Behind the Tree

Illustration By Doug Potter

Ben Sargent's Wednesday Statesman cartoon captured the ritual campaign refrain: the politicians have set out to slay "Fraudanwaste," the mythical Capitol beast whose demise will solve all the state's budget problems. That song was in heavy rotation last Friday at the Four Seasons hotel, during a Chamber of Commerce forum featuring the major party candidates for state Senate District 14 and House Districts 48 and 50. Texas Weekly's Ross Ramsey chaired exchanges between Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and challenger Ben Bentzin, Rep. Ann Kitchen and opponent Todd Baxter, and the candidates for the new Dist. 50, Jim Sylvester and Jack Stick.

Ramsey began by noting that state budget estimates predict a biennial deficit of somewhere from $5 billion to $12 billion, while sales tax revenues have fallen for the first time in 20 years. Because of that budget crisis, said Ramsey, "There is serious talk around the Capitol of a special [legislative] session, which hasn't happened since 1990-92." Although they were sitting beside Ramsey on the dais, for most of the forum you might have sworn the candidates had wax in their ears. The Republicans were predictably more adamant -- "This is the wrong time to raise taxes," said Bentzin (failing to identify the right time); "I support across-the-board budget cuts," said Stick. But everyone paid ritual obeisance to the "scrub the budget" mantra sung vehemently from the top of both tickets. And everyone deplored the rise in property taxes -- while simultaneously declaring their enthusiastic support for education, health care, and highways.

Finally, freshman Democratic Rep. Kitchen inserted a bit of realism into the discussion. She noted that only 17% of the state budget is discretionary spending -- all the rest is already dedicated or entitlement funding, often with the benefit of additional federal matching dollars. She said it is unrealistic to expect that the Lege could cut that 17% sufficiently to make up the predicted deficit, adding that once that review is completed, the state "may need to look at additional revenue sources." Later Sen. Barrientos responded to a question by acknowledging that perhaps gasoline taxes -- undiverted to general revenues -- might be an additional source of highway funding.

In sum, the candidates mostly assured the voters that we can all go to heaven -- and won't have to pay the fare. In January, listen for another classic favorite at the Lege: "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree."