Martha Tyroch, a candidate for State Representative in HD55, has a disturbing pattern of charging taxpayers for luxury accomodations and lavish dinners.

Taxpayer hero Jodie Laubenberg has come out strongly supporting Randy Dunning in the run-off race for House District 112 in Richardson and Garland. Why is she supporting Dunning?

Hot air has arrived before summer, as the City of Austin has paid $20,000 in public funds for a survey of the public on global warming, which asks questions such as “whether you will be affected by climate change.” It also asks respondents to say what the difference is between “global warming” and “climate change.”

It is possible for a city to spend half-a-billion dollars over 25 years for an as-yet unbuilt facility. Just ask the Austin City Council, which seems intent on doing just that. In the mid-1980s, the city planned to spend $165 million to build a water treatment plant. So far they’ve expended $96 million without even construction plans anywhere close to finished, and the project cost has nearly tripled. apparently keeping Austin weird means making taxpayer broke.

Yesterday I had the privilidge of speaking in Collin County at an event hosted by the chambers of commerce. The real treat, though, was getting to hear County Judge Keith Self address economic policy and fiscal reform. We’ll have more on him in the coming days, but you might want to check out his website: www.keithself.com. Texas needs more county judges, and elected officials in general, like Keith Self.

West Texans probably felt their wallets being picked this week, as government-growers and tax-hikers went to Odessa in an effort to prop up the frail candidacy of Buddy West in a Republican run-off. West got kudos from anti-taxpayer lawmakers like Delwin Jones of Lubbock, Jim Pitts of Waxahachie, Jim Keffer of Eastland, and Edmund Kuempel of Seguin. Five Republicans, and not a fiscal conservative in their midst.

Austin Police have been wrongly spending money seized during the course of investigations – violating state and federal laws governing the way those dollars can be used. Who called in the budget cops? Austin’s own chief of police.

State Rep. Herbert Vo is being accused of accepting illegal corporate campaign contributions. The Democratic state representative from Houston allegedly got a company to offer discount coupons on clothes when someone gave money to his campaign. Right about now Mr. Vo should be looking for a “15% off your next legal bill” coupon.

On Tuesday, Austinites can attend a forum on the design of a new $1.25 million BMX/skate park that was approved by voters as part of a larger bond in 2006. Meanwhile, the town of Tomball is considering spending $4 to $12 million in taxpayer funds on a sports arena, which would have many features provided by private gyms like Liftetime Fitness at no cost to taxpayers.