16 thoughts on “A Job (And Wealth) Creator, Not Destroyer”
Not Slick Rick.
As a rule, I think drafting anyone for president is a bad idea, even in the extremely unlikely event they were throwing an election and nobody came to run for the job.
Doing without a president altogether for a few years wouldn’t be all that bad an outcome, compared to the current incumbent.
Texas’s deficits (huge), unemployment rate (worse than NY or MA in an oil boom), and percentage of uninsured (worst in the nation) don’t seem like much to brag about.
Repeating the Texas state budget deficit myth eh Jim?
The myth of the $27 billion shortfall
State budget writers have a challenging session in front of them, but it may not be as bad as you’ve heard.
First, the facts. According to the newly released 2012-13 Biennial Revenue Estimate, the state is expected to collect $76.5 billion over the next two years for general purpose spending. Of this total, $4.3 billion is needed to cover expenses leftover from the last budget, leaving lawmakers with roughly $72.2 billion to cover general expenses for the next two years.
Since the announcement, several media reports are citing the estimate from Comptroller Susan Combs as the basis for a $27 billion budget shortfall. However, Combs specifically stated that she could not give a shortfall estimate – she is responsible only for the revenue side of the budget equation, and that spending levels are the prerogative of the Legislature.
The $27 billion figure in certain media accounts is premised on the belief that the state should carry forward all current spending and assumptions regarding program growth. But in difficult times, taxpayers cannot continue to spend money for programs and agencies in the same fashion as previous times when more resources were available.
Additionally, policy advocates touting the $27 billion figure are simply tallying the state agencies’ Legislative Appropriations Requests. But these requests are almost never fully funded – even at the start of the budget process – because they include many unnecessary spending items that appropriators recognize and quickly weed out.
Beyond that, Combs said that her estimate of a $4.3 billion deficit in the current budget cycle did not account for the implementation of agency budget cuts requested last year by Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Speaker Joe Straus. Once these agreed-to cuts are implemented, that will reduce the deficit by approximately $2 billion in this budget and increase available revenue by $2 billion in 2012-13.
The most important point tracks back to Combs’ statement that spending levels are the prerogative of the Legislature. Officially, there is no shortfall until there is an introduced budget that provides a preliminary expression of the Legislature’s desired spending level. If the House leadership follows through on its stated intention to introduce a budget that fits within available revenues, there will be no shortfall.
This is not to say that the process of developing a 2012-13 state budget will be a walk in the park. But claims that Texas is $27 billion in the red are flat-out false.
Texas’ gross domestic product is expected to grow by 3.7 percent in 2011, propelled by the state’s top job creation and higher energy prices, according to BBVA Compass’ second quarter economic outlook report.
People love to spin about Texas. If it was such a horrible place, why would people be moving there from all over the country. It is adding jobs left and right. I would gladly vote for Perry over Obama.
unemployment rate (worse than NY or MA in an oil boom),
Texas 8.0%
New York 7.9%
Mass 7.8%
A slight difference. Espcially the number of people in Texas who used to work building houses before the bubble burst. Since Texas is gaining pop and Mass and NY are losing pop, it will fix itself in due time.
Yes, please don’t throw us into that briar patch!
You think people moving into Texas seeking a job might also account for some of those unemployed too?
Um, drawly talking short-time-in-office Texas governor propelled on to the national stage to run for President as a Republican against a know-it-all Democratic Party heir apparent. Never heard of such a thing . . .
Short time in office? Perry has been the Governor for almost 11 years!
M Puckett Says:
“Short time in office? Perry has been the Governor for almost 11 years!”
Clearly is inexperienced and lacking in gravitas compared to the Barack Obama. Next you will be claiming that because he can see Mexico from his backyard that he has a background in international concerns like immigration and energy production.
Please. No.
And since my comment is too short: No. No. No. For goodness sake No.
Perry did get signed into law two bills that I think would be good for most states…tort reform and most recently plantiff pays defendant’s legal bills if plantiff loses.
Problem with Rick Perry is the Texas Trans Corridor. It was a bad idea that he tried several times to cram onto Texans. He went against many in his own party. Only when it had been blocked at every avenue and become impossible to implement, did Governor Perry finally relent that it was a bad idea. He lost a lot of his base in Texas because of it. In fact, I likely wouldn’t support him in a Texas Governor primary.
Sadly, he’s still not that bad compared to Romney’s, Huckabee’s, and other established Republican contenders.
Oh, and Jim wrote so many demonstrably false lies in one comment; I think his nose is now more wooden and erect than Weiner’s wiener.
Perry’s too beholden to the social conservatives for me, and is far too creationism friendly. On education he is therefore very vulnerable, especially if he comes off looking like a backwoods snake handler when the “E” word is fired his way.
Somebody would bring up Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor scheme. Think of the plot to Blazing Saddles, on steroids.
