Rick Perry's debt bomb

[RandomGuy]

Perry will no doubt be pitching how he cut taxes.

Unfortunately, he did so without cutting spending.
The comptroller at the time in 2006 wrote a letter that was pretty much spot on in predicting our current budget fuck up.



The Legislature is concluding its work on your tax plan. Your plan is fiscally irresponsible -- it includes an unconstitutional income tax on partnerships and unincorporated associations, the largest tax increase in Texas history and leaves the largest hot check in Texas history. What you should do is show true leadership and veto this legislation.

As the state's chief fiscal officer, it is my responsibility to spell out exactly what the Perry Tax Plan means to our state's fiscal integrity. As you have known since it was made public, your plan simply does not pay for itself. As of this moment, this legislation is a staggering $23 billion short of the funds needed to pay for the promised property tax cuts over the next five years.

In 2007, your plan is $3.4 billion short; in 2008 it is $4.3 billion short; in 2009 it is $5.4 billion short; in 2010 it is $4.9 billion short; and in 2011 it is $5 billion short. These are conservative estimates.

At best, your plan is a prelude to another huge tax bill in the next regular session, one that will not only be heaped on Texas businesses but will fall heavily on the same taxpayers you claim to be helping now. At worst, it will relegate Texans to Draconian cuts in critical areas like education and health care for at least a generation. This is not a victory for taxpayers. It is a sham, and Texans will see it for what it is.

There is no economic miracle that will close the gap your plan creates. Even if every single dollar of the current $8.2 billion surplus was poured into the plan, it would not cover the plan's costs for more than two years, 2007 and 2008. The gap is going to continue to grow, year by year. There are only two ways to close a chasm of that magnitude -- future tax increases that you are hiding from Texans now or massive cuts in essential state services -- like public education -- already devastated by your past fiscal indifference.

I have outlined $7.7 billion in long-term "Strayhorn Solutions" to finance needed programs, such as a significant teacher pay raise, real property tax cuts and fully restoring the Children's Health Insurance Program. Those solutions include reinstating e-Texas Performance Reviews and the Texas School Performance Reviews to the Texas Comptroller's office, implementing video lottery terminals, closing corporate loopholes in the franchise tax, eliminating the taxpayer-funded Texas Enterprise Fund and Emerging Technology Fund, and a $1-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax tied to vital health-related programs.

Texans deserve relief from high property taxes, but they do not need it at the expense of future tax hikes and more cuts in public education. Educators are justifiably skeptical of this program because they know that when the state controls the purse strings, rather than locally elected school boards, the result will be devastating to our schools.

The property tax relief contained in the bill, if it can be financed past 2008, will be quickly eroded by rising property values, and increases in local tax rates forced on local school districts struggling to keep up with rising costs. In as little as five years, the state could be right back in court.

Finally, your plan represents the largest tax bill in Texas history, includes an unconstitutional income tax, represents a 200 percent tax increase on Texas businesses at a time when the state has taken an $8.2 billion surplus out of the pockets of hardworking Texans, and does not pay for itself as required by the spirit of our Texas Constitution's "pay-as-you-go, no-deficit-spending" provision. That is unconscionable.

Governor, we should be working to improve state services for Texans and to reduce the burden of government on businesses and individuals. This plan creates a rolling mess that will take 20 years for future leaders of the state to untangle. Texans will recognize this plan for what it is -- a short-term, smoke-and-mirrors patch at best.

I urge you to show true leadership and veto this legislation. Texas needs a school finance plan that provides long-term, pay-as-you-go solutions for education.

Sincerely,


Carole Keeton Strayhorn,
Texas Comptroller

(edit)
In the interest of disclosure:

She was running against him for the governor's office at the time. As such I think it is prudent to be a bit skeptical of her claims and interpretations of events.

The letter though, is important because the budget shortfalls she predicted, even so, have materialized to bite us in the ass.

Perry got to check off the "cut taxes" box, but did so by kicking the can down the road with the Legislature.

The same kinds of short-term fuck ups and putting off of hard decisions that is killing us at the Federal level.

I am just pissed off enough at Obama to vote him out of office, but if this guy is what the GOP is serving up, no thank you.

If anybody thinks electing this guy will be some momentous change of course, feel free to outline exactly how this kind of same-old same-old is going to do that.

[CosmicCowboy]

Oh gee...a letter written by the person running against him for governor at the time?

[MannyIsGod]

What about the information she brings up? Sure there is hyperbole but she makes valid points.

[Winehole23]

Oh gee...a letter written by the person running against him for governor at the time?Running against Rick Perry didn't make Carole Keeton Strayhorn any less right about the budget.

[CosmicCowboy]

Manny, you are correct...there were many options on fixing the budget available. In the political process there are always multiple viewpoints and in the end one finally prevails based on election results.

Strayhorn may have made some valid points but using hyperbole from an opponent of his in the 2006 governors race (without pointing that out) as "expert opinion" was classic Boutons and RG was being disingenuous at best.

[Winehole23]

Strayhorn was the State Comptroller. Hers was the official expert opinion of the time. Boutons is entirely correct to refer to it as such.

[JohnnyMarzetti]

He'll blame Obama.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Strayhorn was the State Comptroller. Hers was the official expert opinion of the time. Boutons is entirely correct to refer to it as such.

It's much to complicated for simpleton like darins to understand. I wonder if he knows what the State Comptroller does.

[boutons_deux]

August 14, 2011

The Texas Unmiracle

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.

Some of these miracles will involve things that you’re liable to read in the Bible. But if he wins the Republican nomination, his campaign will probably center on a more secular theme: the alleged economic miracle in Texas, which, it’s often asserted, sailed through the Great Recession almost unscathed thanks to conservative economic policies. And Mr. Perry will claim that he can restore prosperity to America by applying the same policies at a national level.

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.

It’s true that Texas entered recession a bit later than the rest of America, mainly because the state’s still energy-heavy economy was buoyed by high oil prices through the first half of 2008. Also, Texas was spared the worst of the housing crisis, partly because it turns out to have surprisingly strict regulation of mortgage lending.

Despite all that, however, from mid-2008 onward unemployment soared in Texas, just as it did almost everywhere else.

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 thanks to health reform very similar to the “job-killing” Affordable Care Act.

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

For this much is true about Texas: It has, for many decades, had much faster population growth than the rest of America — about twice as fast since 1990. Several factors underlie this rapid population growth: a high birth rate, immigration from Mexico, and inward migration of Americans from other states, who are attracted to Texas by its warm weather and low cost of living, low housing costs in particular.

And just to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with a low cost of living. In particular, there’s a good case to be made that zoning policies in many states unnecessarily restrict the supply of housing, and that this is one area where Texas does in fact do something right.

But what does population growth have to do with job growth? Well, the high rate of population growth translates into above-average job growth through a couple of channels. Many of the people moving to Texas — retirees in search of warm winters, middle-class Mexicans in search of a safer life — bring purchasing power that leads to greater local employment. At the same time, the rapid growth in the Texas work force keeps wages low — almost 10 percent of Texan workers earn the minimum wage or less, well above the national average — and these low wages give corporations an incentive to move production to the Lone Star State.

So Texas tends, in good years and bad, to have higher job growth than the rest of America. But it needs lots of new jobs just to keep up with its rising population — and as those unemployment comparisons show, recent employment growth has fallen well short of what’s needed.

If this picture doesn’t look very much like the glowing portrait Texas boosters like to paint, there’s a reason: the glowing portrait is false.

Still, does Texas job growth point the way to faster job growth in the nation as a whole? No.

What Texas shows is that a state offering cheap labor and, less important, weak regulation can attract jobs from other states. I believe that the appropriate response to this insight is “Well, duh.” The point is that arguing from this experience that depressing wages and dismantling regulation in America as a whole would create more jobs — which is, whatever Mr. Perry may say, what Perrynomics amounts to in practice — involves a fallacy of composition: every state can’t lure jobs away from every other state.

In fact, at a national level lower wages would almost certainly lead to fewer jobs — because they would leave working Americans even less able to cope with the overhang of debt left behind by the housing bubble, an overhang that is at the heart of our economic problem.

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. :lol

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/the-texas-unmiracle.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&pagewanted=print

[FromWayDowntown]

n/m

[Spurminator]

That's one tough grandma.

[MannyIsGod]

Its not like it matters, anyway. No one is going to hold Rick Perry accountable for this.

[DarrinS]

Lol Krugman

And Strayhorn never mentions Texas' rainy day fund and wants to add a $1 per pack cigarette tax?

[George Gervin's Afro]

Lol Krugman

And Strayhorn never mentions Texas' rainy day fund and wants to add a $1 per pack cigarette tax?

The general public will LOL when stuff like this is brought up....shows rick is more concerned with politics than with bad policy

[Winehole23]

Lol Krugman

And Strayhorn never mentions Texas' rainy day fund and wants to add a $1 per pack cigarette tax?Beg pardon, but so what? She forecast the budget deficit and the consequences correctly, four years out. So much for the Texas miracle.

[boutons_deux]

Rick Perry's Campaign Strategy? Distorting His Abysmal Economic Record

Rick Perry's strategy for winning the GOP nomination – and then the White House – is simple: he'll try to get there by wildly distorting his abysmal economic record as governor of Texas beyond all recognition. The spin started even before he announced his candidacy on Saturday, when right-wing blogger Erick Erickson introduced him as the governor who had created 40 percent of all the new jobs in the U.S. since the “recovery” began. During the announcement, Perry went on to talk about “jobs” 11 more times.

Rick Perry can't tell the truth about his economic record. That's because, more than any other single factor, he has immigration to thank for those numbers – most of it from Mexico, and a large share of it unauthorized. You can't win the Republican nomination by bragging about being one of the states that has seen the biggest rise in Mexican immigrants during your tenure, and even if you could, it's not an economic model for the country as a whole as Mexican immigration has now slowed to a trickle.

At a June fundraiser, Perry told a group of Republican fat-cats that in his state that “you don't have to use your imagination, saying, 'What'll happen if we apply this or that conservative principle?' You just need to look around, because they've been in play across our state for years, generating real results.” On this point, Perry's correct – Texas has been a model for conservative governance under his watch.

The results are hardly encouraging. Let's take a closer look at the “Texas Miracle” that we're going to be hearing so much nonsense about it in the months to come. As I wrote back in June, the reality is that Texas is not only a complete basket case, it would be faring far worse today without the help of policies enacted by Democrats at the federal level – policies Perry lambasted as "irresponsible spending that threatens our future."

In the Journal's hyper-partisan view, the lesson to be learned is that “the core impulse of Obamanomics is to make America less like Texas and more like California, with more government, more unions, more central planning, higher taxes.” That spin was echoed during last week's GOP debate by none other than Newt Gingrich, who asked, “Why [would] you want to be at California's unemployment level when you can be [at] Texas's employment level?”

James Galbraith, an economist at the University of Texas, scoffed at the whole narrative when I spoke to him in June, saying, “Texas has been a low-tax, low-service state since the time of the Republic,” and noting that it's “therefore impossible that this fact suddenly accounts for its better job performance over the past few years.”

Arguably the biggest sleight-of-hand in the Texas Miracle storyline, however, is that many of those jobs were a result of a huge surge in the state's population, much of it fueled by immigration from Latin America (rather than liberal hell-holes like California).

Perhaps the most laughable claim in this whole narrative is that Texas has been “fiscally responsible.” Perry certainly adhered to the conservative playbook, offering massive tax breaks without the deep cuts in services that might inspire a voter backlash. As a result – an entirely predictable one – the Austin American-Statesman reported that “state lawmakers have spent much of the year grappling with a budget shortfall that left them $27 billion short of the money needed to continue current state services.”

