Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

What really made Rick Perry's recent hints at secession sound asinine was that our governor came across looking so small.

There he was rallying wanna-be members of the Republic of Texas, the group that gained notoriety in a previous century for its hunker-down secessionism. Meanwhile, the state he leads – or, I should say, was elected to lead – stands on the verge of becoming the next mega-state.

So, what does he do? Go out on Tax Day and bark about nobody telling Texans what to do.

Hey, I'm a proud Texas native, too, but why go isolationist when Texas has the rare chance to lead the country?

Houstonian Tory Gattis had a wonderful take on Texas' future in his recent essay at www.newgeography.com. The writer/blogger describes how each of America's "four great growth waves" contained an "attractive new frontier" that drew in people seeking opportunity. Those waves resulted in "large new bases of industry, wealth, and power," as well as "top-tier world cities."

The first wave was the East Coast explosion, giving rise to the Boston-New York-Washington axis. The second grew out of the agricultural and industrial Midwest, causing Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis to boom. The third was the westward ho march toward California, creating the San Francisco-Los Angeles-San Diego dynamism.

The fourth, as Gattis sees it, surrounds Texas and the New South. Cities like Atlanta are part of this wave, but he calls Texas the "800-pound gorilla."

The numbers confirm his assertion. Dallas-Fort Worth is America's fourth largest metropolitan area. Houston probably will stand fifth, after the 2010 census. Texas has more Fortune 500 headquarters than California or New York, and 18 million people live in the "Texas Triangle" between Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin-San Antonio and Houston.

"Texas and the new South," Gattis writes, "are part of a great historical wave that's just starting to really take off, the same as being in Chicago at the turn of the 19th-century or in California after WW2. Pretty cool, eh?"

Yes, cool indeed. But only if we do this right.

If we prepare for our moment, we can become like New York City, which has remained a powerhouse even though its great growth wave happened a century ago. If we don't prepare, we will look like St. Louis, which lost its stroke after its growth faded.

The Texas Legislature's role is crucial because Perry's comments show he's not interested in getting ready. Strange, for a guy who tried to modernize Texas' transportation system.

Republicans in Austin must step up. Paul Burka has an equally compelling essay in the latest Texas Monthly about how the GOP has failed to lead since gaining control of the Legislature in 2003. There are exceptions – like state senators Florence Shapiro, Kip Averitt, John Carona, Jane Nelson and Bob Deuell – but statehouse Republicans generally have focused far more on party than Texas.

If two other Republicans, House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, are smart, they will understand that this is their moment to lead their party and state forward.

"Forward" means this:

Strengthen our public schools; don't dumb down the way the state measures them. Grow more leading research universities; don't shy away because of the expense. Finance the state's water plan; don't pass that responsibility to future generations.

Those are just three make-or-break decisions legislators face before adjourning next month. And they can accomplish them without becoming another tax-and-spend California. In fact, Texas must remain a business-friendly state. Policies like these will keep us that way.

Getting more students ready for college helps guarantee a creative workforce. Research universities will grow the economy through more patents and innovations. Supplying enough water will ensure businesses and farmers can keep doing their work.

That's how we get ahead of this wave we're about to ride. It's kind of the opposite of screaming about states' rights at Tax Day rallies.