We all know the time is long overdue to rip the poisonous weed of property taxes out of the state’s economic garden. We might actually get the chance if State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford gets his way.
Michael Quinn Sullivan
Not the Legislature’s Business
Most Texans are worried about how they are going to pay next year’s property taxes, or are concerned about how the new business income tax is going to affect their job. The Legislature? Well, their taking time next week to listen to Dallas Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones talk about why cable customers should be forced to buy the NFL Network. (I sent a letter to lawmakers today, which you can read here, opposing legislative involvement in this issue.)
Geren’s Obfuscation
State Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth wants it both ways. While he doesn’t want his constituents to know about his anti-taxpayer ways, but he also says he isn’t to worried about being seen as a government-growing spendoholic. Scoring just 45% on the TFR Index, Geren was the second-worst Republican on taxpayer issues (only Longview’s Tommy Merritt scored worse, with a 38%). In order to obfuscate his record, Geren is now playing fast and loose with the facts. But that should not surprise us, given that he plays fast and loose with our money.
Longing For The Days Of Yore
He misses the days when unabashed liberals ran the Texas Legislature. In fact, he just cannot stand how bad it is now that conservatives are (nominally, anyway) in charge. The funny thing is that State Rep. Delwin Jones of Lubbock is a Republican. Though you wouldn’t know it by his voting record.
Legislators Should Be Benched
State lawmakers are poised to take sides in the battle between the NFL and cable companies. Not unusual, politicians tend to be a meddlesome bunch, sticking their noses in economic places they shouldn’t. The real problem, of course, is that in doing so lawmakers will run roughshod over your wallet in an effort to appease wealthy team owners.
The Law Man
My travels took me to Del Rio for a speech this week, a border town in Val Verde County. I had the good fortune to chat with the sheriff, D’Wayne Jernigan. He’s true West Texas lawman who has earned the ire of the left-leaning establishment for doing his job well and right. He is going to face a tough re-election battle this year. We need more sheriffs like him, on the border and elsewhere.
Let The Government Care For Your Child
The hubris of the government planners varies between scary and laughable. Social engineers are whining in the press that thousands of “eligible†children are not enrolled in the government health “insurance†plan. Their solution, of course, is to spend a lot of your money to “educate†wayward parents into placing kids in the care of government bureaucracy. It never occurs to these folks that maybe moms and dads aren’t excited about letting whining bureaucrats take care of junior.
Another One Bites The Dust
State Rep. Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock) is set to announce today that he won’t seek re-election to the Texas House after 16 years of legislative service. He has served as the chairman of the House Transportation Committee since 2003.
Tying Taxpayers To The Rail
Supporters of “light rail†and “commuter rail†consistently over-sell and under-deliver. Not only does mass-transit fail to reduce congestion, but it is always fraught with cost-overruns and implementation delays. Such is the case in Austin, where the new toy train is going to cost taxpayers a third more than promised.
And They Wonder Why We Don’t Trust Them
On the one hand, transportation officials tell us that they just don’t have the funds available to build roads. Yet on the other hand, toll roads dollars are being used to let executives take European vacations complete with first-class and business-class airline seats.