Poppadillo Blog <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml" href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/wp-includes/wlwmanifest.xml" /> <link rel='index' title='Poppadillo Blog' href='http://texastortillafactory.com/blog' /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 2.9.1" /> </head> <body id="top"> <div id="network"> <div class="center-wrapper"> <div class="left" id="overview">Friday, September 10, 2010</div> <div class="right"> <ul class="tabbed" id="network-tabs"> <li class="current-tab"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog">Poppadillo Blog</a></li>    <li><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/index.html">TTF OP</a></li>  <li><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/contact.html">Contact</a></li> </ul> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="site"> <div class="center-wrapper"> <div id="header"> <div id="site-title"> <img src="../../../../images_TTF_pgs/TTFNewHeaderSqz.jpg" width="962" height="160" border="0" class="bordered" /> <br /> <br /> <h1><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog" title="Poppadillo Blog - Home">Poppadillo Blog</a></h1> </div> <div id="navigation"> <div id="main-nav"> <ul class="tabbed"> <li><a href="http://www.texastortillafactory.com/ALLPhotos.html">Photos</a></li>  <li><a href="http://www.texastortillafactory.com/genealogy.html">Genealogy</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.texastortillafactory.com/Birthday.html">Birthdays</a></li>   <li class="current_page_item"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog">Home</a></li><li class="page_item page-item-66"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?page_id=66" title="About the Poppadillo Blog">About the Poppadillo Blog</a></li> </ul> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="main" id="main-two-columns"> <div class="left" id="main-left"> <div class="navigation navigation-archive"> <div class="left"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/" >« Previous Page</a> </div> <div class="right"> <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?paged=3" >Next Page »</a></div> <div class="text-center">Page: <a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?'>1</a><span class='page-numbers current'>2</span><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=3'>3</a><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=4'>4</a><span class='page-numbers dots'>...</span><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=11'>11</a><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=12'>12</a></div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> <div class="post" id="post-125"> <div class="post-title"><h2><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=125" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Texas on the Brink – Summary Tables">Texas on the Brink – Summary Tables</a></h2></div> <div class="post-date"> <div class="left">August 10th, 2009 in <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?cat=10" title="View all posts in Texas" rel="category">Texas</a></div> <div class="right"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=125#respond" class="icon icon-comment" title="Comment on Texas on the Brink – Summary Tables">No Comments →</a></div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> <div class="post-body"> <p><strong>Texas on the Brink – Summary Table<br /> How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States</strong><br /> Rankings over the Years<br /> (50th = lowest, 1st = highest) Note : apply this rational for ranking to each of the Items<br /> be aware that being 1st is not always a good thing.</p> <p> <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=125#more-125" class="more-link">Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-separator"></div> <div class="post" id="post-89"> <div class="post-title"><h2><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=89" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Texas on the Brink – 2009">Texas on the Brink – 2009</a></h2></div> <div class="post-date"> <div class="left">August 9th, 2009 in <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?cat=10" title="View all posts in Texas" rel="category">Texas</a></div> <div class="right"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=89#respond" class="icon icon-comment" title="Comment on Texas on the Brink – 2009">No Comments →</a></div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> <div class="post-body"> <p><strong>Texas on the Brink – 2009</strong></p> <p><em><strong>How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>January 2009 ~ Fourth Edition</strong></em></p> <p>Since 1836, Texas has stood as an icon of the American dream.</p> <p>Blessed with land, rivers, oil, and other abundant natural<br /> resources, early Texas welcomed everyone from cattle ranchers to<br /> braceros, from cotton farmers to Chinese railroad workers. These<br /> pioneers built a great state, and together we fulfilled a destiny.</p> <p>From humble beginnings, we built a state with the firm belief<br /> that every Texan might rise as high and as far as their spirit, hard work,<br /> and talent might carry them. With education and determination every<br /> Texan might achieve great success – home ownership, reliable<br /> healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and financial prosperity.