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mac
Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17747
Location: Berkeley, California
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 Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:36 pm Post subject: Rick Perry |
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Let's examine some of the new alligators more closely, starting with the former governor of Texas. He has a record--what does it look like? Because I volunteer with kids, let's start with Education.
| Quote: | The Facts
We compared Texas’s state education funding from the 2000-2001 and 2012-2013, representing the last biennial budget approved before Perry took office and the one he signed this year. Our calculations show that the state has increased general revenue appropriations for K-12 schools by about $200 million, adjusted for inflation.
That’s far from the billions extra that Perry suggested, and it hardly keeps pace with student enrollment, which has grown 21 percent during Perry’s tenure.
Funding has dropped from about $8,350 per student (in 2011 dollars) during the 2000-2001 biennium to $6,897 per student for 2010-2011.
This year, Perry approved a budget that reduced school spending by $879 million compared to the previous biennium -- although state lawmakers may pass a supplemental appropriations bill with more education funding sometime in 2013.
Perhaps most importantly, the 2012-2013 budget doesn’t fully account for enrollment growth. A report from the state budget board notes that Texas will likely fall $4 billion short of the amount required by the state’s school-funding formula (see page 3 of the report).
“It’s the first time in Perry’s lifetime that we’ve failed to appropriate enough money to meet enrollment growth,” said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the state teachers’ union. “You have to fund the new kids as well as the returning kids, or they get reduced funding.”
The bottom line: Texas cut school spending for the upcoming biennium and failed to meet its own funding formula. Even if the state increased appropriations over the past decade, it’s trending in the wrong direction now. |
At first blush, it looks like Texas made great gains in education, with 89% of their students graduating. But on closer examination, there may be some adjustment of the graduation standards, and in particular attention to drop outs. Lowering the standards to give the illusion of progress? Perhaps:
| Quote: | | According to the Texas Education Agency’s Academic Performance Report, just 35 percent of students statewide are college ready. The college readiness numbers are even lower for the largest north Texas districts: In Arlington, 32 percent are ready for college. That number is 18 percent in Fort Worth, and 13 percent of students are college ready in the Dallas Independent School District. But, DISD officials say the stats don’t tell the whole story. |
But at least they get taught about creationism.
PUBIC HEALTH AND PREGNANCY
The battle about access to abortion in Texas has been loud and public, and has continued long after Perry left office. Let's see how effective abstinence has been in the lone star state:
| Quote: | AUSTIN (KXAN) — Teen pregnancies across the United States have declined almost every year for the past two decades, but Texas and Travis County numbers remain two to three times higher than the national average.
Travis County teen pregnancies now stand where the U.S. average was in the year 1991, at approximately 63 teens out of 1,000. The problem is not enough communication and not enough prevention, according to a new study by the University of Texas, with the help of the Austin Child & Family Research Institute and the Healthy Youth Partnership.
The study found parents and teens want to talk more openly about sex, but need more information, and less embarrassment.
“Communication between parents and children about sexuality isn’t what we’d like to see,” Jeni Brazeal with the HYP. “It isn’t very open, honest or often. Several parents joked that they feel like their teens know more than they do about what’s happening today.”
Texas ranks third in the country, behind New Mexico and Mississippi, in teen pregnancy rates.
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As Obama has said, access to birth control reduces abortions--and teen pregnancies.
ECONOMY
It appears that Texas is doing okay on the economic front, and its economy has diversified enough to weather the oil glut and the 2008 recession. Poverty is slightly reduced, but poverty and inequality remain stubbornly high in urban areas. http://www.dallasnews.com/business/economy/2016/09/15/texas-one-two-punch-income-poverty
However, contrary to the claims of the persistently uninformed who talked about people and jobs fleeing California, the opposite is true. Last year California added 483,000 jobs, Texas only 175,000.
On the other hand, Texas did weather the recession with less damage than other state's. "Texas had 1,410,400 more jobs in November 2014 than it had in December 2007 while the rest of the country had 352,440 fewer jobs" http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2015/jan/22/rick-perry/rick-perry-says-texas-gained-million-jobs-while-re/
ENERGY
Politifact is not so kind to Perry on his energy claims. No comment needed:
| Quote: | --PolitiFact New Hampshire found Mostly False a June 2015 Perry claim that Canada, Mexico and the U.S. together had "more known reserves" than in Russia and Saudi Arabia. Perry was right about coal, but wrong on natural gas and crude oil.
--PolitiFact Virginia in February 2015 rated True Perry's claim that the U.S. produces more oil and gas than any other country.
--PolitiFact National in August 2011 rated Pants on Fire a Perry claim that President Barack Obama delivered $2 billion to Brazil to help with offshore drilling projects. The initial commitment, of far less money, was made on President George W. Bush’s watch.
