NEWS
A Billion Bucks And Not A Penny To Spend
Houston ISD managed to get 51% of the voters to impose $850 billion in debt upon themselves a month ago — for the children, of course. But a lawsuit is stopping the district from the getting the cash, under allegations that not all the children are benefit from the billion-dollar spending-spree.
Red-Light Tricks
Cities across the state are rushing to install red-light cameras as a way to make money, er, catch offenders. An investigation is underway in Richland Hills, suggesting the “yellow†warning light has been shortened, so more people will get caught running the red-light. But such trickery could also be costing people their lives.
Planning for Waste and Inefficiency?
A report issued by the Texas Education Agency says the premier pre-Kindergarten program in Texas is a waste of money, has failed to accomplish its goals, and has too little oversight. So what is the TEA’s response to the Dallas Morning News? The program has met the agency’s expectations. Is that supposed to be humorously ironic, or fiscally scary?
Jump in Sales Tax Collections Shows Need for Refund Mechanism
So The Bad Teachers Stay Longer?
The Austin American Statesman’s editorial board is breathlessly writing that “Smarter teachers leave sooner.†Texas is facing a worsening shortage of qualified teachers in science, math and other highly-specialized fields.
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.