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

It’s Christmas, Ebenezer!

What to Know: As Christmas approaches, let us remember the lesson Ebenezer Scrooge learned in the Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol.”

The TPPF Take: The lesson of “A Christmas Carol” is that true charity comes from individual hearts, not from government coffers.

“At the beginning of Dickens’ classic story, Scrooge was a proponent of government activism and critical of private sector efforts,” says TPPF’s Ron Simmons. “By the next morning, he was changed—and saw his personal duty to love his neighbor. In downtown Dallas, Daron Babcock established Bonton Farms from the same conviction—and he’s changing lives.”

The Good News!

What to Know: The last decade has been one of incredible progress in many areas—including health, poverty and the environment.

The TPPF Take: Fear not! Improvements made in our environment, our economy and our world are cause for celebration, not apprehension.

“There’s a strong case to be made for optimism,” says TPPF’s Brent Bennett. “Instead of leading us to environmental disaster, our economic prosperity—made possible by our diversified and reliable energy system—has enabled investments in technologies to improve environmental quality and human health. This shows we can achieve both prosperity and a cleaner environment through abundant, affordable energy.”

An Appealing Option

What to Know: California has pledged to appeal the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that affirmed the unconstitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate—a case argued by the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

The TPPF Take: The Fifth Circuit decision was correct.

“The Court affirmed what we’ve been saying all along — that despite the promises and assurances all Americans received, Obamacare hurt families by taking away their insurance, taking away their doctors, limiting their choices and pricing them out of health care,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “And the decision reinforces the principle that the federal government’s powers are limited. It cannot force Americans to purchase products they don’t want and don’t need, nor can it consign their welfare to a system — whether it’s Obamacare of Medicare-for-All— that fails to meet their needs and even puts them at risk.”