02.05.09
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, Cronyism, Uncategorized at 2:16 pm by wcnews
Reading the comments to this Postcards post on the UTIMCO board chairman Robert Rowling’s resignation a timeline starts to emerge. The feigned outrage – “outrage I tell you” – of the GOP members of the Senate Finance Committee is comical. It becomes apparent that this is about politics. Rowling was appointed to the UT Board of Regents in 2004 by Gov. Rick Perry. Then reappointed in 2005 by Perry. Then two weeks ago Rowling shows up on the list [.pdf] of Kay Bailey Hutchison’s supporters for Governor as a KBH Club Chairmen. And this week Perry and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst write a letter [.pdf] blasting him for taking a bonus.
Here are a couple of comments from the AAS post.
First, it appears to be nothing more than grandstanding and chest beating by a bunch of lawmakers….and second, I sincerely have to question if the Governor’s distate for Mr. Rowling’s action (and Mr. Rowling’s abrupt resignation) had everything to do with the UTIMCO incident or is more driven by the fact that Mr. Rowling is no longer a political supporter or donor to Gov. Perry—-opting instead to throw his political clout and pocketbook to Sen. Hutchison’s effort to knock him out of office.
[...]
I’m glad there are some other people sharp enough to understand what really happened here.
I wish I could believe this is more akin to the Wall Street fat cat problem—-but that’s just not the case here.
Bottom line—the “outrage,” especially from the governor is nothing more than ugly political payback….
[...]
To most posters on this article – RTFA! And to the Statesman – crap reporting. Why should I have to read the boards to find out Rowlings is a Hutchison supporter? Total drive-by media move there.
UT just lost access to the advice it sorely needs to get through to the other side of this recession/depression.
This appears to have much less to do with a bonus that was given months ago, then with Rowling deciding to side wiht Hutchinson, instead of Perry, in the upcoming election. It’s interesting that the Senate Finance Committee has decided to go along. The Texas GOP is eating it’s own. Things must be getting bad out there.
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11.13.08
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The Nation, Cedar Park, Commentary, Election 2008, Good Stuff, HD-52, Had Enough Yet?, Hutto, Precinct 1, Precinct 2, Precinct 4, Privatization, Road Issues, Take Action, Williamson County at 11:46 am by wcnews
That’s up to you.
There’s a lot of discussion going on right now about whether Williamson County will turn blue, is turning blue, etc… and whether it’s a blip or a sign of things to come. And the truth is no one knows for sure. But what the last two election cycles show pretty clearly is that Williamson County is trending Democratic, with Democrats improving their numbers over the last two election cycles. As pointed out so well yesterday by Dembones awesome map, and similarly in today’s article in the AAS, Is Williamson turning blue?
Although Barack Obama did not receive help from Williamson County on his way to being elected president, he had more support here than Democrat John Kerry did in 2004, preliminary voting numbers show.
That increase in support and the strong showings by several down-ballot candidates have Democrats talking about a gradual shift in the Republican stronghold.
“We’re starting to see a demographic change, with more individuals moving into Williamson County that are Democrats, and they’re moving into Precincts 1 and 2,” county Democratic Party Chairman Richard Torres said. Precinct 1 contains parts of Austin, Georgetown and Round Rock. Precinct 2 contains parts of Austin, Cedar Park and all of Leander.
Straight-ticket Democratic votes increased 64 percent this year, and Obama received about 24,000 more votes than Kerry did in 2004, election results show. Overall, John McCain won the county by about 88,000 votes to about 67,000. The totals are still not official; the results will be canvassed today.
Although Republicans won almost every contested race in the county, Democrat Diana Maldonado of Round Rock was elected to the state House of Representatives, and the race for the Precinct 1 seat on the Commissioners Court was close, with GOP incumbent Lisa Birkman beating Mike Grimes by fewer than 300 votes.
Only thing I would add to that is that Precinct 4 is trending Democratic as well where the Democrat in 2006, Brig Mireles, lost 56 – 44 and will be contested in 2010, especially with Ron Morrison’s lackluster record on the court thus far. The Hutto News had a recent article that showed Hutto’s two voting precincts giving winning margins to different parties.
