Economy
A solution to our public pension problem
Moody’s pegged state and local governments’ unfunded liabilities at roughly the same amount, bringing the total U.S. pension shortfall to 40% of GDP.
May 2, 2016
Taxes & Spending
Federal regulations cost $4 trillion
To have the best economic environment for opportunities to prosper and higher standards of living, regulation at the federal and state levels should be dramatically scaled back. The cost of every regulation must be considered, and those that have a higher cost than benefit should be scrutinized and ultimately not imposed. This is how we can begin to reclaim the American Dream for far too many who feel as though it is out of reach.
May 2, 2016
Higher Education
Higher ed group to taxpayers: You’re selfish and should give us still more of your paychecks
No surprise, another study finds that 27.3 percent of student borrowers are now in default on their loans.
April 30, 2016
K-12 Education
Resolving Texas’ school finance problems
It’s time for parents to know the actual tuition of public schools and have the choice to meet their child’s needs through education saving accounts.
April 29, 2016
Higher Education
Game changer? First-ever online social gaming platform for education
Information technology has made the world new, and the new world has brought with it a new education-delivery system: online learning.
April 29, 2016
Taxes & Spending
SAISD pay hike a bad idea
The district’s decision to arbitrarily raise its minimum hourly wage from $10 to $12 — a 20 percent pay raise not based on merit — comes at a difficult time for SAISD, which is not only struggling with soaring debt but is also seeing its student population slowly disappear.
April 27, 2016
Economy
Think Tankers Take the “Bubble Quiz”
America's ongoing turmoil is partly fueled by the growing distrust between the cloistered elites and the rest of the nation.
April 26, 2016
Property Rights
Testimony: Eminent Domain Authority
Since its inception, the Texas Public Policy Foundation has emphasized the importance of private property rights, not only as rampart of limited government, but also as the indispensable base of a free market economy as well as the financial success this state has witnessed, thanks to the Texas Model. To that end, the Foundation has conducted repeated inquiries as to quality of Texas’ eminent domain laws, placing special significance on how the government can better thread the needle, which defines the precarious balance between public necessity and individual liberty.
April 25, 2016
Taxes & Spending
How to reduce your property tax liability
Last November, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment passed by the Texas Legislature that increased the homestead exemption for property taxes supporting school districts by $10,000 to $25,000. This helps to provide welcome tax relief in a state that has the 14th most burdensome property tax system in the nation.
April 25, 2016
Energy & Environment
Signing the Paris Agreement is the worst way to celebrate Earth Day
What will be labeled a global triumph will in reality likely be, if actually implemented, a tragedy for rich and poor countries alike and especially for the poor wherever they reside. The Paris agreement represents the first energy regression in mankind’s history.
April 22, 2016
Energy & Environment
Green pork cronyism invades science
Energy production in America should be based on the free market, not artificially propped up in ways that mask the real cost to the consumer and the taxpayer.
April 20, 2016
Economy
The city code corps and public trust in government
Texas was tied for 13th place with Alaska, with 64 percent of Texans trusting in their state government.
April 18, 2016