Power Watch: Electricity rates for June 2009

Get ready to sweat because electricity rates are beginning to climb. The highest rates for electricity is by Liberty Power at 14.9 cents per kWh for 24 months of service. Reliant Energy is right behind at 14.1 for 12 months. TSU is at 13.7 for a 24 month contract and 13.5 for a 12 month. Reliant and TXU are 30% higher than their competitors and almost 75% higher than pre-deregulation rates.

U.S. Energy Savings Corp. is offering a rate of 12.5 for a 5 year contract.

On the lower end, Texas Power, Kinetic Energy, and Champion Energy Services all offer a 12 month plan at 10.6 per kWh, about 25% higher than pre-deregulation rates.

Bounce Energy has the highest variable rate at 16.9.

Last year the highest rates was offered by Commerce Energy at 19.4 cents per kWh. The lowest was offered by Gexa Energy at12.5.

Enjoy the hot summer!

Electricity deregulation stopped in East Texas

While the rest of us in the deregulated market have been shocked with out of control electricity prices, Governor Rick Perry just signed a bill that effectively stops deregulation in East Texas.

Senate Bill 547 by Senator Eltife and HB870 by Representative Hughes will require a lengthy five stage process including a successful pilot program that proves competition will result in lower rates. In other words, Perry killed Ken Lay's electricity deregulation, at least in East Texas. Thank goodness. According to Marshall News Messenger:

"I support competition when it can lower our electric rates here in Northeast Texas," Hughes said. "But all the evidence shows that, if we moved to competition in the near future, it would actually increase our electric bills."

Mighty nice of him! Meanwhile a bill by Senator Wendy Davis that would allow citizens to take advantage of long term low rates the city negotiated with electricity providers, died. So Perry admits deregulation has failed by signing SB547, but a bill that would give homeowners and businesses long term low rates failed.

Look for Eltife and Hughes to use this as a campaign issue like Perry did in 2002. It doesn't make cents.

God smacks down Mac-Leeroy

Governor Perry's nominee for Chair of the State Bored of Education, Don Mac-Leeroy an ultra christian conservative, came to a crushing halt with a vote against his confirmation in the Texas Senate. Unfortunately Senate Republicans had an opportunity to save the nomination but were conducting a prayer circle outside the chambers, missing the vote entirely.

After the prayer Senator Dawson had little to say about the missed opportunity: "*&^damnit!"

Others continued to pray with the hope that God would reverse Einstein's theory of time and space so they could cast their vote in a timely manner. So far that is not working.

I think God has spoken.

You can't trust them.

Brad Woodard from KHOU TV in Houston discusses the end of the Texas Residential Construction Commission.

“It was supposed to give us an easy, quick and inexpensive way to resolve a defect with a builder. It became so complicated and so costly that you need an attorney to work the process,” said Cobarruvias.

Cobarruvias also claims the TRCC was designed by builders to solve builders’ problems, and not the consumer issues.

“They fooled us. They fooled everyone in 2003 to think this was good for the consumers. It's like Osama Bin Laden saying this is good for Homeland Security. You can't trust them,” Cobarruvias said.

Houstonians losing $1Billion on electric bills

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize Houstonians have been taken by electricity deregulation. Dave Fehling of KHOU TV has a very interesting story about the situation and that our Texas Legislators refused to help.

May’s above average temperatures may be bad news for your electric bill, but one estimate shows that Houstonians are paying $1 billion more each year for power compared to other Texas cities.

SB1481 filed by rookie Senator Wendy Davis (She beat 20 year incumbent Kim Brimer) would have allowed consumers to "piggy back" on to a city's negotiations with electricity providers. The consumer who elects to sign up with the city can enjoy long term, lower rates leveraging the city's capability to negotiate. Of course, consumers will always have the ability to break away and attempt to negotiate on their own. It is a win-win situation. Unfortunately, our Texas Legislators didn't want us to save money like other cities.

Prayer does work!

Last week while Houston's Mattress Mac's warehouse of furniture was up in flames, a group of people gathered in front of the show room, joined hands, and had a prayer circle. I thought this was a bit ill timed with the store in flames but it proves praying does work!

The next day the fire was out.