Inherent in Perry's claim to have been fiscally responsible is some eye-opening hypocrisy. In announcing his bid for the White House on Saturday, Perry said of Texas' $6.6 billion budget gap last year, “We worked hard, we made tough decisions, we balanced our budget. Not by raising taxes, but by setting priorities and cutting government spending." But, as CNN reported, Texas actually “plugged nearly all of that deficit with $6.4 billion in Recovery Act money.” On Saturday, Perry described the lifeline that spared his state as Washington's “failed 'stimulus' plans and other misguided economic theories [that] have given us record debt.”

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/152017

[JoeChalupa]

Perry is going to be tough to beat if he can oust Romney.

[boutons_deux]

"Perry is going to be tough to beat "

:lol

The only way Barry doesn't beat Perry is that if the DNC and other Dem supporters don't bash Perry for being a lying, hypocritical, party-switching, fringe/extremist "Christian" panderer from a state full of illegals he refuses to address (because too many TX (Repug) businesmen depend heavily on cheap, underpaid, unpaid illegal immigrants).

[JoeChalupa]

"Perry is going to be tough to beat "

:lol

The only way Barry doesn't beat Perry is that if the DNC and other Dem supporters don't bash Perry for being a lying, hypocritical, party-switching, fringe/extremist "Christian" panderer from a state full of illegals he refuses to address (because too many TX (Repug) businesmen depend heavily on cheap, underpaid, unpaid illegal immigrants).

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The feeling right now, amongst many, is they want to fire Obama and many may just want to make a change to someone different even if it is Perry.

[DarrinS]

Many states wish they had their own unmiracle.

[CosmicCowboy]

Familiarity may breed contempt, but you guys are WAY under rating Perry. He will be a formidable challenger to Obama.

[RandomGuy]

Manny, you are correct...there were many options on fixing the budget available. In the political process there are always multiple viewpoints and in the end one finally prevails based on election results.

Strayhorn may have made some valid points but using hyperbole from an opponent of his in the 2006 governors race (without pointing that out) as "expert opinion" was classic Boutons and RG was being disingenuous at best.

The only thing that I might have embellished on a bit was the title of the thread.

She was the Comptroller, and had all the data on the budget projections.

Those projections have been rather thoroughly borne out.

I don't think it is disengenious at all to point this out, especially since the man wants to run for president.

"kicking the can down the road" seems to be his modus operendi, and that is the fucking last thing we need right now in Washington.

I would feel more comfortable, if I knew a bit more about the basis on which the projections were made, but given our foibles, it seems they weren't too far off base.

You do have a point, that I should have pointed out that she was running against him, kind of a rush job on my part that I will fix now with an edit.

That said, the implication that she was outright wrong, simply because she was running against him, that *is* disingenuous, don't you think?

Or are you actually going to address the fact that the predicted budget shortfalls have actually taken place?

[CosmicCowboy]

The only thing that I might have embellished on a bit was the title of the thread.

She was the Comptroller, and had all the data on the budget projections.

Those projections have been rather thoroughly borne out.

I don't think it is disengenious at all to point this out, especially since the man wants to run for president.

"kicking the can down the road" seems to be his modus operendi, and that is the fucking last thing we need right now in Washington.

I would feel more comfortable, if I knew a bit more about the basis on which the projections were made, but given our foibles, it seems they weren't too far off base.

You do have a point, that I should have pointed out that she was running against him, kind of a rush job on my part that I will fix now with an edit.

That said, the implication that she was outright wrong, simply because she was running against him, that *is* disingenuous, don't you think?

Or are you actually going to address the fact that the predicted budget shortfalls have actually taken place?

I never said Grandma was wrong, or that the recent legislature didn't have to deal with budget shortfalls. Whether you agree with the way they were dealt with or not, they were dealt with.

[RandomGuy]

Lol Krugman

And Strayhorn never mentions Texas' rainy day fund and wants to add a $1 per pack cigarette tax?

Lol at Darrins complete inability to actually address a single data point.

Wake me up when you show a grasp of any issue beyond the normal drive-by. Iphone posting or no. :sleep

[RandomGuy]

I never said Grandma was wrong, or that the recent legislature didn't have to deal with budget shortfalls. Whether you agree with the way they were dealt with or not, they were dealt with.

No actually they weren't dealt with, that is kind of my point.

It was a hodge-podge of can-kicking half-ass measures designed for the sole purpose of getting the current legislators re-elected. I will flesh out how and why late.

Not unlike what is coming out of the US Congress.

[Winehole23]

Many states wish they had their own unmiracle.Many Texans wish Rick Perry and the Texas Lege had faced their responsibilities five years ago rather than saddling us with billions in budget shortfalls and cuts to essential services like health and education.

[RickPerry]

Familiarity may breed contempt, but you guys are WAY under rating Perry. He will be a formidable challenger to Obama.

Thanks partner. It is guys like you who think like me that will get me in the White House. Call me about them illegals too.

[DarrinS]

Lol at Darrins complete inability to actually address a single data point.

Wake me up when you show a grasp of any issue beyond the normal drive-by. Iphone posting or no. :sleep

A 5 billion deficit would be 0.3% of the 2011 US deficit. Texas is about 8.5% of the total US economy.

Perspective

[boutons_deux]

Jimmy Ricky won't do shit outside of the faith-based (ake, self-deluding) Bible-belt and bubba areas, and of course robotic Repugs who will vote any old dog that get the nomination (rather than stay away).

[ElNono]

Kicking it forward to future generations only matter if there's a (D) after the politician's name.

[CosmicCowboy]

Kicking it forward to future generations only matter if there's a (D) after the politician's name.


It doesn't matter if they are D or R. Kicking it forward is an unfortunate by product of having a huge representative republic. A representative no longer represents a community of people that know him personally, he represents a huge block of people that typically only know him through sound bites and campaign ads. It sucks but a better form of government still hasn't been invented.

[MannyIsGod]

Its not the form of government thats at issue but the stupidity of the governed.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Familiarity may breed contempt, but you guys are WAY under rating Perry. He will be a formidable challenger to Obama.

is he going to debat someone this time?

[TeyshaBlue]

Many Texans wish Rick Perry and the Texas Lege had faced their responsibilities five years ago rather than saddling us with billions in budget shortfalls and cuts to essential services like health and education.

I'm one of 'em.:depressed

[TeyshaBlue]

is he going to debat someone this time?

lol....there's a first time for everything.:lol

[ElNono]

It doesn't matter if they are D or R. Kicking it forward is an unfortunate by product of having a huge representative republic. A representative no longer represents a community of people that know him personally, he represents a huge block of people that typically only know him through sound bites and campaign ads. It sucks but a better form of government still hasn't been invented.

My comment was primarily aimed at somebody that was crying a river a couple of days ago about a certain president kicking it forward to future generations because he didn't want to make the tough decisions. But looks like this same person has no qualms with somebody doing the same thing that has an (R) next to his name.

[Winehole23]

A 5 billion deficit would be 0.3% of the 2011 US deficit. Texas is about 8.5% of the total US economy.

PerspectiveTexas faces a shortfall of between $15 and 27 billion dollars over the next two years, depending on who's doing the calculation.

http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Texas_state_budget

[Winehole23]

You don't really care about accuracy, do you?

[Winehole23]

There's exactly two options, Darrin: gross ignorance or intentional misrepresentation. Which is it this time?

[DarrinS]

There's exactly two options, Darrin: gross ignorance or intentional misrepresentation. Which is it this time?





In 2007, your plan is $3.4 billion short; in 2008 it is $4.3 billion short; in 2009 it is $5.4 billion short; in 2010 it is $4.9 billion short; and in 2011 it is $5 billion short. These are conservative estimates.




fuck off already

[CosmicCowboy]

You don't really care about accuracy, do you?

Actually, 5 billion (or 25 billion if you choose) is still a much smaller percentage of the total Federal deficit than the .3% he posted. He accidentally erred on the side of caution.

[Winehole23]

fuck off alreadyIn other words, you didn't bother to check the fact you highlighted, but regurgitated the OP mindlessly instead. Thanks for highlighting my point. :tu

[Winehole23]

He accidentally erred on the side of caution. I doubt it. Focusing on a single year minimizes the hole Rick Perry's leadership put us in.

[SnakeBoy]

Many Texans wish Rick Perry and the Texas Lege had faced their responsibilities five years ago rather than saddling us with billions in budget shortfalls and cuts to essential services like health and education.

Not that many, he crushed Bill White remember.


If Perry gets the nomination I would be happy to see Obama try to take on Perry on the issue of debt. Perry will win that argument easily.

[Winehole23]

Not that many, he crushed Bill White remember.Funny, but way off. Much as I hate Rick Perry I couldn''t bring myself to vote for Bill White.

[CosmicCowboy]

Not that many, he crushed Bill White remember.


If Perry gets the nomination I would be happy to see Obama try to take on Perry on the issue of debt. Perry will win that argument easily.

Perry would rip his throat out in a one on one unscripted debate too. Take away Obama's teleprompter and it's like cutting Sampson's hair.

I keep telling y'all...you are dramatically under-estimating this guy...if Obama decides to run a negative campaign (which all indications seem to point to) Perry will be like a pig in shit. He won't run like a scared pussy like McCain.

[Winehole23]

Perry's hardly as great at debates as you're suggesting. Luckily for us, ducking them like a coward isn't an option this time.

[TeyshaBlue]

Perry would rip his throat out in a one on one unscripted debate too. Take away Obama's teleprompter and it's like cutting Sampson's hair.

I keep telling y'all...you are dramatically under-estimating this guy...if Obama decides to run a negative campaign (which all indications seem to point to) Perry will be like a pig in shit. He won't run like a scared pussy like McCain.

If Perry does partake of a debate, it will likely be his first one.:lol

[ChumpDumper]

Perry would rip his throat out in a one on one unscripted debate too. Take away Obama's teleprompter and it's like cutting Sampson's hair.When was Perry's last debate?

[CosmicCowboy]

When was Perry's last debate?

Rick Sanchez in 2002. Twice.

Don't confuse the fact that he chose to win subsequent elections without debating as lack of ability. It was politically calculated. Debates tend to favor the challenger rather than the incumbent.

[ChumpDumper]

Wow.

Twice.

[CosmicCowboy]

Correction

Also once in 2006 with Bell, Kinky, and Strayhorn.

[CosmicCowboy]

Wow.

Twice.

Apparently three more times than you knew about, Chump.

Like I said, I'm not even a Perry supporter but you guys are dramatically underestimating his ability to be a formidable challenger to Obama.

[ChumpDumper]

Thanks. I don't remember any of it.

[SnakeBoy]

I keep telling y'all...you are dramatically under-estimating this guy...if Obama decides to run a negative campaign (which all indications seem to point to) Perry will be like a pig in shit. He won't run like a scared pussy like McCain.

LOL, my wife was just asking me yesterday how I thought Perry would fair against Obama. I told that since Obama can't run on his record he would run the dirtiest, sleaziest campaign we've seen. The light bulb went off in her head and she said "Oh that'll be perfect for Perry".

[ChumpDumper]

Like I said, I'm not even a Perry supporter but you guys are dramatically underestimating his ability to be a formidable challenger to Obama.I never said he wouldn't be, so thanks for not making that baseless assumption.

[ElNono]

If you guys think Barry isn't going to run on Obamacare, how much worse we would be without the stimulus, killing OBL, and the economy he inherited, you guys are smoking crack. Doesn't mean anybody is buying it, but I don't see a negative-only campaign at all.

