La Joya ISD is back in the news again, and not for good reason. Many of us learned recently that the small, underperforming district spent $20 million to build a water park—and that a lot of that funding came from state taxpayers. It was also discovered that the district lost roughly $250,000 running the park...
Imagine if your whole life was defined by a mistake. A lapse in judgment at 19 or 20 meant you couldn’t get a job, find a place to live or provide for your children at 40 or 50. This is the unfortunate reality for many of the one in three Americans with a criminal record,...
Pope Francis has intruded into American politics again, riffing critically on border walls and capitalism. Once again, serious Catholics, including me, are dismayed by the holy father’s ignorance on the issue. Francis’ remarks— especially his comment that “those who build walls will become prisoners of the walls they put up”—reveals an incomplete understanding of the crisis....
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its March employment report this morning, estimating that employers added 196,000 nonfarm jobs. The official unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.8%. The federal bureau revised its January jobs estimate up by 1,000 to 312,000 jobs and revised February’s estimate upwards 13,000 to 33,000, for a total of 14,000 more nonfarm...
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy is at it again. The think tank, funded by organized labor, consistently pushes for higher, more progressive income tax rates. In a report profiled by major media, ITEP makes the case that “Fairness Matters” in who pays state and local taxes. Presumably, “fairness” is important because policymakers don’t want a tax...
If the 86th legislative session were a football game, then the home team — the Texas Tax Reformers, of course — is battling back, with two minutes to go, and there’s a chance for overtime. The good news, at least, is that they have the ball and they’re driving. With almost every homeowner cheering them...
President Donald Trump is flying to El Centro, California on Friday, April 5 and then traveling five miles south to the border town of Calexico to inspect a newly completed section of the border wall. He is also scheduled to hold a roundtable discussion with local law enforcement officials. As Pres. Trump tours California’s Imperial Valley—a...
Not only is President Trump’s administration in agreement with the lawsuit brought by 20 states attorneys general — and the Texas Public Policy Foundation — against the Affordable Care Act, President Trump is leading the way on developing an alternative plan to present to Congress. That plan should be simple — empower the states to find solutions on...
Forced annexation appears headed for the dustbin of history. Prior to 2017, Texas cities could unilaterally poach property just outside their official boundaries. The conscripted property owners were usually forced to swallow higher taxes, tougher regulations, and old public debts. That didn’t sit well with a lot of folks, including a big, bipartisan group of...
The House Committee on Ways and Means recently heard nine hours of testimony on two controversial economic development provisions of the Texas Tax Code. Chapters 312 and 313 allow local governments to reduce the amount of property taxes paid by favored businesses that locate or expand within the district’s geographic boundaries. Both programs have significant...
New Mexico is the latest state to succumb to the siren song of the environmental misinformation powering the Green New Deal. Just a few months after New Mexico accepted nearly half a billion dollars from the federal government for oil and gas leases, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a “zero-carbon” energy mandate on public utilities,...
President Trump has had a very good week. But no decision he has made is more consequential or more correct than his decision to stand with Texas and 19 other states in challenging the constitutionality of ObamaCare. While the left and the center-right “intelligentsia” often malign the president for acting thoughtlessly or impulsively, the defining characteristic of...