However, voters who cast ballots in Hutto seem to be geographically divided as in their choices for president and state representative. South Hutto tended to favor Democrats while northern Hutto went for Republicans. Hutto’s two voter precincts border on U.S. 79. Precinct 420, which extends north from U.S. 79 to Jonah, voted solidly for McCain and Daniel. However, Democrats earned narrow majorities south of U.S 79 in precinct 426, which spans from the highway to the southern county line.
Before continuing, It can’t be lost sight of what a monumental win it was for Democrats to elect Diana Maldonado in HD-52. it cannot be overstated how groundbreaking it is to get an Hispanic female elected in a district that was thought to be a GOP stronghold. If that’s not a sign of a Democratic trend then what is?
But the main question is, will the trend continue? Now that we have an elected Democrat no one will be asking that question anymore – everyone is well aware now that there are Democrats in Williamson County. The key to remember is that these trends did not just happen. There has been a lot of time and effort put in by what started out as a few committed Democrats and has grown much larger, and must keep growing, for these trends to continue. The momentum and enthusiasm that was generated must be carried over to the next election cycle, and the next, and so on. Those who called, block walked, talked to their neighbors and families, etc.., have to stay involved and bring more into the fold.
The Williamson County Democratic Party (WCDP) is planning to keep the office from the 2008 election open on a permanent basis, but that takes money. If you have $5 or $10 a month to give, or a one time donation, it would be money well spent and greatly appreciated. It’s not just that. We all know well qualified Democrats are out there and they are needed to run for the offices that will be on the ballot in 2010. Maybe that’s you, or someone you know, that just needs a little encouragement to run. Now, unlike in the past, there’s an organization and supporters to back them up and help them win. But most important of all it’s now clear that Democrts can win in Williamson County. So rest up and be ready to get back to work in 2009.
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12.11.07
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, Commentary, Money In Politics, The Lege at 1:50 pm by wcnews
Harvey Kronberg’s News 8 commentary this week, Next battle in Craddick saga, reminds us of the upcoming ruling by Attorney General Gregg Abbott regarding House Speaker Tom Craddick’s claim to absolute authority this past session. What was done last session can’t be undone, and Abbott’s ruling will only matter to future Speakers, an his own political ambitions.
What lingers are the constitutional arguments Craddick asserted in his claim of absolute authority. For instance, Craddick claimed he was a constitutional officer who could only be removed by impeachment. Well, only the Senate has the power to impeach. In effect, Craddick claimed the House needed Senate permission to fire its own leader, an argument laughable on its face.
Almost every one in the Capitol community believes Abbott will torque the law next week and punt on the constitutional issues. They argue Abbott and Craddick have the same major contributors and the same powerful supporters.
Bur if nothing else, Abbott wants to be lieutenant governor and preside over the Senate. The senators will not be particularly impressed with a man that validated Craddick’s coup and stripped power from representatives actually elected by the people.
If the 149 House members return Craddick to the speakership next session, that’s their choice and its fine. But Abbott faces a stark historical moment. He can either institutionalize Craddick’s claim of imperial speakership or defend the people’s inherent right to speak through their elected representatives.
From that it appears that Abbott will have to choose between his base of political donors or political capitol. Will Abbott make a historical decision or will he make a decision that makes himself history? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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08.22.07
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, Public Schools, Williamson County at 3:10 pm by wcnews
AAS has the story, Round Rock district is sued over student prayer, and Americans United has an article as well, Religious Liberty Watchdog Group Says School Officials May Not Promote ‘Majority Rules’ Prayer At Graduation. I can’t find a press release or any official statement on the RRISD web site. Here’s what this is all about:
The plaintiffs, some of whom describe themselves as atheists, argue that the district violated the First Amendment when it allowed students at four high schools to vote on whether to have a commencement prayer.
It’s the US Constitution that determines whether or not a prayer can be said in this situation, not a majority of the senior class. From the AAS story here’s what RRISD Superintendent Jesus Chavez had to say:
Superintendent Jesús Chávez said the district consulted closely with lawyers while formulating its latest policies and actions and will defend them.
[...]
Chávez said Round Rock school leaders crafted their policy and actions regarding graduation prayers with care.
“Through the graduation process, we worked with our attorneys, and we followed federal court cases as closely as possible,” he said.
