The Trump administration announced last week it will terminate the Flores settlement agreement, a 1997 court decree that has prevented U.S. officials from detaining migrant families and unaccompanied minors for more than 20 days. Media coverage predictably—and inaccurately—warned of “indefinite detention” for families and children caught crossing the southwest border. But ending the settlement was the right...
According to newly published survey information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Americans born in the years 1957 to 1964 held an average of 12.3 jobs from age 18 to their 52. Lest you think that the latter part of the Baby Boom generation is composed of a bunch of job hoppers, BLS says that...
According to California Governor (and former San Francisco Mayor) Gavin Newsom, the “vast majority” of San Francisco’s homeless people “also come in from… Texas.” To him, that’s “just an interesting fact;” to PolitiFact, it’s “Pants on Fire” inaccurate. PolitiFact goes as far as calling it “ridiculous.” The tiniest factual nugget for Newsom’s fib was contained in data...
The city of Austin plans to raise property taxes as much as it possibly can — 7.9% — without triggering a potential election to roll back the tax rate. There’s no new, unexpected and urgent need here. City leaders are just trying to circumvent the intent of a new state law that limits property tax...
The economic might of the United States has been a magnet for those around the world seeking a better life for a long time. Immigrants, in turn, have helped the United States cement itself as the global hub of entrepreneurship and innovation. However, coming to work in America is a privilege — not a right....
The federal government just released its latest state-level jobs report, showing private-sector job growth remains concentrated in low-tax states. That has remained true since the 2017 tax cut limited the deductibility of state and local taxes (SALT) to $10,000 per filing household. The 27 states, led by Texas, with average SALT deductions under $10,000 saw private-sector...
A recent essay in Time Magazine called for a massive expansion of the nanny state through mandatory medical screening of children for signs of child abuse. The proposal, which is based on the assumption that racial bias is causing doctors to miss some cases of abuse, would strip doctors of the ability to apply reasoned,...
By now it is irrefutable that there is a crisis at the border. Unfortunately, those who are suffering the most are the most vulnerable, namely children. The stories of children being separated from their parents were heartbreaking—as are the accounts of the brutal journey migrant children must undertake to reach the border, of fake family...
El Paso County commissioners plan to raise taxes this year, but they’re placing the blame on state lawmakers. According to KFOX 14, Commissioner David Stout said the new tax trigger was the reason for hitting homeowners and businesses with bigger tax bills. “We have so many things that we need to pay for this time around because next...
It’s a plan based on false assumptions—not facts. At last week’s city council meeting, Austin city council declared a “climate emergency” and called for immediate mobilization of resources to “restore a safe climate.” The false assumption here is that one city, or even many cities, could measurably impact the weather. In reality, the council’s resolution...
Though recent legislation goes a long way to improve Texas’ system for teacher pay, the manner in which teachers are compensated in Texas is fundamentally flawed. Teacher pay in the Texas system is not based on merit. It is instead based on the teacher’s level of education, years of experience, and varying Independent School District...
A new study confirms what conservatives have long suspected: Expensive climate change programs, such as the Green New Deal, would hurt the poor the most. Researchers from the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change estimate that if every country participating in the Paris climate accord actually fulfilled its greenhouse gas emission reduction pledges, more than 3 million...