You can always tell when things are getting desperate in America. They bring out the celebrities.
That was the case in Texas this week.
The Associated Press report noted: “Actress Eva Longoria lobbied lawmakers and spoke at a rally on behalf of the mentally disabled on Tuesday. She said if the Legislature passed proposed cuts in services it would bring “shame on Texas.”
“Hundreds of disabled people, along with their families and helpers, rallied at the capitol. Advocates said they didn’t want more money for the disabled, only the current level of spending.
“Texas lawmakers are grappling with a $27 billion shortfall. The current House bill proposes cutting the Department of Aging and Disability Services by 20 percent, or almost $1 billion.
“Longoria has a sister with Down’s Syndrome. She told the crowd that if Texans understood what these cuts would mean for people like her sister, they would oppose them. She promised to speak out against the cuts.”
It’s nice of Eva Longoria to get involved. It really is.
It’s admirable that she stands up for her sister, though, to be honest, it’s not much of a challenge to take up a cause that is likely to be this popular.
No one in their right minds wants to see these cuts — in Texas or elsewhere.
That still leaves the tax payers of Texas with $27 billion in shortfalls.
This is real money.
These are real cuts that need to be made.
To be perfectly honest, whether we are talking about Texas or Kansas or Washington, D.C., these are cuts that probably have been needed for years.
We certainly did not get to our current, unenviable position over night.
And it’s sad that the current administration, at every level of government, is stuck with the problem, but that’s life.
What has continued all along has been the taxpayers keeping their part of the bargain.
They have continued to pay taxes, affordable or not.
From the sales tax to the income tax to the property tax to the incredible spread of governmental fees that are collected, the money’s been paid in.
That leaves only two choices.
Demand even higher taxes or cut spending.
No one wants to see popular programs cut.
No one wants to pay higher taxes.
Someone is going to lose and when they do, no one who is hit with the cuts is going to like it.
But just putting off the cuts, year in and year out, is not serving the American people well, either.
— Chuck Smith