Sen. Hutchison Mocks Federal Government While Texas Accepts Federal Money
Possibly forgetting that so many of her home state's programs are funded by federal monies, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison mocked the federal government while speaking on the Senate floor.
For such a well-known joke, conservatives sure do mess it up a lot. Reagan's joke was: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
But that's beside the point.
Over 30% of the Texas budget - or $51 billion - comes from the federal government:
And the top 20 Texas recipients of federal funding are:
Additionally, the federal government has provided:
- Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to victims of Hurricane Ike
- Tax relief for victims of Hurricane Ike
- Federal student loans for students applying to Texas colleges and universities
- Federal relief for Texans whose jobs have been lost due to disaster
So, why, in the early stages of a gubernatorial campaign would anyone dismiss the source of so much needed funding? Does Sen. Hutchison think that, with her at the helm, Texas can magically replace $50 billion in funding? If that's the plan, Texans should be ready for a hefty tax hike.
Of course she wouldn't reject that money. But since it is convenient for her to mock the entity that provides her constituents with help and protection, Hutchison will do just that.
It will be interesting to see her statement the next time Texas must ask for federal relief after a natural disaster.
