As cases of coronavirus rise, local governments are making hard decisions about which functions are essential to maintain during the crisis. Many counties are choosing to postpone hearings in which important decisions about reuniting children in foster care with their families are made — effectively delaying their return home. Such decisions are revealing about our...
It is March 2020 and every schoolroom in Texas is practically empty. Earlier this month, with the COVID-19 virus spreading so quickly, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster in Texas, resulting in all Texas school districts being temporarily closed. During a Town Hall event on March 19, the governor made it clear that despite school...
Texans are incredibly resilient in the face of a crisis. We can beat COVID-19, and we can recover from the blow the virus has dealt to our economy. Government can help with thoughtful, carefully considered policies — which mostly involve getting out of the way. California has shown us how not to do it. It...
We’re being presented with a false dilemma. We’re told we can either stay at home and limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, or we can get to work and try to limit the damage the virus and the shutdowns are doing to our economy. It’s like being told that to win the war, we must...
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...