:)

WFAA: Homebuilder watchdog agency could close next year

And yet Bob Perry still controls the GOP

Maybe Bob Perry is mad about the abolishment of his home builder commission because it seems like he is still calling the shots in the republican caucus refusing to compromise, and causing an unnecessary slowdown. As you might recall, Bob Perry's spokesman, "Anthony Holm has been hired by the House Republican Caucus for message development and communication assistance, QR learned today." (thanks to Quorum Report)

Friendswood's own Larry Taylor seems to be taking direction from Perry, and like Perry, is refusing to agree to a compromise allowing bills to be heard out of order and putting the work of the people before the work of the republican party. Holm/Taylor will not budge. Perry refused to compromise on his pet commission and look what happened. It is dead.

Holm/Taylor claims that Voter ID is so important that it must be heard. But if it was so important why didn't they proposed this in 2003 when they had full control of the House? Or in 2005, or 2007? Each year they lost more seats. Now on the brink of being the Minority party again, Voter ID is the pressing issue.

Let's see what Bob Perry is going to do. Maybe he will abolish the republican party also.

Why did the Texas Residential Construction Commission fail?

I wrote a paper about the TRCC for a conference in California that was held last weekend. Little did I know that less than a week later the TRCC would be history. If you are interested, the paper can be downloaded here. This is the way I started it:

In 1995 the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on
militias in the United States. One militia leader who testified held
a map showing the locations of his militia forces in one hand, and
in his other hand, a map where tornados had touched down. In his
testimony he claimed the United States had the capability to create
tornados to specifically target his militia forces. As the cameras
were cutting away from the hearing, he was waving the maps in
the air yelling:

“I’m not making this stuff up!”

Enjoy. It's almost funny except when you realized this Commission wasted millions of tax dollars and did little to help homebuyers with a construction defect.

Why is the Voter ID so important?

The Voter ID bill that is causing so much trouble in the Texas House, grinding it to a halt and threatening important bills like insurance and education, is very important for the republican party for one real good reason:

Without the passage of the Voter ID bill, republicans are going to take another bath at the polls in November 2010. It is that simple.

The republicans in the House know this is a divider bill. They also know it has no basis for existence. There is no problem of illegal voting in Texas, but there they are sticking to their guns and holding up important bills. Instead of doing the work of the people of the State they are doing the work of the people of their party.

The party of no idea of what is going on, has nothing else to run on and have tried every low down dirty trick in the book. One year they attacked gay marriage. Another the immigrants. And now with nothing to show for their ten years in office, they are going after the old folks with no ID.

Stupid republicans. Maybe they ought to have a drug test before they can run for office.

Midnight Movie Reivews

My son and I have made it a tradition to see the new movies at midnight. It makes for an interesting Friday morning. Here are our reviews of the last 3 midnight movies we saw.

Angels and Demons. My son wrapped it up as "a Scooby Doo movie on steroids". The clues leading to the next set of clues seemed to be just too convenient and coincidental. It's like the guy from Scooby saying "Look Scooby, all the statues are pointing to the South and South begins with S and you know what that stands for, don't ya? " And scooby says "Sewer"? Do yourself a favor. Rent The Da Vinci Code. Buy some popcorn and some drinks and enjoy it at home. We give it a 4 eyes wide open.

X-Men Wolverwine. That was pretty cool. Some of the comic junkies may not like it, but for those of us who appreciate a good action flick with super heros , it was pretty cool. 8 Eyes wide open.

Terminator Salvation. Besides the "Come with me if you want to live" comment, it was a pretty fun movie. We could have done without the Arnold appearance, even though it was computer generated. I'm beginning to like Christian Bale. Don't analyze the movie too much and it will entertain. 8 eyes wide open.

Ill-fated Texas Home Builders Commission to be Abolished

Ill-fated Home Builders Commission to be Abolished

Texas Legislators lets the sun set on the Texas Residential Construction Commission

May 22, 2009 For immediate release.

For more information contact:
John Cobarruvias, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, Houston 281-536-2457
Tom Archer, President Homeowners of Texas Austin 512-970-8817

(Austin, Texas) Consumer groups across Texas are rejoicing over the decision by Texas Legislators to abolish the ill-fated, 6 year old, Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC trick).

According to John Cobarruvias of Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings "The TRCC was nothing but a builder protection agency shielding builders from being held accountable for construction defects. This is a great day for consumers in Texas".

