Texans are struggling with high property taxes, soaring prices, and stagnant income. As a result, most big-budget players favor some property tax relief. For instance, Gov. Greg Abbot declared his intention to use half of the actual surplus fund ($16.3 billion) for this initiative. Likewise, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick revealed that property tax relief is...
The legislative session is right around the corner and many things are starting to become clear—like how big the budget should be, how much money will be available for property tax relief, and what top state officials are saying about it all. With that in mind, here are five critical policy questions and answers about...
It’s truly disappointing that the New Year was rung in with headlines such as “New Orleans is ‘America’s Murder Capital’ of 2022,” after nine shooting incidents in just 24 hours at year’s end. As a native Louisianan, a former probation and parole officer, and the Louisiana State Director of Right On Crime, a criminal justice initiative of...
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, 55, will be sworn into his second and last term on Friday, Jan. 6. This marks the start of Newsom’s 26th consecutive year in elected office. Given Newsom’s ambitions and age, will he run for president in 2024? Newsom, like Vice President Kamala Harris, got his political start when former San Francisco mayor...
It’s been 10 months since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the second phase of his invasion of Ukraine, aiming to dismantle its government and replace it with one of his liking while annexing large portions of Ukrainian territory. Instructively, Putin launched the first phase of his operations against Ukraine in 2014 when Joe Biden was...
Israel B. Bitton’s new book, “A Brief and Visual History of Antisemitism,” shouldn’t be needed — but sadly, it is. A substantial work two years in the making, the visually rich effort features a foreword by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. It’s aimed at all people, but it is particularly designed for seniors in high school...
The German proverb — “it is easier to hurt than to heal” — is at the root of today’s homeless tragedy. In 2013, the U.S. instituted a seismic shift in how it approached homelessness. Rather than fund the combination of housing and clinical services to support the homeless in healing from the disease and trauma...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is doing a better job at protecting children from exposure to harmful content than Texas Public Schools. For the past year, parents across Texas have been sounding the alarm about the sexually explicit and inappropriate materials they are finding in schools. But let’s be clear—while there is no better an...
Educators desperate to keep students’ attention will use anything to appeal to their young audience — but that doesn’t make TikTok an appropriate educational tool. As of last October, more than 94 million Americans used the short-form video platform at least once a month. That number is projected to increase to 101.3 million Americans by...
A pre-pandemic analysis of data from the nation’s 20 largest cities revealed that the number of homeless deaths rose by 77% from 2015 to 2020. The most common causes of death are either preventable or treatable: “drug overdoses, violence, traffic deaths and premature lethality of treatable conditions like heart disease,” according to the analysts. This was...
Washington’s progressive policies have substantially reduced economic freedom, which in 2020 hit the lowest score since 1975, and resulted in a U.S. recession and 40-year high inflation. And in Texas, high property taxes from excessive local government spending have contributed to an affordability crisis for many families. Unfortunately, things will get worse nationally, likely dampening...
My severe peanut allergy could have cost me my life if I did not have my EpiPen pack by my side. As a young elementary schooler, I was swimming at a friend’s house and grabbed a handful of snacks that her mom had kindly put out for us. Little did I know that the snacks...