I just reached into the back of the refrigerator for a carton of cold chocolate milk, someone obviously had tried, unsuccessfully, to hide. It was the late night mother lode! With the black gold firmly in my hands, my lips waiting patiently for the cold dark contents, I was distracted by a right wing magic sparkle blog about the desire for the GOP's Chairman Michael Steele to resign over his visit to Voyeur
West Hollywood, a bondage-themed
nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.
The thought of a right wing sparkle blogger calling for the resignation of Steele, in itself was a thrill, (not the idea that the GOP Chair, Michael Steele was at a bondage-themed
nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex. That is actually gross and would be enough for anyone to spew like when drinking expired curdled chocolate milk) Speaking of...
Because I was distracted, as I was just about to take that first big gulp, I failed to notice the expiration label on the milk, one that was about 6 months expired. Not good. And then I read this:
Who should replace him? Sarah Palin.
It was bad enough to read the right wing magic sparkle blogger was suggesting Sarah Palin to replace Michael Steele, but add a mouth full of curdled chocolate milk with the consistency of warm cottage cheese and you got spew city.
Needless to say, I spewed. The thought of Sarah Palin as the Chair of the GOP would be enough to make anyone spew in laughter as if drinking a coke while watching Dumb and Dumber. Inviting Palin to lead the GOP is like inviting a plumber to perform a job of a proctologist. One doesn't know what they are getting into and the other doesn't know they don't know what they are getting into.
On the other hand it would be a great sequel to Dumb and Dumber. I'll tip my chocolate milk to that!
Saying the Republican National Committee is a bunch of right wing, Christian hypocrites would be an insult to the true right wing, Christian hypocrites in the Republican party, but this little doozie has got to be one of the dumbest examples yet:
Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A
February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at
the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and
$1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur
West Hollywood, a bondage-themed
nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.
Yes, hot, lesbian, sex and the republican party. Who would have thunk it? Now to their credit, the RNC has claimed Michael Steele, the chair of the RNC, was not the person who spent the $1900 and was not the person who visited the bondage-themed
nightclub. Michael Steele, on the other hand, has remained gagged and bound to say little about this embarrassing situation. When asked for an interview from Steele, the RNC claimed he was "tied up". Uh.... Ok.
Unfortunately for Steele, the republican, Christian, donors aren't gagged.
Mark DeMoss, a major RNC donor during George
W. Bush's presidency who heads a Christian public-relations firm in
Atlanta, said that spending so lavishly during an economic downturn is
"mind-boggling." "Virtually the entire country -- from big businesses to
small business -- had to make cutbacks," he said. "To think the
Republican Party wouldn't do the same thing, I think, suggests either a
tone-deafness or just that they don't care, which would maybe be worse."
Look for the RNC to whip Steele into shape by the summer.
During the upcoming campaign, look for Governor Rick Perry to claim homeowners insurance rates have been lowered, electricity deregulation has brought down rates, college tuition rates have plummeted, and convicted child molesters have been successfully transformed into lawn care specialist at day cares across the state. From the Associated Pressed up against Perry's Butt:
“Our public education is continually improving. It is
getting better as each day and year goes by in Texas, as a result of
increased accountability.” Perry said
While he is trying to defend his incredibly horrible record on edumacation, he might also want to spin his record like this:
"Last year we were dead last in high school dropouts in the entire country. Under my leadership, we are now number 1 in rates of high school dropouts in the entire country. From last to first is a huge accomplishment."
"Our SAT scores dropped from 33rd in the nation to 46th. To many of us mathematicians, 46th is higher than 33rd and that is good."
"We have exceeded all expectations by becoming 51st in the percentage of people
older than 25 who have a high school diploma. Who knew that counting the District of Columbia would propel my State to the highest level ever recorded on this issue?"
Next up? Governor Rick Perry will get the "Clean Air and Water" award from the Houston Ship Channel. Who knew three-eyed fish ever tasted so good?
Dale Robertson, the head of TeaBagger.org, told the Washington Times the following concerning the racist remarks being made by the Tea Bagger Movement:
But Dale Robertson, founder of teaparty.org, said no one knows who might
have yelled out racial epithets during the Capitol Hill protest. He
said a Democratic lawmaker refused to accompany Capitol Police officers
to identify a white man accused of spitting.
"These people could be anybody. I wouldn't put it past the Democrats to
plant somebody there," Mr. Robertson said. "They're trying to label the
tea party, but I've never seen any racial slurs."
Anybody? Really? Unfortunately, Dale forgot one little picture of himself holding a sign with racial epithets. It just proves Teabaggers are racists and stupid.
Former Speaker of the House, Tom Craddick, must support the Health Care Reform bill recently passed and signed into law by President Obama. Craddick pushed a bill in Texas that would allow the children of State Lawmakers to remain on his tax funded health care insurance, especially for his own grown daughter, Christi.
Christi Craddick was eligible for State coverage only because of a special bill supported by Tom Craddick and approved by the Legislature to allow continued access to state health insurance for adult children (over the age of 25) of state employees. (Senate Bill 1102) Sheila Beckett, former executive director of the Employees Retirement System of Texas, acknowledged that Craddick, "initiated it," and she, "was assuming he was concerned about the continuing insurance coverage for his daughter." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 5, 2002) The bill allowed Christi Craddick to remain enrolled in the State Employee health care plan not only beyond her 25th birthday, but into perpetuity.
Because of this bill, Christi, an independent, grown woman, with a preexisting condition, will be allowed to stay on the government provided health care as long as she remains single. It seems like having government provided health care is great for Republican Texas Representatives and their families, but it isn't good for the tax payers who are paying for his daughters care.
If Craddick, a multi-millionaire, was a true conservative Republican, he would have asked his daughter to shop around for health care in the private sector instead of sucking on the tit of the government.
Don't hold your breath. According to Craddick, government health care is good for Republicans and their families, but not for Texans.
Freshman Congressman Pete Olson has his talking points down. With Sarah Palin calling for the Teabag Taliban to "reload" and aim for Democrats and Beck and company inciting violence, Olson blames both parties for the violence and references the incident at Congressman Cantors office which wasn't even terrorist related.
