TPPF: Homeless, not Hopeless

"Let all things be done decently and in order."
1 Corinthians 14:40

Really good presentation from TPPF a couple days ago:



Highlights:

• "Housing first" is a farce.

• 75%(ish) of the homeless population has serious substance and/or mental health issues.

• Austin's policies making problem worse.

• Dozens of people sleeping outside within a few blocks of TPPF.
• Personal Note: Can confirm.

• Businesses have basically abandoned downtown Seattle.

• There have been multiple murders committed at UT-Austin by homeless individuals.
• Note: See here and here.

• When Chip Roy discussed the topic with Adler, all Adler wanted was more money from the feds.

• "You need to balance compassion with enforcement."

• If local governments won't maintain public order, anything else you try is a waste of time.

• Homelessness is down over 50% in Houston in the past decade.
• Note: This is worth further study, cuz' Houston ain't exactly conservative.

• Travis county is abdicating it's responsibility and letting the city take heat.

• Take a serious look at bringing back insane asylums.
• (VERY IMPORTANT) NOTE: The speaker said that.  NOT this author.  While we admit this is an interesting idea in the context of homelessnees, to put it mildly we don't trust the state of Texas on the subject of "mental health."

TPPF's election integrity proposal a good start

"Do not remove the ancient landmark
Which your fathers have set."
Proverbs 22:28

Inbox:

TPPF Outlines SAFE Elections Agenda to Improve Election Integrity in Texas 

AUSTIN— Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Election Integrity Project released the “Secure, Accountable and Free Elections” agenda outlining reforms to ensure Texas is a model for accurate and reliable elections throughout the country. The SAFE Elections agenda targets six specific areas to safeguard the rights of Texans, improve the integrity of the elections process, and promote better participation and understanding of our election system. 

“Voters should understand their rights and the rules of voting, they should be free to choose, and the voting system should preserve the integrity of each ballot,” said TPPF’s Director of the Election Integrity Project Francisco “Quico” Canseco. “The SAFE Elections agenda ensures that every citizen’s basic democratic right to vote is protected from intentional fraud and inefficient bureaucracy. As a fundamental feature of keeping our public officials accountable and our society free, our voting rights must be defended vigilantly.” 

The Secure, Accountable and Free Elections agenda proposes reform in the following areas: 

• Require all voters for all offices to be United States citizens and require proof of citizenship at voter registration. 

• Remove all non-voters from voter-registration lists after a set number of missed cycles, following a given notification period. 

• Require the Texas Secretary of State to perform a full audit of all county voter-registration lists every five years. 

• Improve Texas’ vote-by-mail system by conducting all operations within the Office of the Secretary of State, including all counting and storage, and strengthen qualifications, such as implementing a defined disability-verification process. 

• Strengthen coordination between the Texas Secretary of State’s elections division and Texas counties through measures such as standardized voter-registration information and communication. 

• Increase criminal penalties for persons committing voter-assistance fraud, and prohibit certain persons from soliciting voters to provide voter assistance.

The part about mandatory audits of voter rolls to remove the ineligible is huge.  Likewise, the enhanced criminal penalties.  That being said, last year's debacle in the Midland ISD bond election illustrates why we need paper backups.

Bottom Line:  All of this should have happened a year ago.  But hope springs eternal.  Better late than never.

TPPF, once again, BAILING OUT Texas GOP

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?!?"
Matthew 20:15

Inbox this morning:

TPPF Wins Injunction Stopping Dallas Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Ordinance

Federal Judge Holds Dallas Ordinance Violates Federal Constitution and Is Preempted By Texas Law

AUSTIN – A federal judge in Plano issued an injunction yesterday stopping the city of Dallas from enforcing its mandatory paid sick leave mandate that was set to go into effect on April 1.

“Once again, Texas courts are unanimous that it is unconstitutional for cities to mandate paid sick leave,” said Robert Henneke, lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the case and general counsel for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “These unlawful city policies improperly interfere with the rights of employees to negotiate their own terms of employment. Now is not the time for government to force burdensome regulations upon small business struggling to keep their workers employed and doors open.”

The court found that the plaintiffs had shown a likelihood that the Dallas ordinance violated their Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and was also preempted by Texas state law.

