Stimulus won’t save Texas’ bacon this time
By Michael Morris
The Facts
Published March 14, 2010
Just days after Gov. Rick Perry rode anti-Washington rhetoric and boasting about balanced budgets to an easy victory in the Republican gubernatorial primary, the Legislative Budget Board threw out some numbers that should have had right-thinking Texans rubbing their eyes in hopes of clearing away the fog.
In a public hearing last week, Legislative Budget Board Director John O’Brien said lawmakers likely will be facing an $11 billion budget shortfall when they convene for their next regular session in January. And, he says, that’s his most conservative estimate. It could be closer to $15 billion.
Other estimates have pegged it at as much as $20.6 billion.
That’s not a gap that can be closed with a wink.
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