In 2003 the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act, creating a Commission to regulate the home building industry and provide consumer protection for new home buyers. Six years later the Texas Comptrollers Office and the Texas Sunset Commission have called for the abolishment of the TRCC. As the reports stated, the Commission is nothing more than a “builder protection agency” with “fundamental flaws that do more harm than good”.

"Much credit goes to the new consumer organization, Homeowners of Texas, who worked hard to convince lawmakers that like a new home with a severely flawed foundation, the TRCC could not be repaired. HOT should be commended for their hard work on behalf of the consumers of Texas." says Cobarruvias

According to the rules of the Sunset Commission the sun will slowly set on the TRCC with operations winding down over the next few months.

###

Homeowners Against Defiecent Dwellings
C/O John Cobarruvias
14646 Cardinal Creek Ct
Houston, Texas 77062

Sun sets on Bob Perry's builder commission!!!!

According to Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report the sun is about to set on Bob Perry's Texas Residential Construction Commission.

Sen. Glenn Hegar told reporters that he’s inclined to allow the Texas Residential Construction Commission to be phased out under the state’s Sunset process because lawmakers were unable to reach a compromise on how to keep the agency functioning.

Hegar, a Katy Republican, is carrying the catch-all Sunset bill that’s pending in the Senate to cover those agencies whose Sunset bills die during the waning stages of the session. The TRCC Sunset bill did not get a hearing in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee.

Needless to say, this is a HUGE step for the home buyers in Texas and an embarrassing blow to Bob Perry and the home building industry. But, it is also a very beautiful sunset!!!

It only takes 11 to stop laughing.

State Senator Mike "Missing in Action" Jackson has sent the nomination of Don McLeroy for the Chair of the State Bored of Education, to the full Senate. McLeroy has made sure his far right reaching to the religious far right has become the punch line for Texas jokes across the country, yet Jackson has sent his nomination to the Senate floor. From the Dallas Morning News:

Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, who voted against the nomination, said McLeroy "has demonstrated he is not fit to lead the board of education."

"He has used his position to impose his extreme views on the 4.7 million schoolchildren in Texas. He has tried to revise the curriculum in a way that is inconsistent with scientific standards, and he has obstructed reading standards on a regular basis," Shapleigh said.

According to Senate rules, a 2/3 vote is required to confirm him as chair. Jackson, the chair of the committee, could have let the nomination die as he let it linger, giving the impression that he too was tired of McLeroy's anti-science beliefs. In the end, Jackson caved like a sinkhole in east Texas and sent the nomination to the floor of the Senate.

11 Senators is all it takes to stop this confirmation, the continued attack on our public schools, and the intrusion into our professional teachers lives. Just 11 is needed to stop the Texas SBOE from being a joke.

The vote comes next week. Let's see who thinks education is a joke.

Is Representative Bonnen ignorant or racist?

State Representative Dennis Bonnen is yet another typical far white male republican and either a very ignorant one or a very racists one.





Hey Boner, I sent my daughter to Sam Houston. She had one year of college credits already when she entered. And after listening to your stupidity, she says you are an idiot.

Public Citizen exposes homebuilders abuse of arbitration

May 20, 2009

Warrantless Injustice

Public Citizen Report Exposes Builders’ Use of Forced Arbitration and Deceptive Warranties to Escape Accountability for Construction Flaws

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Millions of new home purchasers each year are forced into binding mandatory arbitration by deceptive “warranties,” and those warranties may violate the law in as many as 17 states, Public Citizen has found.

This conclusion is contained in a report titled “Home Court Advantage: How the Building Industry Uses Forced Arbitration to Evade Accountability.”

These warranties are particularly insidious because consumers often do not learn of their details until after moving into their new houses. Although builders often portray the warranties as gifts, bonuses or extra protections, the warranties actually serve to exempt the builder from liability for all sorts of problems (such as mold, building code violations and “consequential damages”) while relegating buyers to pursue legal disputes in a private forum chosen by the warranty company.

Public Citizen today sent letters to attorneys general in states that ban the use of forced arbitration in insurance contracts. Those states are Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Washington. The letters are posted at www.FairArbitrationNow.org.

The complete press release can be found here.

