Texas homeowners are furious—83% say property taxes are a major burden! In this deep-dive episode of The Right Idea, host Brian Phillips and TPPF experts James Quintero and Jose Melendez break down why property taxes exploded after 2014, how local governments game appraisals & bonds, and Governor Greg Abbott’s aggressive 2025 plan to finally crush the burden.
From $91B in bond elections to Austin’s 121% tax levy growth, we expose the spending sprees, wasteful logos, and “Taj Mahal” stadiums. Learn how voter turnout in May vs. November lets special interests sneak through hikes—and why super-majority votes, appraisal caps, and taxpayer-triggered cuts could change everything.

In the 100th episode extravaganza, hosts Brian Phillips and Derek Cohen talk to leading conservative voices at the 2025 TFRW Conference in San Antonio.

6:51 Dawn Buckingham, Texas Land Commissioner
17:40 Deborah Wall, Camino Real Republican Women President
49:47 Jim Wright, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman
1:05:02 Mary Elise Cosgray, Statewide Politics Reporter for The Texan
1:34:04 Grant Moody, Bexar County Commissioner
1:47:21 Congressman Nathaniel Moran
2:12:52 Misty Spears, San Antonio City Council Member
2:27:39 Jill Tate, Texas Federation of Republican Women President
3:00:39 Texas State Senator Pete Flores (SD-24)
3:21:59 Wrap up

Is more school funding really the key to better student outcomes—or does how we spend matter more than how much?
In this episode of The Right Idea, host Brian Phillips and TPPF’s Andrew Brown sit down with Dr. Eric “Rick” Hanushek, Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, to explore one of education’s toughest questions: Do dollars drive results—or does design and discipline matter more?

Dr. Hanushek is one of the world’s leading experts on the economics of education. His groundbreaking research has shaped how policymakers think about teacher quality, school finance reform, and student achievement.

Together, the panel dives deep into:

• The myth that more spending equals better outcomes
• Texas’ $100B+ public education budget
• What’s working in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C.
• The rise of administrative bloat in public schools
• Teacher pay, accountability, and school choice

• • The impact of AI in the classroom and the future of learning