Bush's Revealing Choice in Memorial Day Company

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Corinthians 15:33

Friends, future, etc:

At 10 a.m. Monday, there will be a livestream of a ceremony at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, near Fort Hood. Bush will speak, with retired Navy admiral William McRaven giving the keynote address.

McRaven retired as a four-star admiral and is credited with organizing and overseeing Operation Neptune Spear, the raid in May 2011 that led to the death of Osama bin Laden. He was the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, from August 2011 to August 2014. He served as chancellor of The University of Texas system from 2015-18.

Bush is the eldest son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and is a former Navy Reserve officer. He has served as land commissioner since January 2014.

There isn't much to add.  We spent several years of our life detailing how Bill McRaven is an aggressive partisan who weaponizes his military service to silence critics.  It's just a shame so many of Texas' allegedly Republican elected officials were cowed by the Admiral's stars for so long.

One of the odder unintended consequences of Trump's presidency has been the degree to which Republicans have gotten wise to Bill McRaven.  We'll leave the federal stuff to others, except to say that most Republicans no longer see Bill McRaven as politically advantageous.  Except, apparently, George P. Bush.

Bottom Line:  Don't you dare interpret this cynically...why do you hate veterans?!?

George P. Bush, Dan Patrick, and the soft bigotry of low expectations

"The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so."
Proverbs 15:7

Inbox yesterday:

PR 20 03 05 by DanPatrickTX on Scribd

Sigh.

But here's the thing: Patrick's not wrong.  And that's completely depressing.  Because that's probably good enough to get Dan Patrick through the next election cycle.

It's not a secret that George P. Bush is looking at a primary against Patrick.  It's also not a secret that Bush has been awful on the subject of the Alamo.  So all Patrick needs to do is be less terrible than Bush on that one subject and his re-election is probably pretty safe.

Soo...cheers to Patrick.  We guess.  Ugh.

Bottom Line:  In comparison to the truly awful, we suppose the merely mediocre is better.  But that's not to say it's good.  Sadly, that might be the best our political system can do.

Does Bush's "Vandalism" Allegation REALLY add up?!?

"Even a child is known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right."
Proverbs 20:11

[Note: Open Records Requests have been sent.]

George P. Bush posted this to Twitter the other day:

This morning, my vehicle was broken into near one of the homeless camps in downtown ATX. These camps pose a serious safety concern for Austin residents. It’s far past time to reinstate camping ban. Thank you to @Austin_Police for all that you do to help keep our community safe. pic.twitter.com/aUx527SIG7

— George P. Bush (@georgepbush) February 11, 2020

We didn't give this a lot of thought on Tuesday. It seems plausible, given Austin's well documented recent upsurge in crime.  Our first impression was to keep scrolling.

Yesterday, however, we spoke with a source on an unrelated matter.  During the conversation, the source asked whether we were enjoying "George P. Bush as the new Jessie Smolett?!?"  When we were slow to pick up on the reference, this source laid out a hypothesis that Bush staged the whole thing.

Interesting.

At that point, we weren't particularly sold.  But the thought lingered.  Then we saw this report from KVUE:



We also saw this tweet from KVUE:

Good afternoon, @georgepbush. Did you file a police report? When and where did this happen?

— KVUE News (@KVUE) February 11, 2020

[Note: There's no way KVUE would have posted this tweet had they not tried to contact Bush through official channels first.]

Here's the thing: If Bush's story is on the level...then why wouldn't he respond to press inquiries.  As long as he's telling the truth, there's nothing but political upside.  He gets to bash the Austin city council on their single most unpopular policy.

But he says nothing.

Which begs a follow up question: What are the odds?!?

Out of all the cars...and all the residents of Austin...it just "happens" to be a statewide elected official whose car gets vandalized.

Furthermore, it just "happens" to be the statewide elected official with the most transparently obvious political ambitions?!?

(Yet no witnesses.)

Maybe...but that's an awfully big coincidence.

To be clear: This is all speculative.  We don't have anything to go on besides a hunch.  That being said, we've had multiple hunches related to George P. Bush pan out in the recent past.

It just seems...convenient.

Bottom Line: The results of the smell test, at least for now, are inconclusive.

EXCLUSIVE: How Taxpayers Subsidized George P. Bush's Last Primary Campaign

"The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men."
Psalm 12:8

Last October, we wrote about how J.R. Hernandez, one of George P. Bush's main political operatives, was double-dipping at taxpayer expense.

Last month, however, we had another hunch: For someone who was being paid six figures to work full time for the state...how many hours a week was he actually working?!?

So we sent an open records request to the General Land Office for J.R. Hernandez's schedule during the 2018 primary.

See it for yourself:

Jr Hernandez Schedule by Cahnman on Scribd

Takeaways:

• In a typical week, Hernandez did between 15 and 20 hours per week of work for the state.

• Hernandez got a smidge over 20 hours a couple of times, but never over 25.

• Less than five hours per week once early voting started.

Keep in mind, this was at a time when J.R. Hernandez was being paid over $130,000 to work full time for the state.

[Note: We only requested records during the primary campaign, but we suspect a similar pattern would emerge for the general.]

Bottom Line: Given that we're talking about Texas state government, perhaps this shouldn't surprise. Furthermore, given that we're talking about the Bushes, perhaps this should surprise even less. That doesn't make any of it right.

