No New Taxes
What to know: Amidst a Democrat sweep of Texas elections, voters everywhere “rejected many of the tax increases and bonds” pitched by local government officials. Those results, once again, show that voters care most about affordability.
The TPPF take: Texans of every political stripe oppose ever-increasing property tax bills.
“Democrats and Republicans disagree on much, but one issue seems to transcend partisan lines—property tax fatigue,” says James Quintero. “Tuesday’s election results prove that voters are worn-out and weary with calls for higher property taxes. The next Legislature should translate this sentiment into policies that cut taxes and ensure those taxes stay cut.”
For more on local taxation, click here.
Oh No!
What to know: Texas public universities now have a “prohibition on the ‘advocacy/promotion of race or sex-based prejudice,’ and a requirement — now Texas state law — that ‘only two sexes, male and female, are recognized,’” according to The Atlantic.
The TPPF take: Academic freedom has never been a license to proselytize.
“This is not the destruction of the university; it is the recovery of what the university once was,” says Tom Linsday. “That recovery centers on academic integrity and the governing board’s responsibility to ensure that our public universities deliver a rigorous education rather than ideological instruction.”
For more on universities, click here.
10-4, Good Buddy
What to know: According to the Wall Street Journal, “The most polite trucker in America Is a driverless 18-wheeler.” And more of them are heading to Texas.
The TPPF take: Driverless vehicles are another step away from human agency.
“You don’t have to be a luddite donning a tin foil cap to see how this can be used as a bludgeon to strip us of the ability to drive our cars when and where we want to,” says David Dunmoyer. “We’ve seen this playbook and how much personal autonomy Americans relinquished for ‘safety’ in the name of stopping the spread of Covid-19. Even the progenitor of self-driving vehicles himself, Elon Musk, agrees that this is a very legitimate concern.”