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Getting It (Almost) Right

In a rare display of good sense, the Dallas Morning News almost gets it right in an editorial on the Legislature’s new business income tax. But in arguing against the creation of new loopholes and exmeptions, they write "this new tax needs time to work." In reality, the monstrosity needs to go away before it can do lasting damage to the economic credibility of the state.

Academically-Required Press Box

Abilene school district officials tell the local newspaper that their "New Year’s Resolution" is to increase taxpayers’ debt this May by $85.2 million, or $5,126 per student. This would include spending $2 million on a new press box for the local football stadium.

New Business Tax Body Blow: 300 Percent Increase

The Houston Chronicle reports on the severe impact of the new business tax, which is a $6.2 billion hike  over the franchise tax.  Wanda Rohm, who owns Presto Printing in Houston with 12 employees, said her taxes will go up an astonishing 300 percent.

Sandbagging The Taxpayers

You always get more of what you subsidize, especially risky behavior. That’s certainly the case along Texas’ hurricane-prone coastline.

Lacking Decency

While Texas Transportation Commissioner Ric Williamson’s strong views on any number of issues earned him equal measures of love and scorn, he was an honorable man who truly sought to serve the best interests of Texans. He died earlier this week of a heart attack. As the godfather of the Trans-Texas Corridor, he took the arrows and daggers as a part of the public policy debate. But the state’s liberals demonstrate they have no sense of proportion, respect, or even decency, in gleefully proclaiming his passing.

Giving Environmentalists The Bird

Pop quiz: Do you save the planet from global warming by switching to renewable energy sources, or do you protect a species from tragic death knowing you’ll make the planet uninhabitable in somewhere between 5 to 5 million years?

It Didn’t Work Before, So Let’s Spend Even More

Teaching all kids in both English and Spanish failed when tried before, so of course, the Austin Independent School District is going to waste even more money — and kids academic lives — by doing it again. That’s what inept bureaucracies do: spend money on fads, rather than results.

Useless Acts

Two weeks ago the Office of the Attorney General of Texas weighed in on the recent controversy regarding the speakership of the Texas House. For 99.99 percent of Texans, that issue is about as exciting as watching the grass turn brown. But in the course of the ruling, the AG’s office offered an interesting note. The ruling states, “We presume that the Legislature never does a useless act.” You can almost hear the laughter, can’t you?

Howdy

Texas is the fastest growing state in the Union. According to the U.S. Census bureau, the Lone Star State’s population now exceeds 23.9 million — adding 500,000 people in just 12 months. Of course, you can expect the liberals to use our growth as yet another excuse to increase taxes and grow government.

How To Waste A Million: Purchase, Then Test

If you’ve ever wanted to waste a million dollars, you should leave it to the experts at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. They spent $1 million on 3,500 GPS devices and specialized software… only to drop them into storage after finding the system didn’t meet their needs. And it’s a liberal Democrat whose calling them out for their waste.

A Chance For Smokin’-Hot Pork

Anti-smoking groups are ready to start cashing bigger government paychecks. Already funded by taxpayers with dubious success, the various groups are salivating over reports that the state’s new $1-per-pack cigarette tax hasn’t reduced smoking — because they want in on the action.

The state is generating $244 million more from the tax than had been anticipated.

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