As the COVID-19 pandemic expands in the U.S. and containment efforts continue, school districts in Texas are now closed, Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order. Families are struggling to figure out what to do next. And so are districts. Everyone’s learning on the fly. But here’s the thing — teaching kids online isn’t new. Some states...
For years, city halls around the state spent like drunken sailors, acting as if Texas’ economic expansion was without end. And then the crisis came. Now cities are weathering a deluge of bad budget news, with some expecting the worst. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said recently, “We work on the budget year round, and we anticipate even...
The world as seen by Xi Jinping is different from it was in January 2016. At the time, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was strong at home, as its power and prestige were growing abroad. Hong Kong was prosperous and quiescent. The “rebellious province of Taiwan” was ruled by President Ma Ying-Jeou, a politician favoring...
The Texas economy is taking hits from efforts to slow the spread of Covid-19, and it is becoming apparent lawmakers are going to have to tighten some belts, as they prepare to work on the state’s next biennial budget. As a bartender in a previous life, I would periodically do a deep clean on the...
“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” So wrote the 4th Century, B.C., political philosopher, Aristotle. And over 23 centuries later, education is facing adversity of its own. As COVID-19 upends daily life, we are experiencing entirely new concerns about supply and demand. These are most acute in health care, of course,...
In a few short weeks, a virus with origins in China has brought the American economy to a near-halt. Public health officials, 16.5 million health-care workers, and tens of thousands of scientists are working overtime to reduce the fatalities, heal the sick, and find a cure. Congress reacted as only it knows how—by spending more than...
Late last month, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven urged people to take responsibility and follow the government’s recommendations, AFP (Agence France-Presse) reports. “Those include working from home if you can, staying home if you feel sick, practice social distancing, and stay home if you belong to a risk group or are over the age of 70.”...
“Social distancing” isn’t easy in jails and prisons. Many states and localities are issuing orders to release inmates in an effort to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus. But while it makes sense to release some first-time and low-level offenders, some states and counties are going about it in a way that puts the public...
Two weeks ago I warned that Mexico was dangerously unprepared for a coronavirus outbreak and that once it hit, it would spread quickly, overwhelming a weak and corrupt Mexican state and a woefully inadequate health-care system. Despite warnings from health officials that an outbreak was inevitable, the Mexican government had done almost nothing to prepare and refused...
Who is “essential,” and what does that mean? I’ve been thinking about that lately. I get a lot of email these days; I’m sure we all do. It’s basically of three varieties: hey, we’re still open, please get take-out; hey, we’re closed, please buy a gift card; and, hey, COVID19 is going to affect our...
On Tuesday, the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalized what is likely their most impactful and controversial rulemaking to-date during the Trump administration, the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles rule. The SAFE rule modifies the 2012 Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards, reducing the projected overall industry average required fuel economy for model...
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, some electric companies may ask high-skilled workers to temporarily live on-site. Facing the real prospect of staffing shortages, power plants desperately need to keep their employees healthy and keep the lights on for the rest of the country. The alternative — losing access to the electricity we...