Record Texas Budget Surplus What to know: On Tuesday, Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced that the state of Texas was expecting $188 billion in revenue and a $32.7 billion budget surplus for 2024-25, both of which are a state record. The TPPF take: The Legislature needs to provide Texans with substantial property tax relief, rather than grow the state budget....
They Don’t Trust Parents What to know: The Bryan ISD school board laid out the district’s legislative priorities, and said it would oppose any measure that would “would divert public tax dollars to private entities or homeschooled students, parents with little or no academic or financial accountability…” The TPPF take: Parents can be trusted, and public school officials are...
Can’t We Just Start with the ABCs? What to know: The CDC is urging public school teachers and administrators to adopt LGBTQ+ curricula to support students who believe they are transgender. The TPPF take: “Supporting” confused and traumatized children as an “ally” is a disservice to them. “I have yet to see a single (gender dysphoria) patient who doesn’t...
Learning Loss What to know: The pandemic school closures will cost American students trillions of dollars in lost earnings, a new study by Stanford University shows. The TPPF take: The harm done by school closures won’t be fully known for years. “Without foundational knowledge, struggling students pass from 8th grade to high school woefully unprepared,” says TPPF’s Michael Barba....
Yellowstone (and King Ranch) What to know: The Paramount series “Yellowstone” continued to break records with its mid-season finale last weekend. Fans were left with several cliffhangers. The TPPF take: Like the Yellowstone Ranch, the King Ranch in Texas (a model for the show) is also besieged—but here, the threat is from the unsecured border. “From its founding in...
It Wasn’t the Population that Bombed What to know: CBS’s “60 Minutes” led off the New Year by recycling old, debunked claims of a “population bomb” that will lead to wars and famines. The TPPF take: Paul Ehrlich and the doomsayers are still wrong. There has never been a better time to be a human being. “Young people can...
Billions and Billions What to know: A newly released report says that to end unsheltered homelessness in San Francisco alone will cost upwards of $1.4 billion, in addition to the $1.1 billion already spent there. And even that won’t be enough as an additional $410 million will need to be spent annually. The TPPF take: The San Francisco...
Clever Isn’t Always Smart What to know: Four days before Christmas, the city of Austin’s Transportation Department tweeted the reworded song, “I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus,” with lyrics explaining that because she was texting, “She didn’t see him cross the street, now his body’s a red streak.” The TPPF take: Maybe it’s a bad idea to...
Harris County’s Election Failures Revealed What to know: The Texas Secretary of State’s office conducted a full forensic audit of the 2020 General Election in Collin, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant counties and found “very serious issues” in Harris County’s election systems. These irregularities raise serious concerns about the need for additional election integrity measures. The TPPF take: Texans must...
A Positive Effect What to know: Other states, including West Virginia, are taking advantage of a tool TPPF designed that helps prospective college students know if the degree they’re considering is worth the price tag. The TPPF take: We shouldn’t ask whether college is worth it; we should instead ask which college programs are worth the money. “Some programs...
Recipe for Disaster What to know: The Biden administration now has its sights on natural gas, planning to “phase out” the fuel source that provides clean, affordable energy to the U.S. The TPPF take: Biden’s policies will lead to widespread energy poverty. “Under Biden’s attempts to ‘phase out’ natural gas, petroleum, and coal, the prices we pay...
Coverage Isn’t Care What to know: States that have expanded Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act are shifting resources away from low-income children and to able-bodied adults. The TPPF take: Medicaid expansion increases demand (by adding patients) while not increasing the supply of health care providers who accept Medicaid. “Government-run health care systems make a promise to patients: affordable,...