Energy & Environment

Amid the furor of the Green New Deal, don’t overlook the shale revolution

Is anyone else saturated by the media’s coverage of Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed energy revolution? Perhaps more appropriately called an energy experiment, the heralded Green New Deal assumes that the renewable energy generated by wind turbines and solar panels can completely replace fossil fuels by 2030. Yet the viability of a policy to power...

March 29, 2019

Higher Education

Restoring free speech on campus is fundamental: Trump’s executive order a solid first step

President Trump’s executive order regarding free speech on college campuses is a solid first step toward restoring colleges and universities to their original mission — guarding free inquiry and the free exchange of ideas. The executive order — the signing of which I was honored to attend — will tie federal funds to real, measurable...

March 28, 2019

Taxes & Spending

Since Trump’s Tax Cut, Low-Tax State Job Growth Is 77% Higher Than In High-Tax States

Since President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 into law in December 2017, private sector job growth in states with smaller state and local tax burdens has run 77% ahead of states with heavier tax loads from December 2017 to February 2019. Among its provisions, the new law limited state and...

March 27, 2019

Higher Education

Trump’s Executive Order Is A Big Step Forward On College Data

Last week was an eventful one for higher education. On March 18, President Trump released his proposal for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Three days later, the president issued an executive order focused primarily on campus free speech. The order also contains some exciting news about expanded reporting on how much students earn by program (e.g.,...

March 26, 2019

Energy & Environment

The Green New Deal is a Government Takeover, Not an Environmental Policy

When the Green New Deal comes to the floor of the Senate, its supporters won’t want to talk about it. After the publication (and near-immediate deletion) of an FAQ page detailing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s lurid plans for “massive transformation of our society” through the Green New Deal, some supporters publicly distanced from the specifics; now the bill is being...

March 26, 2019

Taxes & Spending

On Property Taxes And Local Government Spending, Texas Already Is California

The Texas Legislature is grappling with its biennial budget negotiations, with Wednesday expected to be a long night in the state’s House of Representatives. That’s where 307 spending amendments will be debated. There are three main issues at stake: overall spending, public education finance reform including teacher salaries, and property tax relief. Starting with discretionary spending,...

March 25, 2019

Taxes & Spending

Latest Texas Budgets Exceed Your Ability to Pay

The 86th Texas Legislature is already halfway over. The House’s budget will be on the floor on Wednesday. This is perfect time to review each chamber’s budget priorities. Unfortunately, it looks like this budget could exceed your ability to pay. The good news is that there’s time to avoid that failure. Let’s begin by reviewing...

March 25, 2019

Higher Education

College costs, student debt, job prospects: All 3 will be improved with Trump’s executive order

In his book The Way to Wealth (perhaps America’s very first book of financial advice), Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Franklin might amend that today, in light of the skyrocketing cost of a university education, the crushing burden of student debt, and the mismatch between graduates and available jobs. Indeed, later...

March 21, 2019

Taxes & Spending

TPPF Recommendations vs. Legislature’s Filed Bills

The State of Texas spends too much and Texans pay skyrocketing tax bills. Texans can obtain lasting, meaningful property tax relief by slowing excessive state and local spending growth and using state surplus revenue to eliminate M&O school district property taxes.

March 20, 2019

Taxes & Spending

CTB- Conservative Texas Budget

As Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll wind up somewhere else.” That’s exactly where the Texas Legislature might find itself on the state’s budget for 2020-2021—somewhere else. Without a benchmark for the budget—an answer to the question of how much we have to spend—lawmakers are in danger of outstripping...

March 20, 2019

K-12 Education

Carine Martinez’s American Journey

TPPF Senior Managing Editor and Policy Analyst Carine Martinez took her Oath of Allegiance on Tuesday, making her an official American (and proud Texan). The journey that led to raising her right hand in a San Antonio naturalization ceremony began in Paris. “But it was after I started learning more about U.S. history—after reading the...

March 19, 2019

Family

The Future Is Looking Bright-er

It’s what many Texans remember about summers as a child; there’s no relief from the Texas heat like playing in the sprinkler. But for the Bright family of Tomball, a summer sprinkler session led to an ordeal involving Child Protective Services, a baseless prosecution and—eventually—a fine against the agency for misconduct. In July of 2018,...

March 19, 2019