Jack Christie you're no Bill White

I campaigned for Bill White. I know Bill White. I am a friend of Bill White. But Jack, you're no Bill White.

Jack Christie is making it pretty hard to like him as a candidate for At Large City Council. Much like Mike Sullivan passing gas in the city hall elevator, you hold your breath hoping it will get better. For Jack, it ain't getting better.

At the debate in the Bay Area, Jack was giddily, distributing a poorly copied endorsement from Bill White, but at least he didn't make a fool out of himself. He waited till the Meyerland Democrats meeting to do that. At that meeting he made inappropriate comments about his opponents choice in clothing. Later he mailed a flyer misusing quotes from a blogger that has actually endorsed his opponent.

I'm not sure why Bill White would endorse such a person for city council. Unlike Bill White who reached across all boundaries as Mayor, Christie seems to reach across the aisle only to grab you by the neck.

If Christie thinks a letter from Bill White makes him be liked like Bill White, he ought to like, think twice. By the way, Christie has been endorsed by the Harris County republican party.

Desperately seeking Arpaio

At least I'm not the only one that thinks Perry is making a mistake seeking the endorsement of the immigrant hater Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. From the Atlantic:

So the man who has fouled his own nest, and brought both expense and infamy to his county and his constituents, believes that Perry ought to be the next president? If that's not the kiss of death for the campaign, I don't know what is. I don't see how the Texas governor can preach fiscal responsibility on the one hand and shake Arpaio's hand with the other. 

And Perry doesn't even have the same beliefs as Arpaio. Arpaio supports the building of a mega-fence, against allowing immigrants to pay in state tuition if they are accepted into college, and against a path to citizenship. The only issue they probably see eye to eye on is cheap labor. That is Perry's big immigration issue and one that is supported by his donors. Let them into the country with a legal card and let his donors continue to pay them cheap wages.

Perry will be touring New Hampshire with Arpaio, stirring the white pot of anger towards immigrants. It is always good for a few votes, but he will have to ditch him when he comes to Texas or California.

That is Rick Perry. That is the way he works.

Andrew Burks gets Republican endorsement

OK. This is getting strange. After getting the Houston Association of Realtor's endorsement, Andrew Burks gets the endorsement (and not much else) from the Harris County republican party. Their "glowing" endorsement contains:

The following are the most qualified, conservative candidates and, as early voting approaches, we will highlight each candidate. Helena Brown, Andrew Burks, and Jack Christie.

And not much else. I am anxious to read their "highlights" Maybe it will contain the fact that Burks is a Democrat. His website is littered with his Democratic credentials. Why HAR would endorse Burks, with minimal credentials, and why the republican party would endorse Burks, who is a Democrat, is a mystery.

But then again, it is the republican party. And they are some pretty fucked up people.

Now, don't get me wrong. Andrew Burks is a great guy, a hard worker, and has supported the Democratic party. But it doesn't make sense that the republican party would endorse him.

TX State Rep Aaron Pena to quit again.

Once a quitter, always a quitter. From the San Antonio Express News:

BROWNSVILLE — State Rep. Aaron Peña of Edinburg, who drew Democratic Party ire last year when he switched to the Republican Party after re-election, said he's bowing out of the Texas Legislature after acknowledging interim districting maps give him no chance of retaining his seat.

Pena deserves every bit of this. He voted like a republican. He acted like a republican. He became a republican. And what did he get by becoming a turn coat?

Screwed.

Hardy HAR HAR endorsements for Houston City Council

It is almost funny.

The Houston Association of Realtors issued their endorsements for the City Council runoff elections including Andrew Burks for At Large Position 2. At first I really thought the endorsement was a mistake and was waiting for a correction to be issued within minutes, but that in itself was a mistake.

