The great state of Texas likes to brag about its great business climate.
No state income or corporate tax, an amiable regulatory environment and a sufficiently accommodating Legislature has made the Lone Star State the destination of choice for many large companies.
Our elected officials-the ones who give big business all these breaks-tell us it's all wonderful for the Texas economy. Maybe so. More companies mean more jobs.
But it leaves us with a question: If the state is doing so well, why can't lawmakers ever seem to find a way to pay the bills without undermining the public education system?
You would think that more businesses paying more, if lower, taxes would bring an abundance of cash to state coffers. At least that's the idea the people have been sold dating back to the days of trickle-down economics.
But once again the Texas Legislature is looking to cut education funding as a way to balance the budget.
On Tuesday, the state Senate unanimously passed a two-year budget that would wish away nearly $2 billion in state education funding. Gone. As if by magic.
So what will schools have to do? The Senate says the $1.8 billion will have to come from local property taxes.
We're sure every property owner in the state is on board with that. After all, Texas is ranked either fourth or fifth, depending on the source, among states with the highest property taxes in the nation.
Public colleges and universities will also see a funding cut of about 6 to 10 percent.
Two years ago Gov. Greg Abbott signed tax cuts worth nearly $4 billion, including an increase in the state's homestead exemption from property taxes and a 25 percent cut in the franchise tax that businesses pay.
Now it looks like property taxes will have to make up nearly $2 billion. And the franchise tax? Well lawmakers are hoping to cut it back even more and then get rid of it altogether.
Our former state Sen. Kevin Eltife, a Republican, voted against the tax cuts in 2015, saying the state should get its financial house in order before considering such reductions. He was right. Tax cuts sound great-but only when they make sense. And if you have to yet again cut education two years later to pay the bills, they did not make sense.
Big business scored a win in the Senate. The people lost. And the students and educators? More of the same.