GOP deny Texas budget is in real trouble (La La Land)

[sonias]

Houston Chronicle 1/17/11
Some in GOP deny Texas budget in real trouble

AUSTIN — How bad is the budget crisis in Texas? Ask the Republicans who run the state, and they'll tell you it's in the eye of the beholder.

(snip)
"There's no shortage of commentators saying that we're on the verge of budgetary Armageddon," GOP Gov. Rick Perry recently told reporters. "The fact of the matter is that's just not true."

(snip)
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the state Senate and decides which legislation gets voted on, spent a lunch with the Capitol press corps trying to convince them they've got the story wrong.

"There is not a $27 billion deficit, and I don't think there is even a $15 billion deficit," Dewhurst said.

(snip)
"There is no shortfall, because we know we don't have the available funds to do what we did last time," Pitts told a conservative conference on Thursday.

And that's from the top brass in the Texas GOP - the Governor, the Lt Governor and the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee that writes the budget.

:crazy::crazy::crazy:


Yes it's the same crew that wrote that hot $25 billion dollar check in 2005. See this thread Strayhorn finds vindication, but no joy, in shortfall Perry rejected ex-comptroller's budget warning

[sonias]

1. Will no tax increases in Texas just mean highers fees, charges?

WFAA 1/14/11

Will no tax increases in Texas just mean highers fees, charges?

(snip)
But, if history repeats, the cuts will be too deep or painful in some areas and Texans will be paying billions more in higher fees and charges.

Top Republicans say they'll balance the state budget with no new taxes, but that doesn't mean any new revenue.

(snip)
But, what Perry didn't mention is how lawmakers in 2003 deregulated college tuition that shot up 72 percent since then, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and slapped on $2.7 billion in new and higher fees centering on health care and vehicle regulations.

According to the Texas Comptroller’s office, among some of the bigger fee hikes were up to $1,000 more per teacher in health insurance premiums that raised $711 million.

Also, there were the $30 traffic ticket fee forecasted to bring in $271 million and a $20 fee on motor vehicle transfers budgeted to raise $200 million.

So, drivers shouldn't be surprised some lawmakers talk now of raising the vehicle registration fee up $50 more.

A tax by any other name is still a tax! :eyes:

[hobbit709]

2. Crisis? What crisis, say the ostriches.

and then they'll try to find a way to blame the Democrats.

You're right, they'll jack up all the fees and pat themselves on the back about not raising taxes.

In my book any money given involuntarily to the government is a tax.

[white cloud]

3. More fuzzy Math

And blame it on the Democrats again.

[sonias]

4. They do that so well too

One of our basic problems is that they control the news cycle and take credit for things Ds also contributed to, or put in place and then blame anything bad on the Ds. And the whole news cycle is just an echo chamber where if someone repeats something often enough it becomes the "truth".

For example right now the national repukes are taking credit for the soft rebound in the economy saying that it's all because of the confidence the markets have in the change of leadership in D.C. :eyes: