Property taxes imposed by the city of Laredo are growing faster than many people would consider reasonable. According to its latest available Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the amount of property tax monies sought by the city rose from $67,621,015 in 2013 to $99,359,198 in 2022, representing a 46.9% hike in the levy (see pg....
Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a limited disannexation measure, House Bill 3053, that allows people unfairly captured by large cities during a particular time period to hold an election on the question of staying or leaving municipal control. The law was passed after concerns were raised that some cities had accelerated their involuntary annexation...
Recently, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz reiterated his belief—a belief I and millions of Texans share—that school choice is the civil rights movement of our time. It didn’t take long for opponents to come for him and claim that school choice is actually a segregationist plot. For example, the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel published an editorial titled...
The following commentary is published on Thursdays as part of TPPF’s subscriber-only newsletter The Post. If you would like to subscribe to The Post, click here. For at least the third time in the last two decades, Congress attempted to pass an immigration and border security-related reform. And for the third straight time, the bill failed...
Most date the campus launch of the notorious “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) ideology to 2010, with a hyper-escalation in 2020, although its roots go back to the late 60s when socialists created it on college campuses. Until now, the trajectory has always been up. However, in the last year, DEI has been exposed to...
Pilot basic income programs in the forms of UBI (Universal Basic Income) and guaranteed income are popping up all around the country, including Texas. It is generally assumed that these programs are used as tests to determine whether governments should implement permanent UBI programs. Advocates for UBI often use pilot programs to back their claim...
A controversial new video is making the rounds online, arousing anger from many Texas taxpayers who can’t seem to keep up with the cost of government. In the nearly 20-minute long clip, the now-suspended city manager for Bozeman, Montana discusses “a potential job opportunity in Austin” as its next city manager. But he apparently didn’t...
The Dallas City Council held a briefing recently to explore pathways to create an environment conducive to more affordable housing. There are many factors that go into the cost of housing, some of which are more easily addressed than others. But even having this briefing is a positive step toward housing affordability. Many citizens recognize...
When the Rev. Al Sharpton used the word “invasion” to describe the onslaught of migrants at the southern U.S. border on Monday, his MSNBC guest suddenly stopped nodding along. And then the fast blinking began — he was triggered. Because to the American left, the word “invasion” is off-limits and even “violence-inciting.” But the word — and...
By now you’ve probably read about the disastrous Senate bill released in a late Sunday news dump. Unfortunately, while the American people beg the nation’s leaders to take responsibility for border security, the Senate has instead released 370 pages of lawless insanity. What’s even more infuriating after reading this pointless bill is knowing that the...
No matter what the corporate media says, it’s a fact that many Americans are hanging on by a thread today. And it’s no wonder why. Under the Biden administration, the cost of gas, groceries, and rent has soared. Mass layoffs have become increasingly common. And high rates of inflation continue to erode savings, disposable income,...
The state of Texas, unlike much of the country, has mostly weathered the current economic downturn. But while our resilience is to be commended, we aren’t completely immune, and a clear example is our housing affordability crisis. Thankfully there is one reform that can bring Texans much needed relief. Suffocating lot size restrictions are among...