Action Update - Issue 53 :: August 17, 2005
The battle was defined when school bureaucrats swarmed Austin just as the conference committees were reaching an agreement in July.
Tax Payers not only LOSE any property tax relief and tax protections, but
TAX PAYERS PAID THE SALARIES FOR THE VERY LOBBYISTS
AND SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WHO FOUGHT AGAINST EVERY
SINGLE BILL OFFERED.
Tax funded lobbyists must be outlawed!
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Here is the Spin You Won't Hear!
by Mike Ford
In the coming weeks there are going to be a great many columns written about the failure of the Texas Legislature to finance the public schools. 98% of what will be written will be irrelevancies about money.
Our public school system has problems that money can't cure. This will not be discussed. Despite its support by a mandatory attendance (required for 13 years) and taxpayer financial support that is also mandatory (averaging $9,000 per year per student), our public schools now produce high school graduates with less than an 8th grade-level education. Nationwide, the costs for this academic and social failure are $536 billion per year (www.ed.gov). And costs are going up. <continued>
Craddick Flunks Leadership Test
Strong words from the Lubbock Avalanche Journal
"
It is obvious that he is not a leader and that it is time for a change.
"
IT IS CLEAR that the lion's share of the blame for the current public school finance fiasco falls squarely on the shoulders of Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick.
By his recent words, inaction and deeds, the Midland Republican repeatedly has demonstrated that he does not have uppermost in mind what is best for Texas public schoolchildren.
Last week, he dismissively termed the special legislative session on school funding a waste of time as he urged leaders to pull the plug on the remaining two weeks.
Mr. Craddick claimed that he and his colleagues - over whom he presides as Speaker - had "worked diligently" to find a final compromise.
We must not be using the same dictionary, because ours defines diligence as "constant, careful effort" and "perseverance" - none of which could be used to describe recent regular or special legislative sessions on his watch.
Perseverance certainly doesn't mean calling it quits and going home before the job you are assigned to do is completed. <continued>
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It's Time to Work on the FAIR TAX
You need to learn about it.
FairTax.org
Do you want to take home your entire check? No deductions. No hidden taxes.
Simply put, the FairTax replaces the way we're currently taxed - based on our annual income - with a tax on goods and services. The FairTax is a voluntary “consumption" tax: the more you buy, the more you pay in taxes, the less you buy, the less you pay in taxes.
It's simple.
Everyone pays their fair share of taxes, and with the FairTax rebate, spending up to the poverty level is tax free. The Federal government is fully funded, including Social Security and Medicare, and you don't need an expert to determine your Federal taxes.
It's simple.
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