King proposes to shift $1 billion from the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) to the Foundation School Program in HB 1. This will set up a particularly tough generational choice for Democrats, who must elect between health care for the elderly and public education.
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Phillip Martin says:
What about a tough choice for Republicans? Right now only some seniors would be removed from nursing homes. This would kick every single senior out of every nursing home, plus more. Are Republicans supposed to run out and brag about that?
Cuts both ways, Paul.
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Harold Cook says:
It’s a false choice. If only we had more legislators who understood the long view better than to make members choose between two of Texans’ most critical needs, instead of encouraging them to make the smart policy priority decisions.
Any moron can cut – but it takes a leader to prioritize smart. This is a real shame.
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Anonymous Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 9:49 pm
“Any moron can cut . . .”
Maybe if they had more “morons” in places like California and Illinois, those places wouldn’t be on the verge of bankruptcy. Cook genuflects to the big spending big government sycophants.
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Holaamigos says:
True. But overall the house budget is about the only thing the D’s can unite on as a solid group. So regardless, how is the new “super majority” going to explain the pain away? Tick Tock election filing is just a few months away.
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anita says:
It is a false choice. D’s should vote a white light, let the R’s wallow in their own mess. D’s have had zero to do with getting us into this ditch, and King and other R’s just want to play petty political games.
I’ll ask again — when do the adults show up?
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Anonymous Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Don’t worry, jbb is on the way. HAHAHA
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 6:07 am
“Assisted voter fraud is the largest growing fraud that we have,” state Rep. Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg, told the committee. “It’s an outgrowth of the old boss system, and it has never really stopped.”
Why? There’s no voter fraud in Texas!
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Tellnitlikeitis Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 7:10 am
Anyone but the clowns understand that absentee ballots is where you find the potential for voter fraud….that’s where you get “voter assistance”
But GOPers aren’t interested in solving problems when they can score points and create bogeyman issues.
Fernando Trevino Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 8:43 am
Ha! excuse me Mr. JohnBenardBooks, but the truth is there IS voter fraud in Texas, especially in south Texas! The problem really is in the mail-ins which is what Rep. Pena’s bills target…
In Val Verde County we just had a very contentious legal battle over voter fraud in the Democratic primary for a seat on the commissioner’s court, this was a Democrat suing and accusing an incumbent Democrat of voter fraud! sad fact is that it does exist and in small counties like ours it is especially a problem since even 50 fraudulent votes (which is about 2% of the vote) can severely alter the outcome
that one case I mention was originally decided by about 16 votes, which is fairly common
Anonymous says:
Typical Flanders ‘genius’ on display
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Anonymous says:
………”D’s have had zero to do with getting us into this ditch”………
oh Anita, Anita, Anita……….and the Easter Bunny does exist….such a world you live in.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 7:23 am
gives a whole new meaning to “yes Anita there is an Easter Bunny”.
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anita Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Help me understand how D’s had anything to do with our current fiscal situation. Every statewide elected official in Texas is Republican, have been for years. The entire executive branch. Both houses of the legislature, have been for years. The entire legislative branch, Lt. Governor and Speaker. The judiciary, the highest courts in Texas, exclusively Republican. Have been for years. The governor, arguably the most partisan and certainly the longest serving governor in history, is a Republican. He has a line-item veto, and has shown no reluctance to use it or his veto powers, no reluctance whatsoever.
Where exactly have Democrats had the influence you speak of? Be specific and precise, please.
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1353574|=|= says:
Phillip and Harold,
What’s the upside of anyone voting on this? Not voting either for or against, but ON in general?
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Tellnitlikeitis Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 7:44 am
Don’t be surprised if King pulls this.
To let it out would only serve to highlight the brutality of this budget and focus attention on lawmakers choosing between helpless seniors and helpless kids.
Dems are not always the smartest folks in the Capital….so, they may play along. But if they stand back and let GOPers make a record of this choice while they white light it, then only GOPers will stand exposed.
This amendment is bad news for GOPers, very bad.
‘
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1L says:
The leadership already elected between health care for the elderly and public education, by screwing both rather than using the Rainy Day Fund or closing a few egregious tax loopholes.
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Patrick says:
White light it.
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Anonymous says:
White light =coward……man up…take a stand…and vote.
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Howie Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 12:16 am
Never, EVER let someone force you to make this kind of choice. MAN UP….WHITE LIGHT.
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Anonymous says:
White Light.
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Anonymouse says:
Anita must be a blonde, certainly in spirit – if not in natural hair color.
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Holaamigos says:
Aaron Pena does not even live in his district. He owns 2 homes. One he rents and one he lives in. Guess where he lives? And to think he has the nerve to talk about abuse of the election process. Blah blah blah a joke I tell ya.
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Kenneth D. Franks says:
This is the most disastrous session I can remember. With the Perry Tax Plan of 2006 coming home to roost exactly the same year we have a super majority of Republicans really makes for a perfect storm. Some Republicans have been plotting and writing horrible bills for years but this year there is no counter weight to stop them. Democrats need to make sure that the Republicans own everything that comes out of this session. If that means just voting present and letting the Republicans get all of the credit and all of blame then that is what Democrats should do. The legislature should be using the Rainy Day Fund for 2012 and 2013 and working on the structural deficit instead they are blaming the economic turn down for problems that they had already created by creating a structural deficit in 2006. The same problems will be waiting on them two years from now but only worse because of what Republicans are doing right now.
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