Energy & Environment

If California is our energy future, be afraid, be very afraid, America

Radical plans in California spike electricity, natural gas prices thanks to outlandish green energy goals. When Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session in December to tax California’s oil refiners out of their “excessive” profits, he was following a well-trod path of Golden State governors blaming the oil and gas industry for the...

February 10, 2023

Public Safety

By All Means, Let’s Have Some Common Sense On Pistol Braces

A newly published federal rule could soon make felons of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Americans and violate the U.S. Constitution. The Biden administration claims adding a pistol brace to an otherwise legal pistol suddenly transforms it into an unlawful “short-barreled rifle.” A poorly argued DMN editorial claims the ATF’s pistol brace rule “is common sense.” But...

February 10, 2023

K-12 Education

It’s Time to Talk About—and Teach—Science

Last week, the Texas State Board of Education made significant improvements that allow for more objective teaching on science and the way the world is changing, including climate change. Unlike TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) standards, SBOE operating rules are revised every two years, and for instructional materials, they reinforce the selection process schools...

February 9, 2023

Higher Education

Don’t be a Luddite with ChatGPT

Historically, I’ve been a late adopter of technology. I was one of the last people I know to get a cell phone. And I continued to pay for gas inside the gas station for years after everyone else started paying at the pump with a credit card. But recognizing my own Luddite tendencies, I try to deliberately...

February 8, 2023

Energy & Environment

Democrats Keep Cranking Up The Heat On The Gas Stove Debate, But All Their Arguments Flame Out

In much of the U.S., natural gas is so inexpensive that gas ranges cost less than half as much to operate as an electric range. In the first few days of February, central Texas was hit with a severe ice storm. An inch of ice accumulated on the trees around my house. Massive oak branches,...

February 8, 2023

Local Government

It’s Time for Texas to Lead on Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Texas experienced tremendous population growth in 2022, becoming “the only state other than California with a resident population above 30 million.” One key reason for Texas’ booming population is the state’s reputation for low taxes and limited government. People want small government and they’re willing to vote with their feet to prove it. And yet,...

February 8, 2023

Energy & Environment

A deadly consequence of Net Zero: Disease

Here’s why detecting climate propaganda matters.  Bloomberg Green, Bloomberg’s climate newsletter, started with this headline last week: “A deadly, overlooked consequence of climate change: disease.”  I’d like to rephrase: “A deadly, overlooked consequence of Net Zero: disease.”  While world leaders push for Net Zero, they use Malawi as a climate crisis scapegoat. We say, Malawi...

February 7, 2023

Homelessness

I talked to two ex-homeless people about Newsom’s ‘investment’ in homelessness. Their answers will shock you

Newsom’s homelessness strategy leaves California in a shambles, but there may be hope   SAN FRANCISCO — As the cold fury of the January storms ripped through San Francisco’s Tenderloin district — the epicenter of the state’s drug and homelessness crisis — much of the trash and drug paraphernalia debris had washed away. But within minutes of...

February 6, 2023

K-12 Education

The Price of Freedom: Parents Must Remain Vigilant on School Library Materials

My confidence in public schools to be a safe place for kids to learn was shattered last August with this quote from a book displayed in the library at Belton Middle School: “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighborhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I...

February 2, 2023

Local Government

Putting Your Money To Work—Against You

For its part, the Texas Association of School Boards is unapologetic—either for its support of the National School Boards Association (which called on the Biden administration to treat parents speaking out as “domestic terrorism and hate crimes” in 2021), or for its advocacy of political goals that the vast majority of Texans don’t share. What...

February 1, 2023

Local Government

Let the Sun Shine on Texas Government

In the political context, the term “sunshine” originated in U. S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ book Other People’s Money and How the Bankers Use It, where he argued that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.” While initially aimed at the business sector, Brandeis’ axiom is...

February 1, 2023

Family

Looking Behind the Screaming Headlines

The Texas Tribune began its coverage of the 88th Session this year with a news report screaming that “LGBTQ Texans Ready for Legislative Session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of bills.” The Tribune warns that many LGBTQ people say they are leaving Texas because of the GOP “assault” on their rights. If LGBTQ...

January 31, 2023