State

In Their Own Words: Texas GOP House Reps on $27B Surplus
With an unexpected $27 billion in surplus funds, Texas Scorecard asked all Republican members of the Texas House how they plan to allocate this taxpayer money.

O’Rourke’s Campaign Staff Form a Union
The union is the first of its kind for any statewide campaign in Texas.

El Paso Processes 1,000 Illegal Aliens Daily
“Notably, over a few days, only single adult men and women were sighted going on and off the notorious unmarked white and blue buses.”

Rep. Brian Harrison: School Choice Is ‘The Liberty Issue’
“If we don’t take action right now to stop the liberal indoctrination … within a generation, the left is going to own all the levers of power and government.”
State Archive
Keeping The Budget Responsible
State Rep. John Otto of Dayton has it right: "Everything we do in Texas with regard to public policy starts and stops with the budget." Too few people in or out of the Legislature understand that, which is why its good to know Otto has been tapped to find ways to...
Superintendent Candid About Not Wanting to Face Voters
Larry Appel, Dumas ISD superintendent, denounced voter approval for tax hikes, saying "It is much harder to convince them to vote for a tax increase" since most voters don't "typically have kids in school." But it's their money. To take the analogy further, most...
Dodging Questions
Starting in early December, our Empower Texans PAC began sending a 4-page questionnaire to candidates and incumbents, regardless of party. These were questions culled from the responses a great many of our friends and readers proposed in the fall. More than half of...
D Is For Dinosaur, Or Dangerous
I don't know who to root for in this race, but the Democratic Primary out in El Paso is looking to be fun. State Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, is calling State Rep. Paul Moreno, D-El Paso, a 'dinosaur.' If so, then Moreno could probably be categorized as...
Giving Us More Gas (Taxes)
Ever heard of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission? Well, they want your money. This quasi-governmental body is suggesting that gasoline taxes be TRIPLED over the next five years. Big Government, not Big Oil, is already the biggest...
Jumping Off Bridges
Yep, Mom was right: Just because the other kids are jumping off a bridge doesn't make it right. Writ large, that commonsense is found in the national economy. If Texas were to follow the big-spending, high-taxing path of all the cool liberal kids, like California and...
Lawsuit Could Be Key To Limiting Gov’t Growth, New Tax
Higher Fraud
Despite cries of poverty from university administrators seeking constant tuitions hikes -- and more taxpayer subsidies -- a new review finds major institutions are not only awash in cash, but that they are hoarding the cash contributed by alumni. For what? Who knows....
Those Calves Won’t Rope Themselves
One of the most significant taxpayer lawsuits in Texas' history is about to go to jury-trial in Austin, but Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has thus far refused to be deposed -- despite being a defendant in the case. While the office of Lt. Governor is a taxing one, it seems...