Homelessness

I talked to two ex-homeless people about Newsom’s ‘investment’ in homelessness. Their answers will shock you

Newsom’s homelessness strategy leaves California in a shambles, but there may be hope   SAN FRANCISCO — As the cold fury of the January storms ripped through San Francisco’s Tenderloin district — the epicenter of the state’s drug and homelessness crisis — much of the trash and drug paraphernalia debris had washed away. But within minutes of...

February 6, 2023

K-12 Education

The Price of Freedom: Parents Must Remain Vigilant on School Library Materials

My confidence in public schools to be a safe place for kids to learn was shattered last August with this quote from a book displayed in the library at Belton Middle School: “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighborhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I...

February 2, 2023

Local Government

Putting Your Money To Work—Against You

For its part, the Texas Association of School Boards is unapologetic—either for its support of the National School Boards Association (which called on the Biden administration to treat parents speaking out as “domestic terrorism and hate crimes” in 2021), or for its advocacy of political goals that the vast majority of Texans don’t share. What...

February 1, 2023

Local Government

Let the Sun Shine on Texas Government

In the political context, the term “sunshine” originated in U. S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ book Other People’s Money and How the Bankers Use It, where he argued that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.” While initially aimed at the business sector, Brandeis’ axiom is...

February 1, 2023

Family

Looking Behind the Screaming Headlines

The Texas Tribune began its coverage of the 88th Session this year with a news report screaming that “LGBTQ Texans Ready for Legislative Session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of bills.” The Tribune warns that many LGBTQ people say they are leaving Texas because of the GOP “assault” on their rights. If LGBTQ...

January 31, 2023

Local Government

Easing Texas Housing Affordability Through State Legislation

In our constitutional system, individuals have rights and governments have certain powers to protect those rights and to promote the common good. When local regulation unduly interferes with individual property rights, it is appropriate for the sovereign state government to act. From exceptionally high lot-size regulations to impossible land setback requirements, and other overly-burdensome constraints,...

January 30, 2023

Foreign Policy

Why Even A Corrupt Ukraine Is Worth Supporting Against Russian Aggression

The question is whether letting some U.S. aid corruptly enrich a few Ukrainians is worth it to degrade the threat of nuclear war with Russia. Critics of America’s support for Ukraine often cite the latter’s corruption as a rationale not to provide assistance. Ukraine has struggled under the burden of corruption, but that does not...

January 30, 2023

Energy & Environment

The Left Wants To Take Your Truck Because It’s Big And Scary

The left’s latest attack on pickup trucks is because they’re large and scary and allegedly bad for the environment. Unlike with the right to bear arms, there is no constitutional amendment protecting our right to own vehicles — other than a generally recognized right to move about freely (Crandall v. Nevada, 1867) — and, with...

January 30, 2023

K-12 Education

The self-defeating arguments against parent empowerment

It’s like those congregants who wrongly confuse a building as being the Church. Confusing buildings, organizations, and traditions with being the essence of public education gets it wrong. In reality, public education is simply a public political commitment to provide schooling to all children without regard to each family’s ability to pay, and funding such...

January 30, 2023

Energy & Environment

ESG investments’ failures show states are right to fight the green investing agenda

In the last two years, five states have abolished politically motivated ESG investing from state-operated pensions, and almost half of states have raised antitrust concerns that BlackRock and other ESG-focused investing firms may be abusing taxpayer dollars. ESG activists are now claiming these commonsense protections for retirees could increase costs. But the real cost of buying into...

January 25, 2023

Immigration

I’m in south Texas where we know Biden’s border crisis firsthand

Media’s rush to praise Biden’s visit to the border is drastically premature At the outset of the new year, President Joe Biden deserves some acknowledgment for finally doing the bare minimum and visiting the U.S.-Mexico border. But the mainstream media’s rush to praise his visit as a sign that the president is getting serious about...

January 25, 2023

Energy & Environment

RRC’s Wayne Christian: Energy Priorities for 88th Texas Legislature

Since taking office, my overarching goal has been to utilize the natural resources we have been blessed with to ensure energy is cheap, plentiful, and reliable for Texans. Under President Biden’s tenure, the cost of energy for American families has soared (the energy inflation index has risen 7.3 percent over the past 12 months alone)...

January 25, 2023