.

Juanita has long been amused at the Texas Republicans for passing the buck (literally) when it comes to funding.  Although they loudly and viciously oppose federal unfunded mandates, they don’t mind creating some of their own.

It is her theory that the Lege passes their fiscal problems along to the counties, who, in turn, pass it along to the cities.  Once the cities go bankrupt, funding all Texas governmental functions will rest on the shoulders of school districts.

“This,” Juanita lectures, “is why there’s a bill in the Lege to let schoolteacher carry handguns.  You gotta have police, and if all other government in Texas is bankrupt, school teachers, who the Lege assumes are shockingly underworked anyway, will be charged with the additional duties of law enforcement.  That’s a fact.”

Democrat Donna Howard filed an amendment —

The amendment to the resolution establishing the House rules would have required that any bill that would have a fiscal effect on local governments not come to the House floor for debate until after the budget has passed.

Howard said her proposal would have “prevented unfunded mandates going back to local governments” before lawmakers fully understand the state’s fiscal situation.

Her amendment failed. The matter was tabled, with votes falling along party lines.

The Texas Republicans in the Lege said they “agreed with the premise of the amendment but didn’t want to deal with it during the rule-making process.”

Yeah, right.  We get it.  All swagger and no guts.

“Times are tough, and the Republican Party, who created those tough times, are acting like Moses Rose,” Juanita concludes.  “Mark my words, they’re arming teachers for a reason.  But that’s okay, because having a gun aimed at your back while writing ‘I will not pass along unfunded mandates’ on the blackboard 100 times just might be what they need.”