Cut Federal Spending Responsibly

The Editorial Board of the Austin American Statesman recently wrote the article Cut federal spending responsibly to the citizens of Texas in response to the fiscal crisis and budget cuts that are about to take place by the Federal Government. The Editorial Board claims that sequestration is a harmful way to put the nation’s fiscal house in order. Sequestration is the “name for $85 billion in automatic across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to take effect March 1”, and is the plan that President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats and Republicans came up with to cut domestic and defense spending. The Editorial Board informed Texans of how the negative impact of sequestration could potential cost the Arm bases Fort Hood and Fort Bliss 30,000 employees and $180 million in pay. Fort Hood’s share of reductions could total to $291 million. According to the Editorial Board, the sequester would also put tens of thousands of non-defense-related Texan jobs at risk. The hit to public education in response to the sequester could reach $517 million.

The Editorial Board’s logic is sound; it is backed up by a multitude of research that is 100% relatable to the article. They give real life examples of how the sequestration and budget cuts will affect the lives of Texan citizens. The argument was presented very well and allowed the reader to be informed and make their own opinion instead of trying to force their opinion down our throats.  I agree with the Editorial Board on a few things: that our federal government should rethink the budget cuts and how they will affect each state, and that the government should try to find our state jobs instead of taking them away. The numbers in this article are hard to ignore and the impact of the budget cuts will be quite significant on Texas.

Liquor Stores Open on Sundays

For many years, liquor stores could legally be open on Sundays from noon to 9 pm. In the article Bills Would Let Liquor Stores Open on Sundays on www.texastribune.org, author Elena Schneider informs citizens of State Sen. Juan Hinojosa and Rep. Senfronia Thompson decision to file companion bills that would eliminate state laws limiting liquor sales on Sundays and also extend Monday – Thursday sales from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The bills would supposedly generate $7.4 million in revenue. The legislation would not require liquor stores to open on Sundays, but the competition would force all stores to be open. Surprisingly, the opponents against the bills are liquor stores themselves. David Jabour who is president of Twin Liquors in Austin states “We won’t generate enough sales to handle the change”. Main supporters who are mostly alcohol distributors argue that “sales and tax revenue boost would make up for any other costs”. The author notes that similar bills have come before the Legislature in the last three sessions, but none have made it out of committee.

The impact on the small business liquor stores in Texas is why this article is important. Citizens should be informed of the consequences (good or bad) that come with having liquor stores open all day on Sundays. If the bills are passed, many liquor stores may be forced to close because not enough revenue is being generated, or the outcome could generate millions as the alcohol distributors suggest. I personally believe that the liquor stores themselves would know whether or not if being open longer on Sundays would generate more revenue than the distributors.