The power is out in Northern California. More than 1 million Californians are now without electricity, one of modern life’s essentials that is frequently taken for granted. The blackout was done on purpose—to prevent sparks from powerlines that could ignite deadly wildfires. Before planned blackouts are through in two or three days, as many as...
“Save the Planet, Eat the Children,” reads a T-shirt at a congresswoman’s townhall. Meanwhile, a teenager skipping school and in obvious emotional distress makes the Nobel Peace Prize shortlist for berating world leaders about a supposedly looming mass extinction. The most privileged generation in human history — enjoying the longest, healthiest, wealthiest, and most comfortable...
They’re used to finding bodies in Brooks County, Texas. It’s nothing new: They have discovered the remains of over 650 dead migrants in this part of the Lone Star State since 2009. Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez estimates that for every body recovered, there are five others that are never found. That means he suspects...
California’s elected officials’ oil policy can be summed up as: leave it in the ground or under the ocean, and, if it must come into the state, don’t use pipeline or rail. The result of this policy is predictable—an increasing number of crude oil tankers are making their way to California from overseas to meet...
Carl Icahn, one of America’s most well-known investors, has summoned the movers, joining what, in an average year, adds up to almost a half-million New Yorkers looking for a better place to live. As with the largest share of former Empire Staters, Icahn is moving to Florida, a state with no personal income tax. Icahn...
More than half of California voters have thought about moving out of state, according to a new poll from the Institute of Governmental Studies at U.C. Berkeley. A full 74 percent of the state’s very conservative voters say they’re looking into moving, and 84 percent of those cite California’s political culture as their rationale for leaving. Unsurprisingly,...
“Founded in 1989 with the spirit forged in 1836”—that’s what the cornerstone at the Texas Public Policy Foundation says. Of course, 1836 is the year Texas won its independence from Mexico and became a Republic; the year Texas became Texas. What many don’t know, but should, is the spirit of Texas predates the Alamo and...
A U.S. district judge today dismissed a lawsuit brought by Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and New York against the big tax cut signed into law by President Trump in December 2017. Judge J. Paul Oetken has been a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York since President Obama appointed him in 2011. The case, State...
Should we trust studies published in academic journals? A few decades ago, virtually all of us would have responded in the affirmative. But that was then. Now, too many academic studies have been shown to be substantially defective. The nonpartisan National Association of Scholars (NAS) has been documenting the “reproducibility crisis” that “afflicts a wide range of...
Should we trust studies published in academic journals? A few decades ago, virtually all of us would have responded in the affirmative. But that was then. Now, too many academic studies have been shown to be substantially defective. The nonpartisan National Association of Scholars (NAS) has been documenting the “reproducibility crisis” that “afflicts a wide range of...
Progressive politicians on the Austin City Council have spoiled the housing market, made a mess of homelessness and turned commuting into a nightmare. Now the group has fixed its gaze on something else: climate change. Spurred on by environmental activists, council members recently adopted an angst-filled resolution declaring a “climate emergency” and calling for immediate action to...
Hope you have an extra $12,000 in your checking account. That’s how much the Green New Deal could increase the average Texas households’ annual electricity bills, according to new research unveiled by the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF). An in-depth analysis of Texas electric utility data shows that transitioning Texas to 100% wind and solar electricity...