Texas lawmakers begin session in budget hole

[TexasTowelie]

The Texas Senate takes the lead on the budget when lawmakers convene Tuesday for their every-other-year session in Austin.

“Obviously, the budget is the biggest issue of the session,” said Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler. “And we are in much better shape than we were last session. But, we also have a hole to dig out of.”

Lawmakers in 2011 funded Medicaid 18 months instead of the full, 24-month budget, creating a roughly $4.7 billion hole to start the 2013 session. They also moved up tax collections that would have fed the next budget in order to balance the one they wrote in 2011.

The Senate and House of Representatives trade off the lead role in budget writing, and in 2011, it was the House’s turn. Entering the 2011 session with a $27 billion revenue shortfall, the lower chamber actually produced a more austere spending plan than was enacted as the Senate softened House-written cuts.

More at http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/texas-lawmakers-begin-session-in-budget-hole/article_64d9c1cf-ffcb-5547-801b-5524de30e2ac.html .

[mbperrin]

1. Oh, how I wish those lawmakers WERE in a hole. Throw a little dirt on top,

biggest problem in Texas solved.

What they mean when they say they're in better shape is that they used a lot of tricky shit last time, borrowing from the future to make it look good, but now, THAT shit needs to covered up with more tricky shit.

I'm sure that 140 days every other year is many many too many days for these terrorists to meet. Can't we switch to 30 day sessions once a decade?

[a14se14hh88kk]

2. Spam deleted by Violet_Crumble (MIR Team)

[hobbit709]

3. Smoke and mirrors time again.

rather than bite the bullet and actually raise and collect taxes they once again want to flimflam the public into believing they "solved" the budget problems.
There's not much more useless than an "R" TX state legislator.