[RandomGuy]

[mish mash of incorrect facts put into a misleading context]

:sleep

The letter in the OP said the structural budget shortfalls would be *conservatively* on the order of $5bn
http://www.businessinsider.com/texas-budget-shortfall-2011-1

Ended up being north of 11bn, or 27bn for the 2012-2013 biennium.

Here is the comptroller's report (Susan Combs)
http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxbud/bre2012/96-402_BRE_2012-13.pdf

The solution to this really did a number on an already lean government, and essentially guaranteed the State will end up in court over school funding.

Basically they slashed education funds to local schools, and any form of financial aid for higher education.

We got a budget that comes closest to libertarian/tea party ideals than in a long time, and ended up cutting about $15bn out, after all sorts of gimmicky crap to sneak tax increases in.

Basically they shuffled state responsibilities onto local governments, a lot like Federal budgets are doing to states.

[RandomGuy]

Texas Lawmakers Kick Tough Decisions Down the Road (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13925002)

Texas lawmakers started the year promising to make hard choices to solve the largest budget shortfall in the state's history. They delivered one speech after another about not "kicking the can" down the road.

Yet that's exactly what they did.

Gov. Rick Perry signed a budget that was balanced only through accounting maneuvers, rewriting school funding laws, ignoring a growing population and delaying payments on bills coming due in 2013.

It accomplishes, however, what the Republican majority wanted most: It did not raise taxes, took little from the Rainy Day Fund and shifted any future deficits onto the next Legislature.

Those are key talking points for Perry, as he speaks to the conservative faithful around the country and considers a run for president in 2012. Many Republican lawmakers have complained privately, and Democrats publicly, that Perry has heavily influenced the session to make sure nothing passed that would hurt a potential campaign.

[RandomGuy]

Rick Perry’s budget sleight-of-hand (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/rick-perrys-budget-sleight-of-hand/2011/08/15/gIQAuiGCHJ_blog.html)



For the first time in more than 25 years, Texas will not factor in enrollment growth in school budgeting: Perry’s budget assumes that the student population will remain constant, when more than 160,000 new students are projected to enroll in Texas public schools over the next two years.

At the same time that its school population is growing, the Perry budget cuts $4 billion in basic spending on public education. The reduction could force school districts across the state to cut tens of thousands of jobs, increase class sizes, or hike local property taxes. It’s the first time since World War II that Texas has decreased education spending per student, according to the AP. But the earliest rounds of teacher layoffs and other painful cuts won’t take effect until the spring.

[RandomGuy]

Public Sector Added to Texas Job Boom (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903999904576470232177476242.html)


DALLAS—As Texas Gov. Rick Perry ponders a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Texans weighing his economic legacy are debating the role played by a long boom in government jobs—and the possible bust ahead.

View Full Image

Austin American-Statesman/Associated Press

Opponents rallied in Austin, Texas, last month against a measure designed to help schools reduce their costs.
.Texas has enjoyed the most robust economy in the U.S. during Mr. Perry's decade as governor, which is one reason his potential candidacy is attracting national attention. The Lone Star State gained more than a million jobs since the end of 2000, while the U.S. has lost almost 1.5 million, according data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About 300,000 of the new Texas jobs were in government. Well over half of them, fueled by the surging population, were at public schools. Employment in the state's public sector has jumped 19% since 2000, compared with a 9% rise in the private sector.

WSJ's Willa Plank reports the nation's CEOs do not see an economic recovery underway and do not plan to hire workers anytime soon. Also, over the past ten years, the American adult work force has dropped to 1983 levels. Photo: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
.Now layoffs loom. State budget cuts, championed by Mr. Perry to address a big budget shortfall, are prompting school districts around the state to lay off hundreds of teachers and other workers going into the school year starting next month.

The layoffs haven't shown up in federal data, but some economists forecast they may damp the state's vaunted economic growth. And many more jobs are likely to disappear over the next two years as a result of about $15 billion in state budget cuts.

View Full Image
."I would certainly anticipate that government jobs would be a drag in the next couple of years," said Ray Perryman, a nonpartisan economist based in Waco.

Mr. Perry's office said he wasn't available to comment. A spokeswoman said the growth in public-school jobs reflects the population boom, adding Mr. Perry doesn't believe budget cuts will hamper the Texas economy. "The key to prosperity is the growth of the private sector, not the government sector," said the spokeswoman, Catherine Frazier.

Mr. Perry has urged the rest of the U.S. to use the state's low taxes, light regulation and tort reform as a model for driving private-sector growth. The fastest-growing employment sector in Texas during his tenure has been mining, which includes the booming oil and gas industry, up 63% in past decade, or 94,000, to 243,000 jobs.

Looking at the number of net new jobs, the biggest increases were in private education and health, up 408,000 jobs, or 40%, and government, up 301,000, or 19%. Employment in manufacturing and information fell.

Critics say many of the new jobs are low-wage and without benefits; according to federal data, the state is tied with Mississippi for the largest percentage of hourly workers who make minimum wage or less, at 9.5%.

Texas also benefits from factors not easily replicated elsewhere. Among them: Texas' massive size, which can support job-rich infrastructure such as the Port of Houston; its oil and gas deposits; its proximity to Mexico, an important trading partner; and its young and expanding population.

Over the past decade, Texas has added more people than any other state and now accounts for 8.1% of the U.S. population, up from about 7.4% in 2000. And Texas has added more than one in five of the public-sector jobs nationwide, including those at the local, state and federal levels.

Local government jobs in Texas rose by 225,000, or 21%, between year-end 2000 and 2010, with 169,000 of those jobs related to education, an increase of 24%, all according to federal data not adjusted for seasonal factors.

Mr. Perry has tended to play down the magnitude of government hiring, maintaining that the government's economic role is to create a favorable climate for private businesses. "Government doesn't create any jobs," he said last month on Glenn Beck's show on Fox News. "They can actually run jobs away."

But the Texas numbers show the government did create jobs, with the help of federal stimulus funds, said Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Democratic state representative from Houston. "That's government money that created government jobs," he said.

Though tea-party supporters in Texas have backed big cuts in government spending, Mark Reid, chairman of the steering committee of the Texas Tea Party Alliance, said he wasn't bothered by the expansion of local education jobs. "I know people are moving to the state and as communities grow we have to build schools," he said.

In Texas, the state is responsible for a large portion of local schools' spending. Faced with a big budget shortfall, the legislature this spring reduced per-pupil aid by several billion dollars. Those cuts will result in more than 48,000 public-school layoffs just in 2013, said Eva de Luna Castro, a senior budget analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank in Austin. Other say such forecasts are overblown, arguing schools can save jobs through efficiencies and tapping reserve funds.

Austin Independent School District has already given pink slips to more than 500 workers. Rachel Zertuche, a sixth-grade English and history teacher, was among them. She is now working as a "glorified secretary," she said, without benefits.

"It's going to end up being a big mess," she said of the cuts imposed by legislators. "They're being short-sighted."

—Leslie Eaton contributed to this article.

I don't think I am selling him short at all.

He will be a good candidate, and will give Obama a run for his money.

That will make the state of Texas' economy center stage, in all its warts.

I guess we get to see how thousands of laid off teachers will play on the national stage.

[RandomGuy]

Public Sector Added to Texas Job Boom (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903999904576470232177476242.html)


DALLAS—As Texas Gov. Rick Perry ponders a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Texans weighing his economic legacy are debating the role played by a long boom in government jobs—and the possible bust ahead.

View Full Image

Austin American-Statesman/Associated Press

Opponents rallied in Austin, Texas, last month against a measure designed to help schools reduce their costs.
.Texas has enjoyed the most robust economy in the U.S. during Mr. Perry's decade as governor, which is one reason his potential candidacy is attracting national attention. The Lone Star State gained more than a million jobs since the end of 2000, while the U.S. has lost almost 1.5 million, according data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About 300,000 of the new Texas jobs were in government. Well over half of them, fueled by the surging population, were at public schools. Employment in the state's public sector has jumped 19% since 2000, compared with a 9% rise in the private sector.

WSJ's Willa Plank reports the nation's CEOs do not see an economic recovery underway and do not plan to hire workers anytime soon. Also, over the past ten years, the American adult work force has dropped to 1983 levels. Photo: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
.Now layoffs loom. State budget cuts, championed by Mr. Perry to address a big budget shortfall, are prompting school districts around the state to lay off hundreds of teachers and other workers going into the school year starting next month.

The layoffs haven't shown up in federal data, but some economists forecast they may damp the state's vaunted economic growth. And many more jobs are likely to disappear over the next two years as a result of about $15 billion in state budget cuts.

View Full Image
."I would certainly anticipate that government jobs would be a drag in the next couple of years," said Ray Perryman, a nonpartisan economist based in Waco.

Mr. Perry's office said he wasn't available to comment. A spokeswoman said the growth in public-school jobs reflects the population boom, adding Mr. Perry doesn't believe budget cuts will hamper the Texas economy. "The key to prosperity is the growth of the private sector, not the government sector," said the spokeswoman, Catherine Frazier.

Mr. Perry has urged the rest of the U.S. to use the state's low taxes, light regulation and tort reform as a model for driving private-sector growth. The fastest-growing employment sector in Texas during his tenure has been mining, which includes the booming oil and gas industry, up 63% in past decade, or 94,000, to 243,000 jobs.

Looking at the number of net new jobs, the biggest increases were in private education and health, up 408,000 jobs, or 40%, and government, up 301,000, or 19%. Employment in manufacturing and information fell.

Critics say many of the new jobs are low-wage and without benefits; according to federal data, the state is tied with Mississippi for the largest percentage of hourly workers who make minimum wage or less, at 9.5%.

Texas also benefits from factors not easily replicated elsewhere. Among them: Texas' massive size, which can support job-rich infrastructure such as the Port of Houston; its oil and gas deposits; its proximity to Mexico, an important trading partner; and its young and expanding population.

Over the past decade, Texas has added more people than any other state and now accounts for 8.1% of the U.S. population, up from about 7.4% in 2000. And Texas has added more than one in five of the public-sector jobs nationwide, including those at the local, state and federal levels.

Local government jobs in Texas rose by 225,000, or 21%, between year-end 2000 and 2010, with 169,000 of those jobs related to education, an increase of 24%, all according to federal data not adjusted for seasonal factors.

Mr. Perry has tended to play down the magnitude of government hiring, maintaining that the government's economic role is to create a favorable climate for private businesses. "Government doesn't create any jobs," he said last month on Glenn Beck's show on Fox News. "They can actually run jobs away."

But the Texas numbers show the government did create jobs, with the help of federal stimulus funds, said Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Democratic state representative from Houston. "That's government money that created government jobs," he said.

Though tea-party supporters in Texas have backed big cuts in government spending, Mark Reid, chairman of the steering committee of the Texas Tea Party Alliance, said he wasn't bothered by the expansion of local education jobs. "I know people are moving to the state and as communities grow we have to build schools," he said.

In Texas, the state is responsible for a large portion of local schools' spending. Faced with a big budget shortfall, the legislature this spring reduced per-pupil aid by several billion dollars. Those cuts will result in more than 48,000 public-school layoffs just in 2013, said Eva de Luna Castro, a senior budget analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank in Austin. Other say such forecasts are overblown, arguing schools can save jobs through efficiencies and tapping reserve funds.

Austin Independent School District has already given pink slips to more than 500 workers. Rachel Zertuche, a sixth-grade English and history teacher, was among them. She is now working as a "glorified secretary," she said, without benefits.

"It's going to end up being a big mess," she said of the cuts imposed by legislators. "They're being short-sighted."

—Leslie Eaton contributed to this article.

I don't think I am selling him short at all.

He will be a good candidate, and will give Obama a run for his money.

