Endless Bummer
What to know: Austin is back to its “Stage 4” orders for COVID-19, nearly a full year after “two weeks to flatten the curve.”
The TPPF take: Does it seem to you that these orders and disaster declarations will never end? You’re not wrong.
“By telling their citizens that this pandemic lifestyle has no end and their broadened power to rule their lives will continue until they see fit, local entities are attempting to force Texans to live in a constant state of fear and confusion,” says TPPF’s Shelby Sterling. “This is wrong.”
For more on local disaster declarations, click here.
Where’s the Lie?
What to know: USA Today is now labeling criticism of unreliable wind energy (and assigning it some blame in the recent weather-related power outages) as “misleading” and “missing context.”
The TPPF take: Context isn’t missing; reliability is. But the media just can’t allow itself to stray from the environmentalist narrative, despite the facts.
“The record should be set straight since the mainstream media has utterly failed in its responsibility to impartially report the facts,” says state Rep. Jared Patterson, writing a guest column for The Cannon Online. “Here’s what the media won’t tell you: wind energy collapsed and investors in Texas have not built the new reliable energy generators necessary to back up wind in an emergency. Most news sources either ignored or sought to defend wind energy’s near-total failure.”
For more on the media and the blackouts, click here.
Directly Caring for Kids
What to know: The direct primary care model of health care delivery is being adapted to a pediatrics clinic in New Mexico.
The TPPF take: Direct primary care lets doctors be doctors.
“Direct care has gained momentum in primary care, surgery, pharmaceuticals, and dentistry,” notes TPPF’s David Balat. “Direct care functions differently in each setting, but the central idea is that third-party payers are not involved, and prices are known before the patient sees the medical professional.”
For more on direct primary care, click here.