The genesis of the horrific impact of the disastrously managed U.S. asylum system on American border security can be traced to 2010, the second year of the Obama administration. It was in January of that year that Obama ICE Director John Morton first directed the agency to routinely apply “catch and release” parole to asylum applicants entering...
Migrants being sent back into Mexico over the Hidalgo International Bridge from McAllen to Reynosa paused to lace their sneakers and restart smartphones. The migrants floated across the Rio Grande River during a torrential downpour in the small hours of Tuesday morning, but were captured by Border Patrol agents and returned to Mexico within seven...
In this series on the outrageous cost of American health care, we’ve described certain shadowy corners of the business. After all, only 27% of our health care dollar goes to practitioners, those who treat us. The other 73%? If you only knew. Have you ever heard of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs)? They’re gigantic corporations, middlemen, that control the...
High property taxes are not just an urban and suburban problem. In rural Hays County (San Marcos and surrounding), for example, property appraisals are shooting up. “The overall market value of Hays County’s 2022 preliminary appraisal roll rose to nearly $59 billion, up 53.27% from $38.4 billion in 2021,” the Hays Free Press reports. “Commercial...
Top Stat: Average hourly earnings (inflation-adjusted) down by 2.6% over last year. Link Key Point: Total nonfarm employment down 1.2 million jobs since February 2020. Link Overview: The economic costs of the shutdown recession from February to April 2020 and subsequent policy errors have been persistent and substantial across the nation. The U.S. labor market has...
While in Tokyo, a reporter asked President Joe Biden if the U.S. would defend Taiwan. The president’s response, “Yes.” When pressed, Biden reiterated, “That’s the commitment we made.” Biden elaborated that, “The idea that (Taiwan) can be taken by force, just taken by force, it’s just not appropriate. It would dislocate the entire region and...
Headlines of violent crime strike fear in the hearts of Tennesseans. Our leaders have a duty to combat the scourge of violence with strong leadership aimed at crime prevention, not political posturing. It is through prevention that success is measured—by victims never created, prison beds vacant for want of occupants, and billions of dollars not...
Millions of young children face food insecurity every day; in fact, food insecurity is one of the greatest threats they can face. Here’s why: 50% of fruits and vegetables, 40% of roots and tubers, and 20% of grains are lost before they ever reach in the market in developing countries—in Africa specifically. But it’s not...
Texas is flooded with extra cash—and Gov. Greg Abbott supports using at least some of it to reduce property taxes for Texans. Thanks to the Texas Legislature’s fiscal stewardship and the Texas economy’s resilience, Texas governments have amassed major surpluses. Consider that tax collections are up 30.62% over this time last year, generating a budget...
Local government budgeting season is underway in most areas, which means that it’s time for Texas taxpayers to tell their city, county, and school board officials to adopt lower property tax rates. Much lower, in fact. There are several reasons to press for radically reduced tax rates this year. The most obvious is that people...
A University of Texas running back is driving around Austin in a Lamborghini. A Kansas State hoops star transferred to the University of Miami for $800,000—and a car. And the current recipient of the Biletnikoff Award—the top college wide receiver in the nation—left the University of Pittsburgh and is shopping around for the best deal,...
“Shoot them! Shoot them!” drug cartel thugs shouted as they chased Mexican soldiers out of Nueva Italia, a weigh station amid the lime groves of Tierra Caliente in western Michoacán state. The scenes of soldiers fleeing thugs scandalized Mexico – going viral on social media and offering a rude reminder of the increasing brazenness of...