That will make the state of Texas' economy center stage, in all its warts.

I guess we get to see how thousands of laid off teachers will play on the national stage.

[RandomGuy]

Teacher Layoffs Felt In Classrooms (http://www.click2houston.com/news/28806255/detail.html)


HOUSTON -- The final budget cuts and number of teacher layoffs may vary from school district to school district, but almost no school in the Houston area is escaping them this year. You may not see the signs of those the layoffs and cuts on the first day of school, but teachers and principals said they will show more and more as the year moves on.

"There are just more kids to teach and fewer teachers to teach them," said Andy Dewey, executive vice president of the Houston Federation of Teachers. "That's going to show up one way or another."

The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in the state. HISD lost 500 teachers after final layoffs. In HISD, principals made the final decisions on how budget cuts would affect their schools.

Cy-Fair Independent School District leaders said their district did not have massive teacher layoffs, but it didn't fill hundreds of vacant teaching positions.

Katy ISD starts the year with 53 fewer teachers after it was able to rehire more than 200 teachers originally let go earlier this year.

The end result of layoffs for many school districts is more students in classrooms. Teachers and principals said they're expecting anywhere from a handful more students per class to as many as 10 extra students per class compared to last year.

Dewey said he will have 20 more students spread out across the classes he teaches at HISD's Carnegie Vanguard High School. Increased class sizes are expected more in middle schools and high schools because there are state-mandated class sizes in Texas elementary schools.

"If we see more students in our classrooms and no extra time to prepare for them and grade them, we're going to see less effective teaching, and it's going to show up in the long run," Dewey said.

Along with fewer teachers, HISD said parents and students should plan on fewer "extras" they have relied on inside schools in the past.

"You might show up to school and you had two librarians last year; now you have one," said Jason Spencer, a spokesman for HISD.

Along with fewer "extras," Spencer said some school-sponsored class field trips will be canceled. Teachers and principals said there will be fewer special education aides and after-school tutors. Some tutoring programs will be eliminated altogether.

"All of those are special programs that kept a lot of kids engaged," said Dr. Bob Sanborn, chief executive officer of Children at Risk in Houston. "Those are the very programs we're cutting."

Sanborn said students who need that extra help may be the ones most left behind with budget cuts.

"Those same kids you and I worry about, you know these kids are going to have it rough," Sanborn said. "Our worrying has intensified around those children."

Spencer said HISD leaders still believe they will be able to help the most at-risk students despite the cuts.

"We have made a real effort to meet our neediest students needs," said Spencer.

(edit)

If the tutoring was doing something, then we can expect test scores to drop. That is if they don't lower the standards to hide it, which happens all the time.

[boutons_deux]

Texas slips in per-pupil education spending among states

That places Texas 37th in spending among the states and the District of Columbia. Ten years ago, Texas ranked 25th and was $281 below the national average.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20110128-texas-slips-in-per-pupil-education-spending-among-states.ece

[ElNono]

You know what? Good for Perry if he added jobs through the public sector. It's a way to temporarily pump the economy and something Barry should've focused on during his stimulus package.

[RandomGuy]

Personally, I think the cuts to education are going to do a lot more damage than the right will want to admit to.

That said, we have a test bed, for good or ill, we will get to find out. If it works, great, if not, then we still have some feedback as to what deep cuts that the tea party/libertarians seem to favor will actually do in reality.

Too bad my kids are the test subjects.

[DarrinS]

Damn, RG is really shitting himself over Perry.

[SnakeBoy]

Danmm, RG is really shitting himself over Perry.

He's just being a good little Obamabot.

[boutons_deux]

Taxing The Poor In Texas

Incidentally, you might be thinking about Rick Perry’s complaint that poor people and retirees don’t pay enough in taxes and wonder how Texas is doing on that score. Unfortunately, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy data on Texas tax structure (PDF) doesn’t let me look at retirees. We can, however, see that among the non-elderly, Governor Perry has done a great job of soaking the poor:

http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/texastaxes-1.jpg

http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/08/15/296079/taxing-the-poor-in-texas/

[boutons_deux]

Rick Perry Thinks Texas Climate Scientists Are In A ‘Secular Carbon Cult’

he argues that climate science is “all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight” in his book, Fed Up!

For example, they have seen the headlines in the past year about doctored data related to global warming. They know we have been experiencing a cooling trend, that the complexities of the global atmosphere have often eluded the most sophisticated scientists, and that draconian policies with dire economic effects based on so-called science may not stand the test of time. Quite frankly, when science gets hijacked by the political Left, we should all be concerned. . . .

And it’s all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight. Al Gore is a prophet all right, a false prophet of a secular carbon cult, and now even moderate Democrats aren’t buying it.

n an e-mail interview with ThinkProgress, Dr. Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University responds that Perry is wrong:

There are dozens of credible atmospheric scientists in Texas at institutions like Rice, UT, and Texas A&M, and I can confidently say that none agree with Gov. Perry’s views on the science of climate change. This is a particularly unfortunate situation given the hellish drought that Texas is now experiencing, and which climate change is almost certainly making worse.

Below is a partial list of the Texas climate scientists who disagree with Perry’s denial of climate science:

Jay Banner, professor, Jackson School of Geosciences and director, Environmental Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin
Donald Blankenship, senior research scientist, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Kenneth Bowman, atmospheric sciences department head, Texas A&M University
Sarah D. Brooks, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University
Ginny Catania, assistant professor, Earth Surface and Hydrologic Processes, The University of Texas at Austin
Ping Chang, professor of atmospheric sciences and oceanography, Texas A&M University, and director, Texas Center for Climate Studies
Don Collins, professor and director of environmental programs in geosciences, Texas A&M University
Don Conlee, instructional associate professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University
Kerry Cook, professor, Climate Systems Science, The University of Texas at Austin
Andrew Dessler, professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University
Robert Dickinson, professor of geological sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
André Droxler, professor of earth science and director of the Center for the Study of Environment and Society, Rice University
Robert Duce, distinguished professor emeritus, Departments of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University
Craig Epifanio, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University
Rong Fu, professor, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Charles Jackson, research scientist, Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin
Rob Korty, assistant professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University
Katharine Hayhoe, research associate professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas Tech University
Mark Lemmon, professor of planetary sciences, Texas A&M University
Shaima L. Nasiri, assistant professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University
John Nielsen-Gammon, professor, Texas A&M University and Texas State Climatologist
Gerald North, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Oceanography, Texas A&M University
Richard Orville, professor and director, Cooperative Institute for Applied Meteorological Studies, Texas A&M University
R. Lee Panetta, professor of atmospheric sciences and mathematics, Texas A&M University
Jud Partin, postdoctoral fellow, Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin
Terry Quinn, research professor and Director, Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin
R. Saravanan, professor, Texas A&M University
Gunnar W. Schade, assistant professor, Texas A&M University
Courtney Schumacher, associate professor, Texas A&M University
Russ Schumacher, assistant professor, Texas A&M University
Istvan Szunyogh, associate professor, Texas A&M University
Fred Taylor, senior research scientist, Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin
Michael Tobis, research science associate, Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin
Ned Vizy, research science associate, Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin
Thomas Wilheit, research professor, Texas A&M University
Ping Yang, professor and holder of the David Bullock Harris Chair in Geosciences, Texas A&M University
Renyi Zhang, Professor, director of the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and the Environment, and Holder of the Harold J. Haynes Chair in Geosciences, Texas A&M University

http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/08/15/295839/rick-perry-thinks-texas-climate-scientists-are-in-a-secular-carbon-cult/

======

Nothing but lies and global warming denial by the Governor of an oil-financed state, duh.

[SnakeBoy]

HISD lost 500 teachers after final layoffs.

Gee that's horrible but it's the only way the people listed below could think of to cut expenses.


