the tindog coffeehouse

When comparing Texas and California, this cartoon from The Economist tells you everything you need to know:

Never mind the Economist’s statement that they are the “nation’s two biggest states” (I think Alaska might have something to say about that) or that the Dallas-Fort Worth area is made up of “flat, ugly countryside” (OK, that might not be too far off). The fact remains that CAHL-EE-FOR-NEE-A is old and busted, while the Lone Star State is the new hotness.

Continue reading…

On Monday, Senator Kay Baily Hutchison officially announced that she will be officially announcing her intent to someday run for governor of Texas. Or something like that.

I was surprised as anyone. I thought she had been already been running for governor for months. I’m so used to her not doing anything substantive as a senator, I just figured she was taking the same approach to her gubernatorial campaign.

But running she is, and she’s already raised $6.7 million. Combined with the $6 million she had leftover from her Senate run, that puts her ahead of incumbent Rick Perry, at least financially.

And so far campaign finances are the only thing the two candidates seem to care about. Hutchison accused Perry of raising funds while the state legislature was still in session (a no-no), and Perry’s staff replied that she is a “liar, liar, pants on fire” (to paraphrase).

If this is any indication of how the rest of the primary season is going to play out, then I’m not interested. At least Carole Keeton “One Tough Grandma” Strayhorn was good for a few chuckles now and then.

Previously:
When will Kay Bailey Hutchison resign?

A new report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation (written in part by supply-side economics guru Arthur Laffer) has concluded that instead of stimulating the economy and creating jobs, the massive increases in federal spending will actually hinder private sector job growth and could cost the state of Texas anywhere from 131,400 to 171,900 jobs.

Increasing federal spending does not stimulate the economy. Just the opposite: higher government spending crowds out the private economy, diminishing its rate of growth. The driving force of the economy is the incentive to engage in market activities. In both the long and short run, individuals and groups of individuals allocate resources according to the after-tax rate of return. If market activities are profitable, the economy will concentrate on ever-increasing market successes. When the profitability of market activities is reduced, market activity diminishes and welfare enhancing activities cease. …

The ARRA [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] is a significant increase in federal government expenditures at a time when the private sector can least afford to pay for the higher government burden. As a result, the purported “stimulus” plan passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama will actually worsen the economy’s performance.

Continue reading…

Texas Governor Rick Perry campaigned vigorously against the massive $787,000,000,000 “stimulus bill” signed into law Tuesday, but now that the funds have been approved, he’s more than willing to accept the state’s share of the money.

“As I have said during the debate on (the stimulus package), should Congress pass stimulus legislation using Texas tax dollars, I would work to ensure that our citizens receive their fair share,” Perry wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama.

Legislative leaders estimate that the stimulus bill could deliver almost $17 billion to the state budget, including billions for Medicaid, education and transportation. Lawmakers are just starting to see how the money might fit into the state budget. …

“We have begun the process today of accepting the funds,” Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle said. “However, the governor only wants those funds that can be used for one-time expenditures that don’t obligate the state to ongoing costs long after the federal funding has dried up.”

Continue reading…

As Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison inches closer to officially running for Texas governor, the question becomes, when will she resign from the Senate? Paul Burka says sooner rather than later, in order to deprive Rick Perry of additional ammunition in the form of controversial Senate votes.

Between that and the fight to dislodge Tom Craddick from his role as Speaker of the House, 2009 is shaping up to be a very interesting year in Austin.

Gotta love Texas politics!