Social Media’s Grip
What to know: Social media has us in its grip, and it doesn’t want to let us go.
The TPPF take: Social media is working as designed.
“The algorithms did what they always do. They highlighted the worst sides of humanity, with the most incendiary theories strategically planted in our feeds to boil our blood,” says TPPF’s David Dunmoyer. “I quickly realized that interacting with this tragedy and story through the lens of social media made this event maximally destructive. That is precisely why I plan on fasting from all secular media for the month of October, and I think you should too.”
For more on social media, click here.
Wait a Minute
What to know: Are your electric bills continuing to rise, even as we’re told solar and wind energy are “cheaper than fossil fuels”? There’s a reason for that.
The TPPF take: Bad policies are behind rising energy costs.
“When politicians prioritize ideological energy policies over common sense, the result is higher costs, reduced reliability and greater dependence on foreign energy sources,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “The states with the lowest electricity prices — places like Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas — have embraced domestic energy production, built modern infrastructure and resisted heavy-handed government mandates.”
For more on energy prices, click here.
This is a Tax Increase
What to know: Thanks to a new state law (SB 1025), every bond proposition in Richardson ISD’s $1.4 billion package must include a prominent disclosure statement alerting voters to the fact that: THIS IS A TAX INCREASE. This disclosure is now required of all political subdivisions seeking to pass a proposition that raises taxes.
The TPPF take: Beginning this election cycle, Texas voters will have a high-profile reminder on the ballot itself that new debt comes with new taxes.
“Texas’ local governments are notorious for telling voters that approving a bond won’t increase their tax rate. What they neglect to mention is that the government’s borrowing will increase their tax bill. But thanks to a new state law, word games like that will be harder to pull off starting soon,” says TPPF’s James Quintero.
For more on local debt, click here.