Sanity Returns to Government in Texas

Western civilization may not be doomed after all. This weekend, the President of the United States met with the leaders of other American nations and extended an olive branch to some who have been highly critical of the U.S. He did not win everyone at the Summit of the Americas over, but he made a start. "I have a lot to learn, and I very much look forward to listening and figuring out how we can work together," he said.

Indeed, President Obama has been reaching out to countries all over the world. He hopes to make amends for the policy blunders of the Bush administration. In some cases, his overtures are well received, in others, not.

In Texas, aside from a governor whose hair is legendary, sanity is slowly returning as well. On Friday, the Texas House of Representatives unanimously passed a budget for the next two years. The Republican Speaker of the House, Joe Straus of San Antonio is to be commended for his work.

Straus ousted former Republican Speaker Tom Craddick earlier this year. Craddick, a radical conservative became known for his divisive tactics in pursuit of his conservative agenda. He not only dominated the House, he told other Republicans how to vote.

Straus has taken an entirely different approach to the job. There was a great deal of politicking involved in the passage of the budget, which is actually a set of priorities for government spending in the state. Representatives of both parties horse-traded concessions to create a budget all could agree to.

The Texas House has only two more Republicans than Democrats. This narrow majority guarantees gridlock if members do not work together. The new speaker did an admirable job of making government work the way it was intended to work.

Rick Perry, the Republican governor of Texas is an ultra conservative in his own right. As recently as last week, he made the news for suggesting that Texas secede from the union. The state legislature used the power of the purse to rein him in. They slashed his discretionary budget to nearly nothing. Then they allocated money for stem-cell research and removed anti-abortion language from the budget. As a final slap on the wrist, they stipulated that Perry either accept federal stimulus funds or lose all of the Texas Enterprise Fund, which he uses to attract businesses to Texas.

Principles are wonderful things, and politicians need to have them. Politics, however, is the art of trade-offs. Lawmakers try to gain the greatest good for the largest number of people, or should. Until recently, those trade-offs and compromises were becoming rare. As a result, large blocks of voters were beginning to feel unrepresented. The tide seems to be turning, and lawmakers are again working for the people who elected them.

Not all voters are happy with the changes happening in government. Many who felt most alienated from the Bush administration hope that the softening of ideological attitudes spreads to Washington. There, almost every vote follows strict party lines. Imagine the progress the country could make if our national lawmakers followed the example of their Texas counterparts.