MooPig Report from the Middle :: "Infrastructure"

Report Card for Texas Infrastructure 2008 / 2012, a dismal "C"
Retrieved by Pat Darnell and Assid Reflux  |  Mar 19, 2013  |  Bryan TX

Every 4 years, the American Society of Civil Engineers releases a Report Card for America’s Infrastructure that depicts the condition and performance of the nation’s infrastructure in the familiar form of a school report card by assigning letter grades to each type of infrastructure.

PART ONE: Local, Texas
There are twelve categories in America's report card:

1. Schools
2. Drinking Water
3. Waste Water
4. Dams
5. Solid Waste
6. Navigable Water Ways
7. Roads
8. Bridges
9. Aviation
10. Transit
11. Flood Control
12. Energy

Focusing on the report card for Texas, let's pick on one tiny part of this assessment, Modernizing Our Schools:  per National Education Association (NEA), Texas has a "D-" for Schools, which has not improved from 2008.

" ... From 2000 – 2010, the population of Texas grew 20.6% according to the U.S. Census. In 2010, 19.5% of the population in Texas was school age, a percentage that has remained relatively constant. These figures indicate a current increase in school populations of just about two percent per year. Texas enrollment is the fastest growing for the 15 most populous states over the last decade. ... "

Compare to a 50-state estimate of the need for school modernization in the United States along with recommendations: Key findings show the total funding needed for public school modernization is $321.9 billion, and that total funding needed for public modernization varies dramatically across states, ranging from $50.7 billion (New York) to $333 million (Vermont).

Texas spends just $8,908 per student each year, which is well under the national average of $11,463, according to the National Education Association. Per student annual spending dropped $500 after the Perry education budget was approved by lawmakers.

" ... In Texas, the gain in jobs from 2009 to 2011 has been a loss for the Texan student. During those same three years average spending per enrolled student declined 10.4%, while nationwide, the same measure increased 3.7 % over the same period, according to the Dallas News. ( Alex Rogers. Feb 05, 2013. LINK) ... "

" ... The conservatives of the Texas legislature are about to try again to fool the state's taxpayers into funding private schools with a voucher program. The Republican argument, which falls apart under scrutiny, has been that no child should be condemned to attend a failing public school. No conservative wants to talk about why the public school system might be troubled, however, nor do they contemplate the even greater long-term damages to be wrought by school choice. (James Moore. 1.06.2013. LINK) ... "

So, by deductive reasoning, Texas schools will stay at the substandard level of "D-" for a long time here after. Political fervor to not spend on public education will cause stammer in any attempt to pass bonds for education, or attract Federal funding for our ailing public schools. We think as the public schools go, so will the private schools. Let's call it "Dismal," a D-, for Texas school children. And Texas ends up with inadequate public schools.

' ... State Senator Dan Patrick (R), who promises to push a repackaged vouchers bill in the 2013 legislative session, portrays himself as the champion of parents wanting to free their children from the prisons of public school ignorance and failure. He is, instead, a lost horseman leading a misguided herd off of a cliff into a far canyon. Vouchers will create even greater disparities in educational quality and new forms of segregation. (James Moore. 1.06.2013. LINK) ... "

Question for you; let me know in the comments if you understand this "State funding" statement:

" ... State funding to support school districts with debt principal and interest expenditures related to public school facilities is provided through the Instructional Facilities Allotment and the Existing Debt Allotment. These programs ensure equalized funding related to the Interest and Sinking (I and S) tax effort at rates of $35.00 per penny per student in ADA. The EDA assistance is limited to 29 cents of tax effort, a limit that does not apply to IFA. Higher property wealth school districts rely upon local tax property taxes and receive no state aid from these state aid sources. (ASCE Texas Section. LINK) ... "

So, in Texas, State funding for schools comes from property tax? Is that all they are saying? And the richer the community, the less that community receives for schools?

" ... If less money comes from Austin to local districts, those schools simply have to make cuts or find new ways to raise revenue, which often occurs through increased property valuations on homeowners... (Moore, James. 1.06.2013 LINK)... "

Here is the entire Texas Infrastructure Report Card:

PART TWO: The Nation
What will it cost to bring up our Nation's rating?

In context of our "federal" ailing infrastructure, we hover around a "D" grade overall. Proposed “key solutions” in the 2009 report, included:

• Increasing federal leadership
• Promoting sustainability and resilience
• Complementing a national vision
• Addressing life-cycle and maintenance costs
• Improving infrastructure investments from all stakeholders

How much? It will cost the United States of America $2.2 to $3.2  trillion: "the report estimated that $2.2 trillion is the required five-year investment to increase the infrastructure’s condition to “good.” ( Melanie Wong. May 7, 2012. LINK) ... "

TABLE: Estimated 5-year Investment Requirement in Billions of Dollars. Source: ASCE Report for America’s Infrastructure, 2009

CONCLUSION, more of a RANT:
The Rothschild's are worth about $700 trillion. (LINK). Bill Gates Net Worth: a measly $67 Billion as of March 2013 -- Harvard Drop Out -- (LINK). Current Governor of the state of Texas and Republican Presidential primary candidate Rick Perry has a net worth of $3 million. He's accumulated that net worth largely through his family's fortune, and his numerous published books... (LINK)

As we lie awake at night, with gurgling stomachs, and 3 AM beckons us to nervous paranoia ... our imaginations are taxed, and we perceive our children sleep in an unsure state of being.

What socio-pathic government morons are doing at this hour? I can only suspect they are sleeping the sleep of the evil damned. Their home life is not thwarted by their own "denial" and cock-a-mania "conservative agendas." Their children sleep in the throes of voucher privilege. Their infrastructure is covered by the government check they receive, and government vehicles they are given. Yes, given ease of living by us generous folk out here.

Those others, the sleeping rich guys, are born on third base, and never get the pleasure of gutting out a real life struggle to just get on first base, like us. Their idea of work is flying a jet airplane.

It always sounds like sour grapes from us at MooPig Enterprises. What it really is, is acid reflux. So, next time your State votes on education bonds, be sure you are on the right side of that matter.

And that's our Report from the Middle; Where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are hopefully above average.


_________________Reference
2012 Texas Report Card FINAL.pdf [LINK]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-moore/rick-perry-education_b_2421776.html
http://www.ascecareportcard.org/citizen_guides/Citizen's%20guide%202012_Revised.pdf
http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/a/#p/home
http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/report-cards
http://sciencewonks.com/2012/every-day-im-crumblin-asces-report-card-for-the-nations-infrastructure/
http://texasce.affiniscape.com/associations/10803/files/2012%20ASCE%20Schools%20Fact%20Sheet%20FINAL3.pdf
http://www.texasce.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=84
http://www.publicworksgroup.com/blog/2012/01/asceinfrastructurereportcard/
http://www.publicworksgroup.com/blog/2010/05/bryans-consumer-confidence-report-on-stage-at-gov-2-0-expo/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illinois-infrastructure-report-card-0319-20130319,0,4904502.story