Perry's road show

June 26, 2007

Editorial, Star-Telegram

Gov. Rick Perry says he's eager to travel the state telling Texans his version of what the Legislature did wrong -- or wrongly didn't do -- in the session that ended May 28.

We're eager to hear what he has to say.

Of course, he'll also need to help us understand why it is that those 181 legislators, all of whom presumably are in contact with their own constituents across the state, got it wrong and he's seemingly the only one in Austin who can see things clearly.

In a fundraising letter to his supporters sent out by the organization Texans for Rick Perry, the governor wrote: "I want to go on the road this fall and talk about how Texans can get more government for their money, and not just more money for government."

His spokesman Robert Black told Star-Telegram reporter Aman Batheja, "He's looking for leadership to step up in both the House and the Senate and get these things that Texans want done."

That's a shot at Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick.

We have no desire to defend Dewhurst and Craddick or their work product for this session, but it will do no good for Perry to try to shift any blame to them. After all, Texas Monthly magazine named all three -- Perry, Craddick and Dewhurst -- to its annual "Ten Worst" list of Austin lawmakers for this session.

Perry's letter expressed frustration at the Legislature's lack of action to reduce property tax appraisals or tighten the state spending cap. There is still a lot of anger about property taxes across the state, and maybe there are ways to make sure that the appraisal process is done fairly. But the governor has been riding this appraisal-limits horse for years now, and it's time for him to decide that it isn't going anywhere.

Perry apparently will wait until fall to air these complaints.

Right now, he's traveling elsewhere. This week, he's in Israel and Jordan to receive the "Friend of Zion Award" from Global Capital Associates. A few weeks ago, he was in Turkey to speak to the secretive Bilderberg Conference, a meeting of international business and political leaders.

We await his return and his coming "on the road" Texas tour. We want to hear more about real-life remedies for the problems at home.