Another Perry Admin created Disater

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Blame it on God, weather, heat, etc instead of faceing the facts that you cut, and cut, and cut, and ruined TPWD

Maybe some of that Federal VFD 33 million$ would have helped with FF equipement that was much need but federaal money was put in the GAO black hole instead of FF equipement for Bastrop SP. Tell how good you have done again Rick Perry.




Texas' state parks facing budget shortfalls

Even in the best of times, Texas' perpetually underfunded state parks system walks a fiscal razor's edge.

Now, after being tripped by a series of legislative moves and natural events, the parks system finds itself teetering on that edge and facing the unpleasant consequences of a fall - a fall that stands to negatively impact the millions of Texans who see state parks as gateways to outdoor recreation they consider crucial to their quality of life.

Wobbled by the Texas Legislature's cut to its already bare-bones appropriations and further saddled with what now appear overly optimistic projections for self-generated revenue from park visitation, the state parks system faces a multimillion-dollar budget deficit that could force further reductions in staff, park services, hours of operation and, perhaps, even temporary closure of some of the system's 94 sites.

Scott Boruff, deputy executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, earlier this week said no state parks are slated to be closed but added that if the budget deficit isn't reduced, "all options are on the table."
http://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/Tompkins-Texas-state-parks-facing-budget-2376842.php#photo-1906543

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1. What a hipocrit ... stealing 69 million & from Texas sportsman funds.

Sponsored by Senator Key Pittman of Nevada and Congressman A. Willis Robertson of Virginia and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Sept. 2, 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act created a 10% excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. A few years later the tax became 11%.

The tens of millions of dollars generated by Pittman-Robertson each year were mandated to go back into state and local organizations to increase game populations, expand habitat and train hunters. As the money kept piling up, a repeal bill was drawn to relieve sportsmen from the financial burden of the excise tax. However, because dramatic results could be seen nationwide, sportsmen insisted on keeping the tax in place.

The generated revenues from Pittman-Robertson were placed in a special trust under the control of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and were to be allotted to state wildlife conservation programs for wildlife restoration and to ensure the future of hunting sports. The trust was to be kept separate from the general fund, meaning the monies were not to be part of the accounted annual budget. Translated, this cuts red tape and produces positive results for wildlife when overseen by honest officials.

For years the Pittman-Robertson Act functioned soundly--generating $150 million in funds each year--and, more importantly, produced results. Numerous species including migratory birds (ducks and geese), elk, deer, antelope, wild turkey and many other species were rescued from the endangered list and are now not only surviving, but thriving. Pittman-Robertson was a rare legislative model for efficiency and a godsend for hunters and animals alike.

However, in recent years, notably during the Clinton Administration, evidence surfaced that the sportsman`s conservation trust funds were being mismanaged.

NRA board member and sportsman, U.S. Representative Don Young (R-Alaska), felt it was time to act.

Representative Young held hearings to question the authorities in charge in an effort to correct the system. Thereafter, he introduced the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 which precisely re-defines what USFWS can spend the excise taxes on and in what manner the monies can be spent. The NRA backed bill passed the House 423-2 and became law on Nov. 1, 2000.

Today, Pittman-Robertson is back on track, supplying wildlife with vast amounts of habitat, resources and practical ecological study, while supplying hunters with game to hunt and eat, thus ensuring necessary funds never run dry. The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates that through these special taxes and license fees, America`s sportsmen contribute $3.5 million each day to wildlife conservation.

Perhaps President Ronald Reagan stated it best at the Pittman-Robertson 50th Anniversary when he said: "Those who pay the freight are those who purchase firearms, ammunition, and, in recent years, archery equipment."


:banghead: And then along came good hair:banghead:


:banghead:

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2. T Tribune

We need the constitutional amendment to force all revenue to go into TPWD fund instead of Perry's reelection slush find



http://www.texastribune.org/texas-state-agencies/texas-parks-and-wildlife/plea-donations-highlights-worries-park-funding/?utm_source=texastribune.org&utm_medium=alerts&utm_campaign=News%20Alert:%20Subscriptions

"jpt51

If Texas officials were serious about solving the TPWD’s shortfall the LLB could transfer money from the Rainey Day Fund. We just heard yesterday that sales taxes are up by twelve percent over a year ago.

I love our state parks and hold an annual pass but Gov. Perry is nuts if he thinks Texans are going to donate money, only to see it go to a crony contributor HNTB so they can get paid five (5) times what the local Bastrop contractors are receiving. If Texas taxpayers can afford to give Gov. Perry’s crony friend billionaire Red McCombs $25 million for Formula 1 racing and $450,000.00 from the Tourist Bureau to promote the TV series Top Chef than I bet some of those same funds could find their way to TDPW to promote tourism.

We are in the grips of a group of state elected officials as rotten as Jack Abramoff. When are we going to wake up to this latest con job?

"

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3. From the Texas Observer, Tax and Divert.

It’s admirable for the Carter and Bristol, as well as Steve Campbell, to try and blame this on the weather. But anyone who’s been paying attention, and was listenting during the budget fight this year, knows who the real culprits are. From the Texas Observer, Tax and Divert.


The sporting goods sales tax, on the other hand, is indisputably a tax. A portion of the sales tax paid on items such as hunting and fishing gear, camping equipment and bicycles is supposed to go to the perennially underfunded state parks system. But ever since it was set up in 1993, the sporting goods sales tax has been under assault from lawmakers.

This session is no exception. Every year, the tax generates well over $100 million, money that theoretically should go to purchasing new parkland, improving existing parks and funding conservation efforts. This session, the House is directing just one-quarter of the sporting goods tax to parks. That’s less money than parks were getting in the 1990s. The rest is being diverted into general revenue to pay for schools, prisons and roads.

<...>

“The truth is that legislators are using most of the license plate money and the majority of the sporting goods tax revenue to try to balance the budget,” says Ken Kramer, executive director of the Lone Star chapter of the Sierra Club. “The Legislature needs to keep the faith with the public and use the money raised for parks and wildlife to maintain our parks and protect our wildlife.”

It’s like a broken record but this is what Texans gets for electing Republicans to office that don’t believe in the public good, like state parks. They rather make them beg for money instead of funding our government as we should





http://eyeonwilliamson.org/?p=10294

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4. Audio tax and divert

http://www.texasobserver.org/media/k2/audio/tax-divert_kut.MP3

[sonias]

5. Parks are forced to beg for donations

While Perry's cronies make off like bandits on services being privatized. And we're not getting a better deal on that privatization either. It usually ends up costing the state more to fix it later. I'm thinking about the food stamp fiasco and how that ended up costing the state a whole lot more in the long run.

The bad thing is Perry is perfectly content in killing off the parks. They mean nothing to the super rich. The super rich never go to state parks or national parks. Parks are enjoyed by the middle class and working folks. The class of people republicans like to keep stupid. So they tell the stupid voters of Texas that parks are a luxury and they need to be sold off to be protected. And the stupid voters of Texas elect them once again to completely destroy our public lands. :grr: :mad:

When will voters start thinking again in this state? How much is going to be destroyed before we see a reversal?

:shrug: