Straus newsletter illustrates political reality's positive trajectory....

"He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:1

Interesting:

Newsletter: A Responsible Starting Point

With the next legislative session about six months away, I'm working with other state leaders to make sure Texas continues to live within its means.

I recently joined with other state leaders to instruct state agencies to prepare for a 4 percent reduction in their operating revenues. These instructions will require agencies to highlight their most important expenditures and contemplate how they could operate more efficiently. We also issued these instructions in order to guard against unneeded growth in our state budget and to provide a responsible starting point for the process of writing the state's next two-year budget.

Read the whole thing here.

Bottom Line: Whatever his motivation, for Straus go out of his way to preach fiscal restraint can only be interpreted as a (modestly) positive sign.

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Author's Note: For purposes of comparison, here's what Straus was preaching during a similar economic climate five years ago.