Longview News-Journal ignores facts to establish narrative for 83rd Texas Legislature

The Texas media is already crafting their narrative for the 83rd Texas Legislature, penning the following editorial:

Work to do: Level heads needed for Legislature's big jobs.

The substance of the editorial re-hashes the same tiresome arguments we heard during the 82nd Texas legislature about 'draconian' cuts to education despite the fact that Texas budgeted $78 billion for education during this biennium; if Texas schools can't get by on $78 billion, perhaps they should stop paying superintendents six-figure salaries.

What's really galling, however, is what the editorial says about budget gimmicks during the 82nd legislature in relation to Governor Perry:

To balance the state budget as required by our constitution, legislators in the last session used all sorts of fancy tricks — lies, really — including pretending school enrollment would not grow in Texas, which is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. That, of course, was ridiculous. We’re disappointed the Legislature did it, and that Texans let lawmakers get away with it....Gov. Rick Perry will be more a hindrance than a help in the upcoming session.

Here's my question: who's leading the fight against budget gimmicks in the 83rd Texas legislature?!? Governor Rick Perry.  This past April, Governor Perry introduced the Texas Budget Compact, whose first item is 'practice truth in budgeting.'

Why let facts get in the way of a good narrative, eh Longview News-Journal?!?

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