Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute

WSJ: Forcing Workers Into Healthy Habits (July 9, 2009)

AmeriGas Propane Inc. gave its employees an ultimatum: get their medical checkups, or lose their health insurance. Beginning last year, the company mandated that all employees would have to get physical exams, blood-pressure checks and cholesterol and blood-sugar tests. By mandating the checkups the company hopes to improve the health of its employees and save money over time.
Gallup: "Conservatives" are Single-Largest Ideological Group (June 15, 2009)

A June 2009 Gallup poll substantiates the fact that Americans are far more conservative than they are liberal. According to Gallup: "Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This represents a slight increase for conservatism in the U.S. since 2008, returning it to a level last seen in 2004."
Moeller: The Texas Mugging of Western Civ (July 8, 2009)

Last November, Rob Koons, director of the Program in Western Civilization and American Institutions at the University of Texas, was abruptly fired from that position. In swift succession, the name of the program and its leadership was changed to conform more closely to the ideological tastes of the faculty of the College of Liberal Arts. The common elements are a tenured, leftist faculty who are ferocious in their pursuit of intellectual homogeneity and the blithe betrayal of donors, alumni, and students.
The Dallas Morning News: T. Boone Pickens fueling dialogue on clean-energy efforts (July 6, 2009)

Last year, Dallas billionaire T. Boone Pickens began a $60 million advertising campaign and speaking tour designed to persuade Americans to stop using foreign oil. The oilman-turned-environmentalist proposed a seemingly simple plan: Convert cars, especially big fleets operated by companies and municipalities, from gasoline to domestic natural gas. And start generating more electricity from wind. By the end of this year, Pickens predicts, Congress will finish passing laws to implement his plan. And within two years, oil imports will drop.
The New Yorker: The Cost Conundrum (June 1, 2009)

To try to understand the rising cost of health insurance, The New Yorker traveled to McAllen, Texas, home of one of the most expensive health care markets in the country. In 2006, Medicare spent fifteen thousand thousand dollars per enrollee in McAllen, almost twice the national average. The income per capita is twelve thousand dollars. In other words, Medicare spends three thousand dollars more per person in McAllen than the average person earns.
The New York Times: Health Care Spending Disparities Stir a Fight
(Jun 9, 2009)

President Obama recently summoned aides of the Oval Office to discuss the New Yorker article investigating why the border town of McAllen, Texas was the country's most expensive locale for health care. The New Yorker found the major reason to be "overuse of medical care," which has prompted lawmakers to consider reducing health care spending in these "higher spending regions."
Gingrich and Frogue: Congress Must Eliminate Fraud (June 8, 2009)

"While there are major partisan divides over how to permanently restructure our health care system, there is one key area where Democrats and Republicans should be working together: fighting health care fraud. Everyone agrees that fraud should be stopped, and most agree that tackling fraud effectively would yield savings well into the tens of billions of dollars annually." (Click here for full article)
Gallup: More Americans "Pro-Life" Than "Pro-Choice" for the First Time
(May 18, 2009)

A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves "pro-life" on the issue of abortion and 42% "pro-choice." This is the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995. The new results, obtained from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs survey, represent a significant shift from just a year ago. (Click here for full article)
Senate recognizes TCCRI's William P. Clements Jr. Scholars with SCR 63
(May 13, 2009)

In honor of Governor William P. Clements, Jr.'s leadership and dedication to public service, the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute created a legislative study program in his name which places young conservatives in the offices of State Representatives and Senators during the legislative session. On Friday, May 8, 2009 the Senate of the State of Texas recognized Molly Banas, Ben Garner, Tony McDonald and Grant Cox with SCR 63, for serving as the inaugural class of Governor William P. Clements, Jr. Scholars under the Conservative Legislative Study Program hosted by the TCCRI.
WSJ: 'Blight' Gunking Up Post-Kelo Eminent Domain Reforms (April 30, 2009)

Eminent domain has long been a tool of abuse for government. The problem that exists "is that many states still authorize the seizure of property that is deemed "blighted," a term often defined so broadly that it enables "virtually any property to be condemned," says Ilya Somin, a professor at George Mason University School of Law. As a result, property-rights advocates say, states should, and some are trying to, adopt legislation that redefines blight." (Click here for full article)
Groups urge fiscal restraint in budget conference negotiations (April 29, 2009)

