Texas House Releases Budget, Includes Death Panels
Last night the Texas House released its first draft of the $156 billion state budget, which would not raise taxes or tap into the rainy day fund but slash funding for everything that costs money, like education, health care, social services, and the bar tab at that pit of hell some call the Cloak Room. If you ask me (not that you would), we should raise taxes to help generate much-needed revenue but call them “fees.” Oh wait! That’s what they’re doing! Millions of dollars of new fees! It’s brilliant!
Proposed fees include a $30-a-month “tobacco user monthly premium surcharge” for state employees and retirees who smoke. You’re really going to make retirees pay a surcharge to smoke? That’s what they DO. That’s all they have LEFT. Meanwhile the AG’s office plans to impose new fees on annual child support services and processing fees as well as an electronic filing of documents fee. Yes, let’s make paying child support even harder for the deadbeat dads contingent.
As I was listening to KUT earlier today, they were discussing more options for generating state revenue such as allowing liquor stores to stay open on Sundays. People, our long national nightmare is over. Apparently Sunday liquor sales could bring in an extra $7 million. I don’t think they’re counting us. Now since I don’t drink liquor—only wine and the occasional Prosecco when I’m feeling especially festive—this wouldn’t really impact me. Except for the fact that it would impact all of you which, in turn, impacts me. I don’t think you should be discriminated against just because you want to drink on the Lord’s Day. You’ll have to answer for that in heaven (or wherever you end up).
[KUT News]
January 19th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
I wish they could make Chick-Fil-A open on Sundays, most notably the only day of the week that I really crave it.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
I would be even happier if they would let me buy booze on a Sunday morning. Lets face it, those of us who are grocery shopping on Sunday morning rather than being in church are already going to hell anyway, why penalize us more.
I laughed out loud when I heard Dewhurst explain on KUHF that we don’t have a budget deficit problem in Texas because we are just going to spend $25B less!
January 19th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Here’s the question I can’t seem to answer: Are they stupid or do they just think we are?
January 19th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Those tax and spend liberals have gotten into this mess and conservative Texas values will get us out…Oh wait…
January 19th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Those tax and spend liberals have gotten us into this mess and conservative Texas values will get us out…Oh wait…
/typo fixed. Sorry – low on caffeine
January 19th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Those Mormons at Chick-fil-A think you are lucky to get iced tea, so don’t count on Sunday sales!
Carla: both.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Lets hope they don’t raise drinking fees.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Are you TRYING to start a panic?
January 19th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Good luck with that Sunday liquor sales thing. We can’t event consider casino gambling with this bunch of preachers in the capital. See y’all at the tables over at L’Auberge du Lac.
January 19th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Zeroing out funding for the Harris County Psych Center, one of only two critical-care facilities in the county, 19% cut ($25M) for mental health services FOR CHILDREN, zeroing out funding for autistic CHILDREN. Fifty percent cut in funding for mental retardation services, when there’s already a waiting list. REALLY?
I hope the mothers of Texas go kick some ass.
January 19th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Tax bullets. Problem solved. You’re welcome.
January 19th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
Tax stupidity. The resulting budget surplus would be enough to make even the federal deficit disappear.
January 19th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Don’t forget zeroing out four community colleges, two of which are in rural areas with very little other higher education options, and cutting over half of the Texas Grant program for college students (and zeroing out a number of other aid programs that impact the production of nurses and doctors and other folks). It’s great to be a Texan on this Confederate Heroes’ Day. (Oh, and we can add still having this “holiday” on the books to the list of stupidities.)
Heck, pretty soon Mississippi is going to start looking more enlightened and reasonable than us.
January 20th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Having spent much of the summer in Mississippi, we may have a 3-way tie with MS and AL for Most Backward-assed, Bible-thumpin’ Fucking State in the Union.
Of course, that’s only in a few catagories: education and the environment come to mind.
January 20th, 2011 at 9:26 am
History Doc – people still go to COLLEGE?
January 20th, 2011 at 9:40 am
Only if they want to be bloggers or doctors when they grow up.
January 20th, 2011 at 10:20 am
Legalize marijuana and tax it. You could empty prisons, reduce law enforcement, reduce courts, and help agriculture and retail jobs all in one fell swoop. And no, I have no personal stake in the matter, though growing it might be fun.
I can’t see how these cuts will make Texas more attractive to companies that provide jobs. Unless its confined animal feeding, meat-packing and hazardous waste shipping we’re going for.
January 20th, 2011 at 11:11 am
you nailed it, TH. there will always be companies that look at nothing but shaving a few cents off their costs, even if it means they can’t attract the best employees. this is wal-mart’s business model.
and as long as those companies are out there, perry can continue claiming that businesses want to move here, that he is creating jobs, etc.
you only have to peel the onion back one layer to see the problems with this approach, but fortunately for him more than half of texas never done lurnt to peel an onion. among other things.
January 20th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Having grown up in Mississippi (and looking into Arkansas across the river out my bedroom window as a teenager) I can tell you that Hondo, you’ve pretty much nailed it.
January 20th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
As for the surcharge, I don’t even smoke, and I find that extreme. Besides, how are they going to enforce THAT?
January 20th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@ Credentials – BCBSTx who administers the state’s insurance program has been rolling out wellness programs that are more of a managed care model placing a bigger emphasis on on our primary care physicians and bigger all-inclusive clinics. It’s got a hint of HMO’s and hospital partnerships. My gut (and prior years working at the agency that funds it) tells me that it’ll probably be written into provider contracts in some way that they have to narc on suspected tobacco users.
January 20th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Jed: Low wages and low wage earner families for those jobs tend to be 1) Hispanic, and 2) large families. This puts a huge strain on local school districts which, oh by the way, have to submit to political pressure to reduce taxes for the company that moves in. If Agriculture then they get all kinds of pollution exemptions despite downstream and downwind effects.