The court ordered, “The City of Dallas’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, Dallas, Texas, Ordinance No. 31181; Municipal Code § 20-1–20-12, is ENJOINED and unenforceable. No officer, agent, servant, employee, attorney, or other person in active concert with the City of Dallas may enforce the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance against any business or entity pending the resolution of this case.”

State courts have previously issued injunctions stopping similar mandatory paid sick leave ordinances in both Austin and San Antonio.

Read the Dallas injunction order in full here:

https://files.texaspolicy.com/uploads/2020/03/31093315/Dallas-grant-of-PI.pdf

We addressed this subject at length a couple of months ago (in the context of the San Antonio ordinance).  We can't add anything.  But we do recommend reading that post.

The TL,DR version is that the lege was supposed to address this last session.  They didn't.  The GOP, from Greg Abbott down, hasn't lifted a damn finger since.

So someone had to pick up the ball.

Bottom Line: Texas is likely to dodge this bullet, no thanks to an of our elected so-called leaders.

TPPF's "Recovery Agenda" Good Place to Start

"But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

All of this please:

Recovery Agenda 1 by Cahnman on Scribd

Additional thoughts:

• The federal stuff might be complicated, but there's no good reason for the state stuff to not happen.

• There's a pretty good case to make for completely abolishing the FDA, although dramatically streamlining it might be a more realistic proposal.

• "Eliminate regulations not necessary for public health and safety" = 90%(+) of all regulations.

• Across all levels of government, MASSIVE, unprecedented, deregulation is the only way we'll be able to generate the levels of growth we'll need to climb out of this fiscal mess.

• We're surprised efficiency audits weren't included on this list, because identifying pure waste ought to be step one for climbing out of this fiscal hole.

• We're not sure why "Expanding Telemedicine" falls under the Texas legislature section, because it's our understanding that the primary obstacles are federal.

• "Scope of practice" (ie. Allowing nurses to perform tasks traditionally performed by so-called 'licensed physicians') reform, if not outright abolition, should also be on this list.

• Texas has had applications for Medicaid waivers pending since Dubya's final year in office.

Bottom Line: Most of this should have been done decades ago, but since that didn't happen, no time like the present.

Troxclair charts sane, rational, path forward for Women in Politics (especially Conservatives)

"And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’"
Matthew 19:4

We attended TPPF's book talk this afternoon for Ellen Troxclair's new book: "Step Up!: How To Advocate Like A Woman."  Troxclair's book is a mix of her personal story and a call to action for younger, conservative, women.  She adds a desperately needed perspective to an important discussion that is far too frequently discussed far too poorly.

Troxclair opens by discussing how few women have served in elected office over the years.  Even more staggering is how much fewer that number is for conservative women.  This has the practical effect of surrendering the argument before it's even made.

Troxclair tells her own story about being "a poor capitol staffer who was fed up" watching council misgovern Austin.  She decided to run when she realized the other candidates in the race weren't up to the task.  It was going to be her or nobody.

Thankfully, she ran.

One fascinating point Troxclair brought up was the "confidence gap" between women and men.  Whereas Men will give something a shot if they think they've got a 60 to 70% shot of success, women will tend to hesitate unless they're 100% confident.  This has the effect of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where, because women are more risk-averse than men, fewer of them tend to run, which repeats they cycle.  Rinse, lather, repeat.

If there's one shortcoming in the presentation, it's the degree to which Troxclair might not realize the degree to which she's a political unicorn.  Regardless of gender, the one thing we desperately need are elected officials who a) can speak in more than just cliches and b) who will follow through on their campaign promises once in office.  We've been watching politics for a long time, and Ellen Troxclair is pretty unique on those grounds.

Bottom Line:  This is an important discussion.  Unfortunately, it far too frequently devolves into buzzwords, cliches, and stereotypes.  This doesn't do that.  Kudos to Ellen Troxclair for charting a course towards a productive solution.

#TXLEGE: Politiqueria

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

From TPPF:



Highlights:

• Lots of (down ballot) elections in Texas are decided by...not very many votes.

• Voter fraud is the "canary in the coalmine" to deeper political corruption.

• In some locations, you lose access to social serves if you don't vote the way the local establishment demands.

• Politiqueras collect absentee ballots.
• Not necessarily illegal, but it's illegal when they hover over you while you fill it out.

• Former mayoral candidate in McAllen was once cold called by a politiquera who promised 500 votes.
• Had signed mail-in ballots.

• "Pay the right people in this county, and you've got a guaranteed win."

