Health Care
ObamaCare’s dangerous wait lines
Death by queueing is the inevitable result of government control of healthcare spending.
December 5, 2016
Taxes & Spending
Texas’ $61 billion pension problem
Texas’ public employees deserve a safe and secure retirement, but many are instead faced with uncertainty as some of the state’s biggest public retirement systems deal with problems brought on by years of habitual overpromising and underfunding.
December 2, 2016
Economy
Who believes a Texas minimum wage hike would be free?
Legislators this session should support more prosperity achieved in Texas by further freeing markets from government intervention so limited taxpayer dollars fund core government provisions.
December 2, 2016
Energy & Environment
America Needs More Energy To Power Its Manufacturing Resurgence
Manufacturing as a share of real GDP in America has hovered around 12 percent since 1960, even as manufacturing’s share of employment has dropped by about a quarter due to a steady increase in productivity. But, what if corporate America brings even half of the more than $2 trillion it has stashed overseas and invests it at home under more favorable tax treatment?
December 1, 2016
Economy
Time to Rethink Public Retirement?
Public pension reform should be a high-priority for the next legislature, for both the sake of retirees and taxpayers. Alarming new data shows that Texas’ public retirement systems are not faring well. The Pension Review Board (PRB) is out with a new report, Actuarial Valuations Report for November 2016, pegging public pension debt at more...
November 30, 2016
Health Care
Medicaid block grants can work, but there are limitations
The 2016-17 Texas biennial state budget is $209.9 billion. The largest item, $77.2 billion, goes to Health and Human Services (HHS). Sixty-two billion dollars of the HHS budget — 30 percent of all Texas spending — is consumed by the Texas Medicaid program.
November 30, 2016
Property Rights
Federal Housing Agency Goes Rogue For 39 Years – No One Notices
The bigger issue is that of a systemic lack of government accountability, especially at the federal level with what amounts to virtually inexhaustible supplies of “free” money.
November 30, 2016
Higher Education
Wise Beyond Their Years: Student Newspaper Slams Princeton’s “Politicized Curriculum” Proposal
Over the course of the last few years, Americans have watched with interest and dismay as a growing number of their higher education institutions have descended into censorship and intolerance. From “safe spaces” to “trigger warnings” to “micro-aggressions,” our universities appear to be striving to become the least tolerant of our institutions.
November 29, 2016
Energy & Environment
Absurd Results When Predicting the Future
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) decision to list the Pacific Bearded Seal as an endangered species. The seal is not currently threatened, but according to the NMFS, it might be threatened in 2095, if current global warming climate-models hold true—a highly unlikely proposition, given the historical unreliability of such models
November 29, 2016
Economy
Texas Weathers the Oil Price Volatility Better than Alberta
Texas Weathers the Oil Price Volatility Better than Alberta Comparisons of standards of living among the largest states and their fiscal approaches provide insight into which approach best supports prosperity. Research comparing key economic data finds that states following the principles of limited government are a blueprint for prosperity. The Fraser Institute in Canada recently published a report that highlights this...
November 29, 2016
Economy
Short-term rental regulations trample rights of Americans
In the haste to regulate something they don’t understand, local officials are violating people’s constitutional rights.
November 28, 2016
Health Care
Hidalgo County voters ‘reject and redirect’ Prop 1 taxes
Voters in Hidalgo County now have twice rejected adding another administrative special taxing district– and were wise to do so. Adding new districts simply adds more layers of bureaucracy and increases costs, while redistributing more money from taxpayers and away from needed services, instead of focusing on the intended beneficiaries — patients, in this case.
November 28, 2016