Border security must be prerequisite to any reform. President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to bring on Tom Homan, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as border czar is a powerful step in the right direction for border security. Mr. Homan has a history of tough, no-nonsense enforcement, and his expertise is needed now more than ever. But...
Now that we’re past the election, it’s time to start thinking about the 89th Legislative Session, which starts exactly two months from today. Tuesday marked the first day members could start filing legislation, so in honor, here are a few of the top issues you’ll see making news next year: Universal Education Savings Accounts (School...
Local government officials are leaning more heavily on nonvoter-approved debt instruments, like certificates of obligation (COs), than in years past. As a result, voters are increasingly denied the opportunity to voice their support or opposition to various capital projects and taxpayers are bearing a heavier burden without consent. For anyone unfamiliar with the CO concept,...
In the final Gallup poll taken just before the election, 72% of Americans said they were dissatisfied with the way things were going in the U.S. That incredibly high number was actually the lowest it had been in the last two years, having mostly been measured in the high 70s and low 80s over that...
“If you break your principles in the little things, each time it becomes easier for the bigger things.” The sentiments in this line, uttered by a friend of my grandmother’s family, have guided many principled men to greatness. And yet they have doomed many more. Tyrannical regimes rule by whim and diktat, and, for that...
As Election Day approaches, many of us are closely watching not only the presidential race but also the implications for our border, our security, and our national sovereignty. The Nov. 5 election is intensifying urgency among migrants in Mexico and beyond, who see this as their last chance to reach the U.S. under a “friendly”...
Every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m., I join the Cardle & Woolley show, Talk 1370 Radio, in Austin to pick the week’s top Winners & Losers. This is the last list before Election Day and the only thing we know for sure is not to believe anyone who says they are confident about the outcome...
We’re nearing the end of the voting season for this year, and now more than ever it’s important to demand clarity in what we’re voting for when it comes to Voter-Approval Tax Rate Elections—VATREs. VATREs are what local governments—like school districts, special purpose districts, and cities—use to ask the public for huge tax hikes. Today,...
Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally wasn’t simply a campaign stop in an unwinnable state. It was a bid to unify and rally a national coalition. Donald Trump’s rally in New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden was much more than a campaign event in symbolically hostile territory; it was part of a broader strategy aimed...
We are a few short months away from the start of a legislative session that will be punctuated with countless debates and hearings on AI legislation. Many of these discussions are dominated by the shiny objects—the deepfakes, autonomous vehicles, robotics, etc. To be clear, these are crucially important topics that demand the utmost scrutiny from...
In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed historic property tax relief that was intended to cut the average homeowner’s tax bill by roughly $1,300 per year. Unfortunately, tax-and-spend local governments have eroded much of those anticipated savings through rate hikes, bond elections, and a special type of tax increase election known as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate...
Everything is bigger in Texas—including government debt. According to the Bond Review Board’s latest local government annual report, Texas’ state-local debt totaled nearly $325 billion (principal only) in 2021, which was the 4th highest among the top ten most populous states. On a per capita basis, Texas governments have borrowed so much that every man,...