Another home builder license to lie

Trusting the home building industry to protect Texas home buyers is like trusting a terrorist to protect United States citizens. Neither have our best interests in mind. The Star Telegram has a story about what the builders are up to in the war on consumers.

State Representative Ritter (D-Nederland), the father of the ill-conceived Texas Residential Construction Commission, a lumber salesman, and a member of the Texas Association of Builders, filed an amendment to the "Save Bob Perry's Commission Act", HB2295.

Under Ritter’s amendment, which passed as part of the House version, warranties for "all manufactured products" would no longer be issued in builders’ names but in homeowners’ names.

Ritter defends his support of the builders claiming

the bill also states that if a manufacturer does not fix the problem "within a reasonable amount of time, the builder shall make that condition comply with the performance standards."

In the early 90's the home builders tried to pass a similar amendment to the Residential Construction Liability Act in the early 90's and failed for obvious and very good reasons. This would make the warranty on the products on a home the responsibility of the manufacturer and the home builder would have secondary responsibility. Defects in your A/C, heater, carpets, tile, hardwood floors, roof shingles, appliances, siding, bricks, windows, ceiling fans, water heater, garage door openers, and more would not be the responsibility of the builder, but the company that made them.

So much for taking responsibility for their actions. I thought that was the conservative battle cry.

Let the sun set on Bob Perry's Builder Commission

In 2003 the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act, creating a Commission to regulate the home building industry and provide consumer protection for new home buyers. Six years later the Texas Comptrollers Office and the Texas Sunset Commission have called for the abolishment of the TRCC (trick). As the reports stated, the Commission is nothing more than a “builder protection agency” with “fundamental flaws that do more harm than good”. The fate of this ill-conceived Commission is currently in the hands of the Texas Senate. They should stand with the consumers of this state and let the sun set on this fatally flawed Commission.

The Sunset Bill
In response to the concerns of the Sunset Commission, House Bill 2295 by Representative McClendon (D-San Antonio) has been filed. According to the rules of the Sunset Commission, if this “sunset” bill is not signed into law, the TRCC will be abolished. The bill has passed the House and is currently lingering in the Senate with time running out in the legislative session.

The TRCC Facts
The facts concerning this Commission, which supposedly was created to help homeowners with construction defects, are undeniable and unbelievable. The Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Bob Perry Homes wrote the bill that created the TRCC. Governor Perry later appointed him to the Commission. The State Legislator who sponsored the TRCC bill owns a lumber company and sells to the home building industry. He is a member of the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) and received an award after passing the bill. The National Association of Home Builders also named him “Legislator of the Year”

Since its creation, the board has been stacked with builder friendly Commissioners. The Arbitration Task Force, charged with researching the abuse of mandatory binding arbitration in new home contracts, was stacked with home builders and members of the American Arbitration Association (AAA). The Commission, heavily in favor of the home building industry, established a statewide standard for new home warranties that provides one single year of protection, while repealing the implied warranty of good workmanship granted to homeowners in the sixties.

Calls for Abolishing
In 2006 the Texas Comptroller’s Office conducted a detailed investigation of the TRCC prompting the Comptroller to state "...if it was up to me personally, I would blast this TRCC builder-protection agency off the bureaucratic books". The report by the Sunset Commission issued in 2008 had a key recommendation of “Abolish the Texas Residential Construction Commission and repeal the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act.” Both reports were very clear, the $10 million/year TRCC is not providing a useful service to the consumer and deserves to be abolished.

HB2295 Deception
HB2295 continues to deceive. The bill calls for licensing of home builders, but exempts over 28,000 builders currently registered with the TRCC. The licensing oversight will be controlled by the TRCC an agency with 6 years of failure, instead of by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation with 100 years of outstanding service and experience in oversight. And the requirements for licensing are nothing more than paying a fee, taking 8 hours of training, and passing a test administered by the inexperienced TRCC.

The mandatory State Sponsored Inspection and Resolution Process (SIRP), a process to help mediate complaints, continues to be a convoluted, complicated, legal nightmare that requires legal assistance to navigate. The bill offers an optional, extremely expensive mediation process chock full of legal loopholes that will do more harm than good for the consumer. The bill also reduces the time required to complete the SIRP, but does nothing to reduce its overwhelming complexity and legal ramifications.

Kill the Bill
In 2003 testimony from the home building industry claimed the TRCC would provide much needed consumer protection for new homeowners with construction defects. Instead it has been an expensive failure causing financial ruin to many homeowners and allowing the industry to run wild with no fear of being held accountable.

The facts are clear. It is time to let the sun set on this bureaucratic, expensive, nightmare called the TRCC.

John R. Cobarruvias has been an advocate for new homeowner rights and is a member of Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings. He has testified against the TRCC and has provided research on the Commission and the rules and procedures.

WIll Perry sign the Ken Lay de-deregulation bill?

Republican Legislators finally get it. Electricity deregulation, ushered in by Ken Lay and Enron, has failed. So the Senate in a 31-0 vote sent SB547 by Senator Eltife, which will stop deregulation in east Texas, to the Governor's desk for a signature. Now will Perry admit that electricity deregulation has failed and sign the bill or will he side with his buddies in East Texas and veto it on behalf of the free market?

Tough choice for the Governor. Perry is the champion of less oversight, less government intervention, and the open free market that will drive down rates for everything from electricity, insurance, college education, and new home construction. Unfortunately he hasn't read the news lately and learned that Texas has the highest rates of insurance in the country. 17th highest electricity rates, college tuition has doubled in most schools, and Bob Perry's builder's commission is about to be abolished.

But, will he go against his free market principles to sign a bill that effectively stops the scheduled deregulation of electricity in East Texas and allow a regulated monopoly to continue offering very low rates to their customers? Or will he cling to a sinking ship that would guarantee a vote against him in the primary?

Perry is going to sign this. Even he isn't that stupid. RIP Ken.

NASA Administrator to be named!

From MSNBC:

Charles F. Bolden Jr., who is likely to be named NASA administrator, flew on four space shuttle missions and commanded the first shuttle mission to include a Russian cosmonaut as part of the crew.

Bolden lives in Nassau Bay just across the street from Johnson Space Center. His experience with the center could help with JSC's funding. More from MSNBC:

If he is chosen as expected, Bolden, a veteran of four spaceflights with more than 680 hours in Earth orbit, would be the first African-American appointed to NASA's top post. Bolden retired from the Marine Corps in 2003 as a major general.

Maybe now NASA employees will quit complaining and get their act together on what they intend to accomplish in the next 10 years and how they intend to fund the activities. Eitherway, Bolden seems to be a good choice. Hopefully he will have better political skills than Mike Griffin.

Homebuilders license to lie to State Senators.

The home building industry is at it again, telling lies to our Texas Lawmakers about being held to licensing requirements in Texas.

House Bill 2295, the sunset bill for the Texas Residential Construction Commission, claims to have licensing requirements for home builders in Texas. According to the sunset rules, if HB2295 does not pass, the TRCC will simply sunset and cease to exist, which would be good for consumers. The licensing requirements in HB2295 are, simply put, a joke, but it isn't funny to those who have lost their financial stability to a home builder. The bill will:

1. Require home builders to be "licensed" in the State of Texas. But....it exempts the home builders who are already "registered" with the TRCC, all 28,000 of them!
2. Puts the licensing enforcement of the builders into the TRCC, a commission with a clear history of failure even with the simple task of registering and regulating homebuilders. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation created in 1909 has a clear history of success and was honored on the floor of the House on the same day HB2295 was being debated.
3. For the few builders subjected to the new licensing requirements, a member of their company would have to have 8 hours of training a year, post a $25,000 surety bond, pay a fee not to exceed $300, and take an exam. Remember the 28,000+ homebuilders are exempt from these requirements. The 8 hours includes 1 hour on ethics and 2 hours on the International Residential Code (800+ pages), Texas laws governing the construction industry, and warranty and performance standards. (all of this in 2 hours)

Just like the home builders did in 2003 claiming the TRCC would be good for the consumer, they are telling our elected officials that they are subjecting themselves to licensing in Texas. This is again yet another huge sack of lies by the builders.

Pants on fire.

Texas Senate approves $1 bills for the G string!

Thank goodness the Texas Senate is looking out for hard earned tax dollars that are spent in nudie bars!

AUSTIN — The Texas Senate voted on Tuesday to repeal a $5-per-person admission fee on strip clubs that has been ruled unconstitutional and agreed to replace it with a new tax on sexually oriented business.

Now this is important because with $5 more in your pocket, that is 5 $1 bills more in the G-string of your favorite stripper. This is a win-win for everyone, especially those who frequent the nudie bars and those who work in the nudie bars. (Not that I would know this from personal experience. BTW don't go on a Tuesday afternoon.)

What could be the next pressing issue facing the Texas Senate? Insurance? Electricity? College tuition?

Meet Wayne Garrison for City Council District E in Clear Lake

YOU ARE

CORDIALLY INVITED TO A
“MEET & GREET”
WAYNE GARRISON
FOR
CANDIDATE FOR
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT E
PLEASE JOIN US
FOR APPETIZERS & REFRESHMENTS AT
THE STAR FIRE GRILL
(2412 Bay Area Blvd @ Space Center Drive)
ON
TUESDAY, MAY 12TH, 2009
6:30 PM
Please RSVP to: WGarrison4DistE@aol.com or
CALL: 281-743-5478
Business Casual

Bob Perry's Commission goes to the Senate

HB2295, the "Save Bob Perry's Home Builder Commission Act of 2009" has passed through the house and is now in the Senate. Here is a recap of the bill:

The Background
The Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC trick) was created by the homebuilding industry in 2003. In 2006 the Texas Comptrollers office after an extensive study recommended abolishing the Commission. In 2008 the Texas Sunset Commission also recommended abolishing it. HB2295, if passed, will save the commission from "sunsetting". HB2295 has passed the House and is in the Senate.

The Good
HB2295 filed by State Representative McClendon has some good points.

1) Elimination of the SIP fee. The high cost of the State Inspection Process (SIP, changed from the State Sponsored Inspection and Resolution Process) has been removed. According to the TRCC, 92% of homeowners who request the inspection are given a refund anyway, so this is a no-op.

2) Waiver of Constitutional Right of Trial by Jury. All contracts used by homebuilders must have a notice in bold print alerting the buyer of the risk of accepting mandatory binding arbitration by giving up their rights to the Constitution of the United States. Arbitration cannot be mandatory or used as a prerequite to purchasing the home.

3) Creates a Recovery Fund. Homeowners with court judgments against builders who are unable to collect may now tap the crecovery fund for a maximum of $175,000.

4) Star Builder Program. The only thing good about the TRCC was the Star Builder Program. HB2295 deleted this program, but an amendment restored it.

5) 4 Year Sunset Review. The TRCC will have to come under Sunset review in just 4 years instead of 6 years.

The Bad
And of course there is some bad stuff about this bill.

1) Fake licensing. The bill requires homebuilders to be "licensed", although this is a fancy way to say "registered" with a little bit of training. It also grandfathers all 28,000+ builders already registered with the TRCC. It is nothing but a talking point. Nothing real in this proposal.

2) Reduces the warranty. The bill reduces protection for A/C, heater, and electricity from 4 years to 2. This was offered by Representative Alan Ritter, the father of the TRCC.

3) Misleading Mediation. The bill creates a voluntary mediation process that will replace the SIP. Unfortunately this can be a very expensive and fruitless process which would overwhelm the SIP process.

Let's see what the Senate does to this bill. If the bill does not pass, the TRCC will sunset.

Charlie Pond, new CCISD board member

Thanks to Suzy Allison for this info and congratulations to Charlie Pond for winning the seat for board member of the Clear Creek Independent School District. Here are the results after about 1600 votes were counted:

From the Galveston County Daily News


Clear Creek school board, Position A, at-large

Charlie Pond, 756 votes or 44.58 percent

Andrea Giamfortone Wilson, 465 votes or 27.42 percent

Uma Mantravadi, 205 votes or 12.09 percent

Trent Martin, 156 votes or 9.2 percent

Wanda Roubleau, 65 votes or 3.83 percent

Walter Champion, 49 votes or 2.89 percent

When government is the problem.

Got chinese drywall?

From Mr. Donald Brenner:

Dr. Gary Rosen, Ph.D., is a Florida licensed building contractor who specializes in property damage appraisals, expert testimony, and assessment & remediation of Chinese drywall. Dr. Rosen has compiled information after months of research which summarizes information acquired from several published reports and from his own personal investigations. The report offers information on how to identify if you have the Chinese drywall in your home, what health risks are associated with the defective drywall and what actions can be taken for those homeowners who have found the drywall in their homes.

