Special Texas Independence Day Edition!

 “I love Texas because Texas is future-oriented, because Texans think anything is possible. Texans think big.” — former Sen. Phil Gramm

What to Know: “Eco-anxiety” anxiety is overwhelming teenagers—and some of their parents.

The TPPF Take: Texans know the future is full of hope, not doom and gloom.

“Abundant, affordable energy has enabled the United States to become the largest economy in the world,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “Energy is no longer just a sector of our economy; it influences every product ever made and service ever contracted. Measurements of public health, life expectancy, education, hunger, child labor, and nearly every other indicator of human flourishing improve along with access to energy.”

 “Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may.” — Sam Houston

What to Know: A Texas judge has refused to block a pipeline based on claims it could harm an endangered bird species.

The TPPF Take: The species in question, the golden cheeked warbler is not endangered.

“According to a 2015 study of the species by the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, the warbler is 19 times greater in population and has 5 times as much habitat as when first listed,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “Yet, it has remained under perpetual regulation by the federal government. The courts are holding the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service accountable to following the law and provides hope that this regulatory burden of the warbler listing will soon be lifted from the backs of property owners across Texas.”

“Texas is like a beckoning star to American settlers.” — Stephen F. Austin 

What to Know: One real estate company is helping discouraged Californians move to Texas and other red states.

The TPPF Take: Low taxes and more opportunity drive population shifts—and prosperity.

“People move to Texas because they’re attracted to the Lone Star State’s jobs and opportunity,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore, who came to Texas after serving in the California Assembly. “States that drive them away—with high taxes and ridiculous regulatory burdens—would do better to imitate what works: liberty.”