Texas

The Texas Freedom Network today released the following statement in response to an erroneous claim by Gov. Rick Perry about creationism in Texas public schools. Answering a young boy’s question while campaigning Thursday in New Hampshire, Gov. Perry said, "in Texas we teach both creationism and evolution in our public schools."

From TFN President Kathy Miller:

"Gov. Perry has once again waded into the culture wars for political gain, but without considering the harmful consequences. It is irresponsible for the leader of a state, or a presidential hopeful, to suggest to public school teachers that it is OK to teach creationism as science when such attempts have repeatedly been ruled unconstitutional by the courts, and could result in litigation against a school district. And it is outrageous that Gov. Perry would erode respect for and trust in public education in Texas, simply in order to promote his political aspirations. Texans and Texas schools are working to prepare our children for college and 21st-century jobs. Gov. Perry’s irresponsible comments wrongly suggest otherwise."

"Twenty-five states have lower unemployment than Texas" which is "tied with Mississippi for more minimum-wage jobs than anywhere in the United States."

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett told ABC News on Aug. 11, 2011, that Gov. Rick Perry’s rosy depictions of employment conditions in Texas aren’t entirely accurate.

"Twenty-five states have lower unemployment than Texas does today," the Austin Democrat said, adding that "we're tied with Mississippi for more minimum-wage jobs than anywhere in the United States."

Is Texas middling in unemployment and tied with the Magnolia State for minimum-wage jobs?

Yes and yup.

Read the entire article at PoltiFact Texas.

^{by Paul Krugman}

As expected, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has announced that he is running for president. And we already know what his campaign will be about: faith in miracles...

So what you need to know is that the Texas miracle is a myth, and more broadly that Texan experience offers no useful lessons on how to restore national full employment...

In June 2011, the Texas unemployment rate was 8.2 percent. That was less than unemployment in collapsed-bubble states like California and Florida, but it was slightly higher than the unemployment rate in New York, and significantly higher than the rate in Massachusetts. By the way, one in four Texans lacks health insurance, the highest proportion in the nation, thanks largely to the state’s small-government approach. Meanwhile, Massachusetts has near-universal coverage...

So where does the notion of a Texas miracle come from? Mainly from widespread misunderstanding of the economic effects of population growth.

...So when Mr. Perry presents himself as the candidate who knows how to create jobs, don’t believe him. His prescriptions for job creation would work about as well in practice as his prayer-based attempt to end Texas’s crippling drought.

^{By Lloyd Criss—Galveston County Democratic Party Chairman}

There is one word that terrifies the current tea party dominated Republican Party: Taxes.

Republicans at every level are so afraid of this word they would rather watch our nation and state deteriorate than support the modest tax adjustments needed to fund public education, meet society’s basic needs and balance state and federal budgets.

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Lawmakers make the laws. The question is, do they follow them all to the letter?

State Rep. Ron Reynolds of Missouri City, who last month was named "Freshman of the Year" by his fellow Democrats, puts that question to the test.

A KXAN News investigation shows that as of June 1, Reynolds owed the Texas Ethics Commission nearly $10,260 in fines relating to failure to file the required financial disclosure reports required of candidates for public office and officeholders.

Read the rest of the story at KXAN.

^{By Lloyd Criss—Galveston County Democratic Party Chairman}

For many decades Texas had a tax structure that provided adequate revenue to fund public education and balance the state budget. Occasionally the tax structure produced a surplus. Prior Democratic administrations wisely converted the surpluses into savings and created the Texas Rainy Day Fund for unanticipated circumstances.

In 2006 Gov. Rick Perry passed legislation that contained substantial tax cuts to benefit certain big businesses. This tax cut legislation created a $5 billion dollar shortfall in state revenue. By 2011 this shortfall, combined with a recession driven decline in sales tax revenue, blossomed into the $27 billion budget deficit crisis for the 82^nd Texas Legislative Session.

This historic budget crisis was no accident. The shortfall had been forecast by the state comptroller at the time. The state treasury isn’t broke; it was robbed of the funds we need to serve the citizens of this state.