Dewhurst Just Can’t Help Himself
Known as the oddest man in state government (emphasis on odd), Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is also frequently the odd man out among the three top Texas leaders. The other two, Gov,. Rick Perry and Speaker Tom Craddick, have been able to dominate the agenda and make the Houston millionaire largely irrelevant.
Dewhursts is also known for embracing dubious public policies that may sound good on the surface but carry unintended consequences. His advocacy last year of a sex offender measure that struck some as especially creepy and his insistence on unanimous 31-0 votes on complex issues has given the Texas Senate a surreal air.
But Dewhurst’s outburst this week surprised even insiders used to his clumsy attempts to elbow his way into the public debate. In the wake of a minor spat between Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison over the state’s new margins tax on businesses, Dewhurst told an Austin Chamber of Commerce group that he wants to expand the state’s old franchise tax to all businesses — a non-starter among lawmakers who oppose anything like a gross receipts tax on real estate and other services.
Posted on June 6, 2008 – 12:13 pm by APR
3 Responses to “Dewhurst Just Can’t Help Himself”
Dewhurst is one of those incompetent rich guys who ocassionally meander through Texas politics. They leave no mark and are forgotten quickly.
By Duiker on Jun 6, 2008
The worst part is when Dewhurst complained that he had expected property taxes to drop by one-third, but they didn’t. It reminds me of how shocked, shocked he was to discover that tuition deregulation led to higher tuitions.
It was only school property taxes — 60% of all property taxes — that were being cut. And that was over two years. So, combined with higher market values (usually considered a good thing when something you own gets more valuable), it was totally disingenuous to expect the Perry-advertised $2000 tax cut.
By David Siegel on Jun 6, 2008
Didn’t Dewhurst recommend this crappy tax plan a couple of years ago? If I’m not misten, it was so bad that the House refused to even give it a hearing.
By Embree Timlin on Jun 7, 2008