The past half-week -- since the House's passage of the health care
bill -- has seen at least 10 documented incidents of violence targeted
at Democratic lawmakers, including a brick
thrown through the window of the office of a New York Democrat, and a
cut
propane gas line at the home of the brother of a Democratic
congressman.
Most recently, law enforcement officials say they are
investigating a package with white powder sent to the office of Rep.
Anthony Weiner (D-NY). The package reportedly contained a letter that
"in part complained about the historic health care legislation passed by
Congress this week," WNBC
reports.
In his own district Olson has been supportive of the local Teabagger organization. Here is Olson caught on tape by Think Progress:
Olson represents a heavily Republican district. He will have this Congressional seat for as long as he wants. His district is dependent upon federal funding for his NASA employees. You would think instead of fighting the Administration he would work with the Administration to secure continued funding. Instead, Olson attaches himself to the worst of the worst racists of his party alienating himself from others that can help.
Then he grovels back to Washington for a hand out. Go figure.
This is an interesting letter to the editor in the Bay Area Citizen concerning Senator Bailey's recent bill to continue funding for the Shuttle for 5 additional years (with no co-sponsors) and her bill in 2005 to retire the Shuttle in 2010, which President Bush signed into law. It is a good read. Thanks to The Citizen for printing this:
Senator changes mind on NASA
When JFK gave his
speech before a Joint Session of Congress to go to the moon, President
Kennedy and Congress were willing to fund that effort by increasing
NASA’s budget to accomplish the goal.
However, when George W.
Bush gave his speech for the next effort for NASA in 2004, the NASA
budget seemed stagnant.
What may explain this is Sen. Kay Bailey
Hutchison’s 2005 bill that became public law with four other co-sponsors
in the same year, calling for the retirement of the shuttle in 2010.
Hutchison,
knew that the Constellation program would not have a space vehicle
ready for at least four more years, after the retirement of the shuttle.
Now
Hutchison’s bill - with no additional co-sponsors, not even our other
Texas Sen. John Cornyn - to fund the shuttle for at least five more
years, seems highly suspicious, given the fact that we are running
record deficits and the country is deep in debt. However in 2005, the
financial conditions for the USA were much different from today’s
environment.
If I was given the opportunity to ask Hutchison, I
would ask why there was no additional funding provided for the
Constellation program to fund President Bush’s Vision in her 2005 bill,
to set the program on a sound fiscally responsible track to make it
happen. What changed her mind that now is the time to continue funding
the Shuttle program, when in 2005, it was not that important? What
conditions have changed to move in a different direction?
I do
understand that all appropriations bills must start in the House of
Representatives, but I could not locate a companion bill, that was
signed into law, that would dedicate additional funds for the
Constellation program from Congress.
It would appear that Rep.
Sheila Jackson-Lee along with 16 other co-sponsors is trying a different
approach a bill “designating the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration” as a national security interest and asset.”
Despite the bill filed by Senator Hutchison in 2005 and signed by then President Bush, the Office of Inspector General says the shuttle will probably not be retired in 2010 as scheduled.
Since early 2004, NASA has maintained Space Shuttle flight manifests designed to sustain and complete construction of the ISS and retire the Shuttle Program by September 30, 2010. NASA has made steady progress in completing the scheduled flights and is working on a timetable to launch the remaining four flights and retire the Program by September 2010. However, our calculations and Agency internal reviews indicate that it will most likely take NASA until early 2011 to complete the last of the four remaining flights.
Nate Blakeslee of the Texas Monthly Magazine has an update to his story about Houston's State Representative Allen Fletcher and a stock fraud investigation. Fletcher was hand picked by State Senator Dan Patrick to challenge Representative Corbin Van Arnsdale, someone who I thought was a pretty fair representative. Fletcher won, but not many of the "grassroots" were excited about this. Maybe this is why:
Last June, Texas Monthly broke the story that a company owned by Fletcher had become embroiled in a stock fraud investigation (“Risky Business,” June 2009). That’s never good news for any sitting legislator, but it was uniquely embarrassing for Fletcher. A former Houston police officer who once supervised a white collar crimes unit, Fletcher had been appointed that spring to chair the House Jurisprudence Committee’s subcommittee on white collar crime. As we reported in June, federal agents raided the homes of two of Fletcher’s business associates, Nick Jarvis and Lois Newman, whom they accused of running a “pump and dump” penny stock scam, in which they allegedly duped investors into sinking money into Fletcher’s moribund burglar alarm and security guard company, known as Resource Protection Management, or RPM.
But, Blakeslee is now reporting some bad news for Fletcher's buddies:
The case seemed dead until early this month, when Jarvis and two of his associates were charged with several counts of wire fraud, which carry sentences of up to 20 years each.
OUCH! Surely a Republican State Representative, Allen Fletcher, who is the chair over the white collar crimes division, can't be involved in a stock fraud scam. That would be dripping with hypocrisy.
It was just a matter of time for the so-called "patriots" of the Teabagger party to become home grown terrorist. Here is a report from CBS news of threats to Congressman Bart Stupak, a Democrat who led the fight for ant-choice language in the Health Care Reform Bill, which eventually passed with the help of his vote. Teabaggers didn't like this:
Teabaggers deserve the name "teabaggers". As I have said in the past, they are the most right of the right of the republican party. They are angry. They are white. They are republicans. They were formed and supported by Fox News, the GOP news agency. They are absolutely filthy people who believe in taking guns to protests, using the N word in protest signs, and now have become GOP Geehadists threatening our law makers.
This is what is left of the republican party.
Someone pretending to be a State Representative named Ken Legler has woken up from his 2 year slumber and stood with Texas Attorney General in supporting the insurance industry over the consumers in Texas.
Attorney General Greg Abbott had this to say about the support he has received from Legler: "Who? Who the &^%$ is Ken Legler? Tell him to sit his fat ass down and shut the hell up. This is my day in the sun."
According to the Deer Park Broadcaster, Legler was "outraged". "I am outraged" said Legler. It wasn't clear whether Legler was outraged about the health care bill, the fact that Abbott told him to sit his fat ass down and shut the hell up, or that he didn't know what he was outraged about or the fact that he does have a fat ass and should be exercising and eating better.
