Texas is where the modern conservative theory of budgeting — the belief that you should never raise taxes under any circumstances, that you can always balance the budget by cutting wasteful spending — has been implemented most completely. If the theory can’t make it there, it can’t make it anywhere.
If that last line likening Texas to New York were not enough for my fellow Texans to lock and load, the column going on to say that Texas debt ($25 billion) and the unemployment rate (8.2%) are also the same in both states, will insure the lead content in Texas air to increase as they read. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the Houston Chronicle reading the incoming letters to the Editor about this column. HolyHockerLockers!
This comparison between the most fiscally conservative and fiscally liberal states also pokes a dirty hole deeper than a BP deep water well in the Republican theory that all our problems at the state level are because of state employee unions. Only 20% of state employees are unionized in Texas while it is 75% in New York with the same results.
Also please remember that Texas is already near bottom in education funding and reaching out to the poor in all aspects of governing – this is why Texans love Haley Barbour so much, we can always say "at least we are not as bad as Mississippi." Oops sorry, Texas is the very worst in health care coverage in general and health care coverage for children. They are mostly black and Hispanic so who gives a rat’s ass?
This all leads us to another enormous mad elephant in the room which we hear a lot about but without any thought to results. The majority of city, county and state governors, legislatures and city councils are putting most of the blame for fiscal shortfalls on public employees – union or not. Getting them and off the payrolls is the single biggest push in the preponderance of Republican run states.
So what does that do for jobs and unemployment rates? And to make it even more disgusting, who would you guess are the first to go? Teachers or prison guards? Gosh…
Remember, a rising tide lifts all yachts.