by Michael Quinn Sullivan | Oct. 21, 2009 | State
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst went on the offensive today, defending in the Austin American Statesman the budget crafted by lawmakers this year from attacks that it was balanced only with the help of federal stimulus dollars. Yes, the state used stimulus dollars as part of...
by Pratt on Texas | Oct. 19, 2009 | State
It’s Texas constitutional amendment election time and there has been much talk about all but the most objectionable amendment: Proposition 1, which reads: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the...
by Michael Quinn Sullivan | Oct. 19, 2009 | Local
Lots of emails are popping up around the state making ludicrous charges about the propositions on the Texas constitutional amendment election. Apparently some hope it’s easier to peddle irrational fear than be bothered with reality. Facts are pesky things, and...
by Mlevin | Oct. 16, 2009 | State
An Austin American-Statesman story documented an interesting lawsuit being filed by Texas local government officials against Attorney General Greg Abbott and the state. The suit will allege that the state open meetings law violates elected officials’ free speech...
by Jcolyandro | Oct. 15, 2009 | Local
The Austin American Statesman endorsed the Baucus health care plan passed out the Senate Finance Committee earlier this week by a 14-9 vote. No news there. However, the Statesman leans on the rickety sawhorse that a federally-mandated health plan will fix the...
by Pratt on Texas | Oct. 14, 2009 | State
A headline in the Beaumont Enterprise caused my Liberty alarm bells to ring and clearly it was the word “order” that immediately drew my attention. It read: Jefferson County orders rural addresses displayed. In the story we learn that “By Nov. 15, residents outside of...
by Michele Samuelson | Oct. 13, 2009 | State
There has been a lot of misleading information going around via email on Props 2 and 3, which deal with property taxes, and that information is extremely damaging to the efforts to fix our property appraisal system in the state of Texas. Prop 2 states “The...
by Daniel Greer | Oct. 13, 2009 | Local
Not surprisingly, the Fort Worth Star Telegram editorial board is offering poor advice to taxpayers. We at Texans for Fiscal Responsibility are going to be recommending that voters support propositions 2, 3 and 5 while keeping in mind they are temporary and incomplete...
by Pratt on Texas | Oct. 13, 2009 | Local
There have been dozens of stories over the past two weeks about Governor Perry’s decision to shake up the state forensic science commission right before it was to begin an investigation into arson evidence used in a trial in which a man was convicted, and eventually...
by Pratt on Texas | Oct. 12, 2009 | Local
A column by Leo McKinstry in the in the Daily Express begins with this paragraph: “Britain continues its descent into a socialist hell, devoid of any justice or morality. We now live in a sub-Marxist world where the ultra-politicised institutions of the State wield...
by Michele Samuelson | Oct. 9, 2009 | Local
Lots of questions, and a slew of liberal-media-powered rumors, have revived the “what will KBH do and when?” meme that enjoys far too much attention these days. Especially as Jason Embry over at the Statesman has a great breakdown on some of the Great...
by EmpowerTexans.TV | Oct. 8, 2009 | Local
Proposition 2 on Texas’ Nov. 3 constitutional amendment election requires that a home be appraised as a home, and not whatever else it could be. While it doesn’t solve all of our property tax problems, it does provide taxpayers with a little more, much...
by Pratt on Texas | Oct. 7, 2009 | Local
It’s not good enough to this Democrat administration that Texas administers generous welfare programs. No, Obama’s agriculture department is on the attack against Texas because we don’t put people on the food stamp dole fast enough. The latest in this offensive...
by Pratt on Texas | Oct. 7, 2009 | Local
In an appearance in San Marcos Friday, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said that she favors a VMT, or vehicle miles tax to replace the gasoline tax. “The technology exists for it,” Peters said. The San Antonio Express News describes it this way: “A...
by Michael Quinn Sullivan | Oct. 7, 2009 | Local
Our friends over at the Texas Association of Business this week released their scorecard for the legislative session. It’s interesting to compare the best and the worst between their business-oriented list to TFR’s Fiscal Responsibility Index. It...
by Ronald Trowbridge | Oct. 7, 2009 | Local
Texans will soon be asked to transfer money from Texas’ Permanent Higher Education Fund to a new National Research University Fund. But voters should reject this constitutional amendment, Proposition 4, and reject the transfer of money. If anything, we should demand...
by Michele Samuelson | Oct. 7, 2009 | Local
Dr. Rosemary Edwards, chairman of the Travis County Republican Party, has an op-ed in today’s Austin American-Statesman that you might find interesting, concerning the city’s recent mandate on GreenChoice energy. From the op-ed: Our leaders in Austin are...
by Jcolyandro | Oct. 6, 2009 | Local
Because of a backlog on processing foodstamp applications, the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) recently "approved hiring up to 250 of the 650 workers and directed the commission to immediately fill 400 vacant jobs." Well enough. It’s too much for now to...
by Michele Samuelson | Oct. 5, 2009 | Local
I’ve held back on this because I wanted to give readers a chance to read the initial analysis of Proposition 4. There are a lot of arguments out there in favor of it (the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has their endorsement here). I think you need to know, Prop. 4 is...
by Michele Samuelson | Oct. 5, 2009 | Local
There are 11 state constitutional amendments on the November 3 ballot. Early voting begins on Monday, October 19. If you are voting by mail (absentee voting), the last day to submit your mail-in ballot is Tuesday, October 27. The Secretary of State breaks down...
