State facing $4.3 billion surplus

[sonias]

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_State_Surplus.html
The state treasury has $4.3 billion more than lawmakers have budgeted to spend over the next two years, Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn told state leaders Wednesday.

The surplus is the largest in Texas in several years. In contrast, lawmakers wrote the 2004-05 budget in the face of a $10 billion revenue shortfall. Current projections indicate that the surplus will grow even larger over the biennium as the result of larger-than-expected tax revenue from consumer spending and higher oil and gas prices.

Perry's office attacked Strayhorn for the surplus and said she should have known about the additional money months ago.

"This comptroller can't count," said Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt.

The Strayhorn campaign called the statement "a blatant lie."

Higher oil and gas prices have meant a windfall for the state, so you think the state is going to do anything about it? Like investigating possible collusion between the oil companies. Hell no.

What's up with that headline too? The word "facing" usually means a bad thing. If the state had a $10 billion shortfall then they would be "facing a $10 billion shortfall". How about "State finds $4.3 billion surplus under their legislative couch cushions". How about "Oil and gas company collusion nets the State and extra $4.3 billion; Perry looks the other way"

Oh yeah and Carole 4Names and MoFo Perry are snipping at each other again, and that's a good thing. :evilgrin:

Sonia

[acmejack]

1. I suspect this is just more election year shenanigans.

If not, they had better see how fast they can put this money into our beleagured school system.

[johncoby2]

2. Dont forget......

In 2002 she said we had a $5B deficit.
Right after the elections she said it was a $10B deficit.

Sorry, I have to agree with perry. C4N has Oldheimers. she cant remember and she can't add.

[sonias]

3. Hey I'm not supporting Carole on this

We know it's political, and the comptroller can manipulate the timing of the revenue i.e. she could have reported her projections earlier. She does want to make MoFo Perry look bad. But don't forget they play these same games at the Legislature and shift the last month of expenses to the next year to balance their budget. So Perry and his crew practice Enron accounting practices as well.

Plus Perry is only putting property tax reform on the table for the special session. He says the courts didn't say he had to fix the school system, only stop imposing a state property tax. So that's all the weasel is going to do - lower property taxes.

A pox on both their campaigns!

Sonia

[slide to the left]

4. They should spend

it on education and teacher education.

http://cbs11tv.com/local/local_story_037231621.html

[TexasLinda]

5. Oh goody! Does that mean the pharmacy school

at Texas A&M University-Kingsville will finally get the funding it so desperatly needs? Yeah, right. Craddick's having too much fun jerking them around to let that happen.

Nueces County has a bigger than expected surplus and our Democratic County Judge, Terry Shamsie, has suggested we use some of that money to help the school (Shamsie suggests aiding pharmacy school), even though it isn't in Nueces County. It would be good for the region and we're just about out of time for the state to act.

[sonias]

6. That's great news about your surplus

I would make sure to get your House Reps to get that request in there for the state as soon as possible. Didn't someone get a commitment from Perry for this? I may be confusing it with a medical school in San Antonio. In any case having money to leverage your school certainly has to help. How about Perry dipping into his Texas Enterprise Fund? This new pharmacy school would probably create double the number of jobs, than all his other selections for the whole existence of the program.

Chris Bell had a post on the million dollar jobs Perry created this past year

http://www.chrisbell.com/insights/120605_jobs
The truth is so awful it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. For two hundred and fifteen million dollars, the Texas Enterprise Fund only created two hundred and seventy-five jobs as of January 31. Two-seventy-five. That’s about a million bucks a job.

The 78th Legislature created the fund to promote economic development, job training programs and business incentives. Seems like the MoFo has only given away business incentives. I would like to know if even one job training program has been funded.

Sonia