Tag Archives: deficit

We had a wildfire protection plan

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We just weren’t willing to pay for it. Long before this month’s historic wildfires in Texas, the state’s forest service came up with a $20.4 million plan to stop the flames from starting or tamp them out before small blazes … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry must love uninsured people, because he’s helped create so many of them

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Buried in this story about the grim statistics on poverty that were recently released by the Census is this little nugget that hits close to home: Health insurance coverage also dropped for most age groups, although census officials said the … Continue reading →

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No tax rate increase this year

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Mayor Annise Parker has officially proposed not raising taxes this year. Through her finance director, the mayor is asking the City Council at its Sept. 21 meeting to adopt the existing property tax rate of 0.63875 per $100 … Continue reading →

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It’s news but it’s not new

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Before the Labor Day weekend, Sen. Dan Patrick said something that was considered to be newsworthy even though he and others have been saying it for years. A Republican state senator calling for a tax increase is clearly in the … Continue reading →

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This is an excellent time to cut funding for fighting wildfires

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That’s exactly what the Republicans did in the budget that came into effect last week. Cash-strapped state lawmakers – led by Gov. Rick Perry’s stand against raising taxes or dipping too deeply into the state rainy day fund – cut … Continue reading →

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The high school football tax

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You may not be paying more in property taxes, but if you have a kid in public school, or maybe if you just know someone who has a kid in public school, you’re probably paying more for something. High school … Continue reading →

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On targeting public pension plans

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Texas could be gearing up for its own Wisconsin-style grudge match over public employee benefits. A group of high-powered Houston business leaders is starting a statewide campaign to overhaul retirement for future … Continue reading →

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Inevitable school finance lawsuit update

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Duly noted. Superintendents from several low and medium-wealth school districts appear ready to sue the state over its school finance system as early as October. Wayne Pierce, executive director the Equity Center – a group representing 690 districts – said … Continue reading →

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Harris County property appraisals dip a little

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is what counts as good news these days. The appraised value of property countywide has declined slightly, according to numbers released Thursday, but not nearly on the scale of last year’s 3 percent plunge that translated into tens of … Continue reading →

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Back to school

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Time to do more with less, kids. Just don’t expect to be cut any slack on those standardized tests. When Texas students return to public schools this week, some will see a slight uptick in class sizes and fewer teachers, … Continue reading →

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Thanks for helping us balance the budget, fishermen

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s Shannon Tompkins explains how budgetary shenanigans have an adverse effect on Texas’ hunters and fishers. Every year, tens of millions of dollars in hunting and fishing license fees are left sitting in the state account used to fund … Continue reading →

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Texas’ unemployment rate spikes

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas unemployment rate hits its highest mark since 1987. That’s probably not the kind of headline Rick Perry wants to read right now. As Gov. Rick Perry touts job creation and limited government on the campaign trail, the Texas’ unemployment … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The back to school letter

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Every year at the start of school, the local district superintendent sends home a letter to the parents of each student telling them about what to expect in the new year. This is the sort of letter they should be … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Please place the blame where it belongs

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Stories like this concern me. Public opinion of the Houston Independent School District plummeted this year amid severe state budget cuts, while support of the superintendent also dropped, according to a new survey. Among parents surveyed this spring, 54 percent … Continue reading →

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School bus ads come to Comal County

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Given the budget cuts from the Legislature, I figure we’ll see a lot more school districts hop on the bus, as it were. This year, 10 Comal school district buses that deliver students to school and home also will be … Continue reading →

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Noted for 2013

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

When the next Texas Legislature gets gaveled in and hears the bad news about the ten-figure budget shortfall it will have to deal with, remember that at least one Republican involved in the budget-writing process this year says we won’t … Continue reading →

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Sugar Land prison set to close

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This has been a long time coming. Texas joins a nationwide trend of shutting expensive state prisons, driven partly by red ink in state budgets, partly by a drop in convict numbers (with the lowest crime rate since 1973) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lawsuit filed against business margins tax