#TXLEGE 2019: Everybody Sucked

"Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
But by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged."
Proverbs 28:2

Forty five minutes ago, we sat down to write a blog post, "Dingus of the Year: George P. Bush."

It would have been easy to write.  There's plenty of material.  For crying out loud, we just called for the man's impeachment.

Unfortunately, even with that much material, we're not sure George P. Bush really was the dingus of the year.

He certainly had competition:

• Greg Abbott?!?

• Dan Patrick?!?

• Dennis Bonnen?!?

• Poncho Nevarez?!?

That's without considering various examples of minor league dingosity.

Bottom Line: If you take public policy seriously, nothing good happened.  On the other hand, it was entertaining.  So there's that.  Happy new year.

#TXLEGE: Lt. Dan's Best Day All Year

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

Serve:

PR 12 17 2019 Lt. Gov. Patrick Challenges Bush Characterization of Alamo Redesign Plan Opponents by Cahnman on Scribd

Whiff:

“Lt. Gov. Patrick has taken my statement out of context, much like the small group of protesters and activists," Bush said in an email. "To clarify, I stated the accusation that I was erecting a statue of Santa Anna at the Alamo, and protesters continually referring to me with slurs such as 'Santa Anna Bush' online is racist."

Bush said Patrick had "twist(ed) my words" to suggest that he had called all critics of the Alamo redevelopment plan racist.

"It is a very dangerous mistake for an elected official with his power to make," Bush said of Patrick's comments. "I’ve always done my best to be open and transparent with the Alamo project (*), and I look forward to Lt. Gov. Patrick learning the facts about the project in January. Hopefully, this will stop the spread of more rumors.”

 * - Baldfaced lie.

Serve:

PR 19 12 17 by DanPatrickTX on Scribd

Good.

Bush's conduct was never good.  In recent months, it's become increasingly reprehensible.  It's time for accountability from the legislature.

The Lt. Governor's office is as good of a place for that to start as any.

So three cheers for Lt. Dan on the substance of yesterday's actions.

Someone had to do it.

-------

Politics:

However, let's not kid ourselves: Lt. Dan's letter was political AF.

Over the past few months, George P. Bush (and his dingleberry staffers) has been telling anyone who would listen that he was coming for Lt. Dan's job.

Did George P. Bush expect Lt. Dan to take that lying down?!?

Because, to put it mildly, that's not Lt. Dan's style.

George P. Bush handed this issue to Lt. Dan on a silver platter, and nobody should be surprised that Lt. Dan ran with it.

-------

The system worked:

But so what?!?

James Madison explained in 1788:

Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.

In this case, Lt. Dan's ambition (to keep his current office) is counteracting George P. Bush's ambition (to take Lt. Dan's office).

Lt. Dan saw an opportunity to go after George P. Bush over the latter's misconduct in office. Lt. Dan took it. In taking the opportunity, however, Lt. Dan's actions advanced the public's interest.

Who cares if his actions were "political"?!?

-------

Bottom Line: On the one hand, it's about time.  On the other hand, better late than never.  Stay tuned.

#TXLEGE: Impeach George P. Bush (It's Time)

"Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need."
Ephesians 4:28

Yeah, this is bad:

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush failed to disclose his ties to at least 11 companies, including a Cayman Islands-based oil and gas firm that did business with a state fund he helps oversee, records obtained by The Texas Tribune show.

Arabella Exploration, which declared bankruptcy in 2017, put Bush on its board in January 2014, paid him $43,000 for his service and granted him stock options that were valued at over $100,000, regulatory filings show. The next year, a few months into his new job as land commissioner — and about a year after he left the Arabella board — the School Land Board, which Bush chairs, approved a lease agreement with Arabella for oil and gas exploration in West Texas, records show.

State politicians must provide details of their personal finances, including business dealings and corporate board service, every year to the Texas Ethics Commissions so voters can judge whether their elected leaders have any conflicts of interest.

Nowhere did Bush’s 2015 state disclosure mention Arabella, however. Nor did he list 10 other companies in which he has a stake on more recent disclosure forms. The other companies on the list include investments held or owned by St. Augustine Partners, LLC, some of them focused on the oil and gas business.

Wow.  Oil leases for a company in whom you hold stock options.  Wonder what the vesting schedule was there.

It's just so...blatant.

The full Tribune article is wild, we recommend reading the whole thing here.

(We'll wait)

-------

Obviously, this isn't the first scandal to consume Texas' undistinguished land commissioner.

Among others:

• The undisclosed secret mansion.
• Note: In hindsight, this is probably when Bush should have been impeached.

• The Alamo crap.

• As this website first reported...keeping political operatives on the taxpayer funded payroll.

We could go on.

At this point, however, the biggest takeaway ought to be that Texas' undistinguished land commissioner regularly finds himself enmeshed in significant scandals.

This isn't the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last.

-------

Last October we wrote:

[T]he George P. problem isn't going away.

There is, however, a solution (even if he gets a second term): Impeachment.

According to Article 15 of the Texas Constitution, the power of impeachment lies with the legislature. The house has the authority to impeach statewide officers for pretty much any reason they want [Note: This power was abused a few years back]. If a simple majority in the house votes to impeach, it goes to trial in the Senate. If two-thirds of the Senators vote to convict, the office-holder is removed.