Eitherway, Legler left the room after pushing a sick kid out down the stairs and refusing to provide affordable health insurance to his parents while yelling NO YOU CAN'T. He then joined Wayne Christian and Dan Patrick for a prayer circle calling upon Jesus to strike down those sick leaches of society and protect the insurance industry of Texas.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott isn't getting much love around the "internets" while showing what a hillbilly state Texas has become by filing a lawsuit to stop Texas children from being provided health care. Texas has the highest rates in the nation for uninsured, the highest rates of uninsured children, the highest rates of teen pregnancy, the highest rates of increase in health care insurance, and yet Abbott is defending the insurance industry? Here is what others are saying:
Bay Area Houston. (That's me) Somebody has to said it. Greg Abbott is one sick rotten bastard.
Barbara Ann Radnofsky. As Abbott sues, Texans suffer. "Attorney General Abbott has a history of wasting Texas taxpayer dollars
on partisan, political lawsuits to try to advance his own career. He is
in cahoots with Republicans who are determined to see health insurance
reform fail."
Texas Cloverleaf. Sorry, GOP. You have officially wasted our time and money with the
lawsuit against the feds. TX Attorney General Greg Abbott, Governor
Rick 39% Perry, and House Speaker Joe Straus all need to be shown the
door in November. They continue to waste taxpayer dollars with
grandstanding for political gain, and not the good of Texans.
The Texas Tribune. "Abbott asked for and received the authority to order divorced parents
to purchase health insurance for their children from a vendor of the
state’s choosing if coverage was not otherwise available," says
Democratic strategist Glenn Smith.
"It is state-mandated insurance. Abbott clearly is not politically or
ideologically opposed to such programs, further exposing the hypocrisy
behind his cynical and dangerous lawsuit."
Texas Senators and House Members via Burnt Orange Report:Furthermore, nullification and secession as popular American legal
theories were tested, fought and defeated at Appomattox. The 10th
Amendment does not allow a Texas governor to secede-or a Texas Attorney
General to sue-just because they want to score political points. As
a Texas taxpayer, we ask you to quit wasting taxpayer money with
threats of lawsuits destined to lose, go back to work on issues like
predatory lending or toxic contamination in Texas air and water, and
shelf these divisive, extreme and losing ideas.
The Houston Chronicle: At some point the losers
in the health care debate will have to face up to the fact that a
congressional majority has passed and the president has signed binding
legislation. Texas has so much to
gain from the bill's implementation. Rather than devoting the
legal resources of the state to waging a partisan rear-guard action to
overturn it, our elected officials should be focusing on facilitating
the upcoming expansion of medical insurance coverage to millions of our
citizens who desperately need it.
If Kay Bailey Hutchison finally decides to "bump it down the road and leave the Senate, Greg Abbott will leave the Attorney General's Office to run for this position. It would be a win-win for Texas.
Fill out and return the census. It is easy and the Census Bureau does not collect information for use other than the intended purpose. It’s Easy… only 10 questions. It’s Safe… your answers will not be shared with anyone. And an accurate count t helps our community to:
• Improve transportation & infrastructure • Enhance programs for our youth • Increase social services & job opportunities • Prepare us for disaster planning • Provide the political representation we deserve
It’s Safe. It’s Easy. It’s Confidential. It just makes census!
My favorite line from the movie Slevin with Josh Hartnett:
Yep, Kay. After your massive failure in stopping health care for children, you should "Tell it to the one legged man so he could bump it off down the road" and finally resign from Congress.
Leave it to our Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, to finally get off his ass and take a stand. Unfortunately instead of standing for the citizens that he is suppose to be protecting, he is standing for the very insurance companies that have been screwing the consumers since he has been in office.
For those who know Abbott, it might seem a bit cold for me to say he has finally gotten off his ass and done something. Abbott was paralyzed after jogging under a tree that was being cut down. The tree fell. And like a good liberal trial lawyer, he filed a lawsuit and received $10 million in an undisclosed settlement (that was eventually disclosed). Abbott has since been a champion of tort reform limiting access to the courts and lawsuits. After Abbott got his, he doesn't want anyone else to have theirs. Rotten bastard.
So it doesn't surprise me that Abbott is one of the idiots Attorney Generals who will spend our tax dollars in filing a lawsuit to stop health care reform. If successful he will help the insurance companies continue to charge the highest rates in the nation, lead the Country with the highest number of uninsured, lead the Country with the highest uninsured chidren, and deprive Texans of the benefits of the bill including:
Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy
until their 27th birthday
Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing
conditions
No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
Free preventative care for all
Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national
high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be
cheap, they’re still better than total exclusion and get some benefit
from a wider pool of insureds.
Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010,
which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health
insurance.
The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription
medications more affordable for seniors.
Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the
Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation
packages, and benefit payments.
Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50
states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment). Community health centers provide
primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on
a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.
AND no more rescissions. Effective immediately, you can't lose your
insurance because you get sick.
Somebody has to said it. Greg Abbott is one sick rotten bastard.
Now that Obama has taken away your rights as an American by letting you keep the insurance that you have, here is what is next on his agenda to world domination:
Taking your guns away. On April 15th while you protest in the streets with misspelled signs, Obama will send the military to your house and steal all of your guns, ammo, dog, and your wife.....on second thought, you can keep the wife.
Immigration reform. Next 12 million illegal immigrants working for home builders, chicken farmers, and restaurant owners, working for lower than minimum wage, no benefits, and in horrible conditions, making massive profits for their owners, will be granted amnesty. They will then be paid to go door to door to take away your guns. And marry your wife.
Taking away your religion. Next everyone will not be allowed to pray unless it is a Hail Mary, a prayer of the Catholic faith. Since Catholics are the largest group of Christians, the Hail Mary will become the national prayer. Then you can pray that no one steals your guns. Or your wife. Or not.
The Republican leadership of the United States Congress has issued the following talking points concerning the consequences of passing of historic Health Care Reform bill. If this bill passes:
The HCR bill will bankrupt the country.
The bill will result in 10 million jobs lost from small businesses
Insurance companies will lose half of their employees
Federal tax dollars will be used for abortions
All white folk will become black
Babies will be born as stupid as Sarah Palin
Republicans will look like cold hearted bastards (too late)
There will be no "Waterloo"
Look, we white folks in the republican party like being white. We were born white and we must remain white. Allowing this bill that will provide health care to the poor will make just look white AND weak. Being white and right is enough for me.
