D.C. Crime
What to know: The left is now admitting that yes, Washington, D.C. is a crime-ridden, dangerous place.
The TPPF take: Forcing Democrats to acknowledge their failure in D.C. is one of President Donald Trump’s wins of the week.
“The media spent several days trying to discredit Trump’s crime numbers, then Border Czar Tom Homan suggested that reporters who say crime isn’t a problem should hang out in D.C. at night,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “Trump invited reporters to go on a ride-along with police. By the end of the week, even the progressive diehards at MSNBC admitted that no one who lives in D.C. believes the city is safe.”
For more on D.C., click here.
Wages are Rising
What to know: Real wages are going up for U.S. workers, even as inflation stays low and steady.
The TPPF take: American workers are reaping the benefits of Trump’s immigration reforms.
“In January of this year, annual job growth among foreign-born workers was almost 1.2 million higher than job growth among native-born Americans,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “Fast-forward to June and the situation completely reversed, with native-born Americans seeing annual employment gains of almost 1.4 million more jobs than foreign-born workers.”
For more on immigration and wages, click here.
What Tax Relief?
What to know: Many local governments throughout Texas are pushing costly tax increase elections this November. For example, the city of Austin wants voters to approve a 20% property tax hike that will cost the average homeowner nearly $500 more per year.
The TPPF take: Cities, counties, and school districts have many strategies to siphon away state-directed tax relief, including pestering voters to approve major rate hikes.
“Oftentimes, tax cuts meant for everyday Texans never materialize because local governments steal them through rate hikes, bond elections, and voter-approval tax rate elections. Local officials seem insatiable,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “It’s long past time for the Texas Legislature to require local governments to follow reasonable fiscal rules, like a balanced budget requirement and a spending limit.”
For more on local spending, click here.