Obviously, this would be a drastic step. But it might be a necessary one.

Fourteen months, and at least three additional scandals, later...here we are.

If not this scandal specifically, something like it was not hard to predict.

-------

Bottom Line: After what we learned this morning, it's undeniable and indefensible.

George P. Bush cries "Rasicm" to misdirect from Dunderheaded Mismanagement of Alamo

"Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way."
Psalm 25:8

What a dork:

THREAD: One must ask themselves, why am I being accused of honoring the murderous dictator Santa Anna? Is it because my mother (now a naturalized citizen) is from Mexico? I was born in Houston, my wife is from San Angelo, and my boys were born-you guessed it- here in Texas. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/Tjn7Ek2jjB

— George P. Bush (@georgepbush) December 11, 2019

The idea that I would EVER place a statue of Santa Anna at the Alamo is patently false. Enough is enough. This is an outright lie, and is quite frankly, flat out racist. (3/3)

— George P. Bush (@georgepbush) December 11, 2019

YCT Chairman Saurabh Sharma then addressed P.:

I’m not a native Texan but I love this state. The specific story you’re citing is fake news & should discredit anyone spreading it.

But let’s not pretend it hasn’t been your failure to competently restore the Alamo that has led to the opposition to you. It’s not racism. #txlege https://t.co/L5aJnNgbrx

— Saurabh Sharma (@ssharmaTX) December 12, 2019

To which J.R. Hernandez (remember him) replied:

Now this is a take.

In which @YCT chairman justifies the spread of lies with racist undertones claiming its George P. Bush’s own fault for not “competently restoring Alamo.” https://t.co/Z1V5yWVE8Y

— J.R. (@JRHDZV) December 12, 2019

Saurabh again:

Do you know how to read or does your lucrative taxpayer-funded salary not require that?

I explicitly said that the story is fake & discredits anyone spreading it.

But any effort to paint all opposition to Commissioner Bush as racism is a lie designed to avoid true criticism. https://t.co/gHsl02sPi2

— Saurabh Sharma (@ssharmaTX) December 12, 2019

For those who don’t know JR is Commissioner Bush’s in-house campaign flack whose job it is to plant the asinine “George P. For Lieutenant Governor” boomlet we see every few months. @cahnman did the digging on this last time.https://t.co/GIt2khHRKn

— Saurabh Sharma (@ssharmaTX) December 12, 2019

Thank you Saurabh.

Now, look: George P. Bush probably isn't some globalist with a secret agenda to erase history. George P. Bush isn't that smart.  But George P. Bush can still grease the skids for a shady "redevelopment" deal even if he's not receiving direct orders from the Trilateral commission.

For several years, George P. Bush has been talking out of both sides of his mouth about the Alamo.  Given his own behavior, it's not surprising that a rumor took hold.  Watch for yourself and decide whether or not you trust him:



Bottom Line: If George P. Bush wants to know why people are angry at him over the Alamo, he should look in the mirror, rather than grasping at this pathetic straw(man argument).

EXCLUSIVE: George P. Bush Political Operative getting $11k(+) monthly AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE

"The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men."
Psalm 12:8

Ten days ago, we wrote a blog post about George P. Bush's thinly disguised political ambitions.  In the course of writing said post, we deduced that several media stories had been planted by some dude named "J.R. Hernandez."  By itself, there's nothing wrong with this.  That's the job of a campaign flack.

But it did get us curious about this "J.R. Hernandez" character.

Less than a minute of research yielded the following Twitter account:

Hang on a second...is this person a state employee?!?

30 more seconds yielded this LinkedIn account:

Not only is this "J.R. Hernandez" fella a state employee, he brags about double dipping at campaign and taxpayer expense in a public forum.

[Note: Technically, this is probably legal in Texas.  That doesn't make it ethical or moral.  The potential conflicts of interest are obvious.]

At this point, we decided to send an open records request to the General Land Office for this "J.R. Hernandez" figure's compensation records.

This is where things get REALLY interesting.

According to General Land Office records, on February 1, 2015 George P. Bush hired one "Hernandez, John" as his chief of staff for the low, low price of $10,583.33 per month (aka. $127k annually):

On January 1, 2017 this same "Hernandez, John R." was given a new position and a raise to $10,847.91 per month (aka. $130k(+) annually):

On April 1, 2018 George P. Bush chose to recognize "Hernandez, John R." via a one time 'merit' payment of more than $5200.  As the documents show, this was a de facto 4% pay increase.  That being said, we do appreciate the irony of recognizing a Bush crony for their alleged 'merit' on April Fools Day:

On March 1 of this year, "Hernandez, John R." got yet another raise to $11,281.83 per month (aka. $135k(+) annually):

As of the time of publication, the Texas General Land office is paying this "J.R. Hernandez" personality over $135,000 annually.

Keep in mind: This taxpayer funded salary is in addition to whatever compensation "J.R. Hernandez" is receiving from George P. Bush's campaign.

But wait...there's more!!!

On his application for the position with the General Land Office, "J.R. Hernandez" listed his campaign position under 'previous experience."  Again, by itself, that's not particularly noteworthy.  However, what is noteworthy is that HE LEFT THE "SPECIFIC REASON FOR LEAVING" SECTION BLANK:

Bottom Line: Given that we're talking about Texas state government, perhaps this shouldn't surprise.  Furthermore, given that we're talking about the Bushes, perhaps this should surprise even less.  That doesn't make any of it right.

-------

The full General Land Office document release is available below; the information cited in this blog post is located on pages 12, 20-22, and 28:

JR Hernandez_Employment &am... by Cahnman on Scribd

Abbott/Turner slapfight is why government shouldn't provide "disaster relief"

"I will set Egyptians against Egyptians;
Everyone will fight against his brother,
And everyone against his neighbor,
City against city, kingdom against kingdom."
Isaiah 19:2

Oh good grief:

Texas is likely another nine months from getting $4.3 billion in federal post-Hurricane Harvey recovery money aimed at better protecting the state from future flooding and disasters. But when it finally arrives, Gov. Greg Abbott made clear Friday the state will be handling the money directly and not turning it over to cities and counties to manage.

While some local officials expressed frustration over the decision, Abbott said he’s turning to Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush to lead the program aimed at large-scale, regional projects. Bush has already been tasked with dealing with housing recovery issues since Harvey hit Texas in August 2017.

....

Similarly Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city will continue to work closely with Bush’s agency, but made clear who will be to blame for delays in getting work completed.

“If there will be any delay in the distribution and use of flood mitigation aid, it will come from the federal and state government,” Turner said.

Texas has been waiting for the money since February 2018, when Congress first approved the disaster mitigation program. But it took until August for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to publish rules on how the money can be used.

Now, Bush and the Texas General Land Office are required to develop a “state action plan” that must later get yet another approval from HUD. According to a joint statement put out by Abbott and Bush on Friday, that could take another “nine months or more to complete.” That would mean July 2020 — just short of three years after Hurricane Harvey made landfall.

Blah, blah, blah.

This is a scumbag on scumbag fight.  Greg Abbott and Sylvester Turner both want to supply graft and patronage.  Just different beneficiaries.  No matter who "wins," the public loses.

Don't get us started on that three year "rulemaking" process.

The Texas Observer, meanwhile, has more here.

Bottom Line: This is why you never ask the Feds for money.

Entitled Bimbo Wants to Serve You (to his donors on a platter)

"Even a child is known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right."
Proverbs 20:11

Via Kevin Williamson:

A source in Texas told me that George P. Bush, currently the state’s land commissioner, already is running a quiet campaign for lieutenant governor. His people would not exactly confirm that, but what they did say was, in a sense, more interesting: Who says it’s lieutenant governor?

“While he wouldn’t challenge current Governor Abbott or Lieutenant Governor Patrick, if an opening presents itself he would absolutely consider serving Texans in a higher role. When that moment arises, he’s ready,” said adviser J. R. Hernandez.

George P. Bush is the son of the former Florida governor and the nephew of the former Texas governor and president. He was born in Houston and is a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law.

“Over the last few months,” Hernandez says, “several activists and donors have asked Commissioner Bush to consider higher office in Texas. At this time he is 100 percent focused on doing his job as land commissioner.”

This is the worst idea since Pete Sessions decided to run for Congress in Waco.

Good grief.

Is there any market for George P. Bush anywhere (besides a few big donors)?!?

With all due respect to whomever this "J.R. Hernandez" character might be (*), there sure as heck ain't any activists calling for this.  That may not ultimately matter, we've campaigns win without activist support (case in point: George P. Bush 2018).  But for anyone connected to the Bushes to claim "activist" support illustrates the sense of entitlement with which the entire operation carries itself.

Bottom Line: What could possibly go wrong?!?

-------

* -- We sent GLO some open records requests.

Florida Man Brings Racket to Texas Republicans

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."
Matthew 7:15

We had planned to take Independence Day off, then this happened:



Apparently, a single term former congressman who lost to a Democrat wants to be the next RPT chairman.

Your guess is as good as ours as to why.

Florida man's "announcement video," is a hot mess of patriotic cliches.  Apparently, today is America's birthday and the preamble to the constitution uses the phrase "more perfect union."  Florida man spent time in the military.

Beyond buzzwords, however, Florida man offers little rationale for his candidacy.

Florida man seems to be running as Dan Patrick on steroids.  Florida man has twice Dan Patrick's ego with half of Dan Patrick's wits.  Basic algebra thus suggests Florida man is a quarter-wit.

Unfortunately for Florida man, Texas Republicans only consider quarter-wits qualified for agriculture commissioner.

That being said, the biggest shame in all this is the missed opportunity.  RPT desperately needs an intellectually serious discussion about the mess in which our state currently finds itself and the path forward.  Unfortunately, Florida man seems clueless about what genuinely ails Texas.

As one example: During his 'announcement video,' Florida man talks about "defending the spirit of the Alamo" while name dropping William Barrett Travis.  That's all good.  Florida man might get a 'C' in 8th grade Texas history.

Unfortunately, the biggest current threat to the Alamo comes from a Texas Republican.

For Florida man to spout platitudes about the Alamo while ignoring George P. Bush tells you everything you need to know.

Bottom Line: No.

The Long Term Solution to our George P. Bush problem

"Woe to those who devise iniquity,
And work out evil on their beds!
At morning light they practice it,
Because it is in the power of their hand."
Micah 2:1

Confession: Over the past couple weeks, since George P. Bush started mucking around with the land offices' school finance obligations, this author has had quiet discussions about putting together a group effort to torpedo his candidacy in November.  But that won't happen.  Post-Kavanaugh, people are simply too mad at the Democrats to do them this sort of a favor.

