In 1988, Texas shared the sentiment of William Shatner who once declared: “If saving money is wrong, I don’t want to be right!” It was that year that Texas created essentially a state savings account called the economic stabilization fund (ESF). The idea then for a state savings account wasn’t a hard sell to voters....
In Texas, we have our own holiday traditions, such as making a stop in our travels at a Buc-ee’s. If you’re among the unenlightened, Buc-ee’s is the chain of massive rest stops that combine the cleanest restrooms with some of the weirdest shopping experiences around. Bon Appetit magazine named it the “Best Rest Stop in...
At the end of October, several electricity generators and wind industry representatives teamed up to ask the Public Utility Commission of Texas to impose an electricity “tax” on Texas consumers of up to $4 billion a year in order to increase their revenues. Their reason for asking for this new tax? They don’t think they...
The warnings are dire; a new World Health Organization report says that more than one in four deaths of children under 5 is due to environmental risk – mostly air pollution. “The evidence is clear: air pollution has a devastating impact on children’s health,” the report says. “…Globally, 93 percent of all children live in...
There’s a chart making the rounds at the Capitol and in newsrooms. It purports to show that state funding for public schools is dropping (in constant dollars) and it’s being used to make the argument that Texas is underfunding its schools. But the chart, released by the Legislative Budget Board, leaves out a significant part...
The Production Tax Credit (PTC), a federal subsidy for renewable energy, is a $24-per-megawatt-hour credit based on energy production rather than demand. That means those who produce renewable energy can receive the credit regardless of whether or not that electricity is actually needed. The incentive is so immense that at peak hours of output wind...
As taxpayers and citizens, we expect our Federal Government to responsibly use its resources and to be responsive to the will of the people as expressed in elections. But all too frequently, the bureaucracy — the administrative state — churns on with its agenda, untouched by mere elected officials or appointees of the administration. This...
Most Americans embrace the concept that incarceration is for people we are afraid of, not those we are mad it. Are we afraid of our fellow Americans who haven’t paid a traffic fine or court fee? Put another way, who is really scared of an Austin mother of five named Valerie Gonzales who in 2016...
A new piece in the Houston Chronicle says “transmission is the latest front” in the battle for renewable energy subsidies. They report that Calpine Corp. and NRG Energy have asked the state Public Utility Commission to change the way transmission costs are apportioned among power generators. This move, according to the Chronicle, would undo a...
American government is divided into three branches. Can you name them? If so, you’re in the minority. National polling finds that only 26 percent of Americans can name all three branches of the government. This is down from 38 percent in 2011. Worse, 33 percent of Americans surveyed were unable to name even one branch of government....
At the end of October, several electricity generators asked the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to impose an electricity “tax” on Texas consumers of up to $4 billion a year in order to increase their revenues. The money would go to coal, natural gas, wind, solar, and nuclear generators. The PUC commissioners may act on...
Texas has been criticized recently in both the Houston Chronicle and the Texas Tribune for having the highest uninsured rate in the nation, 17 percent. While this is true, it is unfair. Texas is getting a bad rap. No one creates a health care system in order to insure people. Health care systems exist to...