Originally published on Substack. 

A recent post on X from Barrett Lindberg made the rounds, warning Texans that eliminating property taxes is “a mathematical lie.” His thread paints a dramatic picture: Texas balanced on a “two-legged stool,” forced to choose between sky-high sales taxes or deep state control over local communities. According to him, property-tax elimination is not just unrealistic—it’s dangerous.

Here’s Barrett’s analysis if you haven’t seen his post on X.

He makes good observations about the structure of Texas finances, the role of local governments, and the mechanics of school finance. But the conclusions are ultimately flawed because they miss the most important point: the problem is not taxation—it’s spending. And spending at every level of Texas government is growing far faster than Texans’ ability to pay.
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I said as much in my response.

Barrett is right that you can’t “delete $81 billion” of property taxes without replacing it. What he overlooks is that Texas doesn’t need to replace every dollar—it needs to spend less!

That’s the heart of the issue. And the only way to build a future of real homeownership and prosperity is to confront spending directly, not hide behind doomsday math. That’s the way in Washington, but shouldn’t be the way in Texas.

The Real Problem: Overspending, Not Undertaxation
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Local property taxes in Texas now exceed $80 billion per year, up roughly 70 percent from 2015 to 2024, while population growth plus inflation rose only 50 percent. That’s not the “two-legged stool” Barrett describes. That’s a spending stool whose legs keep growing while Texans keep shrinking under the weight.

And it’s not just schools. Cities, counties, hospital districts, appraisal districts, and special taxing districts have been expanding their budgets year after year. When government gets bigger, property taxes follow—no matter what relief gimmicks lawmakers pass.

This is why homestead exemptions don’t solve anything. They don’t reduce spending; they simply shift the tax burden from one group of taxpayers to another.

If Texas doesn’t restrain spending, then no tax structure—three-legged or two-legged or twenty-legged—will ever feel stable.

The Moral Failure: Texans Shouldn’t Have to Rent Their Homes from Government

Property taxes are not just inefficient; they are immoral. They violate the basic principle that individuals should control the value they create and the property they acquire through voluntary exchange. Once a homeowner pays off the mortgage, that home should be theirs—secure, not subject to a perpetual ransom demanded by local government.

No tax that allows the government to seize your home for nonpayment should ever be defended as “good policy.”

Property taxes are also highly regressive. The Texas Comptroller’s Suits Index shows that property taxes fall hardest on lower- and middle-income families. Meanwhile, renters pay property taxes in their rent, and small businesses pay them through commercial leases. The economic burden is everywhere, even where the tax bill isn’t.

Barrett is correct that property taxes hit high-value properties. But he ignores the enormous harm to families trying to build wealth or retire in dignity. If the state’s goal is prosperity, mobility, and ownership, property taxes are the most anti-ownership tax imaginable.

For more on this, check out my property tax research archive.

The Economic Path Forward: Sustainable Budgeting

Now to the economics. Barrett warns that replacing property taxes would require a 20 percent sales tax. But that’s only true under one assumption: that government continues spending at today’s levels.

Texas doesn’t have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.​

The real solution is simple: adopt a sustainable budget—lower spending now and a growth limit that keeps state and local spending increasing slower than population growth plus inflation thereafter. When spending stays below that threshold, surpluses naturally emerge. Those surpluses should be used to permanently buy down school district property taxes through rate compression—the first and largest component of the levy.

Texas already dipped its toes into this model with tax-rate compression, which Barrett praises. But compression alone is not a long-term strategy because it still allows local spending to grow faster than the average taxpayer’s ability to pay.
The sustainable budget model is a short-run and long-run strategy.

If lawmakers embraced a strict spending limit and used every surplus dollar to buy down school district maintenance and operations property tax rates, Texas could eliminate school district property taxes quickly. Cities, counties, and other local covenants could do the same by holding spending below the limit and using their own surpluses to ratchet down their rates.

No 20 percent sales tax (this is fearmongering). No centralization (except school district funding which the state already controls). No fiscal cliffs (boom and bust cycles). Just disciplined budgeting (like many families).

The 21st-Century Solution: A Single, Simple Sales Tax

Barrett mocks the idea of a sales-tax-based system. But he misses the economic truth: broad-based consumption taxes are the least burdensome tax structure available.

