UT/TT Poll: Cut the Budget, No New Spending
Given a choice between spending cuts and revenue increases to balance the state budget, Texans lean solidly toward cuts, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.
Lawmakers are looking at a shortfall of up to $21 billion in the next biennium — a problem that will force them to find new revenue, spend less money or some combination. Overall, 47 percent of those polled say spending cuts are the way to go, while 24 percent say the state should balance the budget with new money; 19 percent fall right in the middle. But while they're opposed to ...
Comments (18)
Todd Dwyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So we want something, but we don't want to pay for it. Bravo! The genius of the Texan electorate.
Debra Haas
I am perfectly willing to pay for my state services...so how about those folks who don't want to pay taxes give up their use of roads, pay unregulated prices for insurance (if they can get it) and utilities, haul their own garbage to private dumps and pay to educate their children. When are people going to learn that only Dire Straits get money for nuthin' and chicks for free.
Debra Haas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I am perfectly willing to pay for my state services...so how about those folks who don't want to pay taxes give up their use of roads, pay unregulated prices for insurance (if they can get it) and utilities, haul their own garbage to private dumps and pay to educate their children. When are people going to learn that only Dire Straits get money for nuthin' and chicks for free.
Oliver Franklin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Yup, fire 'em. They all vote Democrat anyway.
Danny Surman via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I don't see the huge problem with legalizing gambling.
Andrew Smith via Texas Tribune on Facebook
While I agree that a sales tax captures all varieties of income, I am against it as regressive--even poor people deserve to be able to afford non-food items. I also think income taxes are vile, but don't know a better way to construct a progressive and agile revenue stream for necessary services. Combine this with a luxury item VAT (and a healthy mix of 'sin taxes,' I suppose, but don't like those either), and I would be reasonably happy. 'Course, we could go back to tariffs and imposts, I guess.
Ray Grasshoff via Texas Tribune on Facebook
A perfect storm for legislators. Might as well do the right thing for the state, rather than worry about their re-election prospects, since this apears to be a no-win situation for them.
Motor PsychGirl via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It would seem that legalized gambling is the lesser of all evils according to Texas voters.
Daniel Day via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The problem every time you cut the taxes is that you put the burden of paying for government on a higer entity. You cut taxes locally, you put the burden on the State. You cut taxes on the state, you put burden on the Federal.
sure Tax Cut works to jumpstart the economy, but at the same time you cut taxes, you need to reduce Government. Republicans don't reduce government.
Ray Grasshoff via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I'm surprised that opposition to legalizing and taxing marijuana isn't greater, especially in light of other responses.
Todd Dwyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Larry - Good point.
Joe Estep via Texas Tribune on Facebook
How about a list of programs that we would like to see cut?
Christine Shirley Sinatra via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This poll is fabulously unhelpful. Give folks a choice that gets out of the vacuum and at the complexity in this budget: "Would you prefer a cut to kids' services, mental health, & juvenile justice, even if it leads to much higher welfare and correctional costs later and a big spike in your taxes?"
BlackSheep01
Paul Burka's suggestions for budget-revision efforts in the new Texas Monthly range from sensible cuts -- Rick Perry's slush funds, for example, and releasing nonviolent drug offenders to community corrections, as well as reducing the numbers of non-teaching staff at public schools to 2006 levels -- to laughable notions (that Texas is an Urban State and no longer needs either the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or the Railroad Commission, the PUC or the AgriLife service) to the unworkable -- deferring all new construction for any state agency or project, and all maintenance on existing infrastructure until the next budgetary period (2013).
But the point of his article is that Texans don't want to pay for government services, because it's political suicide to mention increasing taxes. There are between 32 and 33 million Texans now; trying to provide services and infrastructure for them based on systems designed to support half that number minimally is at best shortsighted and at worst deliberately negligent. The current economy, that Burka blames for the shortfall, isn't going to be helped by laying off more state employees, either.
Of course he's fine with increasing user fees and cutting services, and he's irked no end that the TPWD actually gets money from taxes on sporting goods and boat fuels passed in order to support it originally, not to mention that TxDoT has real engineers on its payroll.
We've got big-state-sized issues with water, oil, pollution, corruption, and infrastructure failure already. Ignoring those to avoid increasing revenues isn't the answer.
Lee Kelton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Cut every thing except the governor's pay so he can keep his
hair do and get a new pair o boots
Beverly Acrey Kimbrough via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Andrew, I think we are on the same page. My point of exempting "basic goods" (not just groceries) was to make a sales tax as non-regressive as possible. If we could more clearly define that point of exemptions, we could do away with many of the other taxes, making tax collection much more simple.
Marko Ramius
Every personal finance book or expert will agree that you should live within your means. Chances are that is why a plurality of those polled support spending cuts. That just makes sense.
For those who say they are "willing to pay", you have that right. Look at it this way. You can make that choice, today, by donating money to the State of Texas. On the other hand, supporting a tax increase means you are imposing your choice on everyone else. You enjoy the choice, so please don't support a policy that takes that choice away from me.
pamelabw
I wish our lege and the "leadership" would recognize that more money spent on mental health reduces the amount of money required for prisons, courts, and police.