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Allstate Claims Service, L.P., which is based in Boerne, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the business margins tax is an illegally-passed income tax in Texas. Oh, boy. Nikki Laing, a CPA and third-year Baylor law student, studied the structure … Continue reading →

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HISD to hire back some teachers

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More good news. More than 300 teachers and other educators in the Houston Independent School District have been rehired since the massive round of layoffs in the spring, according to newly released data. Additional HISD teachers could get their jobs … Continue reading →

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Don’t forget Texas’ debt

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Perry’s Prayerpalooza is behind us and we breathlessly await his Presidential decision, keep this op-ed by former State Rep. Jim Dunnam in mind whenever you hear Perry pontificate about the national debt. Before Rick Perry became governor, Texas … Continue reading →

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Austin ISD rehiring some teachers

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A little bit of good news. The Austin school board voted Monday to abandon plans to expand class sizes to save money, reverting to the ideal student-teacher ratio of 22-to-1 for classes in kindergarten through the fourth grade and prompting … Continue reading →

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You get the policies you voted for

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I hate to sound like a broken record, but these people need to quit complaining about getting what they voted for. Midland County officials are appealing to the state for reconsideration after it stripped $1.2 million in funding from the … Continue reading →

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The city and county would like to cooperate, but…

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

…it’s hard to do when there’s no money to do it with. City and county officials have not met for months to discuss a joint booking facility, long touted as a way to save taxpayers money. It would get the … Continue reading →

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Tough times for teaching hospitals

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, who needs doctors, anyway? Texas teaching hospitals are bracing for a big hit in the federal deficit-reduction plans under consideration, just a few weeks after the state Legislature slashed funding to the same doctor-training programs. The cuts will exacerbate … Continue reading →

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The job market for teachers

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There are still some jobs available for new teachers and teachers looking for a new gig, but not nearly as many as there have been in the past. Because of the Legislature’s initial $4 billion cut from public school funding, … Continue reading →

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Talking about the T word

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Scott McCown brings up the subject of taxes but leaves it short of where to go from here. If a stronger economy, honest budgeting and pitting priorities against each other aren’t the answer, what is? Texas must modestly increase taxes. … Continue reading →

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Are there West Texas pickup opportunities available?

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Depends on how you look at it, I suppose. Former Potter County Democratic Party chairman Abel Bosquez said he plans to run for the same Texas House seat he did not win in last year’s election. “I am ready to … Continue reading →

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Better times are coming (we hope)

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So says City Controller Ronald Green in the Chron’s op-ed pages. Officially, the U.S. recession has ended. We have certainly rounded the corner here in Houston. And while there is a loss here of public sector jobs, the private sector … Continue reading →

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Day One at the SBOE

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your TFN Insider coverage of today’s SBOE science hearings. In Part I of the hearings, we find that the SBOE may not be such a major factor in school curriculum any more: 10:20  – Board members are quizzing the … Continue reading →

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That next school finance lawsuit is coming

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Look for it when school starts this fall. Texas lawmakers who left town recently after cutting public education and doing little to fix school funding disparities have guaranteed another school finance lawsuit, according to educators and lawyers involved in the … Continue reading →

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Does Perry get any credit?

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What credit, if any, should Rick Perry get for Texas’ relatively good economic condition? This Statesman story aims to find out. As Gov. Rick Perry’s flirtation with running for president puts the Texas economy under a microscope, there’s no question … Continue reading →

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Austin braces for job losses

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here they come. The Texas Education Agency said Tuesday that it is laying off 178 employees this week. Those are among the first of thousands of state government layoffs expected in the coming weeks. The TEA decision … Continue reading →

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Steroid prevalency: Opinions differ

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Richard Justice writes about steroids in sports, in particular steroid use among high school students, and quotes a familiar source. [Don Hooton] cites a Procter & Gamble Co. study in which 2,000 kids were asked if an adult, parent, coach … Continue reading →

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Our debt is good, your debt is bad

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, the humanity! For all the controversy over the national debt ceiling, here’s a surprise: Since 2001, the debt load in conservative Texas has grown faster than the federal debt. Texas has been borrowing more than most other states, too. … Continue reading →

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