I attended the Kenneth Sheets vs. Allen Vaught debate tonight at Dallas’s Lochwood Library. Their responses to each point is below. It moved quickly, but I tried my best just to bang out accurate summaries of their main points.
While the moderator read questions, I thought of what my response would have been. They are in the third column.
| Issue | Kenneth Sheets Republican |
Allen Vaught Democrat |
Aren Cambre Village Idiot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prisoners count for census figures, overcompensating census counts for benefits for rural areas where prisons are located | Hasn’t studied well, but feels it doesn’t make sense. | Agrees it doesn’t make sense. | It doesn’t make sense, but more rules and regs. have real costs, so want to better understand the harm before committing to action. |
| School vouchers | More important: “How are we financing our schools?” Opposes. | Opposes vouchers. | Vouchers should be on the table for students zoned to lowest-performing schools. |
| Arizona immigration law | Opposes. Enforce laws already on books. Supports Irving’s CAP program for illegals who have committed a crime; says it has improved Irving’s crime rate. | Perry says he wouldn’t support it, so probably not on table. Crisis in El Paso. More unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic surveillance, manned aircraft. Enough laws already on books to help with situation. | Oppose. Local law enforcement is about stopping crime, not checking papers. Immigration is secondary importance for locals. |
| Redistricting | Agrees with Vaught. Needs to be apolitical, reflect communities, voting patterns, wills & values of people. | TX picking up 4 seats. Don’t gerrymander. Not “Tom Delay” redistricting; fair redistricting. Collin County, etc. to gain, west Texas may lose representation. | (not sure what I would have said) |
| Voter ID? | Yes, would support it. Imperative to keep integrity in voting system. The most recent bill that was considered had plenty of provisions to prevent disenfranchisement. Similar bills in GA and IN were successful, voting rates went up. | Right to vote = fundamental. Not opposed to voter ID that makes sense. Worried about some boundary situations (e.g., at age 85, you don’t automatically get driver’s license renewal). Brought up Betty Brown from Terrell. | The problem solved by voter ID appears exaggerated, but the bill in front of the 2009 legislature was very reasonable. |
| Rebuttal | Vaught supported bill that would allow same-day registration. | (missed his response to the rebuttal) | N/A |
| Bullet trains | Agree with Vaught. Lots of issues with RoW and landowner rights. Not enough RoW. Funding: huge TX budget shortfall, can we really support it? Maybe when economy recovers. “Absolutely need to reform our transportation issues.” | We have trains in Europe (or Asia?) that go “700 miles per hour” [um, no!! -Aren]. Needed to relieve congestion. Mentioned public/private partnership as possible model. Need it, but have issues with landowner rights. | We already have high speed rail. It’s called Southwest Airlines. Oppose any public dollars spent on this. If it makes sense, private investors will do it. |
| Attorney General opposition to Obamacare | Supports. Federal health care bill is drain on economy, job killer, we cannot afford it. Vaught supported study for implementation of universal health care in Texas. Will hurt economy, cost jobs, state cannot afford spending. | Nixon was first to push health care reform. Wait and see what Obamacare rules look like. Concerned about how Texas will afford this. Good that no preexisting denials, abuse prevention, etc. | AG suits against Obamacare are probably futile. Generally prefer scrapping and starting over with market-based solution, but possibly retaining the best provisions during scrappage. |
| $21 bil budget deficit | All Texans will have to work together to solve. “Shared responsibility and shared sacrifices.” Will require cuts. Will use part of rainy day fund. Vaught voted last time against rule that would have limited spending, which would have meant less rainy day fund today. Raising taxes are “cancer for economy.” | Texas facing financial crisis unlike that in modern time. “Centrist Democrat” ideas on how to attack. “Diet pill for anorexic” to indicate leanness of budget. Increase tuition by $500/pp for out of state. Encourage state employee attrition. Etc. | It’s going to hurt. Sure, eliminate waste, but fixing the gap won’t happen without significant cuts. So voting for me is a vote for principle of limiting the scope of government is the best way to grow the economy. |
| (rebuttal) | (response to rebuttal) Rule was very simple. Voting against the rule, you want to increase spending and tap rainy day fund. | Vote was not to raid rainy day fund. Wanted all cards on table until we knew if stimulus was accepted. | |
| EPA—do we need stricter standards? | EPA raised emissions standards. Texas is success story in reducing airborne contaminants. Has made standards stricter due to faulty science. We’re chasing moving field goal. We’re doing well: replacing vehicles, fleet vehicle improvements. We can do nuclear energy. Will bring down energy rates. | Smog standards are not on junk science. Dallas is non-attainment zone under prior, “Bush administration standards” (which were less stringent—not sure that’s correct?). Don’t need to lose highway dollars. | We need to take a close look at the TCEQ. Its actions are often a farce, and it considers proposals that burden taxpayers financially and add red tape to their daily lives. |
| (rebuttal) | Agree with Vaught that we need to improve air, but standards need to be based on solid science. CA is reducing standards because theirs were based on faulty data. We need to make sure the science is sound before we set standards. | (no counter-rebuttal) | |
