Moving usually isn’t much fun — it’s hard, it can be expensive and, if you’re moving out of state, it can be a bit intimidating. But moving from California to Texas was the best thing that ever happened to my family. In 2011, along with my family, I was one of about 562,000 people who moved out of California (468,000 moved in). A...
When Governor of Alaska tried to cut funding for the University of Alaska by 41 percent, observers were quick to connect it to what they saw as a larger long-term trend — states relentlessly cutting funding for higher education. But there’s a small problem with portraying Alaska as an extreme example of a story playing out...
The Tax Foundation’s 2020 State Business Tax Climate Index illustrates the states’ relative business … [+] THE TAX FOUNDATION The 27 states with the lightest tax burden on individuals continued to add jobs at double the rate of the 23 states with higher taxes since the federal tax cut was signed into law in December 2017....
Early voting begins Monday, giving Texas voters another opportunity to decide on constitutional questions, bond propositions, tax increase elections and more. But this election cycle will feature at least one new change that may surprise some. Thanks to a new law passed last session — House Bill 1888 — most local officials are now banned...
Border security is at the forefront of the American political psyche. With the on-going crisis at the southern border and the endless efforts by the Trump administration to address it, it’s a recurring subject of heated debate. However, a fundamental question is often overlooked: What does a secure border even look like? This is a much harder...
Most Americans would agree that the Chinese Communist Party isn’t a friend of workers’ rights, free speech, or corporate transparency. The challenge is that they rule China and control access to a potentially lucrative market. In the NBA’s case, this dilemma was front and center for the past week after the Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey expressed support for demonstrators in Hong...
This week, congressional Democrats will use the Congressional Review Act to force a series of votes meant to derail key parts of President Trump’s regulatory agenda. The strategy will no doubt backfire. Where Democrats were scared to take a vote on the fantastical Green New Deal, they are now finding comfort in turning back to...
After planned blackouts to reduce wildfire risk left almost 2 million people without power in Northern California, politicians and bureaucrats scrambled to lay blame. Blackouts have a powerfully toxic political legacy in California. In 2000 and 2001, a series of blackouts and price hikes amidst a botched partial deregulation of the electricity market was a...
As San Antonio city leaders prepare to vote on the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) this week, one topic has been missing in the discussions about the Alamo City’s future: cost. Local business leaders, including the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and several of the city’s largest employers, have voiced opposition to the plan...
The FBI released its annual crime report a few days ago, showing the violent crime rate has dropped 4.6% since President Trump took office. Had the violent crime rate in 2018 remained at 2016 levels, almost 58,000 additional murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults would have occurred. The major property crime rate has also continued its steady...
Throughout the Democratic presidential primary process, candidate after candidate has promised voters the moon. Long on aspirations — and short on details of how to pay for them — the debates so far are a contest of who could out-promise whom. All the high-profile proposals, especially Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, would...
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...