Yes, I hate the ‘nothing burger’ meme as much as anyone but if everyone is going to use it anyway, I might as well hop on the train. And if there was ever an appropriate time to use it, it would be to describe the 85th session of the Texas Legislature.
The problem this session for the average working Jane is President Donald Trump. No, he’s got nothing to do with the Texas Lege but he has everything to do with dominating the news cycle. It doesn’t matter if you are pro or anti Trump, the media’s breathless, microscopic focus on everything Trump leaves little room for the average working Jane to get any information about the happenings in Austin.
The result of the Trump coverage is that it allows politicians from both parties to once again pretend that they are supporting their base activists while doing little to nothing to push the state into a better position in the future. The lone exception to that is the passage of a a “sanctuary city” bill that actually has teeth and will pretty much assure another round of statewide victories for Republicans in 2018. More on that later. Let’s take a look at a couple of ‘nothing burgers’ being promoted by Texas politicians.
State Budget
On Saturday, the Senate/House conference committee on the budget declared that a compromise had been reached.
“We have reached a consensus on what I believe is a responsible, compassionate and smart budget for the people of Texas,” said state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound and the upper chamber’s top budget writer, at a committee hearing that lasted late into Saturday night.
“This has been a laborious process, I have to say,” said state Rep. John Zerwas, a Republican from Richmond and Nelson’s counterpart on the House Appropriations Committee. He called the budget “fiscally conservative” during “a time when it’s a little bit more lean.”
It’s laughable to hear those descriptions of this compromise. Responsible, compassionate, smart and fiscally conservative sure have different meanings when a politician says them, I guess.
Budget documents indicated around $1 billion would come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, a $10 billion savings account available to shore up the budget in difficult years. That money would pay for priorities such as repairs to the state’s aging mental health hospitals and bulletproof vests for police officers.
Nearly $2 billion more would come from an accounting trick related to transportation funding approved in 2015. The proposed budget would delay a payment to the state highway fund in order to free up that funding for other needs in the current two-year budget. The House had previously been critical of the possibility.
Most of us wouldn’t consider pulling a $1 billion out of savings to fund ongoing expenses responsible. Nor would we consider using an accounting trick to pretend we have more money than we do responsible. Politically smart, sure, but responsible? Or fiscally conservative? Like I said, politicians seem to have their own dictionary.
Even with that nonsense Gov. Greg Abbott threw a fit. Why?
Texas House and Senate budget negotiators agreed on a state budget for 2018-19 late Saturday — deciding to tap the state’s rainy day fund, a key sticking point — but not before Gov. Greg Abbott demanded they add $100 million to programs that are controlled by his office.
“He clearly felt that he needed more in the area of his trusteed funds in order carry out some of the economic development,” Rep. John Zerwas, the House’s top budget writer, told reporters after the committee adjourned about 1 a.m. Sunday. “If we had had a little bit more of a heads-up, we might have been able to make the accommodations. But it works out fine.”
Daniel Hodge, Abbott’s chief of staff, said that the last-minute demands were not new. “What we asked for last night was what we had been asking for since January in new money,” he said Sunday. The committee added the money.
While Zerwas, R-Richmond, was characteristically diplomatic about the demand, other lawmakers showed their frustration. When the committee was getting ready to reconvene, Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, jokingly said: “Is this about more corporate welfare? Is that why we’re still here?”
There is more than enough in those four paragraphs to inform everyone about the nonsense in Austin. But will they listen? Will they even be able to hear given the Trump express noise?
Property Tax Relief/Reform
There has been a whole lot of blustering by the usual suspects about the need for property tax relief and reform. Lt. Gov. Patrick demanded that the House pass it or he would hold up the proceedings and force a special session. Don’t believe the hype folks.
The Tax Man, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, or Tio Pablo as we affectionately call him around here, has the lead on this one. Instead of pursuing real relief or real reform, he brings us a big ol’ ‘nothing burger’.
Patrick said this week that the bill, which doesn’t set property tax rates, would cut the average homeowner’s property tax bill by $20,856 over 20 years.