The Republican's great tort reform of 2003 has been a complete failure in lowering health care costs, insurance premiums for doctors, and now even their last reason for tort reform has been debunked. From The Monitor:
Like other rural border counties, Starr County faces a severe shortage
of physicians to meet the needs of its residents. Its total number of
physicians per capita is barely one-quarter of the national average —
which is frighteningly low, according to health care experts.
Texas has the highest rate of increase in health care costs, the highest uninsured in the nation, and yet Rick Perry and his party continue to claim tort reform has helped the citizens of the state.
One thing Perry knows, if you say it long enough and enough times, stupid people will believe it.
Former State Representative Rick Green is running for the Texas Supreme Court, with the emphasis on SUPREME, as in the highest court of the State. Rick is a so-called conservative Republican and has a unique record of Judicial and legal experience that he can bring to the highest court: nothing, or next to nothing. For those ignorant of the law, this is just what the Texas Supreme Court needs. From the Austin Statesman:
Let's close with one more guy you might not want on your Supreme
Court, a guy who appears to have done limited lawyering.
"After
graduation (from UT Law School), Rick focused (without Focus Factor?
Sorry, couldn't resist) his practice on contract law with an emphasis on
helping entrepreneurs start their own business," Green's Web site said
in summing up his legal experience.
As the Statesman pointed out, in a low turnout runoff having a pro-candidate group of supporters in such a so-what race gives Green the advantage. Green has the coveted endorsement of Chuck Norris, Alan Keyes, Zig Ziglar, and back from the grave, Charlton Heston, who believe that someone with little knowledge of the law is just what the Supreme Court needs to take the heat off of the State Board of Education for once.
Voting for Green is about as intelligent as getting a root canal by an auto mechanic, or a endoscopy with a rotor rooter. Luckily Green is running in the Republican primary. These guys will gut it out with a grin on their face pretending to be enjoying themselves until the plumber is done before admitting that a tad bit of research might have been in their best interest.
If they put Green on the ballot, the SBOE will be breathing a sigh of relief then looking for Jiffy Lube to treat their allergies.
Before Deregulation:
Just remember, before deregulation of electricity, lobbied for by Ken Lay and Enron, we were paying just under 8 cents a kWh for long term contracts with no cancellation fees. We had reliable, low cost energy that required no contract maintenance. Let's see how electricity deregulation has workedfor us in Harris County:
Lowest long term rates:
Mega Energy has the lowest rate for a 12 month plan at 10.2 cents per kWh. Brilliant was at 10.7 last month, this month they too are at 10.2. The highest rate is shared by TXU at 13.5 for 12 months and Just Energy for 60 months.
TXU and Reliant:
TXU and Reliant continue to charge more than the smaller companies. TXU
is at 13.5 for a 12 month contract and Reliant is at 11.9.
Month to Month:
The lowest month to month plan is at 8.8 with Abacus Resources, a newbie, and the highest
is 13.9 by First Choice Power.
Renewable Rates:
The lowest 100% renewable energy is at 10.4 by Gexa and the highest is
13.9 by Texpo.
On March 20, 2003 President George W. Bush led our troops into battle against Sadaam Hussein . Seven years later we are still counting:
$712B
Cost of the Iraq war to the American taxpayer so
far
$12B
Initial cost estimates of the war
4385
Number
of American soldiers killed in the war
0
Number
of weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq
12,000,000
Number of people who protested around the world against the upcoming
war in Iraq on Feb 15 2003. They called for the President to allow the
weapons inspectors to complete their jobs in Iraq
3
Number of months it would have taken for the weapons inspectors to
complete their jobs in Iraq
158,000
Number of
American troops in Iraq
2,000
Number of
British troops in Iraq
94,000
Number of
Iraqi citizens killed in the Iraq war
444
Number of contractors killed in the Iraq war
31,616+
Number of American soldiers injured in Iraq
16
Number of words in "The British government has learned that Saddam
Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa
1
Number of Medal of Freedom awards given to the CIA director for his job
on the Iraq war
0
Number of Al Queda
organizations in Iraq before the invasion
0
Number of mobile biological labs found in Iraq
0
Number of weapons of sarin, VX, anthrax, or nerve agent
0
Number of factories found for production of illegal weapons
0
Number of people fired for providing false information to Congress and
the President
0
Number of hearings on the
false information that led to the war in Iraq
These are comments from Bob Mitchell, President of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership to the League City Chamber as reported by the Bay Area Citizen:
"If we don't have control of Space and the Russians do, they can easily shoot down our satellites and we would have no cell phones."
"Think about defense.” Our predator drones at Ellington Field that fly
to Afghanistan and protect our coast also are operated by satellites"
Wow. What an incredibly ignorant thing to say to a group of educated individuals. Just how stupid does Mitchell think we are to believe the Russians, or any country for that matter, would shoot down our satellites? How incredibly ridiculous is that?
If Russia wanted to shoot down our satellites they could do it right now and if they did, just how would our presence in space stop them from doing so? Would we roll down the windows of the International Space Station and shoot their missiles down with our space age laser beam weapons? Maybe he forgot that we spend $780 Billion a year on our national defense to prevent such attacks and that Russia is our ally, not our enemy.
Besides saying incredibly stupid things, Mitchell is part of a bigger problem. The biggest complaint from those in Washington is that
NASA, especially the Clear Lake area, doesn't have a unified message
except "Save our tax funded jobs" and "Death to Obamacare". We obviously don't have an articulate
messenger either.
These comments made by Mitchell are irresponsible and incredibly ignorant. They undermine the credibility of the NASA community. They do more harm than good.
I don't agree with the direction NASA is being sent, but I do know there comes a time when bipartisan, rational discussion and negotiations are needed. What we don't need is fear mongering and stupidity to top the list of talking points by those leading the effort in these negotiations.
Mitchell might want to think before he opens his pie hole again.
It's 3:00 in the morning and I have insomnia. And I can't sleep either.
