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Action Update - Issue 62 :: January 1, 2006

Study Pittsburgh's Path to Financial Crisis....

Pittsburgh Steel Mill

Be forewarned, what has happened in Pittsburgh could happen in Texas and in any Texas city unless government spending is limited to only the most essential programs. Before anything “new” is added to the budget, something “old” must be dropped from the budget.

I moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Houston, TX in 1978, 27 years ago, courtesy of a transfer by Gulf Oil Corporation. The articles below, published in 2003 and 2005 by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, tell you about the financial crisis Pittsburgh is in. While the parallels are not exactly the same, the outcome in 10 to 30 years for Houston and Texas can be and will be the same if government spending is not restrained and if the tax burden is not distributed more fairly and evenly across all tax payers. My conclusion is that no solution has yet been reached to the fiscal crisis facing Pittsburgh which could easily include bankruptcy.

Houston and Texas must avoid ever reaching such a stage. Unfortunately, what I have seen in the last two to three years at the city and state levels is very troublesome. Spending is out of control. No one in government seems to care about anything except the next six to 12 months. No one in Austin is addressing the long term issues that will allow Texas to remain economically strong and competitive. <continue>

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Drug Importation:

A Solution to the Cost of Prescription Drugs?

An Examination of Free Market Principles in Health Care
By Mary Katherine Stout, Texas Public Policy Foundation

Nearing the end of the 79th Texas Legislature’s regular session, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly to give state sanctioned support for importing pharmaceuticals from Canada. As a result, state law now directs the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to inspect and designate no more than 10 Canadian pharmacies from which Texans may purchase lowcost prescription drugs. Other states have instituted a similar practice, despite warnings from the federal government that such a practice violates federal law.

It is not surprising that drug importation has become an issue in many states and cities, as the promise of cheaper drugs from Canada has become an option for many people searching for the lowest price available.

But is importing pharmaceuticals from Canada really the best solution? More directly, should Texas pursue drug importation as the state’s answer to high prescription drug costs? <continued>

The High Cost of Higher Education

Boomers To Overload Health System