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Paul Perry writes a weekly opinion
column for his local daily paper. Following is a sampling of those
articles. All were originally published in the Waxahachie Daily Light, although some were subsequently published elsewhere, such as in DallasBlog.com.
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Paul D. Perry
Published on Aug. 26, 2007
TXDOT Fodder
Talk about grist for my mill or even fodder for my cannon: Ready, aim,
guess what? Everyone's favorite "underfunded" state agency, the Texas
Department of Transportation (TXDOT), intends to spend $9 million in
multimedia advertising promoting toll roads and the unpopular
Trans-Texas Corridor. The department is seeking to sway public opinion
on a political issue using your tax dollars.
Let me re-emphasize: That's Nine million dollars of taxpayers' money to
tell you that you need to not only pay a gasoline tax but also pay
tolls on taxpayer-funded construction. In effect, you are now paying
taxes to be propagandized by a state agency. Think of that every time
you drive south on I-35 while leaving Dallas, and see the picture of
the affable Marlboro man with the sneaky smile on that slick billboard
promising you the moon and the Trans-Texas Corridor, just before you
hit the I-20 interchange. Please don't have an accident.
Chris Lippincourt, a spokesman for TXDOT, says,"This is a direct
response to one of the most frequent criticisms our agency receives,
which is that we are not responsive to the public, that we don't do a
good job of communicating what we are doing and why, and we've taken
those criticisms in stride."
Chris, out in my pasture the cows have left something that closely
resembles your statement. It smells and draws flies just like the
legislature draws lobbyists. When we call your agency unresponsive, we
aren't talking about how slick your ad-man is. We are addressing your
land-grabbing scheme known as the Trans-Texas Corridor, among other
schemes. I like to think of it as your foreign-sponsored pogrom against
private property. Use the I-35 right-of-way you already control,
competitively and publicly re-bid the project and maybe we won't call you "unresponsive," if you find that term so upsetting.
Maybe Michael Quinn Sullivan, formerly with Cong. Ron Paul's office and
now with Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, says it best: "When
government resorts to advertising its programs and services, that's a
sure sign government has gotten a little too big. "
Ya think?
On a related note, there is now a Texas District Court decision that
indicates that county associations shouldn't hire lobbyists.
Americans for Prosperity-Texas director Peggy Venable issued the
following statement regarding 277th Judicial District Court Judge Ken
Anderson's opinion of Jan. 8, 2007:
"We applaud the ruling which came out today as a victory for taxpayers.
The ruling acknowledges that the Texas Association of Counties has been
operating outside the law and that counties cannot use general revenue
funds to join associations which lobby. We will continue to fight to
protect all tax dollars from being used to lobby.
"Though this action is against one association, we are aware this
practice is widespread. We will work to see that state law is upheld
and we are also committed to eliminating all public dollars from
lobbying activities."
This case is being appealed. The Texas Association of Counties' (TAC's)
dues are typically paid by counties. Our county may well pay dues to
this organization. Those payments are funded by your tax dollars. Are
we paying dues to an organization whose lobbying efforts have been
ruled to be illegal by a District Court in the state of Texas?
Shouldn't Ellis County follow the District Court ruling in this case
and be above reproach in its funding of lobbyists? I think we should at
least defer any payment to TAC unless and until this case has seen
final resolution through the entire appeals process, including final
resolution in the Texas Supreme Court, where it may well end up.
Some, perhaps most, counties in this state are paying dues to this
organization. This must stop until a final court rules on the legality
of their lobbying efforts. Some might say since it is on appeal,
counties may continue to pay dues to TAC. But wouldn't it be nice to
see county leadership be proactive and avoid a potential impropriety?
After all, TAC was one of the organizations that helped to sink a
legislative agreement on appraisal reform for taxpayers.
Maybe advertising by state agencies should fall by the wayside, too.
TXDOT does bring up some legitimate issues in trying to fund transportation in Texas.
In all fairness, gasoline tax money formerly set aside for state road
construction and maintenance has been raided by the legislature for
purposes it was not intended. This has to stop. The state gasoline tax
has not been raised in years, while overall gas mileage has been
increasing. The gas tax is assessed at the pump as an incremental part
of every gallon of gas you purchase. Road wear is still road wear, no
matter what mileage a vehicle gets. In the past several years, the
price of road construction materials has also increased. Construction
prices tend to be cyclical, and they may be at a peak, however.
We must make sure every dollar that is spent in Austin is spent wisely,
before any mention of tax increases or new toll roads enters into
public debate. Right now, both TXDOT and many politicians are telling
us that more tolls and higher taxes are the way out of this mess. We
need stronger budgetary control in Austin, and multi-million-dollar
advertising campaigns should never be part of a state agency's
budget -- especially if they are trying to shift public opinion on what
is a political issue.
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