I think Texas should be a place where a regular person who works full-time can have a secure, decent life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course we all have to work, and we all have to be responsible with our spending and saving, but I don\u2019t think you should have to be a financial super-hero who never rests and who makes every single decision perfectly to have a secure, decent life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you work full time, you should be able to afford to\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are probably some people who disagree with me about this goal \u2014 but honestly, probably not too many. I think for most Americans, that is the \u201cAmerican Dream.\u201d We may disagree about how to get there, but I think a whole lot of us believe that\u2019s how it ought to work: Full-Time Work = Decent Life. Get some skills\/Work harder & smarter = Even Better Life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his 2025 State of the State address Governor Abbott bragged on the Texas economy: \u201cTexas is the most powerful economy in America. Ranked as the best state for doing business for 20 years, Texas is No. 1 for the most new jobs, No. 1 for economic development, and No. 1 as the best state to start a new business.\u201d
I agree with Governor Abbott that there is plenty to brag about. The Texas economy is enjoying tremendous success in many ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thing is, it\u2019s also important to make sure that the people who are the backbone
of that success are sharing in the benefits of that success.
I don\u2019t think those two ideas \u2013 (1) business success and (2) broad access to the American Dream – are opposed to each other. In fact, I think they depend on each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think of the economic system as a big, industrial-strength generator. It takes a strong generator to supply the power required. Also, the generator has to be anchored to a solid foundation or the whole machine will shake itself out of balance and eventually break down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our strong, business-friendly economy is the powerful generator. Widespread access to the American Dream for the people of Texas is the solid foundation. We need both. So how are we doing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large numbers of working households cannot afford the basics.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Millions of Texas households are working, often full-time, but still struggle to consistently afford housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and childcare. In 2023, more than 1 in 4 Texas households were classified as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dream of owning a home is getting farther and farther out of reach.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas wages have increased some in recent years, but not nearly as much as housing costs. Texas median household income increased a little less than 20% from 2019 \u2013 2022 [2]. Meanwhile, the Texas Comptroller reported that median Texas home prices increased about 40% between 2019 and 2023 [3].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Childcare costs are making it tough on young families to pay the bills.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In many Texas communities, full-time childcare for one young child consumes roughly 11%\u201315% of median family income [4]. The federal government generally considers childcare affordable when it consumes no more than 7% of household income [5].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Healthcare and health insurance are a particular challenge.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Medical\/health care costs for a family of four in Texas who get their insurance from an employer can run from $8,000 – $15,000 out of pocket annually [6]. The median family income for a family of four in McLennan County is $88,900 \u2013 so medical expenses of 10% or more of gross income are common [7]. At the same time, Texas continues to have one of the highest uninsured rates in the country. Recent Census data showed that more than 1 in every 5 Texas adults lacked health insurance in 2024. That is nearly double the national average [9]. Without insurance, any individual or family is only one accident away from financial disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Retirement insecurity is growing.<\/strong> Texans who rely primarily on wages, personal savings, and Social Security rather than pensions or inherited wealth are having a particularly hard time saving what they need for retirement. In one recent survey, more than a third of Texans said they were either \u201cnot too confident\u201d or \u201cnot at all confident\u201d that they would have enough money to retire comfortably [10].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas is struggling to recruit and retain healthcare workers, caregivers, and These are jobs that our society depends on, but, in many communities, they do not pay enough for a family with children to feel financially stable. The Texas Hospital Association estimates Texas could face a shortage of more than 57,000 nurses by 2032 [11]. Direct-care workers who help care for older adults and people with disabilities are among the lowest-paid essential workers in many communities, often earning near-poverty wages despite rapidly growing demand for elder care services [12].<\/p>\n\n\n\n We would be wise to do some needed maintenance now instead of waiting until our economic \u201cgenerator\u201d becomes so badly out of balance that it damages itself and becomes hard to fix. For Texas households it comes down to two main things \u2013 increasing income and reducing costs. Here are some ideas for both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raise the minimum wage and strengthen workers\u2019 ability to negotiate.<\/strong> – Raise the minimum wage gradually to something closer to a realistic living wage and make Texas a more worker-friendly state by protecting workers\u2019 rights to organize, negotiate, and advocate for better pay, benefits, and working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s just a plain fact that wages and benefits are unlikely to keep up with increases in housing, healthcare, and other costs if workers have little leverage or bargaining power. States can protect workers\u2019 rights and still maintain a booming business economy. Washington state has one of the nation\u2019s highest minimum wages and relatively strong labor protections, but it is also home to Amazon, Microsoft, Costco, Boeing, and one of the fastest-growing state economies in recent decades [13].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connect the dots to higher-paying jobs.<\/strong> – Connect the dots from high school to workforce training, to apprenticeships, directly to real jobs that support a family. Connect the dots for unemployed\/underemployed people to good jobs by making sure unemployment, workforce assistance, and re-skilling opportunities are accessible and easier to navigate. Connect the dots for formerly incarcerated people to find work that helps them get their lives back on track and avoid a return to the prison system. We already have most of the \u201cdots\u201d \u2013 we just need to do a better job connecting them. States like Tennessee and South Carolina have invested heavily in training, apprenticeships, and workforce pipelines that connect workers directly to high-demand jobs in healthcare, manufacturing, and skilled trades [14].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expand affordable childcare, adult care, and elder care and make sure these kinds of jobs can support a stable life.<\/strong> Other states are already experimenting with ways to stabilize these systems. Colorado and Washington have experimented with childcare-worker wage support and public-private partnerships designed to reduce daycare closures and stabilize the childcare workforce [15]. States like California and New York allow some family caregivers to receive Medicaid-funded compensation for caring for elderly or disabled relatives at home [16]. States such as Minnesota and Wisconsin have invested heavily in home- and community-based care programs that help seniors remain independent longer and reduce pressure on nursing homes and hospitals [17].