At a speech in the East Room on Monday, President Trump correctly reminded America that “a strong economy is vital to maintaining a healthy environment.” The United States of America is now the world’s largest producer of energy, surpassing even Saudi Arabia and Russia, producing a staggering 12.16 million barrels of oil every 24 hours. Our...
One of the largest subsidies for renewable energy generation, the federal production tax credit, is slated to end this year. While some in the industry support the end of these tax credits, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are drafting legislation that would extend and expand subsidies that benefit renewable energy generators. The production tax credit...
Employers added 224,000 jobs in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than most economists expected. The nation’s unemployment rate was 3.7%, remaining at historic lows. The manufacturing sector saw 17,000 jobs added after four months of flat activity. This followed a strong run of an average of 22,000 manufacturing jobs added every...
The government-appraised value of my home was due to go up 10.7% this year, which, if the tax rates for the school district, county and other taxing public entities held steady, would mean a tax hike of hundreds of dollars. In the eight years I’ve lived in Texas since moving from California, this was the...
It was refreshing to see President Trump remind the world in a speech at the White House this week that America leads the world in making our air and water safe while growing our economy. Sadly, the press has failed to adequately report American environmental progress, and it seems hostile toward the president using his...
The lack of predictability in health care costs continues to frustrate Americans. Most people blame the insurance companies, which negotiate rates with providers behind closed doors. Others say government intervention has destroyed health care markets and the lack of competition drives up costs. Both sides are right, which is why Americans should embrace the latest executive order from...
Across the nation, nearly thirty percent of jobs require an occupational license or certification; that percentage has more than quintupled since the 1950s. These licensing restrictions often create a lifelong barrier to gainful careers for the large number of qualified workers in Rhode Island with an arrest or conviction record. Now is the time for...
A recent study from Synapse Energy Economics (commissioned by the Sierra Club) claims that replacing the J.K. Spruce coal-fired power plant units owned by CPS Energy — San Antonio’s municipal utility — with wind and solar power “could benefit rate payers an average of $85 million each year from 2026-2040.” Unfortunately, the Sierra Club and...
Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature made school finance reform and property tax relief the signature issue of the 86th legislative session. The final result was HB 3, a monumental school finance bill that dedicated $5 billion in state tax dollars to local maintenance and operations (M&O) property tax relief. That’s important because maintenance and...
The modest participation of our volunteer military in the Independence Day celebration in our nation’s Capital has sparked debate. That’s both curious and troubling. This may be explained in light of a new Gallup Poll showing that Americans have the lowest pride in their nation since the question was asked in 2001, with Gallup noting, The greatest disparities in...
One hundred years ago, Congress passed the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Since then, voters have used this right to choose many women to represent us. This is a wonderful thing, but ironically, some progressive women are now advancing climate policies that would harm the world’s poorest women the most. Consider two...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has now ended its policy of separating minors from their parents at the border; that’s a move that a majority of Americans — even those who want stronger border security — support. That’s because Americans are seemingly united in the belief that there is an innate sanctity to the nuclear family; the...