Posted on 02/09/2011 7:20:19 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The so-called Texas Miracle is in trouble, demonstrating that fashioning fiscal policies strictly along low-tax lines doesn't protect you from budget deficits or business slumps or make your residents necessarily happy or healthy.
Billions of dollars in government red ink. Classroom spending near the bottom of national rankings and heading down. Desperate appeals to Uncle Sam for emergency funds to stave off cuts to the poor and elderly.
All this points to the obvious question: What's the matter with Texas?
Texas? Yes, the so-called Texas Miracle is in trouble. Unemployment soared and state tax revenue came in sharply below estimates during the recession, and the deficit mushroomed.
California's Legislature has won national renown for its dysfunction, but Texas lawmakers know how to squeeze dysfunction until it squeals. The late Molly Ivins reported years ago that when a good-government group ranked the Texas Legislature 38th among the 50 states, the reaction among knowledgeable Texans was, "You mean there are 12 worse than this?"
Maybe things have improved in the Texas statehouse since Ivins' day. But given that the legislators put off action on the budget this year so they could first debate an anti-abortion measure, a balanced-budget amendment for the U.S. Constitution and a voter-ID law, maybe not.
Pondering the problems of Texas isn't merely an exercise in schadenfreude, the pleasure one takes in the misfortune of others (some examples evoked by the puppets of the show "Avenue Q": "Football players getting tackled; CEOs getting shackled … "). The goal is to gain perspective on our own crisis and the conventional proposals to address it. The bottom line is that fashioning fiscal policies strictly along low-tax lines doesn't protect you from budget deficits or business slumps or make your residents necessarily happy or healthy.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
What are they talking about. Here in Texas, who cares if they shut down the state government?
Open oil exploration and extraction and get rid of the “F”ing ILLEGALS and the problem will go away in both California and Texas.
Projection.
The LA Times should be focusing on informing Californians about the BS going on in Sacramento and LA instead of TX.
Here’s a thought TX and CA, get rid of all the damn illegals!!!
for later
Well, technically, he’s right. The principles need to be low-tax AND low-spending AND low-government in general. Then, everything stays in harmony and it works.
}:-)4
While Texas is in some trouble financially, they are taking steps to solve it and among them is illegal immigration reform and border security.
But states that are in far worse shape are California, Michigan, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts - liberal bastions all.
Rampant liberalism got these states into their predicaments and the only thing that is going to save them all is a big dose of reality in the form of strict financial conservatism and that begins by the elimination of unions and the renegotiation of union contracts and pensions.
My truth meter is off the charts.
1. This story is written by the LA Times.
2. “Classroom spending near the bottom of national rankings and heading down” Spending tons of money does not guarantee kids get a good education.
3. Somehow I doubt Texas is in as dire straits as this editorialist claims.
If Texas is really is in as bad a condition as claimed then the leftist states like CA,IL, AND NY would be on the verge of collapsing today.
I’m sure quite a few states would ‘love’ to have Texas’s fiscal problems.
At least, there are good pockets of economic growth in Texas along with an attitude of ‘less government the better’ throughout the state.
It's the spending, stupid!
Classroom spending near the bottom of national rankings and heading down.
Isn't it weird how all 50 states are at the bottom of the national rankings when it comes to classroom spending.
Not to mention grades.
And...why did 151 businesses move to Texas from California? Texas must be a little better than CA.
Perhaps the Texas Legislature should invite the LA Times to conduct a seminar on how to run budget surpluses.
Spending = intentions
Grades/Test scores/etc. = results
Guess which measure of success the libs are going to prefer?
Let’s see which state can fix their issues first.On your mark, get set, go!
What a crock of S***.
Texas didn’t take the monies California is now begging the Feds to delay interest payments.
Yeah Texas is hurting due to MANDATORY changes to Medicaid the FEDS ordered. But, unlike California. Texas is sutting unneccessary agencies for the time being. I remember when everyone was screaming because Perry told the Feds to take their Tarp funds and shove it. Borrowed from Bond market and paid it back. No big interest payments to the FEDS.
What California doesn’t know is that during the great Texas depression of the late 80’s when many Texans were down to their last million, Texas was subject to similar articles.
Boom and bust. Texas knows how to survive. For the faint of heart, Texas is not the place to live. It is called adjusting to reality, something California and many other States are afraid of doing.
With the news of the Saudi oil problem, Texas may be looking at a massive boom coming. Oil, natural gas and it’s supporting industries should create a large number of jobs.
I’m waiting for the other states to start BEGGING Texas, OK, AK to start producing more oil and gas.
“What are they talking about. Here in Texas, who cares if they shut down the state government?”
LOL! Too funny! As a NBT who resides in the DFW metroplex I wholeheartedly agree!
Just curious, has anyone done a study to see what test scores would be if you factor “out” illegal alien test scores?
Must be po’d because Legal Zoom started in LA, just moved to Austin Texas with 800 new jobs.
Could it be the lack of State income taxes?
Business friendly environment?
If this article was meant to generate a laugh at Texas’s expense, it only scored a major fail.
CA sees gooberment troubles as “the End of the World”.
TX sees goobermint troubles as “It’s Morning Again in Texas”.
Precisely!
You nailed it!
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