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

I Wonder…?

What to Know: Why are more people leaving New York City than any other city in the nation?

The TPPF Take: New Yorkers are fleeing ever-increasing taxes and diminishing opportunities to prosper.

“There’s no mystery here; people are leaving as the direct result of government policies,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “New York’s high taxes, crushing regulations and high cost of living mean that if people want freedom and opportunity, they must seek it elsewhere—in places like Texas.”

Taxed to the Max

What to Know: Travis County is raising its tax rate as much as it possibly can—without risking a rollback election.

The TPPF Take: Senate Bill 2 will soon lower the amount local government can raise taxes without taxpayer approval—and that’s why they’re raising taxes as much as they can now.

“The excuse many of these cities and counties use is that their funding will be reduced when SB 2 goes into effect,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “That’s simply not true. If they have a real need above the new threshold, they can make their case to the voters. These new tax hikes should remind us all that the fight isn’t over. More must be done to protect hard-working Texans against insatiable local governments.”

And Everyone Gets a Trophy

What to Know: Katy ISD is weakening its grading system, because “labeling all students with an exact rank feeds a culture of unhealthy competition,” school officials contend.

The TPPF Take: It’s called grade inflation, and it’s not new.

“This is a troubling reflection of a trend we’ve seen in higher education for years,” says TPPF’s Emily Sass. "Student mastery of content should be more important than a letter on a piece of paper. By requiring that only 'good grades' may be given, grade inflation deludes students and misinforms parents and communities.”