Texas Monthly's Paul Burka is banging his head on his keyboard once again in his October 16, 2012 blog in which he wonders why UT is asking for increased property taxes to fund its new medical school in Austin. 


In this short two paragraph blog, Paul Burka explains that UT is asking for a Travis County property tax increase that would cost $107.40 for each average homeowner to help fund the building of its medical school.  Burka questions why UT has to lean on the tax payers of Austin when UT has a rich endowment and "megadonors".  He also concludes that UT should initiate fund raising combined with loans based on the model used in Dallas when Parkland Memorial Hospital was renovated.  Finally, he thinks the voters of Austin are not likely to approve such a tax hike. 

The audience of this blog is the reader of Texas Monthly and those that specifically follow Paul Burka.  Because Burka teaches at UT it can be argued that his audience is also the administration, the professors, the students, and the decision makers of UT policy.  I believe the intent is to create discussion amongst central Texans not only in internet responses to the actual post, but also to initiate conversation about this issue face to face between friends, family, and other social circles of our Austin community.

 Burka's credibility is established.  A quick search of his bio on Texas Monthly states that he has a degree in history and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and served for five years as an attorney for the Texas legislature.  He also is a frequent guest commentator on many of the national news networks.  Clearly, his opinion is valued in issues pertaining to the state of Texas where his experience has earned him high regard.  Interestingly, he teaches at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin.  Thus, while employed by UT he apparently doesn't mince his words but uses his intellectual ability even, in this case, to question the institution that signs his paycheck.  I believe this adds strength to his blog, especially in this particular issue.

Reading the fifty-five responses following the above post is not only informative but activates your mind by stimulating the intellectual process in a way that a regular objective newspaper article or story  does not.  Additionally, Paul Burka chimes in and keeps the debate going with solid points.  One drawback of public responses to a blog, unfortunately, is that you really can't take anything said to be completely factual.  The "live" aspect of a blog's responses may reflect opinions and viewpoints in a "real-time" manner but the reader really should take everything said with a grain of salt.  Web logs and their public responses do not, as far as I know, have an editor or the same rules that govern traditional journalism.  So really, a blog is truly an editorial piece and its responses are the opinions of the persons who read it.

I agree with the author's opinion stated in the above referenced blog.  It seems clear to me that UT should take a defined and active role in financing its own medical school in Austin.  As a property owner myself in Travis County within city limits, I already bear the burden of a high property tax rate.  I understand this is an inherent problem within Texas because of the absence of a state income tax.  However, as some respondees have pointed out, helping to bear the cost of a medical school will actually help central Texas and increase the number of doctors which will in turn increase the ability of central Texas to care for its poor and indigent, as well as provide quality health care for those that are better off.  So, the question is: am I willing to give ten more dollars a month to "enable" UT and thus provide, looking at the big picture, health care to more central Texans?

My answer is yes.  After all, I spend ten bucks in the blink of an eye at Starbucks each week, so why not spend ten dollars helping to improve the future of health care.  But, I believe UT needs to set a cap on the funds it needs and model its plan, as Paul Burka suggests, on that of Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital.