The Party of Unaccountability

Two great reads in the Austin paper on how the Texas GOP has basically become big believers in unaccountability. Note to the Bell for Governor campaign ... refer to these often:

• Good idea done poorly ... offer a tax break to landowners in exchange for them maintaining habitats for wildlife. One problem ...

  No state agency has the responsibility for monitoring what landowners do to promote wildlife habitat.

  Those receiving the tax break are supposed to draw up wildlife management plans but don't have to file them with the state, making it near impossible to piece together the cumulative effects of the exemption.

  The plan was begun under Bush and current Ag Commish Susan Combs is noted as one of the co-authors of the bill in the State House. Of course, now Susan Combs thinks she deserves another promotion. I'm just sayin' is all ...

• Bad idea done even worse ... private company builds a shop out in the middle of nowhere (Buda, to be specific). Company accepts $600k from the state and $36 MILLION for road and construction reimbursements ... and then, not only do they NOT think that they have to tell the State how it spent the money, they SUE Attorney General Greg Abbott, claiming to be "exempt from the state's public disclosure laws."
  

It's impossible for GOP partisans to wax indignant over this. This is political pork by any other name and this time, the BBQ stain is all over their shirts. So congratulations ... this is your mess.