#TXLEGE: Sports Welfare Bill explains recent past; points way forward....

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

[Note: We didn't realize this until we sat down to write this blog post, but apparently the Governor's office has three separate programs related to "major events."  We had originally thought there was only one.  That just makes everything else we have to say that much more important.]

The Texas Association of Crony Capitalism "Business" released their 2017 legislative rankings this week.  Empower Texans has a good summary of that farce here.  But one details stands out.

The Major Events "Reimbursement" Program is a politically driven enterprise that allows the State of Texas to "reimburse" alleged "costs" for public spectacles such as the Super Bowl [note: LOL, more NFL subsidies], various NBA/NHL/MLS activities [note: LOL, guess who wants to move to Austin], and the not at all corrupt annual Formula 1 race outside Austin.

This past legislative session, HB 3294 would have expanded the Major Events "Reimbursement" Program to include NASCAR races.  You can read the bill for yourself here.  Empower Texans created a good summary earlier this year:



Here's what's fascinating: The Texas Association of Crony Capitalism "Business" scored a vote for HB 3294 POSITIVELY.  By contrast, Empower Texans scored the same vote NEGATIVELY.  And that fact tells you everything you need to know about those respective organizations.

But, beyond this immediate insight, the various "Major Event" slush funds controlled by the Governor's office points to a deeper truth.

Yesterday's "economic competitiveness" fiasco made clear that several professional sports teams are wedded to crony capitalism and left wing social policy.  The Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars BOTH testified in favor of thinly disguised cultural marxism.  Shortly thereafter, the Mayor of Frisco bragged about how the Dallas Cowboys are ripping off his own taxpayers.  Given this development...why give them subsidies?!?

One of the most godawful euphemisms around the Capitol is to "have a conversation."  Maybe the time has come to "have a conversation" about the three 'Major Event' slush funds.  Do we need it?!?  Taxing average Texans to subsidize billionaire team owners is never good economic policy.  But when those same billionaire team owners grow so entitled that they demand cultural marxism and taxpayer rip-offs in the name of "economic competitiveness," it raises the profile of the issue.  Texas' professional sports teams have a nice, little, crony capitalist operation going on there.  It'd be a shame if anything happened to it.

Bottom Line: LOL, let's "have a conversation"....