Andrew Burks, bless his heart, is one of those guys who runs for the sake of running with little if any money, a big heapin' helpin' of enthusiasm, and hoping for a one in a million long shot victory. Why on earth would a professional organization as large and powerful as HAR endorse Burks is just beyond me. Sure, he is a likable guy, but being your best bud and being able to represent the City in an At Large position are two completely different positions requiring different skill sets.

Speculation is that Burks is a realtor therefore deserving of the realtors association nod, or that HAR has some personal differences with his opponent, Kristi Thibaut. In either case I would have expected a non-endorsement in this race. Make no mistake about this, though - apparently this endorsement comes with a $10,000 check.

Well, good luck to Burks and to the City of Houston.

p.s. The Harris County republican party endorsed Burks also. What does that tell you?

Joe Drivers felony and his $57,000/year State pension

Well if this doesn't just grind your gears nothing will.

State Representative Joe Driver stole over $63,000 from the State Comptrollers office by submitting travel expenses, that had been paid by his campaign, and pocketing it. It is called double dipping or in plain folks terms, a felony. For committing this felony as a State Representative he will be fined $5000, has to pay back the $63,000, and will be on 5 years probation. If he stays clean, his record is wiped clean.

And to top this all off, he receives a $57,000 a year pension from the state after serving 20 part time years as a State Representative and he receives health care for the rest of his rotten life.

Most fulltime teachers working 30+ years might get $24,000 a year in a pension. Civil service employees under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) would receive at most $25,000 a year. Yet here we have a part time employee of the State who serves 6 months every two years, and who has admitted to a felony, and he will receive $57,000/year for the rest of his felon life.

The Judge,The Honorable Karen Sage, is not bound to the recommended sentence. Hopefully she will give Driver exactly what any other person would get for committing a felony.

The Honorable Karen Sage

Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center
509 West 11th, 8th floor
Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: (512) 854-9442
Fax: (512) 854-6494
Email: 299threset@co.travis.tx.us
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 1748
Austin, TX 78767

State Rep Joe Driver gets probation and a pension

State Representative Joe Driver ,exposed by Jay Root of the Associated Press for double dipping taxpayers for over $63,000, plead guilty to a felony abuse-of-office charges. In a state that is "tough on crime" Driver should have got more than 5 years of probation. And he did. He got to keep his pension. From the Texas Tribune:

• As part of his plea agreement, Driver will get five years deferred adjudication, avoiding jail time as long as he doesn't violate the terms of his probation.
• Prosecutors said Tuesday that Driver would repay about $14,000 more, bringing the total amount repaid to $63,748.36.
• Driver will also pay a $5,000 fine and undergo any treatment or counseling recommended by the probation department.

And he will be able to keep his tax funded pension and health care. Texas talks tough on crime except when it comes to our elected officials. Driver should have received at least 10 years probation and, as a felon, should have lost his pension.

Thanks to Jay Root of the Associated Press for exposing Driver. The Travis County District Attorney's office is investigating others such as Linda Harper-Brown and Dan Flynn for the same type of offenses. Flynn has already returned over $14,000 after he too was exposed for double dipping.

Driver will resign in the near future. In the video, Driver is thankful that this is resolved. (and that he got to keep his pension and health care)

Soapbox Derby Track or Harris County Sheriff resources?

This is how the GOP governs. Kill the economy, call for tax cuts, then complain when you can't get the job done and putting us at risk. Harris County Commissioners are no different. From the Houston Chronicle:

Last week, the Houston Chronicle reported that the Sheriff's Office, which enters warrants into the database for all law enforcement agencies in the county, faces a backlog of 10,088 felony warrants and 19,748 Class A and Class B misdemeanor warrants.

Garcia acknowledged that the backlog does a pose a serious public safety issue. He attributes the backlog to a lack of staff and funding, and believes that clearing the backlog would require additional personnel.

Garcia has asked for 45 clerks, none were approved, and so the problem continues. Steve Radack, the Commissioner who used $2.3 Million of your tax dollars to build a soapbox derby race track, criticized Garcia for not allocating funds appropriately.

