Good morning,

Democrat powerbrokers cleared the presidential field for Joe Biden when they thought they could keep Donald Trump off the ballot (or worse). After those plans fell apart and faced with Biden's obvious shortcomings, they succeeded in pushing him off the ticket yesterday. Today, I want to know if you think Democrat voters will support Kamala Harris as his replacement in November.

But first, this is the Texas Minute for Monday, July 22, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

UPFRONT... Special thanks to Sydnie Henry for taking on the Texas Minute email last week and to Brandon Waltens for handling the daily podcast.

Government Policies Hiked Texas Electricity Costs by Almost $20 Billion Last Year

• Policies subsidizing generators, utilities, and unreliable energy have raised the cost of electricity in Texas by $19.9 billion in 2023, constituting 42.7 percent of total electricity costs. Luca Cacciatore details the findings of a new report from the Energy Alliance.
      
• The group found that the total government-imposed cost of electricity in the Texas Interconnection operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas was $84.3 billion. Texas state and local governments are responsible for creating 85.7 percent of that total.
       
• The Energy Alliance’s research found that government-imposed costs have risen drastically as a percentage of total electricity costs over the last decade.
     
• In 2014, government-imposed costs accounted for only 6.78 percent of the total cost, representing roughly $2.1 billion of the $31.3 billion spent. However, by 2021, that number skyrocketed to a new record of 41.24 percent of the total, nearly $20.5 billion of the year’s $49.7 billion.
        
• “The massive increase in subsidies has done nothing to address the primary cause of unreliability in the Texas market, renewable energy,” said Bill Peacock, the report’s author. “All it has done is to make electricity more expensive for Texans.”

Costs of Hurricane Beryl Placed in the Billions

• An early estimate of Hurricane Beryl's economic impact reveals that it could cost more than $10 billion. Charles Blain has the story.
      
• In addition to cleanup expenditures, the study considered the significant business losses that largely cannot be recouped for the time they were closed, either because they were without power or available staff.
     
• Meanwhile, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association said it has received about 16,000 windstorm claims resulting from the Category 1 storm and expects it could cost about half of its $450 million Catastrophe Reserve Trust Fund.

New Research Pushes for Equal Treatment of All Children in CPS

• A new report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation seeks higher standards for all cases involving the efforts of Child Protective Services to preserve and reunite Texas families, not just those of Native American children. Debra McClure explains that, under current law, CPS must follow special standards when working with children who are members of a Native American tribe compared to non-Native children.
      
• With Native American children, CPS must engage in "active efforts" to preserve and reunite Native American children with family or tribal communities. By contrast, CPS only requires "reasonable efforts" when working with non-Native children and families.
     
• TPPF argues "that having one set of standards applicable to Native American children and another applicable to non-Native children effectively creates a two-tiered justice system."

Justice Department Sues Nonprofit for Sexual Abuse

• A Texas-based nonprofit organization is being sued by the federal government for alleged abuse of the unaccompanied children that it shelters after they are found at the southern border. Will Biagini reports Southwest Key operates 29 facilities in Texas, Arizona, and California.
     
• The Justice Department is arguing that the organization’s employees violated the Fair Housing Act by engaging in routine sexual harassment and abuse of the unaccompanied minors sheltered in its facilities.
     
• According to the federal lawsuit, employees at Southwest Key Programs inappropriately touched children. It also alleges that employees asked for nude photos and pleaded for sexual relationships and comments from the minors. 
         
• The lawsuit seeks "monetary damages to compensate the children." It does not, however, rescind Southwest Key’s current contracts, which reportedly total nearly $1 billion, or bar them from new ones.

Austin City Council Likely to Propose a ‘Climate Bond’

• As Austin residents grapple with inflation and yet another record-setting budget (with its attendant tax hikes and rate increases), Adam Cahn reports that leftists on the city council have a new way to attack the taxpayers' wallets.
       
• The city's chief sustainability officer has pegged the bond's price tag at $1.8 billion, but that is not yet official. The debt proceeds would be used to purchase land and create a charging network for electric vehicles. The remainder of the cash would cover vague “climate” and “resiliency” upgrades to city facilities.

Quote-Unquote

"Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good. 'Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm."

– Ralph Waldo Emerson​

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Democrat powerbrokers refused to allow any challenge to Joe Biden for their party's nomination this year. Now that the country has seen his cognitive and physical frailty on display, the party elite pushed him out of the race yesterday in a move fraught with political and legal landmines.

In withdrawing from the race, Biden also announced his endorsement of Kamala Harris for president. Do you think Democrat voters will go for the bait-and-switch and support Harris in November?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!