Texas already relies heavily on sales taxes on final goods and services, but they’re riddled with exemptions. Clean up the base, remove carveouts, and modernize it for a 21st-century economy, and Texas could support core services with far less distortion and far more transparency.

This is the model I’ve written about for years:

• Sustainable budgeting with less spending and strict spending limits
• Broad, flat sales tax on final goods and services
• No income tax
• No property tax
• No other taxes or fees

A one-stool system—not the wobbly two-legged one Barrett describes. Think bar stool. Think barber stool. Sturdy. Simple. Hard to kick over.

What Texas Needs Now: Courage

Barrett’s final claim is that elimination “sounds like freedom, but it’s centralization.” What centralizes power is a finance system built on runaway spending and endless property taxes that force Texans into permanent dependence. What decentralizes power is letting Texans own their homes outright and forcing governments to live within their means.

Texas doesn’t need bigger taxes. It needs smaller government. It doesn’t need “rate compression forever.” It needs a path to elimination. It doesn’t need fear about the math. It needs courage, conviction, and leadership that trusts Texans more than bureaucracy.

The truth is simple:

Texas can eliminate property taxes.

Texas should eliminate property taxes.

And if policymakers embrace sustainable budgeting, Texas will eliminate them.
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Freedom begins when government spends less so Texans can prosper more.

Originally published at Kansas Policy Institute. 

​If it feels like Christmas keeps getting more expensive, that’s because it is,  and Kansans are feeling it more sharply than policymakers care to admit. The rising cost of living is no longer a blip on a chart; it’s a full-blown pocketbook problem showing up in everything from family grocery runs to holiday gift lists. Add in climbing household debt tracked by the Federal Reserve, and families know the truth: their paychecks don’t go nearly as far as they used to.

Credit card balances recently hit an all-time high, and people aren’t swiping for luxuries; they’re financing day-to-day life and now the holidays on top of it. This isn’t overspending. It’s the reality of an affordability crisis where wages simply can’t catch up.

Inflation plays a major role, even if Washington wants to declare “mission accomplished.” Prices don’t fall just because the inflation rate slows. They ratchet up and stick. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food, vehicles, utilities, insurance, and nearly every household necessity remain significantly higher than before the pandemic. And interest rates aren’t cutting Kansans any slack. With the Federal Reserve holding its interest rate target at multi-decade highs, financing a home, a car, or even a modest holiday season costs far more than it did just a few years ago.

The broader economy isn’t helping either. Growth has softened, and real wages still lag inflation. Employers are cautious. Paychecks aren’t stretching to meet the new price reality, no matter how carefully families plan.

Tariffs aren’t the biggest driver of the affordability crunch, but they’re not helping. The question of whether tariffs might “steal Christmas” is worth asking because tariffs operate like quiet taxes built into everyday goods. Research finds that U.S. consumers, not foreign exporters, end up paying most of the cost. When Washington adds trade friction, electronics, toys, clothing, and tools all get pricier at the exact moment families are shopping the most.

Even with these pressures, Kansans are still trying to make the holidays work. Retail spending data show surprising resilience, but only because families are dipping into savings or putting more on credit cards. National emergency-savings surveys make clear that many households have little financial cushion left. What looks like strong shopping often masks stretched budgets beneath the surface.

This isn’t the kind of prosperity Kansas families deserve. Affordability improves when markets stay competitive and open, when taxes remain low, so families keep more of what they earn, and when regulations stay limited so businesses can lower prices instead of raising them. It improves when leaders resist the urge to micromanage trade or fuel inflation with heavy-handed federal spending. Every time the government interferes in the economy, costs rise somewhere — and families feel those costs first and hardest.

The best economic gift Kansas could receive this Christmas is a policy reset — one that trusts people and markets more than politicians and bureaucrats. When prices reflect real competition instead of political engineering, and when Kansans keep more of their own money, life becomes more affordable. That’s when the holidays start to feel joyful again, not stressful.

A freer economy is the surest path to prosperity. Kansas families deserve it.

Originally published on Substack. 