But the George P. problem isn't going away.

There is, however, a solution (even if he gets a second term): Impeachment.

According to Article 15 of the Texas Constitution, the power of impeachment lies with the legislature.  The house has the authority to impeach statewide officers for pretty much any reason they want [Note: This power was abused a few years back].  If a simple majority in the house votes to impeach, it goes to trial in the Senate.  If two-thirds of the Senators vote to convict, the office-holder is removed.

Obviously, this would be a drastic step.  But it might be a necessary one.  He's not backing down on this Alamo nonsense.  And what he's doing with school finance is a gigantic threat to property tax reform/relief.

That being said, George P. should not be impeached over transgressions committed during his first term.  The voters had a chance to weigh in on that one back in March.  They'll get another opportunity next month.  Bush survived the first and is likely to survive the second.  So his first term has been settled.  But any new offenses that occur after he's sworn in for the second term are fair game.  Does anyone those offenses will inevitably occur?!?

Bottom Line: George P. Bush is going to get re-elected.  But there are still ways to hold him accountable in a second term.  They might just have to be used....

George P. Bush, David Dewhurst, (shady real estate mechanisms), and YOUR taxes

"For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."
Luke 8:17

Obscure, complicated, fight over education funding broke out last week:

A fight is brewing between Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Republicans on the State Board of Education over investment funds they manage to generate school funding.

For the first time ever, the School Land Board — a three-person body headed by Bush, a Republican — declined to pass any money from its fund to the education board, instead opting to feed $600 million to schools directly.

In response, education board members say they will have to reduce their own contributions toward school funding. And they’re also calling for this complex investment system to be reformed in the next legislative session.

As each side argues over how to best manage the largest educational endowment in the country, their disagreement could affect funding for Texas schools.

The crux of their fight rests on whose investment portfolio is the most profitable.

Since 2001, the land office and the education board have each managed separate portfolios as part of the $40 billion Permanent School Fund, a massive endowment of land and investments set up to support public schools in the state. That money makes up one piece of a broader school finance system in Texas, which also uses funds from local property taxes, state taxes and federal programs to support public schools.

The land office, which manages the real estate and mineral leases on the fund’s land, passed along millions each year from its fund to the education board’s own fund for securities investments.

In the past eight funding cycles, it had twice contributed $300 million directly into school funding, in addition to giving the SBOE anywhere from $200 million to $500 million.

But for the first time, the School Land Board voted not to pass along any money at all to the education board. Instead, all three of the board’s members voted to put $600 million directly into school funding — the maximum allowed under state law.

“Our dollars are needed more than ever, and this was the most direct way to get the money to the schoolchildren of Texas,” Karina Erickson, a spokesperson for Bush, said.

Bush has insisted that the land office's investment fund is more profitable, and thus where it makes the most financial sense to keep school money.

But state board members have disputed his claims, instead accusing the land commissioner of getting involved in school funding to boost his political profile.

The (extremely) short version of what's happening: George P. Bush is hoarding cash in his own agency.  That gap will have to get made up somewhere.  The most likely places are the legislature or local property taxes.  Either one of those outcomes would likely forestall meaningful property tax reform.

So that's bad, but what's more interesting is how we got into this mess in the first place.

In 2001, back when he was Land Commissioner, David Dewhurst (of all people) got the legislature to pass HB 3558: Relating to the sale, lease, and purchase of interests in real property for the permanent school fund.  Essentially, the bill allowed the land office to act as a landlord/real estate developer in the name of "education funding."  Companies with good lobbyists could get favorable tax treatment.  It's pretty much the most Texas government thing ever!

Well:

The state-of-the-art Wal-Mart Distribution Center, located in the Houston Ship Channel area, is the newest and largest Wal-Mart import and distribution facility in the country.

....

Phase II is another 2 million-square-foot bulk storage facility and distribution warehouse consisting of four attached 500,000-square-foot buildings on a 238.80-acre site. Construction (site preparation) began in August of 2004 and Phase II was completed in May of 2005.

The transaction was a significant public/private venture between Wal-Mart Stores East LP and the Texas Permanent School Fund represented by the Texas General Land Office. This is the biggest real-estate transaction ever for the PSF, a $21 billion investment pool that generates about $800 million a year to help pay for the state's share of public education.

Wal-Mart purchased the land and built the two structures that were under contract for sale to the Permanent School Fund. The agreement also included a leaseback provision that was based on bond lease terms at a blended rate of 6.12 percent of the value of the property for the first five years or $6.12 million annually for that period.

The project transaction was conceived in conjunction with Chambers County officials with help from the Governor's Office of Economic Development.

The collaboration of a public entity, the largest retail organization in the world and a governmental agency on a real estate transaction posed certain challenges not familiar to private sector transactions.

This transaction was the first of its kind for the Texas General Land Office, and the asset management and legal departments had to interpret new legislation that allowed the agency to purchase the property. Working together, both departments and Wal-Mart came up with the creative solutions needed to close this transaction in a relatively short period of time for such a large and complicated deal.

