Posted on 04/07/2011 11:25:09 AM PDT by cweese
Led by union workers from across Texas, thousands of chanting marchers converged on the Capitol on Wednesday to protest the recently passed House budget's deep spending cuts to education, health care and state jobs.
"We are all in this together," Judy Lugo, president of the Texas State Employees Union, told the raucous, cheering crowd on the south steps of the Capitol. "Every Texan, now and for years to come, will suffer the consequences if the Texas Legislature does not change course."
Shortly before the rally, conservative and tea party activists held a news conference on the other side of the Capitol, urging the Senate to follow the House's lead and pass a lean budget that slashes spending.
And in the morning, Catholic bishops from across the state supported by Catholic students and parishioners circulated around the Capitol to urge lawmakers to protect human life and spend all of the $9.4 billion rainy day fund to better help Texans with the greatest needs.
At the Save Our State Rally, state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said that in reducing spending by $23 billion over the next two years, the House budget does not align with the priorities of Texans.
"We are all here today because of the evolving catastrophe taking place in that building behind me," Watson said. "We are here because we are justifiably frustrated that those who worked to cause this disaster are doing so little to fix it."
Watson asked the crowd to hold legislative leaders accountable for the spending cuts.
"We must not pack our kids into overcrowded classrooms or dismantle our parents' and grandparents' nursing homes" or allow legislators to "paper over their mismanagement with pink slips for teachers and public servants," he said. people attended.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
A few interesting pics from the kookoo fest
The crowd of 7000
Don't Corrupt! Give us back our bucks
They were probably including the head lice count as well.
You don't see the gainfully employed non-union folks (i.e. the taxpayers funding the public employee unions) protesting the austerity measures.
If any department needs severe cutting, it is Education! To the ‘Feducators’, education is spelled indoctrination, dumb em down, strive for mediocrity, and a peasant mind set! The more money they get, the less they “teach” the fundamentals needed to insure a healthy future for America.
I am so sick of this crap from these public mooches. As a Republican I am tired of my tax dollars going to support the Democrat party through public sector unions. Time for our gutless wonders to take this on and stop it for good.
“You don’t see the gainfully employed non-union folks (i.e. the taxpayers funding the public employee unions) protesting the austerity measures. “
That is because the gov is not coming after their interests yet.
They don’t seem to have any suggestions on how we’re going to suddenly be able to find 23 billion to make up the shortage. State governments can’t just print some more money like the Fed.
Today, my niece's elementary school, has one principle, three vice-principles, three counselors, executive assistants for all the principles, three computer labs, computers in their classrooms, projectors, etc. Is it any wonder why they are running out of money.
All I see is a couple of hundred embarassing, disgusting moochers.
fail.
No dinero.
Don’t know if Texas has a law prohibiting the government from collecting union dues. This should be the main fight for any State if they are interested in the beginning of breaking the Union hold on their State.
I’m in my 30s, not terribly old, but old enough to remember when things were different. “ ==========================
Thanks for your post. It is comforting when even the 30’s adults can see dramatic change. This is change the socialists/marxists believe in, which has captured the public schools—the American breeding ground for more of the same socialist/marxist thought along with university and academia. Education is easily the fattened calf, the cash cow, for the upside down condition of our Republic.
Break the money flow and you interfere with their nefarious means to a nefarious end.
Why do we have public unions in Texas? It’s a right to work state.
Let them chip in for this then!
Every tax increase is a cut for those who pay taxes. Yet the ones who protest are those who feed from taxes. When will the tax payers protest each time the government seeks to take more money from them? Those who do not earn the money complain when there is a chance they will do with less while those who earn the money do not protest when they are asked, over and over and over, to hand more of what they earn to the government.
That’s a pretty puny crowd actually, which is encouraging.
Not like London where they can literally shut down the city.
“Watson said. “We are here because we are justifiably frustrated that those who worked to cause this disaster are doing so little to fix it.””
Yeah, instead you’re out “protesting” and trying to shove the blame off on others.
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