Code with Claude 2026: Opening Keynote

[0:00]And by the time they start building homes on these tracks of land, all of a sudden it's like, oh, now we have to make sure that the people who are living there have access to this, that and the other thing. And that is what you call unfunded mandates. That's essentially what happens with a lot of these things is that the local government essentially loses out on a huge portion of the tax money because the state government comes in and says, oh, you know, we're going to put a mandate on you that you have to provide these things. So for an example, uh if you were to look at the amount of money that goes to the state government as far as taxes are concerned for schools. Right. So there's a certain amount that goes into it. The state government then turns around and says, well, we're gonna give you all of this money back. However, we're also going to dictate that this is how you spend this money and you have to provide certain things with this money. So the local government then has to come up with its own money to supplement what the state government has said that they need to provide. Right? Because it doesn't cover all of it. And so that essentially causes the local government, specifically the local school districts, to have to increase taxes on their citizens which you then turn around and say, well, why are taxes so high in this specific area? And it's like, well, because the state government has mandated that we have to provide these services but they're not providing all of the funds necessary to provide those services. And this is exactly what happens here in the great state of Texas. And it's really messed up. Um, and it is something that, you know, has caused a lot of consternation and a lot of issues here in the state. Yeah, it's just, it's really, it's, I've had to look into a lot of these different, um, little nuances of the Texas government. And there's a lot of things that just don't make sense when you start doing a deeper dive on it. So that's just one example that you gave. It's just there's a lot of things. Another thing that you could look at is the fact that, uh, you know, they're always touting the fact that Texas has no income tax. Right. So, yeah, that is true. There is no income tax in Texas. However, your property taxes are through the roof. And not only that, but sales taxes are exorbitant here in the great state of Texas. So yeah, you may not pay a, an income tax, but you're paying a ridiculous amount for property tax, especially when you have a government that's supposed to be a limited government. That's another issue here in Texas is that, you know, the government always touts that it's supposed to be a limited government. But yet you have a lot of situations where the government is not so limited. Yeah, it's it's all about how they spin it. And if you don't look beyond the headlines, if you don't really dig into what that means, what no income tax means, then you're missing the whole picture. Yeah. What what they'll do is they'll tax you in other areas. Right. So, and that's exactly what happens here is like, okay, we're not gonna tax you on your income, but we're going to tax you on literally everything else. So, yeah, it's, it's, it's really kind of messed up if you really think about it. And it's like, okay, why are we always getting to the point where we're, you know, dealing with surpluses, right? So we're dealing with all of this extra money. And yet we're also dealing with property taxes that are just through the roof. Uh, you know, we're dealing with issues where we still have an antiquated electrical grid, right? So it's like, what is the money being spent on? You know, and then when you really look into it, it's just like, oh, okay. It's because the state government dictates where the money needs to go. And that is the issue is that it's supposed to be limited government and yet they're dictating where a lot of these things are going. So it's not a limited government at all. You know, and this is why a lot of these things are happening, but, uh, you know, I, I really just wanted to talk about that because there's been a lot of conversation about this. Right. And it's not going to go away. Right. It's, it's not going away. This is going to continue to be an issue here in the state of Texas until there is some sort of change. And I don't see that happening because, uh, if we're being honest, there's a lot of people that don't want to change. They don't want to change it because they're benefiting from it. So, yeah. And that's the whole issue right there is the benefit. It's like, who's benefiting from this? And it just circles back around, it's not the citizen, it's not the everyday person. It's it's these large corporations. It's these, you know, big business. It's these people that, you know, are building all these houses, you know, the big housing corporations and it's like, they're the ones benefiting. Right. They're the ones that are continuing to get these huge tax breaks. And they're continuing to just get richer and richer and richer. And then all of a sudden, you know, the local governments have to come in and say, well, we have to provide certain things. And it's just like, it's a messed up situation. It's a lose lose for the citizens. It's a definite win-win for the large corporations. And, uh, you know, this is why these things continue to happen. And I think it's important that people know that these things are happening, because the more you know about these things, the more you can fight against these things. Right. So the more that you can stand up and say, hey, this is not right. This is not what we were promised. This is not what we're supposed to have, right? And hopefully eventually we'll be able to have some sort of change, but, uh, you know, I don't see it happening anytime soon. Yeah, it's tough when you're going against, you know, people with money. And that's why, you know, people in politics are always funded by big corporations. And it's like, you're not getting a regular guy that's just, you know, running on his own dime. It's always somebody that's funded by somebody else. So it's tough when you're going against that. Yeah. And you know, I think it's just, it's always one of those things where it's just like, wow, you know, it's like, why is this happening? And it's because there's so much money involved. And the people who are in power don't want to change it. And that's the whole thing. It's just like, you know, they're not going to change it. And that's, that's what we're stuck with. So, yeah. All right. Well, yeah, I mean, that's a good discussion. And hopefully, you know, people that are listening to this will take some of this information. And then the next time that they're, you know, going to the polls, hopefully they make some different decisions. Right. And that's all you can hope for. Right. You know, that's essentially the biggest thing, is that you have to take action, right? If you don't take action, nothing's going to change. Right. So, yeah, that's the biggest thing here is that you have to take action and make sure that you're voting your conscience. Right. And that is a huge issue. It definitely is. And on that note, we're going to end this episode. Yeah. All right. Well, we'll talk to you all next time. Peace.