Don’t spend that money yet.
State promises of property tax relief tend to evaporate. Look in your wallet for the $126 in touted average savings you stashed there the last time lawmakers fiddled with property taxes, and the $2,000 boasted average savings you were supposed to get after major school tax reforms in 2006.
Taxpayers did get some relief, whether they felt it or not, from those efforts. But the savings were mostly eaten up by increasing property values and local school property tax increases driven, in large measure, by the Texas Legislature’s cuts in per-student spending on public education.
I was watching Lt. Dan’s press conference when he said that the average homeowner would save $20k over 20 years and just about spewed my coffee on the keyboard. Not a chance in Hades that will happen and Lt. Dan knows it. He and Tio Pablo are banking on the average working Jane hearing a soundbite and believing it. And she might. Until she opens her tax bills over the next 20 years and realizes she’s been scammed.
Tio Pablo could have pursued real tax relief. As in tangible. Something like basing all property taxes on the purchase price of the property as long as you own it, eliminating an entire level of government (appraisal districts) at the same time. Or he could have tried to scrap the system altogether and replace it with a sales tax. After all, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett offered to help him make that switch.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett has an alternative to the property tax.
“That’s our only source of income,” Emmett confessed to a Lake Houston Chamber luncheon crowd, “the most reviled tax there is – and rightfully so.”
Emmett earned an enthusiastic round of applause when he suggested a 1.6-percent sales tax would raise the same amount of money for the county and the property tax could be abolished. He spoke to a capacity crowd on Sept. 29 at the Chamber’s annual State of the County Luncheon.
I begged Tio Pablo to consider Ed’s plan. But he refused. Think about that.
You know what the current plan is? It is an attack on our form of government, representative democracy. You see, there is a faction of the far right that wants to emulate California and have initiative and referendum. Direct democracy. They see forcing even more low turnout elections as a way to semi-achieve this.
Privacy and protection
SB6 would provide some measure of protection not from transgender folks but from absurd laws being passed by local governments codifying a defense for perverts. Transgender folks are going to use the restroom facility that they are dressed for. Perverts and criminals are going to use locally passed laws as a defense for their criminal activity.
House Speaker Joe Straus was blocking Lt. Dan’s bill for who knows what reason. Certainly not common sense. But Speaker Straus made a critical error on his calendar and Lt. Dan got the upper hand. He told Speaker Straus, look, either put it to a vote or I’ll corner Gov. Abbott and he’ll cave and call a special session to handle it. So Speaker Straus and the House amended a bill with something so nonsensical, even the alphabet crowd isn’t worried about it.
“It requires the provision of the facility. But it doesn’t take the next step that the district require any particular person use any particular facility,” said Joy Baskin, director of legal services at the Texas Association of School Boards. “In our understanding, the language is open-ended in that regard, and it will rely on the district’s discretion.”
The Texas Association of School Administrators said the bathroom bill “codifies what many districts are already doing.”
Baskin said the association believes that school districts that are already allowing transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity won’t have to reverse course. Neither will schools be required to “out” transgender students, because another provision in the bill bars the sharing of confidential student information.
The Texas House officially approved the bill Monday, with nearly every Republican voting in favor. The Senate needs to agree to the changes the House made to the bill, including the bathroom language, before Gov. Greg Abbott can sign it into law.
“It’s a big nothing burger,” said Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford.
So it does nothing at all. Except, of course, force yet another unfunded mandate on our public schools. Which always means more local taxes. Great job Team Republicans! If Lt. Dan accepts this in light of his insistence on a vote on SB6, well, then you’ll get a better understanding of Lt. Dan.
There are other areas to discuss. Plenty. School funding. State parks. The complete waste of money for “border security”, which has become nothing more than a way to turn the Texas Dept. of Public Safety into a paramilitary force. Marijuana legalization. Protection of our coast from hurricanes. Clean water. None of which were addressed in a meaningful way.
Thank goodness these clowns only meet once every two years.
DanMan says
His first name is Joe.
His second name is Strausss.
https://empowertexans.com/under-the-dome/democrat-admits-straus-stymie-reform/
David Jennings says
DanMan,
You can continue to hate on Joe Straus or you can try to understand the dynamics of the Texas Legislature. Matters not to me.
But if you wish to try and understand the legislature, you need to first think about why Straus is doing what he is doing. I see that you like Empower Texans, so try this one: https://empowertexans.com/under-the-dome/ineffectual-tan-parker/
Remember that Empower Texans get paid an awful lot of money to shill for Tim Dunn. Maybe you’re a fan of Dunn, maybe you’re not, I don’t know. But that’s a fact. And consider that Michael is a very good spokesman for Dunn. As he was for Ron Paul.
Like him or not, Straus has truly let the legislators run the process until this year. I think he has gotten a bit arrogant and has made tactical errors, which has helped the “freedom caucus” and the body as a whole has ‘suffered’. By suffered, I don’t mean that I disagree with what has happened, I’m just saying that the vast majority of the legislature is not happy. And when that happens, perhaps you’ll get your wish and get a new speaker.
The plain truth is that the majority of Republicans want the Speaker to protect them from taking votes on controversial issues. Because, guess what, the majority of Republicans don’t agree with Tim Dunn. But they know that Dunn et. al. has poured so much money into the process that they stand a chance to lose if they vote against Dunn’s priorities. And a few others of course, I only use Dunn as an example.
So blame Straus all you want. But Straus has done his job until this year. There comes a time when change is necessary and this might be that time.
DanMan says
David, I have no idea who Tim Dunn is and don’t know a dang thing about Empower Texas. I simply googled a thought and that came up and lo and behold 5 months before the session it was spot on. Easy stuff with this internet thingy.
I get that republicans in office in Texas are cowards. Damn near every one of them and I am pretty disappointed a long time friend that got elected doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Nothing I can do about that but observe it and occasionally comment on an obscure blog.
The Texas delegation for the most part in DC is just as bad with their committee votes to approve the budgets (okay, CRs) and then having their duly elected speakers let democrats carry their water while they vote against these half trillion dollar deficits. And at every chance they let you know they didn’t vote for something when the DC 2-step allows them to lie without lying.
Again an example of them voting for unrepentant fiscal liberals as speakers to lead their free spending selves.
You have championed Joe Stausss for quite awhile. What makes you say it is time to change now? What did he do differently this time? You say I hate Joe and need think about why Joe is doing what he is doing. Its pretty obvious I have thought about what he is doing but it occurred to me well before this session I didn’t want any more of that. Again, what changed for you? I see no difference in his approach from back here in the cheap seats.
I am encouraged to see you coming around though.
David Jennings says
DanMan,
Here’s the problem: I don’t believe you. Sorry, I just don’t. To me, there is zero chance you don’t know ‘a dang thing about Empower Texans’. Perhaps you don’t know who funds them. But ET? Nah, c’mon dude.
I have championed Joe Straus for a long time. And I might still, although I am disappointed that he finally believed the press and succumbed to arrogance. Hey, everyone is vulnerable to flattery.
Again, it isn’t Speaker Straus’ approach, although, like I said, I do think he has grown arrogant and if he can’t shake that off, he needs to go.
The problem isn’t Speaker Straus. The problem, from your perspective, is the Republican Caucus. If you really, truly want change, that should be your point of focus.
DanMan says
Believe it. I’ll check them out but I don’t know a thing about them.
I have no idea what you’re conveying in the next two paragraphs. He succumbed to arrogance? He’s a liberal, that is a common trait of liberals. They always believe they can spend your money better than you can.
The fish rots from the head.
DanMan says
OMG! what a group of hellions that Tim Dunn has assembled! yikes! articles about fiscal responsibility by sitting Texas senators for goodness sake! and right out there in the open they advocate for spending limits, zero-based budgeting and the elimination of the franchise tax.
And they advocate for election integrity! what kind of crazy is that? and they want local elections to fall on regular election dates…scurrilous! how in heck can we pass multi-billion $ school and muni bonds on Saturdays before Memorial Day? These people are insane!
once you figure out what this means / imagine it about 10′ tall
Joseph says
What Judge Emmett doesnt mention when he floats the idea of a 1.6{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} sales tax is that it includes a sales tax on all real estate transactions to make that assumption plausible.
86{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of Texas voters rejected that idea and passed Proposition 1 in 2015 to ban it. To overturn that I believe it would have to go back before the voters.
When you take that out of the equation the 1.6{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} number suddenly skyrockets to a much more untenable figure that arguably not many people would support.
DanMan says
Please quantify the figure before making the assertion. Property taxes in Texas are getting way out of hand and David’s former political ally is a staunch protector of the status quo that is appraisal creep.
Ross says
There’s a very simple way to reduce property taxes, and tie total tax burden to the ability to pay. It’s called an “income tax”, and most states have one. It’s really cool, if your income doesn’t go up, your taxes don’t go up. And when your income goes down, so do your taxes. Raise enough money with this newfangled tax, and property taxes can be reduced significantly.
DanMan says
There is an even better way of reducing property taxes. Quite outspending every budget year after year. You know, like they campaign on.
fat albert says
How about this instead: QUIT SPENDING SO MUCH EFFING MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly, I’m so very tired of politicians, political hacks, and quasi-socialist thieves deciding that they can spend MY money so much better than I can.
If the legislature doesn’t have enough money to do what it wants, then it needs to want less. Instead everybody runs around trying to figure out how to put their hands into my pocketbook without me knowing about it.
So, Ross, respectfully, please take your idea of a state income tax, fold it until it’s all corners and . . . . .
Fred Flickinger says
The Senate passed a number of good bills, only to see them die in the House.
David is absolutely correct that there are a number of Republicans, who will do anything to avoid voting on controversial issues. Even bills that are so controversial that they enjoy 90{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} support among Republican primary voters.
neither here nor there says
As Ross stated, Income Tax, is a viable and much preferable way to eliminate property taxes.
Daniel James says
I remember block walking for Dan way back when his platform included property tax caps. I have no use for any of them as they are all (both parties) opportunistic hacks. Our appraisals just came out, I had no idea I lived in Orange County. This is not sustainable.
DanMan says
He can’t even get a 5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} limit on increases. Passed the senate easily. Joe stopped it. He doesn’t want to expose his minions by making them take tough votes. It’s our fault, Not his.
Tom says
Fat Albert: OK, Texas government spends too much. Tell me where you want to cut it.
Roads? Do you live in Houston. Isn’t rush hour 12 hours a day fun?
How about public safety like police and firemen. The liberals and conservatives already have come up with ways to cut the cost of incarcerating criminals leading to closing even more prisons. But, I still have clients that need to be locked up.
How about education? That way we won’t have an educated workforce in 10 or 20 years. That will have businesses lining up to come here.
Medicaid? If we wait until people are sick, they can go to the emergency rooms where they get the most expensive medical care they can’t pay for, so that cost is spread among those of us who can pay directly or through insurance for medical care. Or are we going to be like a third world county and just let people die on the street. President Trump said during the campaign he wouldn’t let that happen.
It’s easy to say cut spending but it’s a hell of a lot harder to pick what to cut.
Come on, Fat Albert, give a few suggestions that come to real money.
In 1974, when I was a baby reporter at the Midland Reporter-Telegram, comptroller candidate Bob Bullock told me Texas had a mineral based tax system and he estimated that in 20 years or so, it would have to switch to an income tax based system. We’ve been lucky so far with minerals but the oil will run out someday. I hate taxes as much as the next guy but I also enjoy some of those public services we wouldn’t have without taxes.
My parents (and probably yours) sacrificed to pay taxes so we could get a good education and $50 per semester tuition at state supported universities. That was good for us and good for Texas. The question that needs to be asked is whether we Baby Boomers are willing to make the same kind of sacrifices for our children and grandchildren.
I’m not in favor of government waste. I hate it. But waste, fraud and abuse of tax dollars is a small portion of our state and local budgets.
