This morning Clay Robison wrote about Senator Dan Patrick's potential anger over the possibility of being left out of the Senate Finance Committee.
"If I am not on finance (next year), I will be upset," Patrick said.
He said Harris' appointment unfairly gives the Dallas-Fort Worth area a 5-2 edge over the Houston area on the 15-member panel. And one of the Houston-area senators, Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, represents only a small part of the city. Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, also is on the committee.
San Antonio, meanwhile, has no resident on the Finance Committee, although the panel's vice chairman, Democrat Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, represents part of the Alamo City. I am sure she believes she represents the city's interests very well.
Most legislators want seats on budget-writing committees so they are well-positioned to bring home the bacon - a new wing for a university building or additional grants for the local medical school. But not Patrick. He wants to be on the finance panel, he said, to cut back on spending.
He voted against the budget drafted by the Finance Committee last year, even though the panel has a 2-1 GOP majority. The committee needs, he said, a "strong Republican voice," a comment sure to warm the hearts of several Republican budget-writers.
Oh weep.
Perhaps Senator Patrick doesn't understand how this state's representation works. Each state Senator represents about the same amount of Texans. If we're going to base appointments on the cities of the state, that disenfranchises a good million or two voters.
So what Lieutenant Governors often use is their judgement on who would best fit in each committee. For Finance, that entails the Senators with the best knowledge on how to finance the Texas Government's spending. Perhaps if Dan Patrick suggested innovations besides cutting the budget, he'd receive more consideration.
As far as a "strong Republican voice;" if Dan Patrick is the only strong Republican voice in the Texas Senate, than the state's Republican party is in more trouble than even optimistic Democrats believe. |
