NEWS
Distasteful Dallas Spending Heads To The Polls
On May 9th Dallas taxpayers will decide the fate of the City’s involvement in the construction of a convention center hotel. The Dallas Morning News reports that opponents of the Dallas Convention Center hotel are winning but there are several grow government organizations trying to change that and burden taxpayers with another boondoggle.
Merritt’s $4-Million Pig Won’t Fly, Literally
A $4.3 million helicopter will have to be purchased by the Department of Public Safety and based in Longview under an amendment added, without a vote, to the House version of the state budget by Rep. Tommy Merritt (R-Longview). But it’s a bird that won’t take flight: no money for pilots or maintenance. This flightless bird isn’t just a taxpayer turkey, it’s an earth-bound porker.
Texas’ Earmark King And Queen
Who wants to be the ruling couple of earmarks in Texas? What first family of waste would build a Texas-size bridge to nowhere? Behold the heftiest of the special-interest spenders: State Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin) and State Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine). She wants to spend your money big, while he spreads it thick.
French Republicans? Pursuing Nothing, Defending Less
On the one hand, the Texas House adopted a budget $4 billion lower than the Senate. Overall government growth has been kept below population and inflation. So why does it feel so meaningless? Perhaps because Republicans absolutely failed to provide the conservative leadership on the core issues voters expect.
Budget Boneheads
House members will begin debating the state budget today, and while we offered strong praise for the version adopted by the Appropriations Committee, liberal lawmakers are ready to unravel that work with a series of amendments that will spend more and grow government. And some weak-kneed Republicans are more than happy to go along for the ride.
Threatening Government
The removal of a witness yesterday during a senate committee hearing was startling but not without cause. The man was making physical threats and disturbing the day-to-day operations of the Senate.
A similar situation played out on the 9th at a Duncanville city council meeting. Only the threat made there was not one of physical violence, but the limiting of government spending. That scared Mayor David Green who had council member Paul Ford removed.
House Budget: Fiscally Responsible Framework
While we’ve been critical in the past of State Rep. Jim Pitts, his do-over term as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee is looking good for taxpayers. The committee this morning approved the House version of the budget, coming in about $4 billion smaller than the Senate version — and 2.5 percent lower than the last biennium. It also makes important changes to the state’s business tax for small businesses.
Unstimulating
The free money now flowing from your great-grand-children’s credit cards into the coffers of state government will cost the state 131,400 jobs — or so says a report issued yesterday by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Experience shows increased government spending reduces private sector output.
Opposing A New Law School
While not to be confused with a conservative position, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram very sensible is very sensibly opposing the creation of yet another law school in Texas. Let’s face it: There isn’t a shortage of ambulance chasers.
The Star-Telegram piece notes says the effort is “not essential.”
When Lefties Attack
One of the leading lights in Texas’ conservative movement is Collin County Judge Keith Self, who has led the fight for tax relief, transparent government and responsible spending. His reward? The typical response from the liberal establishmentarians: vicious personal attacks and smear campaigns.
So Much For Legislative Transparency
Any thought this new Texas House would be promoting public debate and open participation, as promised by Speaker Joe Straus on taking the gavel, was dashed on Wednesday. The chairman of the House Business & Industry Committee, Joe Deshotel, engaged in the worst kind of heavy-handed, undemocratic behavior imaginable by ramming partisan legislation through in his committee in a manner that shut-out debate and discourse.
Our Resignation of Dependence
In American history and government classes across this country, we still teach our children that our founding fathers demonstrated genius both in articulating the inalienable rights belonging to each person in our Declaration of Independence, and then in preserving those rights in our Constitution.