Good morning,

In 1991, Texans approved the creation of the lottery as a way to fund public education, but it never has. Now, Texans are learning the Lottery Commission has been actively helping others break the law. In today's One Click Survey, we want to know what you think about the future of the Texas Lottery.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, October 21, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Early Voting Starts Today

• Early voting starts at 7 a.m. today and runs through Friday, Nov. 1.

Voters Favor Deporting Illegal Aliens

• A new Fox News poll finds two-thirds of American voters favor deporting illegal aliens—a dramatic increase over the last decade. Valerie Muñoz has the details.
      
• Support for deportation has increased dramatically since 2015. Among nonwhite voters, 57 percent now support mass deportations, while only 33 percent said they did in 2015.
     
• Among Republican voters, 91 percent support deportations. Even among Democrats, support for the idea has gone from 34 percent to 42 percent.

RELATED NEWS

• Sergio Cardenas-Salinas was convicted of leading a criminal operation responsible for a series of home burglaries. His burglary ring was made up of individuals from Guatemala, Honduras, and Venezuela.

Texas Law Tackling ESG Is Working

• A new state law combatting a leftwing political agenda in state investments and contracts is working as intended. Luca Cacciatore reports on efforts to rein in "environmental, social, and corporate governance" policies that have threatened to disrupt Texas' economy.
            
• At a Texas Senate hearing last week, Eric Bledsoe—a senior fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability—described ESG as trading "real capital for political capital" at the expense of beneficiaries’ financial security.
        
• ESG policies first gained prominence in 2004 with the support of the United Nations and claim to provide a "responsible investing" framework that considers the global effects of climate change and other environmental issues while also generating a reliable financial situation for beneficiaries.
      
• A 2019 study found that out of 20,000 mutual funds representing over $8 trillion, regular funds outperformed ESG-focused funds.
       
• “Prioritizing political factors over maximizing returns—this makes money managers who promote ESG violate their fiduciary duty to beneficiaries.” – Eric Bledsoe

Study: School Choice Could Ease Financial Pressure on Public Schools

• According to a new study analyzing the financial impacts of school choice programs, such programs can save taxpayers money. Addie Hovland reports on the paper released last week by EdChoice.
   
• The study examined programs from 25 states and Washington, D.C.—all of which have been in place for at least five years. In Fiscal Year 2022, school choice programs were found to save between $3,300 to $7,800 per student enrolled. For local and state taxpayers, the savings range from $19.4 billion to $45.6 billion.
        
• Jeramy Kitchen, the president of Texas Policy Research, noted that the report stresses the distinction between long-term and short-term effects.
      
• “When a school choice program is first implemented, the immediate savings may be smaller because of lower participation rates and start-up costs,” said Kitchen. “However, as these programs expand and more families choose private options, the long-term fiscal benefits become more apparent.”

Profile: Harris County District Attorney Race

• Republican Dan Simons and Democrat Sean Teare are set for a showdown to see who will replace incumbent Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. Both candidates shared their vision for the office's future with Texas Scorecard's Luca Cacciatore.

More, Massive School Debt on Texans' Ballots

• Erin Anderson reports that trustees in Allen Independent School District are asking voters to approve a $447 million bond package on the November ballot. With interest, the debt package would cost local property taxpayers more than $700 million.
      
• Meanwhile, Round Rock ISD is asking voters to approve a $998 million proposal despite already being $838 million in debt.

Today In History

On Oct. 21, 1797, the USS Constitution was launched into service by the United States Navy. The frigate was retired from active service in 1855 but continued to be used as a training vessel. It is still afloat, berthed at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, as a museum.

Quote-Unquote

"There is much discussion of the haves and the have-nots, but very little discussion of the doers and the do-nots, those who contribute and those who merely take."

Thomas Sowell

ONE CLICK SURVEY

While state law requires lottery tickets to be sold only in person, it was revealed last week that the Texas Lottery Commission has allowed retailers to sell "digital" scratch-off games online. Pitched to voters in the early 1990s as a way to fund public education, all the proceeds generated since its inception would not be enough to pay for a single year of operation.

The lottery is under Sunset Review by the Legislature to determine if it should be continued. If you were a member of the Texas Legislature, would you:

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