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Universal Pre-K\/Afterschool programs<\/strong> \u2013 Expand free, universal, full-day pre-K and afterschool educational programs. Oklahoma\u2019s universal pre-K system is often studied nationally because it helps parents stay in the workforce while giving children a strong educational start [18].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expand healthcare access and reduce medical financial shocks – Medical debt and untreated health problems are major causes of financial instability. Most states have now adopted some form of Medicaid expansion, and states such as Louisiana and Michigan saw reductions in uninsured rates and medical debt afterward [19]. Washington, Colorado, and Nevada have experimented with state-supported \u201cpublic option\u201d insurance plans designed to make coverage more affordable for working families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid [20]. States like New York, California, and Colorado also strengthened protections against surprise medical billing and other unexpected healthcare costs that can financially devastate working households [21].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Property tax circuit breaker<\/strong> – Consider a property tax \u201ccircuit breaker\u201d which provides a property tax discount based on income. This helps make sure people are not taxed out of their homes as values rise while still maintaining the tax-base we need to provide services important to our residents. More than half of U.S. states already use some form of property tax circuit breaker or income-based property tax relief. Conservative, business-friendly states such as Utah and West Virginia use versions of these programs to help protect lower- or middle-income homeowners from property taxes rising faster than their ability to pay [22].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Encourage more affordable housing and workforce housing<\/strong> – Texas already does some things well when it comes to housing development, especially compared to highly restrictive states. But many working families still struggle to find housing they ncan actually afford near jobs and schools. States such as Oregon, California, Montana, and Utah have recently reduced barriers to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes, and other smaller workforce-oriented housing options in an effort to increase supply and lower costs. Texas could explore similar approaches while still respecting local character and property rights [23].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Improve transportation access – Reliable transportation is often the difference between keeping and losing a job. In many Texas communities, families effectively need two reliable vehicles just to maintain full-time employment, get children to school or childcare, and handle basic daily life. The cost of car payments, insurance, fuel, repairs, and maintenance can put enormous strain on working households. States such as Utah, Minnesota, Colorado, and Washington have invested heavily in local bus systems, commuter transit, and reduced-fare programs designed to help working families reach jobs, schools, childcare, and healthcare without needing multiple vehicles. North Carolina and Virginia have also invested in passenger rail and regional transit expansion to improve economic connectivity [24].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas is already generating tremendous economic growth and tax revenue. The question is not whether we have an economy capable of supporting stronger stability investments. The question is whether we choose to prioritize them. We should also recognize that instability itself is expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many cases, the choice is not between \u201cspending money\u201d and \u201cspending no money.\u201d The choice is between investing earlier in stability or paying more later for crisis management. Texas does not need to abandon its business-friendly approach to build a stronger foundation for working families. In fact, long-term economic strength depends on it. I think part of building the Texas we want is building an economic system that works for workers and families as well as for business owners and investors. That\u2019s the kind of Texas economy I want to help build \u2013 one that works for ALL Texans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think Texas should be a place where a regular person who works full-time can have a secure, decent life. Of course we all have to work, and we all have to be responsible with our spending and saving, but I don\u2019t think you should have to be a financial super-hero who never rests and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3521"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3545,"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3521\/revisions\/3545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashleybeanthornton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Spending 10% of a family’s income on medical expenses might not sound bad at first glance, but in personal finance, healthcare economics, and federal policy, hitting that 10% threshold is the official definition of a “high financial burden” [8].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
first responders.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat should we do?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Ideas to increase income<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Ideas to make costs more manageable<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How would we pay for all of this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
neighborhood decline, property neglect, and higher public-safety costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
provide it themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
on the rest of their family \u2013 if they have family available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nEndnotes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
https:\/\/www.unitedforalice.org\/texas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.census.gov\/programs-surveys\/acs\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/comptroller.texas.gov\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.childcareaware.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Development Fund guidance. https:\/\/www.acf.hhs.gov\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
May 20). 2026 Milliman Medical Index. Milliman, Inc. milliman.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n
HOME income limits: Texas [Data set]. huduser.gov<\/li>\n\n\n\n
deductibles, 2013\u20132022. The Commonwealth Fund. commonwealthfund.org<\/li>\n\n\n\n
United States: 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates (Table S2701).
U.S. Department of Commerce. census.gov<\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.ebri.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.tha.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/phinational.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.epi.org\/minimum-wage-tracker\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/nationalskillscoalition.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Workforce Policies. https:\/\/cscce.berkeley.edu\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/ppi\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.macpac.gov\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Institute for Early Education Research. https:\/\/nieer.org\/state-preschoolyearbooks\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n
ACA. https:\/\/www.kff.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.commonwealthfund.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Protections. https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/health<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.lincolninst.edu\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
and Production Trends. https:\/\/ternercenter.berkeley.edu\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Investment and Mobility. https:\/\/www.apta.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"