Texas and Taxes

According to the report Texas on the Brink, released every several years, Texas has some of the lowest rankings among the fifty states in just about every category. This fact should not come as a surprise, given that our taxes are also some of the lowest in the nation. However, having the government provide a certain level of involvement in society seems like it would be a good thing; something that could bring the state of Texas to a rank deserving of its population and culture. The question is however, where should the government get involved, and to what extent?

In terms of things that are most in need of fixing, K-12 education comes immediately to mind. Education is the very foundation of society, which brings extravagant results eighteen years down the road when the new adults of society begin to contribute to it. When our education is almost at the bottom of the barrel however...society begins to fall apart, pushing all of the government's money into welfare rather than education. There would be many factors to consider in regards to solving Texas' education problem, but I believe it is a problem most defiantly worth solving, for the sake of our state and its unpredictable future.

However, just because certain issues like education make for good uses of government money, others wind up having the effect of dumping money down a bottomless hole. Texas has some of the highest rankings of obesity (particularly in children,) with all the heart disease and diabetes that come from this epidemic. This does not mean that the government should be stepping in however, to attempt to curb the vices of the average Texan. I almost find it creepy, with the government at every turn deciding what can and cannot be put into foods or vending machines. Moreover, the whole problem could likely be solved by ramping up education spending!

Wastes of money like the example above are the reason Texans resist higher taxes so heavily, and must be removed if progress is to be made. Changes like that will only be able to come around when our government changes as well, both in structure and character. As easy as it may sound, efficient spending will always be a pipe dream without an efficient government.