The Texas state government can not release the control of a state-wide property tax until it has a sufficient and dependable revenue stream of its own. Creating said revenue will require new and revamped taxation, that political third rail to the perpetual office holder.
Our Texas state government has created an enormous funding problem by trying to pretend that we can, "have everything and a tax reduction." Since the legislature absolutely refuses to broach the subject of new, different or increased taxation it must constantly shuffle around existing revenue or reduce state funding. Another method that the governor and legislators have tried is selling the state to private, for profit, contracting companies. Contracting state services to industry has failed each time it has been tried, but the effort continues unabated because the state doesn't have the funds to do what it has promised to Texas residents.No matter the source of a good or service, you must decide if you need it, order it, and then arrange payment. Contrary to the Reaganesque, "government as the problem," perspective sometimes the best value provider of a good or service is a government entity.
Primarily the state must educate its youth, because education is the foundation upon which our great economy is built! But, our state legislators have consistently reduced state funding at all levels, pre-k through post graduate, such that a good public education is not necessarily available, or affordable, for a majority of Texans.
Some revenue was supposed to go to targeted agencies (e.g., hunting and fishing licenses for state parks, and the lottery would be for education expenses only), but these specifics never made it into the final edition of the requisite legislation. The legislators of Texas refused to tie their own hands, so they quietly reneged on promises made to the citizens of Texas.
How does one attempt to guarantee that, when all is said and done, what was said is done?
Term limits!
This is another of the things that our legislators, professional politicians, will not do for Texans. It will require that the majority of the voters do their Constitutional, obligatory duty and vote; force the issue!
