Smoke up, Johnny!

Break out the cigars! The 79th Texas Legislature, Third Special Session, adjourned sine die this Monday.

Normally, "sine die" means it's summer time and the livin' is easy. The Lege has finished their work and evacuated the Capitol [and Austin]. And along with them, their staffers generally take extended leave from the premises. In an instant, my workload goes from 100 to near zero [for a little while, anyway]. That's not the case, this time. Ancillary issues related to this latest special session kept me away from work I would normally be doing this time of year. So, now I'm about 1 month behind. Now I'll be busting my ass through the month of June to catch up. Summer dreams ripped at the seams.

At least the Legislature completed its primary mission: local property tax relief. However, the Comptroller of Public Accounts says otherwise [see fiery letter to the Governor]. Right now, I really don't care if their tax plan works. The members are gone, and we are pretty much guaranteed they won't be back until January, 2007. But if the tax plan is as out of balance as the Comptroller and other critics say it is, then we could be in for a rough session, next year.

Still, the lighting of cigars [or cigarettes, rather] is appropriate--now more than ever. About $700 million in annual property tax relief is supported by a $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase and a 13.6% tax increase on other tobacco products. If the other new taxes created by the Legislature are projected to fall short of the property tax reductions, then there's only one way out that potential quagmire.

Smoke up, Johnny!