America has an alarming shortage of primary care physicians, and the problem is worse in rural areas. As the Houston Chronicle noted, new medical schools won’t solve the problem. Here in Texas, 54 counties have 27 doctors to care for more than 255,000 people, who are scattered over more than 60,000 square miles. Advanced practice...
As Amazon’s search for a location for its second headquarters heated up, cities went into a feeding frenzy, offering subsidies and abatements worth billions of dollars. New York and Virginia were the victors, but residents won’t be celebrating when they are forced to foot the bill—which comes in at $32,000 per job in Virginia and...
The following remarks from Kevin Roberts, Ph.D. are posted as they were prepared for delivery. Welcome, everyone. I’m Kevin Roberts, Executive Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thank you to Senator Mike Lee for hosting us today. Thank you to President Trump – and also Jared Kushner – for leadership that brought us to this...
As the worst unrest to grip France in 50 years rages on, triggered by a pending climate change fuel tax (since postponed), President Macron announced a slate of measures designed to appease the masses. Included in the government giveaways: a minimum wage hike of about $1.75 an hour, no taxes on overtime pay and reforming...
As early as Dec. 20, the Public Utility Commission of Texas may vote to increase electricity costs on consumers by up to $4 billion. Meanwhile, in California, that state’s PUC is considering a “tax” on text messages to the tune of $45 million per year and may even apply the “Public Purpose Program” fee retroactively, raising an additional one-time...
The most predictable thing about the climate these days is the sensationalism we see in the headlines. “The weather of Washington’s future: Hellish heat and high water,” The Washington Post wrote after the National Climate Assessment was released. “New U.S. climate assessment forecasts dire effects on economy, health,” said NPR. And not to be outdone,...
When the 116th Congress is seated in January, political control will be divided, with Democrats holding a majority in the House and Republicans in the Senate. What does this mean for higher education? We asked a few NAS members to weigh in. Other articles in the series are, Focus on Reining in the American Bar Association, Time to...
“Few people ever have an abundance of choice of occupation. But what matters is that we have some choice, that we are not absolutely tied to a job which has been chosen for us, and that if one position becomes intolerable, or if we set our heart on another, there is always a way for...
President Trump has courageously thrown his weight behind a reform bill that will dramatically improve how we rehabilitate criminals and help keep them out of overcrowded prisons. Joining him are a majority in the Senate as well as numerous groups representing law enforcers and prosecutors, including former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik. The...
There may be no more ironically named governmental body than the Austin Regional Affordability Committee. In its most recent meeting, the committee heard testimony about how awful it would be for the city of Austin if the Legislature were to limit its ability to raise taxes excessively — not lower them, mind you, but merely...
Property taxes are crushing small businesses, middle-class families and elderly Texans. In 2016, property taxes levied statewide grew to $56.1 billion. That’s a burden so large that the taxman effectively took $2,000 from every man, woman, and child in the Lone Star State or $8,000 from a family of four. Tax bills aren’t just gigantic...
The City of Lights, Paris, has been illuminated in recent days by cars set alight by thousands of protesting “Yellow Vests”—largely middle class people who earn their living by driving or who commute to get to work. The cause of their ire is a scheduled 25 cents-per-gallon increase in gas taxes, and about 10 cents...