It is so rare that one of the flagship newspaper editorial boards in Texas tries to talk sense to government that we should give them credit when they do. Case in point: today's editorial "Pull back on rapid tax increases" in the Austin American-Statesman. There is...
Michele Samuelson
Circuit of the Americas Butters Up Austin Officials
Where the Travis County Commissioners dare not tread, the Austin City Council rushes in blindly! The city voted to spend about $5600 on airfare for the otherwise all-expenses paid trip, and they're sending Mayor Lee Leffingwell, city manager Marc Ott, Police Chief...
SCOTUS Verifies: Individual Mandate IS a Tax
The Supreme Court of the United States has issued their ruling on the federal health care law known as ObamaCare. In an absolute shocker, they tell us that the individual mandate is Constitutional, because it is a tax. But, didn't President Obama swear up and down...
City of Austin Motto: “Ready, Set, SPEND!”
Formula One hasn't even arrived officially, and it's already going to cost taxpayers even more than originally stated. The City of Austin (the same city that couldn't afford to put on the $1 million Trail of Lights) is seriously considering dropping $5.5 million for...
When the Tax-Hikers Finally Went Too Far
Imagine that your local library district, or whichever of your taxing entities funds the library, asked for 0.7% tax increase. Imagine next that a group of concerned taxpayers (the dreaded Tea Party) formed a coalition to defeat said tax increase. And further...
Consulting Group’s Solution for Community Colleges – More Government!
In the budget for this biennium, the state allocated up to $350,000 for an outside consulting group to determine what kind of administration might be necessary to handle the issue of community colleges statewide. This was one of those small budgetary items that,...
Looking on the Bright Side
It's an extremely common criticism of conservatives. We're always against everything - against expanded taxes, against increased spending, against tuition increases. There's a simple reason for this. Progressives (that "friendly" word for liberals and their...
When in Doubt, Postpone!
The Austin City Council didn't want to move the council and mayoral election to November, out of a fear that incumbents would be hurt by the larger turnout and closer attention paid by voters. Of course, they didn't say it like that, instead spinning a tale of...
One Hand Slapped Away from the Cookie Jar
Today I read a story that I almost wish I could read every day. How great would it be to find out that local governments in Texas were told emphatically to step away from the cookie jar labeled "DEBT" and learn to either go without the shiny new toys or find...
New York isn’t the Only Nanny State
Getting a lot of traction this morning is a story of the perennial enemy of personal freedom, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, seeking to ban sugared drinks above a certain number of ounces. That's right, folks - in New York City, it will soon be impossible to...