Gov. Rick Perry said Monday that spending more state money on inspections would not have prevented the deadly explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. plant that was last investigated by Texas environmental regulators in 2006. Excuse me for asking, but ... how would Perry know? You can't prove a negative.
Read MoreHas anyone else noticed how innocuous the daily House calendars have been? General State is short and filled with bills of little consequence; debate proceeds at a snail's pace, maybe six bills covered in a day. Major State is primarily for Sunset bills.
Read MoreAt a press conference on Monday, Governor Perry called for $1.6 billion in business tax cuts--including 5 percent off the margins tax--in an attempt to make good on his promise for "tax relief" this session. What does this prove? That Perry never seems to run out of bad ideas.
Read MoreI seldom find myself in agreement with the tea party, but they are dead right in their skepticism of debt. This is why you can make the argument that Rick Perry is not a true conservative. He won't raise taxes, but he doesn't mind going deep into debt--and retiring debt is about the most expensive thing government can do. His proposal to capitalize $41 billion in debt to build roads is rash. Our grandchildren will be paying to retire the bonds in the 103rd Legislature.
The problem with the tea party is that it doesn't want the government to do anything. Raise taxes? Hell no. Raise vehicle registration fees? No, no, a thousand times no. We might as well go back to 1948 and reprise the campaign to "get the farmer out of the mud." It is disingenuous for tea party leaders to say, “Any vote that adds debt to this state – any vote for any program that’s going to be leveraging debt or adding debt — will be considered by the tea parties of Texas as a vote for a tax increase.” It's the absolutionist attitude of the tea party that drives me crazy. I have to say, though, it is quite delicious to see Rick Perry get a taste of his own medicine.
Read MoreIn October 2012, I wrote a cover story about the battle over UT. That battle, which matched regents appointed by Rick Perry against the leadership of UT-Austin, has not abated. I'm going to discuss portions of Brian Sweany's recent interview with regent Wallace Hall as well as write about other aspects of the Perry regents' concerns with the leadership of UT-Austin.
* Asked by Sweany about whether there was pressure from the governor's office, Hall said, "I've received no directives from the governor other than the importance of figuring this out." It is not clear what "this" refers to--I'm assuming he's talking about affordability--but what is clear is that Hall had requested a large number of documents from the UT system.
* [The interview continues]: "It's not just about affordability, it's not just about accessibility, it's about the quality of education," Hall told Sweany. What is Hall trying to say here? Is he impugning the quality of education at UT-Austin under the leadership of Bill Powers? That is going to be a hard case to make. UT-Austin's academic reputation is extemely high.
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