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April 15, 2006
Another Volley
Well, it didn't take long for Texas State Comptroller and hopeful independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn to take another shot at her favorite fellow Republican, Governor Rick Perry.
The Guv has been out across the state, along with the head of his tax reform commission, former Democratic State Comptroller John Sharp, touting his new plan to reform Texas' tax structure. Sharp's commission has recommended a 1% business "gross receipts" tax, along with a buck added to every pack of cigarettes, in exchange for property tax relief.
Strayhorn, in yet another clever bit of political copy (note to Democrats: One Tough Grandma knows how to throw a punch -- watch and learn), accused Perry of "writing a hot check to pay for schools." She claimed using a current treasury surplus to fund property tax reductions will create a "gaping hole" in future budgets, and cost the state over $10 billion in the next five years.
In an equally clever retort, Perry dispatched Sharp to offer a bi-partisan critique of Strayhorn and defense of the new tax plan. Sharp dismissed the Comptroller's claims as "goofy" political rhetoric and vouched for the plan's fiscal soundness.
The Texas Legislature will descend on Austin Monday, fresh off the Easter holiday, charged with finding a solution for public school finance. Prospects for the 30-day special session remain uncertain at best, but it's clear Governor Perry, by limiting the session's call to only the finance issue, is trying to escape with doing the absolute minimum (what a shock.)
But no matter what Perry does, or does not do, he faces an eager attack dog in Strayhorn, and she's just waiting to take some flesh out of him. Once again, a battle royale between these two Republican officeholders is shaping up for the fall, and a certain other gubernatorial candidate should be waiting to capitalize.
Posted by houtopia at April 15, 2006 10:17 PM