Posts in "Texas"

By Kelsey Crockett at 11:45AM

Jan 3, 2012

Hay! That's Not Fair!

Hay I got to spend some time with relatives in East Texas this holiday season, where the accents are as thick as the sweet tea. After days of presents, gluttony, and fireworks, my family and I packed our car and headed home. As we were passing a truck stacked high with bales of hay my mother commented on the escalation of feed prices in Texas. Apparently, due to ongoing drought in the region, the price of feed has significantly increased in recent months. My 13-year-old sister remarked, “So ranchers have to pay double to feed their cows just because there’s a drought? That’s not fair.”

I set up a scenario for my sister, “Let’s pretend you’re a rancher and you see that the government has lowered feed prices in the middle of a drought. You don’t really know when this drought is going to end, so how much feed are you going to buy while it’s capped at regular prices?”

“A lot,” she responded, “maybe all of it.”

We then talked about what would happen to the ranchers in line behind her who wouldn’t get a chance to buy enough feed because she bought so much. What if someone in front of her bought up all of the feed, leaving none for her to purchase for her animals? She decided that wasn’t fair either. Paying higher prices may be tough, but at least ranchers could feed their livestock instead of watching bales and bales of hay be dragged away by the ranchers who showed up first.

One of the chief allegations against the free market is exploitation of the consumer – such as “greedy” farmers jacking up the price of feed during a drought. But in truth, simply allowing supply and demand to dictate price fosters just distribution of the product. No government assistance required.

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By KJ Herr at 11:51AM

Oct 7, 2011

Liberty Weekend Spectacular in Austin, Texas

FFZC October 21st-23rd is destined to be an amazing weekend in Austin, Texas for all those who get excited about liberty. Seriously, it has me on the edge of my seat knowing that it’s less than three weeks away. If you are in the state of Texas and enjoy liberty then you need to be getting ready for one of the most well rounded weekends in liberty history.

The weekend will be kicked off on Friday night at 7 pm when the founding fathers will awake from their graves and convene at the University of Texas Tower and march to the Capitol building. This Founding Fathers Zombie Crawl will be featuring the founders of this country, as well as founders of liberty. You may even see Mises and Hayek show up!

Austin It all continues on Saturday at 9 am as we begin the 2011 Students For Liberty Austin Regional Conference. We will be hearing from great speakers like John Papola (producer of Econstories and the famous Keynes v. Hayek Rap) and Fred Smith (President and Founder of the Competitive Enterprise Institute). We will also be hearing from Adam Kissel of Fire, Dr. Nigel Ashford, and many more! A student panel will also be featured with some of the top liberty activists in the area to discuss best practices for spreading the message of liberty! Register here!

YAL The weekend will end on Sunday with the Young Americans for Liberty Campaign Bootcamp at 10 am. If you are interested in working on a campaign in the upcoming election season then you need to get to this bootcamp. Come hear from some of the best in the industry on best practices to get the voters to the polls. Register here!

If you are going to be in Texas or nearby then you need to get to Austin for this weekend. You will not be disappointed.

If you need a place to stay or looking for a ride please contact me (KJ Herr) at kherr@studentsforliberty.org or at (910)813-8466.

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By Clint Townsend at 3:59PM

Sep 28, 2010

University of North Texas YAL: After One Month on Campus

The University of North Texas Young Americans for Liberty has had an incredibly successful start to its first semester on campus. At our first recruitment event, UNT-YAL signed up 80+ students and had contact with hundreds more students. At each weekly meeting, we've had 25+ students. But our greatest measurement of success so far was an event hosting former Governor Gary Johnson, attended by over 100 students. Check out our new recruitment video to see all our activities and get ideas for your own chapter!

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By Aaron Ricks at 9:24AM

Feb 8, 2010

State Governments Have Your Baby's DNA

This information seemed kind of obvious to me, but still it's worth reporting. Some state governments have decided to store samples of newborn DNA -- in some cases indefinitely. And only Minnesota and Texas have the necessary forms and process to destroy the DNA samples.

For all the crap the rest of the union gives to Texas (I remind you, I'm a New York elitist), I am glad the Lone Star State is an example in this regard.

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By Preston Mui at 6:57AM

Jan 14, 2010

Real School Reform Needs Freedom

The state of Texas is arguing over what to teach their kids:

The State Board of Education begins hearing testimony, before a tentative vote this week on new social studies curriculum standards that will serve as the framework in Texas classrooms. But, as usual in votes before the conservative-led board, the wide-reaching guidelines are full of potential ideological flashpoints.

Points of contention include the religious or non-religious beliefs of the founders and how to portray figures like Cesar Chavez. I remember studying U.S. History in a public high school; the paragraphs on Chavez were nauseauting.

The liberty-based response to this shouldn't be a backlash against "leftist education." Progressivism is pervasive in our educational system, but we as students should really fight for educational freedom, not a revision of the curriculum. The answer to ideological disagreements in education is school choice and local control, not a one-size-fits-all approach. Families would be free to choose what their children should learn.

If you want to learn more about school choice, I'd suggest Milton Friedman's "Free to Choose" videos on the subject.

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By Andrew Smith at 5:29PM

Jul 24, 2009

Texas Strikes Back

"I think you’ll hear states and governors standing up and saying 'no’ to this type of encroachment on the states with their healthcare," Perry said. "So my hope is that we never have to have that stand-up. But I’m certainly willing and ready for the fight if this administration continues to try to force their very expansive government philosophy down our collective throats."

I love my state, Texas. It's the home of Dr. Ron Paul, it has a longstanding tradition of being independent and self sufficient, and now it's a state prepared to stand against the onslaught of socialized healthcare.

I'm not a fan of Rick Perry, I think he's riding a political wave for his own advantage. However, be that as it may, I strongly agree with his position in this article, and I hope that it is the beginning of many other stout rejections of this bloated and blatantly socialist piece of legislation.