Texas' insurance rankings are cause for concern
Texas has shown that a free-market, light-touch regulatory approach works best for both businesses and consumers. It's time we applied the same approach to insurance.
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Refugee facilities aren't "residential centers" — they're prisons
As a Japanese-American, I am appalled to see history repeat itself with the detention of thousands of asylum-seeking children and their mothers in two large family detention camps operated by for-profit prison corporations in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas.
In the GOP, two definitions of the ideal conservative
It’s December of an odd-numbered year, which can mean only one thing in Texas: the reheating of the GOP Civil War as the party’s factions gear up for the start of primary season.
It’s time to help Texas become a national research leader
Historically, accolades and attention for major scientific research have gone to the two coasts in the United States, with big-name universities on the East Coast and federal research labs on the West attracting the majority of research funding and resources. But Texas is now emerging as the Third Coast of scientific research and innovation
Farewell, Austin
I had always wanted to live in Austin, but the Austin I wanted to live in then is now slip-sliding away.
Waging the War for Christmas in Texas
Texas politicians have been in the front line of the War on Christmas in recent weeks, and one doesn't have to question the sincerity of their beliefs to notice that the political context of taking the side of the aggrieved in this war is also a form of preaching to the choir.
I'm a survivor of Texas' broken foster care system
When the state removed me from my family, I thought I would finally have the chance to escape the abuse I had become so accustomed to at home. Instead, I was thrust into a nightmare that was worse than anything I had experienced before.
The tangled web of the Commerce Clause
Since the New Deal, the Commerce Clause has been Congress’ go-to statute when it wants to regulate something but doesn’t have a mechanism to justify it.
Dallas won't follow Houston on equal rights
Equal rights laws such as the one in Dallas are more important now than ever.
Moving Texas high-speed rail forward
Texas Central, a privately-owned, Texas-based company developing a landmark high-speed rail project in our state, is moving with momentum into 2016.
Texas needs smart policies, not a miracle
A troubling new economic forecast and continued concerns about oil and gas revenues are exposing the underbelly of the "Texas Miracle."
Why you need the flu shot this year — and every year
Get a flu shot today. Do it for Texas’ kids, and do it for yourself.
Trump's Muslim proposal will only strengthen terrorists
Donald Trump's proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United States has played right into the terrorists’ hands, bolstering the very argument of hostility toward Islam that they use to recruit increasing numbers of angry young people to their cause.
Criminalizing moving apps hurts Texas
If Texas wants to retain its status as the envy of the nation in terms of opportunity and economic growth, it must not allow government to restrict the advance of the free market to the point of criminalization just to serve the narrow business interest of industry incumbents.
What minority students bring to my physics classes
For everyone in Texas, the diversity in our university classrooms is a matter of justice, prosperity and maybe even survival.
Why we're working to bring back Rick Perry
Rick Perry has proven that he is uniquely suited to be the next president of the United States. We believe he still is — and still can win the Republican nomination.
In Texas redistricting fight, a can of worms for everyone
As the Evenwel v. Abbott redistricting case goes before the Supreme Court this week, there may be temptation to see it as yet another in the long chain of struggles between Anglos and Hispanics over power in Texas. But if maps have to be redrawn, the impact of Evenwel could be far more dramatic.
Congress must expand the Excellence in Mental Health Act
A lack of ready access to mental health treatment results in nearly insurmountable problems when our emergency rooms, nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons take on that role in addition to their primary responsibilities.
Why I am thankful for the Affordable Care Act
This year, I was especially thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with my family, as a recent cancer diagnosis taught me the importance of getting health insurance coverage.
Decoding political responses to the Planned Parenthood shooting
The attitudes revealed in polling provide ready frames for political leaders on the left and right to use in crafting their responses to the sad and troubling events in Colorado Springs.