• "In the valley, they joke about it."
• "We demand crooked politicians."

• "This wasn't a creation of Starr county, it's been in existence [all over] the country."

Crenshaw's Not Necessarily Wrong about Climate Change ("Carbon Capture" Still Boondoggle tho)

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."
James 3:17

There's been some chatter about comments Dan Crenshaw made during Policy Orientation:

“We can make fun of the left’s sort of alarmist views on climate change — and we should, to an extent — but we can’t ignore it completely,” Crenshaw said during a keynote Q-and-A at the right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation’s 2020 policy conference. “From a political standpoint, we cannot ignore it completely.”

....

“It’s not totally untrue. Their alarmism is often, almost always, completely untrue and not founded in facts or data. When they’re blaming storms and things on climate change, it’s usually nonsense,” Crenshaw said. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t some effect on the climate from man-made emissions, and we can admit that.”

....

“Even if we don’t know what it’s doing to the environment, let’s at least err on the side of caution,” Crenshaw said. “But it doesn’t mean erring on the side of destroying the economy, which is what the left would have. So two things: grant some of the premise — not all of the premise — that they’re operating on, some of it, and expose them for what they’re really trying to do, which is a complete socialist takeover of the economy.”

We were there when Crenshaw said this.  To be honest, we didn't give it any additional thought.  The ensuing kerfuffle is odd.

Crenshaw drew a distinction between the global warming cultists and folks who have valid environmental concerns.  It's a distinction worth drawing more often.  Because Crenshaw's right that it's bad politics to ignore the latter group.

But the great, raging, irony is that Crenshaw made these comments while on a panel with Chip Roy.

Because Roy's been illustrating the same distinction for at least a year:

It's one thing to argue that there have been unintended environmental consequences from the increase in carbon emissions over the past 200 years. That might very well be the case. In that context, a discussion about reducing carbon emissions might be worth having.

Likewise, in that context, you have to acknowledge that collapsing natural gas prices have done more to reduce carbon emissions than anything else.

That will never be good enough for the global warming cultists. And that's fine. Don't waste your breath.

But natural gas prices are a wedge that should be driven between those concerned about the unintended environmental consequences of carbon emissions and the global warming cultists.

And Chip Roy showed us how.

Yet the media completely missed when Chip Roy did this...only to oddly glom onto Dan Crenshaw a year later.

That being said, Crenshaw's counter-proposal is still a dumb boondoggle.  It's one thing to say that innovation is the best way to solve environmental challenges.  It's something else to use that as a cover to merely have government pick a different set of winners and losers.

Which is all the GOP's so-called "carbon capture" proposal does.

Nevertheless, it remains the case that discussing how innovation is the best way to solve environmental challenges is also good politics.

And that's the only point Crenshaw was making last week.

Bottom Line: Sometimes, it's just odd to see which seemingly innocuous comments provoke a backlash.

#TXLEGE: Pete Flores might be the Biggest Integrity Upgrade of All Time

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

During Policy Orientation last week, Senator Pete Flores spoke on the panel: "South Texas is Texas Too: Bringing South-Texas Priorities to Austin and D.C."  It was a good discussion.  Mostly about South Texas' impact on the broader economies of both Texas and the United States.

Throughout the discussion, however, we kept coming back to one thought: Pete Flores' predecessor.

Pete Flores' predecessor, for those who don't remember, was this guy.  Also this guy.  And this guy.

He's also this guy:

SAN ANTONIO — The courtroom was silent and thick with anxiety Thursday morning as the judge’s deputy read the verdicts: “Guilty,” “guilty,” “guilty” — 11 times over, and on all felony counts.

State Sen. Carlos Uresti sat stone-faced, his gaze directed at the deputy, as he heard the ruling that throws into question his two-decade career in the Texas Legislature and opens up the possibility of more than a century in federal prison and millions of dollars in fines.

If upheld on appeal, the 11 felony charges — including multiple counts of fraud and money laundering — would render the San Antonio Democrat ineligible to continue serving as a state legislator. Uresti, an attorney by trade, would also be disbarred.

....

Uresti was charged last year in connection with FourWinds Logistics, a now-bankrupt oilfield services company that perpetrated a Ponzi scheme against its investors. Uresti served as general counsel for FourWinds and owned 1 percent of the company. He also earned commission for recruiting investors, according to court documents.

