Eff This Budget

Slashing funding to education, public services and healthcare – all the lifelines a community needs to thrive – is what the 2012-2013 budget has in store for Texans. Even at this late date, there are some groups, however, continuing to raise their voices for a more reasonable solution.

"If the Legislature adopts this budget, the Legislature will have failed to meet the needs of Texas," F. Scott McCown, executive director for nonpartisan think tank Center for Public Policy Priorities, said yesterday.

Instead of cutting and paring down necessary commodities, McCown has spent the session promoting a balanced approach, that would use the Rainy Day Fund as well as find some new sources of new revenue and stimulate growth.

However, Gov. Rick Perry – with his eye increasingly on a potential presidential run – has dug in his boot heels in and sticking to his guns.

"I remain steadfastly committed to protecting the remaining balance of the Rainy Day Fund, Perry said in a press release. "I will not sign a 2012-2013 state budget that uses the Rainy Day Fund.

As the population grows and the demand for services and infrastructure increases, the state would need to spend about $9 billion more than last biennium just to maintain the same level of services for the next two years.

According to McCown, not only are we not spending more, the state proposes cutting $9.3 billion from last year's budget of $90 billion.

For 2012-2013, the proposed budget would be whittled down to a gaunt $80.7 billion. Hold on to your seats folks, for the next two years it's going to be a wild ride for all of us – and for the most vulnerable among us, much worse than that.