Texas Conservatives are Idiots

My friend,

We should really talk about more important things right now. We should talk about Voter ID. We should talk about the budget. We should talk about human trafficking, bullying, and Rick Perry’s hair.

But I don’t want to. I’m feeling partisan.

I chose this article from Empower Texans because it illustrates what is wrong with the modern conservative movement.

I presume the author’s intended audience is strong conservatives. The author, Andrew Kerr, graduated college as recently as 2006 and really has minimal credibility. That, however, stems more from the content of his arguments.

In this article, Kerr is taking the stand that HB 1454 as a gross violation of a mandate not to raise taxes. The author of the bill, State Representative Jim Murphy (R), is targeted in the article as violating his campaign promises. Because this is a Houston issue, it dates back to 2006 when the city tried to sue and recover lost hotel revenue from online travel services. Travel services would buy up hotel rooms at wholesale prices, and then turn around and resell the rooms at a markup. Then Houston Mayor, Bill White lead the charge to close this loophole. The estimate was that it cost the city $2 million a year.

The article makes a number of specious claims. Bill White “had the city sue (against the recommendation of then city controller Annise Parker) to collect this tax.” The implication is that a tyrannical Major White wished to viciously tax poor Houstonites, but in actuality Parker had advised the City Council that suit probably wouldn’t win. Also, the tax would not be paid by Houstonites, but rather by businesses that are outside the city. They also say that Bill White “lost in November because Texans didn’t want him anywhere near the tax code.” We might as well say McCain lost to Obama in 2008 because Americans hate old people.

The really offensive thing about the article flows from the claim that somehow closing tax loopholes is anti-Texan, anti-tea party, or a strictly Bill White/Liberal idea. In a time of budget tension, Representative Murphy is trying to seek out reasonable means of revenue. The fact that these conservatives are willing to target him shows their inability to understand even the most basic requirements of governance. It seems to be a particularly foolish tactic because at the end of the session State and Local governments need to be financed somehow, and those in charge will have to make hard tax decisions no matter their political affiliation. If the far right insists on targeting their leadership for such triviality they will not remain (at least I hope) in power long.

The two problems illustrated by this article that seem to reflect the entire conservative movement in Texas are that:
#1. There is an ideological reaction to specific words (in this case “tax”) rather than thoughtful policy decisions.
#2. There is little regard for the decisions of policy makers who have to deal with realities “on the ground”

Conservatives must be thoughtful and willing to make practical decisions. If they continue to be reactionary like Andrew Kerr and Empower Texans they will either destroy the places they govern or they will destroy their position.