| How to create jobs in Texas? Will you increase taxes? | “Raising revenue” and “closing a loophole” = tax increase. Dallas and Dallas County raised taxes. Bush tax cuts may expire. Do not need state government raising taxes. “That’s how we raise jobs.” Need to allow small businesses to spent more. Predictable tax structure.Don’t create unnecessary regulations. Controlling taxes = create more jobs in TX, generate “better revenue.” | Growing jobs: tax incentives. Investing in cleaner technologies. Need to lead in this.Taxes: (pause) Need to do “everything possible to refrain from raising taxes.” Raised exemption on margin tax last session; will keep it. Need to cut property taxes. Need to close loopholes. Eliminate business discount for business paying taxes on time; modern businesses don’t need this. | The best way creating jobs is to get the government out of the way of a healthy private sector. With one exception, I oppose tax increases. I oppose stealth taxes. [The stealth tax question asked later was mine.] I oppose targeted tax cuts–they’re really backdoor government mandates–and instead prefer a fair, simple tax system with low rates for all, not just the politically favored. |
| Zero corporate tax rate: do you support keeping it? | Hasn’t studied much. In favor of looking at everything | (didn’t catch his response, but it didn’t seem that consequential) | Not sure about this, but I want disclosure of real estate sales prices. Nondisclosures lets many avoid property taxation. However, this cannot be a tax revenue bonanza. I demand a revenue neutral approach: any additional revenue must be offset by lower rates for all. |
| Lottery audit? | All for transparent government. Let’s audit it. Sunset review is a good way to review agencies. | In favor of accountability. It was designed to put funds in general revenue. Audit it. | Probably would also have given a general support of transparency, but I don’t know enough to comment. |
| What kind of voter identification is done for mail in ballots where voter fraud is rampant? | Voted in 2008 RPT primary from Iraq by absentee. Complicated. Have to read instructions carefully. Needs to be looked at. We need to do everything we can to ensure integrity of voting system, that votes are not diluted by voter fraud. | Not a single document that proves fraud at polls. (lots of laughter and audience snickers) re: voter ID: Not burning down forest to look for (mumble). | Haven’t studied well enough. Oregon is 100% absentee ballot; how do they do it? |
| (rebuttal) | How to catch voter impersonation when there’s not a law to catch it? | (no counter-rebuttal) | |
| Converting Interstate highways to toll roads | Against turning any existing road into toll road. But for sensical use of tolls. | Against it. | Nope, although we aren’t raising enough money to maintain and improve the “free” roads already in the system. If we do nothing, we’ll have to toll our way into any future improvement. I would support ending massive gas tax diversions to the DPS and and TxDOT reform before considering a tax increase. |
| State taking over local school taxes | Also hasn’t heard of any rumors. Agree that state has obligation—Constitutional mandate—to fairly fund public schools. Lots of questions about funding and schools. We have high school nearby that spent more $$$ per pupil than much better nearby schools that ranked much better. (My interpretation.) | Statewide property tax? Haven’t heard rumors of this. Texas Constitution does say Legislature has to properly fund legislature, but obligation pushed down to local school districts. Doesn’t foresee any measure to change this. | No knowledge of credible movement to make this happen. Constitution prevents it, and I would oppose any changes. |
| Youngest Texans: Changing training requirements for early childhood caregivers above 15 hours | No clue. | No idea, either. | As a parent with a child in child care, I would be happy to understand more about this. |
| Texas Constitution: longest and least-read document in world. Keep it, add to 480 amendments, or call for constitutional convention | It’s complicated and difficult to read. This isn’t time to adjust constitution. We have $18-$21 bil budget shortfall, redistricting, and “several other” difficult issues. For now it’s working, stick to priorities. | Need to look at “in time,” but next legislature has difficult issues (also mentioned Sunset w.r.t. TxDOT, TDI). Limit state budget to money we have. Only way state can take on debt is to have Constitutional amendment. Property tax cuts (for targeted groups) require amendments? | (fully agree with Sheets and Vaught that there’s a lot more important things right now to worry about) |
| Will you ban red light cameras? | Don’t think camera by Mbird/Abrams works. “Broken system”, question of due process. Not for outright ban, but “needs to be explored.” | Wish he would have gone back to 2003 session and voted no. It’s a problem. Dallas-area rep is who is behind it. Cameras set up in “gotcha zones.” Cities will fight band, but need to do it. | [withholding opinion as I am researching this right now for my doctorate] |
| Will you stay in Austin during session and not leave for another states? | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
| Raised taxes with fees. Driver Responsibility Fee. What’s position on stealth taxes and this fee. | Good example of stealth tax is garage sale fee. It’s really a tax. He will stand the line on tax increases. | Haven’t studied DRF, so can’t give good comment. Would like to study. Could be a good thing if it works. But wouldn’t support stealth tax. | [this was another one my questions] I want truth in taxing: fees and licenses that don’t pay for an economic service to the payer, and fines assessed far away from the crime, are really taxes. I would repeal the Driver Responsibility Fee tax. |
| Closing statement | Thanked LWV. Honorific statements. Thanked audience. Get to know issues. 2 years ago would have no interest in running for office; just got back from Marine Corps, geographical separation. Ready to settle down. Realized he didn’t like direction country is headed. Bad Washington policy. CA, NY, IL in trouble, and those problems could spread to Texas. Some believe we should follow CA model, he disagrees. He’s limited government conservative, free market principals, security. | Honorific statements. Thanks wife. 2 small children born during his term. He talks a lot about style of leadership. Type of leadership in Austin is critical. He will try to lead in “common sense, centrist manner”. Tries to be nonpartisan. Trumpeted awards from various nonpartisan groups and businesses as evidence of leadership he provides. | … |
I guess most people voting in 107 this election think, “Browndo. It’s what plants crave. It has electrolytes.”