DanMan says
I’ll take the bait Tom. Can you tell how many protein subsidy agencies we have in the state? I’m talking about school lunch programs, SNAP, WIC and so on? And how much it costs? Ever stand in line at a grocery store and see a spanish speaking mom with catholic school attending kids fill a couple of grocery carts and pay with an Texas EBT card climb into their late model mini-van and wonder what the heck is going on?
Take a look at other agencies. We actually have a 14 member (last count) Pension Review Board. Try to guess what they do. I’ve talked to them. They have no jurisdiction over anything other than writing reports and making recommendation nobody reads. If there is such a board for something as out of whack as public pensions, any idea how many other agencies like that there are?
I guess we don’t have any state oversight in our school districts but who decides we need five campuses in some districts for a child to pass through from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Check out the ones that have k-4, 5 & 6, 7&8, 9th only, 10-12.
Any idea how much Texas pays to subsidize illegal aliens? How much we spend to educate them? what we educate them?
Any idea how many weaponized police agencies we have in the state and their over lapping jurisdictions?
Why are tax vs. fee revenue trials for Houston held in Travis County and typically heard before the same visiting judge?
How is it that the state cannot operate on a deficit by law but a city within the state can be underwater at 3 times the annual revenue?
Same scenario but use teacher’s pensions instead of municipal ones.
All ten major rivers in Texas has its own agency (authority) that operates throughout the basin that flows to it. Their function is to “develop, conserve and protect” all aspects of their river. Almost every county has an environmental agency. Most towns with a population of over 10,000 also has an environmental jurisdiction. We have the state wide TCEQ. And the EPA and USACE.
Almost every county (254) has either a subsidence district, groundwater or conservation water district that is overseen by more than 10 Texas Water Boards that also coordinate with the EPA, USACE, and TCEQ at least.
Educate yourself about the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Association of Counties who work tirelessly to lobby in Austin to maintain the status quo in tax and fee increases of every kind imaginable. There are no such well funded organizations to push bash back against these tax payer funded lobbyists and their initiatives.
I’m a native of this state and I can surely remember when it wasn’t this way. Show me a line item budget and believe me I can make the cuts.
neither here nor there says
Time changes things from the Cadallic mama to the Spanish speaking mama, always someone else fault. If one can’t afford the property taxes then you need to sell the house and buy some thing one can afford, rather than always blaming the minorities. I am just wondering where you shop that you run into those kind of people, I don’t see them at Cotsco.
Ross says
The PRB’s budget is less than a million dollars per year, and it provides oversight of public pensions in the state. Someone needs to do that, or the pensions will do their own thing.
SNAP, WIC, etc are Federally funded.
The US Supreme Court says the States have to educate all children, even the ones who are here illegally.
Are you saying we shouldn’t fund pensions for State or local employees? Would you keep working for someone who cut your compensation significantly?
Are you saying we don’t need agencies responsible for groundwater, etc? That we can just let whatever happens, happen?
None of those agencies is funded by property taxes.
The State may have a balanced budget, but many agencies issue bonds, so it’s disingenuous at best to claim that the State budget is balanced.
I would bet you couldn’t take a school district budget and find enough to cut to make a noticeable difference in the tax rate.
fat albert says
Tom, maybe this will help:
In 1967 the State legislature passed a 2 year budget of $3.7 Billion dollars. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $26 billion in todays dollars. The state population at that time was 10.82 million. That works out to $2403/person in todays dollars.
Fast forward 50 years. The legislature is about to pass a 2 year budget of $213 billion (give or take. Current population figures stand at 27.9 million people. So now we’re going to spend $7,650/person. That’s 3 times as much as in 1967.
Now, the questions that we need to answer is this: What do we get today that we didn’t get in 1967, and is it worth paying 3 times as much? My response is “not much” and” hell no”. Mostly, it comes down to politicians using my tax dollars to pander to voters who will continue to vote for politicians who will continue to take my money to pander to voters who. . . . . . ad infinitum.