</p> <p>In Texas today, the American dream is distant. Texas has the<br /> highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation. Texas is dead last<br /> in the percentage of residents with their high school diploma and near<br /> last in SAT scores. Texas now has America’s dirtiest air. If we do not<br /> change course, for the first time in our history, the Texas generation of<br /> tomorrow will be less prosperous than the generation of today.</p> <p>Without the courage to invest in the minds of our children, and<br /> steadfast support for great schools, we face a daunting prospect. Those<br /> who value tax cuts over children and budget cuts over college have put<br /> Texas at risk in her ability to compete and succeed.</p> <p>Let us not forget that the business of Texas is Texans. To ‘Close<br /> the Gap’ in Texas, we must graduate more of our best and brightest with<br /> the skills to succeed in a world based on knowledge. If we invest in our<br /> greatest resource, Texas will be the state of the future. If we do not,<br /> family incomes will fall an average of $6,000 by 2040.</p> <p>Texas is on the brink. The choice is ours.</p> <p> <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=89#more-89" class="more-link">Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-separator"></div> <div class="post" id="post-87"> <div class="post-title"><h2><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=87" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Texas on the Brink – 2007">Texas on the Brink – 2007</a></h2></div> <div class="post-date"> <div class="left">August 9th, 2009 in <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?cat=10" title="View all posts in Texas" rel="category">Texas</a></div> <div class="right"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=87#respond" class="icon icon-comment" title="Comment on Texas on the Brink – 2007">No Comments →</a></div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> <div class="post-body"> <p><strong>Texas on the Brink – 2007</strong><br /> <strong><em>“Distant Dream”</em></strong><br /> <strong>How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States</strong><br /> <em><strong>January 2007 ~ Third Edition</strong></em></p> <p>Since 1836, Texas has stood as an icon of the American dream.</p> <p>Blessed with land, rivers, oil, and other abundant natural resources, early Texas welcomed everyone from cattle ranchers to braceros, from cotton farmers to Chinese railroad workers. These pioneers built a great state, and together we fulfilled a destiny.</p> <p>From humble beginnings, we built a state with the firm belief that every Texan might rise as high and as far as their spirit, hard work, and talent might carry them. With education and determination every Texan might achieve great success – home ownership, reliable healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and financial prosperity.</p> <p>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. If we do not change course, the Texas generation of tomorrow will be less prosperous than the generation of today.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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. If we invest in our greatest resource, Texas will be the state of the future. If we do not, family incomes will fall an average of $6,000 by 2040.</p> <p>Texas is on the brink. The choice is ours.</p> <p>Let us resolve now to invest in young Texans today to guarantee the prosperity of all Texans tomorrow.</p> <p> <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=87#more-87" class="more-link">Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-separator"></div> <div class="post" id="post-85"> <div class="post-title"><h2><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=85" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Texas on the Brink – 2005">Texas on the Brink – 2005</a></h2></div> <div class="post-date"> <div class="left">August 9th, 2009 in <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?cat=10" title="View all posts in Texas" rel="category">Texas</a></div> <div class="right"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=85#respond" class="icon icon-comment" title="Comment on Texas on the Brink – 2005">No Comments →</a></div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> <div class="post-body"> <p><strong>Texas on the Brink – 2005</strong></p> <p><em><strong>How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States – February 2005~Second Edition</strong></em></p> <p>Ours is a great state. Since 1836, Texas has been built by those who believe that any Texan should have the opportunity to rise as high and far as their spirit, hard work and talent might carry them. Texans work hard to educate their children and are full of hope for a prosperous future, which is the heart of the American Dream. Today, that dream is distant, and our state is at a crossroads. Many believe that the 78th Regular Legislative Session marked the passage from compassionate conservatism to just plain old mean spirit. In the aftermath of the Session, some public officials claimed that they had dealt with our budget shortfall in a way that “meets the basic needs of Texans,” and had done so without raising taxes. In reality, our leaders made a choice to value tax cuts over kids, and budget cuts over the elderly. Public education has been under-funded for years, services for many of the most vulnerable Texans have been devastated, and cuts to research programs at Texas universities and health science centers threaten to make them noncompetitive. Major costs have been shifted to local communities and taxpayers. Middle class students are now paying $263 million in new tuition, and billions of federal dollars that would otherwise come to our state stayed in Washington D.C. Funding is so inadequate that litigants in major lawsuits against the state argue that key state agencies cannot provide even basic services required under federal and state law.