Op Ed-"Taming of the Shrewd"

Taming of the Shrewd
The Tea Party and other right-wing Republicans in the Texas legislature, including the governor, have organized a shrewd, subtle siege on women under the auspices of fiscal responsibility and it's time for this insidious bombardment to be exposed to the light of day by clearly stating the consequences their actions. Even if they can claim that they do not intend to do anything hurtful to women, the true measure of any group's integrity and compassion are the results of their actions especially when measured against the probable outcomes of alternative choices. A sober reckoning of the consequences of their short-sighted, outrageous policies will serve as a clarion call to real Texans who believe that we are "The Friendly State" rather than "The Fiendish State" to stand up and tame or put to an end their shrewdly cloaked "fiscal responsibility" mantra that, in reality, results in a disproportionate burden on women and children.
Even before the current largely legislative induced fiscal fiasco, Texas displays a level of disdain for social services that is among the most extreme in the nation. Texas is close to first in worst at providing social services. For example, consider the following statistics (50th=lowest, 1st=highest) compiled by the Texas Legislative Study Group: Birth rate-1st; Percent of uninsured children-1st; Percent of children living in poverty-4th; Teenage birth rate-7th; Percent of non-elderly women with health insurance-50th; Percent of women living in poverty-6th; Per capita state spending on Medicare-50th; Public school enrollment-2nd; Current expenditures per student-38th; State and local expenditures per pupil in public schools-44th; Percent of elementary/secondary school funding from state revenue-37th; Average salary of public school teachers-33rd. These are the numbers prior to the current budget crisis. Under the "leadership" of the current administration, Texas has strived to be first in all the worst categories. The state bird should be the vulture rather than the mockingbird.
The current budget crisis was largely created by legislative shenanigans, misplaced priorities, and ignorance of basic economic principles. The state legislature changed the funding formula for education a few years ago with a promise (now broken) to make up the difference if the funding for education fell short compared to the previous formula. The state comptroller at that time, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, stated in a May 1, 2006 letter to Governor Perry, “At worst, it will relegate Texans to Draconian cuts in critical areas like education and health care for at least a generation. This is not a victory for taxpayers. It is a sham, and Texans will see it for what it is.” The state legislature took advantage of federal stimulus money to get by for a couple of year but now they face a shortfall which is partially due to the downturn of the economy but is more due to ideologically driven, tunnel-vision focus on cutting taxes in a state that has one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation combined with a flippant, uncaring attitude of the consequences. The consequences are even greater hardships for poor families and especially women and children in Texas.
In addition to the limited concern with social services and the impact this has on poor families, the state legislature is also leading a march against professional women. With an expected increase of 80,000 new students in Texas public schools next year, the legislature is reducing spending on education for the first time in 60 years. Previously, public schools could rely on funding at least equal to previous levels but now the legislature is cutting funding in an extreme manner which can cost as many as 300,000 teacher jobs plus the jobs of other school personnel. Over 75% of school teachers are women. Women-whether poor or professional-are bearing a disproportionate burden of the legislature's visionless and brutish plans. The governor's stance on refusing to use the Rainy Day fund in the midst of a thunderstorm is ludicrous. His calloused approach is supported by many equally calloused members of the legislature. Governor Perry chooses to ignore the consequences of this destructive approach to funding education.
In an April 26th article in the Texas Tribune, Perry states that he doesn't believe the Legislative Budget Board's projections that the Rainy Day Fund will gain $3 billion by the end of 2013 and, therefore, some reasonable people in the legislature-Republicans and Democrats-believe it would be a responsible move to use a portion of the Rainy Day Fund which Perry and the right-wing oppose. In the same article, Perry states that Texans have been making hard decisions about reductions in their personal lives and the state should do the same. The analogy is disingenuous. Perry has previously stated that there are no sacred cows when it comes to balancing the budget. But the most sacred of all cows to Perry is no new taxes and ignoring the use of the Rainy Day Fund. Families in difficult economic times not only reduce their spending but also look for ways to increase revenue which is why 40% of Texas teacher have second or third jobs (compare this to only 5% of the general population that maintain second jobs). School budgets have been stripped to the bone. Now the state legislature wants to suck out the marrow. The state legislature should fund public schools at least at the same level as the previous budget allowing for the increase in student population. This will require using the Rainy Day Fund and finding ways of increasing revenue which should include the possibility of raising taxes. After all, there are no sacred cows when it comes to providing for our children and laying the foundation for our future.