LEADERS ARE EMERGING

House: Be Smart

Legislators respect pragmatic GOP representatives like Ken Marchant of
Coppell and Brian McCall of Plano for their intellect and fairness. The
House's practical Republicans now need to apply those traits to the Texas
budget. The state needs to do right by its future, when Texas will have a
large number of poor and aging residents who need social services.
Otherwise, the state won't prosper.

This means pushing House leaders for a budget that doesn't eliminate the
state's deficit exclusively by cutting spending. It means pressing for a
budget that matches spending cuts with new revenue. The Republican Party
may not like Messrs. Marchant and McCall pushing for a 50/50 plan, but
their state will.

Rep. Allen Is On To Something

Another one of those sensible Republicans, Rep. Ray Allen of Grand Prairie,
has moved needed drug sentencing reforms through the House. By sentencing
first-time offenders with less than a gram of cocaine to state jail instead
of to a Texas prison, the state can free up beds for more serious
criminals. That's one of the changes contained in House Bill 2668. The
Senate now should pass the package. It would allow Texas to put away drug
abusers while not engaging in another costly prison buildup, which will
happen unless the state makes changes.

Perry: Get Experts

Gov. Rick Perry should think beyond the Legislature and name education
experts who know their subject like most of us know breathing to the
House's new school finance panel.

School finance analyst John Augenblick of Denver could assess the costs of
preparing students for Texas' standards and for the global economy. He's
done that for several states. Dallas lawyer Tom Luce has been knee-deep in
Texas education since he led Ross Perot's 1984 reform effort. Austin lawyer
Sandy Kress shepherded President Bush's school reform bill through Congress
and once chaired the Dallas school board. Dallas Superintendent Mike Moses
headed the Texas Education Agency under George W. Bush.

These experts would strengthen the panel and benefit everyday Texans.