E-Interviews: Karen Felthauser, HD 52

[This is the third in our installment of E-Interviews with Democratic Texas House and Texas Senate candidates. If you are a candidate or campaign staffer and have questions about E-Interviews, please contact Vince.]
Karen Felthauser (D-Round Rock) [website•e-mailing list•$$$] is opposing Trans Texas Corridor godfather Mike Krusse (R-Round Rock) in House District 52, which encompasses the southern half of Williamson County.

Q: Could you please tell us a little about yourself, including education, employment, and previous public/civic service?

A: I am an Honors Graduate of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, with a BS in Geology and a BS in Environmental Psychology. I also graduated with a teacher’s certification.  After college I worked in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a Staff Geologist and Environmental Specialist for the engineering firm, Ford, Bacon and Davis. We did environmental studies for the government and worked with private firms, including Kennecott Copper Corp.  While living in Salt Lake City, I married my husband and we had the first two of our five children there.  After the birth of my second son, we moved to Pittsfield Massachusetts, where we had two more children.  While there, I taught swimming lessons for children at the YMCA.  I volunteered with the federal Chapter I pre-school program.  I was active with the PTA and volunteered in my children’s school and with the school-age version of the Chapter 1 program, even participating in the selection of a new director for that program at one point.  When we moved to Texas I became involved with the PTAs in Round Rock and in the local school board politics.   My only born Texan, Kyle, arrived a little more than a year after we arrived it Texas!  After Kyle was born ‘we’ worked for several years at Kid Space, a drop-in day care center, where I eventually became Assistant Director.   Once Kyle was of school age I decided I would like to substitute teach in Round Rock ISD.  I have been substituting for 6 years now.  I have remained involved in PTA and school board politics. I also joined the local teachers’ organization, Education Round Rock.  Through that involvement I have paid more and more attention to state-level politics and the detrimental effects our current representation has had on public education, eventually leading to my decision to run for public office.

Local Issues

Q: What do you see as the three or four most important issues to the voters in your district?

A: A quality education for our children, accessible and affordable health care, freeways not toll ways for our commuter community, and a basic opposition to the Trans-Texas Corridor.

Q: As a legislator, what would you do to ensure that these issues were properly addressed?

A: I would be willing to both sponsor and co-sponsor legislation which would address any and all of these key issues.  I would work with the Legislative Council on legislation to accomplish these goals.

Q: Do you believe that your opponent has adequately addressed these issues effectively? 

A: I absolutely do not believe that he has addressed these issues adequately or effectively; I feel he has actively worked against these goals.

As an educator, I have watched with dismay his poor record on support for public education and it was, in fact, the reason for my entry into this political race. He has voted to cut teacher pay and rights, voted for teacher pension cuts, voted for voucher plans which would privatize our public school, voted to lower professional standards for our children’s teachers and has presided over the decline of the state’s share of education expenses to the lowest levels in history. Groups that follow key education votes give him zeros.

His votes against full funding of the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program lost us many matching federal dollars.  Local governments are forced to pick up the pieces without benefit of those federal dollars.  Parents of these children are forced to let health issues go until they end up in emergency rooms for treatment, costing us much more in the long run.  All of us parents know how costly those visits are! Texans continue to bear high costs from health insurance companies. Texas ranks 50th in the percent of population with health insurance.

I feel that, as the Chair of the House Transportation Committee and point man on toll roads, he has done a grave disservice to his commuter community.  He has proposed legislation which took the vote of the public away on whether to allow tolling.  He has been instrumental in creating various unaccountable agencies which have pushed toll roads down the throats of an unhappy constituency. He tells people who come to talk to him about toll roads that they need to speak to a lobbyist friend of his who is knowledgeable on toll roads.  No-bid contracts to friends and employers of friends seem to be part and parcel with this whole toll-road program.
The massive toll road/transportation project called the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC), takes land from our Texas Farmers and turns it over to a Spanish company to use for their profit.  It would effectively serve as a funnel for American jobs to Mexico and beyond.  It is a transportation plan for the future that is based on the assumption that there will continue to be a cheap and unending supply of gasoline.  As the reality of peak oil and the resultant declining supplies and rising costs confront us, transportation plans for the future should concentrate more on mass transit and less on single-vehicle transport modes.

Statewide Issues: Education

Q: School finance remains a major issue on the minds of Texas voters as the ‘reform’ issues of the most recent special session start to make an impact on the state budget and local school districts. Do you think the legislation passed during the most recent special session adequately addresses concerns related to public school finance in Texas? Why or why not?

