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

Pants on Fire

What to Know: California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims that most of the homeless people in his state are from Texas. Even Politifact calls this “ridiculous.”

The TPPF Take: Studies show that the large majority of homeless in San Francisco, for example, lived in San Francisco prior to becoming homeless.

“Policy decisions in California—not Texas—directly caused that state’s homelessness crisis,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “From court decisions and new laws that took the teeth out of the state’s drug court system, to policies that make housing unaffordable, California bears the responsibility for its own plight, and the increasing problem of disease and unsanitary conditions that accompanies it.”

Report Cards

What to Know: School districts around the state have received their report cards from the state. For some—like San Antonio ISD—this is good news, confirming positive trends and reforms that are working.

The TPPF Take: San Antonio’s approach—offering more choices to parents and working to engage students—should be emulated by other districts.

“San Antonio is responding to the real desire of families to have more choices,” says TPPF’s Emily Sass. “They’re creating the kind of campuses and offerings that are bringing students back to SAISD. It’s something other district should take note of.”
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You Don’t Say

What to Know: The Affordable Care Act is failing, and a big part of the reason is simple fraud, a new report says. About 800,000 ineligible people are improperly enrolled in Medicaid, for example.

The TPPF Take: Fraud and abuse are a symptom; the real problem is that government has largely seized control of the health care industry.

“In the free market, success is rewarded with profit, and mismanagement is punished with bankruptcy,” says TPPF’s David Balat. “In government-run health care, mismanagement is tolerated—and even rewarded. Medicare-for-All would remove the last remaining elements of the free market, and the results would be disastrous.”