So I hear there's rumors on the "internets" that Sean Hannity, the more patriotic than thou, loud mouth, right wing, conservative, "I support the troops", KTRH talk show host is running a well oiled charity scam raising millions with his "Freedom Concerts" yet donating just a small portion back to those his charity is all about, our wounded soldiers from Iraq. From Debbie Schlussel's article:
The tax forms available to the public for the Freedom Alliance–for the
years 2006-2008–paint a tragic story, a story of a charity that makes
gazillions and spends very little for the purposes it claims, a charity
that spends millions more on its small staff and crony consultants than
it ever gives in scholarships to the children of the fallen or severely
injured troops or in aid to the injured troops themselves. While
Hannity’s Freedom Concerts take in millions, only a few hundred thousand
go to the claimed intended recipients.
Now, from what I can read about this particular author, at 3:00 am in the damn morning, Debbie Schlussel, she is no fan of Sean Insanity, but her article seems to be very well researched. She has links to tax returns of the charity and it paints a pretty slimy picture:
According to its 2006 tax returns, Freedom Alliance
reported revenue of $10, 822, 785, but only $397,900–or a beyond-measly
3.68%–of that was given to the children of fallen troops as
scholarships or as aid to severely injured soldiers.
So less than 4% of the money raised from selling tickets to a concert with stars like the Charlie Daniels Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and selling over priced, over sized t-shirts goes to those soldiers who lost their body parts in a war that wasn't necessary. And 96% goes to overhead, like traveling in private jets, creating jobs to make over priced over sized, t-shirts, and to advertise on radio stations like Houston's KTRH.
The 12 charities rated as failing by the institute – including the
Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, the AMVETS
National Service Foundation and the Freedom Alliance – collected at
least $266 million in the past fiscal year.
“They know how to work the system, and they seem pretty good at not
going over the line, although it is pretty outrageous that so little
money is actually winding up benefiting charities,” said Daniel
Borochoff, president and founder of the Chicago-based institute.
Even at 3:00 in the damn frickin morning, the ABC report is an eye opener. As well as this strong ass cup of joe I just made.
This story certainly has the eye of the readers of Democratic Underground as well as the Freepers of Free Republic, whose forum really sucks.(I mean it really sucks. I thought republicans was the party of the rich. You would think they could raise a few bucks to get a professional looking forum. Stingy bastards. They probably are spending their money on tickets to Sean's concert so they can wear their over priced, over sized confederate flag t-shirt and yell FREE BIRD!) But, I digress. Even the Freepers are asking for a rebutal from Sean:
I hope this is not true. Hannity needs to come out now and either fully debunk this or
apologize and start making restitution. If this is true, this will be a HUGE mark, not just against Hannity,
but against people who have supported and followed Hannity,
conservatives in general, and last but not least Fox News.
So take this all with a grain of salt the size of a basketball. Remember not everything you hear on the "Internets" at 3:00 am in the morning is true. Or is it?
This is just one of many stories about a family who works hard, pays their taxes, is productive in our society, and then gets hit with the cancer. You really don't know what you are talking about when you are defending the rotten, filthy, money hungry, bastards of the insurance industry until your family is hit with this damn disease.
So, do a us *&^damn favor and shut the hell up while we try to help those who are forced into bankruptcy in order to save their wife, their husband, their child, their sister, their brother, or their friend.
For the love of God Almighty and all that is great, would someone please call 911 for Governor Rick Perry?
According to the Austin American Statesman, Governor Perry was last seen running down the street flapping his arms wildly while little kids were taunting him with "Liar Liar Pants on Fire!". Oh the humanity! From the Austin American Statesman Politifact which rates statements by political figures:
Gov. Rick Perry says his border security efforts led to 60-percent
drop in crime along Texas-Mexico border.
We rate Perry's sweeping statement based on an unreasonable
manipulation of crime statistics -- the second instance of his
administration touting questionable border crime numbers -- as Pants on
Fire.
Liar. Liar. Pants on Fire. So Rick Perry told another lie. What else is new for Rick Perry? Oh...thanks to the Austin American Statesman for the fact check. With the likes of Rick Perry, it is needed! I can't wait till he says "Homeowners insurance rates have been reduced since I took office".
Imagine that. Fox News is committing media malpractice spreading false information about the Health Care Reform bill to the brainless idiots who watch them. Media Matters has the complete story about the so called reporters of Fox News claiming that a survey published by the New England Journal of Medicine says 46% of medical providers would quit if the Health Care Reform bill passes.
Unfortunately, that is not what the survey said and the survey was not published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Oops. Thanks to Erik for the phrase "Media Malpractice".
Our Governor is a like a big bird, prancing around in a mating dance with the voters, bragging about he has done, and claiming to protect the State. Occasionally, around election time, he puffs up like a giant bird trying to look bigger than what he really is, squacking about his favorite subject: immigration. Today is no different.
It is imperative that the federal government immediately provide additional resources to prevent spillover violence, but with the safety of Texans on the line, we can't afford to wait.
Can't afford to wait? Really? Perry has waited 10 years before opening his pie hole about immigration. Funny, he wasn't prancing around when his Fave Five buddy, George Bush was President. He wasn't sending predators to the border when George Bush was President. He wasn't demanding action when George Bush was President.
But when the Democrat is in office, Perry is all puffed up like a giant chicken calling for more money, more support, and more chicken dancing.
Must be mating time with the voters. Looks like we are going to get screwed. Again.
No sooner do I apologize for making fun of Harris County Judge Larry Standley I get a number of texts concerning his past behavior. Here are some of the texts I got this morning and they are disturbing.
When the Harris County Republican Party asks one of their own members to step down they must have done something pretty damn bad, or they are not donating enough money to the party. Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole, who has the award for the largest fine in the history of the Texas Ethics Commission, donates a lot of money to the HCRP as well as to the Chairman for his re-election campaign. You don't see the HCRP calling for Eversole's resignation, so maybe Standley just didn't donate enough or there is one big ass double standard going on.
So, my apology was a bit premature. Standley has been on the bench for over 10 years. It wouldn't hurt if we had some new blood in that seat. Let's thank him for his service, and move on.
You have to wonder why CCISD invited this guy to speak to their students without doing a background check. (This is what got him in the latest hot water) I have to wonder why I apologized without doing a background check. And who in the hell is going to tow my damn car? And if the anonymous text-er is reading this, I don't owe you $50! Read the damn rules shankapotamus!
Let me just say to all of my 10s of readers, I like to pun around. I like to poke fun. And some say I am full of wit. But sometimes I get called on it and yesterday I got called on it. Literally.