Several research, business, and taxpayer groups joined today to urge House and Senate conferees on the 2010-11 state budget to keep fiscal restraint at the forefront of their discussions. The groups raised five priorities for the conference committee's negotiations to help keep Texas fiscally sound. Recommendations included limiting budget growth, rejecting UI stimulus funds, restoring incentive pay, undoing transportation diversions, and preserving the Economic Stabilization Fund for the future. (Click here for full article)
Panhandle Republican takes middle path in carbon rules (April 26, 2009)

Representative Warren Chisum has emerged as a pivotal player in the future of Texas' energy economy. Chisum, in short, has sought out engagement with the federal government over carbon dioxide rules. With ever more likely federal rules limiting emissions of carbon dioxide, Chisum has teamed up with Democrats and Republicans to make business-friendly proposals that would give subsidies to companies that capture greenhouse gas emissions. (Click here for full article)
WSJ: The End of Private Health Insurance - (April 12, 2009)

Above every other health-care goal, Democrats this year want to institute a "public option," an insurance program financed by taxpayers, managed by government and open to everyone. This new entitlement is the most important debate in Congress this year, because it really is the last stand for anything resembling private health insurance. This public option will supposedly "compete" with private alternatives, but with the government paying 20-30% less for healthcare competition will be virtually nonexistent
and the private sector will dwindle to nothing. (Click here for full article)
NYT: The Misguided Quest for Universal Coverage - (April 9, 2009)

America's dysfunctional health care financing system needs to be reformed. But the goal should not be universal coverage. Reform should simply aim to make health insurance more affordable and portable. Republicans have tried to devise market-friendly ways to achieve this goal. Presented in this article are arguments for doing so in practical, moral and political terms. (Click here for full article)
Keith Hennessey: How many uninsured people need additional help from
taxpayers? - (April 9, 2009)

In 2007 (15%) of Americans lacked health insurance, according to the CPS. Advocates, some elected officials, and the press round that number up to "1 in 6 Americans". We hear that there are "46 million uninsured," and then we jump to the conclusion that government needs to help 46 million people buy health insurance, subsidized by taxpayers. Hennessey's article takes a look inside the 45.7 million number and discusses what is really going on behind the numbers. (Click here for full article)
Electric Competition: Defending Consumer Choice - A Free Enterprise LIFT
Perspective - (April 2009)

Texas' competitive electric market has delivered substantial benefits to consumers and businesses. In most parts of ERCOT, the lowest competitive retail electric prices are lower than the last regulated prices available; this is despite increases in inflation and the cost of generation fuels, as well as the cost of investment in new generation and transmission infrastructure that has occurred since 2001. (Click here for full article)
House Bill 6 Letter: Save the Economic Stabilization Fund - (March 31, 2009)

TCCRI and other conservative organizations have urged the Legislature to save the Economic Stabilization for another time, when it will be needed to address budget shortfalls. Hurricane recovery is an important goal, but it need not come at the expense of the state's savings account. (Click here for full article)
TCCRI Establishes Scholarship in Honor of Governor & Mrs. Perry

At the Gala celebration in honor of Governor Perry, the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute presented he and the First Lady with an endowed scholarship that supports two causes dear to the Governor's heart: the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and the Boy Scouts. Governor Perry is the longest-serving Governor in Texas history, and has embodied conservative principles throughout his career in public service.

More information on the scholarship is available here.
The Texas Civil Service Crisis: Part One of Three Reports on the Public Sector in Texas - A TCCRI LIFT Perspective - (March 27, 2009)

It is evident that the public sector in Texas is in crisis, plagued by poor performance and even criminal behavior on the part of some public employees, notably at state schools and in the foster care system. By choosing to attack the private sector in order to protect state jobs, critics of outsourcing have ignored the failings of the public sector and neglected the needs of some of the most vulnerable Texans. (Click here for full article)
Bill Keffer: Our Resignation of Dependence (March 20, 2009)

The hope promised by President Obama is not ultimately the hope of freedom and opportunity that has been the historical signature of America. Instead, it is the insidious siren call of immediate relief to an impatient and impulsive people, in exchange for expanded governmental servitude. (Click here for full article)
Commentary: A Civil Service Crisis in Texas (March 16, 2009)

