| In a list mostly following a trend of past legislatures, the biggest surprise in the Texas Senate's Committee Appointments might be the appointments doled out to Dan Patrick (R - Houston).
First is the oddly high number of appointments the Radio Talk Show Guy managed to garner. Including the subcommittee on Flooding and Evacuations, I counted six appointments for Mr. Patrick. And if my math was correct, only one other senator managed that: Senator Craig Estes. Does the Lieutenant Governor really want to give a senator that much power if he has only been in for about a third of a full term?
Beyond the Flooding and Evacuations subcommittee, Patrick will serve on the committees for Criminal Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Higher Education, and Intergovernmental Relations. All of them important committees, for sure.
What's more? He will Vice-Chair both Public Education and Higher Education. This is for a man who seems to think that school budgets that increase faster than student enrollment might be a bad thing? And how would the man who walked out during the Senate's prayer, when it was given by a Muslim, affect quality teachings about the world's religions? Is Dan Patrick really a strong voice for the teaching of our youth?
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst seems to be caving into this ultra-conservative hawk. It started with the 2/3 debate, and it is continuing here. Dewhurst is a man who has been one of the state's top leaders for years. He probably has an even higher office on his mind, yet he thinks that the far right will get him elected. We all knew Mr. Patrick was a bit crazy, but Dewhurst is showing similar colors, too. |
