Bells City Blues
What to Know: Bells City is a small town in northeast Texas that seems to have a big, big appetite for tax dollars. A recent report notes that the Bells City council has just “voted to raise the property tax rate by 42%.”
The TPPF Take: What’s happening to Bells City taxpayers is alarming. But they aren’t the only ones dealing with greedy governments.
“Local governments in Bells City and beyond are taking advantage of the present moment to raise taxes aggressively,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “They know that, with the Legislature having just passed a historic tax relief package, Texans aren’t likely to object much on big tax hikes. This anti-taxpayer mentality should concern us all.”
For more on local taxes, click here.
Parents’ Rights
What to know: Writing in the Dallas Morning News, Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton notes, “Our rights as parents come from God, not government… Parents matter, and they are demanding their voices be heard.”
The TPPF take: Parent empowerment recognizes that truth.
“We believe that every single parent or guardian where you live in the great state of Texas should be empowered to know that they can make a choice,” says TPPF’s Mandy Drogin. “It shouldn’t just be parents that get lucky and get into a great charter school if that’s their choice. They should have the right to be able to select the school that will best serve their child.”
For more on parent empowerment and parents’ rights, click here.
Culture of Death
What to know: There’s a culture of death stalking our nation; Vermont officials, for example, are offering their “medically assisted suicide” service to out-of-staters. It hopes to become a tourist destination for suicide.
The TPPF take: In Texas, we have created and cultivated a culture of life.
“America is on two very different paths right now,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “One pathway leads to death at the altar of progressive bona fides; the other Texas-led path leads to a culture that celebrates every human being as someone made in the image of God.”