Really? And Radack was the one, during a hiring freeze, who hired a new executive assistant at a cool 6 figure salary.:

Radack's new executive assistant is Court Koenning, former executive director of the Harris County Republican Party and former chief of staff for state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. He'll get an annual salary of $100,006.

Really? Garcia is considering the use of volunteers to input the data. I am sure Radack and his entire family will be the first in line to help.

A Balance Budget Amendment is for stupid people

FYI: Today the teabag party in Congress failed to pass a balanced budget amendment bill. Even teabaggers aren't that stupid.

One of the simple minded, incorrect, arguments for a balanced budget amendment is that American families operate on a balance budget. This isn't true. Few families could buy a home without credit or a buy a car or even go to college without a loan. Those who advocate a balanced budget amendment are those officials who are incapable of managing the finance of their city or state.

Take Rick Perry for instance. Perry is a huge supporter of a balanced budget for the United States using Texas as a success story. Luckily most Americans aren't stupid enough to believe that crap. Coupled with mismanagement of our revenue stream, a balanced budget amendment can devastate services provided by the state. A great example is the 2011 shortfall of $27 Billion.

Because the GOP controlled House and Senate refused to fix the Margin Tax created back in 2005 Texas now runs a structural deficit every two years of $10 Billion. Coupled with a sour economy and high unemployment, the revenue shortage gives the GOP an opportunity to cut services such as public education, health care for the poor, and more.

The bottom line is that Rick Perry and the GOP are too stupid to manage the state's finances and realize that some years we might run a deficit, but others we will flourish. Stupid people wanting stupid policies.

Just plain stupid.

TX Gov Perry's major donors calls Americans "lazy"

Rick Perry has an ad distorting Obama's recent comment about being "lazy". From ABC News:

Boeing CEO James McNerney asked Obama about his thinking on the perception by some countries of “impediments to investment” in the U.S.

Obama replied that “we’ve been a little bit lazy” about actively trying to attract private foreign investors to U.S. soil — referring broadly to American government and business sectors, not the American people themselves.in

Of course, Perry is well know making up his own facts, statistics, and wild stories about shooting coyotes with a pistol he carries  his cowboy boots while jogging. But that doesn't stop Perry. Maybe he should look to his own donors who were very clear about Americans being lazy in an OP-ED written for the Dallas Morning News, (a copy can be found here) which included his largest donor, Bob Perry, the homebuilder. Here is what they said comparing American workers to immigrants:

But few young Americans want to do hard physical labor, particularly in our climate.

Don't be lazy and take a few minutes to read the complete OP-ED to read what his biggest donors are saying about immigration. You might then understand why Perry has done absolutely nothing about immigration, except to talk about it.

And why he has to resort back to distorting the truth. Next thing he will say is that Texas has the cleanest air and water in the country.

Gingrich is the white wing's candidate

Gingrich reached out to the anti-Hispanic white wing of the Teabag Party with a mouth full of crap. From MSNBC:

We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto,” Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

Yep. This is the Teabag Party. It is alive and well. Next up for Gingrich? He will call for a return to the day where women are seen, not heard, barefoot and pregnant, and taking their rightful place in the world, in the kitchen. Then he will call for freedom camps for Muslims and Jews, and anyone that is not as white as he is.

And the Teabag Party will cheer. Gingrich needs a Spanish boot up his ass. If he would come to Texas, I'll volunteer to give him one.

Texas Progressive Alliance weekly roundup

The Texas Progressive Alliance is beginning to think fond thoughts of cranberry dressing, pumpkin pie, and, um, something else it can't quite recall - oops! - as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff took a tour of Houston elections from the 1990s to see how they compared to more modern matchups.

Following Rick Perry's latest gaffes, Letters From Texas explains why Perry has become such a hopeless band nerd that the crazy girl who can't get a prom date pities him.

