Criminal Cartels
What to Know: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared Mexican criminal cartels foreign terrorist organizations.
The TPPF Take: Mexican drug cartels have flooded Texas and the nation with untold amounts of lethal drugs, particularly fentanyl, that have cost the lives of countless Americans.
“The scourge is so widespread and intentional it can only be properly viewed as an attack on communities across the nation,” says TPPF’s Greg Sindelar. “TPPF applauds the order by Gov. Abbott to declare cartels terrorist organizations and direct the Department of Public Safety to aggressively investigate, disrupt, impede, and dismantle cartel activity in Texas. This action to seize cartel assets and upset operations will undoubtedly save lives and make Texas safer.”
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Where’s the Money?
What to Know: The city of Oakland, California can’t account for $70 million it spent on the homeless.
The TPPF Take: Welcome to the world of homelessness, where expectations and accountability no longer exists, not just for policymakers but for the non-profits and the homeless they are contracted to serve.
“At the individual level, the lack of accountability is even more glaring,” says TPPF’s Michele Steeb. “People and systems will flourish only where accountability exists. Until we demand that accountability be instilled at every level of our homelessness system, the homeless, and the systems we have in place to help them, will continue to struggle.”
For more on homelessness, click here.
Wrong on Rights?
What to Know: The Austin American-Statesman’s fact-checkers say Gov. Greg Abbott is wrong to believe that restricting sales of rifle to people ages 21 and up would be unconstitutional.
The TPPF Take: Young adults have the same rights as other adults, including the right to self-defense.
“A young-adult rifle ban from the Legislature, whether enacted in a special session or in the regular session beginning in January, would not make Texas schools any safer,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “It would not even go into effect before being enjoined as unconstitutional. The heart-wrenching tragedy in Uvalde has generated universal agreement that something must be done to avert a repeat of what happened there. But there can be no unconstitutional lawless shortcuts.”
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