Local Government

Scooters Conquer Austin’s SXSW, Beating Manhattan’s Redline, More Miles Than to the Moon and Back

During the first two weeks of March in Austin, Texas, dockless scooters propelled people almost 530,000 miles, a distance greater than to the Moon and back again, according to Jason JonMichael, an official with the Austin Transportation Department in a story posted by KLBJ News Radio. JonMichael told the Urban Transportation Commission that “…we are moving...

March 19, 2019

K-12 Education

Is the Texas STAAR test too hard?

The old business school adage is true — what gets measured gets done. No one disputes the importance of reading in education. That’s why it’s even more important to measure how well our children are reading. Yet in recent weeks, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) statewide reading test has faced criticism...

March 15, 2019

Economy

Session is Half-Over and Still No Property Tax Relief…Yet

Monday, March 18 marks the halfway point of the 86th Texas Legislature—a session that began with unprecedented accord among leadership and high hopes for some relief from the skyrocketing property tax burden that drives too many Texans from their homes and businesses each year. But midway through, there’s little sign of assured tax reform, and...

March 14, 2019

Higher Education

Millennials Defend Campus Free Speech

Free speech bill passes with support from student group Young Conservatives of Texas The Senate Committee on State Affairs met on Monday, March 11th, 2019, to hear public testimony on Senate Bill 18, a bill that would lighten free speech restrictions on public college campuses. Members of Young Conservatives of Texas came from across the...

March 14, 2019

Energy & Environment

Don’t shut disabled out of national forests

The recent month-long government shutdown was not the main thing prohibiting public access to our national forests. Not by a long shot. Amy Granat is an avid outdoorswoman. She also has cancer and an autoimmune disease requiring her to undergo chemotherapy that caused infections in her legs and limited her ability to walk. She found a...

March 14, 2019

Economy

Trump’s Policy “Magic Wand” Boosts Manufacturing Jobs 399% In First 26 Months Over Obama’s Last 26

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump consistently promised to revive America’s manufacturing economy. Trump’s focus on manufacturing brought out high-profile critics who scoffed at the notion. President Obama notably said in June 2016 that manufacturing jobs “are just not going to come back.” He said this at a time when manufacturing job growth had...

March 11, 2019

Economy

Occupational licensing keeps many from driving toward prosperity

You shouldn’t have to get government’s permission to pursue your dreams. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently noted in his State of the State speech that people move to Texas because they’re “fed up with big government policies increasingly running their lives and imposing burdensome regulations.” Texas’ entrepreneur-friendly economic environment supports almost limitless opportunities to flourish. But...

March 8, 2019

Taxes & Spending

Pension Reform is Critical to Securing Teachers’ Retirement

In his recent State of the State address, Gov. Greg Abbott scored a standing ovation when he said, “I am declaring school finance reform and increasing teacher pay as emergency items.” There’s no doubt that fixes to the school finance system are long overdue, but raising teachers’ pay and overhauling the state’s school funding formulas...

March 8, 2019

Health Care

Medicare-for-All will make things worse

Sometimes, the diagnosis is right, but the prescription is wrong. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, correctly diagnoses the American health care system, but her prescription will only make things worse. “The state of our health care system is absolutely atrocious,” she said recently. “We believe that the market is broken, and that is the core...

March 8, 2019

Economy

Stop marginalizing millennials

There’s a perception of millennials as quirky (and problematic) young adults who haven’t quite bought into the system that has built America into the most robust economy the world has ever seen. But millennials are now in their 20s and 30s, and they make up the largest share of laborers in the workforce. Despite millennials’...

March 8, 2019

Local Government

Two Views: Texas, it’s your right to know. Liberty depends upon it.

Former President John Adams once said: “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” Adams’ sage advice carries a special meaning as we celebrate Sunshine Week 2019. Sunshine Week is a time set aside for educating the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of sustained secrecy. This year’s theme...

March 8, 2019

Local Government

When life gives you unregulated lemons

Occupational licensing is an economically crippling action that prevents potential employees from engaging in beneficial work. Currently, Texas licenses nearly 500 professions, and the alarming reality is that they can license potentially as many as they want. House Bill 234 prevents license and regulation laws from being placed on arguably the most innocent entrepreneurial activity:...

March 6, 2019