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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Next week, the Supreme Court of Texas will hear the case of a father seeking to vindicate his fundamental rights from being forced to share custody of his daughter with her mother’s former boyfriend. This case, known as In Re C.J.C., has profound implications for all Texas families. It centers on a provision of Texas custody law that...
As the Trump Administration continues to issue an unprecedented number of regulatory waivers and rules to allow the medical professionals in our health care system to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress goes about its business of creating unintended consequences. The well-intentioned policies of eliminating cost-sharing for patients testing positive for the COVID-19 virus coupled with the...
During my reelection campaign for Congress in 2012, I traveled throughout my expansive district and knocked on many doors. Some people I met responded, “I’m sorry, I’m not a citizen so I don’t vote.” This was puzzling since I was knocking on their door precisely because their name was on a voter registration list provided...