The Monroe Doctrine Returns What to know: President Donald Trump is reviving the Monroe Doctrine. The TPPF take: Trump is right to protect vital U.S. national interests. “The Monroe Doctrine, America’s fundamental national security imperative, seeks to exclude outside powers from the Western Hemisphere,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “It is key to protecting the U.S. and our neighbors...
Special Earth Day Edition! What to know: It’s the 55th annual Earth Day, a holiday started in 1970, when many scientists were predicting a fast-approaching ice age. The theme this year is “Our Power, Our Planet.” The TPPF take: The flawed thinking of the environmentalists have led to some perverse outcomes. “One of the most baffling examples...
Going Rogue What to know: Fresh concerns are mounting over cities and counties ignoring state law. One recent report highlights that TPPF filed Public Information Act requests “with the state’s 20 largest cities and counties [revealing] that none of them had taken any action to comply with HB 2127,” also known as the Death Star law....
Superintendents’ Super Salaries What to know: The Texas Education Agency has updated its superintendent salary database, revealing that the highest-paid superintendent pulled in $565,047 per year, excluding benefits. The calculated full FTE pay for 15 superintendents now exceeds the president of the United States’ salary ($400,000) while 579 superintendents bring home more than the Texas governor...
Time for School Choice What to know: The Texas Legislature continues to debate empowering parents with school choice. The TPPF take: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared on TPPF’s The Arena with CEO Greg Sindelar on Wednesday to talk about school choice. “What this legislation does is to ensure that every parent, regardless of wealth, regardless of income, regardless of zip code,...
How Smartphones Hurt Our Children What to know: Smartphones “broke children’s brains,” studies show, and have resulted in a mental health crisis among adolescents. The TPPF take: Texas can limit the harm done to children by Big Tech. “The sad reality of the digital age is that moms and dads have been left on their own to...
Physician Shortage What to know: Texas has an opportunity to address the state’s doctor shortage by opening up alternatives to residency requirements. The TPPF take: Texas is projected to be short more than 10,300 doctors by the year 2032. “Rather than wait on Congress to provide more general medical education (GME) appropriations, at least eight...
Bias What to know: NPR’s CEO once called President Donald Trump a “deranged racist sociopath.” But she still claims that NPR is not biased. The TPPF take: Elitist public media sources do not reflect the American people—which wouldn’t be a problem if they were a private company, but public broadcasting is taxpayer funded. “The fight isn’t...
Just Visiting What to know: Tourism brought in $1.3 billion to the city of New Braunfels, Texas in 2023 (the latest published numbers). So why are city officials banning short-term rentals, such as AirBnBs? The TPPF take: TPPF attorneys have filed a lawsuit challenging New Braunfels’ ban on short-term rentals. “For over five years, our clients have...
Taxpayers Shouldn’t Fund This What to know: Texas lawmakers are taking aim at taxpayer-funded lobbying, where cities and counties and other taxing entities lobby the Legislature for more power and dollars. The TPPF take: We don’t need local government lobbying state government for more government. “Taxpayer-funded lobbying is a practice that promotes the government’s interests at the...
Guard the Gains What to know: Following the erosion of last session’s tax relief, many state lawmakers today are “proposing a host of ideas to make it tougher for local governments to borrow money” and raise taxes. The goal is to protect state-directed tax relief from greedy local governments. The TPPF take: Tax relief should benefit taxpayers,...
Keep Your Doctor What to know: More and more states are limiting the “non-compete agreements” that doctors are often forced to sign. Limiting such agreements can help keep doctors local. The TPPF take: Texas should protect doctors—and their patients—from non-compete agreements. “When a doctor leaves his employer, NCAs can create a significant disruption in patient care,” says...