Hill Country News

"I Voted" stickers at a polling station on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, on November 6, 2018, in Irvine, California. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

I'm a conservative. Here's why I support the For the People Act

I was blessed to be born into a family that taught and modeled conservative values. My parents and grandparents showed me — not just with their words, but with their deeds — the values of … more

Eric Carlson, The Fulcrum (TNS) | 4/18/21

Fans watched a game between the Texas Rangers and the San Diego Padres at Globe Life Field on April 11, 2021. There’s a race going on, between the desire to return to a pre-pandemic normal and to get enough Texans immunized to make that a safe proposition. Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports via REUTERS

Analysis: Returning to normal before the Texas herd has immunity

As efforts to vaccinate Texans and keep the coronavirus spread under control continue, the state is rapidly opening up, with traffic getting busier and larger crowds in places that have seemed empty … more

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune | 4/18/21

A health care worker looks away as she receives a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus as South Africa proceeds with its inoculation campaign at the Klerksdorp Hospital on Feb. 18, 2021. (Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

The pandemic won't end anywhere until it's under control everywhere

Despite recent setbacks in Michigan and elsewhere, the United States is gradually approaching the day when we may be able to declare the COVID-19 pandemic under control … more

Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 4/17/21

The Value of Organized Religion to a Representative Republic

Fewer Americans are attending traditional church services. Fewer are attending Catholic schools, too. According to Gallup, the number of Americans who belong to a church ... more

By Tom Purcell | 4/17/21

Some Evangelical Christians Have Forgotten Their Moral Duty

I don’t want to malign anyone’s religious faith. I really don’t. But it’s a tad disturbing that 45 percent of the nation’s 41 million white evangelical Christians are … more

By Dick Polman | 4/16/21

Justin Fields, Ohio State's quarterback, is expected to be a high draft pick. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/TNS)

The 'arms race' in college sports is out of control. Here's how to stop it

An unsustainable spending "arms race" is occurring among the 130 colleges that belong to the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision. It is compromising their integrity and is often at odds with their … more

Tom McMillen and Brit Kirwan, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 4/15/21

Voters Already Saying Yes to Biden’s Infrastructure Plan

Here's a quiz for the Republican politicians among you. Check as many as apply. Do you support repairing and rebuilding America's deteriorating network of roads and bridges ... more

By John L. Micek | 4/14/21

Students walked with desk barriers to their next class on the first day of in-person classes at Highland Village Elementary. A rise in local property tax revenue means the state doesn’t have to send as much money to local school districts.

Analysis: A $5.5 billion shift in who pays for public education in Texas

Fast-rising property values in Texas can be hard on local taxpayers, but they’re gravy to the state government. Because of the way public schools are funded, a rise in local ... more

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune | 4/9/21

Take me out to fewer ball games

The Pandemic of 2020 was a tragedy for the whole world.But our all-out war against the coronavirus taught Americans a bunch of important lessons.It proved that our political ... more

By Michael Reagan | 4/9/21

Corporations aren’t buying what GOP is selling

Look who’s showing up in debates over voting and elections, opposing some of the leaders of a GOP that had a long and deserved reputation as the party of big business. Big … more

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune | 4/8/21

So Now Republicans Hate Coke and Baseball

Republicans and corporate America have been conjoined for so long that any breach in the bond is almost impossible to imagine. Yet we’re seeing one now, thanks to the GOP’s decision to … more

By Dick Polman | 4/8/21

Can We Please Retire the Word Debunked?

Did I ever tell you about my late Uncle Vernon and the time his slanderous lies about a respected business got unceremoniously … more

By Danny Tyree | 4/7/21

The Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D.C. The Recovery Rebate Credit, a new feature for 2020 federal income tax returns, has the IRS correcting a number of mistakes. (Chuck Myers/TNS)

You might get a letter from IRS about a mistake on your tax return

A lot of confusion relating to stimulus checks — and how to claim a tax credit for any money still owed — is triggering trouble, extra letters and delays as people file their 2020 tax … more

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press (TNS) | 4/7/21

The American flag flies at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 8, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Oliver Contreras/SIPA USA/TNS)

The myth of American exceptionalism

Amid unprecedented attacks on our democracy, with polarization at historic highs and trust in government at historic lows, a constant remains: Conservatives still insist in the ... more

Scott Warren, The Baltimore Sun (TNS) | 4/6/21

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an order Friday, April 2, 2021 prohibiting Florida businesses from requiring customers show proof that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS)

Stop grousing about vaccine 'passports' — they're the key to reopening society

It was a bright yellow booklet I carried everywhere, and at some national borders it was scrutinized even more carefully than my government-issued passport. It was my vaccine certificate … more

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 4/6/21

American Airlines jets wait at Terminal A at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Credit:

Analysis: Corporations aren’t buying what GOP leaders are selling in voting debate

Look who’s showing up in debates over voting and elections, opposing some of the leaders of a GOP that had a long and deserved reputation as the party of big business. more

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune | 4/5/21

Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff, right, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia wave to supporters during a rally on Nov. 15, 2020, in Marietta, Georgia. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images/TNS)

Why more Americans should leave home and move to other states

America has been lazily divided by pundits into red and blue states, as if there weren’t constant movement of people between them. Fortunately, reality is a lot more purple ... more

Joel Kotkin, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 4/5/21

The sun sets behind Trump Tower on Nov. 3, 2020, Election Day, in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

After four years of abuse, tangible fixes abound for restoring the rule of law

From inappropriate contacts with the Department of Justice to politically motivated pardons to the president's refusal to separate himself from his businesses, one of the most troubling … more

Martha Kinsella and Daniel Weiner, The Fulcrum (TNS) | 4/4/21

The United States should look to Germany in developing a civic education program. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Want civic education in US schools? Look to Germany for lessons

Anyone who wondered, during this past annus horribilis, whether many Americans no longer grasped the meaning of democracy, could find plenty of stats to back that dismal conclusion. more

Trudy Rubin, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) | 4/3/21

Kellyanne Conway speaks with the media at the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 26, 2020. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

After four years of loophole abuse and flagrant disregard, the Hatch Act needs repair

Throughout Donald Trump's four years as president, nearly every federal government ethics and anti-corruption law suffered immense public damage. But among his administration's ... more

Jennifer Ahearn, The Fulcrum (TNS) | 4/2/21

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