“As closely as possible”, leaves it open to interpretation that they didn’t follow the letter of the law. Which would mean they strayed somewhere along the line to allow for the prayers at graduations. Americans United article paints quite a different picture:
“Graduation ceremonies should welcome all students, regardless of their beliefs about religion,†said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Religion is personal, and decisions about it should never be the subject of a ‘majority rules’ vote.â€
The school district policy allows a yearly vote by seniors on whether to include prayer in graduation ceremonies. In 2007, three of the district’s four high schools decided in favor of prayer. Americans United charges in its lawsuit that school officials organize, oversee and attempt to manipulate the votes on whether to include prayer at the ceremonies.
For example, earlier this year, officials at the district’s four high schools conducted the votes on whether to include prayer at the 2007 graduation ceremonies. The senior class at Westwood High School was the only class to vote against prayer, and it was promptly ordered by district officials to conduct a re-vote. Westwood seniors, however, again voted against prayer at their graduation ceremonies.
“There could be no mistake among the students that the vote was an official school-sponsored event: school officials crafted the ballot and orchestrated and carried out ballot delivery, collection, and tabulation,†Americans United argues in its Does v. Round Rock Independent School District lawsuit. “And there could be no mistake among the students about which way the District expected them to vote: the one senior class that voted to reject the invocation was promptly ordered to re-vote on the issue.â€
As Capitol Annex points out with their analysis of this issue, expect more of this:
You can bet, after RVAA is fully implemented, we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of this
Not familiar with the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act (RVAAO)? Well your legislature passed it last session and it’s creating quite a stir leading into this school year. To get familiar with it, it’s highly recommended to read this letter from Rep. Scott Hochberg (D- Houston) regarding ” the bill’s model policy”.
I have been contacted by various school district officials regarding the implementation of HB 3678 and, in particular, regarding the correspondence discussing that bill from Mr. Howard and Mr. Chisum which is posted on the TEA site. As you know, I participated in the debate on that bill on the House floor, and much of that debate was transcribed and published in the House Journal for purposes of intent.
I have long been an ardent advocate for religious freedom. I was the primary House sponsor of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and have passed numerous other bills to protect the right of each Texan to practice one’s religion as one chooses.
Inherent in that right is the right of parents to control the religious training and influences of their children, and this right should not be abrogated by attendance in public schools.
There are several important points concerning the adoption of a policy under the bill which I believe should be emphasized to your membership, as follows:
Click the letter link above to read the entire letter. Here’ the letter from Rep.’s Charlie Howard and Warren Chisum referred to in Rep. Hochberg’s letter.
What does all this mean? It means there will be much wasted time, money, effort and frustration on both sides, rehashing an argument our Founding Fathers settled well over 200 years ago.
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Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, Cronyism, Had Enough Yet?, The Lege at 9:04 am by wcnews
Vince Leibowitz at Capitol Annex has been doing a series on some new documents he acquired regarding Speaker Tom Craddick’s late-session shenanigans. It’s a series of three posts, so far, that are making, what at the time seemed like odd coincidences, appear to be part of a carefully orchestrated plan. There a must read and linked below:
Documents Show Keel Was Crafting Way For Craddick To Retain Power Before He Was Parliamentarian
Documents obtained by CapitolAnnex.com under the Texas Public Information Act reveal several new twists in the ongoing saga surrounding the resignations of former House Parliamentarian and Deputy Parliamentarian Denise Davis and Chris Griesel.
Tom Craddick: Keel Memo Is The Smoking Gun
Yesterday, we detailed some facts and released some documents in the ongoing saga related to House Speaker Tom Craddick and his attempts to hold on to his position during the waning moments of the 80th Legislature. Given the amount of information we threw out there, it’s not surprising that the focus was more on the documents than what they really meant. Today, we address the latter part of the equation in several posts
Terry Keel’s Troubling Memo
The more one examines Terry Keel’s memo of May 21 relating to the procedures for removal of the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, the more troubling it becomes.
This is a great investigative reporting series so far. Excellent job. Capitol Annex is fast becoming to Texas politics what Talking Points Memo is to national politics.
