#TAXINKIRK Strikes Again

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God."
Nehemiah 5:15

A source e-mails: "Kirk Watson has an inexhaustible supply of ideas that involve spending large amounts of taxpayer money in convoluted arrangements that benefit a well-heeled institution."

State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, wants to save the Central Austin campus and remake the hospital into a cutting-edge facility for research and treatment of mental illness. He plans to ask lawmakers to approve funding to replace the facility with an institution he’s calling the “MD Anderson of the brain,” referring to the renowned cancer research and treatment center in Houston.

No longer would the state be alone in running the hospital, but rather, organizations like Travis County Central Health, Austin Travis County Integral Care and University of Texas Dell Medical School would serve as partners, according to Watson’s vision. The latter would train health care professionals to meet the community’s demand.

“This isn’t just about building another building. This is about taking an opportunity,” Watson told the American-Statesman. “We have an energized mental health community and I think if we spend some time planning, yes, we end up with a model that can be replicated nationally.”

Because, clearly, a public university with a $24 billion endowment and a publicly traded corporation with a market cap of $25 billion need a new round of taxpayer subsidies....