A: I think this legislation was a stop-gap election year smoke and mirrors trick.  While teacher raises and more money for high school programs would be a step in the right direction, the failure to provide ongoing funding for these raises and programs is clearly NOT a long term commitment to improved public education.  The Bait and Switch mentality of our current representatives is evident by the fact that this ‘special’ session on education was really about tax breaks for large corporations.  While the ‘fairing up’ of the business tax would have been an admirable outcome, I am afraid, not surprisingly, they have instead created a regressive business tax structure that is based, not on ability to pay but on ability to make campaign contributions.  Their tax swap inexplicably provides no additional money for education but promised to put any gains from the business tax back into property tax relief.  In reality there will not be any gains and their ill-conceived tax swap will leave an already struggling state government with a growing deficit which will further endanger education, health services and parks budgets. Figures place the projected deficit at $25.12 Billion within 5 years!

Q: Standardized testing is a cornerstone of public school education in Texas today. Do you believe too much or not enough emphasis is placed on standardized testing and why?

A:  I believe we have lost sight of the usefulness of standardized testing as a means of evaluating where our children are, so we can focus on getting them to where they need to go.  Instead, they are being used as a punitive instrument which will effectively remove resources from the children, schools and teachers which need them most.

Q: Merit-based teacher pay (tied most likely to standardized testing scores) is something Republicans in Texas have pushed for several years. Do you believe merit-based teacher pay is a good concept to institute in Texas? Why or why not?

A: I think that Texas teachers are underpaid and this merit-based proposal is being used to avoid making the necessary investment in all of our Texas teachers and thereby in Texas children and our future.  Texas pays its teachers $4,600 below the national average.  Texas has ranked 45th in the number of secondary teachers with degrees in the subjects they teach. We must make it possible for teachers to make a decent living, as they tend to the future of Texas.

Q:  What is your position on school vouchers?

A: I am opposed.  Vouchers take money from our already struggling public schools.  The long-term failure of our state legislators to invest in public education cannot be blamed on the schools and teachers.

Q: Since the Legislature deregulated tuition costs at the state’s public colleges and universities, tuition has skyrocketed at many institutions of higher education. Do you favor allowing tuition deregulation to continue? Why or why not?

A: I certainly do not.  The year our legislators so ‘wisely’ decided not to invest in the higher educational institutions in this state and to instead deregulate tuition, the tuition at my son’s college jumped by 65%.  They are pricing the middle class out of higher education.  The federal government has been cutting the availability and affordability of college funds, while the state is allowing prices to skyrocket.  It is a terrible combination.

Q: What are your thoughts on making higher education more accessible to more Texas youths?

A:  I am in favor of programs which will make continuing education - vocational or traditional academic - more accessible to Texans of all ages.  I think there is a great need for retraining for older individuals who are facing unemployment or underemployment because of the federal government’s determined desire to out-source and in-source our jobs.

Q: The “top ten percent” rule has come under attack by Republicans in recent months. Do you favor the “top ten percent” rule? Why or why not?

A: Before making a final judgment about this program, I would like to see statistics on the success of the students who were granted admission solely through their qualification by this program. I fear it may well push students, who are not necessarily academically prepared, into college with little hope of a successful completion.    I think that there are problems with the program, at least as it is currently set up.  I believe that there should be a limit on the percent of an individual college’s student body which would come from this group.  Perhaps students should be given entry into some state college, not necessarily their first choice.  

Q: What are some other ideas or thoughts you have about secondary and higher education in Texas?

A:  I think we need to have more and stronger vocational track programs, to better meet the needs of students who, without them who are currently dropping out of high school.

We need accountability measures instituted for campus and district administrators as well as students and their parents to enforce stricter disciplinary consequences for students who are disruptive to the learning environment.

State Parks

Q: State Parks has become sort of the ‘sleeper’ issue of this election cycle. What is your assessment of the current situation of Texas’ state park system?

A: It is disgraceful that our legislators have let the Park System become so under funded that facilities are deteriorating and they have to sell off our parks, which should be a guarded natural treasure for the people of Texas.

Q: Do you favor legislation reallocating the Sporting Goods Tax so that all of the revenue generated from the tax goes to fund state parks, instead of a large portion of it going to the general fund?

A: Yes.  It is one more example of the Bait and Switch politics of the current legislators.

Q: What are your thoughts on the sale of public lands designated for state parks or natural preserves, such as those at Eagle Mountain Lake and in the Black Gap area, by the state instead of developing the land as parks or recreation areas?

A: I believe it is a glaring example of the failure of our legislators to guard our precious natural resources.

The Environment

Q:  Coal power plants have become a major issue in this election cycle as TXU and other energy providers seek to build 17 new power plants, mostly in East and Central Texas. Obviously, this is a double-edged sword. These plants will provide needed energy and boost the economies of the areas in which they are constructed by providing more jobs and increasing the tax base. However, they will also cause a significant amount of pollution. In your view, how should the legislature work to balance the competing interests of need for electricity versus concern for the environment? 

