Everyone Needs a Father
What to Know: As we approach Father’s Day weekend, we’re reminded that having an active and involved father is “essential to the development of children.”
The TPPF Take: Fathers could also be key to reducing violence and school shootings, one Texas state representative adds.
“We are a nation in crisis,” says state Rep. Jared Patterson in The Cannon Online. “It’s not a gun crisis or even a mental health crisis. It’s a crisis of fatherlessness. This Father’s Day, I’m praying for an end to the grim headlines we can’t seem to get away from. And I’m praying for a new generation of strong, virtuous men to embrace their role not only as men, but as fathers.”
For more on fatherhood, click here.
Waiting on Opportunity
What to Know: Tens of thousands of Texas children are on waiting lists for charter schools. But one State Board of Education member wants to limit charters—and choices for families.
The TPPF Take: The fact is that 69.5% of charter schools have a waitlist; according to a March 2022 Texas Education Agency report, 58,588 students are on those lists.
“Parents deserve more choices, not fewer. We know the demand is there for new charter school offerings—because 60,000 kids are on waitlists,” says TPPF’s Emily Sass. “Every child deserves a chance to succeed—and charter schools can help chart that pathway.”
For more on charter schools, click here.
This Isn’t Defense
What to Know: President Biden is misusing the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to cover for his own policy failures, such as solar energy, skyrocketing gasoline prices and shortages of baby formula.
The TPPF Take: That’s not what the Defense Production Act is meant for.
“For example, the president invoked the DPA to increase production of solar panels used relatively little by warfighters who overwhelmingly rely on energy-dense sources such as diesel and jet fuel as well as nuclear power,” notes TPPF’s John Hostettler. “He did this because he failed to garner sufficient congressional support for his so-called ‘Build Back Better’ agenda, which had billions in federal incentives to prop up the solar energy industry.”
For more on the DPA, click here.