The appalling allegations out of the Corpus Christi State School is the latest of many disturbing reports of neglect, abuse, and other crimes perpetrated by state employees against Texans in their direct care. These are not isolated incidents. Instead, they hint at a larger civil service crisis in Texas. (Click here for full article)
STAR+Plus Medicaid Managed Care: The Best Option for Texas - A TCCRI LIFT Perspective - (March 13, 2009)

In order to contain the growing cost of the state's Medicaid program, the HMO managed care model must be expanded statewide. The HMO model (STAR and STAR+PLUS) has proven to be a stronger approach to managed care than either the ICM or PCCM models. (Click here for full article)
Half-Truths and Journalistic Advocacy (March 3, 2009)

While the line between activist journalism and issue advocacy has always been a thin one, the Dallas Morning News' publisher crossed it February 2, 2009, by urging in a letter to lawmakers that the Legislature to take action against public-private partnerships. The
evidence? Misleading and inaccurate stories printed in his own newspaper. (Click here for full article)
Conservative groups: Texas Legislature shouldn't drain 'rainy day fund'
Denton Record-Chronicle (February 11, 2009)

TCCRI and other conservative groups have issued a "Blueprint for an Effective Budget" that encourages spending restraint in order to "promote the necessary economic conditions for a strong and vibrant Texas."
Final Report of the TCCRI Property Tax Task Force (February 2009)

Despite historic property tax rate cuts in 2006 and 2007, the property tax remains an unjust burden on home and business owners, and abridges private property rights. The TCCRI Property Tax Task Force has developed recommendations to significantly cut and reform property taxes.
Meeting Future Energy Needs: Final Report of the TCCRI Energy &
Environment Task Force (January 2009)

The price of electricity and gasoline should not determine whether or not Texas, and indeed, the nation engage in a reasoned and serious national debate about energy and the environment.
(Click here for full article)
Rep. Callegari: In defense of outsourcing (December 26, 2008)

TCCRI Board Member Bill Callegari recently authored this defense of outsourcing and privatization as proven means by which the state can realize better services and better results at a lower ultimate cost to taxpayers.
Statesman: Perry poised to become Texas' longest-serving governor
(December 12, 2008)

On January 28, 2009, TCCRI will honor Governor Rick Perry's historic and continuing service to the State of Texas. For more information, please see Events.
Choosing a New Path: Funding Public Schools and Eliminating Property Taxes (November 9, 2008)

It is time to abolish the property tax and replace it with a fairer, simpler, broad-based consumption tax that will give homeowners the promise of one day owning their home free and clear of banks and the government. Public schools must be fully funded with a better and more robust source of revenue.
(Click here for full article)
State Rep. Phil King presentation on Electricity: Competition Works (August 6, 2008)

On August 6, Rep. Phil King, TCCRI Board Member, addressed the 2008 GOPAC State and Local Summit regarding electricity prices. His presentation explains rising demand and the benefits of wholesale and retail electricity competition. (Click here for full article)
Advocating a Free Market for Water (July 6, 2008)

With private sector help, the water needs of urban Texas can be met, the Panhandle economy can create more jobs, and individual landowners can increase the value of their property if they choose to sell a natural resource they own. (Click here for full article)
TCCRI in the News: Austin American-Statesman article on Divorce Reform (July 2, 2008)

Creating incentives for healthy marriages, and disincentives for family breakdown, is socially and fiscally conservative and must be pursued by the 81st Texas Legislature. (Click here for full article)
Reaffirming Tuition Deregulation: Guest Column (June 12, 2008)

Following tuition deregulation, a four-year college education remains well
within reach of even low-income Texans. Colleges must retain control over
tuition so that they can continue to operate world-class learning and
research institutions. (Click here for full article)
Taxing the American Dream: A LIFT Commentary on the Property Tax (June 2, 2008)

The mortgage crisis is bad. The property tax crisis is worse. It is imperative that short-term property tax relief be coupled with a long-term plan to eliminate this intolerable and unjust tax. (Click here for full article)
Making the Grade: Texas Tuition Deregulation (June 2, 2008)

