With demands to “do something” ringing in their ears, it’s tempting for mayors and county judges to respond to COVID-19 with heavy-handed measures that at least give the appearance of action. That temptation is powerful. On Tuesday, city of Austin officials, along with Travis County and Williamson County, issued “shelter-in-place” orders, affecting millions of us. But...
Both of these things can be (and are) true: Paid sick leave is a wonderful employee benefit, particularly during a pandemic, when we’re all worried about our family’s health. And government has no business mandating paid sick leave policies. A new Austin American-Statesman editorial calls on the state of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott to...
“Illness strikes men when they are exposed to change.” So wrote the 5th century B.C. Greek historian, Herodotus, widely regarded as the “Father of History.” If change breeds illness, might it also be true that illness breeds change? This is the thesis of a recent report chronicling the challenges faced by American higher education due to...
Right now, Texas and the rest of the United States is experiencing an unprecedented upheaval in how we go about our daily lives due to COVID-19. It is uncertain what the next day will look like and when we might all be able to go back to our normal schedules. Another area that is experiencing...
There are few measures that will more directly benefit American families struggling through the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 outbreak than an immediate payroll tax cut. “Temporarily cancelling the collection of these taxes will reduce the cost for employers for continuing to pay employees regardless of whether they are working or on sick leave and increase liquidity for employers to...
It has been 10 years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama. Touted as a tough but worthy fight by then-Vice President Joe Biden, the ACA has undergone numerous legislative battles since 2010 that have rightly questioned its validity and purpose within health care. While Biden has correctly...
The Trump administration on Jan. 31 announced travel restrictions aimed at reducing the number of people coming to the United States from China to flatten the infection curve of the novel coronavirus that emerged out of Wuhan. The reaction from the People’s Republic of China and the American left was immediate: harsh criticism that President Donald...
Obamacare was signed into law 10 years ago today. Although the public’s attention is squarely focused on the coronavirus crisis, the law has been the dominant issue in our nation’s politics over the past decade, and it’s important to understand how it’s working. Unfortunately, it’s not working at all. As employers and families know, Obamacare...
A recent study in the Cardiovascular Research journal trumpeted a staggering claim: According to new calculations, more than 3.6 million people died in 2015 as a result of air pollution from fossil fuels. The problem? It’s blatantly untrue. The scientists and media outlets perpetuating this 3.6 million myth aren’t the first to fall for the anti-fossil fuel movement’s statistical shell...
One year ago, on March 5, I became an American citizen, just a few miles away from the Alamo. It is only fitting that this special milestone in my life also happened just three days after the anniversary of Texas’ Independence, because I found in Texas what I was looking for in America. To me,...
While Alcatraz is now a tourist attraction, the nearby San Quentin prison remains the nation’s oldest prison, having been built in 1854. Of course, prisons can be renovated, but the criminal justice system is too often stuck in the past — including when it comes to technology. Now, the current coronavirus epidemic has placed a...
The latest information on Coronavirus COVID-19, also known as the Wuhan Flu, from Johns Hopkins University shows widely varying numbers of confirmed cases and apparent mortality rates by nation. The People’s Republic of China, the virus’ epicenter, was reporting 81,058 cases as of March 17 with 3,230 deaths, with 4.0 percent of those diagnosed subsequently dying. Italy...