The owners and workers of America’s businesses—both small and large—have done their part. When government called upon them, they stepped up by shutting down, though many of them were unsure whether they would ever reopen or return. This is America and we will come back. There aren’t a more resourceful and resilient people on the...
In recent years, Texas has emerged as a national leader in cutting crime and closing prisons. Now, as we confront COVID-19, state and local leaders must recognize the health of our fellow Texans behind bars, both those incarcerated and staff, is intertwined with the health of our communities. Coronavirus cases have mushroomed in the state...
For years, there has been a low-level debate simmering about whether college is worth it. This debate has been somewhat maddening for both sides. The “yes, college is worth it” side notes that reliable data sources, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, say education pays. And the College Board’s annual report, also titled Education Pays, consistently...
Imagine if a state enacted a law that wound up banning the use of the latest medical technology during a crisis. Practically speaking, that is what Texas has done in education. In 2013, the state of Texas passed a law prohibiting any new public school districts from offering full-time online education. The law said only...
The data is in and the implications are clear: Texas has flattened the curve and prevented the COVID-19 pandemic from taking more lives. Our state hasn’t come anywhere close to seeing a run on hospitals, demonstrating our system is more than capable of handling anyone who contracts the disease. Now is the time to reopen the Texas economy and...
Have Texas lawmakers “made the coronavirus fallout worse” by not expanding Medicaid? That’s what Gilberto Hinojosa, the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party claims in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. His prescription is for the Legislature to expand Medicaid as soon as it convenes in January. First, a little background. In the last decade, we have seen substantial changes...
The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on lives — and livelihoods. In the coming months, when we hopefully have more answers about how to defeat the virus in order to save the former, cities and counties will have a big decision to make that will affect the latter: How much will they increase property taxes this...
Texas Democrats have a cure-all for our worries about in-person voting in upcoming elections. They want to expand mail-in balloting to include every Texan. Republicans who point to problems with the plan are said to be trying to suppress the vote, or are callously indifferent. “Voters should not have to choose between their lives or...
By now, it is unlikely that anyone hasn’t heard of “social distancing.” Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus earlier this year, a full-court press of public initiatives have been enacted to curb its spread — with the need to physically distance ourselves from one another as the chief aim. Though not without great economic...
As America prepares to get back to work, will some people be left behind? The Small Business Administration (SBA) has adopted rules for emergency COVID-19 loans that exclude otherwise eligible existing small businesses from relief solely because they are owned in part by individuals who have a criminal record. Given that at least 19 million Americans have a felony...
On April 19, Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, one of the leading official English-language newspapers in China, wrote a disturbing piece titled “Cooperate with US states on virus fight, not federal government.” Of course, Hu must be a member in good standing of the Chinese Communist Party, as is expected for the leader...
Texas has weathered many a budgetary crisis before, and while we don’t know how deep this downturn will be, we know the strength of the Texas spirit and our state’s determination to secure a better future for our children. In a recent interview with the Texas Tribune, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said the one-two punch of...