Standard and Poor's Comments on the Texas Budget Shortfall

From the Austin American Statesman:

Texas’ cuts-only approach to its budget shortfall won’t solve the state’s long-term fiscal problems, according to Standard & Poor’s, a major bond rating agency.

“We believe that a balanced approach that includes both revenue enhancements and expenditure cuts has a higher potential of success in preserving the state’s long-term structural budget balance than a strategy that relies solely on expenditure cutbacks,” wrote S&P credit analyst Horacio Aldrete-Sanchez in a report released last week.

Though S&P is not likely to join the Texas Forward coalition, the analyst’s language mirrors that of the education groups, health and human service advocates and faith leaders that have decried the deep budget cuts.

Aldrete-Sanchez also emphasized that the state’s budget hole is not a one-time problem that will go away as the economy improves.

“In our view, the state’s budget imbalance is likely to reappear or persist beyond the upcoming biennium unless other sources of revenue or additional budgetary flexibility are identified to fill this growing funding gap,” the analysis continues.
As we discussed in 2302, Texas is a "pay as you go" state so it cannot run deficits, but recent amendments to our constitution have allowed for bonds to be sold to fund certain items like prisons. While Standard and Poor's still rates Texas bonds at a high level, this could change.

- Relevant state agency: Texas Bond Review Board.
- Commentary from Paul Burka:

The refusal of Texas’s leaders to raise revenue is imperiling the state’s fiscal stability. We raise money only by the most expensive means–borrowing. Our revenue and tax structure is untenable. We have a nonperforming business tax that has created a permanent structural budget deficit, and our state leaders, who have known about this since 2006, when they paid no heed to the comptroller’s fiscal note, continue to pretend that it doesn’t exist.

Can Legislators Still Legislate?

Maybe not. Especially if legislating means talking with the opposition. Ezra Klein considers the case of Republican Senator Bob Bennett. Are voters, driven by extremist ideological groups, punishing legislators who legislate?

John Murtha

This might not be the kindest obituary, but the recently deceased John Murtha is heralded as having been a master of pork-barrel politics. As we begin discussing just what that means in my 2302s, this gives us something to talk about.

Update:

Apparently Murtha died due to medical error:

Mr. Murtha was first hospitalized with gallbladder problems in December. He had surgery Jan. 28 at the National Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md. He went home, but was hospitalized two days later when complications developed. According to a source close to Mr. Murtha -- confirming a report in Politico -- doctors inadvertently cut Mr. Murtha's intestine during the laparoscopic surgery, causing an infection.

Area Congressional Staffs

Here's a useful item from KPRC. It tells us how much each member of the local delegation has been allocated to spend on their office (around $1.3-4 million each) and how much they do in fact spend.

It fits with our upcoming discussion of constituency service.

Texas Monthly: Best and Worst Legislators

The full story from Texas Monthly.

Best: Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas), Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock), Craig Eiland (D-Galveston), Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands), Brian McCall (R-Plano), John Otto (R-Dayton), Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie), Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin), John Zerwas (R-Richmond)

Worst: Wayne Christian (R-Center), Yvonne Davis (D-Dallas), Jim Dunnam (D-Waco), Allen Fletcher (R-Tomball), Kino Flores (D-Palmview), Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay), Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. (D-Houston), Richard Peña Raymond (D-Laredo), Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball), Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands)

Honorable mention: Sen. Kip Averitt (R-Waco), Dan Branch (R-Dallas), Sen. Robert Deuell (R-Greenville), Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio), Mark Strama (D-Austin), Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio)

Dishonorable mention: Betty Brown (R-Terrell), Norma Chávez (D-El Paso), Carl Isett (R-Lubbock), David Leibowitz (D-San Antonio), Tommy Merritt (R-Longview)

Furniture: Charles “Doc” Anderson (R-Waco), Fred Brown (R-College Station), Al Edwards (D-Houston), Joe Farias (D-San Antonio), Sen. Chris Harris (R-Arlington), Tim Kleinschmidt (R-Lexington), Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville), Solomon Ortiz Jr. (D-Corpus Christi), Inocente “Chente” Quintanilla (D-El Paso), Ralph Sheffield (R-Temple)

Rookie of the Year: Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth)

Secret Resort

This is how Centerpoint Energy gets cozy with elected officials.

On Politics

What matters more when it comes to politics? Reasoned debate -- as I've suggested in class -- or combat?

From Slate:

The Washington Post has a long front-page account of Barack Obama's days in the Illinois state Senate where, the paper says, he was converted from an idealistic do-gooder into a tough politician. "Barack had this misconception that you could change votes with thoughtful questions and good debate," one of his former colleagues told the paper. "That was a little idealistic, if you ask me. It's not necessarily about smarts and logic down there. Votes are made with a lot of horse trading, compromise, coercion, working with the other side. Those are things that Barack can do—can do very well, actually. But it took him a little while to figure it out."

Tom Davis and the Contemporary U.S. House

The NYT has an long overview of Tom Davis (R - VA 11th District) and his decision to not run for reelection.

It tells alot about both the mindset of current members of congress and the political landscape that exists within it.