You can read Dr. Rosen's full report here. (PDF)

NASA gets $18B in Obama budget

In the mist of a huge recession, NASA gets a 5% increase in their budget. And they'll probably continue to whine for more.


Subject: Fiscal Year 2010 Budget - Message from NASA Acting Administrator
Message from the Acting Administrator: Fiscal Year 2010 Budget

Today, President Obama announced an $18.69 billion budget for NASA for FY 2010 to advance Earth science, complete the International Space Station, explore the solar system and conduct aeronautics research. The budget request represents an increase of $903.6 million, about 5 percent, above the amount provided NASA in the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. I appreciate the president's strong support for NASA as demonstrated by the additional $2 billion provided in our 2009 and 2010 budgets.

The FY 2010 budget does a number of things: It supports the administration's commitment to deploy a global climate change research and monitoring system.
It funds a strong program of space exploration involving humans and robots with the goal of returning Americans to the moon and exploring other destinations. And it supports the safe flight of the space shuttle to complete assembly of the International Space Station by the shuttle's planned retirement.

With the FY 2010 budget request, we will advance our global climate change research. NASA's investment in Earth science research satellites, airborne sensors, computer models and analysis already has revolutionized scientific knowledge and predictions of climate change and its effects. Using the National Research Council's recommended priorities for space-based Earth science research, we will develop new sensors to support the administration's goal of deploying a global climate research and monitoring system.

The budget request also renews NASA's commitment to aeronautics research to address aviation safety, air traffic control, noise and emissions reduction, and fuel efficiency. And NASA's diverse portfolio of science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational activities is aligned with the administration's goal of improving American innovation and global competitiveness.

Along with the budget release, the White House also announced the launch of an independent review of NASA's human space flight activities. The Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans will examine our development programs and suggest possible alternatives. The goal is to provide options that will ensure the nation's human space flight program remains safe, innovative and affordable in the years following the space shuttle's retirement. During the review, work on the Constellation Program will continue.

The review team will work closely with NASA and seek input from the Congress, the White House, the public, industry and international partners as it develops these options. The review will be done by a blue-ribbon panel of experts led by Norman Augustine, a former aerospace industry executive who has served on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and chaired a number of organizations, including the National Academy of Engineering and the American Red Cross.

Michael Hawes, the associate administrator of NASA's Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation at Headquarters, will serve as the lead of the NASA team supporting the review. The review's results will support an administration decision by August 2009 on how to proceed.

As we move forward into the future, I'm confident that with your expertise and hard work, NASA will continue its record of amazing accomplishments in exploration and research. The president's FY 2010 request represents a major investment in this future.


Christopher J. Scolese
Acting Administrator

Texas House saves Bob Perry's Commission

Thanks to the efforts by State Representatives Liebowitz, Farrar, Coleman, Maldonado, and Dunnam for passing amendments that will bring some sense of sanity to the Texas Residential Construction Commission.

And Bob Perry thanks the efforts of Representative McClendon, Deshotel, and Ritter, all Democrats for working to save his failed Commission from abolishment.

The bill moves to the Senate. The amendments will remove the cost of the inspection program which was $250 or $350. This is good for the consumer. Also all arbitrations must be held in the county where the home resides. And Maldonado's amendment requires a statement alerting homebuyers that they are giving up their rights to the Constitution of the United States if they decide to accept arbitration. (in the past at Senate hearings the builders claimed this was against the Federal Arbitration Act. I guess it isn't afterall.) This is also good for the consumer.

Ritters amendment reduced the warranty for A/C, heating, and electricity from 4 to 2 years. Not good.

A more complete analysis will follow.

Bob Perry's builder commission up for debate.

HB2295 the "Save Bob Perry's Builder Commission Act of 2009" bill will be debated on the Texas House floor today. Homeowners of Texas has been working on this bill and has details and links to the video of the upcoming debate at their website www.trcc.us. In short HB2295 will

$10 million bureacracy
Conservatives in the House should be outraged at what this bill does/does not do. The TRCC will become one of the most liberal, bureacratic, bloated, government oversight Commissions in the State. It is so liberal, it makes liberal embarrassed. Let's see how many so called "conservatives" vote for this huge $10 million bureacracy on the floor today.