Several of the company’s leaders pleaded guilty to fraud charges before Uresti’s case even went to trial, some of them in plea agreements to testify for the government. Prosecutors argued that Uresti had used his prestigious reputation to lend credibility to an unknown company; several investors testified that Uresti’s presence reassured them that their money would be safe with FourWinds. But Uresti’s lawyers countered that the lawmaker was never aware of, or involved in, the company’s shady dealings.

Uresti’s co-defendant, former FourWinds consultant Gary Cain, was also found guilty on all counts.

....

The prominent and at times salacious case has drawn dozens of unaffiliated observers to the courthouse over the past month. The courtroom was particularly packed for three days of testimony from Uresti’s former legal client Denise Cantu, who lost most of the $900,000 she invested in FourWinds. Cantu — who said she had an affair with Uresti — won that money with his legal representation in a wrongful death suit after her son and daughter were killed in 2010 car accident.

That's pretty much what you need to know about Pete Flores' predecessor (although the strong stomached can read more here).

By contrast, Pete Flores is just a guy who wants to maximize economic growth in South Texas.  We don't necessarily agree with every idea he has to accomplish that objective.  Still, our objections to the current Texas Senator from District 19 is limited to a few policy issues.

It's quite the disparity.

Bottom Line: The difference between the last two Senators from SD-19 speaks for itself.

Both Mainstream and Conservative Media push inaccurate narratives about Texas

"The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness."
Luke 11:34

During Policy Orientation last week, one of the panels was: "Telling the Texas Story: Do Media Narratives Portray an Accurate State of the State?"  It was a good discussion.  The short answer is NO.

Obviously, the mainstream media has narratives they push.  This is true of both the national media and their counterparts at the state level.  This narrative portrays Texans as uneducated rubes and quasi-racists.

Obviously, that narrative is bogus.  It's also irrelevant.  Nobody cares.

Unfortunately, a much more pernicious narrative exists in conservative media.  This is the idea that Texas is some sort of stalwart conservative state in the first place.  Even more unfortunate, this narrative has a real world impact.

Texas isn't a conservative state.  It never has been.  Texas is a corrupt, crony capitalist state. 

It's been that way for 150 years.

Bottom Line: Pesky facts....

TPPF announces MAJOR New Initiative to combat Election Fraud

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

So...this happened:

At @TPPF’s #PO2020 ⁦@KevinRobertsTX⁩ announces TPPF’s new initiative to combat election fraud in Texas in 2020, citing the importance of “Rule of law” in the maintenance of the American republic. pic.twitter.com/piJ0Zrmr2X

— Chuck DeVore (@ChuckDeVore) January 24, 2020

We were in the room when Kevin Roberts made the announcement. To be honest, we're surprised nobody else has covered this yet. That being said, this is news we're happy to break.

According to Roberts in his remarks, this decision was just made Friday morning.

Apparently, there will be more details forthcoming next week...but Roberts suggested major resources.

Could get interesting.

Bottom Line: Kudos TPPF.

Chip Roy Might Save the GOP's Bacon on Health Care

"He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded."
Proverbs 13:13

We discussed Ted Cruz and Chip Roy's recent Health Care proposal last week; yesterday, Roy discussed it in greater depth at TPPF'S Policy Orientation.

We could say a lot about it.  Obviously, we like it.  But there are a couple of reasons why we think there's a small chance this time *MIGHT* be different.  But the reality is that the only reason either is relevant is because Chip Roy is a member of Congress.

The biggest difference is that somebody is FINALLY talking about fixing the Health Care system.  Not just repealing Obamacare.  Chip Roy (and, belatedly, Ted Cruz) want to actually fix the health care system.

This is something that you can actually take to your friends and neighbors.  Chip Roy's proposal will actually lower your personal health care costs (probably significantly).  Chip Roy's health care proposal will give you more options for how you obtain health care.  No promises, but Roy's health care proposal is also likely to unleash a new round of medical innovation.

This is the first time in 25 years that we can write what we said in the preceding paragraph.

The other reason, perhaps, for modest optimism is that some of the other members of the Texas delegation also seem to get it (on this issue).  Before his panel, Roy was also the lunchtime keynote with Dan Crenshaw.  Obviously, Crenshaw's been a bit of a mixed bag as a Congressman, but Crenshaw and Roy are pulling in the same direction in health care.

