We recently criticized the state for creating a hopelessly complex information maze that keeps unsuspecting Texans in the dark, and enables local officials to further fuel their borrowing addiction. The State Comptroller’s office, headed by transparency champion Susan...
The issuance of debt by government officials is a passive form of taxation, because debt issued today will require taxes on future income. And because borrowing requires the payment of interest, the cost to taxpayers is typically twice the amount borrowed and spent....
Interest expense is a huge cost that won’t be included on the ballot, nor in town halls conducted by district staff that will be living off taxpayer provided pensions by the time voters realize what hit them.
The district spends more money carrying debt than it does providing resources to teachers and students in the classroom. Debt is literally cannibalizing their budget.
Let’s try spending more money in the classroom rather than simply on a classroom.
A local panel is recommending that Travis County officials forego an election, and instead just unilaterally issue debt and raise taxes to build a new courthouse. Why? They want to "bypass" the "risk" of not getting approval from those pesky taxpayers. This is an...
When the State of California says it’s too expensive, it should grab your attention. A recent study conducted by a group of experts determined that California taxpayers can’t afford a new high-speed rail system – but that news is unlikely to stop the calls for...
With the drought continuing to affect Texas families, water infrastructure is on everyone’s minds in the Lone Star State. Unfortunately, the state’s constitutional amendment election Nov. 8 creates an infrastructure of $6 billion in permanent debt from under which...