Texans pay some of the highest property taxes in the U.S. But not all of those tax dollars are spent well. Case in point: Granbury ISD’s purchase and use of a private plane. Last week, a WFAA investigation revealed that Granbury ISD, a small North Texas school district with about 7,500 students, had purchased a...
When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the nation’s Freedom of Information Act into law in 1966, he set a standard that all agencies should be held to—though his and later administrations would struggle to live up to it. “A democracy works best when the people have all the information that the security of the Nation...
Is school choice bad for rural school districts? Joy Hofmeister certainly thinks so, going so far as to call vouchers and related programs “rural district killer[s].” In case you aren’t familiar with Ms. Hofmeister, she’s the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Education and was recently the Democratic candidate for governor. Election night didn’t go well for her: Incumbent...
Outgoing members of the Texas State Board of Education met this week with the full board, and took a parting shot at parents—just weeks before a new, more conservative SBOE is sworn in. Rejecting the voters’ clear wishes on expanding parent empowerment and ensuring that families can make the educational decisions that work best for...
In the wake of the recent mid-term elections, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced a new push for amnesty for the “11 million or however many’’ unauthorized immigrants currently residing illegally in the United States. In the context of the current chaos on our southern border Schumer’s demand, on the face of it, is...
At the G-20 meeting in Indonesia on Monday, President Joe Biden met with the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping. But while Biden focused on climate change, the Chinese have been cloaking their preparations for war as a green energy push. Rather than follow up on his mostly tough rhetoric on China over the past...
In the private sector, a business that consistently serves fewer customers faces numerous unpleasant consequences. Layoffs. Furloughs. Pay reductions. Rightsizing. In the public sector, things don’t seem to work that way in Texas local government. Take Austin ISD, for example. For years, Central Texas’ largest public school district has witnessed a steady decline in its...
It’s the first week to pre-file legislation in the run-up to the 88th Legislature and already swarms of bills have been proposed to make big changes to Texas’ onerous property tax system, which continues to wallop renters, homeowners, and practically everyone else. Here’s a look at just a few. House Bill 29: Proposes to prohibit...
In June 2021, the Biden administration announced it would change how it enforces the Gun Control Act of 1968. The act allows the federal government to revoke gun dealers’ license to sell firearms—commonly called federal firearms licenses or “FFLs”—when dealers “willfully” violate federal or state gun laws. Central to its policy is a new zeal...
President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is currently being evaluated by the courts. While we wait on them to rule on whether Biden’s actions are legal, we should make sure not to forget about the top five underappreciated scandals that accompanied the announcement: No. 1: Even liberals object to Biden’s abuse of emergency powers Biden...
Last July, 8-year-old Lalani Walton had just returned to Temple, Texas after a road trip with her family. They got home, unpacked their things, and her stepmother promised to take her out for a swim once Lalani cleaned her room. Tired from the trip, her stepmother rested her head and took a quick nap. When...
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas got it right on Monday when the court heard arguments about affirmative action. “I’ve heard the word diversity quite a few times and I don’t have a clue what it means,” said Thomas during oral arguments. “It seems to mean everything for everyone.” So what does “diversity” mean to...