Additionally, Chambers County was instrumental in attracting Wal-Mart to the Cedar Crossing Industrial Park. The county's cooperation facilitated Wal-Mart's decision to make their site selection in Chambers County.

So the legislature created a complicated system of using real estate transactions to "fund schools" and the first thing is was used for...was to give tax breaks to Wal-Mart.

Got it.

Bottom Line: This entire wretched system should probably be abolished (or, at least, significantly reformed).  But, at a minimum, dedicated funds should be used for their intended purpose.  George P. Bush is rapidly turning himself into a liability we can't afford....

#TXLEGE: Incoherent Electorate Re-Affirms Status Quo

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort"
2 Corinthians 1:3

Lotta spin coming out of Tuesday night.

Empower Texas is giving one set of absurd spin that Tuesday night was some allegedly great conservative victory.  On the other hand, the Austin lobby is giving another set of equally absurd spin that Tuesday night was some allegedly great victory for crony capitalism and good ol' boy politics.  Honestly, they're both full of...it.

While conservatives did enjoy a few modest gains (especially in congressional races), the truth is that the 2018 primary was basically a draw.

The Good:

• Patrick BLOWS OUT opponent - For as much as the Austin lobby hates Dan Patrick's guts, they also know they can't lay a finger on him.

• Freedom Caucus all win - Likewise, for as much as the Austin lobby hates their guts, they can't lay a finger on them.

• Cruz cruises - Seriously, he won more votes than all three Democrat candidates combined.

• Congressional Races - From Bunni Pounds in CD 5, to Ron Wright in CD 6, to either candidate in CD 21, to Michael Cloud in CD 23 solid people qualified for runoffs.  Van Taylor won outright.  In ALL of those districts, the possibility exist for significant upgrades.
• If you'll give us a second, we'd like to brag on CD-21: Between Chip Roy and Matt McCall, you have two fabulous people in the runoff.  While they have very different personalities, they're virtually identical on issues.  Either one will be a tremendous upgrade over the lousy incumbent they're replacing.

• Bob Hall wins - This was supposed to be the great "message" that the Austin lobby was going to send to Dan Patrick, and it failed spectacularly.

• Angela Paxton wins - The negative campaign backfired.

• Christi Craddick wins - Speaking of negative campaigns backfiring. #ijs

• Fallon defeats Estes - This will make getting to 19 votes on any particular issue immeasurably easier (also, you know, this).

• Cruz and Patrick have long coattails (longer than Abbott) - Every Senate candidate Patrick endorsed won; the overwhelming majority of candidates Cruz endorsed either won or qualified for runoffs.
• Note: Did we mention the contrast with Abbott?!?

• Jason Villalba loses - It's better to have an additional vote than to not have one, but it's hard to take joy in beating up the retarded kid.

• Jonathan Boos wins - Solid pickup.
• Note: This seat is NOT a gimme in the general election.

• Steve Toth returns - PARTY!!!

• Mayes Middleton wins - He worked his tail off and won this campaign on his own; endorsements he received were irrelevant.

• Dawnna Dukes gets popped.

• Local election in Montgomery County - Some very corrupt people got popped.

The Bad:

• George P. Bush survives - Lots of money and 100% name ID.  Jerry Patterson got in too late and didn't raise enough money.  None of the challengers made effective use of earned or social media.

• Too many AWFUL house incumbents survive - In some cases, they successfully lied about their record.  In other cases, the challengers didn't put in the necessary work.  In other cases, combined with the Senate and Congressional races in the same geographic area, the results are incoherent and don't make sense.

• Too many AWFUL house incumbents weren't challenged in the first place - Drew Darby, Todd Hunter, Gary van Deaver, Jay Dean, John Wray, Kyle Kacal, John Zerwas, Geanie Morrision, Justin Holland, John Keumpel, Doc Anderson, Trent Ashby, Tan Parker, Drew Springer, and Angie Chen Button to name just a few.

• Empower Texans and Texas Right to Life inexplicably failed to return reporters' phone calls - We don't know that the "West Texas billionaires" line or the contretemps with the Catholic Bishops was necessarily fatal.  But when reporters are writing stories about those subjects, and you fail to return their phone calls, it makes it look like you've got something to hide.  Stupid self-inflicted wound.

• Seliger survives - We're not sure that this is a particularly big deal.  Seliger moved both of the bills in his committee that we cared about last session.  Next session, Seliger will have to choose between being a thorn in Dan Patrick's side or passing his local bills.
• Note: There's a reason why we didn't pick any fights with Seliger this cycle.

• Ron Reynolds survives - The guy's about to be disbarred...and yet he gets re-elected?!?

The Ugly:

• Greg Abbott looks FOOLISH - The guy picks a fight with three incumbent state reps and loses two of them.  And, in the third campaign, the candidate who won didn't need the Governor's help.  Meanwhile, there's no reason to believe that the candidates he endorsed who helped stymie his agenda will do anything different.
• Note: There's a reason why we asked Sarah Davis a softball question at the Trib event a couple weeks ago.
• Note II: Again, see our comment above about the contrast between Abbott's coattails vs. Patrick & Cruz.

• DEMOCRAT.  TURNOUT.  FAIL - It was up, but it still wasn't anything special.

• "Beto's" Debacle - LOL.

• Ferdinand Frank "Trey Martinez" Fischer - Because if there's one thing the Texas house needs, it's another race baiting Democrat.

