I’m a venture capitalist, so it goes without saying that I believe in capitalism as a force that leads to greater prosperity and a higher quality of life. Texas has the reputation of a state where capitalism is celebrated, and many politicians like to brag about their devotion to free markets and hostility towards “big government.”
Those same politicians come to Austin every two years and pass dozens of bills that include healthcare mandates and big government micromanagement of healthcare benefits that would make Barack Obama blush. As an employer, navigating the mess they have made of health care and prescription drug benefits has become near impossible. It’s certainly become unaffordable.
This session, the chair of the House Insurance Committee is pushing House Bill 2021, which layers even more mandates and requirements on employer-sponsored health benefits. I am, frankly, afraid of what employers like me will have to do if this bill and others like it pass. Eventually, something has to give, and that something will be slashing benefits for employees or reducing staff.
We cannot be forced by politicians to pay more for health benefits every year without some kind of consequence. I hope our lawmakers read their own campaign websites and return to policies grounded in free-market forces instead of big-government mandates.
Robert Capetillo
Mission
Hilts
praised
As I watched the SpaceX test launch, I could not help but think of what a great debt of gratitude the Brownsville community owes to the late Jason Hilts.
I recall at my first BEDC Executive Committee meeting listening to Jason talk about meetings he and a couple others on the Executive Committee had recently had in Hawthorn with a start-up company named SpaceX that had an interest in launching rockets from the lower TexasCoast.
I literally thought Jason and the others who were reporting were crazy. However, over the next few months I watched Jason put together a plan to first verify the viability of SpaceX. Jason then put together and executed a brilliant, multifaceted and wide-ranging plan to attract SpaceX to Brownsville. That plan involved bringing together numerous local, federal and state entities and agencies and their leaders, including, the governor Congress members, state legislators, county judge, county commissioners, mayor, City Commission, UT Board of Regents, president of UTB, the Texas Department of Transportation and many others.
At the beginning many of these were opposed to the project or unwilling to stick their necks out on something they thought would never happen. It’s interesting to now watch some who early on all but threw Jason out of their office act like they were almost solely responsible for SpaceX.
But Jason was never deterred and continued to work very hard, rose to meet every obstacle, and eventually put together the very broad team that brought SpaceX to Brownsville. So when we see rockets launched from Brownsville by SpaceX, which we all thought was unimaginable not too many years ago, a tip of the hat goes to Jason Hilts.
Keith Uhles
Brownsville
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