Thanks for pointing out a typo. Have you noticed how those seem to appear *only* after you hit “submit?”
That number on Texas tax dollars spent on border control should be “about a 100 million dollars” a year.
1. The staff I’ve met are definitely average Texans - unfortunately too often lawyers and too darned young to have had much life experience. I’ve often joked that what they need, if anything, in Austin (and Washington) is to begin a new program for middle aged and geriatric ‘interns’ rather than the 22-26 year olds!
2. While looking up some information that TheWriterTX posted, I found this site on Texas Debt and Budgeting. http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/rep_bios.php?rep_id=56615334&category=views&id=20110719150503
Property taxes for school were cut from $1.50 to $1. Now,I’m not a tax expert, but that’s a pretty big cut, at least nominally. It’s disturbing how many of the local school districts have actually voted to increase their local rates right up to the limit.
3. and 4. see typo note, above, and the comments about 2001 and driver’s licenses (we did restrict them this year) and 2005 funding for border control. We’ve noted on this Forum that the Governor has also sent in the Texas Ranger Recon Team and the rest of the DPS border effort. (it wasn’t a new program, even when the Governor demonstrated it for Greta.)
5. There you go again pretending to know motives. The Governor notes that his book is probably not the best thing he could have done if he’d been planning to run for President.
6. Have you any evidence that the 911 system is being underfunded to its detriment? That would be a better question.
We the people of Texas demanded that the budget be balanced without new taxes. Every segment of the State’s budget has felt the result of that demand.
This http://www.texaslsg.org/82nd/fr05282011budget is a report by the rabid left (Coleman, Burnham, Anchia and Naishtat)in the Texas House of Representatives. They never met a budget cut they liked. In fact, it’s about HB 1 from the regular session. The filibuster in the Senate on the last night necessitated a Special Session and a completely new start on the budget building process.
It is true that the 911 fees are put into the general fund, and funneled through the Comptroller’s office. Many fees - like the physician’s license permit - are divided between State agencies and the general fund. 75% of the Emergency fund is spent
In fact, the 911 fees are better compared to the many ways that the Feds force statist policies on States by coercing us to tax and spend their way or lose Federal funds.
BWAHAHAHAHA
Re: #6. I’m skipping over the rest, because this one is golden. You say, in essence “Well okay, yes, but maybe it’s okay.”
Unfortunately, here you’ve landed in my particular field. Yes, 9-1-1 has been negatively effected. This underfunding will mean that NextGen911 won’t be fully implemented in even the larger PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) for some years longer than might otherwise have been the case. Here’s the point, however: The money is collected on the basis of funding 9-1-1. That’s what the law says. Instead, it was diverted elsewhere. Period.
There was a similar issue with another agency some years back, where fees were collected for licenses, and the money in the agency’s account balance was swept, essentially stealing the funds for purposes other than for which they’d been earmarked. I’m going to need to dig up more facts before naming the agency, but that’s the gist as I recall.
Back to #1. So the average Texan is a young lawyer?
#2: That’s why it’s important to actually reform the tax system. I don’t think the effective tax has substantially change for anybody.
Look, I don’t mind if you want to support Perry, but please, this idea that he’s a paragon of capitalism and a strong lifelong defender of border security measures has got to stop. Your estimate of ‘about a 100 million dollar’ needs a little firming up, too.
Every presidential candidate is expected to have written at least one book these days. I knew when Perry’s was published that my suspicions about his intentions were probably accurate. Well, guess what? Seems they were.
You know, trying to demonstrate somebody’s motive is something that’s done in courts all across the country every day. Stop pretending that I’m attempting to read Perry’s mind. I’m not. I can read his actions.