02.09.10
Posted in 2010 Primary, Around The State, Commentary, Democratic Events, Election 2010 at 12:29 pm by wcnews
It was good to see at least two of the the Democratic candidates, Farouk Shami and Bill White, get some free media on statewide TV last night. Let’s hope people watched. (If anyone missed it it can be viewed online here). It was not a contentious debate, which usually makes for better TV, but it was one where those watching were able to get a good sense of both candidates.
It’s clear that White will lean heavily on his experience bringing people together as Mayor of the fourth largest city in the United States, and Shami will lean heavily on his success as a self-made business man. Because of the non-contentiousness of the debate there really wasn’t a winner/loser situation. Both had certain things to do and, of course, each voter has certain things they want to hear. White was trying to get his name out and not make any gaffes, he did that. Shami too was trying to get his name out and also show he can be a credible Democratic nominee for the governor of Texas. And that last part is what I’m still not sure about with Shami.
I’ve never been one who thinks that just because someone can run a business, they can run a government. I don’t think it translates to good government most times. Some of the answers to his questions, and the harping on the governor as CEO, seems naive and seem to imply a top down type of management style. That’s not likely to work very well with the legislature. That being said there are many areas where I agree Shami on the issues.
White for his part has a very good command of the issues and where he stands on them. Spent a good amount of time attacking Perry, and some time attacking TxDOT. His answers on education, health care, and job creation/training were good. While White made a few good comments on transportation, hopefully he will come around to to raising the gas tax sooner, rather than later.
AAS, HChron, Burka, have some analysis. The Texas Tribune has it’s analysis including post debate Q&A’s with both candidates.
I agree with Martha that the first few questions were straight from the GOP Primary – School vouchers, abortion, gay marriage, and Voter ID. Texas Liberal’s comments are very good – debate moderation was not good, Shami came off as sincere but not credible on certain issues.
There could have been much better questions, delving deeper in the budget, health care, and education. There certainly should have been something on the Texas Enterprise Fund, on Perry’s cronyism and the the governor’s appointment power in general. The bottom line is at least two Democrats go to debate and they both did good for themselves and the Democratic Party in Texas.
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02.08.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 10:08 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance congratulates the city of New Orleans for the Saints’ stirring Super Bowl victory, and reminds them that the “hair of the dog” trick doesn’t really help with the hangover.
The Texas Cloverleaf highlights the sentencing of GOP Denton County Constable Ken Jannereth. Probation, anger management, laying off the bottle, and maybe more to come for the disgraced lawman.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is watching 2 Texas Counties fight it out with their DAs over legal duties.
Bay Area Houston says Teabaggers claim illiterate Blacks elected Obama.
Is your gas wet or dry? Despite industry spin, it seems to not matter. TCEQ testing shows Barnett Shale “Dry Gas” health hazard. TXsharon thanks State Representative Lon Burnam for wading through the recent TCEQ testing report to find the truth. Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
Over at TexasKaos, lightseeker connects Obama’s big picture with our big picture, in Obama’s Problem is Our Problem In a Nutshell. Is our future Sarah Palin, Tea Partyers and failure?
This week at Left of College Station, Teddy interviews several members of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community at Texas A&M while investigating what it is like to be gay in Aggieland. Left of College Station also takes a look at American’s ignorance of current events and the political process, and a report on the local campaign spending and donations. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
The Nuge was campaigning for 39% over the weekend. Can’t you just feel the greasy, smelly excitement?
WCNews at Eye On Williamson looks at how the legislature is already laying the groundwork for adding sales taxes to items currently excluded like bottled water, basic internet service, and coin operated services, House Ways and Means Committee to look at “Certain Sales Tax Exemptions & Exclusions.
Off the Kuff looks at the effect of the “Citizens United” ruling on judicial elections in Texas.
WhosPlayin is neck-deep in local issues in North Texas, having spent the weekend with the Lewisville City Council at their retreat, and noting that he local school district is discouraging candidates from running for school board.
This week at Texas Vox Citizen Sarah geeked out on the new energy generation plan presented to Austin City Council. May not sound too snazzy but there’s enormous potential there to reduce carbon emissions, build up our local economy, and improve public health with this plan, so she thinks it is pretty cool.
Neil at Texas Liberal commented that office building janitors in Houston have set up a Facebook page as they prepare for a new round of contract negotiations in 2010. All work has merit and all people should be paid a living wage.
Yesterday was huge for New Orleans but it was also TeaBagger Rally Day in northwest Harris County, as PDiddie at Brains and Eggs recounted in “Rick and Ted’s (and Sarah’s) Excellent Super Bowl Sunday Venture”.
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02.04.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Taxes, The Budget, The Economy, The Lege at 2:09 pm by wcnews
House Committee looking to expand sales taxes.
