The Latest
Texas Democrat Precinct Chairs Are Outpacing Republicans
The more general election ballots cast in a voting precinct for that party’s gubernatorial nominee means more delegates, alternates, and weighted votes for that precinct.
Tax Exemption Could Be a Winning School Choice Plan for Texas
Former SBOE member Cynthia Dunbar’s proposed Education Emancipation Act funds parental choice without government strings.
Federal Court Allows Texas’ Media Censorship Case to Continue
Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle’s order gives credence to Texas’ claim that the federal government sought to suppress right-leaning media companies.
Central Texas, Decision Texas, Local
Runoff Preview: Bius and Wharton Compete for House District 12
Ben Bius and Trey Wharton are competing to represent the district around College Station.
The Archive
The Broken Promises of Campaign Finance Reform
Texas is currently considering sweeping changes to its system of campaign finance and government ethics laws. The drive behind these changes, we are told, is to eliminate corruption and bring transparency to the public. But some pause should be taken to examine...
Houston Police Department Incentives
Out of Houston’s 5,300-person police force, 57% live outside of Houston proper. Although common in many urban areas, this can partly be attributed to Houston’s high cost of living and relatively low starting salaries of department cadets. As a result, a new program to...
Rail Expansion Is Killing DART
Addison officials are frustrated that, despite residents paying over $238 million into Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) since 1983, they have yet to receive a train station. But failing to provide rail service to all fifteen of its member-cities may be the least of...
Sunset on the Tall City’s TIRZ
Midland City Council voted last August to cast a one-year sunset provision on a long-winded, and relatively unproductive, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). Established in March 2001, the TIRZ was created by the City of Midland in an effort to use taxpayer...
Political Cover-up Grows in Austin
A couple of weeks ago, news broke that the conservative American Phoenix Foundation (APF) had been covertly filming legislators, lobbyists, and media in Austin during the current legislative session, compiling over 800 hours of video evidence. Time will only tell the...
Mayor Parker’s Final Budget
Last week, Mayor Annise Parker revealed what she called her “lean and mean” conservative $5.1 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2016. Although the city has increasingly faced financial issues throughout Parker’s term, her latest budget, once again, offers no...
“Ethics” Bills Ferret Out Self-Serving Politicians
Two so-called “ethics” bills relating to campaign finance regulation recently exposed which legislators are working to expand the liberty of their constituents and which are fighting to protect themselves in future elections. Last Monday evening, House Bill 22 passed...
HB 22: Austin goes Madison
All it took was one overzealous and partisan district attorney to be teamed up with one dishonorable judge in Madison for Wisconsin conservative activists to see militarized police teams bust through their doors in pre-dawn raids. If the Texas House has its way, these...
Grassroots America We the People Challenging Suspicious Speeding Camera Contract
On May 6th, JoAnn Fleming of Grassroots America We the People (GAWTP) filed a formal complaint with the Smith County district attorney’s office and the Texas attorney general's office requesting an investigation into a contract, and the process by which it was...