Energy & Environment

Moving more oil and gas is a win for all Texans

President Donald Trump is opening the floodgates to America becoming an energy superpower. That’s the significance of two executive orders he recently signed to update federal procedures for building energy infrastructure across the nation, making America more prosperous and secure. The orders will remove unnecessary federal barriers to the construction of oil and gas infrastructure, including pipelines,...

April 19, 2019

Taxes & Spending

What Texas can learn from Arizona?

One of the most difficult challenges facing occupational license holders in America is the lack of reciprocity. If license holders move to another state, their licenses don’t follow them, due to differing requirements. This can cause upheaval for any family. The loss of income for a parent can be detrimental to a family. Training requirements...

April 17, 2019

Health Care

In Texas, It’s a Dog’s Life!

Maisy was having a severe reaction to her allergies this season and was having difficulty breathing. We called her doctor and he recommended we bring her in to the office. After the examination and a shot that gave her some relief, we went to the front desk, where the doctor wrote a prescription that was...

April 17, 2019

Higher Education

Campus Free Speech Reforms

If our students are not free to learn, they stand little chance of learning how to be free. Both American democracy and American higher education will wither if free speech and debate are squelched.

April 17, 2019

Higher Education

Campus Free Speech is American Free Speech

One person hisses. Another yells profanities. Someone else spits in your direction and shoves their middle finger in your face. Your reputation and physical appearance are attacked on social media. You’re trending on Twitter – but for all the wrong reasons. They’re screaming at you. They hate you. Why? You’re a conservative. It’s a typical day...

April 17, 2019

K-12 Education

Six-figure severances for superintendents an affront to taxpayers

Have you heard about the small South Texas school district that built a $20 million water park using state tax dollars? Or that this same school district lost almost $250,000 in the park’s first year up-and-running? Or that it also owns a golf course and that also ran a deficit last year of $300,000? Well,...

April 16, 2019

Taxes & Spending

Tax Freedom Day highlights advantages of the Texas economic model

We economists love a good object lesson for the vague principles and theories we discuss. That’s why the Tax Foundation’s “Tax Freedom Day” is so useful — it provides a clear, concrete example of how tax policy (which is boring) affects every American’s paycheck (which is very not boring). Tax Freedom Day is the date...

April 16, 2019

Taxes & Spending

Taxes And Psychology: Americans Got A Tax Cut, Even If They Don’t Believe It

Polls show that the majority of Americans don’t think their taxes were cut with the landmark tax cut and reform bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2017. But just in time for tax day, the New York Times published a well-written and counter-intuitive analysis by two of their economics reporters, Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley....

April 15, 2019

Border Security

The border crisis will continue until Congress steps up

No matter what the Trump administration tries to do — shake up the leadership of federal immigration agencies, force asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico, even build a massive border wall — none of it will do much to affect the current border crisis one way or another. That’s because the border crisis is actually an...

April 15, 2019

Higher Education

Expanding access to work-based learning

Remember shop class? If you’re under 40, you might not. Ask your parents or grandparents about it, and you’re likely to hear nostalgic tales of band saws, welding goggles, and wobbly birdhouses. But vocational education back in the day earned another, less rosy reputation. High school teachers and counselors often encouraged — or even compelled...

April 13, 2019

Taxes & Spending

State of Play: Real Property Tax Cuts

The one-pager outlines our analysis of how a “real cuts” plan compares with scenarios of a 2.5% rollback rate excluding debt and a 4% cap including debt. The current rollback rate is 8%, but it does not include local debt increases. Additionally, a tax ratification election on rates that exceed 8% can only be held...

April 12, 2019

Energy & Environment

Chapter 312 – A Tale of Two Counties

While the debates over property taxes in the Texas Legislature are mostly held out in the open, the same can’t be said of negotiations surrounding property tax abatements under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code. This controversial economic development incentive is brokered behind closed doors, even though it costs Texas taxpayers millions in foregone revenue. Residents of Concho...

April 12, 2019