Hightower Lowdown

If you want to see your future under President Bush, just look at Texas. As governor, W slashed taxes, wildly miscalculated future revenues, and left such a fiscal mess that the state can’t meet its basic responsibilities.
The state’s clueless new governor and other so-called leaders have responded with a sledgehammer, demanding that every agency give up 12.5% of its existing budget, as though that’ll magically make the state’s problems go away.
They ignore the people behind the budget lines—like Daniel Wiederhold, a 10-year-old from Round Rock who has debilitating osteogenesis, leaving him unable to walk. The cuts would eliminate funds that allow him to be cared for at home by his family—instead of in an institution.
The governor’s health commissioner has proposed cuts that would cut off half the sick children like Daniel now served by the Children’s Health Insurance Program. That’s 250,000 kids—adios, amigos.
The governor’s education chief proposed to eliminate the purchase of new textbooks and teaching materials for social studies, world history, pre-K, and other “nonessential[s].” He also says his agency won’t have the funds to prepare every student for the mandatory state test that determines whether they get promoted.
Some of the richest people on earth live in Texas and pay little or no taxes to the state. But instead of even considering taxing such enormous wealth, our “leaders” take whacks at defenseless children.