WSJ Letter: The Stimulus Is What Keeps Texas Afloat

[question everything]

I read "The Weekend Interview with Rick Perry" (Aug. 22) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203550604574361014098225036.html with interest. Though our governor talks big, he is also, unfortunately, living in an alternate reality.

In recent years the damage caused by Gov. Perry's policies in Texas has been enormous. Gov. Perry's false claims and empty-suit campaign posturing have made the damage worse.

This January, Texas lawmakers faced grim budget news: Because of poor decisions the state's Republican leadership made over the past six years, there was $9 billion less to spend for the new budget than the previous one. Our lieutenant governor and the house speaker, both Republicans, instructed state agencies to find possible cuts in programs and services.

Then Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Within a week Gov. Perry applied for stimulus funds. Texas will now receive nearly $16 billion in stimulus money. Every penny was formally requested by Gov. Perry. These funds will pay for Medicaid, public education, road construction, job training and more. Individuals and businesses will also receive millions in tax cuts.

Thanks to President Barack Obama's Recovery Act, Gov. Perry used stimulus money to balance the Texas budget while simultaneously indulging himself in public fantasies of secession.

We are proud of our state. But our governor does a disservice to both Texas and the truth by railing against Washington while using federal dollars to pay for state services. Texans, who are also proud Americans, deserve better.

Texas State Rep. Jim Dunnam
House Democratic Leader
Waco, Texas

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574402991925434058.html

[GivePeaceAchance]

1. If we can get ad campaigns to point this out to people secession is distraction from failure. They'l...

quieten down some, well at least some. Keeping the union strong is good for President Obama's resume and I'm working to make it immaculate as possible. A lot of things are going to work out in time I can really see that in the big picture and seeing the overall direction of policy, it's just it'll need a whole heap of patience.

[question everything]

4. We need to show this in all the states

How the stimulus money is helping people; how "big government" carries health insurance for so many

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4054910&mesg_id=4054910

It is so easy for all these governors: Perry, Jindal, Stanford, Pawlenty to "reject" the stimulus money, while their asses are being saved.

[Oregone]

2. Taking federal funds to balance business tax cuts?

What a dick and a hypocrite. Whatever it takes to get re-elected, I guess.

[sonias]

3. Jim Dunam is a good man

Good for him responding to the Perry alternate reality.

All Perry is doing is shifting the costs of education, medical care etc to local governments so he can "Enron" the state budget books. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured citizens. And when they need health care they go to emergency rooms all over Texas. The local governments then pick up the tab and everyone pays higher local taxes because of that.

We have some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country - because the Rs like to keep the population stupid, so they won't give them medically accurate sex education.

The state of Texas used to provide the majority of public financing for schools, it now provides less than 38%. That forces school districts to raise local property taxes to make up the difference.

Courts have forced Texas, under Republican rule, to straighten out their school financing to be more equitable. They barely make any changes - just enough to shift the lawsuits further down the road.

We have the highest homeowner insurance rates in the country.

Time and time again the Rs refuse to fully participate in SCHIP and leave millions of dollars on the table so they won't have to cover more children of the working poor.

Anytime there is a budget shortfall the first thing the Rs propose is raising the sales tax (consumption) which of course is more a burden on the poor.

I wish more people in Texas would wake up and realize that Perry and the Texas republican party are irresponsibly shifting costs to benefit businesses and the average Texan will pay for these things anyway. It's just going to cost them a lot more in the long run.

Sonia

[Aragorn]

5. G.O.

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. Don't Mess With Texas.

[question everything]

6. sounds like one

and like someone who knows what he is talking about