Texas has become the nation’s second most populated state and added nearly as many new residents over the past decade as California, which is much larger. This high growth rate is likely to continue in the decades to come. However, increased general taxation or gasoline taxation is not likely to be the answer for tansportation. It makes greater sense to require more direct user funding of transportation improvements. This would be accomplished by greater reliance on toll roads and HOT lanes. In the long run, electronic road pricing and competitive franchising of roadways may offer significant improvements.
Border Security
Broadening Our Threat Perception: Iran’s Texas-Pakistani Network
Too many policymakers think of the Iranian regime as solely a Middle Eastern matter. But with attentions focused elsewhere, a powerful network of South Asian Shia Islamists operates with near impunity much closer—across the state of Texas. On March 13, a Pakistani Shia mosque in Houston, named the Ali Center, hosted a commemoration for the...
June 2, 2026