Public universities must retain control over tuition rates. Deregulation has not negatively affected enrollment and has increased the flexibility of individual universities while having a positive effect on the quality of education being offered to students. Tuition deregulation has coincided with continued enrollment growth, particularly from low-income regions of the state. (Click here for full article)
Private Sector Does it Better: Guest Column in the Waco Tribune-Herald (May 26, 2008)

After repeated episodes in which state workers have failed to do their job, the case for further outsourcing is stronger than ever. (Click here for full article)
Meeting Energy Needs: Innovation, not Opposition (May 12, 2008)

Only through continued technological innovation by the private sector will Texas be able to meet future energy demand with affordable, reliable, and environmentally-sound electricity generation. (Click here for full article)
Voter ID: Supreme Court Gives State New Opportunity to Secure Elections (May 7, 2008)

On April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana's photo identification law with a six-to-three ruling in Crawford v. Marion. The majority opinion, authored by Justice John Paul Stevens, invalidates volumes of spurious claims made by opponents of photo identification requirements, forever memorializing their constitutional weightlessness. (Click here for full article)
No-match data program is aid, not apocalypse (April 4, 2008)

President Bush's proposal to enforce existing immigration and labor laws has
drawn the ire of businesses in Texas and nationwide. Yet with proper
enforcement of federal immigration and employment law, there would be more
jobs for unemployed Texans, lower public assistance costs for the state and
a vastly decreased incentive for illegal immigration. (Click here for full article)
Tyler Morning Telegraph: Berman, Others Backing Voter Identification Bill (February 5, 2008)

Vote fraud is real. Election integrity policies aimed at combating vote fraud do not have the claimed negative effects on voter participation. Given those facts, members of the TCCRI Election Integrity Task Force, including Task Force chairmen Leo Berman and Betty Brown, reiterate that they are "determined to protect the most basic and important right of our representative democracy, the right to vote." (Click here for full article)
TCCRI Statement on the Elimination of the M&O Property Tax (December 7, 2007)

The Legislature must begin to explore ways to phase out and ultimately eliminate
the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) property tax. Toward that end, TCCRI
launched a Property Tax Task Force three months ago to examine available
options over the Interim so that legislators are prepared to begin the
necessary work of revitalizing homeownership while funding our schools
through a fairer, broad-based system. (Click here for full article)
CBS 11 News (D-FW): Some Non-Citizens Voting In U.S. Elections (November 26, 2007)

CBS 11 News substantiates research conducted by the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute: non-citizens are on the voter rolls in Texas, and in some cases, they are illegally casting ballots. Click the above link to read the story and watch the video of the CBS 11 report. Also, see this updated chapter of the TCCRI Illegal Immigration Task Force report and this opinion-editorial, each on the imperative of ensuring that only qualified U.S. citizens be allowed to vote.
Stateline.org: States Adopt Marriage Ed Courses (August 7, 2007)

TCCRI and Phase II of the Families First Task Force played an integral part in recommending that couples be encouraged to undergo premarital education. See the final Task Force Report for more.
The Legacy of Milton Friedman - Speech by John Colyandro - (July 31, 2007)

On July 31, 2007, groups across the nation hosted gatherings to honor the late Dr. Milton Friedman. John Colyandro, Executive Director of TCCRI, delivered these remarks at the Friedman Legacy for Freedom luncheon in Austin. (Click here for full article)
President Bush Nominates Diane Rath as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families - (July 9, 2007)

Congratulations to Diane Rath, Chairwoman of the Texas Workforce Commission and TCCRI Board Member, on her nomination to serve as Assistant Secretary for Family Support at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt says: "Diane has succeeded at the state level in creating opportunities for individuals and families in Texas," said Leavitt."I am confident Diane's state experience will be a tremendous asset at the national level." (Click here for full article)
ID Rule will Bolster Integrity of Elections - TCCRI Opinion-Editorial in
the Austin American-Statesman (May 1, 2007)

The illegal immigrant population in Texas is estimated to be over 1.6 million. With so many illegal immigrants residing here, and document fraud and identity theft increasingly linked to illegal immigration, their potential effect on election outcomes is too serious to ignore. Voter identification and citizenship verification fill a gaping loophole in election law. (Click here for full article)
Nothing so onerous about proving CHIP eligibility - TCCRI Opinion-Editorial in the Houston Chronicle - (March 7, 2007)

