Investment support services firm MSCI’s corporate leadership should be ashamed of continuing to shill for China. From June 28, 2022, to Feb. 8, 2024, two of China’s most well-known stock indices, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index and Hong Kong’s Hang Sang Index, have lost 20 percent and 28 percent of their value, respectively. And this...
The city of Garland’s property tax is skyrocketing, especially as compared to basic economic measures, like population and inflation. According to its latest available Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the city’s property tax levy rose from $70,801,851 in 2013 to $138,853,429 in 2022, equating to a 96.1% spike in monies to the government (see pg....
The city of Irving’s property tax is growing quickly, causing some observers to wonder why. According to its latest available Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the city’s property tax levy rose from $103,633,782 in 2013 to $187,488,649 in 2022, representing an 80.9% spike over 10 years (see pg. 186 of the ACFR). That high rate...
A city manager in Bozeman, Montana is in hot water after publicly slamming the city of Austin and the prospect of taking a job there. Perhaps most shocking of all, the now-suspended city manager claimed that the position came with a base salary of $475,000 plus “ the car allowance, the housing allowance, all the...
Property taxes imposed by the city of Laredo are growing faster than many people would consider reasonable. According to its latest available Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the amount of property tax monies sought by the city rose from $67,621,015 in 2013 to $99,359,198 in 2022, representing a 46.9% hike in the levy (see pg....
Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a limited disannexation measure, House Bill 3053, that allows people unfairly captured by large cities during a particular time period to hold an election on the question of staying or leaving municipal control. The law was passed after concerns were raised that some cities had accelerated their involuntary annexation...
Recently, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz reiterated his belief—a belief I and millions of Texans share—that school choice is the civil rights movement of our time. It didn’t take long for opponents to come for him and claim that school choice is actually a segregationist plot. For example, the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel published an editorial titled...
The following commentary is published on Thursdays as part of TPPF’s subscriber-only newsletter The Post. If you would like to subscribe to The Post, click here. For at least the third time in the last two decades, Congress attempted to pass an immigration and border security-related reform. And for the third straight time, the bill failed...
Most date the campus launch of the notorious “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) ideology to 2010, with a hyper-escalation in 2020, although its roots go back to the late 60s when socialists created it on college campuses. Until now, the trajectory has always been up. However, in the last year, DEI has been exposed to...
Pilot basic income programs in the forms of UBI (Universal Basic Income) and guaranteed income are popping up all around the country, including Texas. It is generally assumed that these programs are used as tests to determine whether governments should implement permanent UBI programs. Advocates for UBI often use pilot programs to back their claim...
A controversial new video is making the rounds online, arousing anger from many Texas taxpayers who can’t seem to keep up with the cost of government. In the nearly 20-minute long clip, the now-suspended city manager for Bozeman, Montana discusses “a potential job opportunity in Austin” as its next city manager. But he apparently didn’t...
The Dallas City Council held a briefing recently to explore pathways to create an environment conducive to more affordable housing. There are many factors that go into the cost of housing, some of which are more easily addressed than others. But even having this briefing is a positive step toward housing affordability. Many citizens recognize...