Action
Update - Issue 57
:: October 17, 2005
Before
You $end Your Tax Dollar$ (much
less your child!)
to
UT Austin...
Did they raise tuition for this?
by Will
Lutz
One
of the most widely believed myths at the Capitol is
that the University of Texas administration is conservative.
It's amazing anyone believes this. After all, during
the Hopwood case, UT Chancellor Mark Yudof was dean
of the law school and a passionate defender of the
racial quota system thrown out by the court. Now,
like other universities nationwide, UT has gone on
a spending spree, hiking tuition and making UT less
affordable for middle class families.
And now this. In
January, the University of Texas at Austin's Dean
of Students opened the Gender and Sexuality Center,
which promotes homosexuality and transsexuality. Of
course, UT isn't about to fund a center which promotes
traditional family values or alternatives to abortion.
I recommend a visit
to the center's website. It will tell you all you
need to know. Here's the link: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/gsc/home.html
On this website
you will find a list of "Gender Neutral Bathroom
Locations." (I'm not making this up.)
The center is
sponsoring the
"Living with Pride"
educational series currently going on at UT during
the fall semester. (Again, this center is set up by
the UT Dean of Students Office). A little history.
In 1994, UT tried to host the Living with Pride series
out of the student health center. The
Young
Conservatives of Texas objected and after getting
an earful from the Capitol, UT backed down and funded
the event privately. The agenda and speakers' series
is almost identical to the one in 1994. The seminars
include the following:
"The Love Boat: The
Do's and Don'ts of Dating," "From Alcohol To Zippers:
A Discussion of Health Issues," "Chocolates, Roses
and You: A Romantic Look at Safer Sex," etc. The
center also offers
"diversity/sensitivity
workshops" for campus groups.
I
also recommend a look at the center's Frequently Asked
Questions page:
<continued>
_____________________________________________________________
Analysis
and Recommendations - - Send
us your own thoughts.
Proposed
Texas Constitutionals Amendments
You can print the entire list and take it to the polls
with you.
AMENDMENT
NO. 1 (H.J.R. 54)
- Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund
Creates
the Texas rail relocation and improvement fund and
authorizes the Texas Transportation Commission to
sell bonds to fund relocation and improvement of rail
facilities.
ARGUMENTS
FOR: Will improve rail shipping capabilities,
ease road traffic congestion and promote safety;
will help Texas meet federal air standards and reduce
transport of hazardous materials through urban areas.
ARGUMENTS
AGAINST: The state should not aid the private
sector in a non-state regulated industry; TxDOT should
focus on its primary state highways duties; debt service
on bonds will create added cost for the state.
YCT
Position: NO. YCT opposes using public
funds to rehabilitate or otherwise subsidize private
business enterprises.
Shepard:
No. Government should encourage free market
growth in the rail industry by lifting restrictions,
not by borrowing millions to modernize it.
<entire
list>
An
Examination of Texas' Economic State
Texas
Public Policy Foundation presents a 64 page in-depth
study.
Today,
Texas Governor Rick Perry and the state legislature
face a critical decision. The September 2004 ruling
of the Texas state district court regarding public
school finance made certain what we knew to be inevitable.
The court has mandated a shift of a portion of the
tax burden from local government property taxes to
the state government. As predictable as the rising
sun, there are calls for dramatic fiscal reform from
those who seek a bigger share of the government pie
and from those who seek to make the pie bigger calls
for the first personal income tax in Texas history;
calls for a new payroll tax on businesses; and calls
for higher taxes in virtually every category imaginable.
<continued>
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