Foreign Policy

Mexican Military Hack Deepens Suspicions of Cartel Collusion in Politics

Since President Joe Biden took office, he has prioritized strengthening relations with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Biden has called the Mexican leader a “friend and partner,” proclaimed his “great respect” for him and often touted their “strong and productive relationship.” AMLO, as the Mexican president is commonly called, successfully campaigned on promises to pacify the...

October 14, 2022

Immigration

Border Security is National Security

Growing up in a small border town, we weren’t accustomed to large volumes of crime, such as road chases, home break-ins, damaged property, large amounts of drugs, and human smuggling rings in our own backyard. The morning chatter from my neighbors used to be ranchers looking for lost livestock or congratulating the local basketball team...

October 14, 2022

Immigration

Biden’s Latest Border PR Stunt

The Biden Administration has announced “joint actions with Mexico” to address the border crisis that has resulted in more than 2 million border encounters and hundreds of thousands of “gotaways” in the last year. The focus of its announcement was to declare that it would begin turning away Venezuelans who enter the U.S. illegally between...

October 14, 2022

Taxes & Spending

What’s the Damage from Your Property Tax Bill?

It’s early October, which means that property tax rate-setting season is officially over. With the rate-setting process concluded, homeowners and businesses can finally get a sense of whether their property taxes are going up, headed down, or staying the same. In the past, Texans would have to navigate a complex web of public notices, agendas,...

October 13, 2022

Foreign Policy

#SedenaLeaks spills the secrets of Mexico’s most hermetic institution

Mexico’s interior minister appointed men allegedly part of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to top security positions in Tabasco state, where he was governor from 2018 to 2021. A soldier sold weapons from an army base, arming drug cartels at the same the Mexican government was filing suit against U.S. gunmakers for allegedly fueling mayhem south of the...

October 13, 2022

Energy & Environment

Biden’s war on American energy will take its toll on Democrats in November

President Joe Biden’s war on American energy started the day he took office on Jan. 20, 2021 and hasn’t let up since. Voters pay the price. In the last 12 months, Biden’s policies have pushed prices higher by 8.3 percent; gasoline is up almost 26 percent, and food up 11.4 percent. America went from energy dominance under...

October 11, 2022

K-12 Education

Rural Routes and Dirt Roads: Every Child Deserves a Quality Education

WAUCHULA, Fla.—It wasn’t even about the kids—at least, not at first. Julie Taylor began planning the Alane Academy in tiny Wauchula, Florida because she felt unfulfilled as a teacher. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and I was—I was a public school teacher for seven years,” the head of the 75-student rural...

October 11, 2022

Local Government

Austin Taxpayer Money Is Being Used to Hire Lobbyists who Support More Government

The city of Austin is becoming an increasingly expensive place to live, not least because of the overgrown local governments which seem determined to drain taxpayers’ money. It might be different if this money at least be spent on things within the proper sphere of government, which would will serve Austin citizens and protect their...

October 11, 2022

Other

Our Constitution’s Structure Protects Our Liberty. The Federal Government Can’t Disregard It.

The legal doctrine of standing is enjoying its moment in the sun in the wake of the Biden Administration’s student loan cancellation plan. The doctrine requires someone to suffer “concrete and particularized” harm—and not just a “generalized grievance”—before filing suit. It will be the Administration’s chief weapon in blocking legal challenges to the loan forgiveness...

October 10, 2022

Taxes & Spending

Fastest-Growing County in Texas Adopts No-New-Revenue Tax Rate

It can, it turns out, be done. Local governments can, in fact, be responsible with taxpayer funds without prompting from voters or the state government. That’s exactly what Hays County officials did with their new $354 million budget. Hays County adopted the no-new-revenue (NNR) tax rate, which drops the tax rate in proportion with property...

October 10, 2022

Local Government

When it Comes to Public Business, Texans have a Right to Know

“That’s classified.” That’s a phrase we see often in movies, and a phrase we expect to hear from our government regarding military missions, special operations, and other national security issues. It’s not a phrase we expect to hear from our local and state governments regarding hiring decisions, spending, or other public business. And yet, that’s...

October 10, 2022

Taxes & Spending

The M&O Has Got to Go

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signaled that major property tax changes may be on the horizon. During last week’s televised debate, the governor outlined where he’d like to see Texas tax policy go, saying: “My goal is to eliminate the school property taxes imposed in the state of Texas so that people can genuinely own their...

October 5, 2022