• Hays county - What a mess.

• Philip Huffines - Sad.

It looks like the voters are incoherent.  Sure, they re-affirmed the good ol' boy status quo in the house.  But they also re-affirmed the conservative status quo in the Senate (to say nothing of the congressional races).

What does it mean?!?

We don't know, but to understand the incoherence of the results, consider the results in house district 2 and Senate district 2 (which have significant geographic overlap):

There is no way those results happen unless a significant portion of the electorate that voted for both Dan Flynn and Bob Hall.  People who vote for Bob Hall in one race, then vote for Dan Flynn immediately down ballot are sending "mixed messages" at best.  It might be a pro-incumbant message, but it's not philosophically coherent.

Bottom Line: The grassroots and the Austin lobby remain locked in a stalemate.  The Democrats remain irrelevant, except to the degree they pull the Austin lobby to the left.  We know that we've been saying for years that the status quo isn't sustainable, but maybe it is....

#TXLEGE: Highlights from Patrick's first Interim Charges....

"The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich."
Proverbs 13:4

Dan Patrick released his first round of interim charges today, the following caught our eye:

• Alamo Historical Site Renovation: Monitor the expenditures of state funds appropriated to the General Land Office for the preservation, maintenance, and operation of the Alamo historical site. Ensure the funds are spent to emphasize the architectural design and the historical impact the battle had on the development of Texas as a nation and as a state.
• [Note: Take THAT George P.]

• Property Tax on Business Personal Property: Evaluate the property tax as it applies to business personal property and the current $500 exemption. Quantify the economic effect of taxing business personal property and determine whether the tax places Texas at a competitive disadvantage relative to other states. Evaluate the burden on taxpayers and local governments of administering the property tax on business personal property and determine whether the current $500 exemption should be increased.

• Voter Engagement: Study and recommend ways to enhance voter engagement in local government decisions around budgets and property tax rates through digital media and social media. Determine how budget and tax rate information should be formatted for effective communication through digital and social media. Identify the ways in which digital and social media 4 present new opportunities for voters to give feedback to local governments. Identify best practices among local governments in Texas and in other states.\

• Tax Rate and Appraisal Reform: Evaluate the effective tax rate and rollback tax rate calculations and identify modifications that would yield a rollback process that is meaningful for local governments and for citizens. Evaluate whether the current rollback election trigger serves modern objectives.
  
  Evaluate the operations of appraisal review boards (ARBs), specifically the training and expertise of members concerning appraisal standards and law, ethics, and meeting procedures. Determine whether ARB operations are sufficiently independent of central appraisal districts and taxing units and whether ARBs and/or chief appraisers should be elected. 

• Lowering Property Tax Burden: Study the feasibility of replacing the property tax with sales tax or other consumption tax revenue, with emphasis on school maintenance and operations tax. Evaluate whether some local property taxes lend themselves to a swap more than others. Quantify the short-term and long-term economic effects of a tax swap. Identify a target property tax rate and evaluate how to reach that target with a consumption tax swap.

• Hotel Occupancy Taxes: Study and make recommendations regarding the collection and use of hotel occupancy taxes to increase transparency in the imposition, rate, and use of such taxes.
• [Note: Hotel Occupancy Taxes are a scam; abolish them entirely.]

• Housing Affordability: Examine issues that impact housing affordability, including the effect of local government taxes, fees, and mandates. Evaluate the cost of purchasing a single-family residence in different parts of the state, factoring in the impact of local rules and regulations, to identify matters of policy with the greatest influence, and identify ways to increase transparency and awareness prior to the adoption of costly local ordinances or orders.
• [Note:  Really wish he hadn't limited it to "single-family residence[s]."  That being said, even if we have a long way to go this is still a step in the right direction.  The euphemism "multi-session process" comes to mind.]

Read the full list here.

Texas Republicans and Hispanics: Tim Carney chooses a poor metric

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever."
Psalm 9:18

Tim Carney of the Washington Examiner is a friend and former colleague.  Today, he wrote a perceptive column about the lack of action in GOP efforts to woo Hispanic voters.  Unfortunately, he also included this line about efforts in Texas:

Texas, for instance, has nine majority-Hispanic [U.S. House] districts (all held by Democrats) and the Democrat is running without a Republican opponent in four of them. In four other races a minor GOP candidate is running with no support from the National Republican Congressional Committee in the form of contributions or independent expenditures, according to a review of data gathered by the Center for Responsive Politics. Only in the 23rd District — a sprawling, rural border district — is the GOP playing, backing Will Hurd.

With all due respect to Tim, he's looking at the wrong place on the ballot.  Texas Republican efforts to recruit Hispanic candidates are happening much closer to home.  Given the restrictive nature of Federal campaign finance laws, U.S. House races will be one of the last places these efforts bear fruit.

For example, Hispanic Republicans of Texas is a group founded by George P. Bush (*) in 2009.  They've currently endorsed almost 30 candidates.  Most of these candidates are running for county level executive and judicial positions in heavily Democrat counties.  The highest level of government they're endorsing this cycle is State Rep.  The group intends to start with city council, county, and school board candidates.

