NEWS
Was Bush A Fiscal Conservative? Stop Laughing…
The media has had a field day with Gov. Rick Perry’s recent assertion that George W. Bush was never a fiscal conservative. His comments were captured — of course — on YouTube. The real problem, of course, is that he was speaking absolute truth.
You Say You Want A Revolution
On the night of December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty boarded a ship in Boston Harbor and destroyed the tea – dumping it in the water – as a way to protest the British government’s tax policies.
Return to Sender
A few months ago we talked about the state spending a bucket-load of your money to buy a letter allegedly penned by Alamo defender David Crockett. Okay, allegedly is a stretch – most experts were sure it was a fake.
Don’t Buy Lies
Proposals to eliminate property taxes using the sales tax are gaining steam, but even among supporters there is a common misconception. Some believe the proposal would cause the sales tax to rise to confiscatory levels.
Sure, liberals like to make that claim, and the media echoes it. It just ain’t right, though.
It’s Just $900 Million
State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown of Irving is at it again. She’s worried taxpayers are being scammed by the mass transit authority in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. She must be crazy — taxpayers’ don’t really mind $900 million errors with their money. We work for government bureaucrats, after all.
Stinson Puts Down His Pen
The newspaper industry is suffering a rotten blow this week, with the announcement that columnist Roddy Stinson of the San Antonio Express-News is retiring, effective Dec. 30.
Bad Policy Ideas Never Die
Some things are just bad public policy, particularly when they deal with eliminating competition. Maybe even especialyl when competition is limited. This is especially true of efforts to make all states levy sales taxes the same way.
Tax Issue Hot? You Betcha
The Austin American-Statesman is reporting the obvious today: Texas voters want substantive reform to our tax system.
Political consultant Todd Smith sums it up pretty well:
Houston Chronicle Reports on Need for More Property Tax Relief
The Chronicle story "Homeowners still waiting for tax relief from Perry" reports most of the $2,000 promised property tax relief is evaporating due to appraisal increases, and in some school districts, rate increases. But the obstacle last session to more relief was the Legislature, not Perry.
UPDATE: Threat Against TFR
Late Friday afternoon the Austin emergency response teams and federal agencies declared the substance mailed to TFR to be mostly harmless. The TFR staff and others in their section of the building were released, after being sequestered until the powder was identified.
TFR’s president, Michael Quinn Sullivan, thanked his staff for their courage and professionalism in the face of the threat.
Statement on TFR Death Threat
The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Michael Quinn Sullivan, offered the following statement on the death threat and powdery substance he received in the mail today. In response, the building has been evacuated but the TFR staff has been asked to remain in the building.