</p> <p>In 2003, Texas ranked 49th in state spending per capita and on tax revenue raised, with average state government spending nationwide 46 percent higher than in Texas. The state’s rankings are the expected outcome of an inadequate, outdated and terribly regressive tax system; one that taxes those least able to pay the most. As long as Texas ranks near the bottom in the amount of state revenue raised and services offered, Texas will continue to rank near the bottom of the nation on key performance measures.</p> <p>Simply put, our future prosperity depends on investment in low and middle income working families. Unless we as leaders of this great state make the necessary and critical investment in the education, health and safety of our people, we will leave a legacy of the first generation in Texas history to be less prosperous than the one before.</p> <p> <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=85#more-85" class="more-link">Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-separator"></div> <div class="post" id="post-79"> <div class="post-title"><h2><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=79" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Texas on the Brink – 2003">Texas on the Brink – 2003</a></h2></div> <div class="post-date"> <div class="left">August 8th, 2009 in <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?cat=10" title="View all posts in Texas" rel="category">Texas</a></div> <div class="right"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=79#respond" class="icon icon-comment" title="Comment on Texas on the Brink – 2003">No Comments →</a></div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> <div class="post-body"> <p><strong>Texas on the Brink 2003</strong></p> <p><em><strong>How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States</strong></em></p> <p>You get what you pay for. In Texas, we do not get much because we do not pay for much. Compared to other states, Texas ranks near the bottom in spending for education, health care, environmental protection, workforce development, public safety, and other services and protections. Our failure to invest in ourselves puts our children at risk and our future in jeopardy.</p> <p>In tough times, families tighten their belts and take long, hard looks at their budgets. But even in tough times, families still find ways to buy food and clothing, to put a roof over their heads, and to send their children to school. Texas should do no less for its citizens and it must not further tighten its belt around the necks of those most in need.</p> <p>Some assert that Texas has engaged in a spending spree. A review of the dismal numbers below will substantiate that this is clearly untrue. For Texas’ and our children’s future to be prosperous, we must reverse past patterns and begin to invest in ourselves. Texas does indeed have a problem, but it is in how we invest, not how much we spend. In a misguided effort to be frugal, we are starving the Texas dream.</p> <p> <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?p=79#more-79" class="more-link">Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-separator"></div> <div class="navigation navigation-archive"> <div class="left"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/" >« Previous Page</a> </div> <div class="right"> <a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?paged=3" >Next Page »</a></div> <div class="text-center">Page: <a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?'>1</a><span class='page-numbers current'>2</span><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=3'>3</a><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=4'>4</a><span class='page-numbers dots'>...</span><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=11'>11</a><a class='page-numbers' href='/blog/?&paged=12'>12</a></div> <div class="clearer"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="right sidebar" id="sidebar"> <div class="section widget widget_search" id="search-2"><form role="search" method="get" id="searchform" action="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/" > <div><label class="screen-reader-text" for="s">Search for:</label> <input type="text" value="" name="s" id="s" /> <input type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search" /> </div> </form></div><div class="section widget widget_categories" id="categories-501402621"><div class="section-title">Categories</div> <ul> <li class="cat-item cat-item-12"><a href="http://texastortillafactory.com/blog/?cat=12" title="Mike and Computers where it all begin, in between and now. 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