No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

What to know: On Saturday, Texas voters will say Yea or Nay to 246 bond propositions that are projected to add $26.7 billion in new debt. Voters should be aware that taking on new debt will likely mean accepting higher taxes.

The TPPF take: There is no such thing as a free lunch. By approving new debt, voters are committing to paying higher taxes.

“Voters have some big decisions to make this weekend. But before they decide whether to approve or reject these bond propositions, voters should understand that their choice matters to their wallet,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “New debt must be paid for with new taxes.”

For more on local debt, click here.


Not in Texas

What to know: Even as other states approve “safe injection sites” to allow people (largely the homeless population) to use drugs in a supervised setting, Texas is making progress on banning them preemptively.

The TPPF take: Vancouver, B.C., San Francisco and New York City have demonstrated the failure of the supervised drug consumption site (SDCS) experiment.

“With less than 1.35% of site consumers requesting any form of treatment services over 20-plus years of operation, these sites are clearly not serving those struggling with the disease of addiction,” says TPPF’s Michele Steeb. “And they are not serving the communities surrounding the sites. In Vancouver, North America’s first SDCS, the region’s illicit drug toxicity deaths rose by 765% in the last decade. Who is served by SDCS’s? The only beneficiaries are drug dealers and cartels who have easy access to a highly motivated customer base. This is why we are so grateful to Sen. Tan Parker and state Rep. Ben Bumgarner who are championing legislation that puts Texas well on its way to becoming the first state to ban them.”

For more on injection sites, click here.


Save the Children

What to know: Protesters shut down the Capitol on Tuesday when a bill banning experimental “gender modification” procedures for children came to the House floor. They had to be removed from the building.

The TPPF take: Those protesters are the fringe—the vast majority of Texans want to protect children from these dangerous and untested “treatments.”

“States such as Texas and Florida are right to prohibit surgical and chemical modification of children,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “As the author of the Texas legislation Senate Bill 14″ state Sen. Donna Campbell put it, ‘Our children need counseling and love, not blades and drugs.’”

For more on gender issues, click here.