Your Texas Budget Haikus

The Texas House worked Friday into Saturday to debate a state budget, also known as the General Appropriations Act or for reporters, The Long Slog That Will Keep Me From Going Home To Let My Dog Out. This biennium (Texas’ budget is a two-year beast), there’s more money going out than there is coming in, to the tune of somewhere around $27 billion dollars. That means staggering cuts — teachers will be laid off and nursing homes closed and the disabled will lose reimbursements for health care.

As I landed at DCA on Friday, the floor debate was going strong, and so were your tweets about it. So I flippantly messaged, “Someone send me an update on the Texas budget floor debate in the form of a haiku.” And you ACTUALLY DID. I was so warmed and entertained by these:

Jay-Z had it right
For us, it’s a “hard knocks life”
Rain today? Just might
–@thatericmiller

Motion to table
Drink a beer and let it go
#Totalstaffermove
–@phillipmartin

Budget bill gotchas
Don’t spend it all in one place
Where for art statesmen?
–@edcapital

The children get crushed
Under the mighty budget
Republicans smile
–@p_pavelka

TX budget woes
Progressive voters on toes
Marching in Austin
–@jeanniedee, who added, “can’t believe I’m sending such crap.”

The budget debate
Though foreordained in outsome
Drags on like the Somme
–@jstrevino

Tough choices abound
Freshmen clueless as ever
Wish you were still here
-sent to me by text, from a friend who wishes to remain anonymous

Late night in the Lege
More rumors than I can tweet
Total staffer move
–@txlnghrnjen

Texas Spring budget
Republicans cut dead wood
Why does it bleed so?
–@yorkshiretx

As those of you in Texas know, the House returns this afternoon for more budgeting. So feel free to keep your poetry coming. After all, the Texas Legislature has always been a delight to cover because of its epically comi-tragic qualities. And that can make for great art.