January 19, 2019
File this under “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” President Donald Trump yesterday hit Speaker Nancy Pelosi where it hurts: cancelling the military transport for her planned “seven-day excursion” overseas (read: taxpayer-funded vacation). If she still wants to go, she has to fly commercial.
· “I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!” – President Trump to Speaker Pelosi
· Democrats in Texas, meanwhile, are pushing job-killing legislation that would shutter small businesses and force low-income wage earners into unemployment. Brandon Waltens reports on legislation filed by State Reps. Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie), Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City) and Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), and State Sen. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) to hike the minimum wage beyond the federal level.
· When Democrat-run cities like New York and San Francisco adopted $15 minimum hourly wages, many businesses were forced to close down.
· “Because of disparities in education, job losses often exact a crippling toll on minority communities. Cornell University researchers have determined that after a minimum wage hike, young African-Americans bear four times the employment loss of non-blacks.” – Employment Policies Institute
· “As minimum wages increase, so does Hispanic unemployment.” – Daniel Honchariw, Nevada Policy Research Institute
· At the Texas Energy Security Summit, State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood) renewed his warning that inaction on hardening the state’s electric grid will have negative economic and security consequences for Texans. Destin Sensky reports on the summit.
· “Texas can serve as a model for the nation because the state has a self-contained electrical grid.” – State Sen. Bob Hall
· State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford) announced legislation yesterday that would exempt school buses from paying tolls.
· In this week’s edition of Texas Scorecard Radio, Tony McDonald covers news from around the state, then interviews the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Rob Henneke about a recent court ruling striking down ObamaCare.
· A Travis County District Court ruled yesterday that the City of Austin violated Texas law and infringed on citizens’ rights. Jacob Asmussen reports the story began in 2016 when the city repeatedly blocked a resident from entering city hall because of his licensed concealed handgun.
· Arbitrary fines and Byzantine bureaucracies leave citizens little recourse when city employees issue demands for vague violations and unnecessary repairs. Tony Ortiz describes the painful, and expensive, process he was forced to endure on behalf of his homeowners association at the hands of a series of incompetent city officials.
· The chairwoman of the Tarrant County Democratic Party announced that she is running for mayor of Fort Worth. Erin Anderson reports on Deborah Peoples’ candidacy.