When a Republican president starts acting like a New York City socialist, it’s time to say the quiet part out loud: Industrial policy has officially infected both political parties.
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The Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump administration plans to take an equity stake in a semiconductor startup founded by Intel’s former CEO should alarm anyone who still believes capitalism means private risk and private reward.

The deal—made through the government’s CHIPS Act slush fund passed during the Biden years—reads less like a market transaction and more like Washington’s latest attempt to play venture capitalist with other people’s money.

And let’s be clear: When government takes equity in a private company, that isn’t capitalism. That’s corporate socialism.
In fact, it’s precisely the kind of policy you’d expect from NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani—not a Republican president.
But here we are.

When Government Takes an Equity Stake, It’s Not “America First”—It’s Government First

This chip startup—led by a respected former Intel CEO—may well be brilliant. It might innovate, scale, and help rebuild domestic semiconductor capacity.

That’s not the point.

The point is what government is doing:

• picking a firm
• choosing a technology
• subsidizing the risk
• absorbing potential losses
• sharing in theoretical profits
• and distorting competition

This is industrial policy by another name: political venture capitalism, which has failed in every country and every century it’s been attempted.

If this is the new right-wing economic strategy, then the difference between Washington GOP and the socialist left is now just the branding.

The Free Market Doesn’t Need a Babysitter
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Let’s walk through the basics—something both parties seem to have forgotten.

Capital markets exist. They evaluate risk. They price innovation. They take losses when they get it wrong and reap rewards when they get it right.

Investors exist. They specialize in picking promising technology and turning it into real businesses.

Entrepreneurs exist. They build companies because they believe in their ideas, not because the federal government holds out a check.

We don’t lack money.

We don’t lack expertise.

We lack the political will to let markets work without Washington playing helicopter parent.

When government inserts itself as an equity partner, one thing is certain:

Profits are privatized.

Losses are socialized.

And taxpayers always end up holding the bag.

Corporate Welfare: Where Both Parties Quietly Agree

Most Americans miss the quiet truth about Washington:

Democrats prefer social welfare.

Republicans prefer corporate welfare.

And both forms of welfare substitute political judgment for market discipline.

The Trump administration’s equity-stake experiment doesn’t put America first.

It doesn’t put workers first.

It puts politicians and bureaucrats first.

And it places taxpayers on the hook for decisions they never made.

The Semiconductor “Crisis” Doesn’t Justify Central Planning

We’ve heard the justification:

“China is subsidizing chips, so we must do the same.”

No.

We don’t beat China by becoming China.

China subsidizes everything precisely because its political system doesn’t allow prices, entrepreneurs, and markets to guide resources. That’s why it wastes more capital than any major economy on earth. That’s why its productivity is collapsing. And that’s why its growth model is unraveling.

Copying China’s industrial strategy is like copying Venezuela’s inflation strategy:

You don’t learn from failure by recreating it.

If the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem needs strengthening—and it does—then fix the barriers preventing private investment:

• cut spending and taxes
• reduce regulatory burdens
• open energy markets
• allow faster permitting
• stop subsidizing competitors
• end distortions that make domestic manufacturing so costly

In other words, get government out of the way.

A Classical Liberal Rule: If It’s a Good Investment, Government Doesn’t Need to Fund It

True capitalism is not complicated:

• People in the market take risks.
• Investors take losses.
• Entrepreneurs reap rewards.
• Government protects property rights, ensures rule of law, and stays neutral.

Once government becomes an investor, neutrality disappears.

Regulators protect their portfolio.

Competition becomes political.

Access becomes relational.

And innovation becomes something you lobby for—not something you earn.

It’s the opposite of a free market.

It’s industrial favoritism with better lighting.

You Cannot MAGA with a Central Planner’s Playbook

I say this with respect for many good policies Trump pursued in his first term:

You don’t restore American greatness by embracing government equity stakes in private firms.

You don’t revive American manufacturing by funneling taxpayer money to politically blessed companies.

And you don’t build the next generation of semiconductors by outsourcing investment decisions to bureaucrats who’ve never built a semiconductor in their lives.

America’s strength has never come from Washington picking winners.

It comes from a free people out-innovating, out-producing, and outperforming the world because they are free—not government-backed.