Not Slick Rick.
As a rule, I think drafting anyone for president is a bad idea, even in the extremely unlikely event they were throwing an election and nobody came to run for the job.
Doing without a president altogether for a few years wouldn’t be all that bad an outcome, compared to the current incumbent.
Texas’s deficits (huge), unemployment rate (worse than NY or MA in an oil boom), and percentage of uninsured (worst in the nation) don’t seem like much to brag about.
Repeating the Texas state budget deficit myth eh Jim?
The myth of the $27 billion shortfall
State budget writers have a challenging session in front of them, but it may not be as bad as you’ve heard.
First, the facts. According to the newly released 2012-13 Biennial Revenue Estimate, the state is expected to collect $76.5 billion over the next two years for general purpose spending. Of this total, $4.3 billion is needed to cover expenses leftover from the last budget, leaving lawmakers with roughly $72.2 billion to cover general expenses for the next two years.
Since the announcement, several media reports are citing the estimate from Comptroller Susan Combs as the basis for a $27 billion budget shortfall. However, Combs specifically stated that she could not give a shortfall estimate – she is responsible only for the revenue side of the budget equation, and that spending levels are the prerogative of the Legislature.
The $27 billion figure in certain media accounts is premised on the belief that the state should carry forward all current spending and assumptions regarding program growth. But in difficult times, taxpayers cannot continue to spend money for programs and agencies in the same fashion as previous times when more resources were available.
Additionally, policy advocates touting the $27 billion figure are simply tallying the state agencies’ Legislative Appropriations Requests. But these requests are almost never fully funded – even at the start of the budget process – because they include many unnecessary spending items that appropriators recognize and quickly weed out.
Beyond that, Combs said that her estimate of a $4.3 billion deficit in the current budget cycle did not account for the implementation of agency budget cuts requested last year by Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Speaker Joe Straus. Once these agreed-to cuts are implemented, that will reduce the deficit by approximately $2 billion in this budget and increase available revenue by $2 billion in 2012-13.
The most important point tracks back to Combs’ statement that spending levels are the prerogative of the Legislature. Officially, there is no shortfall until there is an introduced budget that provides a preliminary expression of the Legislature’s desired spending level. If the House leadership follows through on its stated intention to introduce a budget that fits within available revenues, there will be no shortfall.
This is not to say that the process of developing a 2012-13 state budget will be a walk in the park. But claims that Texas is $27 billion in the red are flat-out false.
– Talmadge Heflin
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2011/05/31/texas-gdp-up-37-this-year-bbva.html
Texas’ gross domestic product is expected to grow by 3.7 percent in 2011, propelled by the state’s top job creation and higher energy prices, according to BBVA Compass’ second quarter economic outlook report.
People love to spin about Texas. If it was such a horrible place, why would people be moving there from all over the country. It is adding jobs left and right. I would gladly vote for Perry over Obama.
unemployment rate (worse than NY or MA in an oil boom),
Texas 8.0%
New York 7.9%
Mass 7.8%
A slight difference. Espcially the number of people in Texas who used to work building houses before the bubble burst. Since Texas is gaining pop and Mass and NY are losing pop, it will fix itself in due time.
Yes, please don’t throw us into that briar patch!
You think people moving into Texas seeking a job might also account for some of those unemployed too?
Um, drawly talking short-time-in-office Texas governor propelled on to the national stage to run for President as a Republican against a know-it-all Democratic Party heir apparent. Never heard of such a thing . . .
Short time in office? Perry has been the Governor for almost 11 years!
M Puckett Says:
“Short time in office? Perry has been the Governor for almost 11 years!”
Clearly is inexperienced and lacking in gravitas compared to the Barack Obama. Next you will be claiming that because he can see Mexico from his backyard that he has a background in international concerns like immigration and energy production.
Please. No.
And since my comment is too short: No. No. No. For goodness sake No.
Perry did get signed into law two bills that I think would be good for most states…tort reform and most recently plantiff pays defendant’s legal bills if plantiff loses.
Problem with Rick Perry is the Texas Trans Corridor. It was a bad idea that he tried several times to cram onto Texans. He went against many in his own party. Only when it had been blocked at every avenue and become impossible to implement, did Governor Perry finally relent that it was a bad idea. He lost a lot of his base in Texas because of it. In fact, I likely wouldn’t support him in a Texas Governor primary.
Sadly, he’s still not that bad compared to Romney’s, Huckabee’s, and other established Republican contenders.
Oh, and Jim wrote so many demonstrably false lies in one comment; I think his nose is now more wooden and erect than Weiner’s wiener.
Perry’s too beholden to the social conservatives for me, and is far too creationism friendly. On education he is therefore very vulnerable, especially if he comes off looking like a backwoods snake handler when the “E” word is fired his way.
Somebody would bring up Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor scheme. Think of the plot to Blazing Saddles, on steroids.