The Texas Agriculture Commissioner decided to use the stickers on tens of thousands of fuel pumps to thumb his nose at state and federal lawmakers, the Texas Tribune reports.
For years, Texas fuel pumps have been littered with inconspicuous little “Fuel Feedback?” stickers issued by the Department of Agriculture. They were very simple, featuring the Texas Depart of Agriculture’s website and some contact information so people could report if their pump’s registration was expired. Here’s how they looked:
But now, the stickers are being revised, in part to add a cost breakdown of state and federal fuel taxes, a requirement thanks to a new bill by state Representative Dwayne Bohac.
But that’s not all, as Sid Miller, the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, is using them to promote himself and to throw a few jabs.
The sticker has his name front and center, and in large font. The Texas Tribune asked the Texas Agriculture deputy commissioner why Miller’s name was so large and prominent on the new sticker, and the response was simply: “The individuals involved in the design are not currently in the office.”
So basically, no comment.
The jab against state and federal lawmakers is at the bottom and reads:
All motor fuel taxes are set by the U.S. Congress and Texas State Legislature, NOT by the Texas Department of Agriculture or Texas Agriculture Commissioner.
The passive-aggressive label may be a response to the commissioner’s recent run-ins with the state legislature, which denied his request for $50 million in additional state revenue over two years.
This is one hell of a way to get back at them, as the stickers are found on over 170,000 pumps.