We now know who the members of the Texas House are scared of, and it isn’t us. It’s TXU, as parliamentary maneuvering yesterday amply demonstrated. Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, used a point of order to delay debate on bills designed to reign in TXU’s anti-competitive behavior. Talton was painfully blunt about why he did it: "I got calls from both the left and the right saying, ‘We don’t want to vote on this,’ " he said. "They said, ‘Do you have a point of order,’ and I said, ‘Yes I do.’ I’m not going to tell you who [called] but yes, it came from both sides [of the debate]."
House members were more worried about offending TXU — with its piles of campaign cash — than the people who put them there, which would be us. Who pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country. Whose rates have been manipulated by the same TXU, according to the PUC. Incidentally, TXU and its proposed new owners have 79 lobbyists on hand to remind the Legislature who is in charge. That’s one lobbyist for each 2.29 members of the legislature (which we’re probably paying for).
So here’s what you do. Go to the Legislature’s web site, type your address in the box on the right that says "Who represents me" and then send your state representative and senator a pleasant e-mail (and it should be pleasant) telling them you’d like to see the House and Senate get a chance to vote on Senate Bills 482 and 483. That’s not asking too much, is it?