Bottom Line: Obviously, a lot remains to be seen, but Chip Roy might just be the man to make it happen.

Cruz and Roy FINALLY do what they should've done FIVE YEARS AGO

"He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded."
Proverbs 13:13

TPPF earlier this week:

AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation praises the introduction of the Personalized Care Act in the Senate (S. 3112) by Senators Cruz and Braun and in the House (H.R. 5596) this week by Representative Chip Roy.

These concise bills make a substantial impact to the U.S. employer-based health care system by allowing individuals to have the same benefits as employers to buy medical coverage and services with pre-tax dollars.

“Allowing for this equality between employers and employees will help improve portability of coverage for individuals and would free Americans from job-lock of undesirable jobs they are keeping solely for cheaper, employer-based health insurance,” said David Balat, director of the Right on Healthcare initiative at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

The Personalized Care Act will expand Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and put millions of Americans in control of their healthcare choices. This will allow Americans to personalize their care with tax-advantaged dollars. Among other enhancements, the bill allows funds from HSAs to be used in coordination for expanded healthcare options such as direct medical care, healthcare sharing ministries, medications, and insurance premiums.

It's ABOUT dadgum time.

Ted Cruz and Chip Roy are two of the GOP's best spokespeople on health care.  They've needed to put out their own plan for a long, long time.  They FINALLY did it!!!

We first discussed this publicly in 2018.  We've been saying the same thing privately for longer.  Although we didn't think it newsworthy at the time, we delivered this message to Cruz personally following a local 2017 event.

Had this plan existed a few years ago, a lot of pain could have been avoided.  The missed opportunity of not doing so remains an act of political malpractice.  But it happened.  All you can do now is correct the mistake moving forward.  This week's news does that.

Bottom Line: Late > Never, etc.

#TXLEGE: TPPF bailing out lege over their FAILURES re: "Sick Leave" Ordinances

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?!?"
Matthew 20:15

TPPF press release:

TPPF Assumes Role of Lead Counsel in San Antonio Paid Sick Leave Appeal 

AUSTIN – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation filed a notice of appearance of counsel with the Texas Fourth Judicial Court of Appeals in San Antonio in City of San Antonio v. Associated Builders of South Texas.

This notice advises the court of appeals that the Texas Public Policy Foundation will assume the role of lead counsel on appeal for the plaintiffs/appellees in the case against the city of San Antonio’s Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Ordinance.

“Today’s announcement furthers the role of the Texas Public Policy Foundation as a defender against unconstitutional municipal mandatory paid sick leave ordinances,” said Robert Henneke, Texas Public Policy Foundation’s General Counsel. “The San Antonio district court made the right call in enjoining the San Antonio ordinance. While it’s likely that the Texas Supreme Court will decide this issue statewide in 2020, thus making this appeal moot, TPPF will continue to fight for the rights of workers to negotiate the terms of their employment, rather than these being dictated by government overreach and national union organizations.”

Good for them.  Because, honestly, somebody needs to do it.  Furthermore, we suspect it ain't been cheap.  (Imagine how many labor hours three separate lawsuits on this subject must consume.)

The pathetic thing, of course, is that it should never have come to this.  The lege was supposed to address this.  They dropped the ball.  There's a lot you could say about why this happened, but the fact remains that it did.

So good deal TPPF (and your donors).

Because we're likely to survive this one (no thanks to the legislature).

Bottom Line: TPPF is the only reason the worst case scenario probably won't emerge.  They deserve some credit.  They won't get it.  But they deserve it.

TPPF(tw)!!!

"But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good."
2 Thessalonians 3:13

[Note: The Texan has more coverage here; the Trib has more coverage here.]

Inbox:

TPPF Victorious in Obamacare Court Case 

Fifth Circuit Court Declares Individual Mandate Unconstitutional 

AUSTIN—Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals declared that Obamacare’s individual mandate is unconstitutional, agreeing with the argument put forth by the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“Today’s decision is a victory for the American people and respect for the Constitution,” said Robert Henneke, lead counsel for the individual plaintiffs and general counsel for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “The court's opinion recognizes that Obamacare continues to injure millions of Americans like our clients who have lost their choice of doctor, suffered rationed care, and had their insurance costs skyrocket. This decision puts us one step closer to eventually freeing the American people from its unconstitutional mandates and regulations. We will continue to fight to protect the rights of families and individuals as the case continues to proceed through the courts.”