Will trimming the budget involve some pain? Well, probably a bit. But, hey, when I don’t have enough money in the bank to pay my basic bills, then I have to tell the family we need to stop eating out. We may even have to forgo the vacation this year. That’s reality and frankly I’m sick of people who keep telling me that I’m not being fair because I’m tired of spineless, feckless politicians taking my money so that they can dump it into whatever program they think will make them look good for re-election.
fat albert says
“I’m not in favor of government waste. I hate it. But waste, fraud and abuse of tax dollars is a small portion of our state and local budgets.”
Forgive me, but that’s the biggest load of bull offal since they cleaned up after the rodeo. It’s also why it seems to be almost impossible to find an actual line item listing of the State budget. (Or most other government budgets for that matter). As an independent film producer, a lot of what I do on a regular basis is run complex budgets to trim expenses and meet budget limits. You give me a line item budget – I’ll find places to trim and I bet I could find a crap load of waste, overlap, duplicated effort and (lets whisper this) corruption.
The problem is that anytime a politician talks about “cutting the budget” he doesn’t actually mean “make it smaller” he means “it won’t get bigger quite as fast as we hoped”. Even then they get hammered by guys like Ross and neither-here-or-there, whining because there’s some program or group of people who’ve been left out of the distributed largess. I suspect that in large part most folks think that the government simply prints the money it needs in the basement of the capital. They never stop to think that every dollar the government spends or gives away it first has to take (under threat of force) from someone else.
David Jennings says
Damn, fat albert kicking ass tonight. Been a while since I’ve seen that side of FA.
neither here nor there says
Whining, really fat? Okay you have city of Houston budget online,
Here is book 1 http://houstontx.gov/budget/16budadopt/VOL_1.pdf
Here is book 2 http://houstontx.gov/budget/16budadopt/VOL_2.pdf
show us how much you, the expert is going to save, or is it all talk? But just tell us how much is ind a crap load of waste, overlap, duplicated effort and (lets whisper this) corruption.
Film production is heavily subsidized by the government isn’t it?
http://reason.com/archives/2016/02/26/no-matter-who-wins-at-the-oscars-taxpaye
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_production_incentives_in_the_United_States
Texas – Texas Incentive: 5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} (for $250,000-$1 million films), 10{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} ($1 million-$3.5 million), 20{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} ($3.5 million-plus), plus 2.5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} for economically distressed areas. Minimum spend: $250,000
Source http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/film-tv-tax-incentives-a-885699
Why the handouts from the government to people who can afford to make films, need to get rid of that right?
Of course there is waste, and overlap, duplicated effort, it exits in every organization that I have ever worked in that was not a small company.
Ross says
I’m not talking about distributed largess, I am talking about the State funding schools at a rate that keeps local taxes reasonable. I am talking about funding programs to give people the tools to lead productive lives, have the health care they need to stay healthy, and the food they need to ensure their children grow up strong.
So Fat, how much have largess have you sucked out of the Texas Film Commission?
fat albert says
Ross,
Not a dime sir.
Tom says
If the state fully funded public education, local school taxes might go way down bit the state would have to find a whole lot of new tax dollars. Yes, FA, maybe 254 counties is too many with their associated bureaucracy. Let’s cut the number of counties and cities. I don’t recall you being in Austin lobbying to reduce the number of local governments.
And, if we’re going to do that, let’s start with special purpose taxing entities like water districts.
A lot of money in the state budge is federal grant money for things like Medicaid. We could just cut that off and by natural selection we would have fewer of those voters who vote for people who give them things.
So, tell me, what state programs do you want to zero out or cut. Roads, education, public safety, environmental? When I moved to Houston in 1974, falling ito the ship channel was a trip to the e.r. For every shot known to man. It will never be a swimming resort but it’s a lot cleaner now.
In the ’70s, the EPA shut off a lot of new building in Houston because there was insufficient wastewater treatment, Raw sewage was floating downstream. It cost a lot of tax dollars but our water is a lot cleaner now. FA: Want to go back?
What I’m saying is that government can make life better but we have to pay for it.
I say again, tell me specifically what state programs you want to cut because they bloat the budget.
DanMan says
All of them by 5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} would be a good start while we work on the details for larger cuts.