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08.07.07
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Election 2008, Privatization, Road Issues at 4:54 pm by wcnews
Ahead of this week’s Texas Transportation Summit – a meeting of our elected leaders, the corporations they elect to give taxpayer money to, and transportation “gurus” – Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas), Chair of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security, convened a meeting of that committee today at a hotel at DFW airport. DMN has the story, Carona calls for change in bridge, road funding.
Texas’ methods of financing its roads and bridges are “irresponsible” and must change, the chairman of the state Senate transportation committee said Tuesday.
Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, said he will call for an amendment to the Texas Constitution during the next session of the Legislature that will end lawmakers’ practice, now routine, of diverting gas tax revenues to pay for expenses only tangentially related to construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.
“That’s going to be probably the most important single issue in this next session, said Mr. Carona. “We’ve got to stop the diversion of gas tax funds for other uses. And I think we’ll have strong support for that.”
A previous amendment already restricts the use of those funds – which last year brought in $2.99 billion – for transportation-related expenses. But for years, the Legislature has steadily expanded the definition of what can be considered related to transportation.
Last week, Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson said nearly all of the annual budget for the Department of Public Safety, for example, is now funded from the motor fuels tax. “Just because it’s legal to do something, doesn’t mean it is what the Legislature ought to do,” said Mr. Williamson, who conceded he also supported using the funds for non-construction purposes while he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
But on Tuesday, Mr. Carona labeled the practice both irresponsible and potentially tragic, especially given the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis last week.
To steal a line, “there he goes again”. In case you forgot we were all very happy when Sen. Carona used harsh, but very true, rhetoric when about tolls and PPP’s late last year and early in this year’s legislative session. Only to be disappointed when Sen. Carona caved on the transportation issue later in the session. Yes, Republicans all over Texas and the United States will be trying to make up for their neglect of our infrastructure during their reign, in the run-up to the 2008 elections. It’s up to us not trust what they say but to instead judge them on their prior actions.
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08.03.07
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, The Lege at 12:40 pm by wcnews
Texas bloggers, who were instrumental in covering the attempt to remove Speaker Tom Craddick during the 80th Legislative Session, have filed a brief with Attorney General Greg Abbott regarding the issue. From the press release:
The Texas Progressive Alliance, a confederation of more than 50 Texas bloggers and Internet activists representing many of Texas’ most prominent blogs, this morning filed a brief with the Texas Attorney General’s office in relation to Request for Opinion No. RQ-0589-GA, pertaining to the authority of the Office of Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
The initial request for the opinion relating to the power of the Speaker was made June 18, 2007 by Texas State Representatives Jim Keffer and Byron Cook following the close of the 80th Texas Legislature which ended with House Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) refusing to recognize House members for a Motion to Vacate the Chair claiming his office was above the precedents and rules of the House and was instead only subject to impeachment pursuant to the Texas Constitution.
Initially, the Attorney General’s office invited only 29 individuals and organizations to submit briefs in connection with the Opinion Request. However, the process was later opened to all interested parties.
“Once the door was opened, we felt we would be remiss in not submitting a brief,” said Vince Leibowitz of CapitolAnnex.com, Chair of the Texas Progressive Alliance. “As bloggers and citizen journalists, we all covered this process. We all examined the rules, the Texas Constitution, and case law and offered our opinions on this on our websites. We offered our opinions and shared with our world our collective shock at Speaker Craddick’s actions, and felt this was a prime opportunity to interject some of our ideas on this process,” Leibowitz continued.
The Alliance’s brief addressed each of the four questions posed in Reps. Keffer’s and Cook’s opinion request, and brought to the attention of the OAG’s opinion committee other information as well.
The TPA brief can be viewed here.
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07.31.07
Posted in 80th Legislature, Bad Government Republicans, Congress, District 31, Health Care, The Lege, US Senate Race at 1:59 am by dembones
Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) are among a group of Republicans in Congress speaking out against plans to increase federal funding for State Childrens’ Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP). Pres. George W. Bush has asked Congress for an additional $5 billion over five years in his budget; however, a bill before the House will allocate up to 10 times that amount. The AP is reporting that without large increases in SCHIP funding, most of Texas’ 1.4 million uninsured children will remain uncovered.
