I had a fervent chuckle when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently declared he couldn’t compromise with Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on how to best overhaul property tax legislation because “I do not negotiate on bad math.” Really? The last time Patrick displayed his math chops was during the 2020 presidential vote count. He missed the verified sum by 7 million votes by adding the unusual variables of rumors, suspicions and political desperation while he counted.