I received a call from David Jones of KUHT's Red, White, and Blue concerning my pun about Harris County Judge Larry Standley and his discussion with students at CCISD about alcohol and drug use. David's comments made me realize that sometimes (sometimes) my partisan views and commentary can get in the way of what is good for the County. David compared him to one of my favorite criminal Judges which got my attention. It turns out Judge Standley is one top notch Judge.
Our Courts need a huge dose of balance, but not at the expense of those who are concerned about making a difference instead of making a headline. A family will never understand how important our Judges are until they are in front of one that is willing to take the time to try to save their kid from a life of crime while upholding the law. From what David told me, Standley is one of these judges.
We need more like him. My pun concerning Judge Standley was over the top and I apologize for it.
Note: I notice that some students who were at the meeting that got Standley in the news have commented on what he really said. It is a good read at the Bennett and Bennett blog.
As pointed out by the Chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party:
...that while they may not be required to support the Democratic nominee for the 22nd Congressional District [LaRoucher Kesha Rogers] they cannot publicly endorse or support her opponent either. The Rules of the Texas
Democratic Party specifically provide that a Party Officer shall be
removed from office if during his or her term of office he or she
"publicly supports or endorses a nominee of an opposing party"
This is standard party rules. If you are an elected member of the Party, you cannot publicly endorse or support someone who is not a Democrat. And if you don't like the rule, well you can just resign. It is that simple.
Unfortunately this does not apply to elected officials such as State Representatives, Senators, etc.
Good for the Party! The State Democratic Executive Committee approved a resolution relieving the members of the party from supporting any LaRouche candidate running as a Democrat.
RESOLVED, that no Rules or Declarations of the Texas
Democratic Party that require support for Party nominees shall be enforced or
have any application as they relate to the candidacy of any person identifying him or herself as
aligned with the LaRouche Movement or Lyndon LaRouche, and, be it further
RESOLVED, that Members, Officers and Candidates of the Texas
Democratic Party are neither required nor encouraged to support the candidacy
of any person indentifying him or herself as aligned with the LaRouche Movement
or Lyndon LaRouche but are nevertheless free to relate to, describe and
interact with any such candidates or campaigns as they individually deem
appropriate, and, be it further
RESOLVED, that the Texas Democratic Party will have no
relationship with the campaign of
any person indentifying him or herself as aligned with the LaRouche Movement or
Lyndon LaRouche; no such campaigns will have access to Party materials or data,
no listing on the Party website and no position of privilege or recognition at
Party meetings or conventions.
The full resolution:
WHEREAS, congressional candidate Kesha Rogers describes and defines herself
as a LaRouche , Democrat, and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rogers' campaign rhetoric, literature, platform positions and
web site confirm that she is a dedicated follower of Lyndon LaRouche and is an
associate of and messenger for the LaRouche Movement, and
WHEREAS, prior actions by Lyndon LaRouche and the LaRouche Movement include
instances of illegal activities, discriminatory proclamations and thuggish
behavior, and
WHEREAS, the historical record of documentation, both produced by and
relating to Lyndon LaRouche and the LaRouche Movement contains clear, convincing
and overwhelming evidence of discrimination based on race, religion, sexual
orientation and ethnic origin, and
WHEREAS, the rules of the Texas Democratic Party (Art. I, B, 1.) require
that no test of membership, nor oaths of loyalty, to the Texas Democratic Party
shall be used if those oaths or tests would have the effect of requiring members
of the Democratic Party to acquiesce in, condone or support discrimination based
on race, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnic origin, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that no Rules or Declarations of the Texas Democratic Party that
require support for Party nominees shall be enforced or have any application as
they relate to the candidacy of any person identifying him or herself as aligned
with the LaRouche Movement or Lyndon LaRouche, and, be it further
RESOLVED, that Members, Officers and Candidates of the Texas Democratic
Party are neither required nor encouraged to support the candidacy of any person
identifying him or herself as aligned with the LaRouche Movement or Lyndon
LaRouche but are nevertheless free to relate to, describe and interact with any
such candidates or campaigns as they individually deem appropriate, and, be it
further
RESOLVED, that the Texas Democratic Party will have no relationship with
the campaign of any person identifying him or herself as aligned with the
LaRouche Movement or Lyndon LaRouche; no such campaigns will have access to
Party materials or data, no listing on the Party web site and no position of
privilege or recognition at Party meetings or conventions.
This has to be one of the worst stories I have seen on KHOU ever. It is surprising. And disappointing.
After watching the story below, you would think there is a massive coverup and another Chuck Rosenthal sex scandal brewing by Metro board chairman David Wolff and chief executive Frank Wilson. And yet there is this blog entry in the Houston Chronicle claiming there are no witnesses to support the shredding of documents by Metro or evidence of a sex scandal.
During Wednesday's hearing in the open
records lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transit
Authority, an attorney for lawyer and former City Controller Lloyd
Kelley acknowledged that he had no witnesses ready to testify that the
transit agency had destroyed specific documents his client had
requested.
KHOU's story focused on a possible sexual scandal and then onto the contracts and benefits provided to the Metro officials. While they are at it they might want to turn their cameras on to the contracts and benefits of those managing the Sports Authority, or City Hall, or any other organization with possible big fish to possibly catch, and possibly fry. Based upon this report and the blog entry, this entire situation is beginning to look like nothing but a big fishing expedition by Lloyd Kelley and KHOU.
During the primary campaign Governor Rick Perry bragged about bringing jobs to our state by giving away hundreds of millions of your tax dollars in incentives (ie economic bailouts) to corporations. The Texas Observer has just released an investigative story on Rick Perry's slush fund called the Texas Enterprise Fund, and it's not very good:
For the past six years, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has
lorded over a controversial stash of taxpayer money known as the Texas
Enterprise Fund, dispensing huge sums—$345 million and counting—to large
corporations, ostensibly to spur job growth. ... Many companies that have received money from the fund have, in turn,
aided the governor.
In short, Perry has given hundreds of millions of your tax dollars to corporations to do business in Texas, which in turn gives to Rick Perry's re-election campaign. Take just a minute to review an example of what Perry has done with your tax dollars:
Perhaps no company better illustrates the flow of money than
Hewlett-Packard Co. In October 2006, the California-based technology
giant received $3 million from the Enterprise Fund to open four data
centers in Texas that were supposed to create 420 jobs. The project
didn’t exactly go well—the centers never opened, and Hewlett-Packard
later had to repay its grant. Nary a Texan got a new job. But before the
deal fell apart, Perry and his political allies took in their share of
money.
Hewlett-Packard’s political action committee contributed $20,000 to
the governor’s campaign. It was one of 18 Enterprise Fund companies
whose PACs or chief executives donated to Perry’s campaign, according to
an analysis by the watchdog group Texans for Public Justice. The PACs
and chief executives forked over a combined $355,000 to Perry’s
campaign. (One of the largest donors was Joe Sanderson, the head of
Sanderson Farms Inc., a Mississippi-based chicken producer that received
$500,000 from the Enterprise Fund in April 2006. Three months later,
Joe Sanderson gave $25,000 to Perry’s campaign. He has since given
$75,000 more.)
With an $11 Billion shortfall in revenues, and the return on his slush fund bailouts in question, you have to ask yourself: Can you trust Rick Perry with your tax dollars?
Note: Many of you might remember when the projected deficit in 2002 was announced as $5 Billion. Immediately after the election the projected deficit was corrected to $10 Billion, a 100% error by the accountant of the State, Carole Keaton Rylander Strayhorn. No one was held accountable for that error.
Harris County Republican Judge Larry Standley was recently caught DWI (Driving a point Without Intelligence) while giving a speech to students in the Clear Creek Independent School District on the use of drugs and alcohol. The sponsors of the event, Mothers Against Drunk Driving,apologized for the comments and asked Standley to end his speech. KTRK has the video:
When asked for a comment Standley replied with slurred speech, incoherent rants, a rather graphic reference to someones mother, and passed gas while falling off his high horse.
Harris County Republican Judge Larry Standley is being challenged by
Democrat Denise Spencer
for Criminal Court at Law no. 6.
I am sure homeowners with State Farm insurance are calling Rick Perry and thanking him for a job well done on insurance reform passed in 2003.
In documents
filed with the Texas Department of Insurance, State Farm said it opted
for a lower rate increase than the 26 percent hike its projections
indicate it needs.
State Farm is also increasing the discounts it
offers consumers who buy both home and auto policies from the company
to 20 percent, up from 15 percent.
State Farm last raised Texas home insurance rates in October with an 8.8 percent rate hike.
The flag pin below, worn by many "patriotic" American Politicians, was distributed to government employees days after 911. I kept this pin in my briefcase for years afterward. Currently I have no idea where it is, but was reminded of it while watching Michael Moore's movie, Capitalism A Love Story. America has embraced unbridled capitalism to the point of out sourcing the American flag.
We folks here in District E are lucky to have Houston City Council Member Mike Sullivan on our side. Mike Sullivan doesn't pull punches. He tells it like it is. It makes for interesting conversations. Speaking of....
Last month Mike cautioned members of the Association of Clear Lake City about their wish to be separated from Kingwood in the upcoming redistricting process. He stated that the citizens of Clear Lake and Kingwood could be merged into a district filled with "crack houses". "Be careful what you wish for", he said.
I can only assume he is referring to the districts represented by Council Members Wanda Adams and Jarvis Johnson that are infested with "crack houses". You see, we folks in Clear Lake do not have "crack houses". Sure we might have a drug related execution of four high school kids once in a while, or we might have someone run over their husband 5 times for good measure, or we might catch the local high school basketball team printing counterfeit $20 bills, but "crack houses"? No. We prefer Botox parties, tanning salons and white collar crime.
In the redistricting effort it is possible Sullivan would keep Kingwood and Clear Lake would merge with an adjacent district.This would be the best scenario, at least for us in Clear Lake, but don't bet on it. Sullivan has made it very clear he likes it just the way it is.
Pulte just couldn't overcome the massive failure of the retaining wall in San Antonio and it seems like they are finally doing the right thing:
SAN ANTONIO — Centex Homes will offer to buy back 27 homes in a
Northwest Side neighborhood and plans to spend $4 million to $5 million
to rebuild a massive retaining wall that collapsed in January.
Some advice to the homeowners: take the money and run. As fast as you possibly can. It is extremely rare that a home builder would buy back a home especially in Texas. Just look at Bob and Jane Cull in the Fort Worth area. They have fought Bob Perry for over 10 years. He has lost in arbitration. He has lost in the court room and yet hasn't paid them a cent. So take advantage of this once in a life time offer to get on with your life.
Hopefully the buy back will include the fair market value of the home before the wall collapsed, the cost of moving, and any fees paid by the owners. It should be a fair and reasonable offer and if it is, they should run with it and never look back.
UPDATE:
The buyback offers will cover the purchase price, closing costs, moving
expenses, home improvements and incidental expenses. Centex will also
pay for attorneys' fees, although it said it would not cover large
contingency fees. It will offer to instead pay the costs of homeowners
who have consulted with an attorney and want someone to review the
buyback documents, said company spokeswoman Valerie Dolenga.
They are lucky that Pulte made a financial decision to buy back the homes. Repairing the wall is estimated to take 6 months or more. There is no way they could have kept this issue alive for 6 more months while the families are living in a Motel 6. The bad press would continue to eat at their sales. Pulte had to do something.
If the buy back is fair, then Pulte has made the right decision. Maybe Bob Perry will follow Pulte's lead?
Fox News is lying? What is next? The Pope is Catholic? Crackers are salty? Republicans are white? Teabaggers are racists?
From the Texas Education Agency:
TEA News Releases Online
March 10, 2010
Fox inaccurately reporting State Board of Education action
AUSTIN - The Fox Network in recent days has repeatedly broadcast highly
inaccurate information about the State Board of Education's efforts to
adopt the new social studies curriculum standards.
Here are the facts. The direct quotes come from the March 10 broadcast of Fox & Friends
Fox: "Texas board of education begins hearings today on proposed changes to textbooks..." The
truth: The State Board of Education today is expected to take a
preliminary vote on updated social studies curriculum standards. The
standards detail what teachers are to teach in each class. New social
studies textbooks are not scheduled to be selected until 2011.
Fox: "So one of the proposed changes is to start history class in the year 1877."
