Why has the bureaucracy in Texas grown in recent years?
a. The federal government imposed numerous mandates on the states that required massive increases in education and health care services for new programs and personnel.
b. Economic stimulus funds provided by the federal government have led to the creation of many new programs that benefit citizens who are now unwilling to cut them.
c. As the federal government has reduced funding of programs to states, states have become increasingly responsible for assuming the duties formerly fulfilled by the federal government.
d. Citizens have come to expect a wide range of public services while federal mandates have required more funding, and new programs have been implemented as a result of the urging of interest groups.
Question 2
How successful has Texas been in curtailing government growth and spending?
a. It has been very successful. Though government spending has increased over the past decade, it has only increased by 30 percent, far lower than the average for other states.
b. Efforts to reduce spending on health care and welfare have been successful, though Texas has increased educational spending and it now spends well above the national average.
c. Except for the 2003 and 2011 budget crises, efforts to slow growth have met with only marginal success as a result of federal mandates and opposition by Texans unwilling to lose services.
d. Though there have been few efforts to cut unnecessary spending, Texas has managed to limit the growth of government parallel to the growth in population.