It's long (98 pages), but those who are interested can read the full opinion:

Aca 5 Th Circuit Opinion by Cahnman on Scribd

Bottom Line: We had forgotten this case was ongoing, but kudos to the TPPF legal team for their doggedness.

Another year; Yet Another $11 BILLION in Local Government Debt

"The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender."
Proverbs 22:7

From TPPF:

AUSTIN— Using the Public Information Act, the Texas Public Policy Foundation secured the release of new information from the Bond Review Board revealing local governments are awash in public debt. According to the agency, local debt totaled $365.3 billion in FY 2019, an increase of almost $11 billion over the prior year. Since FY 2017, Texas’ local governments have added more than $27 billion to the total. On a per capita basis, Texas’ local governments have accumulated enough debt to cost every man, woman, and child in Texas more than $12,500.

“Texas’ local governments are drowning in a sea of red ink,” said TPPF’s James Quintero. “New data reveals that local debt now totals $365 billion, representing an increase of almost $11 billion since last year and more than $27 billion added since fiscal year 2017. By running up the taxpayer credit card like this, local officials are courting higher taxes, bigger government, and unsustainable spending habits. Texas lawmakers cannot allow the status quo to continue. We need big, bold action from the statehouse next session.”

As a matter of context, when we started this stuff a few years ago, that number was $323 Billion.

That 13% growth clip is totally sustainable.

Keep Voting Republican.

Bottom Line: Wall St. makes its real money financing government debt, and it looks like local officials across the Lone Star state are all too willing to oblige.

#TXLEGE: Effective, Sustainable, Solutions for Gun Violence

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

From TPPF:

TPPF: Come and Take It

What Will – and What Will Not – Improve Public Safety in Firearm Violence Prevention

AUSTIN— Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the research paper Come and Take It: What Will—and What Will Not—Improve Public Safety in Firearm Violence Prevention. “In the wake of recent shootings, many gun control proponents have demanded that state leadership ‘do something’ in the hopes of preventing future tragedies,” said Derek Cohen, Ph.D., director of Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Right on Crime initiative. “However, these demands often contribute to a clear violation of an explicit right enumerated both in the United States and Texas constitutions—the individual right to keep and bear arms for lawful self-defense—while failing to empirically demonstrate the positive change the proposed policy seeks to achieve.” Key Points: Texas is the safest it has been in a generation, yet some are calling for stricter gun control. Common gun control proposals often penalize law-abiding gun owners while failing to improve public safety. To read the paper in full, please visit:  www.texaspolicy.com/come-and-take-it-what-will-and-what-will-not-improve-public-safety-in-firearm-violence-prevention/

Bottom Line: It's nothing you didn't already know, but it's good to have all the data in one place.

#TXLEGE: Apparently, the State of Texas has NO STANDARDS FOR SWAT TEAMS

Note: This photo came from the Odessa PD's website;
that frickin' Odesssa has a 30 man SWAT team perfectly illustrates the problem

"Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God."
Matthew 5:9

[Note on Bible verse: Jesus says peacemakers...not wreckless, macho, jackwagons.]

From TPPF:

SWAT teams are sometimes a necessity, and because of the nature of the incidents they are properly used for, team formation, training, and use should be required to meet a minimum standard throughout Texas.

Key Points:

• SWAT is a necessity for the highest risk, mostly pre-planned incidents where patrol officers are not equipped to respond. 

• The lack of state standards for training and capabilities should be addressed.

• If parameters can be established for police officers who perform policing functions that can vary drastically in different parts of the state, then basic definitions, requirements, and parameters can also be established for SWAT teams whose specialty is far more focused and narrow than the broader policing effort. 

• Best practices have been established by the National Tactical Officers Association and should be used to guide the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement in establishing state-level minimum standards.

From a fiscal perspective, imagine how much all this costs.

You can find a link to download a PDF of the full report here.

Bottom Line: We don't discuss criminal justice issues often, but this is madness....

Chip Roy Hosts a FASCINATING Town Hall

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

[Note: We lost the piece of paper on which we took notes.  This blog post is written from memory.  We ask your indulgence.]

We attended Chip Roy's town hall last night, hosted by TPPF:



During his introductory remarks, Roy discussed the border, health care, and energy.  All standard stuff for Roy.  The Q&A with conservatives audience members was also pretty standard.  But the Q&A with left-leaning audience members was where it got interesting.

