We have created taxpayer-funded monsters.

Indeed.

More on "the big rebuke"

Not surprisingly, Americans for Prosperity has set up a web page about Harris County pulling out of the Texas Association of Counties.

In what could be considered an unprecedented move, the Harris County Commissioners’ Court just voted unanimously to pull out of the Texas Association of Counties.

The Lone Star Times reports that one of the reasons was the Williamson County lawsuit in which several taxpayers (Peggy Venable, Jan Brauner and Judy Morris) sued Williamson County and enjoined the Texas Association of Counties for violating state law by using tax dollars to join an association that lobbies.

"This is a real victory for the taxpayer, and we commend the Harris County Commissioners for acting in the taxpayers’ interest, not in the special interest of bigger government,” said Peggy Venable, Texas Director of Americans for Prosperity.

A statement in the Houston-based blog Lone Star Times read: “Harris County was the largest member of TAC, so this is a huge rebuke and a victory in the property tax fight. TAC’s lobbying was at odds with the County government, and was not serving our interests as voters. So Commissioner’s Court dumped them.”

“The Harris County Commissioners Court acted on behalf of the taxpayer in voting unanimously to pull out of the Texas Association of Counties,” said Venable. “We are calling on other counties to take that action and to put an end to taxpayers’ influencing a political agenda which is anti-taxpayer and pro-big government.”

“Taxpayers should not have to go to work every day to earn a living to take care of their families and pay their taxes, knowing that some of those tax dollars are going to lobby for higher taxes,” said Venable. “Today the Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously that they won’t subject their taxpayers to that abuse.”

Taxpayers 1, Texas Association of Counties 0

Harris County has voted to withdraw its membership in the Texas Assocation of Counties.

This is big, big news on the taxpayer-funded lobbying front.

Lone Star Times writes:

Harris County was the largest member of TAC, so this is a huge rebuke and a victory in the property tax fight. TAC’s lobbying was also at odds with the County government, and was not serving our interests as voters. So Commissioner’s Court dumped them.

Peggy Venable of Americans for Prosperity started the ball rolling with her successful lawsuit against Williamson County earlier this year. She describes the Harris County move here:

“This is a major victory for the taxpayer, and we commend the Harris County Commissioners for acting in the taxpayers’ interest, not in the special interest of bigger government.”

“The Harris County Commissioners Court acted on behalf of the taxpayer in voting unanimously to pull out of the Texas Association of Counties,” said Venable. “We are calling on other counties to take that action and to put an end to taxpayers’ influencing a political agenda which is anti-taxpayer and pro-big government.”

“Taxpayers should not have to go to work every day to earn a living to take care of their families and pay their taxes, knowing that some of those tax dollars are going to lobby for higher taxes,” said Venable. “Today the Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously that they won’t subject their taxpayers to that abuse.”

An activist in Ellis County is calling on his county to follow suit.

Regardless of what county officials might say, this would be a great step if Ellis County would...sever its ties to this organization. At least just with the membership part, not the retirement system (unless lobbyists' money comes from the retirement investment accounts).

Another blogger gives the background:

A Williamson County judge has ruled that the Texas Association of Counties cannot organize lobbying campaigns funded by taxpayer dollars.

The decision, handed down by state District Judge Ken Anderson was the result of a lawsuit filed against Williamson County and the association by three members of the Americans for Prosperity of Texas. The suit claims that state law prohibits counties from using tax revenue to join organizations that lobby the Legislature.

The Wall Street Journal on taxpayer-funded lobbying

An article in this morning's Wall Street reveals that Public-sector lobbyists lavish gifts on congressmen and their staffers.

The article is by John Fund. It's about a different kind of taxpayer-funded lobbying than I've been addressing here--but equally objectionable:

Capitol Hill is in the grips of "March Madness"--and I don't mean the NCAA basketball playoffs. "This is also the month that hundreds of lobbyists annually descend upon Washington seeking grants and special projects in next year's budget. The new Democratic Congress has pledged to cut down on such earmarked spending, but you can't tell from the parade of lobbyists strolling the halls of Congress this month. Perhaps it's because the new Democrats--like their GOP predecessors--appear unwilling to change the culture of corruption that has been built up around earmarks.

What Fund points to as evidence that the culture of corruption is firmly in place is a law I hadn't known about. Evidently, private lobbyists can't give gifts to members of Congress. That's as it should be.

It's astonishing to learn that public lobbyists are exempt from that rule. They can lavish gifts on members of Congress:

In their favor-seeking, all of the lobbyists visiting Capitol Hill are bound by House and Senate ethics rules that cap most individual gifts at $50 per elected official or staffer, with an annual limit of $100 per recipient from any single source. But local governments, public universities and Indian tribes are exempt from the limit, so they are able to shower members and their staffs with such goodies as luxury skybox tickets to basketball games and front-row concert tickets.

He goes on:

Having members or their key aides attend such free events in the company of glad-handing university presidents and local government officials winds up costing taxpayers a pretty penny. Much of the explosive growth in earmarks has been directed to local governments and universities. While they are entertaining members of Congress, you can bet the hosts at such events are making the case for pork-barrel projects that range from a new building on campus to a new bridge. Some of the projects are ludicrous--the infamous "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska comes to mind--but most others have some benefit but simply can't be justified as a federal priority.

Who is watching the store? Will this get covered elsewhere in the national media?

For an amazing and eye-popping cornucopia of information on the Texas Association of School Boards, public school corruption in Texas, erring superintendents and much, much more, visit Peyton Wolcott.

She is the gold-standard for citizens keeping an eye on things.

Taking small, but good, steps

How exciting to see this article from the Corsican Daily Sun in Navarro County.

The article reports that Navarro County resident Joe Hazewski attended the Navarro County Commissioners meeting last week to ask why Navarro County was paying money to belong to the Texas Association of Counties:



Speaking during the public comment section of the Navarro County Commissioners court meeting, Kerens resident Joe Hazewski, who is a regular contributing columnist to the Daily Sun, claimed that the organization is funding the activities of 22 lobbyists, at a cost estimated at $560,000 annually. Hazewski said doing so with public money is illegal. Hazewski said he obtained his figures from the Texas Ethics Commission.

Also:



“I want the county to take it up with TAC — they will not respond to private citizens,” Hazewski told commissioners.

Also:



Hazewski said Williamson County District Judge Ken Anderson ruled against TAC’s lobbyist efforts in January, calling it illegal and instructing Williamson County not to pay any dues into TAC as long as they continued. Hazewski was unsure if the ruling was only effective in Williamson County, or was meant to apply statewide.

“They’re costing us a lot of money, and not always in our best interest,” Hazewski said.

Great job, Joe.

If anyone else out there decides to attend your county commissioner's meeting to ask similar questions, please let me know.

It's not a conservative or a liberal issue

It's a basic fairness issue.

Taxpayers should not have to pay for the professional advocacy of policies they object to.

That's what the West Virginia teacher's union said in 2003 when they filed suit to stop this practice:

The American Federation of Teachers - West Virginia has filed suit against the West Virginia School Boards Association (WVSBA) seeking to block the organization’s advocacy efforts. The teachers union argues that state laws allow WVSBA only to provide training to school board members and characterizes other activities as “taxpayer-funded lobbying.” “The School Boards Association has gotten very aggressive in its lobbying,” said a spokesman. “We think it’s wrong.”