West makes (half of) a good point

"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

Allan West has a blog post about the Dennis Bonnen/Drew Darby/Mary Gonzalez triangle of the past few days:

Republicans in Texas Sucking up to the Left?

We have a Republican legislator, who is in a “leadership” position here in Texas, in dire need of our dubious “Stuck on Stupid” recognition. His name is Dennis Bonnen. What he has just done is most egregious in nature, and is the reason for the question posed as the title to this missive.

[Long description of Mary Gonzalez that can summarized by saying she's very liberal.]

This goes beyond being stuck on stupid, it is a special kind of stupid, and dangerous at that. Let me pose a question, does anyone believe that in California, their State Assembly Speaker would appoint a solid conservative to a major committee, such as Budget? Does anyone believe that in any blue controlled state legislative body, let’s say Virginia, that they would appoint a conservative to a key committee?

So, why is it here, in Texas, the preeminent constitutional conservative red state in America, that we have a Texas House Speaker taking this action?

West isn't wrong to ask the question.

It's about time somebody did.

If Texas' alleged incumbent "leadership" cares a whit about the long term future, that is a question for which they ought to have an answer.

That being said, the post also illustrates why we can't get too excited.  West is correct that placing Mary Gonzalez on LBB illustrates that the leadership of the Texas house has bad priorities.  But would Allan West really be happy with Drew Darby.

Because, if you're content with Drew Darby over Mary Gonzalez, that ain't gonna get Texas where it needs to go.

As we explained on Thursday, the biggest difference between Drew Darby and Mary Gonzalez is honest.  Yes, it's certainly true that Mary Gonzalez likes to spend taxpayer money for lots of dubious causes.  But Mary Gonzalez will at least tell you that to your face.  Drew Darby, on the other hand, will tell you what you want to hear to your face while undermining your position behind closed doors.

It's the difference between spending money on unions in El Paso vs. spending money on good ol' boys in San Angelo.

Neither is good.

Still, kudos to Allan West for breaching the subject.

It certainly warrants discussion.

Bottom Line: It's certainly the case that the so-called 'leadership' in the Texas house doesn't have the best priorities....

#TXLEGE: Bonnen replaces Dishonest, Unlikeable ,Liberal with Honest, Likeable, One

"Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another."
Ephesians 4:25

ICYMI:

AUSTIN – On Monday, Speaker Dennis Bonnen appointed Representative Mary González to the Legislative Budget Board. “Thank you Speaker Bonnen for entrusting me with this opportunity to serve as a member of the Legislative Budget Board. I am humbled to carry on the work of Representative Drew Darby as a valued member of the Board and trusted voice for our rural communities,” Gonzalez shared.

“Our state’s budget at its core is a reflection of the values of all Texans. In the face of our current health and economic crisis, we will have an even bigger task to provide resources that prioritize working families, our seniors, and our children’s future. I look forward to joining the Board and continuing the work to achieve a fiscally sound budget that puts Texas families first.”

The Legislative Budget Board is a committee of ten legislators responsible for working with state agencies to form the preliminary state budget in advance of each legislative session.

There's been a decent amount of ink spilled about this move.  Texas Scorecard has a good summary of Gonzalez's record.  Likewise, Kyle Biedermann.

The criticisms tend to revolve around Bonnen replacing an alleged Republican with an open Democrat.  That's certainly true.  Bonnen really did do that and it's very valid to criticize him for so doing.

It's also very much the case that Darby was on Bonnen's list during this Michael Quinn Sullivan episode, and that Bonnen continues to play those games.

Still, it's hard to get too upset.

She's replacing Drew Darby.

Historically, Darby supported high property taxes until doing so became politically untenable.  He's never lifted a finger on spending.  Darby's career record on fiscal policy has been smoke and mirrors interspersed with occasional intervals of doing the bare minimum.

While it's absolutely true that Mary Gonzalez will pursue a pretty liberal fiscal policy, she'll also tell you the truth about that that's what she's doing.

That's not nothing.

Bottom Line: Neither one would be our first choice for this position, however...we understand the arguments.

#TXLEGE: Gonzalez and Springer Collude Against Public

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

Barf:



So-called "water policy" is an ongoing act of larceny the state of Texas commits against its citizens.  You can read our full archive on the topic here.  Gonzalez and Springer continue this ignominious tradition.

[Note:  This one especially.]

As to the specifics of Prop. 2 this year, Texas Scorecard has details:

PROPOSITION 2: Oppose

How it reads: “The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $200 million to provide financial assistance for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas.”

What it means: The Texas Water Development Board will be allowed to issue bonds, and therefore go into debt, in order to continue financing water supply, sewer service, and drainage projects in economically distressed areas.

TFR Stance: Oppose Proposition 2
Our Reasoning: State-subsidized debt serves as a disincentive to properly prioritizing spending and distorts market forces.

Aka. Crony Capitalism.

What makes Prop. 2 particularly galling is that the lege got their so-called "water infrastructure development bank" in 2013.  But it's never enough.  Six years later (aka. long enough for voters to forget), they're asking for another slush fund.

[Note: We wonder who's gonna finance the relevant debt.]

Furthermore, there's a dirty little secret to which the lege hopes you never get wise: The state of Texas has plenty of water to meet all of its residential and commercial needs.  The only reason Texas has anything remotely resembling a water "shortage" is because we subsidize growing cotton (a water intensive crop) in the panhandle (an arid climate).  If rural cotton farmers paid market rates for water, it would change the game.