Darth Politico commemorates Veterans Day with a discussion about the history of Red Tape and veterans benefits. Emphasis on Red.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson points out that Republicans in Texas are boxed-in.  They know know taxes must be raised to run our state's government, but can't bring themselves to say it, Texas GOP's cowardice.

On the same night Houston Mayor Annise Parker celebrated barely being re-elected, a few blocks away the HPD arrested seven Occupy Houstonians for refusing to move a tarp which the police called a tent. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs doesn't think that's a great way to start a second term ... unless she plans on again representing the 1%, that is.

BossKitty at TruthHugger  sees another disappointing campaign season.  Inundated with Republican this and Tea Party that, BossKitty is embarrassed by what we are hearing. Republican Whack A Mole Misses the Point.  Some economic guru is writing the script for each candidate to spout as the Only way to get back on track, because it is always Obama's fault.  We all know it was Obama's fault even before he was born.  But some of the solutions totally miss the big picture.

Bay Area Houston is remembering on Veterans Day on how we have continue to screw our Veterans.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that BP wants the government to hide data while celebrating the end of its cleanup responsibility.  This week:  crony capitalists 2; regular citizens 0.

Lightseeker at TexasKaos gives a brief summary of the GOP voter suppression campaign gearing up for 2012. Check it out: Voter Suppression Update 2011.

Neil at Texas Liberal attended an Occupy Houston press conference about OH participants arrested by Houston police for covering up electrical equipment with a tarp during a rainstorm. If only Occupy efforts across the nation had the same First Amendment protections as large anonymous corporate political donations enjoy under the Citizens United case.

When you question fracking

From CBS Dallas/Ft Worth. Thanks to activist Sharon Wilson:

Energy industry officials were caught on tape at a conference in Houston using military terms to describe their opposition. One company says it uses ex-military psychological operations experts in its community plans.

A decade of disrespect for our Veterans

This day bothers me.

Politicians will be combing their district putting on their Veterans of Foreign Wars hat, wearing their flag pin, riding in parades, and saying empty statements like "Our fine young men and women of the Armed Forces are fighting for our Constitution.....blah....blah....blah." And yet while these fine young men and women of the Armed Forces are fighting for our Constitution these politicians are restricting the very rights they are fighting for. 

Then
The Bill of Rights (1st 10 Amendments of the Constitution) gives our Veterans (and all Americans) the right to a trial by jury for civil disputes such as defective homes, medical malpractice, or workplace injuries. Our founding fathers established this right to prevent the rich and powerful from dictating the terms of the dispute process as they did in England. In England the elite established a state sponsored arbitration panel, a kangaroo court, stacked with business friendly arbitrators.

And Then Again
Unfortunately over the last decade+ the rich and powerful have elected business friendly politicians who now support the use of business friendly mandatory binding arbitration, overriding the Bill of Rights which our fine young men and women of the Armed Forces are fighting for. 

Loss of body parts
Our members of the Armed Forces take an oath to protect our Constitution yet when they come home, some missing body parts, they are not allowed to exercise the very rights they have fought for. When buying the American Dream, or a car built in America, they must give up the right that they lost body parts, and friends, for and must be subjected to a kangaroo court of arbitrator for all disputes. Just like England.

Our members of the Armed Forces took an oath to defend our country from enemies both foreign and domestic. That enemy just might be putting on their Veterans of Foreign Wars hat,wearing their flag pin, riding in parades, and saying empty statements like "Our fine young men and women of the Armed Forces are fighting for our Constitution.

And they should be spat upon.

Rick Perry now just another Aggie Joke

It finally caught up with Rick Perry at last nights Teabag Debate. His performances, since entering the race, have been mocked by comedians and proved that Perry didn't have the facts on his side.

When someone speaks at a hearing or in front of a crowd and they have the facts on their side, they can speak quickly, intelligently, and with strategic pauses without breaking the flow of the points being made. Rick Perry ran on fumes with shallow interpretations of his own made up facts. He spoke as if he had to think of what to say and how to say it before actually saying it. And his strategic pauses were as awkward as if he said "Don't Jew them down" in a hearing that was being recorded.

