It was not that long ago that property tax abatements were illegal in Texas because they were considered to be theft. This historic and biblical perspective was embedded in the Texas Constitution. Acknowledging the ethical and economic problems with the government giving taxpayer money to individuals or businesses, the Constitution contains what is known as the Gift…
Category: Big Government
Texans’ Liberty is at Risk Through Corporate Cronyism
Economic development means a lot of things to different people. One fairly common definition comes from the International Economic Development Council: “Typically economic development can be described in terms of objectives. These are most commonly described as the creation of jobs and wealth, and the improvement of quality of life.” What it really is, though,…
Will Texas Republicans Ever Fight for Limited Government?
Sometimes when I look around at what Republicans are doing, I don’t really know what to do with myself. Just think about how Republicans were in charge of the U.S. Senate and House and the White House for two years of the first two years of President Trump’s term. What did they accomplish? Not much….
Public Education: Making Over American Society in Its Own Image
On Tuesday, Reason.org reported on the latest U.S. Supreme Court decision: This morning, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, striking down Montana’s state constitutional Blaine Amendment, which forbids state aid to “any church, school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other literary or scientific institution, controlled in whole or…
Executive Orders are not Laws; They are Royal Decrees
by Michael McHaney On May 22, Clay County, Illinois judge Michael McHaney ruled that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order could not be enforced against Republican state Representative James Mainer and his business, HCL Deluxe Tan. His temporary restraining order is in force until June 5, when the judge will hold a hearing on Mainer’s…
Why Didn’t the 1958 and 1918 Pandemics Destroy the Economy? Hint: It’s the Lockdowns
by Ryan McMaken This article originally appeared on Mises.org. Media pundits and politicians are now in the habit of claiming it was the pandemic itself that has caused unemployment to skyrocket and economic growth to plummet. The claim is that sick and dying workers, fearful consumers, and disrupted supply chains would cause economic chaos. Some have…
Texans Rally to Restore Liberty
This article originally ran in The Texan. On Saturday, Central Texans and others from around the state attended a rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin calling on state leaders to end the government-mandated shut down of the Texas economy and restore citizens’ freedoms. Speakers at the rally included grassroots activists, current…
Public Choice and the Pandemic
by Mario Loyola For better or worse, the people will ultimately decide how to strike the balance of public safety and convenience. Shocked by the large numbers of people congregating on California beaches, Governor Gavin Newsom recently decided to shut some of them down altogether. Large numbers of people then congregated at the beaches in protest, and the…
What a Prolonged Shutdown Will Cost in Human Life
by Jacki Deason Ezekiel Emanuel, adviser to presidential candidate Joe Biden and Obamacare architect, just called for a 12-to-18-month lockdown to battle COVID-19, asking us to abandon our livelihoods, religious services, and “contact with friends and extended family.” He claims we have “no choice” and that the alternative is hundreds of thousands of deaths. He has also said that…
Police Power v. People Power
My church decided to have gathered worship this past Sunday in Austin, Texas, after being prohibited from worshiping and enjoying the Lord’s Supper together for more than a month. During a discussion about whether our worship would be in violation of the city of Austin’s and Travis County’s shelter-in-place orders, which they recently extended through May…