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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Innovation

What to Know: Innovation—not draconian climate policies—will improve efficiency and ensure access to reliable, affordable energy.

The TPPF Take: Innovation—not draconian climate policies—will continue to clean up our environment.

“Carbon taxes and the resulting higher energy prices, along with impossible renewable energy mandates, will only stifle innovation and real progress on the environment,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “History and this new process in La Porte show that abundant, affordable energy and the freedom to innovate are the real solutions.”

Gentrification

What to Know: A new study shows that gentrification doesn’t hurt the poor—it actually helps, by improving neighborhoods and providing new opportunities.

The TPPF Take: Efforts by cities to control or prevent gentrification are misguided and harmful.

“In Austin, for example, the city itself is driving people out of their neighborhoods through skyrocketing property taxes and burdensome regulations,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “The better approach is to reduce taxes and other barriers to help keep people in their homes. The good news is that the Legislature has made progress in doing just that.”

At A Minimum 

What to Know: No surprise here; New York City businesses are struggling to stay afloat now that the city has raised the minimum wage. They’re cutting hours, eliminating jobs and raising prices.

The TPPF Take: This is simple economics.

“The evidence is clear—the real minimum wage is $0 per hour, for those who lose their jobs or who never get hired because businesses must cut costs,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “When you increase the cost of something—in this case labor—you get less of it.”