--Also in August 2011, PolitiFact rated False a Perry claim that scientists were increasingly "questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change." To the contrary, reporter Angie Drobnic Holan found solid consensus among the major scientific organizations per human contributions to global warming.
Some previously checked energy-connected statements:
MOSTLY TRUE: A Democrat’s 2010 claim that Rick Perry tried to fast-track coal-fired plants until a judge intervened.
HALF TRUE: Perry’s 2010 claim that Texas on his watch cut ozone, nitrogen oxide emissions.
TRUE: Perry’s 2010 claim that Texas had installed more wind power than any other state. |
STATE BUDGET AND DEFICITS
Texas famously has no income tax. But lest you think that oil pays for government, you need to compare the Comptroller's figures for 2015. Sales tax, the most regressive of taxes, accounts for $28 billion, while oil production and natural gas taxes are under $3 billion and under $2.3 billion respectively. Property tax is the big revenue source, accounting for nearly $50 billion in 2014. In 2006, Perry called a special session of the legislature and pushed through a bill that reduced property taxes. The result? By 2011, the state had a structural deficit, which for 2011 was $27 billion, 15% of the State's budget. Hardly a numbers guy.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/7199-how-rick-perry-created-his-states-27-billion-budget-crisis
Perhaps there are other metrics that he scores better on, but we all know Rick isn't there to drain the swamp, or close down the Department of Energy. He's there, along with the other Trump appointees, to give away public land resources at fire sale costs.
Is this a great country for the oligarchs or what? |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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John Smith.
Joe Brown.
Sam Spade.
mac just likes to fight, doesn't he?
Does he now, or has he ever, windsurfed or posted anything about windsurfing? |
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MalibuGuru
Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9300
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Once Americans understand that drill baby drill means lower oil prices, school choice means parents get to choose, and lower taxes means more cash in their pockets, voters will love Trump even more. |
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Let me fix that for you.
"Once Americans understand the drill baby drill mean record oil company profits, school choice means a Balkenized educational system that's ineffective and doesn't serve the nation's needs, lower taxes means a growing government deficit and debt, and voters will realize that they've been conned and lied to by Trump." |
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MalibuGuru
Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9300
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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Once $2 trillion dollars reenter our economy the dkies will turn blue. These overseas profits will be a boon.
Lower tax rates have always increased revenues. How can you imagine that more oil means higher prices? |
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nw30
Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Posts: 6485
Location: The eye of the universe, Cen. Cal. coast
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:26 pm Post subject: Re: Rick Perry |
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| mac wrote: | Let's examine some of the new alligators more closely, starting with the former governor of Texas. He has a record--what does it look like? Because I volunteer with kids, let's start with Education.
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What's wrong with "Drain the swamp or different alligators?"?
Did you loose control of that thread?
Are you tired of that thread?
Is Rick Perry so important that he deserves his own special thread?
Or are you just trying to outdo Dean's multiple threads, and his laser like destruction of anyone who tried to debate him, as he so eloquently puts it?
I think it's the latter and nothing else.
Good luck.
As for Perry or any of the other appointees for that matter, if it scares mac and similar sycophants, then Trump is on the right track.
Last edited by nw30 on Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:38 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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mrgybe
Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 5180
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| swchandler wrote: | | Once Americans understand the drill baby drill mean record oil company profits...... |
The words just come tumbling out without any thought or information. More worthless commentary. |
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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"Lower tax rates have always increased revenues. How can you imagine that more oil means higher prices?"
As I recollect, lower tax rates have created significant government deficits and debt over the 14-15 years. Of course, one needs to consider spending to more accurately determine where tax rates needs to be. Instead of increasing tax revenues to fund the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, the Bush Administration and a Republican Congress did the exact opposite and lowered tax rates. No way could tax revenues keep up with our spending.
There's no way that oil companies are going to over produce above demand to significantly drive down the price of gas at the pump. Also, as most of us know quite well, demand has been falling for many years now. In reality, oil companies are chomping on the bit to significantly increase exports. Great for oil company profits, but virtually meaningless for the average American consumer. Add more deregulation and environmental pollution to the mix, and the picture gets much worse for everyone. |
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mrgybe
Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 5180
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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| swchandler wrote: | | There's no way that oil companies are going to over produce above demand to significantly drive down the price of gas at the pump. |
The level of ignorance is stunning. The oil industry has been producing above demand for several years due primarily to large production increases from fracking in US. As a direct result, gas prices have halved over the past two to three years and oil company profits have nosedived. |
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Why believe a insolent crank from the oil industry? I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for gas under $2.00 a gallon. Moreover, the idea that gas prices have halved over the two to three years is total BS. |
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