Responsible Recovery

What to Know: The COVID-19 pandemic and the related shutdowns have wreaked havoc on the Texas economy.

The TPPF Take: The Texas Public Policy Foundation has laid out a Responsible Recovery Agenda to minimize long-term economic damage.

“Raising taxes is a costly endeavor — even more so in a recession because it distorts behavior at a time when the economy is weak, delaying recovery and leading to even greater economic stress,” says TPPF’s Benjamin Priday. “Legislators should close budget gaps first by strategically employing the Rainy Day Fund and by trying to find ways to reduce spending.”

For more on the Responsible Recovery Agenda, click here.

Low Expectations

What to Know: The San Diego school district is lowering its expectations for minority students, in an effort to be “anti-racist.”

The TPPF Take: As President George W. Bush once pointed out, low expectations are a kind of soft bigotry.

“Expecting less from someone based on his or her race used to be called racism or bigotry,” says TPPF’s Tom Lindsay. “Condescension toward blacks hardly qualifies as ‘anti-racism,’ but rather, its antithesis. Instead of lowering grading standards based on race, how about this novel approach? We could judge individuals as individuals, not as first and foremost members of an identity group.”

For more on lower expectations, click here.

It’s Back

What to Know: Democrats say they have plans in place to raise the minimum wage if the party wins the Senate in January.

The TPPF Take: A minimum wage hike would be a costly mistake—particularly for those just starting their employment careers.

“While likely well-intended, Congress shouldn’t arbitrarily raise the cost of employing workers by raising the federal minimum wage which hurts those most who it’s intended to help,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “The result will be more unemployed lower-skilled workers, such as those without some college or technical skills, which would be devastating when they’re the ones currently struggling most. Instead, Congress should be removing barriers to give the best opportunity to prosper.”

For more on the minimum wage, click here.