#TXLEGE: At least the Arlington Chamber's Honest

"The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,"
Revelation 18:15

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce recently wrote a blog post defending taxpayer funded lobbying.  Empower Texans has a pretty good summary.  However, a closer reading of the blog post reveals some details ET missed:

It would be understandable that cities and counties feel the need to protect their revenue streams from a hostile legislature. SB29 would have unilaterally disarmed cities and counties, leaving them at the mercy of industry lobbyists.

A concern among Chambers, PTAs and other groups that receive support from taxing entities is that we not get caught in the unintended consequences of loosely written legislation like SB29.

[Note: Emphasis Added.]

In other words: We're getting a lot of preferential treatment (including direct payments).  We're also able to outsource our lobby expenses to the taxpayer.  Keep that going!!!

We confess mixed feelings.  On the one hand, their policy position is obviously repellent.  On the other hand, there's a certain level of honesty.

Chamber types usually hide their avarice and mendacity behind euphemisms.

Bottom Line: In attempting to defend taxpayer funded lobbying, they make a pretty good case for its abolition.