And he did it again last night. He has become an Aggie Joke all by himself:

State Representative Joe Driver takes one for the team

According to the Texas Tribune, State Representative Joe Driver will plead guilty to a third degree felony for abuse of office charges stemming from his double dipping scheme exposed by Jay Root of the Associated Press.

“He is going to plea to the third degree felony,” said Assistant Travis County District Attorney Gregg Cox, head of the Travis County Public Integrity Unit. “It is a plea of guilt.”

According to the article, he can serve up to ten years and pay up to $10,000. If the Texas Ethics Commission had ruled on this, he would be given a $500 fine without having to repay the amount he stole from the taxpayers. That amount was valued at anywhere between $20,000 and $100,000.

A review of his ethics reports show reimbursements for mileage as well as other travel related expenses.

A review of his campaign expenses over the last 10 years shows over $173,000 in travel expenses, including payments to State Farm North Texas FCU for over $1000/month for his car payment. (Driver is a State Farm insurance salesman) He also spent over $72,000 in travel expenses prior to 2005, where the AP picked up on their investigation.

The article claims that Driver has reimbursed his campaign $50,000, yet I have not been able to find that reimbursement in his ethics reports.Let's see what kind of punishment the Travis County DAs office is going to give Driver.

I would bet he will get 10 years probation and a $10,000 fine.

SIR Larry Taylor mocked by Colbert

Texas State Insurance Representative (SIR) Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) was mocked by Steven Colbert last night for his comment "Don't Jew them down". SIR Taylor is the one sporting a 1980's style bro-stache.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Manuel Rodriguez of HISD joins Dave Wilson

Manuel Rodriguez, HISD Trustee, has joined forces with Dave Wilson, a pretend candidate for Mayor, in distributing anti-gay campaign literature. Manuel, like Wilson, claims he is a family man although you have to wonder what kind of a man, family or not, would stoop to such lows. From the Houston Chronicle:

Rodriguez, who is seeking re-election to the District III seat, noted in the brochure that his challenger, Ramiro Fonseca, has “spent years advocating for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender rights … not kids.”

Maybe if Rodriguez would have spent more time advocating for all the kids in HISD, he wouldn't have drawn a challenger. This is a real low for Rodriguez after spending . You have to wonder if he is advocating for kids, or just the kind of kids and families who share his bigoted views.

If Rodriguez doesn't retain his seat, he could help the other "Family values" dude, Dave Wilson, in his anti-gay crusade across the city. His opponent, Romero Fonsesco issued a statement:

“I am saddened that my opponent wants to conduct his campaign utilizing offensive language,” Fonseca said in a statement Saturday. “Over the next few days I will continue to engage the voters of District III on issues that are important to the parents, students, teachers, and taxpayers of HISD.”

Stay about the likes of Dave Wilson and Rodriguez. You are a better family man for it.

Texas State Representative Larry Taylor: "Don't Jew them down"

SIR Larry Taylor (State Insurance Representative) while defending the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association,, made a comment on record during a hearing. From Raw Story:

A Texas legislator let one slip on Thursday when he presented his case for quick payments to storm damage victims by saying, “Don’t nitpick, don’t try to Jew them down.”

Larry Taylor has been the go to guy for the insurance industry. His lips are firmly sewn to their back end and will do anything, and obviously say anything in order to protect their interests and his profit margin. SIR Taylor owns an insurance company and makes money from selling TWIA policies. KHOU exposed SIR Taylor' conflict of interest:






SIR Taylor is the teabag party's nominee for Texas State Senator. As Senator SIR Taylor will give the insurance industry yet another foot in the door to the Capitol as well as a foot up consumers behind.

Oh FYI. TWIA is now asking for a 22% increase in rates for SIR Taylor's district.

