Criminal Justice

Three Recommendations for Successful Reentry

John Koufos, National Director of Reentry Initiatives for Right On Crime, recently testified before the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice on effective reentry strategies for those rejoining society from incarceration. United States Attorney General William Barr established the commission earlier this year, per the President’s executive order, to explore modern...

April 24, 2020

Family

Foster care system needs fresh ideas, not more money

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major flaws in our nation’s child welfare system. Across the country, in-person visits between parents and children were cancelled, reunifications of families were postponed, and children entered care with nowhere to go as foster families had second thoughts about taking in a child who may have been exposed to the virus. As a...

April 24, 2020

Energy & Environment

On Earth Day, don’t celebrate pollution cuts from coronavirus

This Earth Day, the pollution reduction caused by the coronavirus pandemic is nothing to celebrate. Some radical environmentalists are glorifying the suffering and death caused by the pandemic, calling the coronavirus the “cure” for what plagues the planet — us. Even Pope Francis suggested the virus might be nature’s attempt to strike back at humanity: “Nature never...

April 22, 2020

Higher Education

To ‘Save The Children,’ Harvard Magazine Calls For The Abolition Of The Family

After he left the presidency of Harvard University, Derek Bok offered this anatomy of the soul of American higher education today: “Universities are like riverboat gamblers and exiled royalty: their desires are never satisfied.” But Harvard Magazine has now upped the ante, going far beyond an insatiable desire for mere money. The May-June 2020 edition of the...

April 21, 2020

Economy

Businesses and Individuals Are Stepping Up When the Government Cannot

The coronavirus has impacted every single Texan’s life in some way. From local governments extending stay-at-home orders, to children and their parents adjusting to school closures, and to a record number of Texans filing for unemployment assistance, we are living in a time in which we are all collectively frustrated and uneasy about what tomorrow...

April 21, 2020

Economy

What a Prolonged Shutdown Will Cost in Human Life

Ezekiel Emanuel, adviser to presidential candidate Joe Biden and Obamacare architect, just called for a 12-to-18-month lockdown to battle COVID-19, asking us to abandon our livelihoods, religious services, and “contact with friends and extended family.” He claims we have “no choice” and that the alternative is hundreds of thousands of deaths. He has also said that COVID-19 is a...

April 21, 2020

Economy

Coronavirus budget constraints call for fiscal restraint in the Capitol

Texas is unlike our nation’s federal government in many ways, not the least of which is our balanced budget. But just because a budget is balanced doesn’t mean it’s fiscally responsible. With the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 crisis, and especially the steep decline in oil and gas production, Texas will be in for...

April 20, 2020

Economy

With States Running Out Of Money, A Fiscal Crisis Will Likely Follow The Pandemic

In what seems like a lifetime ago, state government finances across the nation were moving in divergent directions, with 28 states having replenished their fund balances above what they held before the onset of the recession in 2007. Meanwhile, states such as Pennsylvania and Illinois were dangerously low on fiscal reserves, with each state having...

April 18, 2020

Criminal Justice

Don’t Let COVID-19 Spread Use of Solitary Confinement

The American economy was booming prior to the lockdowns stemming from the current pandemic. Similarly, many of our nation’s prisons and jails were beginning to improve conditions of confinement, in ways ranging from ending the shackling of pregnant women to reining in the use of solitary confinement. However, the trend away from prolonged solitary confinement...

April 17, 2020

Economy

It’s time to reopen the economy

Some Americans are angry. On Wednesday, thousands of Michigan residents — in their vehicles — brought traffic in Lansing to a standstill. A spokesperson for Operation Gridlock said there’s a clear message for the governor who has locked down the state: “Instead of talking about what’s essential and nonessential, let’s talk about what’s safe and...

April 17, 2020

Border Security

155 Years Later And Slavery Is Still Around Today

This month we celebrate the 155th anniversary of the surrender of Robert E. Lee to General Grant at the Appomattox Court House—marking the effective end of the Civil War.  Over half a million Americans lost their lives in the struggle to fulfill our country’s founding principle that all men are created equal. While the human toll is a...

April 16, 2020

Family

Community Connections Key to Protecting Children During COVID-19 Outbreak

A recent report from Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth stating that six cases of suspected severe child abuse came through the hospital last week has led to speculation that stress from the COVID-19 outbreak is fueling a spike in incidents of abuse. While it is critical for communities to remain vigilant for signs that...

April 16, 2020