But, of course, a lot of that cotton is grown in Drew Springer's district...so Springer wants the rest of us to pay.

We don't know how Gonzalez et. al. are getting paid, although history would suggest approaching this question with the most cynical lens possible.

Bottom Line: Government (with its attendant friends and cronies) never satisfies its appetite for other people's money.

#TXLEGE: Consensus and Dissention on University Tuition

"Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase."
Proverbs 13:11

[Note: The hearing can be viewed here; our testimony is 90ish minutes in.]

We testified this morning in favor of HB 132 (Gonzalez): "Relating to a limitation on the amount of tuition charged by public institutions of higher education"; this is the tuition freeze bill we discussed in January.

Gonzalez did a really good job laying out her bill.  She explained how public university tuition has exploded across Texas.  This is personally relevant to Gonzalez seeing how, apparently, she's just completed her Phd.  What we really loved, however, Gonzalez pointed out that shuffling off tuition to the Board of Regents' was a way for the legislature to duck responsibility.

Amen.

Gonzalez made most of the points we wanted to make.  During our testimony we added that, while most of the problems in higher ed. policy are federal, that was no reason for the state of Texas to make things worse.  We've thought that how Texas public universities set tuition rates was a particularly bad system for at least five years.

That was where things got interesting.  Following our testimony, Chairman Turner felt compelled to explain that, while he was very sympathetic to the complaint, tuition reform needed to be accompanied by more state spending.  We're familiar with the argument.  As we explained to Chairman Turner, we're sympathetic to the argument, but we need tuition restraints with teeth up-front.  We were about to make a further point about cost controls when...

...John Smithee spoke up.  As the only member of the committee who was in the legislature when the current system passed, Smithee called it "a vote I wish I could have back."  Smithee then made the same points about expensive buildings and excessive bureaucracy this author would have made.

Bottom Line: The breakdown of support/opposition to this bill was very intersting....

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Political Note for Republicans: There were (at least) four Democrat bills dealing with tuition on today's docket.  Zero from Republicans.  If you want to know why you're getting killed with the under-40 crowd, that would be a good place to look....

#TXLEGE: Mary Gonzalez adopts Top YCT Priority

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
Galatians 5:16

This session keeps getting curiouser and curiouser:

TX students graduate with over $30,000 in debt due to rising tuition. In 2003, the Texas Legislature let colleges & universities start setting tuition - since then, tuition has doubled. HB 132 returns responsibility to the legislature for ensuring affordable higher ed #txlege pic.twitter.com/UxIaRsuKIP

— Mary Gonzalez (@RepMaryGonzalez) January 16, 2019

Followed by this:

We're excited to see @RepMaryGonzalez file HB 132 to end tuition deregulation, one of our top legislative priorities for the session. #txlege https://t.co/2lGuzXQCKs

— Young Conservatives of Texas (@yct) January 16, 2019

Gonzalez's bill would repeal the horrifically misnamed so-called tuition 'deregulation' scheme the legislature passed in 2003.  Gonzalez would freeze tuition at the rate of this coming fall semester.  After that, tuition increases would require an affirmative act of the legislature.

Repealing so-called tuition "deregulation" has been a priority of this website for at least five years.  Just last week, we identified it as an important forward looking reform.  So yeah

Bottom Line: This was not something we expected, but we'll take it.

#TXLEGE: The Bonnen Administration

Left to Right: Evan Smith, Mary Gonzalez, Jeff Leach, and Drew Springer

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

We attended this afternoon's Trib discussion about the new house leadership.  It was very productive.  We should be cautiously optimistic about next session while understanding that it will require a different playbook.

From a conservative perspective, the most important takeaway is that Gordon Johnson is done.  We asked Jeff Leach and Drew Springer, point blank, about Gordon Johnson's influence over both the speaker selection process and his general influence over the GOP caucus moving forward.  Both Leach and Springer used the word "none."  That, by itself, is a game changer.

But beyond that, the tone really does feel different.  For example, Evan Smith asked whether the house members prioritized somebody who could "stand up to the Lt. Governor."  We were astonished to hear Drew Springer throw cold water on that narrative.  Springer explained that, rather, he wanted a speaker who "works better with the Senate."  Leach explained that one of the reasons Bonnen was able to unify the GOP caucus was because he has good relationships with Abbott and Patrick.  Even Mary Gonzalez threw shade on Straus' bad relationship with the Senate.  That's different.

The shift was most apparent in Springer.  Obviously, this website has had some very uncharitable things to say about Drew Springer over the years.  But this does not sound like the same Drew Springer.  Last session, Drew Springer was a key player in killing property tax reform.  Today, Drew Springer was talking about how 93% of the Republican primary voters in his district voted for a lower rollback rate.  Springer also said some good things about not pouring education funding into bureaucracy.  That is, to put it mildly, new for Drew Springer.

Mary Gonzalez also made some interesting comments.  She called Bonnen's promises of a fair process to be "a huge shift."  Coming from a Democrat, that is quite a statement.  Gonzalez also said that Bonnen has made no promises regarding Democrat committee chairs.

One more interesting note: Jeff Leach gave an impassioned, well-informed, stemwinder on the subject of criminal justice reform.  He specifically talked about how leaving people to fester behind bars when it serves no rehabilitative or restorative purpose offends his convictions as a pro-lifer.  In so doing, he damn near got a standing ovation from a room full of Austin liberals.  Duly noted moving forward.

Bottom Line: We don't see how you walk out of today's session feeling anything other than optimistic....