"One Tough Grandma" calls Perry out...Sharp's plan to increase the price of your puff...

One tough grandma has something to say about Rick Perry's call for a special session on school fincance this April. According to an article that appeared in MySA.com, Carole Keaton Strayhorn, an independent candidate for governor of Texas, is quoted as saying that Perry "deliberately delayed convening a special session until after the primaries". She claims that the delay was "purely for political and partisan reasons". A spokesman for Rick Perry is quoted in the same article as replying, "Real leaders offer more than just criticism. The governor and a special commission he appointed last year have been working on a school finance plan that will be unveiled shortly". The plan calls for a "revamp" of the state's franchise tax. John Sharp, former State Comptroller, was appointed by Perry to head the committee. According to an article that appeared in MyWestTexas.com, the plan includes cutting property taxes from the current $1.50 tax rate to $1. This, according to the plan, would slash property taxes by $5.9 billion. The void left in the property tax would be replaced with a modified franchise tax. The current 4.5% rate would be replaced with a 1% tax for all businesses except wholesalers and retailers. The plan reports that the business tax would generate $4 billion. Raising the cigarette taxes by $1 dollar would generate about $800 billion. According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, this proposal would prevent the state from increasing the sales tax, a tax the report states is one of the nation's highest. More detailed reports from these articles can be found on their web page or by logging on to http://www.texasisd.com/ As a citizen and voter, it may be in our best interests to keep an eye on the upcoming special session. Let's make sure no one falls asleep at the wheel on this one.