For TxDOT, a $2 Billion "Perception Problem"
The Texas Department of Transportation, which often argues that it lacks the money to properly maintain its network of roads, surprised many state leaders in March when it announced it had an extra $2 billion.
In a state with a population growing faster than its transportation system, extra cash for transportation projects was welcome news.
But for some lawmakers, the announcement also reignited an old frustration over accounting at TxDOT. State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, described it as a "perception problem."
"We’re out of money, but the public is going to hear that y’all found $2 billion ...
Comments (7)
JC DemocratofTejas
tough t*tty!
jpt51
How many teachers would have been saved had the existance of $2 billion been shared. I foot the blame on Rick Perry? He's mismanaged many agencies since he became governor. It's time for a change in leadership.
GS Crispus
The Republicans are at fault here, but not in ways you wound think.
There has been significant gridlock at the federal level for transportation infrastructure bills. The Tea Party legislatures have created a situation where we cannot pass an infrastructure bill past 90 days. You cannot plan out projects in the long-term when the budget is being held hostage for political gain.
Secondly, due to the world wide downturn, and investors looking for *safe* investments in the economy, there has been massive demand for US government treasury bonds globally. Interest rates on t-bills have hit negative (at the end of May the interest rate on 20yr bills went negative). This essentially means free money when refinancing debt.
If we didnt have Republican yokels running Congress, we might be able to put a lot of teachers, construction workers, and other government employees back to work and get this economy moving again. Just like Reagan and Bush did... before the party decided to hold the economy hostage because a Democrat got elected to the White House.
David Spratt
Great message to send. You get your house in order, cut costs and make good use of the funds allotted to you then someone else will swoop in and try and take your money away. Never fear ,,they will find a road somewhere to repair or a bridge to build. Why are teachers and government workers the new elite that must be protected at all costs? Government workers are the ones sucking the lifeblood from the average non-government worker and some continue to ask for more leaches? These people make more money , have better benefits and retirement programs than the people that they actually work for.
The stimulus program did nothing for the economy long term. When the money runs out ,,, and it has,,, it must be replenished at the taxpayers expense. It is not self sustaining. On the other hand even if you get a government loan to start a business ,,, if you are successful,,, once you start to make a profit you never require re-infusion of government money ever again. this is the difference between public and private sectors. Growing government insures ever increasing amounts of money will be needed in the form of ever increasing taxes to support it. Those who advocate for this definitely display masochistic tendencies. the ability to do more with less is a hallmark of the private sector. The ability to do less with more is the hallmark of the public sector. This is like me taking $100 I already had giving it to myself and claiming I am $100 richer.
Phillip Sanders
David, you have know idea what you are talking about. Teachers in Texas are among the lowest paid for a person having earned a college degree. If you don't believe me go look up the salary schedule of any school district in the state. We are not unionized in Texas.
Second, we don't collect social security in Texas. Our only means of retirement funds is what we contribute and the 6% that the state matches. We only then get to collect only 60% of what we contributed. After that we continue to pay for our health insurance.
I have been teaching for 20 years. My dad taught for 33 years. I know what I am talking about.
GS Crispus
David Spratt shows his crab mentality thinking. Perhaps you should ask yourself why we have gotten to the point where a teacher's pittance is actually competitive with someone in the private sector. Private sector wages have not kept up with productivity gains in the last 30 years, perhaps, because labor can not effectively bargain a wage individually against management? "Do more for less" may be more true than you would like to believe.
Regardless, "getting your fiscal house in order" during a recession is utterly retarded, and Republicans used to know that. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both used increases in government employment to recover from their respective recessions. We have actually seen a dramatic decrease in public sector employment under the Obama adminstration; in part due to state/local budget cuts, but also, because of the gridlock at the federal level. Great recovery, no? It is as if those public sector job losses and other forms of government consumption loss are a drag on the private sector... perhaps they were not leaches, but customers?
Growing government means we have a growing population and economy. Even though there has been growth in government, as a percentage of GDP, government consumption has been falling for some time.
Here we get to the typical rhetoric about private sector and public sector. Here is the reality we have in the current economy; our private sector is unable or unwilling to fully utilize the resources we have currently. Due to the profit motive, business is unwilling to invest or expand in the market, and thusly, are unable to lead a recovery. This leaves us with vast amounts of labor, capital, and resources unused. The private sector, in "doing more with less" is creating great long-term damage to our economy as it attempts maximize profits, and avoid risk. EFFICIENCY is not the only thing to be concerned with in an economy. That is what you fail to understand in your rhetoric, Spratt.
See, this is where you show your economic ignorance Spratt, there is no such thing as two seperate economies. The private and public sector have a cooperative relationship with one another. The only actor large enough and capable of utilizing those resources in a downturn economy is the government. That is why, in the past under Republican leadership, we increased government spending during economic downturn. Putting teachers and construction workers to work, as well as increasing government consumption, directly benefits private business in ways tax cuts cannot.
Speaking of tax cuts and breaks (which most of the stimulus was), when you lower a private businesses taxes or an individuals through cuts or credits, you are asking someone else to take on a larger tax burden. Tax cuts are fiscal policy (spending) by another name. They are less effective than direct spending, because a portion of the tax cut will go into savings and not stimulate at all.
It is absurd to think that the private sector in this country is not propped up by the government, whether it be through Federal Reserve policy or fiscal policy. The roads government maintains and the labor force (education) the government trains ALL directly benefit the private sector. The research and development government funds fuels innovation.
If you elect morons who wish to drown government in a bath tub, and we have gotten to a point where we cannot even fund our bridges and roads because of this mentality, than do not be surprised when the economy does not recover.
Rudy Gonzales
This finding, losing, or accounting for funding points to a lack of good management skills or Hanky Panky at the very least. The real question is, "Who's on First?" This points to gross competencies top to bottom and proof positive Texans need greater over sight of the powers that be.