The Austin City Council is playing politics with public safety. Now some are calling for the statehouse to step in. In a bid to appease far-left radicals, City Hall last month cut millions from the Austin Police Department’s budget and redistributed the money to other social justice causes, such as easing abortion access ($100,000), boosting urban trails...
The city of Austin wants voters to approve a massive bond proposition this November to help fund a $7 billion transportation plan that features a downtown subway system, light rail, and more. But some recent remarks have Austinites asking whether the plan will even work. The controversial comments came from Zach Baumer, the city’s climate...
Despite the suffering and sacrifice of ordinary taxpayers, it seems that some North Texas governments are continuing to tax and spend like normal. For example, Tarrant County officials just approved a budget with “3 to 6 percent salary increases” for county employees. Elsewhere, Fort Worth and Arlington ISDs are asking voters to support massive tax...
The Census Bureau’s annual reports on poverty in America were released on Sept. 15. The reports provide three salient observations. First, that the largest reductions in poverty in the past 10 years occurred in 2019, as American employment and wage growth was particularly strong in minority communities in the wake of President Trump’s economy-boosting tax cuts and...
There are competing goals in the rioting and protesting we see all over the country. The prevailing narrative remains the peaceful expression of outrage against perceived injustices committed by the police. However, it has become clear that protests have been hijacked by those whose intent is anything but peaceful. Some media networks are desperate to cling to...
Talk about adding salt to the wound, especially since Austin was just rated the “least affordable U.S. city for minimum-wage workers.” Last month, the Austin Independent School District hired a new superintendent, and that official’s starting salary has just been revealed. For her first year, she’ll rake-in a whopping $334,000—more than double what the Texas...
Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide unrest of the summer months, local, state, and federal authorities are taking a fresh look at significant reforms to how the criminal justice system engages with those in its charge. One important area, affected by both the aforementioned crises, is the need to address how to maintain...
A recent report highlighted the desperate need for more foster families in rural communities west of San Antonio. Historically, the Department of Family and Protective Services, or DFPS, has struggled to recruit in rural areas — a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These rural communities surrounding Bexar County are a part of Region 8b,...
As the economy continues to reopen and gain strength amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a common concern is how to ensure the safety of the public and the workers at businesses around the country. Government certainly has a role in providing information, guidance and support. But ultimately its best approach is to serve as a partner...
On Aug. 27, Austin launched a campaign called, “a week of action to support ending homelessness.” It admittedly sounds wonderful… something around which all should be able to coalesce. Instead, we should heed the lesson from Hans Christian Andersen’s fable, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Austin’s efforts to address its spiraling homelessness crisis are clothed in...
Journalist H. L. Mencken described the unintended consequences of governance like this: “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” In energy and environmental policy, California’s gotten it “good and hard” in recent years. Record wildfires. Rolling blackouts. Politicians like Democrat Gov. Gavin...
It’s election season, so of course candidates on each side are predicting doom and gloom if the other prevails. However, on criminal justice reform, recent history suggests even a divided government can prioritize public safety without being too tough on taxpayers. At the federal level, this meeting of the minds culminated in the First Step...