Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State!
Texas, Our Texas! so wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev’ry test
O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest.
(chorus)
Texas, O Texas! your freeborn single star,
Sends out its radiance to nations near and far,
Emblem of Freedom! it set our hearts aglow,
With thoughts of San Jacinto and glorious Alamo.
(chorus)
Texas, dear Texas! from tyrant grip now free,
Shines forth in splendor, your star of destiny!
Mother of heroes, we come your children true,
Proclaiming our allegiance, our faith, our love for you.
Chorus
God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.
God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.
$11 Billion Budget Shortfall Projected Official: Shortfall Could Reach $15 Billion
POSTED: Monday, March 8, 2010 UPDATED: 4:47 pm CST March 8, 2010 AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Legislature will face a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion when it meets to write the next state budget in 2011, a key state official said Monday.
The shortfall is the projected difference between available revenue and the cost of maintaining services at their current levels in the next two-year budget. The shortfall is mainly a result of lower-than-expected sales tax receipts.
John O'Brien, director of the Legislative Budget Board, told a committee of House budget writers that the estimate is conservative and could grow to as much as $15 billion.
The available revenue also will have to be used to cover any holes in the current budget, including a Health and Human Services Commission shortfall of more than $1.3 billion caused by a recession-induced surge in Medicare enrollment.
State agencies have submitted proposals to cut their current-year budgets by 5 percent. But those savings will only amount to about $1.7 billion, O'Brien said.
John Heleman, the state's chief revenue estimator, said sales tax returns are beginning to rebound after months of double-digit declines. February sales taxes declined 8.8 percent compared to February of 2009, he said.
"It's certainly still down from last year, however, it's down less than 10 percent," Heleman said. "One month certainly doesn't make a trend, but it's encouraging to see we've now begun to move in the right direction."
The state's Rainy Day Fund is expected to have a balance of about $8.2 billion.
I have personally experienced the Californication of both Oregon and Washington, I fail to see the humor.
TT
Texas should get out while the getting’s still good rather than attach itself to the U.S.S. FedGov.
http://www.rickperry.org/media-articles/perry-touts-tax-cuts-balanced-state-budget
The backlash from all the goings-on in DC is what got him the Republican primary victory over Hutchinson. We in Texas
just don’t want that Washington mindset brought home to us.
We like our state independent and free of the shenanegans
that go on in Federal government. Besides, we have our own
clowns to deal with in the Texas congress without adding more! LOL!