Despite Republican deficit, Texans oppose education cuts

[white cloud]

Scores of issues — including redistricting, immigration and border security — await lawmakers as they prepare to return to the Capitol. But a budget shortfall that could exceed $20 billion looms as the biggest challenge for the 82nd Legislature. Lawmakers will face tough decisions that could result in deep cuts to services and layoffs of thousands of state workers. Legislators will get a precise reading on the depth of the budget crisis Monday when Comptroller Susan Combs releases revenue estimates that serve as a starting point for the next two-year budget cycle.

http://www.txstatedemocrats.org/?p=1513

[sonias]

1. And its the majority of Texans

Not just the kooks that voted.

Houston Chronicle 1/9/10
Lawmakers return to red ink, mixed voter message
(snip)
But a new poll of Texas adults found citizens do not want to cut social services or public education for children, two of the most expensive budget items. If new revenue is needed, they would prefer cigarette taxes or an expansion of gambling.

(snip)
'We want it both ways'

The new survey done for the Houston Chronicle and other major newspapers found 70 percent of Texas adults opposed any cuts to public education and 62 percent opposed cutting health care programs for children. About 53 percent backed some level of cuts in higher education.

If new revenue is needed, 60 percent favored an expansion of gambling to cover slot machines at horse tracks or casinos. Given a choice of taxes to increase, 42 percent picked cigarette taxes; just 2 percent wanted to raise gasoline taxes.

Maybe there's a silver lining in that cloud after all. The party that knows nothing about governing can not possibly please even their own base much less the finicky voters of Texas.

:shrug:

[hadrons]

2. They want their services ... if someone else pays for it

[sonias]

3. Exactly

It's the "I got mine, you get yours" mentality. But they insist we are a "United States" country, and they're paying too much in taxes because of "those people", so don't cut my services but go tax the hell out of "them".

Oh and the budget hole is $27 billion as of today per the Texas Comptroller. But Perry didn't cause that - it's all the federal government's fault. And it all happened on Obama's watch too!

The stupid is especially big in Texas!

:crazy::crazy::crazy: