DJ Says...

The Austin American Statesman filed a TPIA request related to the costs of the raid in Eldorado.

The massive child welfare operation that began in early April with a state raid of a West Texas ranch owned by a polygamous sect cost nearly $7.5 million in the first 19 days, according to records from Gov. Rick Perry’s office.

A spokeswoman for Perry cautioned that the numbers — obtained through the Texas Public Information Act — are preliminary and unaudited, and Perry’s office has yet to release official costs.

But the numbers do reveal clues about the financial impact of what Texas officials have said is the largest removal of children in U.S. history.

$7.5 million is going to be but the tip of the iceberg in this one. Who should pay for it?

Technically, many of the court costs are the responsibility of the counties, but state leaders say they plan to use state money.

“We can’t wash our hands from it — we’re the ones who did it,” said state Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, a member of the Finance Committee. “I hope it turns out it was the right thing to do.”

Hope and a prayer, Sen. Deuell. What about the legal costs, which are not yet outlined?

A draft document from the governor’s office showed that the Office of Court Administration projected in late April that court costs for the civil and any criminal cases could be about $1.8 million, including everything from expert witnesses to jury pay.

Glenna Bowman, chief financial officer for the office, said Thursday that the next draft of her estimate will be closer to $2.2 million.

“We’re trying to look into our crystal ball,” she said.

You need a new crystal ball, Ms. Bowman. That’s less than $5,000 per case, for both sides. It costs more than that for a contested a traffic ticket. In this case, people’s lives are at stake. $5,000 is a drop in the bucket.

That giant sucking sound you hear all around the state comes from tort lawyers lighting cigars as they wait to get their hands on the state’s $10 billion dollar surplus.