NEWS
Bill White: Obamanizing Texas As Obama Euros America
We can all agree: Europe is a disaster. Their collective economy is in shambles thanks to a ludicrous devotion to debt-financed big-government nanny-statism. It took them 30 years to reach such dizzying depths. Barack Obama’s failed administration has quadrupled our national debt in a year, shoved individual health care mandates down our throats, and diminished America’s standing in the world. And now Bill White cannot wait to bring the same policies into Texas.
Liberal Hypocrisy on Health Care?
At a recent hearing in Austin, state Rep. Garnet Coleman, a liberal Democrat from Houston, protested the idea of creating financial disincentives for state employees that don’t better manage their health. Rep. Coleman said, “I think that’s a slippery slope,” and added, “next thing, we’ll be charging people by the pound.” On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable comment, but when you look a little deeper it seems to stink of hypocrisy.
Is the Speaker’s change genuine?
Robert Garrett of the Dallas Morning News has reported that “Texas House Speaker Joe Straus urged House budget writers today to avoid raising taxes and look for creative ways to curtail spending as they prepare to close a budget gap next session…”
Straus Says It Right
It’ll take more than words, but Texas House Speaker Joe Straus drew an unequivocal line in the sand this morning by telling the powerful Appropriations Committee that he expected them to draw up a “no-new-taxes” state budget.
Barack Obama Doesn’t Want You Reading This (On Your iPad)
It’s a rarity in American politics that a president would encourage citizens to disengage from technological innovations that can further their involvement in the policy process. But that’s just what our president seems to have done.
Class-Size Costs
Apologists for the bloated bureaucracy of public education like to bemoan unfunded mandates as the chief cause of budget expansion. Yet rarely, when pressed, can they provide a meaningful list. And very often it’s the public school activists themselves pushing the most clostly mandates. Such is the case the with state’s one, true mandate: K-4 class size.
Say It Ain’t So, Joe!
Earlier today I got news of a fundraiser that will take place next Wednesday, May 12th, in Driftwood, Texas. At first I thought it was a joke, or just a crazy rumor, but after researching, I discovered that the Republican Speaker of the Texas House, Joe Straus, will be headlining the fundraiser for Democratic State Representative Patrick Rose!
Mansion rebuild is not all that needs to get underway
Finally. The Texas Historical Commission has approved a modified plan for an addition, much smaller than that which caused controversy last fall, to the torched Texas Governor’s Mansion. The sooner we restore the historic mansion the better.
CapMetro Illustrates Its Own Failure
The Austin American-Statesman seems to have finally run out of strength for carrying CapMetro’s water.
In a May 4 article Statesman staff writer Ben Wear painted a grim picture of the CapMetro fiscal situation.
That Wily Bill White
Bill White snuck out of Houston before the fiscal meltdown, and still won’t release his tax returns for public review. But the Democrat’s gubenatorial nominee is pretty wily. In fact, he must have a little Wile E. Coyote in him.
Eltife Carries Obama’s Water, Until 2012
Senator Kevin Eltife was in Austin yesterday rehashing his failed effort to raise taxes last session. That’s an interesting move in these political times.
Arizona’s SB 1070
So I’m sure this is going to ruffle some feathers, but I both approve and disapprove of Arizona’s SB 1070. I understand that this may be confusing, but though I agree that this bill is a step in the right direction, I do not think it will end up accomplishing much.