I’ve long been intrigued by the practice of leading business people and civic leaders piling onto an airplane, or into motor vehicles, going to Austin for a day of glad-handing and back-slapping for something called “Panhandle Day.”

Many friends of mine have taken part in this activity. Based on what I’ve been told over many years in Texas, here is what I perceive happens:

Delegation arrives, shows up at legislators’ offices, visits with representatives and senators, tells them what the region needs from the Legislature, shares some food and drink with each other and the legislators (and staffers), attends a few committee hearings, has an after-hours gathering of fun and frivolity and then comes back home.

This endeavor is costly to the businesses and the local government agencies that spring for this field trip.

Now, I recognize fully that almost all regions of the state do this very thing. The Golden Triangle region of Southeast Texas assembles its collection of luminaries for a similar exercise. I saw that parade take off from Beaumont every other year when I worked in that part of the state.

But what I don’t quite grasp is the tangible benefit that any region gets directly from this type of contact with local government representatives and state authorities while on this junket.

Has the Panhandle gotten a state-funded project approved that wouldn’t have been approved had the delegation not made the trip to Austin during the legislative session?

I understand fully the value of having senior legislators at their post protecting the interests of the region. I also know that our legislative delegation over many years has taken very good care of the Panhandle. West Texas A&M University and Amarillo College have thrived in good part because of the efforts of our senators and House members. Texas Tech University’s medical school in Amarillo is doing well, also because of those efforts. Yes, they’ve taken plenty of budget hits in recent years and local administrators have done well here cutting when and where it’s necessary. The state is spending plenty of money maintaining our highways … and causing traffic delays, I should add.

All of that is good and welcome, particularly at a time when Gov. Rick Perry and other state brass keep telling us the state can’t afford to spend any money on anything. Of course, Perry blames the feds for every problem that falls on the state and takes credit for every success Texas enjoys, but that’s another story.

But are any of these successes a direct result of the biennial Panhandle Day migration? I keep wondering …