Civics education in the United States is in a state of crisis, which, if not addressed, will doom our constitutional democracy. If the above assertion sounds unduly apocalyptic, consider these facts: Recent polling of Americans’ civic literacy, conducted by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, should shame all of us involved in education: While 90% of...
Despite the many studies that found problems yet little positive effects from state film incentives, “just an old sweet song” keeps Georgia’s program on our mind. Georgia, we are told, has created tremendous growth for its film industry by offering a very generous tax credit, so much so that it is now called the new...
There’s no end to fun surveys that purport to measure patriotism among the states, with military enlistments often part of the criteria. However, using enlistment rates to gauge the regional willingness to volunteer for the armed forces betrays a common misunderstanding of the way the U.S. military operates. What matters is accessions to the military, not enlistments....
In today’s age, reliable transportation is everything. And in Utah, not only does a car or truck provide convenience and comfort, it’s often a necessity in rural areas and for commuters. Now imagine that a person’s driver’s license is suddenly suspended for no good reason. This would be an incredible inconvenience — and even worse,...
Controversy is brewing in North Texas. At its center is an obscure local government behaving badly and raking in millions at your expense. The entity in question is the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), an “invisible government” providing water and wastewater services “to more than a million people” in thirteen Metroplex cities. One big...
In South Texas last summer, a Hidalgo school board election was voided after allegations of mail-in ballot fraud. Judge Federico “Fred” Hinojosa Jr., a Democrat, expressed concern that 52 ballots “were cast in violation of the Texas Election Code and should not have been counted.” It doesn’t sound like much, but those 52 votes were enough to...
With what seems like the regularity of a Swiss watch, Texas’ pretrial release system is making the news again—just not in a good way. A recent story published by FOX 26 Houston tells of 20-year old Caitlynne Guajardo and her unborn child who, according to Pasadena police, were stabbed to death by her husband during...
Texas, the second-biggest Electoral College prize after California, may be a hard-fought political battleground this year. After Sen. Ted Cruz’ closer-than-expected 2.6 percent 2018 reelection victory over then-Congressman Beto O’Rourke, Democrats across the nation have been proclaiming Texas is theirs for the taking. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged to spend $1 billion to defeat President...
Whether we can use the results as legitimate or not, the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries showed one thing — progressive policies articulated by former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg are currently resonating with Democratic voters. But while he has surged in popularity over longtime Democrat party players, how would his policies play out nationally? Buttigieg has roughly...
It’s property tax season, and thousands of Texans have been writing checks to pay their dreaded property tax bills for 2019. Thousands more are paying monthly (as it’s rolled into their mortgages). We know much of that money is used to fund public schools, but exactly where does the money go, and how is it...
Local governments often operate without great transparency or oversight, but “invisible governments” tend to take advantage of that to run amuck. Case in point: the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD). The NTMWD contracts with 13 “member cities” in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (“the Metroplex”) to provide water and wastewater services to residents. The contract...
When the U.S. Supreme Court declined recently to expedite review of our Affordable Care Act case, justices accomplished two things. And both will help replace a failed system with something that works for American families. That’s why Republicans must stay the course and push ahead with Texas v. Azar, the lawsuit that could eventually scuttle the ACA. First,...