Disclaimer from the author: This piece was written just before the legislature "solved" the school finance problem via the business tax.

Executive Summary

Texans were seduced into voting for a 1978 state constitutional amendment that falsely promised a state tax cap.  Ever since then the state legislature has not come close to honoring even the loosest interpretation of that poorly crafted amendment, sometimes refusing to acknowledge its mere existence.
Fact is, since 1978 the rate of growth in state spending, instead of being better controlled, has been exacerbated and has greatly exceeded the combined rate of growth in the state’s population and inflation. Read more about Stop State Spending Insanity Part I - Background

President Obama is proposing a wide array of tax hikes on the U.S. energy industry. If enacted, these massive tax increases would be a job-killer for Texas and a huge setback in our overall efforts to lessen our dependence on foreign energy. Read more about Obama’s Energy Tax Proposals: a Job-Killer for Texas