Grier Terry Brooks Superintendent Supt of Schools $300,000.00
Lindsay Richard Chief of Staff Business Serv Chief Officer, Business Ops $219,544.50
Morris Jr Charles Franklin Chief Academic Officer Chief Academic Officer $214,000.00
Garrett Melinda J Finance and Business Service Chief Financial Officer $207,584.76
Moore Robert E Office of the Inspector Genera Inspector General $171,524.49
Vela William Leroy Communications & Publications Asst Supt, Comm&Publications $167,475.00
Ervin Warner D South Regional Office Reg Supt $163,375.73
Thornhill Barbara M West Regional Office Reg Supt $163,279.73
Garza Thelma D East Regional Office Reg Supt $163,279.73
Valdez Gregory J Technology and Information Technology Information Officer $162,400.00
Wilson Cynthia Lou Q North Regional Office Reg Supt $161,935.73
Tamez Adriana Central Regional Office Reg Supt $160,231.73
Huewitt Kenneth R Finance Controller $157,077.73
Pola Michele M Chief of Staff Chief of Staff, 12 M $156,568.68
Pottinger Stephen M Materials Management Gen Mgr, Procure&Wrhouse Srs $155,358.40
Russell Bonnie Transportation Gen Mgr, Transport $148,190.00
Best Jobina Ann Human Resources Deputy Supt, Human Talent $147,175.00
Singleton Deborah L Alternative & Charter Schools Reg Supt, Alt&Charter Schools $146,337.47
Boehm Donald R Financial Management Attorne Tax, Fin&Real Est Manage Attn $145,603.54
Randall Jr James Donald Technology and Information Sr Mgr, IT $145,000.00
Bailey Bradford R Benefits Gen Mgr, Benefits&Risk Manage $142,804.30
Burroughs Willie T Bond Fund Pgm Gen Mgr, Construction $138,522.13
Stevens Carla J Research and Accountability Asst Supt, Research $133,000.00
Veselka Ronnie E HR Operations Gen Mgr, Human Resources-Hrly $132,080.00
McSwain James A Lamar High School Principal, High School $127,200.00
Dennis Glenda Louise Performance Management Gen Mgr, StratPlan and Account $127,000.00
Eaves Sharon Gail Budgeting & Financial Planning Gen Mgr, Budget and Finc Plan $126,726.45
Caleb Mable R Kashmere High School Principal, High School $123,500.00
Amstutz Steven E Lee High School Principal, High School $123,500.00
Deleon Daniel Chavez High School Principal, High School $122,850.00
Smith Mark L Chief Academic Officer Asst Supt, Academic Services $121,541.00
Andrews Ruby J Ryan Middle School Principal, Middle School $121,400.00
Barajas Richard Milby High School Principal, High School $120,300.00
Llorente Linda M Austin High School Principal, High School $120,200.00
Crump Jane E Sam Houston School Math/Scienc Principal, High School $118,950.00
Graff Hans P Legal Services Asst General Counsel $118,632.09
Wade Daryl Wayne School Athletics & Activities Athletics Director $118,449.49
Salem Timothy J Bellaire High School Principal, High School $118,300.00
Uzzell Melanie East Regional Office Executive Principal-Hrly $117,856.00
Koonce Sharon L Learning Academy Asst Supt, Prof Development $117,600.12
Vasquez Mario L Legal Services Asst General Counsel $117,551.87
Givens Rever J Jordan High School Principal, High School $117,500.00
Salazar-Zamora Martha D School Support Services Asst Supt School Support $116,725.00
Dotson Jimmy L Police Department Chief of Police $116,725.00
Todd Aubrey R Madison High School Principal, High School $116,675.00
Addison Mary M South Regional Office Executive Principal $116,404.60
Siebenaler Steve A Waltrip High School Principal, High School $116,300.00
Guess Carolyn T Special Education Asst Supt, Special Ed $116,153.37
Castro Paul D Westside High School Principal, High School $116,100.00
Bryant Charles H South Regional Office Executive Principal $116,020.60
Benavides Sandra O Central Regional Office Executive Principal $115,252.60
Licata Tina A Business Develop & Assistanc Gen Mgr, Business Assistance $115,000.00
Gomez Audrey L HR Operations Gen Mgr, Human Resources $115,000.00
Murugan Mullai Applications Sr Applications Developer $114,999.50
Goggin James M North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,964.60
Cavazos Patsy A East Regional Office Executive Principal $114,964.60
Garza Noelia D Special Populations Asst Supt, Special Pops $114,894.32
Villarreal Teodoro J South Regional Office Executive Principal $114,868.60
Gibson-Johnson Diana L North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,868.60
Alaniz Armando West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,868.60
Sledge Ann West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,772.60
Cruz Marilyn Central Regional Office Executive Principal $114,580.60
Vollmer David M Student Information Systems Sr Mgr, IT $114,516.18
Simmons Bertie Furr High School Principal, High School $114,500.00
Monaghan Thomas P West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,484.60
Fonteno Kimberly R West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,292.60
Weeden Tracy L Elementary Curriculum Instruct Asst Supt, Curriculum $114,263.16
Green Bruce W Bond Fund Pgm Sr Mgr, Construction Services $114,200.79
Sarabia Samuel D East Regional Office Executive Principal $114,004.60
Hinojosa Lupita North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,004.60
Berry Sharon D North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,004.60
Manley Nancy C Alternative & Charter Schools Executive Principal $113,908.60
Castaneda Jaime Davis High School Principal, High School $113,675.00
Berger Connie M Reagan High School Principal, High School $113,675.00
Dimmitt Julia B Central Regional Office Executive Principal $113,284.60
Daily Tammie A Central Regional Office Executive Principal $113,212.60
Gonzalez Michael Medicaid/Property Mgmt Sr Mgr, Medicaid Finance $113,178.44
Mack Reginald L Bond Fund Pgm Sr Mgr, Construction Services $112,066.72
Mouton Jocelyn F West Regional Office Executive Principal $111,988.60
Crowe Deborah A East Regional Office Executive Principal $111,988.60
Landrum Mark A Networking Sr Tech Solutions Architect $111,938.27
LeBlanc Miles James Legal Services Asst General Counsel $111,691.04
Delarosa Diana M Long Middle School Principal, Middle School $111,550.00
Galbraith David B Legal Services Asst General Counsel $111,494.02
Moore Donovan B PeopleSoft Project Team Sr Mgr, IT $111,278.51
Jackson Turrance Networking Technology Project Manager $111,121.54
Mumphery Ronald L Yates High School Principal, High School $109,950.00
Yeung William Vinh-Hao Networking Sr Platform Systems Admin $109,772.25
Cripps-Rains Sarah F Sutton Elementary Principal, Elementary School $108,500.00
Kimbrell Peggy M PeopleSoft Project Team Applications Developer $107,681.35
Whitley Linda E Woodson Middle School Principal, Middle School $107,500.00
Redricks Kathi D Finance General Accounting Asst Controller $107,082.50
Allen Caleen Strategic Partnerships Gen Mgr, Strat Partnerships $107,082.50
Tyrell Suzanne Gresham SAP Project Sr Mgr, IT $106,575.00
Perez Sylvia V Mitchell Elementary Principal, Elementary School $106,500.00
Bradley Carl B Networking Mgr, IT $106,046.16
Addison Joseph E Hartman Middle School Principal, Middle School $105,675.00
Kalantar Linda Petersen Elementary Principal, Elementary School $105,550.00
Orum Valerie J Codwell Elementary Principal, Elementary School $105,500.00
Godwin Frances L Emerson Elementary Principal, Elementary School $105,200.00
Smith Meredith J Bond Fund Pgm Sr Mgr, Construction Services $105,113.60
Wear Tracye Advanced Academics Mgr, Advanced Academics $105,000.93
Coleman Eric Westbury High School Principal, High School $104,950.00
Gomez Mary J Elementary Curriculum Instruct Mgr, Curriculum $104,622.97
McNeil Faye C Montgomery Elementary Principal, Elementary School $104,500.00
Johnson Wiley L Wheatley High School Principal, High School $104,400.00
McGlasson Georgia A Attendance Boundaries Transf Sr Mgr, Stdnt Guide&Policies $104,288.06
Terry Vesta M Garden Villas Elementary Principal, Elementary School $104,200.00
Threet John T West University Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Sosa-Gonzalez Patricia M Martinez C Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Morgan Bonita L Hines-Caldwell ES Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Kennedy Laquetta J Felix Cook ES Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Carrion Elba D Martinez Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Beringer Kevin J Harvard Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Abarca-Castro Adriana M Moreno ES Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Morgan Kathleen R South Regional Office Reg Mgr $103,420.05
Lewis Cheryl D Bellfort ECC Principal, Elementary School $103,200.00
Rios Elizabeth Burbank Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,850.00
Patterson Ivalyn C Hobby Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,850.00
Castillo Joseph R PeopleSoft Project Team Applications Developer $102,805.53
Poindexter Ilda A South Regional Office Reg Mgr-Hr $102,575.36
Oneill Jr Thomas W Longfellow Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,550.00
Amerson Jeffrey W Sharpstown Middle School Principal, Middle School $102,400.00
Selig Carol A Parker Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,200.00
Bargaleski Susan A Scarborough Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,200.00
Moore Tresa A CLC High School Principal, High School $102,125.00
Flores Rebecca Governmental Relations Government Relations Director $102,117.61
Little Sandra J Valley West Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,850.00
Olivo Efrain Co-Curricular Activities Dir, School Support Services $101,812.00
Salazar Gloria M K Smith Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,550.00
Covarrubia Jose A Cage Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,550.00
Cage Beverly J Almeda Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,550.00
Summers Alan L Scarborough High School Principal, High School $101,125.00
Bunnell Roger A Hamilton Middle School Principal, Middle School $101,125.00
Vaughn Roslyn S Anderson Elementary Principal, Elementary School $100,925.00
Wilson Erwann Davis Key Middle School Principal, Middle School $100,850.00
Lowe Robin E Pershing Middle School Principal, Middle School $100,825.00
McGhee Cornell T J R O T C Sr Mgr, JROTC $100,699.00
Viebrock Paula J Bell Elementary Principal, Elementary School $100,550.00
Randall Pamela R South Regional Office Reg Mgr-Hr $100,482.40
Haro John Thomas Secondary Curriculum Instruct Academic Services Director $100,363.20
Dolan Thomas H Benefits Sr Mgr, Workers Compensation $100,035.97
Allen John L Sharpstown High School Principal, High School $100,000.00

[CosmicCowboy]

A freaking elementary school principal makes 100+K???

[101A]

A freaking elementary school principal makes 100+K???

STARTING salary for teachers in the district I am in in Pa is 60K.

22 year old K.Garten teacher - 60 grand for 9 months work. (Yes the principals are 6 figure.)

[boutons_deux]

Private Enterprise Unleashed During World War II

Probably the single most false claim in Rick Perry’s book is his view of the end of the Great Depression, namely that “recovery did not come until World War II, when FDR was finally persuaded to unleash private enterprise.”

World War II is, of course, an example of the reverse. With the nation engaged in a total war against Germany and Japan, the federal government introduced massive distortions into the marketplace in order to maximize production of things that were useful for winning the war. That meant, among other things, massive rationing and price controls

http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/08/15/295949/private-enterprise-unleashed-during-world-war-ii/

=====

and of course a HUGE INCREASE in the annual deficit and govt debt, aka, fiscsal stimulus by selling "patriotic" bonds to the citizenry, and bonds everywhere, aka, printing money.

Jimmry Ricky just sounds pretty dumb, pretty much like dubya. But Americans like their Repug politicians dumb, anti-scientific, anti-intellectual, uneducated.

[EVAY]

Like lots of folks here probably, I have voted for Perry by holding my nose, and by holding the other political party in this state responsible for fielding such hapless candidates.

Lots of Republicans and lots of Independents don't like Perry because he they know he is a lying political hack.

Having said that, he is a very strong campaigner because truth matters not at all to him, and he has forfeited the future of his state's educational institutions at the altar of his political ambitions. Moreover, he has hit on the most important thing to Americans...JOBS. Forget the deficit (he certainly has), forget the future (he doesn't care)...promise that he can bring jobs to the U.S. the way that 'he' has brought them to Texas. He can't...Krugman is right in his analysis, but the voting public doesn't care.

He makes a good speech and can get a crown revved up.

Those who think he will be a weak candidate are wrong, IMHO.

But those who believe that Obama will lose to him in a debate are also wrong.

The question will come down to who people WANT to believe more...Obama or Perry...and I think that Obama may lose that.

But God help America if Perry wins.

[RandomGuy]

Gee that's horrible but it's the only way the people listed below could think of to cut expenses.


