More balance needed in Texas’ budget approach, bond rating agency says

[RandomGuy]

You know I didn't mean the lottery. Who cares if its not as much as its made out to be. Its an increase in revenue without an increase in taxes. It should be a no brainer.


Saying that gambling is illegal by pointing to the lottery is like pointing to alcohol and saying drugs are legal. Which is another way to make more money, legalize MJ.

I know, I was bringing up the obligatory reference to the lottery.

There are places already that have casino style gambling, so I am not such that outright legalization will do much at all.

Still, let 'er fly, I'm with you on that.

We are still left with a large hole in the budget tho', and that will not be filled gambling revenues.

As for legalizing marijuana, I am there too.

Doubt the bible thumpin' baptists that vote in large numbers would ever go for that in Texas though.

[RandomGuy]

Good..



Better...



Best...



Class dismissed

Did miss a word there.

The problem with running a lean government, is that there is little fat to cut, as we are finding out currently with the rather draconian cuts in education we seem to be presented with.

Scrimp on human capital at substantial risk that your unedcuated population will drag your compe iveness to such a point that the "low taxes" schtick can't compensate.

[Winehole23]

Doubt the bible thumpin' baptists that vote in large numbers would ever go for that in Texas though.

Point of information. Are Baptists more numerous than Catholics in Texas?

(Honest question, just curious.)

[MannyIsGod]

I know, I was bringing up the obligatory reference to the lottery.

There are places already that have casino style gambling, so I am not such that outright legalization will do much at all.

Still, let 'er fly, I'm with you on that.

We are still left with a large hole in the budget tho', and that will not be filled gambling revenues.

As for legalizing marijuana, I am there too.

Doubt the bible thumpin' baptists that vote in large numbers would ever go for that in Texas though.

Only place in Texas with legalized casino gambling is on the Kickapoo reservation outside of Eagle Pass and that place is a hole.

[fyatuk]

Point of information. Are Baptists more numerous than Catholics in Texas?

(Honest question, just curious.)

According to THARDA (http://www.thearda.com/), Evangelical Protestants outnumbered Catholics by 3% back in 2000, but nearly 45% of the people did not have a claimed religion.

[MannyIsGod]

Baptists will be far more likely to vote. Its not just about sheer numbers.

[boutons_deux]

Whether there's a spending problem or not is an idealogical discussion. I for one think there most definitely is, especially on the federal level.

But believing there isn't a revenue problem at the moment is bordering on lunacy.

govt as %age of GDP is lower than in 1977.

Where the is out-of-control, runaway spending?

There isn't any, it's a VRWC/Repug lie in their campaign to solve the FALSE "problem" of all govt.

[fyatuk]

govt as %age of GDP is lower than in 1977.

Where the is out-of-control, runaway spending?

What's that got to do with the ideological difference of what government should be and how it relates to whether or not there's a spending problem?

Federal government could completely fulfill it's baseline cons utional mandates at half the budget. It's whether to include interpreted mandates (such as medicare, medicade, SS, welfare, etc) that determines whether the spending is a problem or not.

[Drachen]

What's that got to do with the ideological difference of what government should be and how it relates to whether or not there's a spending problem?

Federal government could completely fulfill it's baseline cons utional mandates at half the budget. It's whether to include interpreted mandates (such as medicare, medicade, SS, welfare, etc) that determines whether the spending is a problem or not.

It should most certainly be there to jail all of the mental health patients that it has repeatedly cut funding to.