When do we talk about the "Texas" part of "Medicade and Texas”? If they secede, I plan to move there.
Well, the "conservative" governor of Texas has started, so to speak.
Texas is the only state to refuse to take part in a federally funded education program. Gov. Perry says he refused the money b/c (to paraphrase here) ....it would not allow Texas to set its own education curriculum/standards; rather, Texas would have to meet standards set by the federal department of education.
What he seems to remain conveniently unaware of is that Texas already has to adhere to the federal education standards of "No Child Left Behind" (another unfunded mandate foisted upon educators by the "conservative" regime headed by Gee-DUB).
This was a huge hunk of money, IIRC it was in the $700M range. Texas is reported to be doing well economically in this "downturn", yet many school districts statewide are refusing to follow the state law that teachers be given "step" raises for each year of their years of service in addition to the minimal increase in the state's portion of the teachers' salaries (which increases each year). Without that additional federal money each year, school districts are having to downsize and that means layoffs.....teachers are already under-employed (not necessarily underpaid on an hourly/daily basis, but where else do you find a field where a college degree is the minimum requirement and in which you are only allowed to work 185 days a year?), and now their classloads are being increased to make up for fact that fewer teachers have to cover the same number (and increasing numbers in my area) of students.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Texas_refuses_federal_school_funds.html
Teachers, who are already the largest group affected by "burnout", students, all seem to be losing b/c our "conservative" governor wants to retain Texas' "independence".
Hogwash!!!!! However, if you really want to endure the diminishing returns of an already overburdened education system (part of which seems to me to be increased levels of crime, resulting from the poverty those minimally educated individuals have to endure), by all means move on down here and see how you like it. Sure seems to me like we're well on our way to "secession"......for better or worse, come on down and make up your own mind!
Doug