A:  I believe legislators need to insist that power plants are built with state-of-the art methods to ensure clean air for our citizens. We will bear health and monetary burdens if they fail in their duty to safeguard the air we breathe.

Q: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has been heavily criticized as not doing as much as possible to protect the environment in Texas. What are your thoughts on this agency and environmental regulation in Texas?

A: We need to empower our state agencies to do the jobs they are supposed to be doing. It is vital that we maintain clean air and clean water for our citizens.

Q: What kinds of incentives (tax breaks, etc.) would you support to increase the production of alternative fuels and/or increase the use of alternative sources of energy in Texas?

A: I am open to considering various tax incentives for development of alternatives as well as incentives to encourage conservation of current fuels.  I also support gas taxes over tolls as a means of paying for road development, in part because vehicles which use more fuel pay more.

Q: Water remains a major issue in Texas, as it has for over a century. Do you believe the state has an acceptable long-range plan with regard to both surface water and groundwater use as we head further into the 21st century?

A:  I feel that this is one of the most important issues we will be facing, as we move into a future with burgeoning population growth. Competing demands for our water resources will become more and more difficult to address as the resource is strained.  As a geologist, I fear that global warming may well place greatly increased demands on our water resources. As we likely will face more dramatic climate change than anticipated, I think it is unlikely that current plans will be adequate to address future needs. We will have to become very active in addressing ways to conserve and fairly divide the limited water resources available to us.

Q: The question of groundwater versus surface water is one that haunts rural and urban Texas. Urban areas frequently need more water, and look to man-made lakes—usually constructed in rural areas—for that water. What action should the Legislature take, if any, to balance the needs of urban residence with the needs of rural residents when it comes to water issues?

A: It is indeed a difficult issue.  With massive growth this will become more and more of a problem. I think we need to start by encouraging conservation efforts in rural, suburban and urban areas through incentive programs.
Transportation

Q: The Trans Texas Corridor is one of the key issues in this year’s election cycle. Regardless of whether the TTC will directly impact your district through construction within its boundaries, what is your position on the Trans Texas Corridor?

A:  The TTC will directly impact my district.  The residents of the eastern part of the district face the loss of farmland that has been in their families for generations. Current proposals for the location of the TTC would pave over some of the most fertile farmland in the country, farmland that does not even require irrigation.  This is irresponsible.  As the population of the entire area increases there will be increased demand for food.  This corridor would pave over the farmland that would provide that food.

Q: What is your position on toll roads?

A: It seems to be the current governor’s/legislators’ answer to how to fund road development.  While I believe the Austin area was long overdue some of this road construction, I do not like tolling as a method of paying for our roads.  It is wasteful. Figures I have seen say that as much as 40 cents of every dollar goes to pay for the collection of the toll:  toll booths, toll tags, toll employees, a whole new tax collection agency.  This money could be better spent on more roads or on maintenance and/or improvements of the roads we already have.

Toll roads are also more dangerous than non-tolled alternatives.

Additionally, they will do less to solve the problems they are purportedly built to solve.  Many people will be less likely to pay to use a toll road and will continue to take the free alternatives, thereby not providing optimal reduction of congestion on our current urban roadways.

Q: Do you believe there was adequate transparency in the bid process for the first parts of the Trans Texas Corridor?

A: Absolutely not. It is beyond belief that they think they should be allowed to keep the details of this contract secret, despite court decisions which say they should be open.

Q: As with many issues, the Trans Texas Corridor elicits different feelings from urban voters than from rural voters. How does Texas develop a transportation policy for the next 50 years that keeps up with the demands of our state’s rapidly expanding urban and suburban populations while also respecting the property rights and lifestyles of rural Texans?

A:  First, our policy should fix the problem where it exists, the congestion we need to alleviate occurs in urban and suburban areas, not far out in the countryside.  As mentioned earlier, with increased fuel cost but less availability, more options for mass-transit should be seriously considered.

Taxation & Taxation Policy

Q: Do you believe the “tax relief” that has occurred as a result of the special session this past spring is adequate? Please explain.

A:  For genuine tax relief, for the people that need it most, proposals should be progressive in nature.   For instance, I think property tax relief bills should have included provisions for higher homestead exemptions, thereby helping poorer Texans more.

Q: The concept of “property tax relief” and “tax relief” have been on the lips of Texas politicians for more than a decade. How can the legislature actually bring the people of Texas either property tax relief or general tax relief? Is this an impossible task in the present economic and budgetary environment in our state?

A: I do not believe that all Texans need equal relief.  Texas has one of the most regressive tax structures in the country.  Some Texans need ‘tax relief’ and others need to start paying their fair share, if we are to provide education, health services, roads and parks for the edification and enjoyment of all Texans.

