A certain chief arborist for the city reminds: We've yet to mention today's Official Release of the Texas Legislative Study Group's annual Texas on the Brink report, which offers a harsh look at the state of the state. Emily Ramshaw sums up (and mentions the House of Representatives' caucus, of which Fort Worth's Lon Burnam is vice chair and Rafael Anchía is secretary, is "liberal-leaning"), but short story even shorter, says the intro:
In Texas today, the American dream is distant. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation. Texas is dead last in the percentage of residents with their high school diploma and near last in SAT scores. Texas has America's dirtiest air. If we do not change course, for the first time in our history, the Texas generation of tomorrow will be less prosperous than the generation of today.That's just the warm-up act, before 27 pages' worth of stats.
Without the courage to invest in the minds of our children and steadfast support for great schools, we face a daunting prospect. Those who value tax cuts over children and budget cuts over college have put Texas at risk in her ability to compete and succeed.
Let us not forget that the business of Texas is Texans. To "Close the Gap" in Texas, we must graduate more of our best and brightest with the skills to succeed in a world based on knowledge. If we invest in our greatest resource -- our children -- Texas will be the state of the future. If we do not, Texas will only fall further behind.