While talking about energy, Roy made the point that lower natural gas prices were a direct consequence of the shale revolution.  Because of those lower natural gas prices, the United States is the only country in the world to reduce its carbon emissions over the past five years.  If you want to accomplish something on climate change, increasing U.S. natural gas exports should be your #1 goal (at least in the short/medium term).  Chip Roy literally made this point in his prepared remarks.

But that wasn't good enough for some audience members:

• One woman assailed Roy for questioning some of the doom and gloom scenarios, but couldn't come up with a policy ask.

• A guy who couldn't acknowledge that Chip Roy was answering his question even as Chip Roy repeated what he said above about natural gas.

• Another guy who asked Roy "where do you get your information" about climate issues.  Roy specifically cited a UT-Austin professor and Texas state government statistics.  The man said Roy refused to answer the question.

Therein lies the fascinating part.

It's one thing to argue that there have been unintended environmental consequences from the increase in carbon emissions over the past 200 years.  That might very well be the case.  In that context, a discussion about reducing carbon emissions might be worth having.

Likewise, in that context, you have to acknowledge that collapsing natural gas prices have done more to reduce carbon emissions than anything else.

That will never be good enough for the global warming cultists.  And that's fine.  Don't waste your breath.

But natural gas prices are a wedge that should be driven between those concerned about the unintended environmental consequences of carbon emissions and the global warming cultists.

And Chip Roy showed us how.

Bottom Line: This distinction is an important one to make moving forward, and it's good to see Chip Roy doing so on his own.

#TXLEGE: Speaking about More Efficiently Funding Education

"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6

Yesterday, immediately following the committee discussion about higher ed. funding, we attended TPPF's event: Using Efficiency Audits to Help Schools Succeed.  The timing was ironic, because we think efficiency audits are a BIG part of the solution for higher ed. funding.  While TPPF's event discussed K-12 funding, the principle applies at all levels of education.



For those who remember Prop. K from last fall, we're talking about the same type of efficiency audit.  They're designed to root out waste.  TPPF wants to apply them to school districts.

For all of the bill's flaws, HB 3's silver lining is that it requires school districts to undergo efficiency audits before they can raise M&O taxes.  As TPPF's Kara Belew explained, that's a major reform.  It might make the bill more palatable.

The other panelist was Erin Covington, from the firm Alvarez-Marsal.  They're a firm that performs these audits with various governmental entities.  Covington discussed specific benefits specific entities received.  While some of the changes were big, policy-making, decisions, other stuff was minor.  One story Covington told, about a school district that saved millions by having its maintenance staff work in the evening (easier access to classrooms), stood out.

During Q&A, we asked Covington about how she dealt with entrenched special interests.  We asked because of this guy's performance in last fall's election.  Covington's response was that they let the facts speak for themselves.  We suspect that this guy didn't want said facts to speak for themselves.

Bottom Line: Periodic efficiency audits are a no-brainer.  All levels of government should adopt them.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is a political hack (who's probably getting rich off political connections).

#TXLEGE: Repeal THIS protectionist racket for a small-ball health care win

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,"
Ephesians 3:20

Did you know that Texas has some of the most restrictive laws on who can provide medication in the country?!?  Neither did we, until we attended this afternoon's TPPF event: "Physician Dispense Laws: Can Texas Make Medications More Affordable?" Texas is worse than California on this.

Currently in Texas, if a Doctor writes a prescription, the patient is required by law to make a separate trip to a pharmacy to fill the prescription.  This despite the fact that it's legal in 46 other states for a doctor to dispense medication in their office.  That's asinine, and it drives up costs to consumers.

In some cases, those cost increases are dramatic: Panelists mentioned cost escalations of 60% to 80% on some drugs.

Fortunately, there's hope: HB 460, by Matt Shaheen, would address this issue.  The bill was heard last week.  It's currently pending in committee.

Shaheen specifically asked the public to talk to members of the Public Health committee.  Senfronia Thompson is chair.  We'll post her office contact info below.

If we're ever going to fix the health care system, this sort of small-ball effort is how you build the credibility necessary for that sort of undertaking.

Bottom Line: Honestly, the fact that California is better than us on this issue speaks for itself.

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Representative Senfronia Thompson:
Chair, House Committee on Public Health
(512) 463-0720

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