Personal Income Tax In Texas

Texas should adopt a personal income tax. Politicians in Texas have throughout history enforced the “low taxes, low services” credo. It is believed that mentioning “rising taxes” is political suicide for a politician in Texas.  However, in my opinion the majority of the states’ population could benefit greatly form a state government that is willing to provide more services. 

Currently, for an individual, Texas is a low tax state. Ranking 48^th in terms of taxes paid by an individual according to income. Texas relies heavily on sales and property tax to make up for their lack of personal income tax.

The tax system in Texas is considered “regressive”, meaning that the tax system takes a larger percentage from low-income people than from high-income people. Thus affecting low-income families harder.

In the next two years, the deficit in Texas is estimated to run as high as 25 billion dollars. This has caused major cuts in public education and Medicare funds. Texas already has some of the lowest SAT scores and some of the highest number of uninsured residents in the nation.

I believe that our state should provide better education and health benefits for its citizens. An individual’s income tax could be used to gather the necessary funds to provide these services. I am not ignorant to the fact that people do not like the idea of raising taxes. Realistically, people want to take home the money they work hard for. Yet an individual’s income tax should be higher for higher-income individuals; therefore benefiting the rest of the population that does not enjoy the privilege of wealth.  

What a Rick Perry Presidency Would Look Like for Women

Mean Rachel posted a blog titled “What a Rick Perry Presidency Would Look Like for Women” on August 17, 2011. As implied by the title the blog post describes, in a sarcastic manner, what it would mean for women across America to have Rick Perry as President. The Writer, Mean Rachel, emphasizes her contempt for the current Governor of Texas by describing him as “something that has seemingly always been around, but has long since lost its purpose.”

Mean Rachel’s blog attempts to appeal to women voters in America. She states current laws and mandates the Governor has enforced in Texas to make her point. The writer mentions a study done in 2005 stating  “teens in Texas were actually having more sex after undergoing an abstinence only program”. Thus bashing Rick Perry’s “tired and true abstinence methods”.

The writer also makes several assumptions of what Rick Perry’s course of actions, will be as President. According to her, Perry’s “first order of business… would be the creation of the Department of Interior Contraception, or DIC.” This department will, with no doubt, enforce abstinence as the widely accepted, reliable form of contraception.  The writer also claims that “Perry plans to punish” the sinners that do not follow the abstinence method. By imposing “mandatory transvaginal sonograms for women who are 8 to 10 weeks pregnant and seeking and abortion.” A pilot program Perry has already started in Texas.

Mean Rachel points out the irony in Rick Perry’s “policies to protect unborn children whenever possible” by mentioning that Texas has the highest number of adults without high school diplomas, and “first in the nation in the percentage of children without health insurance.” The writer expresses her concern for the future of these children “because – President Perry, just like Governor Perry, certainly doesn’t plan to care for them.”

Personally I am not thrilled at the thought of possibly having Rick Perry as my president. I do agree with Mean Rachel’s point of view, but would not recommend this blog to an individual researching Rick Perry’s political beliefs. I do not believe the assumptions in this blog are incorrect, however, it is heavily opinionated, in thus making room for biased information.