Statement on Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s announcement that Texas will not implement ObamaCare
Statement by The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, Executive Director and Director of TPPF’s Center for Health Care Policy:
“We applaud Governor Perry’s leadership in rejecting the implementation of ObamaCare in Texas. Access to health care, affordability of health care, and health care outcomes are tremendous concerns for all Texans – and the ObamaCare expansion of Medicaid and so-called insurance exchanges are grave threats to all three.
Why the Left Wants to Blacklist ALEC
From Texaspolicy.com, By David Guenthner, May 16, 2012 –
For the last couple of months, the bullies on the Left have declared open season on the American Legislative Exchange Council for having the gall to help state legislators across the country advance the principles of free markets and limited government. ALEC’s attackers, while relatively few in number, have been extremely aggressive and loud. Unfortunately, ALEC’s defenders have been even fewer.
That changes now.
EPA’s ‘crucifixion’ enforcement strategy
From Texas Public Policy Foundation, by David Guenthner, May 2, 2012 – Critics of the Environmental Protection Agency often describe it as a job-killing agency. But is crucifixion really among its chosen methods?
Al Armendariz, the EPA’s regional administrator for Texas and surrounding states, resigned Monday after video footage showed him comparing the EPA’s enforcement philosophy to the ancient Roman practice of using public crucifixions to cow the populace in conquered territories.
Individual mandate not severable from main provisions of ObamaCare law
Texas Public Policy Foundation submits its first amicus brief to U.S. Supreme Court
From the Texas Public Policy Foundation, contact Kristen Indriago, kristen@texaspolicy.com, January 09, 2012 –
AUSTIN – If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the individual mandate in the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA), as several lower courts have done, it should rule that the main health insurance provisions of the ACA in Titles I and II are inseparable from the mandate and must be struck down with it, according to an amicus curiae brief filed with the Court by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Continue reading →
Trends in Texas Government Update – State Government Spending
Facts are stubborn things!
Good afternoon! I wanted to share with you our latest policy brief, “Trends in Texas Government Update: State Government Spending.” It contrasts the approved Texas state budgets with what they would look like if the Legislature had limited spending to the growth in population plus inflation (effectively, a stable per capita cost of government). A real eye-opener. Continue reading →
Rick Perry’s Plan: $10,000 for a B.A.
Controlling Campus Inflation
Will a college degree that costs $2,500 a year be worth the paper it’s printed on?
From The New York Times (The Opinion Pages), David Guenthner is the senior communications director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. (Updated September 5,2011)
College costs are quickly approaching a crisis point. Student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt, and the poor job market for recent college graduates is spurring a growing debate on whether a college degree is still worth it.
Achieving the $10,000 target will require scrutiny of university operations that have been ignored far too long. Continue reading →
TPPF President and CEO Brooke Rollins Featured on Bill Bennett’s Morning in America
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Rollins refutes criticisms of Texas’ economy, job creation, health care, and education | |
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Putting Politifact’s “truth-o-meter” to the test
On Monday, Talmadge Heflin issued a statement in response to the Comptroller’s biennial revenue estimate. Later in the day, Heflin wrote a “Speaking Freely” post on “the myth of the $27 billion shortfall,” which contained a thorough refutation of the dollar figure cited in some media accounts.
This morning, a project called Politifact – which in Texas operates under the umbrella of the Austin American-Statesman – applied its “truth-o-meter” to the closing statement of Heflin’s blog post, in which he concluded that claims of a $27 billion budget shortfall “are flat-out false.”
Somehow, Politifact concluded that Heflin’s statement was “false”. For real?
Virtually all of Politifact’s judgment depends on a single viewpoint – that of the organization that issued the $27 billion estimate. Politifact’s analysis of Heflin’s comments was told in a highly simplified fashion that neglected to mention key facts. The core of the article consists of 422 words defending the $27 billion methodology. Heflin’s defense of his original statement and response to the $27 billion clarification is combined into a single paragraph at the end. Continue reading →