Strengthening the Grid
What to know: Is the Texas electric grid ready for winter? ERCOT says probably.
The TPPF take: Texas has strengthened its grid, but it’s still vulnerable to winter storms.
“Following the 2021 winter storm Uri, Texas lawmakers passed comprehensive legislation requiring power plants and natural gas infrastructure to meet winter weatherization standards,” says TPPF’s Cullen Neely. “But operational improvements, while important, only address part of the problem. The deeper question is capacity: Does Texas have enough reliable power generation to weather the next major winter storm? Here’s where the picture becomes more complicated.”
For more on the electric grid, click here.
That’s a Start
What to know: In her first months in office, Education Secretary Linda McMahon has “decimated” the department, The Hill says, though it has not yet been fully eliminated.
The TPPF take: The Department of Education was a bad idea to begin with.
“The problem is not merely bureaucratic centralization—although that is part of it,” says TPPF’s Kate Bierly. “The deeper problem is the content now taught: a deliberate repudiation of the Founders’ understanding of equality and natural rights, in favor of historicist, relativist, and increasingly Marxist interpretations of America. A nationalized system that enforces Douglas-style majoritarianism without Lincolnian moral substance cannot sustain the republic.”
For more on the Department of Education, click here.
Spending is the Problem
What to know: Despite the Texas Legislature’s past efforts, “local property taxes are being hiked by your local governments incessantly.” Local governments are using this windfall to fuel spending sprees and extravagant projects.
The TPPF take: Local government spending is the problem. Local government spending restraints are the solution.
“There are many ways to rein in skyrocketing tax bills, but perhaps the most effective solution is to require local governments to live within their means, as determined by a strict spending limit. By tightly governing the growth of local government spending, other relief and reform concepts will actually be able to take root,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Government over-spending is the heart of Texas’ property tax problem.”
For more on local spending, click here.