There’s a growing body of research that highlights the negative effects of tax abatements granted for renewable energy under Texas Tax Code Chapter 312 and 313. Among the effects are the harm to the reliability of the electric grid, the hidden cost to Texans via taxes, and the unfortunate experiences of those who live next...
First they came for the New York muck, and I did not speak out—because I am not from New York. Then they came for competitive foot races in wilderness areas, and I did not speak out—because I am not a runner. Then they came for my plastic straws—and there was no one left to speak for me. These...
2018-07-Testimony-Testimony Before the Concho County Commissioners Court-ACEE-Gonzalez by texaspolicy on Scribd
2018-07-Testimony-Testimony Before the Concho County Hospital District-A… by texaspolicy on Scribd
Government efficiency is an elusive ideal. When a business or a household consistently spends more than it earns, it will go bankrupt. This provides an incentive to review costs. Total government spending in the U.S. will come to about $7.1 trillion this year, of which a little more than half will be federal spending with...
Most people agree that paying a fine is a preferable punishment compared to incarceration or supervision. But because the impact of a fine is directly related to one’s ability to pay, fines and court fees can actually cause the greatest sting and the most severe punishment on poor Americans. A federal court recently confirmed this. A...
Collecting seashells that are strewn across thousands of miles of America’s shorelines may be a pastime for many beachgoers, but a recent incident out of Florida highlights that the line between “commonplace” and “criminal” is thin, indeed. According to the Florida Keys News, Diana Fiscal-Gonzalez pleaded no contest to criminal charges after taking 40 queen conches out...
The summer is in full swing in Texas. With temperatures soaring into triple-digits across the state’s most populous areas, more energy is required to keep the lights on and the indoors cool. With these higher-than-usual temperatures, demand for energy is breaking records, giving rise to concern about the adequacy of the state’s energy supply. People...
New York, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey – four of the highest-taxing states in the nation – filed a breathtakingly foolish lawsuit this week against the federal government alleging that the tax cut and reform legislation signed into law by President Trump last year is unconstitutional because it unfairly targets Democratic-controlled states. The states claim that the...
The Environmental Protection Agency has sent its replacement for the Clean Power Plan to the White House. We don’t know what’s in it (it won’t be released until the White House has a chance to review it), but we know what should be and what shouldn’t. The new plan should restore the rule of law...
My grandmother on my mother’s side was born on Zakynthos, a small Greek island in the Ionian Sea. I was raised Greek Orthodox and will always remember her telling me the story of the patron Saint of the island, Saint Dionysius. A man approached Saint Dionysius begging for his help because he had just committed...
Service industry workers — wait staff, bartenders and the like — are experts in free-market economics. They enjoy immediate and tangible reward for their hard work in the form of tips, and the best servers can make hundreds of dollars per shift through hard work, positivity and attentiveness. When they aren’t feeling it, the effects...