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

It’s Time to Open Schools

 

What to Know: President Trump launched his “Kids First” initiative in a White House Event on Wednesday. It provides guidelines and resources for safely reopening schools for in-person learning.

 

The TPPF Take: We can—and must—safely reopen America’s schools.

 

“We must ensure that our kids don’t suffer an indefinite interruption of their educations,” says TPPF’s Kevin Roberts. “The scientific evidence clearly shows that we can reopen schools safely, and using proven strategies, provide the positive, dedicated learning environment that so many of our kids require.”

Taxing Texas

 

What to Know: Two legislative leaders said in a TPPF Livestream event on Tuesday that cities and counties shouldn’t attempt to ignore Senate Bill 2’s taxpayer protections by raising taxes during the current economic downturn.

 

The TPPF Take: As Chairman Paul Bettencourt noted in the Livestream, “The whole purpose behind SB 2 was to give voters more say in their property taxes,” by lowering the voter-approval rate from 8 percent to 3.5 percent.

 

“The former 8 percent rollback rate was put into place in 1981, at a time of great inflation—double digit inflation,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “That seemed to reflect the times we were in. But if you look at the last 25 years, inflation hasn’t been above 4 percent. If we changed it then, it was time last session to do it again. And that’s what Texas did.”

A Boost for Medicare-For-All

 

What to Know: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s pick of Sen. Kamala Harris for the VP job gives a boost to Medicare-for-All. While Biden defends the Affordable Care Act, Harris is a cosponsor of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ M4A bill.

 

The TPPF Take: Medicare-for-All polls well, but only until people learn what’s in it.

 

“Now that the primaries are over, the Democrats have several weeks to explain how their planned takeover by government bureaucrats could ever result in less bureaucratic waste, lower wait times and stronger relationships between doctors and patients,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “Republicans can talk about the simple economic principles—that less competition means higher costs and lower quality; that more choices means lower costs and better care.”