President Joe Biden sweetened the deal for Medicaid expansion in Wyoming (and other states that have yet to expand it) with COVID-19 “stimulus” dollars. According to Wyoming lawmakers who have historically resisted expansion, that money “really changed some hearts and minds in the Legislature.” The Wyoming House has now passed an expansion bill, and the...
Let’s start with a simple fact: It’s not economic “stimulus” when someone comes along, takes money from your right pocket and puts some of it back in your left pocket (keeping much of it for “other uses”). That’s sleight-of-hand, not stimulus, which is a reason the government can’t stimulate anything other than more government. That’s...
Toyota Financial Services recently announced that as a result of consolidating customer service centers, the Cedar Rapids facility will close and cut 600 jobs, due in part to the private sector employing 5% fewer people than a year ago. The consolidation of customer service centers is a loss for Iowa and a win for other...
When former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with TPPF’s Kevin Roberts for a livestream event on March 24, he cited a 2019 report from the State Department on the topic of unalienable rights. That report found, in part, that “the American example of freedom, equality, and democratic self-government has long inspired, and continues to...
March 12 was the deadline to file bills at the Texas Legislature. For people who earn their livings in and around the Capitol, it’s a minor holiday. There’s a flurry of activity as staff work to finalize their boss’ legislative packages and lobbyists race to find sponsors for the remaining bills in their portfolios before...
Merit based teacher pay, an idea that prioritizes quality teaching and retains top educators in the profession, recently was implemented into a new Texas incentive program. Since its start in 2019, 3,977 of Texas’s top teachers were awarded raises, totaling $39.2 million under the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). The Houston Chronicle noted, “Thousands of Texas...
The Texas Public Policy Foundation mourns the loss of Svetozar “Steve” Pejovich, a luminary in the field of economics whose work to defend private property rights, the rule of law, and individual liberty has inspired the conservative movement in untold ways. He passed away on February 12, 2021, only days before his 90th birthday. Yet...
As Americans reflect on the past year of how much power the federal government has taken for itself in the name of COVID-19, one of the most far-reaching power grabs came directly from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the form of a nationwide eviction moratorium order. Under the order, private property owners are...
“Hey Florida! Help is Here.” That’s how Vice President Kamala Harris recently put a 21st Century spin on Ronald Reagan’s famous quote, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.” What does this have to do with the Texas budget and House Bill 3548?...
Some great news from our friends at Montana’s Frontier Institute! The Montana Legislature has passed a bill to permanently authorize Direct Primary Care (also called Direct Patient Care) in the state. Texas passed similar legislation several sessions ago, allowing doctors to contract with patients to provide regular medical care for a set monthly fee. It...
Engineers and mathematicians would call it an elegant solution. Texas is facing two problems: heavily encumbered “stimulus” dollars coming from the federal government, and a surge of migrants at our southern border that’s reaching crisis proportions. The solution to both is simple. Let’s use stimulus funds to build more wall. President Biden paused construction on...
Imagine a solution to a seemingly intractable problem that is both popular across the political spectrum and effective. It would make us safer, lower unemployment and protect wages. In honor of the start of baseball season, let’s call that solution a low and slow pitch just to the outside, begging to be knocked out of...