Texas House video of State Rep. Lance Gooden’s attempt to add earmarks to the budget may be legally off-limits to his primary opponent, but that doesn’t change the fact he tried to increase pork spending at a time when taxpayers were calling for cuts.
Irrational environmental fanaticism is on center stage today in Austin. The City Council is preparing to make yet another costly mistake by banning plastic and paper bags, despite the glaring unintended consequences that will come and more viable alternatives available to choose from.
State Representative Todd Smith appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. After deciding not to run for the Texas Senate against one or more conservative colleagues, Smith’s re-election outlook for his current position in the Texas House doesn’t look so good, either.
With news that the Texas Department of Transportation is exploring a new passenger rail line from Austin to Houston, taxpayers should be frantically clinging to their wallets. If history is any indication, it’s going to have a boondoggle of a price tag.
Did you know that Barack Obama thinks outside the box? That his favorite team is the White Sox? That his famous slogan is “Yes We Can?” That he’s “the man?” That’s what kindergarteners at an elementary school in Houston now know after being forced to learn a song praising the president.
So how well have your tax dollars been spent subsidizing start-up companies? According to new reports, not very well. The state’s Emerging Technology Fund spent an average of over $200,000 per job created, leaving more of us to wonder why Texas is still in the business of corporate welfare.
Do you live in the City of Austin? Disgusted by the city council’s encroachment of liberty by attempting to ban plastic and paper grocery bags? Then it’s time to take action.
Who needs an education when you can have a professional soccer field? That seems to the mentality of the San Antonio ISD board of trustees, given they just voted to spend $3 million more to build a professional-size field at Alamo Stadium despite participating in a lawsuit claiming the state underfunds public schools.
When the State of California says it’s too expensive, it should grab your attention. A recent study conducted by a group of experts determined that California taxpayers can’t afford a new high-speed rail system – but that news is unlikely to stop the calls for high-speed trains between Texas’ metropolitan centers.
What good is a candidate forum that takes place after most voters have already cast their ballot? That’s a question that Tommy Merritt didn’t seem to ask. He recently proposed holding four candidate forums with Taxpayer Champion David Simpson after early primary voting would have already started. It’s almost as if he’s got something to hide.