Stop Subsidizing Unreliable Energy
What to Know: So called “green” energy is more variable than energy from fossil fuels, and generators, not ratepayers, should pay for the cost of reducing that variability.
The TPPF Take: So called “green” energy is unreliable and its generators should pay that cost.
“The outlook for Texas for the rest of this decade shows the amount of ‘dispatchable’ energy, power that’s readily available when we need it, declining precipitously, and the only new generation being built is wind and solar, which is not being held to any reliability standard,” says TPPF’s Brent Bennett. “The threat of outages will continue to increase until the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) requires wind and solar generators to pay for the reliability costs they impose on the grid.”
For more on unreliable energy, click here.
Pension Pain
What to Know: The next financial hammer to fall is public pensions.
The TPPF Take: Retired teachers would be better off without a pension system.
“Even under a conservative defined contribution scenario, teachers would have accounts with more than $1 million by the time they retire,” says TPPF’s Ron Simmons. “What a huge benefit to the retired teacher and her family. But it’s also a value to the taxpayers and budget writers, who know what their commitment is annually with absolute certainty.”
For more on teacher pensions, click here.
Breaking the Border
What to Know: After seeing the Biden border crisis up close last week, Texas U. S. Senator Ted Cruz called it inhumane and horrific.
The TPPF Take: The origins of this disaster can be traced to 2010 and the Obama/Biden Administration.
“Up until that time, the standard procedure was to hold asylum seekers who showed up at the U.S. border in detention until their cases were resolved,” warns TPPF’s Selene Rodriguez. “However, once the Obama administration began releasing asylum seekers on their own recognizance to await the adjudication of their cases, making an asylum claim quickly became the preferred tactic of tens and then hundreds of thousands of migrants attempting to enter the United States.”
For more on the crisis at the border, click here.