Fake licensing.
Changed the word "register" to "license" now requiring builders to be "licensed" to build homes in Texas. Unfortunately, the bill grandfathers 28,000+ home builders who are already registered in the State. This modified version of licensing requires builders to take 8 hours of training, pass a test, and put up a small bond.

Mediation.
Creates a "mediation" process that on the surfaces looks like a good idea, but is full of legal loopholes and could be extremely expensive for new home buyers.

Arbitration.
Claims to ban the use of mandatory binding arbitration in new home contracts. This is actually a good thing if this is really what the bill says. It is hard to trust the home building industry so this will have to be analyzed.

More Commissioners
The bill adds 3 more Commissioners to the 9 member board. More commissioners are not needed, more CONSUMER commssioners are needed. This is a non issue.

Nanny State.
The bill micromanages the TRCC by requiring, by law, to prioritize State sponsored inspections, and to create a pamplet on consumers rights. It is sad that a law has to be created to tell the Executive Director how to do their job.

This is consumer protection?

State Representative Bohac (R-Houston) was praised by Speaker Straus on the front page of the House website for his "consumer protection bill".

AUSTIN, TEXAS - Today, the Texas House of Representatives passed House Bill 1799 by Rep. Dwayne Bohac (Houston) which will provide retail electric customers with more easily accessible information on electric rates and service providers in their area. House Bill 1799 (HB 1799) will help consumers make informed decisions and put pressure on the market to keep prices low by pointing customers on the first page of each monthly bill to www.powertochoose.com so they can easily "shop" for better rates and service plans.

Huh? Is that all it does? Yes. That is it. This an absolutely useless bill for many reasons. 1) It doesn't address the fact that electricity deregulation hasn't worked. 2) It doesn't address the fact that the rates are seasonal. If you shop around in Aug, you get the highest rates in the year. If you shop around in Feb, you get the lowest rates of the year. 3) Breaking your contract to take advantage of the lower rates will cost you a large fee.

This bill is nothing but a feel good bill. It makes someone feel good about providing consumer protection to those who have been screwed by electricity deregulation.

“By providing more information to consumers and shining a ‘bright light’ on the practices of electric providers, people can select electric providers that best meet their needs and budget,” said Bohac.

I bet that felt good.

Power Watch: Electricity rates for May 2009

Bucking last years rates, rates for May are lower than April. Kinetic is down to 10.5 cents/kWh for a 12 month plan. Reliant Energy who just sold their retail electricity business to NRG has the highest rates at 15.6. NRG claims this rate will be reduced in the near future. Uh-hu. Don't hold your breath.

StarTex has the lowest rate of 11.9 rate for a 24 month contract. US Energy Savings Corps has a 12.5 rate for a 60 month contract, which is a pretty good deal. You don't have to mess with electricity rates for 5 full years! StarTex has a 3 year at 12.8.

Dynowatt has a rate for 16 months, but I do not recommend this. After 16 months, the time that you would have to renew will be during the hottest part of the year, and when electricity rates are at their highest also.

Aw....the smell of electricity deregulation in the morning. Expect the rates to rise next month.

NASA layoffs on the launch pad.

Contractors at Kennedy Space Center are getting the layoff notices, exactly how it was planned when NASA took on the task of retiring the Shuttle, building a new vehicle, going to the Moon, and going to Mars. This was the plan and shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, especially those being laid off.

According to NASA officials, a total of 900 jobs will be cut over the next five months, with an initial 160 notifications in relation to external contractors responsible for the manufacturing of the shuttle’s fuel tanks and its solid rocket boosters expected to be dispatched on Friday, May 01.

Back when NASA accepted the new direction provided by President Bush, no one had the guts to tell him we couldn't afford it. So here we are with a huge recession and a bunch of government employees asking for more money when we already have a plan in place and one they agreed to.

The lay offs are unfortunate, but predictable, and planned for. What did we expect? Maybe NASA ought to realize they bit off more than they can chew, that we have a huge unexpected economic downturn, and that money is tight.

Maybe NASA needs to focus on getting Orion built and put the Moon and Mars on the back burner until we have a reliable vehicle that can service the Space Station. This is something that is achievable and affordable.

More money is not an option.