Q: Texas’ general fund, funding for education, etc., are supported by a myriad of taxes: from ‘by the drink’ taxes to the ‘sporting goods tax’ to the sales tax. What is your opinion of the structure of taxation in Texas and how our state government is funded?

A: As I have mentioned above, I believe our tax structure is way too regressive and based not on ability to pay but on ability to make campaign contributions.

Q: Do you believe that Texas now needs an income tax? Why or why not?

A: Texas is 49th in the revenues it raises to run our state.  Many services suffer because of this. I believe if Texas institutes an income tax, it should be structured to, in part, replace some of the more regressive taxes we currently levy. Statistics I have seen on such a replacement program show that nearly 90% of Texans would end up paying less in taxes than they are currently.  The other 10% would have to start paying their fair share.  Currently the poorest 10% of Texans pay nearly 12% of their income to state and local taxes while the richest 10% pay 3.3% of their income to state and local taxes.  It is time for the tables to be turned on this statistic.  That is the only way our state is going to be able to provide the services our residents deserve.

Health & Human Services

Q: From the Accenture contract debacle to being severely understaffed, health and human services in Texas appear to be in a crisis mode. Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?

A:  Yes, I do. Legislators tried to blame state employees for problems created by their own failure to adequately fund the health and human services functions of our state government. They used the shortcomings of an under-funded agency as an excuse to privatize and profit-ize the agencies’ duties.  The failure of this misguided program should be an embarrassment to them.  I am afraid they will not have learned the lessons of this failure.  They are intent on privatizing everything so resist the lessons put so obviously in front of them.
Texas is 49th in the revenue raised to run this state, despite the fact that if we were a nation we would have the 8th largest economy in the world.  All of our government services will continue to operate in crisis mode until this fundamental problem is addressed.

Q: Do you favor allowing private sub-contractors to handle health and human services casework?

A: No.  The failure of the Accenture program should provide ample evidence of the error of this approach.  Trying to privatize a government service introduces a profit motive where none should exist.  We will get less service and pay more.

Q: Do you believe the current level of funding for the state’s health and human services are adequate? Please explain.

A: No.  One glaring example of the heartbreak caused by underfunding in this sector of the government follows.   According to Texas on the Brink, “On average in 2004, each Child Protective Services investigative caseworker had 61 cases.  Texas caseloads are twice the national average.  Accreditation agencies and professional groups recommend 12-18 cases per worker.”The consequences?

More than 500 children in Texas died of abuse or neglect over a 2 ½ year period, and more that a quarter of them had been previously investigated by the state’s Child Protective Services according to records obtained by the  Dallas morning News.

Social Issues
Q: The 2003 and 2005 sessions of the Texas legislature spent a significant amount of time and effort on what could aptly be called ‘social’ legislation, such as banning gay marriage, tightening restrictions on abortion, and other measures such as the ‘moment of silence’ in public schools legislation. Regardless of your personal beliefs on any of these issues, do you believe that the legislature should be spending so much of its time and effort on issues of this nature when other pressing issues like the budget and education must be addressed?

A:  No, I think this has been a deliberate diversion from the more important issues facing our state. Their failure to deal with important and pressing issues plays a large part in my decision to run.  I think many of them are content with a regressive tax structure favoring the richest Texans, never mind the high price to be paid.

Q: This November, voters in South Dakota will get to vote on a measure passed by their state legislature and signed by their governor that basically outlawed all abortion procedures in that state (which was put on the ballot by voter initiative after it was signed into law). It has been said that Texas will soon follow suit with similar legislation. Would you support a total ban on abortion in Texas?

A: No

Closing

Q: Other than some of the issues we’ve discussed so far, what are other issues that are of importance in your campaign, and what are your positions on those?

A: The main issues for my campaign are education, healthcare, tolls and the TTC, all of which have been addressed in this questionnaire. However, I also intend to work for open government and campaign finance reform.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: I encourage all people who feel that public education and healthcare are the cornerstones for the future success of all citizens in our state to support my candidacy in any way they can.  We will welcome you into our volunteer ranks, this teacher’s Apple Corps!

Just For Fun
Q: During your time on the campaign trail, or in public office, what’s the funniest, craziest, or silliest thing that’s ever happened to you?

The craziest thing I have run across is when members of some groups that should be wholeheartedly supporting your candidacy because of shared goals and values, hesitate to jump on board with your campaign. I am flabbergasted when they decide, instead, to support the incumbent, even though they have been abused by that representative and give as their reason that they have a “tenuous” relationship with the incumbent.  I would  liken these relationships to those of a battered wife and the spouse she is afraid to leave. I would encourage such persons to clear their heads and then stand up for themselves.

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