The Hollywood scene used to be filled with Joe Rogans — free spirits who spoke their minds. Sure, liberals dominated the world of entertainment, but non-liberals, at least those who had already made it or who possessed a certain level of moral courage, could, and did, speak out. The era of free speech has come to a close in...
Despite a major economic meltdown and rampant unemployment, Dallas ISD appears poised to ask voters to sign off on the largest bond request in Texas history. The district’s jaw-dropping bond package totals approximately $3.7 billion, proposing to fund improvements at most of the district’s facilities and campuses and replacements at two dozen schools. Community members...
Is your retirement plan safe? No, I don’t mean from the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus. I mean from the political whims of self-serving investment managers and environmental activists. There’s a growing trend in the financial community, driven by boisterous public shaming campaigns, towards environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing — meaning giving more funds to...
As Americans seek a return to some modicum of normalcy, when it comes to criminal justice, we must not be the handcuffed to the past. Much of that past was abnormal, especially in view of new possibilities. Not only does the United States have a fifth of the world’s population compared to 25 percent of its...
In a recent poll, parents’ top concern was whether their children will miss in-person school instruction time. And they have good reason to be concerned as 67% of teachers said completion rates of student assignments were worse than in-person instruction. This hurts disadvantaged students the most, as the Texas Education Agency recently noted that students...
Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau publishes estimates on state and local revenue and spending. The most recent estimate is for 2017. The top five states in per capita state and local revenue collection, including federal transfer payments to state and local government (mostly Medicaid) are New York, Alaska, Wyoming, California, and Hawaii. In the case...
Universal theories can have a certain tidy attraction. In science, they can result in revolutionary breakthroughs — Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity comes to mind. In the messy realm of human affairs, however, universal theories have a tendency to fall apart. Ruy Teixeira, of the leftist Center for American Progress, provides a textbook example of...
Following the drastic spike in migrant apprehensions along the U.S. southwestern border early last year, the federal government implemented measures resulting in an equally steep decrease of unauthorized entries into the country. These measures demonstrated their effectiveness in securing the border and deterring illegal migration—which enhances the safety of not only American residents, but also that of that of thousands of migrants who undertake such dangerous journeys and land in the hands of human smugglers and traffickers. However—and while...
Millions of Texans lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet some large, liberal cities are dangerously close to raising taxes in a big way—possibly in violation of state law. In the 2019 session, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 2 which limited how fast local property tax revenues could rise without voter approval. Property...
Many states are demanding more money from the federal government to deal with the COVID-19 situation. But providing even more bailout money to states would mean inappropriately supporting years of poor fiscal management and incentivizing unnecessary government lockdowns. Ultimately, bailing out states means less money in our pockets at a time when many of us...
Students enroll in college for a variety of reasons, and getting a better job is rated as a very important reason by 85% of them. One marker of a “good” job is earning enough to be able to repay student loans. But until recently, students were forced to guess which colleges and majors would fit that...
In a soon-to-be-released book, Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says when President Obama called him during the 2015 riots in Baltimore, he expected the president to offer federal assistance. Instead, Obama urged Hogan to back off. Hogan ignored Obama’s advice about the violence following the death of Freddie Gray, and worked to restore order to the...