Left-wingers are a grim lot. Not only is the sky falling and the glass half empty, but it’s the lack of funding that makes the sky fall and drains water from the glass. Take the current Texas economy: unlike the rest of the nation, the state has job growth and the economy is performing strongly. But to the state’s liberals, calamity rules because government isn’t taking all that it could from your wallet. Read More»

Liberals love to micromanage other people’s business – as long as the rules don’t apply to them. The Texas House Democratic Caucus chair proved that this week with her whining “Monday Memo” decrying recent attention paid to predominately liberal officeholders who were counting as “full-time employees” people who did little or no work for little or no pay – but getting hefty taxpayer benefits. She’s worried that this mighty, gasp, be an election issue. Ya think? Read More»

Seriously, way to go TxDOT. Sure, you guys miscounted $1 billion. You've said you cannot build roads again because you're broke. But, hey, you did just win 15 excellence in advertising awards! Read More»

No sooner had our weekly e-mail newsletter left the servers than word arrived that Houston attorney Grant Harpold is making plans to run for Senate District 17. That seat will be open because of Dr. Kyle Janek's expected resignation in the next several weeks. Read More»

So the Democrats line with the state's projected surplus is they support giving our money back “when we can afford to." If that line sounds disturbingly familiar, it’s probably because our Republican Lt. Governor, David Dewhurst, was singing that song back in 2007. Read More»

Year after year, the State of Texas has produced budget surpluses – more money than government needs. Most egregiously, the state had a $14.3 billion surplus in 2007; a chunk of it was spent on bigger government, and chunk was put in an unsecured “tax relief” account that – trust them – the legislature will give back to us some day as property tax relief (no guarantees, though). Now comes word that Texas could have another $15 billion surplus in 2009. Governor Perry is making a politically unusual (if economically correct) call: give the money back to the people. Read More»

Facing a $16 million budget deficit, Vallejo, California, is filing for bankruptcy. It seems for way too long the inmates have been running the asylum. Or, rather, the "public safety" unions have been draining the city coffers dry. Nearly 75 percent of the city budget goes to "public safety" salaries alone. The city cannot afford and the unions are refusing to negotiate. So their only recourse is bankruptcy. The people of Southlake, Texas, should take note: they will soon be voting to allow their police to unionize which could cost them an additional $10,000 per employee without. And that's just for now. Southlake, meet Vallejo.

"Are the Republicans crazy?," asks Houston's Steven Hotze in a commentary this week. Not a bad question to ask, considering the growing outcry from small-business owners around the state as they see the impact of Texas' new business tax taking effect. Read More»

An age-old practice in the Texas House is finally being exposed to sunlight, and the practitioners are scrambling to defend themselves. Like johns caught in a prostitution sting, legislators who've been putting political cronies on the payroll for lucrative public benefits are defending themselves with the age-old excuse that they were just engaged in an age-old practice.Fortunately, House Speaker Tom Craddick and House General Investigating and Ethics Committee chairman Larry Phillips are promising quick reform. Read More»

Not too long ago the Texas Department of Transportation said it didn’t have enough money to build roads. Plum out of cash. But now comes word from Dallas that TxDOT is spending $20 million to build a 5-acre park. That’s better be one heck of park. And, by the way, the federal government is making them do it. Read More»