Rep. Carter disparaged a House bill proposing an increase large enough to cover all uninsured children as “a slow stroll down the road to socialism.” The AP reports that Sen. Cornyn “is concerned about the program’s ‘dramatic expansion,’ warning it could set the stage for a government-run, national health care system.”
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Ennis) thinks the President’s plan goes too far. He “wrote an alternative bill that would spend $500 million to $1.5 billion over the same timeline.” That is as little as one-tenth as much as the President is requesting.
The Texas Republicans’ criticisms run in stark contrast to public opinion, which is firmly behind the expansion of SCHIP. Recent polling shows that Americans favor [pdf] “offering a government-subsidized health insurance plan to individuals who do not have access to employer-paid health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid” by a three-to-one margin (WSJ/Harris May 8).
State Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) broke down in tears on the floor of the Texas House in the waning hours of the 80th regular session to convey the lengths he was willing to go to restore SCHIP coverage to 127,000 uninsured Texas children. He allied with Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) and wielded the gavel for hours at a time, refusing to recognize members of both parties who sought to be recognized to make a motion to vacate the chair. Turner made it clear that he would bargain with the devil to restore coverage for those 127,000 children. Yet, if Congress does not pass and Pres. Bush does not sign a bill to increase SCHIP funding by an amount significantly higher than what the President is requesting, many of those 127,000 children will remain uncovered.
Texas Republicans are leading the charge to stab Turner in the back and render worthless the bargain he made.
The intense emotions and passionate debate over a matter, literally, of life or death for our nation’s 11.6 million uninsured children [pdf] will reach a fever pitch as Congress takes up this issue, with votes coming perhaps this week. The National Academy for State Health Policy’s Chip Central web site provides a great deal of material on this issue, including a side-by-side comparison [pdf] of three SCHIP reauthorization proposals under consideration.
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07.27.07
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Commentary, Had Enough Yet? at 9:24 am by wcnews
Dave McNeely on what the governor’s plans may be, Perry won’t rule out another race. It’s frightening to think that if Perry was to run and win in 2010 he’s not even half done with, what would be, a 14 year run a governor.
If he is re-elected in 2010 and serves all of another four-year term, he will have been governor a little more than 14 years. Which means the six and a half years he’s occupied the governor’s mansion would be less than half his total tenure.
There are some who think Perry’s simply brandishing the re-election possibility to hold off being disregarded in the 2009 legislative session as a lame duck. The presumption is politicians in leadership positions who reveal too early they’re planning to leave may find their power over events and people is diminished.
One seasoned onlooker reasoned there’s about a 10 percent chance Perry will seek another term, a 10 percent chance he’ll quit before this term is over, and an 80 percent chance Perry will serve out this term and leave.
On retiring early, one observer said with the looming prospect of a significant budget deficit in 2009, Perry may want to exit before he has to eat a significant tax increase, or again make draconian cuts in programs like children’s health insurance, as he did in the last budget shortfall in 2003.
Or, he might figure it would make more sense to go out hot — perhaps to a position like chancellor of Texas A&M University, his alma mater, where he has appointed every member of the governing board.
It’s also possible Perry is just using the possibility of another campaign as a means to keep political money coming in, since he also uses that for expenses that can’t be charged to the state.
The lame duck trying not to seem too lame, still raising money to covert trips to Turkey and Dubai, is the theory that seems most plausible.
If he is going to run again he’s going to have to make up for what everyone agrees is a horrible veto. In today’s WacoTrib they have this editorial, Undoing Perry’s brutal veto. There’s much more from Kuff and Burka on this.
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07.26.07
Posted in 80th Legislature, Around The State, Commentary, Corruption, Had Enough Yet?, The Lege at 10:47 pm by dembones
In the moments before former Texas House Parliamentarian Denise Davis resigned, was she advising Speaker Tom Craddick to recognize those who moved to vacate the chair? If she heeds her former boss’ advice, the people of Texas will never know.
Capitol Annex has obtained the letter Craddick sent Davis afterwards in which he makes clear he expects her to keep quiet.
Craddick appears to be trying to use attorney-client privilege to paint, with a very broad brush, everything Denise Davis did as parliamentarian as legal advice to him personally rather than what it was: serving out the duties of the appointed office of Parliamentarian.
It’s an incendiary letter and a fantastic scoop by one of Texas’ best bloggers. Must read.
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