Meanwhile, at the top of the ticket, Greg Abbott has made the biggest outreach effort in the Rio Grande Valley of any Republican candidate ever:

But this year, Republican nominee Greg Abbott, the state’s attorney general, has set out to break [George W.] Bush’s record by making the rapidly growing Hispanic vote — and the Rio Grande Valley — central to his campaign. The day after Abbott announced his candidacy in San Antonio, he was in McAllen, on the Mexican border. He has visited the area 14 times during the campaign, most recently for his first debate with the Democratic candidate, state Sen. Wendy Davis.

He has also aired six Spanish-language TV ads, including one featuring his Latina mother-in-law that premiered during the Mexico-Brazil World Cup match in June. (“His values are our values. Faith, family and honesty,” his sister-in-law Rosie Phalen says in the ad.)

....

The situation has surprised locals who are accustomed to being a sideshow in big elections.

“This is the first time in my memory . . . that we’ve had the interest of the politicians,” said McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, who has endorsed Abbott and whose office is nonpartisan. “For years, the Democrats kind of took our county for granted, and the Republicans didn’t think they’d make any inroads.”

....

But [Wendy] Davis also has vulnerability among Hispanics. Republicans have seized on her position on abortion to paint her as anti-family. She surprised many people by losing several border counties in the primary — including Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy in the Rio Grande Valley — to an obscure 71-year-old Corpus Christi judge named Reynaldo “Ray” Madrigal, who barely campaigned.

Republicans concede way too much territory to Democrats.  Often the areas they concede overlap with majority Hispanic areas.  Tim was right to make this point.  But he's off the mark in Texas.  Texas Republicans are actively recruiting and running Hispanic candidates in Hispanic areas.  But these movements need to bubble up from the local level.  Federal races are the last place this will materialize.

 -----

* Yeah, we know, but HRT does good work even if some of these candidates will need primary challenges in a few years.

Republican Primary Statewide Endorsement List

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Hosea 4:6

We hadn't intended to post a statewide candidate list.  Enough people have asked us to do so, however, that we humbly oblige.   We are flattered and honored that you value our opinion.

Governor:  Greg Abbott

This is the easiest call on the list.  Rick Perry has been, on net, an outstanding Governor.  Greg Abbott has been a critical ally.  Where they differ, the differences favor Abbott.  While we urge Abbott to be much more confrontational with the legislature, maintaining the status quo Rick Perry bequeaths is already a big win.

Lt. Governor:  NO ENDORSEMENT.

Attorney General:  Ken Paxton (previously endorsed).

Continuing to nurse hurt feelings over something that happened three years ago, during a different era in Tea Party history, is insane; Vote Ken Paxton.

Comptroller:  Debra Medina

This is the toughest call of the 2014 cycle.  In our view, Debra Medina is the candidate whose natural talents align closest with the duties of comptroller.  As Texas' chief financial officer, the Comptroller deals with money.  A long time Ron Paul confidant, Medina has a knack for fiscal policy we've always admired.  We expect Medina to be a gigantic pain in the ass to a lot of people who deserve one.

That being said, many people we know and respect support Glenn Hegar.  That's fine, Glenn Hegar is a good man who was very helpful behind the scenes.  If he wins, he will perform solidly.

Unlike Debra Medina, there is an actual Joe Straus lieutenant in this race.  Cahnman's Musings would prefer not to help build his name recognition or website traffic.  Empower Texans has everything you need to know here.

Land Commissioner:  David Watts Jr.

The current Land Commissioner has abused his office in a way that makes it impossible to support his campaign for Lt. Gov.  David Watts Jr. is the only candidate to address this abuse.  While we're discussing this race, Cahnman's Musings has also had enough of politicians named George Bush, thank you very much.

Agriculture Commissioner:  Sid Miller

Sid Miller isn't perfect.  Unfortunately, the alternatives are a buffoon, a Democrat, or Tommy Merritt.  We reserve the right to support Kinky Friedman in the general.

Railroad Commissioner: Wayne Christian

Despite the name, the Texas Rail Road Commission is the primary regulator of Texas booming energy sector.  To be honest, we wanted Wayne Christian to run for U.S. Senate, but he's running for Railroad Commission instead.  As commissioner, Wayne Christian will protect fracking and anger the business as usual crowd.

U.S. Senate: Steve Stockman (previously endorsed)

Last week, John Cornyn re-enforced everything we knew.  While good people disagree on the best alternative, the objective this round is only to hold Cornyn under 50%.  Personally, we believe Steve Stockman is a pest similar to (retired NHL star) Esa Tikkannen, which is exactly what the U.S. Senate needs.

Texas Supreme Court: Re-elect ALL incumbents

This is the Jeremiah 17:9 race of this cycle.

Over the past two months, there's been a Democrat-financed whisper campaign against incumbent Texas Supreme Court Justices Nathan Hecht, Phil Johnson, and Jeff Brown.  Cahnman's Musings was offered this story as an exclusive last December.  We were astonished when the person who fed us this story admitted the purpose was to embarrass Rick Perry.

Fortunately, the truth has emerged.  Anyone who supports the challengers is, at best, a useful idiot for Steve Mostyn. It's a shame certain people chose to permanently tarnish thier credibility.

-----

Cahnman's Musings also encourages readers to do their own homework regarding candidates closer to home; off the top of our head, we know readers in Bexar, Dallas, and Tarrant counties have local primaries with statewide implications.

-----

Those are our primary endorsements, take the or leave them.