Grier Terry Brooks Superintendent Supt of Schools $300,000.00
Lindsay Richard Chief of Staff Business Serv Chief Officer, Business Ops $219,544.50
Morris Jr Charles Franklin Chief Academic Officer Chief Academic Officer $214,000.00
Garrett Melinda J Finance and Business Service Chief Financial Officer $207,584.76
Moore Robert E Office of the Inspector Genera Inspector General $171,524.49
Vela William Leroy Communications & Publications Asst Supt, Comm&Publications $167,475.00
Ervin Warner D South Regional Office Reg Supt $163,375.73
Thornhill Barbara M West Regional Office Reg Supt $163,279.73
Garza Thelma D East Regional Office Reg Supt $163,279.73
Valdez Gregory J Technology and Information Technology Information Officer $162,400.00
Wilson Cynthia Lou Q North Regional Office Reg Supt $161,935.73
Tamez Adriana Central Regional Office Reg Supt $160,231.73
Huewitt Kenneth R Finance Controller $157,077.73
Pola Michele M Chief of Staff Chief of Staff, 12 M $156,568.68
Pottinger Stephen M Materials Management Gen Mgr, Procure&Wrhouse Srs $155,358.40
Russell Bonnie Transportation Gen Mgr, Transport $148,190.00
Best Jobina Ann Human Resources Deputy Supt, Human Talent $147,175.00
Singleton Deborah L Alternative & Charter Schools Reg Supt, Alt&Charter Schools $146,337.47
Boehm Donald R Financial Management Attorne Tax, Fin&Real Est Manage Attn $145,603.54
Randall Jr James Donald Technology and Information Sr Mgr, IT $145,000.00
Bailey Bradford R Benefits Gen Mgr, Benefits&Risk Manage $142,804.30
Burroughs Willie T Bond Fund Pgm Gen Mgr, Construction $138,522.13
Stevens Carla J Research and Accountability Asst Supt, Research $133,000.00
Veselka Ronnie E HR Operations Gen Mgr, Human Resources-Hrly $132,080.00
McSwain James A Lamar High School Principal, High School $127,200.00
Dennis Glenda Louise Performance Management Gen Mgr, StratPlan and Account $127,000.00
Eaves Sharon Gail Budgeting & Financial Planning Gen Mgr, Budget and Finc Plan $126,726.45
Caleb Mable R Kashmere High School Principal, High School $123,500.00
Amstutz Steven E Lee High School Principal, High School $123,500.00
Deleon Daniel Chavez High School Principal, High School $122,850.00
Smith Mark L Chief Academic Officer Asst Supt, Academic Services $121,541.00
Andrews Ruby J Ryan Middle School Principal, Middle School $121,400.00
Barajas Richard Milby High School Principal, High School $120,300.00
Llorente Linda M Austin High School Principal, High School $120,200.00
Crump Jane E Sam Houston School Math/Scienc Principal, High School $118,950.00
Graff Hans P Legal Services Asst General Counsel $118,632.09
Wade Daryl Wayne School Athletics & Activities Athletics Director $118,449.49
Salem Timothy J Bellaire High School Principal, High School $118,300.00
Uzzell Melanie East Regional Office Executive Principal-Hrly $117,856.00
Koonce Sharon L Learning Academy Asst Supt, Prof Development $117,600.12
Vasquez Mario L Legal Services Asst General Counsel $117,551.87
Givens Rever J Jordan High School Principal, High School $117,500.00
Salazar-Zamora Martha D School Support Services Asst Supt School Support $116,725.00
Dotson Jimmy L Police Department Chief of Police $116,725.00
Todd Aubrey R Madison High School Principal, High School $116,675.00
Addison Mary M South Regional Office Executive Principal $116,404.60
Siebenaler Steve A Waltrip High School Principal, High School $116,300.00
Guess Carolyn T Special Education Asst Supt, Special Ed $116,153.37
Castro Paul D Westside High School Principal, High School $116,100.00
Bryant Charles H South Regional Office Executive Principal $116,020.60
Benavides Sandra O Central Regional Office Executive Principal $115,252.60
Licata Tina A Business Develop & Assistanc Gen Mgr, Business Assistance $115,000.00
Gomez Audrey L HR Operations Gen Mgr, Human Resources $115,000.00
Murugan Mullai Applications Sr Applications Developer $114,999.50
Goggin James M North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,964.60
Cavazos Patsy A East Regional Office Executive Principal $114,964.60
Garza Noelia D Special Populations Asst Supt, Special Pops $114,894.32
Villarreal Teodoro J South Regional Office Executive Principal $114,868.60
Gibson-Johnson Diana L North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,868.60
Alaniz Armando West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,868.60
Sledge Ann West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,772.60
Cruz Marilyn Central Regional Office Executive Principal $114,580.60
Vollmer David M Student Information Systems Sr Mgr, IT $114,516.18
Simmons Bertie Furr High School Principal, High School $114,500.00
Monaghan Thomas P West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,484.60
Fonteno Kimberly R West Regional Office Executive Principal $114,292.60
Weeden Tracy L Elementary Curriculum Instruct Asst Supt, Curriculum $114,263.16
Green Bruce W Bond Fund Pgm Sr Mgr, Construction Services $114,200.79
Sarabia Samuel D East Regional Office Executive Principal $114,004.60
Hinojosa Lupita North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,004.60
Berry Sharon D North Regional Office Executive Principal $114,004.60
Manley Nancy C Alternative & Charter Schools Executive Principal $113,908.60
Castaneda Jaime Davis High School Principal, High School $113,675.00
Berger Connie M Reagan High School Principal, High School $113,675.00
Dimmitt Julia B Central Regional Office Executive Principal $113,284.60
Daily Tammie A Central Regional Office Executive Principal $113,212.60
Gonzalez Michael Medicaid/Property Mgmt Sr Mgr, Medicaid Finance $113,178.44
Mack Reginald L Bond Fund Pgm Sr Mgr, Construction Services $112,066.72
Mouton Jocelyn F West Regional Office Executive Principal $111,988.60
Crowe Deborah A East Regional Office Executive Principal $111,988.60
Landrum Mark A Networking Sr Tech Solutions Architect $111,938.27
LeBlanc Miles James Legal Services Asst General Counsel $111,691.04
Delarosa Diana M Long Middle School Principal, Middle School $111,550.00
Galbraith David B Legal Services Asst General Counsel $111,494.02
Moore Donovan B PeopleSoft Project Team Sr Mgr, IT $111,278.51
Jackson Turrance Networking Technology Project Manager $111,121.54
Mumphery Ronald L Yates High School Principal, High School $109,950.00
Yeung William Vinh-Hao Networking Sr Platform Systems Admin $109,772.25
Cripps-Rains Sarah F Sutton Elementary Principal, Elementary School $108,500.00
Kimbrell Peggy M PeopleSoft Project Team Applications Developer $107,681.35
Whitley Linda E Woodson Middle School Principal, Middle School $107,500.00
Redricks Kathi D Finance General Accounting Asst Controller $107,082.50
Allen Caleen Strategic Partnerships Gen Mgr, Strat Partnerships $107,082.50
Tyrell Suzanne Gresham SAP Project Sr Mgr, IT $106,575.00
Perez Sylvia V Mitchell Elementary Principal, Elementary School $106,500.00
Bradley Carl B Networking Mgr, IT $106,046.16
Addison Joseph E Hartman Middle School Principal, Middle School $105,675.00
Kalantar Linda Petersen Elementary Principal, Elementary School $105,550.00
Orum Valerie J Codwell Elementary Principal, Elementary School $105,500.00
Godwin Frances L Emerson Elementary Principal, Elementary School $105,200.00
Smith Meredith J Bond Fund Pgm Sr Mgr, Construction Services $105,113.60
Wear Tracye Advanced Academics Mgr, Advanced Academics $105,000.93
Coleman Eric Westbury High School Principal, High School $104,950.00
Gomez Mary J Elementary Curriculum Instruct Mgr, Curriculum $104,622.97
McNeil Faye C Montgomery Elementary Principal, Elementary School $104,500.00
Johnson Wiley L Wheatley High School Principal, High School $104,400.00
McGlasson Georgia A Attendance Boundaries Transf Sr Mgr, Stdnt Guide&Policies $104,288.06
Terry Vesta M Garden Villas Elementary Principal, Elementary School $104,200.00
Threet John T West University Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Sosa-Gonzalez Patricia M Martinez C Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Morgan Bonita L Hines-Caldwell ES Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Kennedy Laquetta J Felix Cook ES Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Carrion Elba D Martinez Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Beringer Kevin J Harvard Elementary Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Abarca-Castro Adriana M Moreno ES Principal, Elementary School $103,500.00
Morgan Kathleen R South Regional Office Reg Mgr $103,420.05
Lewis Cheryl D Bellfort ECC Principal, Elementary School $103,200.00
Rios Elizabeth Burbank Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,850.00
Patterson Ivalyn C Hobby Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,850.00
Castillo Joseph R PeopleSoft Project Team Applications Developer $102,805.53
Poindexter Ilda A South Regional Office Reg Mgr-Hr $102,575.36
Oneill Jr Thomas W Longfellow Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,550.00
Amerson Jeffrey W Sharpstown Middle School Principal, Middle School $102,400.00
Selig Carol A Parker Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,200.00
Bargaleski Susan A Scarborough Elementary Principal, Elementary School $102,200.00
Moore Tresa A CLC High School Principal, High School $102,125.00
Flores Rebecca Governmental Relations Government Relations Director $102,117.61
Little Sandra J Valley West Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,850.00
Olivo Efrain Co-Curricular Activities Dir, School Support Services $101,812.00
Salazar Gloria M K Smith Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,550.00
Covarrubia Jose A Cage Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,550.00
Cage Beverly J Almeda Elementary Principal, Elementary School $101,550.00
Summers Alan L Scarborough High School Principal, High School $101,125.00
Bunnell Roger A Hamilton Middle School Principal, Middle School $101,125.00
Vaughn Roslyn S Anderson Elementary Principal, Elementary School $100,925.00
Wilson Erwann Davis Key Middle School Principal, Middle School $100,850.00
Lowe Robin E Pershing Middle School Principal, Middle School $100,825.00
McGhee Cornell T J R O T C Sr Mgr, JROTC $100,699.00
Viebrock Paula J Bell Elementary Principal, Elementary School $100,550.00
Randall Pamela R South Regional Office Reg Mgr-Hr $100,482.40
Haro John Thomas Secondary Curriculum Instruct Academic Services Director $100,363.20
Dolan Thomas H Benefits Sr Mgr, Workers Compensation $100,035.97
Allen John L Sharpstown High School Principal, High School $100,000.00


The position of Elementary School Principal requires a Master’s Degree; valid Texas Mid-Management, Administrative, or Principal’s Certificate; leadership ability in working with teachers and students in instructional and managerial administration; working knowledge of curriculum and instruction; the ability to evaluate instructional program and teaching effectiveness; the ability to manage budget and personnel and coordinate campus functions; the ability to explain policy, procedures, and data; strong communications, public relations, and interpersonal skills; three years of related administrative experience in education to include at least two years assistant principal experience (for a person who has not previously served as a principal); three years experience as a classroom teacher, preferably at the elementary school level; other qualifications deemed necessary by the Board.
*NOTE: This is a NEW Elementary Principal Pool. All applicants MUST reapply to be considered.

Such pay is not outside the pale for someone with a masters degree and a good chunk of work experience.

Meh.

Take the one principal's salary, cut it in half if you want.

You might be able to hire one teacher.

What about the other 499?

Or did that not occur to you that the answer might not be so easy?

[EVAY]

Such pay is not outside the pale for someone with a masters degree and a good chunk of work experience.

Meh.

Take the one principal's salary, cut it in half if you want.

You might be able to hire one teacher.

What about the other 499?

Or did that not occur to you that the answer might not be so easy?

It did not because he is among so many in this country that see teachers as people who should work for s**t wages.

[RandomGuy]

Damn, RG is really shitting himself over Perry.

He will probably be the GOP nominee.

Don't you think that requires *some* vetting?

I realize you are going to vote for whatever GOP nominee comes out of the pike, so it really isn't for your benefit.

Quit being butthurt for getting called on your lack of knowledge about Texas politics.

[RandomGuy]

It did not because he is among so many in this country that see teachers as people who should work for s**t wages.

100k for most mid-level managers in a professional field really isn't all that competitive.

http://col.stb.s-msn.com/i/E7/10E37C8BED896A604259319D5CD953.jpg

Big bad teachers and government workers get paid more than the "average worker", but when the average worker doesn't have a bachelors or master's degree, the comparison is disingenuous.

It is just one of the ways the right likes to lie about the subject.

[EVAY]

Many Texans wish Rick Perry and the Texas Lege had faced their responsibilities five years ago rather than saddling us with billions in budget shortfalls and cuts to essential services like health and education.

Not only is this true, but where does Texas' state budget deficit compare to those of other states, other than California? (We all know California is a basket case, due in part to their unique insistence on 2/3 voting majority requirement to raise revenues and only 51% voting requirement to increase services - DUH!)

It seems to me that I read that Texas' state budget deficit projected for next year is second only to California. I honestly don't know. Is this true?

[EVAY]

100k for most mid-level managers in a professional field really isn't all that competitive.

http://col.stb.s-msn.com/i/E7/10E37C8BED896A604259319D5CD953.jpg

Big bad teachers and government workers get paid more than the "average worker", but when the average worker doesn't have a bachelors or master's degree, the comparison is disingenuous.

It is just one of the ways the right likes to lie about the subject.

I know. After agreeing to a ten year program to pay off my student loans for my Doctoral degree in the behavioral Sciences, and figuring out that I couldn't educate my own child on what I was making from a state University, I switched to Private Enterprise, made a pot load of money, sent my kids to the finest private schools in the country, and retired early.

But I know that teachers should be paid more, not less, than what they are paid by a society that has delegated every parental responsibility in the book to the elementary and secondary schools.

I just hate it when allegedly fiscal conservative, free-marketers like to denigrate the salaries of those who have the greatest responsibilities in the world, showing their own backsides in the process.

These are often the same people who denigrate people who work for the federal government, forgetting that only our national security and their own peace is a function of how well those people do their jobs.

[CosmicCowboy]

It did not because he is among so many in this country that see teachers as people who should work for s**t wages.

I didn't say teachers should work for shit wages but I'm still shocked that Elementary school principals make over 100K a year. And saying "oh but they have to have a masters" is bullshit. They are management. and no, there aren't that many private sector middle managers making over 100K.

