The nation as a whole is suffering
from a recession which some might say is gradually recovering but there are
some issues like budget cuts that are stagnant or even getting progressively
worse. Texas is not an exception to this situation and some estimates have
put the shortfall in the state in excess of 20 billion dollars and possibly
more. Star Telegram says Republicans and lawmakers in Texas have leaned towards cutting spending
without raising taxes in order to balance the budget but then what happens to
programs that get cut? As supported by Democrats in the state, Texas lawmakers
should not go about fixing this problem by cutting spending especially on
crucial programs such as funding for education and social services.
Yes
it is a popularly conservative state representation wise and it is but
understandable why most of these lawmakers would seek to not increase taxes but
instead reduce spending on other programs. The effects? Pretty drastic. Thousands
of state employees are bracing for possible layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts
from this sort of decision. Let’s focus on education for a second, according to the federal Bureau of Labor
Statistics There has been a 4 billion dollar cut to Texas
public schools this summer and 900 jobs lost in local school districts in
August of 2011. It is but logical that cutting funding for public schools were
the majority of kids attend will result to inefficient learning being that there
are not enough or efficient educational equipments such as text books, computers
or calculators available for students or even that the essential teacher -student
interaction will decrease with more teachers being laid off. The job cuts could
be politically disadvantageous for Perry, who has based his campaign for
president largely on Texas' record of job growth during his 11 years as
governor. I doubt if he actually sees these numbers when preaching about high employment
rates.
Also, it has been researched and concluded that though something might
appear to be able to save money on, with a closer look, it actually cost more. Take
for instance, the lawmakers shrunk the state’s family planning services and the reasoning was that without any abortions which is
part of the issues being handled in this service, more babies would be born in
Texas, and that since more than half of the births in the state of Texas are
paid for by Medicaid, the cost of those additional births would be borne almost
entirely by taxpayers but cutting this service would cost money because it would result in an
increase in babies paid for by Medicaid. Smart choice? Not so much. It’s a pretty
weird situation we are in right now but it will be advisable for law makers to
consider the effects of cutting budgets on important programs and seek another
way out.
2 comments:
As Kelly stated in her post Cutting budgets on critical programs!! (shaking my head) the Texas government faces serious budget problems and lacks an appropriate method for solving these problems. I agree that the notion of cutting the already slim education budget is absolutely insane considering how poorly school systems in Texas perform relative to the other forty nine states in the Union. However, the low taxes in Texas are the main driver for the successful economic aspects of the state, thus I do not believe they should be raised. Rather, I believe the cuts should be made to areas where the government has indulged in blatant overspending such as the justice system.
Consider that Texas spends around $21,000 on each incarcerated prisoner a year and has a non-violent prison population of around 90,000. A little multiplication tells us that the state of Texas spends right around $2,000,000,000 of tax payer’s money annually imprisoning offenders who pose no threat to the rest of society. Most of these offenders are charged with drug related crimes and even after serving prison sentences have a startlingly high rate of offending again and returning to prison. This is obviously not the most effective or cost friendly way of dealing with these non-violent offenders. Texas should focus on helping these people, rather than simply imprisoning them, by investing in rehabilitation programs, halfway houses, etc. These programs are less of a drain on resources and they provide a way out for troubled citizens burdened by drug addiction. It just seems like common sense. The justice department must adjust to the changing times and acknowledge that not all crimes are equal. The number of prisoners in the Texas system continues to rise, but the rate of crime continues to fall at a much lower rate than that of the rest of the country. So in conclusion, the citizens of Texas are missing out on the possibility of better funded educational systems, healthcare systems, etc. without actually being any better protected from crime.
It is absolutely crucial that the government look several years down the road when considering the effects of cutting a program. What seems like a quick fix can often end up causing more financial damage than if it had simply been left alone, as Kelly alluded to in her discussion of recent cuts to family planning services. But if the research is done thoroughly, without bias, and with the citizens best interest in mind a balanced budget without a tax hike is possible.
I also agree that making budget cuts aren't the answer, especially in the education programs when it's funding is already really small. School systems are suffering from lack of needed resources ranging from textbooks to teachers. Texas is already behind in the level of education when compared to other states. Recently, this department took a toll with 600 lost jobs, which equates to 0.3% decline. Education is so important in economic, political, and cultural growth, and yet this is the sector that is taking the most hit.
There is not one right way to do budget cuts, but I think the government should more closely examine where they are spending the most and see if it was money well spent - how much of an impact did it make or not make? If it didn't make much impact, does that mean that the government should cut the budget from there, or spend more there?
http://www.statesman.com/business/austin-area-jobs-report-shows-first-hint-of-1546806.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage
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