One of the guiding principles behind the 1996 welfare reform [is] instructive in the Texas CHIP debates: Public benefits should not be permanent entitlements, but temporary programs to help those with genuine and demonstrable needs. Six-month eligibility helps CHIP to target its intended beneficiaries' legitimate and pressing needs. (Click here for full article)
Open markets will meet Texas' water needs - TCCRI Research Report - (March 6, 2007)

Legislators must strive to protect both property rights and taxpayers' interests by resisting attempts to mandate a large-scale reservoir construction program since reasonable and cost-effective alternatives exist. Instead, efforts must focus on creating water markets. Water markets will shift the burden of maintaining and developing water infrastructure in the state from taxpayers to the specific utilities needing additional water resources and the private sector. (Click here for full article)
The School Choice Imperative: Must parents accept failure and still pay high property taxes? - (February 22, 2007)

Individual choice is commonplace in most government programs. Medicaid recipients can choose where they receive treatment, just as TANF and food-stamp recipients can choose the stores from which they purchase goods. Public education stands out as a policy area in which the state constricts the ability of parents and students to choose the school they attend using state money. (Click here for full article)
CHIP Application Form: Are Four Pages Really a Barrier? - (February 15, 2007)

Lawmakers should not be taken in by those who claim that simple eligibility requirements somehow create "barriers" for those who apply to welfare programs such as CHIP. Enforcing eligibility requirements is necessary to ensure that only the genuinely eligible receive public assistance. (Click here for full article)
Saving Money, Saving Families - Final report of the Families First (Phase II) Task Force - (February 2007)

The explosion of social welfare spending at the state and national levels is tied (almost) directly to funding for programs to ameliorate the effects of divorce, out-of-wedlock births, and the rise in the number of single-parent families. Pinpointing the precise amount of spending which results from family breakdown is difficult. Ultimately, however, the state, and society at large, must begin to value the family in order to reduce the fiscal cost of family dissolution. (Click here for full article)
Stoking Lucifer's Furnace - (February 12, 2007)

Using environmental and health-based scare tactics as a means to achieve political ends is nothing new. The latest offender is the Texas Clean Sky Coalition, which is using obviously posed photos of dirty-faced children that might as well be stills from "Coal Miner's Daughter". Here's a suggestion for the Clean Sky Coalition: use coal to meet consumer energy needs rather than smudging the faces of child actors. (Click here for full article)
Universal Pre-K: More power to teacher unions; another attack on parental rights and responsibilities - (February 12, 2007)

Universal pre-Kindergarten should be opposed because it would grow the ranks of the teacher's unions at the expense of parental rights and responsibilities . It is plain that the 'need' for universal pre-K is a manufactured one. The state can only ever play a secondary role to that of parents and family in the development of young children. Expanding pre-K usurps the role of the family. (Click here for full article)
Amarillo Globe-News Column: Texas supremes jeopardize our right to own property - (February 7, 2007)

Eminent domain is government power in its rawest. Under no other doctrine - and where no crime has been committed - can government so directly limit or take away such an important individual liberty as the right to own property. With two decisions, however, the State Supreme Court has made eminent domain a cheaper and faster option for governments to choose. (Click here for full article)
Stop Climbing Debt Mountain: A new approach to financing school facilities - (February 6, 2007)

Facilities funding should no longer rest on a rising mountain of debt, but be turned into an opportunity to unlock the value of existing assets and create new value for the system of public education. By shifting financing to the private sector, school districts will be able to construct new facilities without having to raise additional tax revenues, while they will also benefit from improved and more efficient management of their existing facilities. (Click here for full article)
Summary of Recommendations to the 80th Legislature - (January 2007)

In 2006, TCCRI released three major task force reports focusing on
illegal immigration, property rights, and state taxation. In addition,
numerous policy papers and research papers concentrating on issues ranging
from health care to property rights were published by TCCRI throughout 2006.
It is hoped that this document will be used as a resource for members of the
80th Legislature to look for ways to meet the objective of implementing a
conservative vision for government. (Click here for full article)

“Mere unthinking negative opposition to the current of events, clutching in despair at what we still retain, will not suffice in this age. A conservatism of instinct must be reinforced by a conservatism of thought and imagination.”

— Russell Kirk