[Winehole23]

It seems to me that I read that Texas' state budget deficit projected for next year is second only to California...Is this true? I wouldn't know, honestly. Sounds like you know a little more than I do.

Cheers to that.:toast:lol

[RandomGuy]

I didn't say teachers should work for shit wages but I'm still shocked that Elementary school principals make over 100K a year. And saying "oh but they have to have a masters" is bullshit. They are management. and no, there aren't that many private sector middle managers making over 100K.

(Shrugs)

What do private sector middle managers in professional fields with masters degree make?

I honestly don't know. If you have the data, feel free to back that statement up.

[RandomGuy]

... and half an hour later CC still hasn't decided to back up his statement.

Dammit, man, don't make me do your work for you.

[ElNono]

I'm still shocked that Elementary school principals make over 100K a year

How much do you think private Elementary school principals make?

[EVAY]

How many management jobs require a master's degree? Lots and lots of educational administration jobs do. Managers are almost always paid more than the subject matter experts that work in their organizations, whether you are in education, government, law or finance.

[RandomGuy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

Median income for a masters is about $80,000.

Given that principals are managers, you can add a chunk for that. Not too far out of the pale.

Sorry, I don't buy the outrage, just for the sake of outrage.

elementary principals typically have a masters degree, and that is a pretty marketable acheivement in the private sector.

Beyond that they typically are directly managing what? 20-50 people?

$100,000, especially if you have been in the position for 20 years is supposed to be outrageous?

Don't we *want* educated, experienced, people running our schools?

I'm not philosophically opposed to cutting administrators pay, but I would rather not have my kids schools run by the bottom of the barrel of the US labor pool.

Given how few managers a school system like that needs, compared to the number of teachers, cutting their pay by a half wouldn't make that much of a difference.

Perhaps one of the people so outraged could tell me how many new teachers could be hired if all principals in their district got a 50% pay cut?

[ElNono]

This is what I could find for private schools:

http://www.salaryexpert.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Browse.Private-School-Principal-salary-data-details&PositionId=30774

[RandomGuy]

I didn't say teachers should work for shit wages but I'm still shocked that Elementary school principals make over 100K a year. And saying "oh but they have to have a masters" is bullshit. They are management. and no, there aren't that many private sector middle managers making over 100K.

So now that I did your work for you and found out that yes, private sector middle managers with masters degrees do probably make more than 100k, now what?

[ElNono]

This article is fairly interesting too, although it's New York, so it's probably not the norm:

http://www.nypost.com/pagesixmag/issues/20090910/Headmasters+Universe+Private+School+Principals+Rak e+Dough

[boutons_deux]

google something like "for-profit colleges management salaries", often near $1M, mostly all taxpayer money from guaranteed loans to suckered students who have a quit rate of 50% with many $1000s in debt to the govt. not evern worthless for-profit diploma, debt, and heading into a 25% unemployment rate for 18 - 25 year old segment.

[EVAY]

I wouldn't know, honestly. Sounds like you know a little more than I do.

Cheers to that.:toast:lol


Well, I looked around and this is what I found on the comparison between the two:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/04/us-usa-deficits-states-idUSTRE71314420110204

The article appeared in February so it may have been superseded by events to date, but the basic point was that California's deficit was the absolute highest of any of the 50 states, but that Texas' projected 2012 shortfall was equal to 31.5% of its 2011 budget vs. 29% for California.

I assume that the massive cuts and accounting changes that have been made since then and that appear to have kicked the debt can down the road until early 2013 when Perry hopes to have a different job have changed that scenario somewhat. However, the critical thing to me is that, at least before this last legislative session, a state that has been dominated by Republican policies and policy makers for at least the last decade was effectively no better off than that bastion of leftism, aka California.

So where is the miracle in that?

Where is Perry's mandate for fiscal conservatism?

[ElNono]

Out of curiosity, did Texas get it's highway tolls yet?

[ChumpDumper]

Out of curiosity, did Texas get it's highway tolls yet?Quite the opposite.

[ElNono]

Quite the opposite.

No tolls yet? I heard a while back they were going to install them?

[4>0rings]

I didn't say teachers should work for shit wages but I'm still shocked that Elementary school principals make over 100K a year. And saying "oh but they have to have a masters" is bullshit. They are management. and no, there aren't that many private sector middle managers making over 100K.So you want your children to be managed by 30k people? and a masters isn't bullshit. Those middle managers don't have to account for 100's of other peoples children either.

[EVAY]

No tolls yet? I heard a while back they were going to install them?

Lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth.

As usual, Texans had rather strong feelings about them.

[ChumpDumper]

No tolls yet? I heard a while back they were going to install them?Depends on which ones you are talking about. I was talking about Texas' having to pay the toll company to cover the shortfall of projected revenues from existing toll roads. I like some of the roads themselves, but that was a royal screw job for small government, individualistic, risk-reward Texas.

[DarrinS]

Are WE getting our money's worth?

http://scottystarnes.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/international20education20spending20data_image_0.p ng

[ElNono]

Depends on which ones you are talking about. I was talking about Texas' having to pay the toll company to cover the shortfall of projected revenues from existing toll roads. I like some of the roads themselves, but that was a royal screw job for small government, individualistic, risk-reward Texas.

I didn't even know Texas had toll roads yet. I thought they were coming, not that they were already installed. Tolls = scam.

[ElNono]

Are WE getting our money's worth?

Are we?

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Tbh we should scale back on educational funding and be more like Mexico.

[Ignignokt]

Tbh we should scale back on educational funding and be more like Mexico.

how bout to the levels of japan?

mexico has better math literacy btw

[Ignignokt]

even to the level of germany... how bout that?

[boutons_deux]

eg, $90K total for, K to 12, 13 years.

US is certainly not getting value for the money, looking at US's various way-down-from-2nd-place in international testing:

http://4brevard.com/choice/international-test-scores.htm

some discussion, spinning:

http://www.ncwit.org/resources.res.talking.mathsci.html

[boutons_deux]

Perry on Bernanke: ‘I dunno what y’all would do to him in Iowa but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas’

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/08/15/296552/perry-on-bernanke-pretty-ugly-down-in-texas/

Yippie ky yo! Give 'em that ol' "down in Texas" home-spun bullshit.

HTF would Jimmy Ricky or any Texan "treat him pretty ugly".

Macho tough talkin bluster, with no fear of his bluff ever being called.

======

Perry Admits Higher Taxes On Millionaires And Billionaires ‘Isn’t Going To Affect Anything’

PERRY: I just think that new taxes are not the answer right now. If I had — I don’t know what he’s worth — $80 billion or $30 billion or whatever it is, he’s never going to spend all his money so taking money away from Warren Buffett isn’t going to affect anything. But, it’s the $250,000 folks who they’re trying to tax who’s the small businessman that’s getting devastated in this.

Perry, however, is indisputably wrong to claim small businesses will be “devastated” by such a tax increase on the wealthy. As the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes, fewer than 2 percent of small businesses claim an income in the top two income brackets (roughly making more than $250,000 annually). Indeed, a “substantial percentage” of small businesses are actually in the lowest tax brackets. 34 percent are in the bracket that are not subject to income taxes at all because their incomes are too low. And as TP Economy editor Pat Garofalo notes, if a small business owner is actually taking home $1 million per year in income, the individual “ought to be taxed like anybody else making that much.”

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/08/15/296189/perry-admits-higher-taxes-on-millionaires-and-billionaires-isnt-going-to-affect-anything/

====

As in the "10 Reasons Perry Won't Be Elected" that I posted, one reason was that he seems, actually is, dumb.

[DarrinS]

Taxing the super rich would work, if there were enough of them.

[ElNono]

Obviously reducing their taxes on capital gains and expecting it to trickle-down didn't 'affect anything' either. Time to bring those taxes back up and we'll see if it makes a difference or not. I expect them to fight tooth and nail to keep those rates where they are.

It's not going to 'fix it all', but it'll help.

[Winehole23]

The Start of Perry’s Apology Tour (http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2011/08/15/the-start-of-perrys-apology-tour/)


Posted on August 15th, 2011 by Daniel Larison (http://www.amconmag.com/searchr.php?v&author=Daniel+Larison)


Rick Perry begins (http://www.texastribune.org/texas-people/rick-perry/facing-new-scrutiny-perry-walks-back-hpv-decision/) his apology tour (via Igor Volsky (http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/08/15/295838/the-hpv-vaccine-rick-perry-was-for-the-mandate-before-he-was-against-it/)):

A few hours after unveiling his campaign for president, Perry began walking back from one of the most controversial decisions of his more-than-10-year reign as Texas governor. Speaking to voters at a backyard party in New Hampshire, Perry said he was ill-informed when he issued his executive order, in February 2007, mandating the HPV vaccine for all girls entering sixth grade, unless their parents completed a conscientious-objection affidavit form.
As Volsky shows, Perry claimed on multiple occasions that he believed that the order was the right thing over the last four years. Suddenly, the decision he has defended all this time has become an “ill-informed” one. In fact, as Reihan notes in his discussion of Perry’s record here (http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/274701/what-exactly-has-rick-perry-done-reihan-salam), Perry’s original decision was an ill-informed one:

Mann doesn’t even mention the fact that many public health advocates considered Perry’s decision to mandate Gardasil unwise, as the vaccine had only recently been deemed safe enough for widespread use.
That suggests that Perry’s original paternalistic decision, which he regularly defended for years, was a blunder, but it has only been because of the new scrutiny he faces as a presidential candidate that he was willing to admit as much publicly.



A more serious policy blunder, and one that has had significant consequences for Texas’ budget, is the misguided “business-margins tax,” which taxes the gross income of businesses rather than taxing just profits as the old franchise tax did. Reihan quotes from an article (http://www.texasobserver.org/contrarian/can-rick-perry-govern) in The Texas Observer:

The idea was to cut property taxes and replace the lost revenue with a new business tax.
This 2006 tax “swap” was the one instance during Perry’s decade as governor when he proposed a wide-ranging plan and successfully pushed it through the Legislature mostly unchanged. It’s perhaps his signature legislative accomplishment.
Problem is, it’s been a disaster. Small businesses don’t like it. Some conservatives hate it—in fact, a few believe Perry’s business tax is unconstitutional. Worst of all, the tax doesn’t generate enough revenue. The tax swap has cost the state $5 billion a year for five years running. The Texas budget now faces an ongoing structural deficit because of the underperforming business tax.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses denounced (http://www.mywesttexas.com/business/oil/article_8e89f0b7-dd7e-58f8-8885-0da96287ae2e.html) the tax as a failure earlier this year:

“We look at the tax as an abject failure,” said Hoke, “because it’s crippling the small and mid-sized businesses without bringing in what (the legislators) thought. It’s a lose-lose scenario.”
How much of a difference has the change in tax law made to small businesses? According to the NFIB communications director, quite a lot:

And although some have had increases of only $200 or so, “Most companies have seen a 100-500 percent increase,” she reported.
Yes, Perry certainly sounds like the natural candidate to address mounting federal debt and tax reform.



Update: Peter Suderman explains (http://reason.com/blog/2011/08/15/rick-perrys-balanced-budgets) how Perry has been papering over the structural deficit his failed tax law has created. Last year, he used $6 billion in stimulus funding to make up almost the entire deficit, and he has resorted to Pawlenty-esque budget gimmicks in other years:

According to a report by ABC News, Perry’s budget also closed a big part of its budget gap by delaying a $2.3 billion education payment a single day. Thanks to that one-day delay, the payment will fall into the next budget year, and therefore will not technically affect the current year’s budget.
http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2011/08/15/the-start-of-perrys-apology-tour/

[boutons_deux]

Who Owns Jimmy Ricky?

