Nearly two years of upheaval and uncertainty in America’s schools during the COVID pandemic has led many parents to feel powerless, and they’re not taking it anymore. At the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s annual Policy Orientation on January 19, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott received a roaring applause when he said “parents are losing a voice...
Government spending is at the heart of sound public policy. But out-of-control spending for decades has created substantial economic destruction and ongoing threats that must be remedied before things get worse. Fortunately, we have examples of how fiscal rules can solve this problem. We must put these rules into place before our economy gets any...
The city of Austin owns a lot of land. In fact, according to a 2019 CBS Austin report, the city “has bought more than 28,000 acres of raw land over the last 20 years.” The fact that it owns so much property—especially in the midst of a raging affordability crisis—raises some serious concerns about purpose...
Policies that make energy scarce and expensive, promoted by wealthy elites, result in domestic unrest while diminishing a nation’s ability to vigorously pursue its national interests. Since 2011, this has been the case in Egypt, France, Kazakhstan, Germany, and others. Even California and Texas are grappling with similar problems. Texas is approaching the one-year anniversary...
Conservative leaders have a duty to govern with a bold commitment to the principles that best serve our citizens and communities. In 2018, the voters of Oklahoma put their confidence in Kevin Stitt who received more votes than any gubernatorial candidate in Oklahoma history. In just three short years, Stitt has proven that evidence-based policy...
January’s jobs report showed better-than-expected growth, with 467,000 nonfarm jobs added last month. The unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 4.0%, and the labor force participation rate climbed to 62.2%. The number of unemployed increased 194,000 to 6.5 million. There are now 602,000 more unemployed people than in February 2020, the last month before...
The first offshore wind farm in the United States was supposed to have signaled a turning point in the green energy revolution. Instead, officials have spent the last five years mired in equipment failures and struggling to respond to concerns about potential environmental damage. Block Island is Solyndra all over again—except this time, wasted tax...
The idea of being alone evokes a special kind of dread for many people. Reams have been written on how to avoid this fate, and those who can’t tend to earn our sympathy. Unless, that is, they’re cut off from meaningful human contact because they’re one of the thousands of federal inmates held in solitary...
President Joe Biden’s poll numbers have been plummeting, and the mishandling of the economy may be the primary reason. With inflation raging at a four-decade high, it’s understandable that only 33% of Americans are satisfied with the economy. If you’re having trouble making it from paycheck to paycheck these days, you’re not alone. Families’ budgets...
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki recently mocked the idea that soft-on-crime policies have negative consequences, saying, “What does that even mean?” In short, soft-on-crime means a return to lawlessness, à la the Wild West, and all the costs that come with it. True to form, California has been leading the charge in ignoring or...
The outrage over President Joe Biden’s ridiculous comments in Georgia last month lingers. Condemning those who oppose a federal takeover of state elections as racist was not a gaff. He was reading from a speech, which means that both the president and his team believe that the strong majorities of Texans in both parties who...
Teaching is hard work. It always has been, and in many ways, it’s only gotten harder. I taught Latin (and occasionally Greek) in classical schools for about 10 years. I was also a PE teacher, quiz bowl coach, lunchroom monitor and club sponsor. I understand that it’s more than a job—it’s a calling. Classical education,...