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  • Just in Case You Thought the City Had Solved its Pension Problems
    23 January, 2019
  • City Continues to Skimp on Street Spending
    12 January, 2019
  • City’s Net Assets Plunge by over $1 Billion
    27 December, 2018
  • Rapes in Houston Up 121% in Last Four Years
    13 December, 2018
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    11 December, 2018
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City Of Houston Finances, Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee, TIRZ / 31.10.2018

City has Shortchanged Rebuild Fund by Nearly $250 Million

The more I study the Rebuild Houston program, the more apparent it becomes that the City’s administration of the program is a complete fraud.  The most recent discovery we have made is that the City has been using a legal loophole to shortchange the amount...

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Hurricane Preparation / 27.10.2018

A Hurricane Michael Would Be Houston’s Worst Nightmare

  In 2006, I chaired a regional task force that made recommendations on redrawing evacuation plans after the disastrous Hurricane Rita evacuation.  There was one storm scenario in the historical record that haunted our task force: a fast-moving hurricane that spun up in the Gulf and...

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City Of Houston Finances, Flooding, Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee / 22.10.2018

Closing Argument on Proposition A – Rebuild Houston

Early voting on the City's proposition A, which would reauthorize the failed Rebuild Houston program, begins tomorrow. Since no one at the City had the intestinal fortitude to debate Proposition A, I am left to make the closing argument directly to Houston voters. In 2010 the...

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Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee, Uncategorized / 18.10.2018

Proposition A Will Commit Houston Taxpayers to the Rebuild Debacle Through 2031

There is a little-discussed provision in Proposition A which will commit Houston taxpayers to the Rebuild Houston debacle through 2031, and perhaps beyond.  The provision reads as follows: “This Section is subject to modification as permitted by law or termination at the end of fiscal year...

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City Of Houston Finances, Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee / 13.10.2018

There is no “New” Lockbox in Proposition A

I spoke to someone last night who had attended the City’s townhall meeting in Kingwood on the propositions on the ballot.  The person with whom I spoke left the meeting with the impression that the ballot provision represents a new and improved lockbox.  This is...

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Uncategorized / 13.10.2018

Ted Oberg Story Exposes Rebuild Houston for the Fraud It Is

In case you missed it, Channel 13 ran a story by Ted Oberg that exposes what a fraud the Rebuild Houston has become. Oberg obtained documents from the City that showed spending on streets and drainage is down by 7% and 4%, respectively. How in...

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Economics, National Economy / 08.10.2018

National Debt Up by $1.2 Trillion This Year

The federal government just finished up its fiscal year on September 30.  It was not pretty.  We added $1.27 trillion to the national debt.  That is nearly double the increase last year.  The debt grew about twice what GDP grew for the year. So far, the...

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City Of Houston Finances / 07.10.2018

How Much Will Proposition B Cost?

I have had a number of people ask me if I could tell how much it will cost the City if Proposition B passes.   It is not an easy thing to sort out because the cost could vary significantly based on exactly how it would...

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Bill King has been writing about public policy issues, politics and economics for decades. This blog is a compilation of his previous posts, editorials and columns and a continuation of that tradition.

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