Rick Perry Is Big Oil's $11 Million Man

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), even before establishing super PACs to rake in unlimited contributions from Texas billionaires in his presidential run, has been one of the best funded politicians in history. Since his 1998 candidacy to be George W. Bush’s lieutenant governor, Perry has raked in$117,091,642 in campaign contributions, with the oil and gas industry the top contributor. Big oil has fueled Rick Perry’s career, the top industry contributor at $11,189,103, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics:


http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/rick_perry_industry_chart.png

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/650757/rick_perry_is_big_oil%27s_%2411_million_man/#paragraph2

==========

I always wondered why Jimmy Ricky (actually, all Repugs) hates the EPA :lol

These kinds of charts will be useless from here on, as Citizens United encourages corruptors/pay-to-play-ers/contributors, their amounts to remain completely secret.

[RandomGuy]

Debunked strawman #63.

Thanks, Conservabot, we almost went an entire hour without one of those.

[RandomGuy]

Out of curiosity, did Texas get it's highway tolls yet?

We have a few toll roads, and the construction of the north-south parallel to I-35 continues apace.

Not quite nearly the vast network envisioned/proposed to my understanding.

[DarrinS]

Paul Krugman is wrong about Texas

http://www.nationalreview.com/exchequer/274695/paul-krugman-still-wrong-about-texas

[DarrinS]

Thanks, Conservabot, we almost went an entire hour without one of those.

See, this is your wheelhouse. Well, that, and bumping your own ancient threads.

[RandomGuy]

This is what I could find for private schools:

http://www.salaryexpert.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Browse.Private-School-Principal-salary-data-details&PositionId=30774

So private school principals make, on average, about 80% more than public school principals?

That means the upper bounds are well above that.

It would seem the outrage over public school principals is somewhat, well, stupid/ignorant.

[RandomGuy]

See, this is your wheelhouse. Well, that, and bumping your own ancient threads.

I have a few threads subscribed, as it is fun to revisit the predictions of doom/gloom a few years on.

The only one I really bump on purpose is the one where you shamed yourself repeatedly by demonstrating a complete inability to form a logical, intellectually honest argument. I can see why you might resent that, but the solution is obvious: quit being a dishonest hack.

[boutons_deux]

Paul Krugman is wrong about Texas

http://www.nationalreview.com/exchequer/274695/paul-krugman-still-wrong-about-texas

Who does one believe? Opinions of some unknown ugly-mug-shot hitman blogger from NationalReview or Krugman?

We know who Darrin believes. :lol

Mug shot would be a little bit credible if he had any numbers from official sources about those millions of jobs Jimmy Ricky has created and what exactly were his job-creation policies.

[DarrinS]

Who does one believe? Opinions of some unknown ugly-mug-shot hitman blogger from NationalReview or Krugman?

We know who Darrin believes. :lol

Mug shot would be a little bit credible if he had any numbers from official sources about those millions of jobs Jimmy Ricky has created and what exactly were his job-creation policies.


boutons believe millions of people immigrate here for the Walmart jobs.

[DarrinS]

The attacks on Texas' economy are SOOOOO transparent, too.

I thought you guys were smarter than this.

[George Gervin's Afro]

The attacks on Texas' economy are SOOOOO transparent, too.

I thought you guys were smarter than this.

God please hear my and Perry's prayers..PLEASE let Perry win the nomination...

[ElNono]

We have a few toll roads, and the construction of the north-south parallel to I-35 continues apace.

Not quite nearly the vast network envisioned/proposed to my understanding.

Thanks

[coyotes_geek]

Out of curiosity, did Texas get it's highway tolls yet?

Depends what you're talking about. The concept for the big network of new state wide tollways known as the Trans Texas Corridor is dead, but on a local basis, tolls are already in place on facilities in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Tolls in San Antonio are only a matter of time.


I didn't even know Texas had toll roads yet. I thought they were coming, not that they were already installed. Tolls = scam.

I get that tolls are unpopular, but respectfully disagree that tolls are a scam. Roads cost money. In Texas, 1/4 of our gas tax revenue is diverted to education by constitutional amendment. The remaining tax money basically covers maintenance of the existing facilities. There's little to no money for projects to add capacity. Since Texas insists on not raising the gas tax, added capacity projects need a source of revenue to fund them. That means tolls.

Fundamentally, tolls aren't any more of a scam than taxes are.

[DMX7]

boutons believe millions of people immigrate here for the Walmart jobs.

The Mexicans immigrate here for the i-banking jobs.

[ElNono]

Paul Krugman is wrong about Texas

http://www.nationalreview.com/exchequer/274695/paul-krugman-still-wrong-about-texas

I like how he cherry picks a paragraph of Krugman's entire opinion and proceeds to tries to build an alternate explanation from it, which only takes about 3 posts on the comments section to get destroyed.

Luckily, Kevin Williamson on NR isn't much different than DarrinS on Spurstalk.

Thanks for posting. I had a good laugh.

[ElNono]

boutons believe millions of people immigrate here for the Walmart jobs.

Mexicans do.

[DMX7]

Rick Perry says the Federal Reserve is committing treason for printing money... the guy who literally (and on multiple occasions) has threatened succession which is actual treason.

[ElNono]

Depends what you're talking about. The concept for the big network of new state wide tollways known as the Trans Texas Corridor is dead, but on a local basis, tolls are already in place on facilities in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Tolls in San Antonio are only a matter of time.

I've mostly driven from San Antonio to the valley. Good roads and no tolls.


I get that tolls are unpopular, but respectfully disagree that tolls are a scam. Roads cost money. In Texas, 1/4 of our gas tax revenue is diverted to education by constitutional amendment. The remaining tax money basically covers maintenance of the existing facilities. There's little to no money for projects to add capacity. Since Texas insists on not raising the gas tax, added capacity projects need a source of revenue to fund them. That means tolls.
Fundamentally, tolls aren't any more of a scam than taxes are.

It's worse than a tax. Not only you're paying for infrastructure, but also a premium for profits to whoever is running the system. It becomes such a cash cow that ends up with influence, not caring about the infrastructure they're supposed to take care of, and completely loses it's purpose after a while. The big problem with it is that once politicos realize how much money you get from it, they can't let go.

Over here we have the 2 major cross-state highways (NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway) with tolls. The Turnpike from end to end (113 miles) will run you $9. That's $9 each way. Just last weekend I had to take it North for about 20 miles: $3.15 each way. And that's for a shit road. When I travel south, you're better off taking I-295 which runs parallel, it's toll-free, it's in better shape and is less congested (has more lanes in certain parts too).
The Parkway is much cheaper (between $1-$4 depending where you get in and out), and it's in much better shape than the Turnpike. Yet, it was not long ago that the rates didn't go over $0.25.

If you work in NY (lots of people do around these places), you also have to tack in $8 toll for crossing the bridge from NJ to NY. That toll is going up to $12 next month, and $14 by 2014. If you're headed to Philly, then that's a $1-$3 toll depending on where you cross.

It's just out of control at this point. People that have to travel those roads every day to go to work and back, it adds up real quick. As usual, when the tolls were first introduced, the excuse was that they were 'temporary', etc.
Once you have them, they're not going away though.

[coyotes_geek]

It's worse than a tax. Not only you're paying for infrastructure, but also a premium for profits to whoever is running the system. It becomes such a cash cow that ends up with influence, not caring about the infrastructure they're supposed to take care of, and completely loses it's purpose after a while. The big problem with it is that once politicos realize how much money you get from it, they can't let go.

That sounds more like a problem with oversight and elected officials being held accountable than it does with tolling as a concept. Profits are still there when you use taxes to fund roads, as is the problem with politicos not wanting to let go of taxes as a source of revenue.


Over here we have the 2 major cross-state highways (NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway) with tolls. The Turnpike from end to end (113 miles) will run you $9. That's $9 each way. Just last weekend I had to take it North for about 20 miles: $3.15 each way. And that's for a shit road. When I travel south, you're better off taking I-295 which runs parallel, it's toll-free, it's in better shape and is less congested (has more lanes in certain parts too).
The Parkway is much cheaper (between $1-$4 depending where you get in and out), and it's in much better shape than the Turnpike. Yet, it was not long ago that the rates didn't go over $0.25.

If you work in NY (lots of people do around these places), you also have to tack in $8 toll for crossing the bridge from NJ to NY. That toll is going up to $12 next month, and $14 by 2014. If you're headed to Philly, then that's a $1-$3 toll depending on where you cross.

$14 to cross a bridge sounds kinda high, but TBH the other costs you've mentioned are pretty much in line with what the rest of the nation is paying. For primarily rural driving, toll rates run about $0.07-$0.10 a mile. Urban is higher, usually in the $0.12-$0.15 range.


It's just out of control at this point. People that have to travel those roads every day to go to work and back, it adds up real quick. As usual, when the tolls were first introduced, the excuse was that they were 'temporary', etc.
Once you have them, they're not going away though.

The alternative to tolls is there. Just raise the gas tax.

[ElNono]

That sounds more like a problem with oversight and elected officials being held accountable than it does with tolling as a concept. Profits are still there when you use taxes to fund roads, as is the problem with politicos not wanting to let go of taxes as a source of revenue.

When tolls came over, taxes didn't go down though. Money just got diverted somewhere else. We're now also subsidizing private companies like E-Z Pass, and paying toll collector's salaries.


$14 to cross a bridge sounds kinda high, but TBH the other costs you've mentioned are pretty much in line with what the rest of the nation is paying. For primarily rural driving, toll rates run about $0.07-$0.10 a mile. Urban is higher, usually in the $0.12-$0.15 range.

There really isn't that many toll roads across the nation (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Toll_roads_in_the_United_States).

I can drive from here to Florida and the only places I would need to pay a toll would be Delaware and Florida (and NJ, obviously).


The alternative to tolls is there. Just raise the gas tax.

Doesn't have to come from there either, IMO. Just better management of funds.

[coyotes_geek]

When tolls came over, taxes didn't go down though. Money just got diverted somewhere else. We're now also subsidizing private companies like E-Z Pass, and paying toll collector's salaries.

Is that really much different than a governmental entity selling bonds to finance a project, using taxes to pay off those bonds, and then taxes not going down after the bonds get paid off?


There really isn't that many toll roads across the nation (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Toll_roads_in_the_United_States).

I can drive from here to Florida and the only places I would need to pay a toll would be Delaware and Florida (and NJ, obviously).

True there aren't that many toll roads compared to the rest of the system, but that list isn't nearly a complete one. None of the Texas toll roads show up on it for example.


Doesn't have to come from there either, IMO. Just better management of funds.

I'm certainly all for better management of funds.

[ElNono]

Is that really much different than a governmental entity selling bonds to finance a project, using taxes to pay off those bonds, and then taxes not going down after the bonds get paid off?

Well, it is different in that the private lender stops making money (the interest) at tax payers's expense once the bonds are paid off. Here you have a system where a private company like EZ-Pass leeches money on a constant basis, and if you choose not to use them, you get penalized with a higher toll price (at least that's how it works here).


True there aren't that many toll roads compared to the rest of the system, but that list isn't nearly a complete one. None of the Texas toll roads show up on it for example.

Fair enough. I knew there weren't that many, but I didn't know the list was incomplete.


I'm certainly all for better management of funds.

:tu

[RandomGuy]

Rick Perry says the Federal Reserve is committing treason for printing money... the guy who literally (and on multiple occasions) has threatened succession which is actual treason.

... and now he is running the agency he wanted to abolish, but couldn't even name when asked about it in a debate. Wow.