Election Day is near and it’ll soon be time for voters to decide on the most contentious issues of the moment: which politicians to elect, what propositions to pass, and how much, if any, new debt to approve. Every voter has to make up his or her own mind on the ballot questions before them....
Continuing a series of California and Texas comparisons, this piece examines the two most-populous states’ housing policies. California and Texas have a lot in common; they’re both big and diverse. It’s politics (and the public policy that results) that most separate these two states. But in one area, housing, Texas is increasingly in danger of...
With the midterm elections on the horizon, some gubernatorial and state congressional candidates are advocating Medicare-for-All, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sander’s universal health care legislation. Even some candidates in traditionally red states are touting “free healthcare.” But the candidates dance around Medicare-for-All’s two fatal flaws: its astronomical price tag and inevitable worsening of the doctor shortage. Medicare-for-All claims...
The Texas Model that includes a relatively modest level of taxation has allowed the state to remain a leader nationwide in economic prosperity. This reputation, however, is not guaranteed; each session demands fiscally sound decisions in Austin. If legislators wish to continue this success, they should take steps in the 2019 session to pass a...
Continuing a series of California and Texas comparisons, this piece examines the two most-populous states’ key wellbeing indicators. More than one in every five Americans calls California or Texas home. For decades, California has been America’s bellwether—if you don’t believe it, just ask Californians. From Hollywood to Silicon Valley to the state’s politicians and public...
California, with 39.5 million people, and Texas, with 28.3 million, are two of America’s four majority-minority states, the other two being Hawaii and New Mexico. As such, the education systems’ effectiveness in the two most diverse states that 1-in-5 Americans calls home is of vital interest to the rest of the nation. Because of the...
Just in time for Halloween, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released yet another in a 30-year stream of spooky stories: Global Warming of 1.5 Degree Celsius, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Like its five predecessors, it makes terrifying predictions about human-caused climate...
Continuing a series of California and Texas comparisons, this piece examines the two most-populous states’ oil and natural gas policies and outcomes. Policy matters. Even if a nation or state is endowed with significant natural resources, history shows that tax rates, regulatory burdens and rule of law largely determine whether those resources are harnessed or...
Texas has job openings; Texas has workers willing and eager to fill them. Where’s the disconnect that has resulted in labor shortages in a number of fields? It could be occupational licensing. In many ways, the Texas model of limited government is a blueprint for D.C. and other states. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’...
Two weeks ago, a demonstration in support of Supreme Court nominee (now Justice) Brett Kavanaugh at the University of Texas at Austin was met with not only opposition but also some pushing and shoving. UT is far from the only school to witness such confrontations. Even the First Amendment, it would seem, has become a...
As many across the country argue for an increased federal minimum wage, such as the Fight for $15, Amazon announced on October 2 that they were raising their base pay to $15 per hour. While altering their own business costs is one thing, Amazon also plans to join others in lobbying Congress to mandate a...
The two most-populous states, California and Texas, are home to one in five Americans. More alike than different in many aspects—diverse population and economy, abundant natural resources—the two states differ in one important respect: policy. With some exceptions, California is progressively liberal while Texas is free market conservative. These states’ similarities and differences invite comparisons...