Supporters Rally Around Texas Historical Commission
With the strum of a guitar and the whine of fiddle strings, Ray Benson and two other members of his band Asleep At The Wheel kicked off a rally Thursday to support the Texas Historical Commission, which faces deep budget cuts.
Benson and other supporters used the afternoon rally at Scholz Garten in Austin to raise awareness and morale for preservationists, who fear the loss of an agency the governor has recommended defunding.
Benson, a Grammy-winning musician who was just named the Texas Legislative Conference's Texan of the Year, said he came to Texas more than 40 years ago ...
Comments (16)
Karen Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
GOP = Corporations over people. Pretty sad. The Tea Party is destroying the Republican party.
Kyle King via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I would say that if we can keep a few more teachers or firemen working by cutting historical preservation efforts, I think the communities should be able to raise funds from the locals to preserve the architectural heritage...until our overlords deign to agree that the money is there again. My fear is that we'll lose the teachers and firemen anyway...
Mac Mcclure via Texas Tribune on Facebook
What I didn't see in your report was that the Republicans won the last election by a landslide because the people of Texas wanted someone who would balance the budget without raising taxes. Perhaps the Texas Historical commission could become a 503c charity like the Texas Tribune and live off liberal foundations money. If it works for the Tribune maybe it will work for the Historical commission.
Karen Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Mac Mcclure--the people of Texas were not informed or aware of the 27B structural budget deficit created by the Perry Tax Plan of 2006. The people of Texas do not want these draconian budget cuts.
Cass Linden
I don't think a single legislator nor the governor campaigned last fall to gut the Texas Historical Commission (or public schools, or any other institution that serves the people of Texas). If the crop of current legislators had done so, we could have had very different outcome (or at least a more honest debate). The Texas Historical Commission is a small, efficient, and effective agency that helps boost the tax base through heritage tourism and preservation work that generates more than six dollars for every state dollar spent. Gutting or eliminating the THC would be an act of vandalism against our Texas heritage.
Rudy Gonzales
Texas do not want these draconian budget cuts. The "Rainy Day Fund" belongs to Texans, not Tricky Ricky......
Mac Mcclure via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Karen-you mean the liberals in Texas who LOST the last election do not want budget cuts. The winners in the last election are in charge and the message that got them elected was clear-cut unnecessary spending, install voter ID, no new taxes and reduce the size of government.
Bryan Simmons via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Mac McClure--we'll see how well the Fascists do in the next election after they destroy Texas schools and infrastructure due to their incompetence coupled with revulsion at the whoring of the commonweal to their corporate masters. Remember--the demographic that voted those fools into a super-majority is literally a dying breed--quite old on the median age scale. Take a look at Texas in 10 years and try to gloat about who LOST.
Cass Linden
I know plenty of Republicans who are not at all happy with the direction Texas is heading in, with thoughtless and reckless cuts to services. It will reduce the overall quality of life in this state. I think everyone can agree that we should cut waste and fraud, but with Texas already being a "low service" state, good and effective programs that GENERATE REVENUE will be lost. It's a race to the bottom.
Karen Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Mac Mcclure, the last election had nothing to do with budget cuts and everything to do with Obama. There were no complaints regarding Texas spending supposedly as Rick Perry claimed Tx. was sound fiscally--remember? The problem was with federal spending which ironically Perry used to balance the budget in 2009 to hide the structural budget deficit--remember?
Sandy Emmons
I was at the rally today and am visiting Austin due to the Annual Preservation Conference, did I mention that my 2 1/2 day trip will generate over $700 to your local economy. I am here because of the Texas Historical Commission. I'm one of the thousands of jobs that will be directly or in-directly affected by the deep cuts as I'm the director/curator for a rural museum (Freestone County Historical Museum). We rely on the Texas Historical Commission and the Texas Commission on the Arts for much needed assistance and materials.
PLEASE JOIN our TEXANS MARCH FOR THE HUMANITIES this Saturday, April 2nd at NOON in front of the Capitol. Bring a sign if you can, bring yourself, bring friends, bring your children. We need as many supporters there as possible. We have an event page on facebook Texans March for the Humanties (event)...please RSVP to the page for more information.
What would Sam Houston Do? He would save both of these commissions.
JoAnn Fleming
Facts to consider: 1) amendments have been filed to strip out spending for corporate welfare for things like the Formula Racetrack funding, bait money to lure big events to Cowboys Stadium, etc.
2) Healthcare policy experts agree that TX will see $14+ BILLION in new Medicaid costs due to federal mandates and new enrollees by the next biennium budget (2014-2015) and this is before the additional costs are added from the new federal Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act (as those regulations are still being written by the Sec. Sebelius of the DoHHS). What our state must spend on Medicaid will be the largest part of our budget -- not education. Where do you think this money will come from? It would be reckless to spend all of the Rainy Day Fund this session.
Recommendation: For all non-core constitutional functions you want gov't to do, like sponsoring historical main street projects, festivals, and local courthouse restoration...here's what you can do: Write the check. Yes, you can write a check to a special local fund or to the state historical commission. They take donations. Hire Ray Benson and all the entertainers to DONATE their artistic talents to build a special fund to be used to do all these extra things.
As for me -- I'll take funding classroom teachers (not education bureaucrats), roads/bridges/drainage (not parks, bike & walking trails), and nursing homes and getting ready for the explosion of Medicaid costs over racetracks, Cowboy stadium, corporate welfare for special interest big businesses, and arts/film/historical efforts. Just write the check, ya'll! If you don't think you pay enough in taxes and you can afford more government, please, just write the check.
C Baker
THC is so desperate that they are looking around the state to see which historical sites that are totally self funded that they can pilfer...I recently heard that they are trying to take control from a group that first saved the Alamo by purchasing it with their money and saving it from the wrecking ball over a hundred years ago. After further checking, it seems that this group has created the beautiful complex which surrounds the Alamo now and they've have done it without any money fron the state...I was shocked that it is still FREE to go to the Alamo...Nothing is free anymore...I think that THC would turn it into a place that noone can afford to go to in their efforts to raise funds for themselves as they've done in several other historical locations throughout Texas....I think that maybe they've grown too big for their pants and Perry sees that!
Cass Linden
The "group" that saved the Alamo is the Daughters of the Republic of Texas - commonly known by Texans as the DRT - and it is by far the most influential group of its kind in the state. The Daughters are rightly credited with saving the Alamo, and have been its stewards for a century. The Alamo also has serious structural issues which must be addressed by the state, which owns the shrine. The rumor that the THC is trying to take control of the Alamo (not true: read the bills, ask the sponsor), or that the Alamo could be a cash cow for any agency is laughable, considering the costs of keeping it structurally stable and open to the public.
Which historic sites in the state administered by the THC can "noone afford to go to?"
C Baker
The Alamo is Free....Free to the public, Free to the state, Free of tax burdon....
Show me one 100+year old stone building that doesn't need continuous upkeep...
This is something that this group has been doing for over 100+ years now, caring for the Alamo and that's why it even exists today....
Nothing new.... Only when the Politicos and their lobbyists get involved.... It makes a good story!
Cass Linden
The repairs that the Alamo requires will not be "free" - in fact they will be quite expensive. I hope that the DRT and the state can fulfill their duty to maintain the shrine, as money for preservation is hard to come by these days. A good story indeed.