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

Driving Those Taxes Up

 

What to Know: Austin is moving forward with an election on a $7 billion tax rate increase to fund a massive new transportation plan.

 

The TPPF Take: Now is a terrible time to raise taxes to fund the plan.

 

“As a frustrated commuter who spends a lot of time on Interstate 35, I’m not against doing some big, bold things on transportation,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “But this plan was put together before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and doesn’t take into account the economic hardships we’re all facing now.”

We’re Celebrating That?

What to Know: Environmentalists continue to celebrate the COVID-19 pandemic as the cure for what plagues the planet — us.

The TPPF Take: How callous it is to rejoice in human suffering.

“The progress of economies around the world shows that environmental quality and economic prosperity go hand in hand — they are allies, not enemies,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “The best long-term solution is to promote freedom and economic growth, not to pursue more government-mandated shutdowns and costly regulations that would continue the financial devastation so many families are facing.”

Directly Helping

 

What to Know: Amazon is getting into the Direct Primary Care business for its workers, including many of those in Texas.

 

The TPPF Take: Direct Primary Care makes sense for many families.

“Direct primary care re-establishes the relationship between physicians and their patients—without the middlemen of insurance companies, benefits managers and Medicaid officials,” says TPPF’s David Balat. “To solve our nation’s health care delivery problems, we need new ideas—not more of the one-size-fits-all approach.”