Reality Begins To Set In For The States: Texas Budget Cuts

Of course, there are cries of how unfair it all is from the NannyStateProfessionals, but math is math. Texas is 15 billion short, and spending must be reduced.

From Associated Press, who of course, never miss an opportunity to spit on a conservative:

AUSTIN, TX -- Public education in Texas is facing billions in proposed budget cuts that would include slashing arts education, pre-kindergarten programs and teacher incentive pay as lawmakers take on a massive deficit with the promise of no new taxes.

Lawmakers got their first glimpse of what the next state budget might look like late Tuesday, including the $5 billion cut to public schools, as Republican Gov. Rick Perry and his supporters were dancing at an inaugural celebration.

Texas is facing a $15 billion revenue shortfall, and few corners of state government were spared in the draft proposal for the next two years. The Texas Constitution requires a balanced budget, and Republican leaders have vowed not to raise taxes.

Now, one must understand that had the incoming governor been a Hopey-Changey type, the AP would have breathlessly detailed the details of the ball, down to the first lady's shoe buckles, and buried news of any revenue shortfalls. Or blamed them on George Bush.

But, math is math is math. Texas, unlike the Federal gubbmint, must operate on balanced budgets, and doesn't have its own magic unlimited money-printing machine down the street.

It's not just Texas, ya'll. It's a lot of places, like Tennessee.

Himself and Miz Nancy and Mr. Harry went and borrowed hundreds of billions (freshly printed up by Zimbabwe Ben), and threw it out of the gubbmint helicopter to the states, confident that they would sprout votes and employment and votes and growth, and votes, by 2012. It kills economies and cultures, just ask Argentina. And, it didn't work this time either.

Here's a partial list of ObamaPork for which the money has run out in Tennessee:

STIMULUS FUNDED PROGRAMS:
Coordinated school health: $15.3 million

Extended contracts: $15 million

Safe schools: $4.8 million

Statewide Student Management System: $3.7 million

Family resource centers: $3.5 million

Exemplary educators: $2.3 million

K-2 assessment: $2.3 million

TN early intervention services: $2.3 million

Public TV grants: $2.8 million

Internet connectivity: $2.4 million

Tennessee School for the Deaf transportation: $800,000

Science Alliance museum grants: $750,000

Professional development: $582,000

Governor's Books from Birth Fund: $340,000

Governor's Schools: $240,000

Arts Academy: $150,000

Early childhood education operational savings: $150,000

Holocaust Commission grants: $128,300

Little Tennessee Valley Educational Cooperative: $47,700

Obama went and borrowed money from the Chinese to fund this. Our grandchildren will be paying for it.

The states will have to lead the way. Hopey-Changey just wants to spend more.

The States Versus The Unions: The Inevitable Conflict Is At Hand

The battle is now on--the inexorably shrinking tax base of the states vs. the entrenched unions holding Collective Bargaining Agreements with those states. The Federal Government kicked the can down the road into 2010-2011 budget year, by flooding the states with 'emergency cash', but there is a limit, and little stomach in Congress to continue this approach. A few Democrats can do math, and they know this can't continue, either fiscally or electorally.

The day of reckoning is now at hand in this budget year.

Chris Christie of New Jersey appears to have the will to win against the teachers' union. If he does, the job becomes easier for governors and legislatures everywhere else. If he loses...well, he said it himself in his remarks recorded below.

Worth a few minutes of your time to consider. If looking in from outside our borders, this is a pretty succinct explanation of the situation faced by each of our fifty states, and the thousands of local school authorities within the states. There is still a great deal of local control of schools, thankfully, although much less than in previous decades. For this we have Jimmy Carter to thank, who created in US Department of Education as a payoff to the National Education Association for their support in 1976.

The more the Feds intervene, the higher the costs, and lower the quality. Thus, in part, why we have arrived at this uncomfortable impasse. Thanks, Jimmy!



This morning's Fox Business segment with Stuart Varney featured a lively discussion with a teachers union president, attempting to spin the debate her way. After all, that's her job.

Varney didn't let her off the hook, and to the credit of both, all discourse remained civil. The name-calling usually resorted to by the union types (child-hater, education-hater, ignorant, racist) was not present, thankfully.

Will try to locate that video or transcript. It was an illuminating discussion.