Ken Bentsen a former Congressman who has been working for Austin based Public Strategies has signed on as the new President of the Equipment Leasing Association in the DC area. Bentsen has been a major player in Texas politics , ran for the Senate in 2002 and the Gossip think that someday he would very much like to run for the U.S. Senate again. The Equipment Leasing Association is a trade group that represents companies that lease equipment in the construction and other industries.

And is the Governor celebrating this evening? His Perry/Sharp plan to close the loop hole for the franchise tax and to extend the tax to professional services has passed the state Senate and is on the way to his desk for his signature. The Gossips wonder if Dr. Steve Hotze is serious when he says the tax will come back to haunt the GOP. Same message from the new state Senator Dan Patrick who may be a voice in the wilderness when he finally gets to Austin.

Dr. Steve Hotze did send out a mailing warning folks that the proposal to cut property taxes is really a new tax. A tax on Doctors and other professionals. It was a nice well done mailing, 4 colors, etc and it came to the Gossip, not normally on Dr. Steve's mailing list. The Gossips guess that the good Doctor is not happy about paying a new franchise tax.