas is the belief that government derives its power from the consent of the governed.
July 20, 2015
Taxes & Spending
Texas’ $57 billion public pension problem
In the last six months, unfunded liabilities for all state and local retirement systems have grown by nearly $500 million, or about $40 million every month.
July 17, 2015
Economy
Would President Reagan be supportive of state & local economic development programs?
Reagan conservatives need not wonder about that. The former President made it abundantly clear that he thought that less government is the best government.
July 16, 2015
Taxes & Spending
Moody’s: City of Houston’s debt outlook is “negative”
Houston’s fiscal fortunes aren’t as rosy as you might imagine, according to a new report from Moody’s Investor Services, one of the nation’s top three credit ratings agencies.
July 7, 2015