NEWS
Dallas Shopping Centers Ring Up Lawsuit Against Apprisal District
According to a Dall
as Business Journal article , the owners of several Dallas-area shopping centers, including Highland Park Village and Preston Trail Plaza, are suing the Dallas Central Appraisal District and the Dallas Appraisal Review Board, saying the method the entities use to calculate tax appraisals violates the Texas Constitution.
Too Much Dust, Not Enough Results
Besides just bad philosophy, one of the worst contributors to government growth is our misplaced emphasis on defining success by activity. When you stand on the plains and look to the horizon, a great cloud of dust can be either an army purposefully on the move, or a lone idiot riding his horse in circles.Â
Too often, we are just interested in seeing a great cloud of dust, and not interested enough in the results. In every debate in Austin (and in Washington) the discussion centers too much on "how much we have/are/will spend" and not nearly enough on "what we have/are/will accomplish."
Texas Hotel Taxes Enough to Make You Lose Sleep
F
ound this revealing tidbit on the Austin American-Statesman's entertainment pages:Â
Those hotel occupancy taxes in Texas’ big cities are so high they’ll give you a nosebleed. Example: My $279 stay at the lovely Granduca Hotel in Houston a few days ago carried $46.93 in occupancy tax: That’s 6 percent for the great State of Texas, 7 percent for the city, 2 percent for Harris County and another 2 percent for the Houston-Harris County Sports Authority, the entity that builds stadiums.
Governor Signs Pro-Taxpayer Legislation Into Law
AUSTIN, Texas – In signing two pieces of legislation today, Texas Governor Rick Perry and the Legislature delivered on two elements of the sound fiscal agenda promoted by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and supported by thousands of voters and taxpayers.
The governor today announced he signed House Bill 3430 and House Bill 735. The first creates a searchable public database of all state agency expenditures, contracts and grants, shining historic sunlight on the way taxpayers dollars are spent. The second bill delivers on a decade-old promise to eliminate the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund tax, which was originally levied to wire specific public buildings for the internet and was to be abolished when its purpose had been fulfilled.
Legislature Bombs In Fiscal Rating
Just how did the legislative session go? We’ll be releasing a full legislative score card soon, but overall, this legislative session was a bust. The cumulative score of all members of the Texas House and Texas Senate, on fiscal issues, was an abysmal 52%. Meaning? Half the time the legislature voted contrary to the best interests of Texas’ taxpayers.
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The Republicans in the legislature scored a barely-passing cumulative rank of 70%. The Democrats? A not-unexpected 30% — but then, they make no bones about wanting to grow the size of government.
Legislature Squandered Opportunity, But Taxpayers Ready For Action
Tearing Down Walls, Advancing Liberty
It was 20 years ago today, on June 12, 1987, that Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate, in West Berlin, and uttered perhaps the most important words of the 20th Century.
He said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! … Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.
Defending the Spendoholics?
On the website, in e-mails, and recent speeches, TFR hasn’t been bashful about calling out the Tax-and-Spenders infesting the Republican Party’s legislative delegation.
By their actions (stopping additional tax relief, preventing tax reform, sponsoring tax hikes, etc.), these Republican spendoholics are pushing grassroots conservatives and libertarians – the Republican base – into apathy. Their actions are driving the core constituency of the movement away from the polls.
Frustrated Taxpayers
Sitting in the back of the Laredo auditorium on Wednesday night, I was struck by the level of frustration. These were hard-working folks I was listening to, most arrived in pick-ups and older cars; none belonged to a country club. The event was a free training seminar on how to protest property tax appraisals; I had been asked by the organizer to come and talk about the results of the legislative session.
Good Day Sunshine: Comptroller Posts State Expenditures Online
She's no lazy Susan. Comptroller Susan Combs has gotten a head start on implementing House Bill 3430 requiring all state agencies to post their expenditures online. The Comptroller's newly unveiled site reveals expenditures for nearly 200 agencies and institutions under broad categories such as salaries, travel and supplies.
Robin Armstrong
I had the pleasure of sharing a podium last night with Robin Armstrong, vice chairman of the Texas Republican Party. We were speaking at an event in Horseshoe Bay (Llano County).
A practicing physcian (and a fellow graduate of Texas A&M), Robin has risen quickly in GOP's inside politics. His comments were refreshingly strong, focusing on the need for our elected officials to return to the core principles of the conservative movement that excite the grassroots.
Pitt$ Fiscal Hypocrisy
State Rep. Jim Pitts should be ashamed of his bald-faced hypocrisy. Jim Pitts is saying tonight that he is voting against the budget on the grounds that it represents an irresponsible jump in state spending, and criticizes it for being laden with pork.
This begs a response. The proposed budget increases the size of government about 9 percent, while the budget Jim Pitts shepherded through the process, when he chaired House Appropriations, increased state spending 18.7 percent.
That porky smell emanating from the Capitol arises from many quarters, but Mr. Pitts' office would surely have to be one the smelliest. He's never lifted a finger to reduce spending or cut the size of government. He should be ashamed.