Benefits Boosted. Mission Accomplished?
House rejects school finance, tax bills (AP)
You might call it chaos. Confusion. Fatigue.
Certainly you can call it a stalled special legislative session after the Texas House voted down its own multibillion-dollar school funding bill and property tax relief measure today.
The moves appeared to spell trouble for the latest 30-day special legislative session called by Republican Gov. Rick Perry to change the Texas school funding system and reduce property taxes. But other bills on those subjects still could be considered.
GOP House Speaker Tom Craddick said the session isn't necessarily doomed, but he did say legislators — who have spent two regular sessions and three special sessions tackling school finance — are tired.
They managed to boost their own benefits. What more could anyone want? Poor things are worn out.
So, the minority party remains mostly irrelevant. There is no conservative leadership among Republicans. And there is not much leadership among the RINO contingent. Dysfunctionality, baby, Texas style!
Even for someone who generally doesn't WANT the silly SOBs to get much done, this is kind of brutal to watch.
Thankfully, NFL training camps are opening and more interesting fare is on its way.
UPDATE: Now here's the kind of analysis I wish I could have mustered. But like Speaker Craddick, I'm just too tired.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/26/05 22:36 | Texas | Technorati
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Two days, every 140 years. It can't be any worse.
Posted by Michael Croft @ 21:18 on 07/27/05
Dear Kevin,
Thanks for the linkage. However, I have to admit I'm pretty tired myself watching this school finance kerfuffle replay itself over and over again.
"There is no conservative leadership among Republicans."
This appears to be true, but what happened in the two years since the 2003 regular session, when PerryDewhurstCraddick showed great leadership and an iron will against spending and tax increases?
Posted by TexasTommy @ 22:53 on 07/27/05
You're right. I know. Rick Perry will always deserve credit for holding the line on spending when it seemed like every other state (whether under Dem or GOP control) was raising taxes and spending like mad. But man, that credit only lasts so long, especially given the current session's spending increases....
Posted by Kevin @ 23:00 on 07/27/05
No tax increase? 2003 saw dozens of fee increases for all kinds of services. And, of course, state politicians in Texas have mastered the art of passing the buck. Their "fiscal discipline" in 2003 meant that local taxes went up in almost every county, city, school district, etc., since the Legislature loves to tell local authorities how to do their jobs, but they never actually give them the money to do them.
"Facing a $10B budget shortfall, the Republican leadership steadfastly refused to even discuss tax increases. They directed state agencies to zero out their existing budgets and rebuild them to justify each expense as well as identify a 7% budget reduction across the board. Approaching the issue this way immediately required state agencies to think about their core mission, how their expenditures mapped to their mission, who they were writing checks to and why." This is the fantasy version of what happened in 2003, Gov. Perry's press release version of the 2003 session. In reality, deep cuts were made to state agencies without strong lobbyists (health and human services), while the ones that really dole out the pork (TxDOT) were essentially spared.
Posted by el_longhorn @ 13:51 on 07/28/05
Compared to other states, Texas held the line on spending and taxes in 2003. That much is indisputable, whatever spin one puts on it.
Posted by Kevin @ 13:55 on 07/28/05
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