Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery

When it comes to Susan Combs, the Big Bend rancher, I'm a big fan. She's my neighbor out West, I run into her frequently, and she always has a kind word for this progressive Austinite who hangs out in her home town, and lives literally across a country back road from her ranch. Her ranch is so close, if my dog gets a tick, it's probably off her cow.

Respect for the the land, enjoyment of this majestic scenery, and love of this small town and the people who live here - it is truly a non-partisan way of life here, undivided by notions of red versus blue. This is where people have strong opinions, but stay friendly. Republicans buy Democrats beers, cheer you on when something goes right, and commiserate with you when things don't go your way. The Democrats do the same - everybody gets along.

However, when it comes to Susan Combs, the Republican Comptroller of Texas, I wish she'd get on the stick.

Everybody in Austin knows we have a multi-billion dollar shortfall to painfully deal with starting in January, perhaps exceeding $25 billion. Everybody in Austin understands that part of that shortfall is attributable to the structural deficit created by the Republican business margins tax. But few in Austin are willing to talk about any of that, including Susan Combs - the woman whose job it is to keep track of it all, measure it, make projections based on it, and ensure that legislators and ultimately the folks who pay the bills - taxpayers - are informed and up-to-date. They're not.

Senator Kirk Watson has been trying for months to get people to talk about it, admit to it, do something about it. And he might as well be the guy who shows up at the family reunion asking questions about that second cousin who ain't quite right in the head and who is probably institutionalized somewhere.

On Wednesday - the day after the election of course - they finally had a meeting on the issue. And that's when the Comptroller bluntly admitted it:

"There is no cure in this report for the budget."

What the report acknowledged, after months of reluctance to talk about it at all, is that the business margins tax is creating a structural deficit, and will continue to perpetuate one until after the Legislature fixes it.

Watson, who for months has been trying to get to the bottom of it, quickly got to the bottom of it:

"For some time, we as a state have masked structural deficits in our budget in recent years, and it's time we stopped doing that. We're going to find ourselves digging the state deeper and deeper into a hole."

Well, duh. Or so you'd think. But just getting anybody in the Republican leadership to admit there's a problem has been a months-long effort for Watson and others. Getting the Republican leadership to do anything about it will take more effort than that.

I suspect Step One in that effort will begin in earnest next Spring, when the legislature starts slicing and dicing the budget, and voters begin to understand for the first time what that means in their lives. Health and human services will go out the window, to the distance it's legal to throw 'em. Prisons will be closed, and the prisoners contained therein will be back on the streets. Critical services won't be so critical anymore. School funding? We don't need no stinkin' schools. And forget about keeping up with infrastructure, roads and bridges and potholes and, well - just your standard issue stuff that Texans assume government exists to do.

When voters elected every Republican they could locate on a ballot, the day before Republicans finally admitted there's a fundamental problem with the way they've managed those voters' money, those voters weren't signing up for what they're about to get. They were just sending Washington a message.

Meanwhile, those freshly-elected Republicans were all crowing on election night that they're going to do it all without raising your taxes. We will see, but please know this: a tuition increase is a tax increase, to the student who's paying more, or not paying at all because he can't afford it and quits school. An additional professional fee is a tax increase, to the professional just barely getting by in this economy.

Meanwhile, that big budget shortfall? We still don't know how much it is. Susan Combs still won't discuss that. Legislators like Watson get sent to the principal's office just for asking.

Don't you imagine any well-run business knows exactly what their financial position is at any given moment? Wasn't it the Republicans who kept saying they want to run government more like a business? One has to wonder when they're going to start implementing that big plan.

By the time Republicans get done with the state budget for the next two years, those voters will very likely be sending quite a different message altogether.

Here's Watson's budget presentation.

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So what now?

Texas Democrats got squashed yesterday.

We Texas Democrats are famous for our circular firing squads. We can, usually do, and damn well will complain about this Democrat or that Democrat being an idiot, and they're responsible, and throw the bum out, and they suck. But honestly, how would that explain the other 49 states worth of carnage?

That Democrats were squashed wasn't a Texas phenomenon. It happened across the country. It was the biggest election for Republicans in decades. State legislatures everywhere fell to Republicans.

