We’ve Seen This Show Before
What to know: As current special session of the Texas Legislature ends, Gov. Greg Abbott has already announced another—set to begin at noon on Saturday.
The TPPF take: Texas Democrats who fled to Washington D.C. (and apparently to European vacations) to break quorum need to come home and do their jobs.
“Republicans want to extend voter ID protections for mail-in ballots—an increasingly popular way to cast a ballot,” explains TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “Georgia and Florida recently passed similar provisions asking by-mail voters to write their driver’s license number or other number from a government-issued ID inside a privacy flap on the return envelope. Democrats claim such provisions are racist. Furthermore, some now fear electoral ‘catastrophe’ if the provisions stand.”
For more on the special sessions, click here.
Return of the Mask
What to know: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, in defiance of an order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, has issued a mask mandate for all city employees, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated.
The TPPF take: Texans should be free to make decisions for themselves.
“Ending the mask mandates sent a strong signal that Texas is ready to return to life before the pandemic,” says TPPF’s Kevin Roberts. “Our communities have made tremendous sacrifices that will take many months, if not years, to recover. Texas and Texans are incredibly resilient and, as such, the state should lead in restoring the freedoms that make it the most prosperous in the country.”
For more on mask mandates, click here.
It’s Real
What to know: Inflation is real—prices on commodities rose 5.4% over the past year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says.
The TPPF take: There is no “upside” to inflation.
“Inflation is fundamentally a tax,” says TPPF’s E.J. Antoni. “It is a transfer of wealth from anyone on a fixed income, or any creditor, or anyone with a dollar in their pocket or a savings account, to the government.”
For more on inflation, click here.