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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.
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Opening Day, But Not For Taxpayers

What to Know: The belated major league baseball season for the Texas Rangers opens today, in the team’s new taxpayer-funded Globe Life Field. Taxpaying fans won’t be there.

The TPPF Take: The pandemic-related ban on fans only serves to illustrate the folly of publicly financed sports complexes.

“The justification for the new stadium was that it would bring in fans from all over to spend their money,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “The truth is that taxpayers are on the hook for $500 million, whether or not the tourism dollars come in. If the new air-conditioned stadium was truly a worthwhile investment, the private sector would have had no problem funding the project in full.”
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School Matters

What to Know: Schools across Texas (and the country) are trying to figure out the best way to reopen. Families are getting caught in the middle.

The TPPF Take: Families are suddenly finding that they can’t rely on their schools for solutions during these tumultuous times, and they’re rapidly developing their own answers.

“Unfortunately, the reason the school reopening discussion is so difficult is that many families have only one option—their assigned public school, which has to miraculously make the right decision for every family,” says TPPF’s Emily Sass. “Texas needs to make sure families are in the driver’s seat and that our most vulnerable students will continue to receive the education they need in a format that makes sense for them.”
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Back The Blue

What to Know: The “Back the Blue” movement continues to gain steam nationwide. In Oklahoma, lawmakers have introduced bills showing support for police officers.

The TPPF Take: The police work to make us safer, and they need our support. The “Defund the Police” movement doesn’t get this.

“Conservatives are not new to the table in policing reform, but there is difficulty in partnering with those who are calling for defunding or police abolition,” says TPPF’s Randy Petersen. “Both sides need to step out of the elevator and have a real discussion on what the goals are and the best way to get there. Alienating all of our police officers is not a good way to start.”