Fact is, in a defeat this huge, it wouldn't have mattered what you did, as a candidate, a state party, a local coordinated effort. When people read "Kirk England" on their ballot, they internalized "Nancy Pelosi." When Abel Herrero lost, voters believed they were voting against Obama. That's what happens when national leadership charges up San Juan hill, only to look behind them and discover that the troops didn't follow.

For remaining Democratic state legislators, the only comfort available, and the only gain to be made, is in standing your ground. What is a sure thing is that the current level of Republican support in Texas isn't sustainable. It will certainly not be sustainable after a Republican legislature and Governor get done cutting $25 billion from the budget without a revenue bill. The cuts will hurt Texans badly - it's not what they signed up for when they voted for those Republicans - they just wanted to send a message to Washington.

If the remaining Democrats did nothing right, Democrats would gain. If the remaining Democrats fight to protect their constituents, and message their efforts well, Democrats will gain bigger.

The Republicans have an additional challenge - redistricting. They can't protect them all, there aren't enough reliable Republican voters in Texas to draw into that many districts. Their first order of business will be to figure out who to throw over the side. Their caucuses will get ugly in a hurry.

Republicans made historic gains only two years after suffering historic losses. Voters across America aren't attracted to either political Party in current-day politics - they're merely repelled by the latest thing that the Party in power does.

Democrats in Texas should remain constructive, but they should be very clear who they answer to: the constituents packed into their districts back in 2001, who are about to be the biggest victims of historic budget cuts in the history of the state.

Good luck governing, Republicans. You're going to need it.

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Happy election day!

Ah, election day, the culmination of the months-long grueling hard work of thousands of campaign workers and volunteers, exhausted candidates for public office, millions of dollars of Bob Perry's money, and a tuckered-out electorate tired of being lied to, but also thinking that the lies don't sound half-bad to them.

Never fear, Texans, because by tomorrow, your network TV commercials will be back to that hysterically funny talking baby flacking for E-Trade, instead of ads about Diana Maldonado being absent, Bill White being wonky, Lloyd Doggett being Lloyd Doggetty, or Patrick Rose being a tax-and-spend liberal and/or shamelessly bashing immigrants, depending on who paid for the time slot.

Meanwhile, it's not looking good for the home team across the nation, except for the good-natured attendees of the Comedy Central rally in D.C. last weekend. At least they made us laugh.

Here, courtesy of HuffPo, are my favorite signs from the rally.

Did you vote early, or will you vote today? Congratulations, you win.

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Weekly TPA blog roundup

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for Election Day as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff takes a look ahead at redistricting.

Letters From Texas pointed out a low-down dirty Republican plot to cheat African-American voters out of casting their ballots, then turned around and did the same thing to voters casting ballots for Republicans, Libertarians, and Greens.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson, while most Texans know our our state needs investment in our people - like education and infrastructure - instead we will get the GOP's planned austerity which will irrevocably harm Texas.

South Texas Chisme offers kudos to Hidalgo County Texas Democratic Women, the Stonewall Democrats and the new County chair for the big turnout!

Phillip Martin at Burnt Orange Report reminds everyone about what is at stake on Tuesday with a lot of posts he's put in one place: Rick Perry's Cover-Up and Corruption: A Ten Part Series.

The revealing of Todd Staples's slimy pyramid scheme was only the latest devastating hit the incumbent agriculture commissioner has taken during the 2010 election campaign. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs exposed the corruption.

nytexan at BlueBloggin looks at The Constitutional Ignorance of the Tea Party. As we have all come to learn, the Tea Party, both candidates and their supporters, are extremely ignorant of the document they want to restore, the U.S. Constitution. Letís not fool ourselves and think that the Tea Party and the wing nuts just stumbled upon their ignorance, its been in full bloom since Bush began stripping the Bill of Rights. It didnít seem to bother them because it was the Patriotic thing to do.

The newest scandal to rock a Republican elected? It's all about a pyramid scheme and Todd Staples.

Neil at Texas Liberal made an effort with a variety of posts over the past week to encourage folks to vote in Houston, Harris County, Texas, and the nation. That's all one can do. Let's get past Tuesday and move ahead to a better day. Thanks for reading Texas Liberal and all TPA blogs. There are hopeful days ahead and we'll keep fighting.

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Brazilian waxes opponents to win Presidency

Paging Ms. Clinton...Ms. Hillary Clinton. Please pick up a white lobby telephone...

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