SocraticGadfly: Border BS — #GregAbbott wants to waste more money without accounting for it

February 08, 2014

Border BS — #GregAbbott wants to waste more money without accounting for it

The loverly attorney general here in the Pointy Abandoned Object State has doubled down on us reading his lips, should he be elected governor.

He's apparently going to pull money out of his ass to pay for his $300 million border security plan, or else he's going to further gut roads or schools, because he says this
Abbott would not specify any existing sources of funding to pay for the new programs. He said only that it would come from existing general revenue dollars.

“These are going to be budgetary priorities that must be paid first,” Abbott told reporters after his speech. He said seized dollars and asset forfeiture programs eventually would help pay for the border security portion, which exceeds $292 million over two years, but he wouldn't say how to pay for it before that money kicked in.
Well, anybody with a brain knows that not only in Texas, but in state governments in general, transportation and the state's share of education are two of the biggest expenses on the budget. So, if you're cutting from other budget programs, well there you go.

And, here's the double-down on the revenue side. He's telling us to read his lips, a la Poppy Bush:
Abbott said he would not rely on “any new form of revenue,” including taxes or fees, to pay for the proposals.

“To be perfectly clear right now and forever: absolutely no tax increases whatsoever for any of my programs,” he said. “The Abbott administration will not have any tax increases.”
And, if he does break this promise? We won't be able to read his hips because, of course, that would be making a joke at his handicapped expense and we know he's gone all PC about that.

But, wait, that's not all.

Abbott's already given us a glimpse of what might be a pass-the-buck style of governorship, should he be elected:
Asked if there were any programs that would have to be cut to pay for the dramatic spending increase, Abbott said, “I couldn’t identify them.”

“It would be whatever legislators may come up with they want to have funded. That is left to the ideas that will be articulated by the 150 state reps and 31 senators,” he said.
So, you've heard it, legislators. Next time the state gets sued, again, on school financing? It's all your fault. Don't blame Gov. Abbott.

Too bad Wendy Davis is out chasing gun nuts and prolifers, rather than worrying about things like this, parts of what could be an actual multi-issue campaign without pandering to people not too likely to vote for you anyway. Saying Abbott has a "nasty record" may be true as far as it goes about actual immigration policy, but that's not a lot. (And, that's not allowing for a future potential Davis flip-flop.)

Abbott's continued barratry lawsuits against the Obama Administration show what a money-waster he is, especially since he often loses these battles, and  now he's doubling down on that.

And, of course, in the article at hand, he's doubling down on hypocrisy by refusing to want to apply E-Verify to the private sector. (Maybe he has some illegal mowing his lawn?)

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