If we want faster innovation, stronger markets, and global leadership in technology, the answer is simple:

End corporate welfare.

End industrial policy.

Unleash free markets.
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Let America’s entrepreneurs—not politicians—drive the future.

Originally published on Substack. 

​We discuss a lot about the economy, liberty, and public policy in this newsletter. But every now and then, it’s worth stepping back to remember why any of it matters. Gratitude has a way of clearing the noise and reminding us what’s real.

The truth is, gratitude surrounds us constantly—even when we don’t notice it.

Most of the beauty of everyday life flows from voluntary exchange. It’s the invisible cooperation that happens between people who choose to serve one another, often without ever meeting. The clothes we wear, the food on our table, the technology in our pockets—all exist because someone, somewhere, devoted time and creativity to make life a little better for people they’ll never see.

That’s gratitude in motion. That’s the miracle of free people choosing to help one another.

We rarely pause to marvel at how well this system usually works, because the best systems are the ones that remain almost invisible. We only notice when something breaks. But most of the time—nearly all the time—our world hums along on a foundation of trust, cooperation, and voluntary relationships. And that’s worth celebrating.

Gratitude for Family, Friends, and the Moments That Matter

This season always brings our attention back to the people who make life meaningful: our families, our friends, our mentors, our communities.

We gather around tables, in living rooms, on back porches, or wherever our people are, and we share food, laughter, stories, and presence. These are the moments that tell us life is bigger than our inbox, our schedule, or our politics.

But gratitude isn’t always easy. Sometimes it comes with the sting of remembering those who aren’t at the table anymore.

We all carry losses—family members who shaped us, friends who lifted us, mentors who guided us. Their absence isn’t just a reminder of pain; it’s a reminder of how deeply their presence mattered. They helped lay bricks on the path we walk today. Some of those bricks were smooth, some were cracked, and some we had to replace or redirect ourselves. But each of them was part of the journey.

And even when the path wasn’t gold, it still led us forward. That’s something to be grateful for, too.

Gratitude for the Freedom to Choose

One of the greatest blessings in America is the freedom to build the life we want—in faith, family, work, or community. We don’t rely on politicians to direct our relationships. We don’t need bureaucrats to tell us how to raise our kids or shape our future.

Freedom gives us room to make mistakes, grow, forgive, innovate, love, and start again. It gives us the chance to take responsibility for our choices and reap the rewards of our hard work.

Gratitude and liberty go hand in hand. Unfree people can’t be fully grateful—because their lives belong to someone else.

That’s why faith, family, free markets, and federalism matter so much. They’re not slogans. They’re pillars of a society where ordinary people shape their own destiny. They make gratitude possible because they protect the voluntary interactions that allow us to flourish.

Gratitude for This Community

I’m grateful for this newsletter community—more than 45,000 strong across platforms—filled with people who care deeply about liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing. You come from every corner of life: teachers, business owners, engineers, pastors, public servants, parents, students, retirees, entrepreneurs, and everything in between.

And yet you share something powerful in common: You believe in the dignity of free people. You believe that prosperity comes from bottom-up creativity, not top-down control. You believe in accountability, not coercion. You believe in freedom—not because it’s easy, but because it’s right.

This newsletter exists because you show up—reading, sharing, supporting, and engaging with ideas that matter. I’m grateful for the trust you place in my work, the conversations we’ve had, and the hope you carry for a freer, more prosperous country.

A Closing Thought

Gratitude isn’t passive. It strengthens us. It sharpens our purpose. It grounds us when the world feels chaotic. It reminds us that the most meaningful things in life aren’t controlled by government—they’re cultivated through relationships, responsibility, and freedom.

As we look forward, I’m thankful for the chance to keep sharing insights, shining a light on sound economics, and making the case every week for policies rooted in liberty. I’m thankful for the opportunity to help equip leaders, families, and communities to navigate a challenging world with clarity and hope.

And I’m thankful for each of you—for reading, supporting, questioning, sharing, and standing firm in the belief that America’s best days come from trusting people, not power.

Gratitude fuels liberty.
Liberty fuels prosperity.
Prosperity lets people flourish.
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And that’s a reason why we keep going! Reach out if I can ever serve you.
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