Apple, the world’s most valuable company, recently announced a $1 billion deal to build its second corporate campus in Austin to initially include 5,000 employees. This deal comes at a cost to taxpayers statewide of a $25 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund and locally of a 65 percent property tax break annually for...
“Few people ever have an abundance of choice of occupation. But what matters is that we have some choice, that we are not absolutely tied to a job which has been chosen for us, and that if one position becomes intolerable, or if we set our heart on another, there is always a way for...
In 1988, Texas shared the sentiment of William Shatner who once declared: “If saving money is wrong, I don’t want to be right!” It was that year that Texas created essentially a state savings account called the economic stabilization fund (ESF). The idea then for a state savings account wasn’t a hard sell to voters....
In Texas, we have our own holiday traditions, such as making a stop in our travels at a Buc-ee’s. If you’re among the unenlightened, Buc-ee’s is the chain of massive rest stops that combine the cleanest restrooms with some of the weirdest shopping experiences around. Bon Appetit magazine named it the “Best Rest Stop in...
The midterm elections reinforced the point that institutions matter for our livelihood and prosperity. If our economic and political institutions support freedom, then our social institutions – families, charities and churches – can thrive. If they don’t, then our republic could crumble. The recent Economic Freedom of the World report notes that the U.S. has...
Texas restaurant and bar Threadgill’s World Headquarters is as Austin as it gets. Threadgill’s owner Eddie Wilson once flashed his underwear to the audience as he introduced a sitting Texas governor at a music festival (Wilson was justifiably proud of his armadillo boxers, and Gov. Ann Richards reportedly took it in stride). On top of...
Over the river and through the woods – if you can afford it. The holiday season is nearing, and families are starting to think about travel. But visiting grandma could soon be cost-prohibitive, if the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has its way. The IPCC claims in its latest report that action must be taken...
The Texas Model that includes a relatively modest level of taxation has allowed the state to remain a leader nationwide in economic prosperity. This reputation, however, is not guaranteed; each session demands fiscally sound decisions in Austin. If legislators wish to continue this success, they should take steps in the 2019 session to pass a...
Texas has job openings; Texas has workers willing and eager to fill them. Where’s the disconnect that has resulted in labor shortages in a number of fields? It could be occupational licensing. In many ways, the Texas model of limited government is a blueprint for D.C. and other states. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’...
As many across the country argue for an increased federal minimum wage, such as the Fight for $15, Amazon announced on October 2 that they were raising their base pay to $15 per hour. While altering their own business costs is one thing, Amazon also plans to join others in lobbying Congress to mandate a...
We’ve set some pretty high goals for Texas’ budget for the upcoming biennium. And to achieve them, Texas need to overhaul its arcane and opaque budget-making process. On Sept. 25, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Heartland Institute, and 16 other member-groups of the Conservative Texas Budget Coalition held a press conference to introduce its legislative priorities for Texas’ 2019...
When you have to begin an argument with “depending on how you look at it,” you’re not arguing from a strong position. Yet such has become the answer to the question of, “Is California a good role model?” posed recently in The New York Times. Even its defenders say California’s prosperity is relative. The good news...