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Originally designed to promote the columns of anonymous Republican and Democratic writers, this page is now the home of a variety of columnists which currently include former Republican Party political director Royal Masset, environmental reporter Duggan Flanakin, former San Antonio Light Capitol reporter Ed Sills, and general all-around curmudgeon Edd O'Donnell. Each columnist brings decades of experience to the table.
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February 2, 2012 2:45 PM GREENFIELD: WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN -- THE UNITED STATES OF TEXASTransposing Texas statistics on the US--how the "Texas Miracle" would have translated if applied to the rest of the country Before returning to Texas after his valiant, heroic effort to lead the nation, Gov. Rick Perry had traveled the national campaign circuit proposing that the United States should be more like Texas, with low taxes, a balanced budget, reduced regulation, and reduced government services. But what would it mean if the U.S. had become what Texas is? Cal
Jillson,
a professor of Political Science at SMU, was interviewed on an NPR
broadcast, Rick Perry's America, Texas-Style. Professor Jillson mentioned a number of salient points from his recently
released book, “Lone Star Tarnished.” He summarized, “We show
that while Texas has done very well on population and job growth, its ranking
among the states on income, education, social services, criminal justice, and
the environment have been stagnant or falling for decades.” Let’s explore the implications of the U.S. not becoming more like Texas by engaging in a what-if experiment. What if Americans went to bed the first Tuesday of November 2012 knowing that Rick Perry had been elected president and Republicans had swept to super majorities in both the House and Senate. And what if President Perry and the Republican Congress that took office in January 2013, he was determined to make the U.S. look like Texas? President Perry’s Economic Policies (PEP) focused like a laser on reducing the size of government, cutting taxes, cutting social services such as public education, access to health care, and welfare, while renewing the emphasis on individualism and personal responsibility. What if the Republican super majorities in Congress quickly passed laws to implement the President’s PEP. And what if the U.S. economy responded to the new policies as quickly as Congress passed and President Perry signed these bills into law. By the end of 2013, these policies will have transformed the United States of America into the United States of Texas. How would the U.S. look then? Initially, the U.S. unemployment rate (8.9%, for 2011) would decline by .7 percentage point to the Texas rate of 8.2 percent.[1] The nation might celebrate that more than 1 million workers went from unemployed to employed. Unfortunately, 9.5 percent of Texas workers, compared to only 6.0 percent of U.S. hourly workers, earn minimum wages or less. So while the U.S. would see an increase of 2.6 million hourly workers--a 60 percent increase—they would be earning the minimum wage or less. The celebration would likely become somewhat subdued.
By Stuart Greenfield, Ph.D The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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January 27, 2012 11:24 AM COPPEDGE: FROM BEHIND THE PINE CURTAINAre the words Republican and Hispanic compatible in Texas today?--If the courts ever finish dithering, we will get an answer. Governor Rick Perry
was banking on the Texas Republican Primary voters to help catapult him into
the Oval Office in 2012. That is not to
be. But those voters will still have an
impact on his legacy. And at the same
time they will help determine the prospects for the Republican Party to remain
the majority party in Texas. Governor Perry’s name
will not be on the ballot, however two of his high profile Hispanic appointees
will be. And in the U.S. Senate race Ted
Cruz and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst will battle it out. With no disrespect intended to Tom
Leppert and the other 7 filers, that campaign appears to be coming down to
a two man race. Lots of eyes will be
looking at how these three Hispanic-surnamed candidates fare. There have been 11 Hispanics to hold statewide office in Texas. Of those 4 are Democrats and 7 are Republicans. Of the 11, two first ran for and were elected to office*. The remaining 9 were first appointed to office and then ran for election.
By John Coppedge, MD The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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January 23, 2012 4:08 PM EDD O’DONNELL: THIS DROUGHT NOT THE FAULT OF MA NATURE BUT RESULT OF DECADES OF DITHERINGOur friend Edd O'Donnell lays waste to water related foot dragging and points to some people who can help To paraphrase a Clinton era political slogan applied to 2012 Texas: It is the water, stupid. Water, not jobs or education or technology – hell, not even football -- will determine the course of history for Texans. Without constant water supplies and realistic water management laws – not rules – that serve public interest alone, we’re gonna be the largest Third World state in the nation. Here are some natural facts. First, we can’t create water. We can pump it, store it, reclaim it, recycle it, desalinate it, foul it, make it potable, save it, waste it, but we just can’t create water. There’s plenty of water on the planet. For humans, however, much of it is inaccessible or comes at a cost beyond the resources of those who need it most. Second, much of the world’s population is in a daily quest for water for survival. This will only worsen as global population expands exponentially. That specter applies historically to these United States. Read my lips: dust bowl. But there will be no Eden of California and wartime jobs for the 21st century Joad families. Third, Texas has no natural feature water sources to count on. We have no snow pack or dependable seasonal rains. We are draining our aquifers much faster than they can recharge. Decades old containment and flood control projects provided plentiful surface water for a long time – at least until out population became tenfold what it was most of a century ago. We cannot drink crude.
The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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January 11, 2012 10:32 AM GREENFIELD: STATE REVENUE SHOWS GROWTH – FIRST QUARTER RESULTS"Total tax collections during the 1st quarter increased at a rate 2½ times greater than forecast in the Certification Revenue Estimate With the close of
the fiscal year on August 31, and the release by Comptroller Combs
of The 2012-13 Certification
Revenue Estimate all
indicators are that the state’s fiscal situation has substantially improved.
This improvement results in an ending certifiable balance of $1.6 billion for
fiscal 2012-13. Along with a higher ending balance, the Comptroller was also
able to fund $1.2 billion in emergency appropriations. The Comptroller also
indicated “that she’ll revise the numbers if needed between now and the end of
this two-year budget in August 2013.” With the improved transparency at the
Comptroller’s Office, one now has the ability to more immediately review both
state revenue and expenditures to better evaluate the state’s fiscal condition.
Below is both an analysis of all funds revenue and expenditures for the first quarter
of fiscal year 2012 and the implications for the state’s fiscal future. Total tax
collections during the first quarter increased at a rate 2½ times greater than
forecast in the Certification Revenue Estimate (CRE). Almost 60 percent of the
increase in tax collections is due to the increase in sales tax. The increase
in natural gas and oil production taxes accounted for 20.1 percent and 10.8
percent, respectively, of the increase in total tax collections. With the
substantial increases in both severance taxes, each should exceed the revenue
level required to begin accumulating transfers to the Economic Stabilization
Fund (the Rainy Day Fund) beginning this month. It is likely that the estimated
biennial ESF transfer of $1.9 billion will be realized through the FY12
transfer. Greenfield’s complete analysis can be found below
By Stuart Greenfield The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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January 4, 2012 3:12 PM COPPEDGE: ICARUS REDUXOur Longview friend sent us these thoughts before Perry announced his intentions to continue his campaign...but the point may yet be true The ancient Greeks would understand what
happened to Texas Governor Rick Perry in Iowa last night. Perry has a resume' most politicians would
envy. Until now, he had never lost an
election. He has served in the Texas
Legislature, and was elected to three different statewide offices- Agriculture
Commissioner, Lt. Governor and Governor.
He is the longest serving Governor in Texas history. He is a prolific fundraiser, and adept
campaigner on the stump and the camera likes him. He burst onto the national scene when he
declared for the Presidency and quickly vaulted to the top of the polls.
The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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Copyright February 02, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved