A group of Democratic legislators just concluded a press conference calling on Texas Gov. Rick Perry to accept and use more of the federal stimulus money. But the president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility says this “California-based prescription” will make things worse by straddling the economy with bigger government. He called on the Legislature to make immediate cuts to property taxes the business tax as a way to effectively free the economy and help all Texans.
This is the statement issued by Sullivan to the Capitol Press Corps after the press conference that included State Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco and State Sen. Kirk Watson of Austin:
“While their stated commitment to helping the poor is laudable, their cure will do far more harm than good for the economically disadvantaged. By increasing the size of government and obligating future legislatures and taxpayers to maintaining expensive new programs, Mr. Dunnam, Mr. Watson and their colleagues will make it harder for the working poor to see their lot improve.
“Texans simply cannot afford to follow this California-based prescription for our economic ills. Texas legislators should be working to shore-up the state’s economic environment, not saddling Texans with more bureaucratic spending. California has tried to spend-and-tax their way out of the mess they are in, and only made things worse. The so-called ‘social spending’ they advocate has demonstrably made life worse, not better, for the working poor in Michigan, California and everywhere else this path of folly is taken.
“A better use of the voters’ time would be for Dunnam, Watson and their colleagues to get busy in making real cuts to the property tax burden that hinders economic development and slash the business tax to encourage hiring and expansion.
“Counting on more string-laden funny-money from Washington won’t help Texas.”
