NEWS
Don’t Bet Budget On Gambling
Enticing whispers are floating through Capitol halls that Texas can have it all: more revenues, lower taxes and balanced budgets. All that – and more! – would come simply by expanding legalized gambling in Texas. Such promises might look good under flashing neon at night, but simply don’t hold up under sober inspection in budgetary daylight.
Eltife’s Crazy Budget
Well, you should give State Sen. Kevin Eltife two points for consistency. It seems that his knee-jerk reaction to principled, fiscally responsible public policy is to decry it as “crazy” and “insane”.
Duncan on statewide school property tax
On yesterday’s Pratt on Texas, Senate State Affairs chairman Robert Duncan, SD28, explained his position on a statewide, as opposed to the existing local, property tax for public education funding.
The total interview is about 10 minutes long.
Fiscal Recklessness Threatens US
For nearly all of us, the size of the national debt is all but unimaginable. If you counted off 14.1 trillion seconds, it would take 447,000 years. Printing 14.1 trillion dollar bills would weigh more than 15 million tons – or, the weight of 136 aircraft carriers the size of the USS Ronald Reagan.
Education Spending: Texas vs. California
We Texans love to compare ourselves with California; we have created more private sector jobs, have a lower tax burden and lower unemployment rate, and folks are leaving the formerly ‘Golden’ State in droves to seek Lone Star prosperity. Without a doubt, there is much to cheer. There is one area, however, where indeed Texas is bigger, but it is nothing to celebrate.
Jump-Start the Volt?
One more industry is about to affix itself to the taxpayer’s already-abused wallet. The City of Austin is looking at plans to subsidize electric car charging stations, providing charge-ups on the taxpayer dime via the federal government.
An Open Letter to Parents
As you know, due to the projected reduction in tax revenues from the recent economic crisis, Texas must reduce the size of its $87 billion biennial budget by approximately $15 billion.
SB600: Typical Liberal Fear Mongering
On Friday, February 11, freshman State Senator Jose Rodriguez (D – El Paso) filed SB600 which is basically the antithesis of Arizona’s SB1070 and then some.
“Sonogram Bill” Vote Coming Soon – Senate Dems Divided
While I typically do not agree with Democrats, I completely believe in giving credit where it is due. When it comes to the “sonogram bill” making its way through the Texas Senate, I’d like to thank the three Democrats who have stood by their faith and values rather than succumb to politics on the issues as their colleagues have.
Surveying The Art Of Lost Money
Is there an art to losing track of the taxpayers’ money: just ask the Texas Arts Commission.
Running to Government brings less Liberty
This past weekend the Associated Press reported that the “father of a Texas A&M junior who died of bacterial meningitis says he plans to push the Legislature to require that all students at Texas universities be vaccinated against the fast-moving infection.”
Committee Assignments . . . Finally!
Being a political novice, I didn’t know that assigning House committees would take this long, but then again, there are 37 freshmen in the Texas House. Things were already going well in Texas when Republicans achieved a supermajority in the House with 101 members out of 150, but things just got better with the announcement of committees.