| Texas Senator, Kirk Watson, has been brilliant this session. His work on the budget proves his value to both our party and the Texas legislature.
Monday, Watson released his latest Watson Wire discussing the need for Perry to show leadership and accept Texas' cut of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act and do so without hesitation or reservation. Texans have paid into the federal aid, and it is inappropriate not to give Texans who have been hit by this recession a helping hand.
The Governor can say he thinks it was a bad idea for the federal government to take extraordinary action to fortify the economy, protect jobs and get people back to work. But he can't single-handedly stop the President, Congress, and so many Republican and Democratic governors, mayors, and other officials who know how much trouble our economy is in.
Yes, it would have been a huge mistake to reject this money at a time when Texas is facing a budget shortfall and so many Texans are hurting or worried about their jobs.
And certainly, it would have been wrong to turn our backs on needed resources for schools, kids' health programs, and other responses to the challenges that have left Texas at the unfortunate bottom of so many rankings.
But mostly, it would have been foolish to reject this funding because Texans would still have been responsible for paying off our share of it.
It's like that old joke about two brothers - a veterinarian and a taxidermist - who went into business together. They put up one sign:
"Veterinarian & Taxidermist: Either Way, You Get your Dog Back."
Well, we're going to be paying for the stimulus, one way or another. And if we're going to be responsible for paying off this package, we ought to make sure we responsibly get the benefit of it.
Of course Sen. Watson says it much more elegantly than I could.
In addition to laying out the need for the federal money, Watson also elaborates on how the money should be managed and used. Not only does he talk about the economic recovery package, he also built an entire sub-page that outlines the breakdowns of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Texas.
The video Watson Wire is below the fold. The text version can be found here. |
