On May 26, the Texas Legislature failed to reach an agreement to extend the life of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Further, they failed to transfer the department to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. This, in effect, would have deregulated the plumbing industry in Texas. The department was temporarily in “wind-down” mode and had until September 2020 to…
The Texas government just allowed alcohol to be delivered directly to consumers, but won’t allow a car to be? Correct. Rather, they have been on an all-out assault on the free market when it comes to the car market. The victim, at the moment, is Tesla. The law currently requires all cars to be sold through a dealer, prohibiting any…
Governor Abbott has recently signed a law allowing companies to deliver alcohol directly to consumers. For food establishments in Texas, and Amazon, this is huge for their bottom line as it removes an unnecessary barrier. The Vice President of Rosario’s has said it will hopefully add more than ten percent to their bottom line. This could mean the same for…
This summer, thousands of moms and dads will load their children onto buses and hug them goodbye as they head off to camp to pursue their childhood dreams. Many of these kids will devote their time to practicing their curveballs and base stealing on the diamond. Undoubtedly, all of them will be dreaming of becoming the next Mike Trout or…
President Trump, frustrated that Congress has not approved the funding for his border wall, proposed escalating tariffs on Mexico until Mexico ends illegal immigration. According to the president, the tariffs—akin to a tax on US consumers—would start at 5 percent on all Mexican imports in June but could escalate as high as 25 percent by the fall. Foreseeable Consequences This…
Political campaigns are about more than electing someone to office in a particular year. Campaigns frame the policy debate for years to come and popularize ideas. Nowhere is this truer than in the extraordinarily public presidential campaigns played out on our national stage every four years. Unlike the gaggle of Democratic candidates vying for the 2020 nomination and introducing themselves…
Polls suggesting that millennials have a favorable view of socialism are well publicized. Less known are polls showing that 90 percent of millennials have a positive view of entrepreneurship, and 58 percent of millennial respondents believe they are more entrepreneurial than previous generations. So far, though, millennials have not been as entrepreneurial in practice as prior generations. But there is hope that this could change given their…
American college graduates are suffering financially under the weight of $1.5 trillion of student loan debt. The bulk of that debt stems from worrisome federal student loan practices and ballooning state tuition costs. Approximately 75 percent of college students attend a state university or college with tuition rates set by legislatures or state institutions. Over 85 percent of student loans…
Ray Dalio, billionaire and co-chairman of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, recently penned an essay warning that America faces an existential threat if capitalism isn’t reformed. Even in the overheated rhetoric of 2019, this is a bold claim from a professional capitalist. So, what is the state of the American economy? Wage Stagnation After a decade of slow…
Whether it’s the hype about the MoMo Challenge, the Jussie Smollett hate-crime hoax, the Fyre Festival swindle, or politicians scaring us to blazes about this or that emergency, it’s hard to distinguish fact from fiction and prudent ideas from rash action. We live in a time when too much of our news resembles something between the Pravda and the Onion.…