TEXAS

Texas is one of the few states in this great union of ours that has a balanced budget requirement in its constitution. And due to reduced sales tax revenues last year, we now have a budget shortfall to deal with. We can't borrow money, either; because that's not balancing the budget.

Also, due to unfunded mandates by the Obama administration, if Texas doesn't do something by this May, it may be forced to pony-up a lot more money to satisfy those federal mandates.

Our legislators are "in session" for five months every two years (that would be great for our national house and senate, wouldn't it?), and they must cut spending by sixteen billion dollars over the next two years. But on the "mandates" side, there's only one thing it can do! It must defy the federal government, using its tenth amendment, constitutional duty. What is that?

The constitution of the United States says that it is the state's duty to "nullify" any federal mandates that don't fall within the scope of the constitutional powers of the federal government. Texas is going to have to do this.

I don't know what this has to do with Tyler and East Texas real estate; but I thought it interesting. Anybody even remotely considering spending some money here, send me an email: john@johncmartin.com.