Cain, meet Rick Perry the Texas coward

Texas front runner, Herman Cain, doesn't know Rick Perry very well. From the Chronicle:

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain on Wednesday accused rival Rick Perry’s campaign of orchestrating news coverage of the sexual harassment accusations that threaten to derail Cain’s White House quest, a claim Perry’s campaign denied.

As long as Cain is ahead of Perry in the teabag poll, Cain should expect more of this. Perry may not be a master debater, but he is a 1st class dirty-ass coward. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, he or his well financed groupies will not do to topple an opponent. You think digging up your past sexual harassment complaints is a low blow? Think again. He will attack then hide under the skirt of his campaign. For instance:

“I have nothing but good things to say about Herman Cain,” he said. “I’m not going to bad-mouth Herman Cain to anyone, on or off the record. I think he is a guy of great leadership and integrity.”

Get the idea? We, here in Texas, don't call Rick Perry a coward for nothing.

Cain needs to man up. He isn't running for the top Pizza Delivery boy award. Grow a pair. You are going to need it.

Spare the rod, spoil the election

I am sure that all of my 5 readers knows the phrase "Spare the rod, spoil the child" is not in the bible.  It actually comes from a poem, Hudibras, by Samuel Butler :

If matrimony and hanging go
By dest'ny, why not whipping too?
What med'cine else can cure the fits
Of lovers when they lose their wits?
Love is a boy by poets stil'd
Then spare the rod and spoil the child 

Many use this bible myth to justify whipping the hell out of their kids. Maybe that is what happened with Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams. Adams was caught on camera beating his disabled daughter for using the internet. He is a family law judge with lots of family values. From the NY Daily News:

A Texas judge is being investigated over a shocking web video that appears to show him using a belt to whip his then 16-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy.

Ugh. He is from Texas, giving us yet another black eye. Literally. Lucky for Adams, this is teabag country. He will get re-elected. 

Credit where credit is due, Bo Fraga's $35,000 loan

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Fraga filed a corrected report and returned the $35,000 loan. Good for the Fraga campaign for filing this correction on 10/27/2011.

Previously I noted that Houston City Council candidate, Bo Fraga, may have been receiving donations over the allowable limit in city elections. For At Large Candidates that limit is $15,000, but in his 30 day out report, Fraga received a $35,000 loan from Lupe Fraga (at 5% interest!). This donation which is, by the Texas Ethics Commissions definition, $20,000 over the limit. According to TEC:

(2) “Contribution” means a direct or indirect transfer of money, goods, services, or any other thing of value and includes an agreement made or other obligation incurred, whether legally enforceable or not, to make a transfer. The term includes a loan or extension of credit, other than those expressly excluded by this subdivision, and a guarantee of a loan or extension of credit, including a loan described by this subdivision.

But, give credit to the Fraga campaign because that loan is now off of his 8 day out report. It is assumed that it has been returned since there is no record of payment back to Lupe Fraga in the Schedule F forms and the loan balance has been zeroed out. This type of record keeping is what petty ethics complaints are all about and it would benefit the Fraga campaing if it was corrected before the runoff.

But at least give credit where credit is due, but also credit the account balance.

Perry, a Texas sized dufus. Quotes fake quote.

Rick Perry is beginning to make Texans (or at least 39% of them) look like a bunch of incredibly stupid dufuses. (or is it dufusi?)  Thanks to Mediaite for this shining example of dufusness from our Governor:

Perry was caught on camera talking about a quote from an Occupy Wallstreet protester given to him by his son. The quote was:

“It’s weird protesting on Bay Street. You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already. And then when it’s time to go, they’re still there. I guess that’s why they call them the one per cent. I mean, who wants to work those kinds of hours? That’s the power of greed.” 

Unfortunately, Perry, or even Perry's son who gave him the quote, didn't bother to notice that it came from a satirical article by The Globe and Mail’s Mark Schatzker. But then again, does it even matter to Perry whether his truth is made up or not?