Happy Veterans Day. For those veterans who think Texas Republicans are here to help you, think again.
Texas Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, and Speaker Joe Straus have joined with Republicans at state agencies to call for massive cuts to state agencies. Rick Perry, in particular, has made it a point to rail against government jobs. That counts, as well, for those few people who help our veterans navigate the bureaucracy of veterans benefits. From the Austin American-Statesman, "State agencies offer up 9,800 jobs to close budget shortfall"
The Texas Veterans Commission would lose 21 jobs , including three employees who help the families of wounded veterans find jobs. Thirteen of the eliminated positions — nine of which are now occupied — would be claims counselors who help veterans apply for medical and pension benefits with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
A veteran's chances of maximizing his or her federal benefits go up considerably when aided by the counselors, who can navigate the VA's labyrinthine bureaucracy and speak its distinct language, said Victor Polanco , a veterans counselor at the VA clinic on Montopolis Drive. "It can be cumbersome," he said.
Eliminating all 13 claims counselor positions would have the effect of reducing federal benefits to Texas veterans and their families by $88 million over the two years, and the state would lose $3 million in sales tax as a result, the agency estimates.
The Party of No and Obstruction, at least where sending any kind of economic lifelines to the American people are concerned, sure had no problem with turning over our national treasury to the fat cats on Wall St. And the GOP's blind faith in a unfettered free market economy did nothing other than make a handful of wealthy folks much richer while the majority of us grew much poorer. The Reagan/Bush/W. Bush's legacies of failure brought this once great nation to its knees.
At least when W. ran his companies into the ground Daddy's friends would step up and bail junior out. But Daddy's buddies are nowhere to be found now that W. and his GOP drove the country straight to hell. Tragically for the American taxpayers, we, our children, our grandchildren and great grandchildren will have to clean up the squalor. It will take generations to undo the GOP's financial carnage.
A recent article published in the Washington Post reveals that the American worker lost big time during the past decade.
This news should come as no surprise to any hard working middle class American. We have been living the pain for 10 long years.
The past decade was the worst for the U.S. economy in modern times, a sharp reversal from a long period of prosperity that is leading economists and policymakers to fundamentally rethink the underpinnings of the nation's growth.
It was, according to a wide range of data, a lost decade for American workers. The decade began in a moment of triumphalism -- there was a current of thought among economists in 1999 that recessions were a thing of the past. By the end, there were two, bookends to a debt-driven expansion that was neither robust nor sustainable.
The Washington Post also reveals that there has been zero net job creation since December 1999. Conditions have not been this grim for decades. Essentially, the American worker has not had a raise in a very long time.
The Party of No and Obstruction, at least where sending any kind of economic lifelines to the American people are concerned, sure had no problem with turning over our national treasury to the fat cats on Wall St. And the GOP's blind faith in a unfettered free market economy did nothing other than make a handful of wealthy folks much richer while the majority of us grew much poorer. The Reagan/Bush/W. Bush's legacies of failure brought this once great nation to its knees.
At least when W. ran his companies into the ground Daddy's friends would step up and bail junior out. But Daddy's buddies are nowhere to be found now that W. and his GOP drove the country straight to hell. Tragically for the American taxpayers, we, our children, our grandchildren and great grandchildren will have to clean up the squalor. It will take generations to undo the GOP's financial carnage.
A recent article published in the Washington Post reveals that the American worker lost big time during the past decade.
This news should come as no surprise to any hard working middle class American. We have been living the pain for 10 long years.
The past decade was the worst for the U.S. economy in modern times, a sharp reversal from a long period of prosperity that is leading economists and policymakers to fundamentally rethink the underpinnings of the nation's growth.
It was, according to a wide range of data, a lost decade for American workers. The decade began in a moment of triumphalism -- there was a current of thought among economists in 1999 that recessions were a thing of the past. By the end, there were two, bookends to a debt-driven expansion that was neither robust nor sustainable.
The Washington Post also reveals that there has been zero net job creation since December 1999. Conditions have not been this grim for decades. Essentially, the American worker has not had a raise in a very long time.
This morning I received the following electronic newsletter from Senator John Cornyn on the Senate Health Care Reform Bill.
Last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released his 2,074-page health care bill, which Senate Budget Committee analysis shows will cost American taxpayers $2.5 trillion when fully implemented over ten years. (My bold.)
Until we have had a chance to read the full 2,074 page Reid Bill, it's impossible for Americans to fully grasp what the Majority Leader has cooked up behind closed doors. It is my hope that Sen. Reid will afford all Americans the same courtesy that he had: ample time to study the legislation and deliberate the best way to proceed.
Over the second 10 years, CBO projects even greater cost savings--up to $650 billion, with the caveat that after 10 years, their analyses become highly uncertain.
Do you have a problem with saving lives and money, Senator?
The UT-Austin Government Department released the cross tabs of a July poll on public opinion in Texas. Among the more interesting results is that Democratic Party identifiers outnumber Republican Party identifiers by five percentage points, Dem 35%, Rep 30%. In 2003, according to all Gallup Polls in Texas, Republican Party identifiers outnumbered Democratic Party identifiers 41% to 24%. By 2007, the results favored Republican Party identifiers 33% to 28%. There are also interesting results in policy positions by party identification, ethnicity, income, education, etc. The UT-Austin Government Department has provided a useful tool to researchers of Texas politics and government. Thanks to James Henson and Daron Shaw for their work.
The report is here: http://texaspolitics.laits.ute... The cross tabs are here: http://texaspolitics.laits.ute...
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (from left), U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State James Baker III and former Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove attend a memorial service for former U.S. Ambassador Anne Armstrong. (August 15, 2008)