The truth: Texas has and always will teach U.S. History from the
beginning until present day. U.S. History through Reconstruction is
taught in the eighth grade and those standards can be found in the
middle school standards, which are called Texas Essential Knowledge and
Skills (TEKS). Here is a link to the middle school standards. U.S. History since 1877 is taught in 11th grade.
Fox: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington have been removed from the textbooks.
The truth: The standards, not textbook, are before the board this week.
Lincoln is required to be included in the first and eighth grade
history classes, as well as in the U.S. government class. Washington is
required to be taught in kindergarten, first grade, fifth grade and
eighth grade. Here is a link to
a document detailing those historical figures, including Lincoln and
Washington, who are required to be taught as part of the standards.
There is another list of individuals who are suggested for inclusion
and it can be found here. Additional modifications are still possible to both lists as the board debates the standards during its March and May meeting.
Fox: Independence Day and Veteran's Day are being deleted from the textbooks.
The truth: Again, the new history textbooks have not been written yet
but they will be based on the curriculum standards adopted by the
board. The standards currently under consideration cover Independence
Day in kindergarten, second and fifth grades. Veteran's Day is included
in kindergarten, first, second and fifth grades.
Fox: References to Christmas have been deleted.
The truth: A TEKS review committee briefly recommended removing
Christmas from a list that mentioned one major holiday for each of the
world's religions. The committee recommended leaving Easter in the
document. The State Board immediately rejected this idea and a
reference to Christmas was restored in the standards months ago and can
be found in sixth grade in standard 19(b).
Fox: Textbooks adopted in Texas will be used classrooms across the country.
The truth: Each state has its own textbook selection process.
Publishers may offer other states the Texas edition of a book but they
are not required to select it.
Citizens can read the standards for themselves here. A live webcast of the meeting, which begins at 11 a.m. today, can be viewed here.
Note to Rick Perry: Bill White is no Kay Bailey Hutchison. Over the next few months, he is going to say what needs to be said about the failures of Rick Perry as Governor of Texas for the last 10 years. From the Texas Tribune:
He criticized Republican Gov. Rick Perry
as a divisive chief executive who wastes more time campaigning and
"railing about things he can't control" than he does working on state
problems like education and controlling dropout rates and making
college more affordable. "Leadership is not dividing people into teams…
leadership is finding common ground," White said.
You got that right. Instead of working to lower college tuition or recognize the failure of insurance and electricity deregulation Perry runs about the state calling for divisive issues like voter ID and seceding from the United States.
He criticized the across-the-board five percent budget cuts ordered by
state leaders as "Soviet-style budgeting," and touted his record as
mayor of Houston, saying the city kept its budget balanced by reacting
more quickly to signs of economic downturn, and accomplished cuts with
"productivity improvements" and renegotiated contracts with vendors and
other measures. "You don't do it with some memo across the board," he
said, referring to a letter from Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus III to state agencies last year.
It is a great read. Perry needs to understand that White is willing to debate the issues important to Texans. Unfortunately Perry has been a failure at most of these issues and will have to rely on his constant attacks on White. Whether they are true or not makes no difference to Perry.
Carney's memo describes White as a trial lawyer. That's true or not,
White said, depending on the definition. "I have tried cases. I
represented businesses… If you say, 'plaintiff's personal injury trial
lawyer,' it's not true." Another Carney suggestion is that White
doesn't support gun rights. White disagrees with that characterization,
too: "I support the Second Amendment. I own guns. I don't want to take
guns away," he said. He expressed concerns about guns in the hands of
street gangs but said, "I don't think we need any new gun laws."
That is all he has left.
Oh...FYI. The Chair of the Harris County Republican Party is a trial lawyer.
There is a new movement sweeping the country to counter the unorganization of the tea party. This one is called the Coffee Party. Unlike the tea party, which doesn't really drink tea, the Coffee Party drinks, you guessed it, coffee. Hence the name. Sort of. I guess. Also to thereof.
Coffee is truly an American beverage unlike tea which is preferred by those with funny accents and smoking strange looking cigarettes. Tea is about un-American as you can get except when drinking hot tea at your favorite Chinese restaurant. Or on a cold night when looking for something to put you to sleep. Coffee on the other hand can get you all hopped up on caffeine preparing you to go to battle with the teabaggers with slash and burn politics. Unfortunately....
Who are the Coffee Party People? The local chapter in Houston has already had their first meeting, at a coffee shop. They have a Facebook page and are organizing a kick-off event this Saturday on March 13.
Coffee Party USA is a diverse grassroots movement that acts to bring civil discourse back to the coffee tables, coffee shops, and living rooms across America. The Coffee Party movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government, and welcomes everyone to the table. We are a p u r e g r a s s r o o t s m o ve m e nt , independent of any party, corporation,or lobbying organization.
Well this aint no damn fun. Civil discourse? No shouting at townhall meetings? Can't carry a rifle across my shoulder? Can't call people "teabaggers"? Have to sign a "civility pledge"? No signs with the N word on it? Come on!
What do you expect us to do all hopped up on coffee? Sit and discuss the need for health care reform and how we can achieve it? Discuss the problems with unlimited donations in our political process and how we can fix it? Call for a balance between job growth and corporate take overs?
Coffee ground rules (I am so full of wit) forbid calling people "teabaggers". And I bet you can't even shout over people to drown out an elected official or tell lies about the other side. Well if discourse in a civil manner is your cup of tea,(did it again) then attend the Houston Coffee Party this Saturday. It should be just civil.
March 13, 2010 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m. Location: Coffee Groundz 2503 Bagby Street Houston, TX 77006
(Unfortunately I will be block walking in Galveston for Joe Jaworski for Mayor. Have a GREAT event. Drink your coffee and what ever you do STAY CALM!)
If you have a few minutes watch Rachel Maddow expose the so-called "grassroots" movement to stop any health care reform or any debate about health care reform from happening.
From the teabaggers to the corporations supporting them, Maddow's report shows how the debate about the need for health care has been hijacked by the very people who are raising your insurance rates by 39%, the very people who will cancel your insurance in time of need, the very same people who will force you into bankruptcy in order to pay your chemo bill. You get the point. Take a few minutes and watch. It is pretty good.
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy covers all of the results of the primary elections including the surprising defeat of Don McLeroy in the State Board of Education District 9 Republican primary. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines, and this week will begin coverage of the local municipal elections.