State sales tax receipts in Texas has been slumping for quite some time, Texas sales tax collections are $1 billion behind, and they are the major source of income for the state.
But the decline is dramatic. A year ago, Combs forecast essentially flat sales taxes receipts in the budget year that started Sept. 1; instead, they’ve decreased by 12.9 percent in the first four months.
To meet Combs’ biennial revenue estimates, Texas needs to collect nearly $44 billion from its revenue workhorse, the 6.25-percent state sales tax. It produces 57 percent of state tax revenue and about a quarter of overall funds, including federal money.
But just one-sixth of the way into the new two-year budget, it has collected only $6.3 billion. Last year, collections from September through December were nearly $7.3 billion.
And the estimates of how big the deficit will be in for the next budget cycle is looking grim. There are “educated guesses” right now of a deficit somewhere between $10 – 20 billion dollars.
The last time Texas lawmakers had to cut the state budget was 2003, when they faced a $9.9 billion shortfall. Next year’s deficit very well could be bigger. Some guesses that have been posed:
$10.8 billion: John O’Brien, director, Legislative Budget Board
$15 billion: House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie
$17 billion: Senate Finance Committee member Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands
$19 billion to $20 billion: Sens. Royce West, D-Dallas, and Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso
Which brings us to the House Ways and Means Committee. The committee has a Democratic Chair, but an 8 – 3 GOP majority. Here’s what an “An Outside Observer Analysis” [.pdf] said last year when the committees were announced about Ways and Means:
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Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 11:42 am by wcnews
As has been reported here – over and over again – TxDOT has done, and continues to do, a bad job of talking to the public on the issue of transportation. Today at the Texas Tribune there’s an interesting article, and video snippet, of a talk with Transportation Commissioner Bill Meadows, A Hard Road. The end of the article shows that TxDOT, or at least Meadows, still doesn’t get it. Here’s his take on the what went wrong with the TTC:
And when staffers do try to do something innovative, he says, the Legislature doesn’t give them a chance.
Take the Trans-Texas Corridor: The effort to create a new approach to statewide travel has been universally bashed for its infringement on private property and its reliance on toll roads — so much so that Perry, its biggest promoter, has abandoned the project. “Did Trans-Texas fail because of bad process,” Meadows asks, “or because it was a bad idea? It has caused this agency to be criticized and damned, but that doesn’t mean the efforts are bad.”
If lawmakers aren’t going to allow for creative ways to find revenue, Meadows says, then it makes the agency’s relationships with them all the more important. The Legislature is “far and away” the best place to secure funds, he says. “I’ve never forgotten that.”
First characterizing the TTC as a project where TxDOT staffers did something innovative and the legislature didn’t give them a chance with is wrong. The TTC was a top down project that was attempted to be forced onto Texans by Perry and was sneaked through the legislature (see HB 3588), and wasn’t. Not to mention the fact that Delisi said just this past Monday that funding is not part of TxDOT work.
Based on anticipated, long-range price hikes, the purchasing power of the state motor fuels tax — 20 cents per gallon — is declining, Delisi said. TxDOT needs a stable source of funding, she said, though it’s not the transportation commission’s role to say where the money should come from.
It wasn’t TxDOT staffers so-called “innovative plan” that was the problem. It was the sneaky way that those who concocted this plan – Perry, Ric Williamson, Mike Krusee – tried to shove it down the public’s throat without their input that caused the TTC so many problems. If Perry and TxDOT would have started this whole converstaion, years ago, travelling the state and getting Texans inuput, instead of travelling the state, after their plan was complete, telling Texans what they had already decided for them, there likely would have been a different result.
But what the intereview with Meadows shows is that the TxDOT commissioners still don’t get it.
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02.03.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 11:56 am by wcnews
Texas Impact has a link to a new study released by the Texas Food Bank Network (TFBN) which finds that Three million Texas visited a soup kitchen or food pantry in 2009.
Three million Texans – or one in eight – including 1.2 million children were forced to visit a soup kitchen or food pantry to feed themselves in 2009, according to a new study released Tuesday by the Texas Food Bank Network (TFBN), the national organization Feeding America and the research firm Mathematica. The study revealed a 45% total increase in demand for charitable food over the previous five years, and an 85% increase in clients under the age of eighteen. 260,000 senior citizens were also among those served in 2009. “The pressure on private charity has become too great,” said TFBN State Director Barbara Anderson. “We need real solutions, and public investment to address this growing problem.”
The study comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of new polling data showing that nearly 21% of Texans had trouble feeding themselves or their families in 2009. Among those served by the state’s charitable food providers, the hungry were found to be getting hungrier. 53% of clients reported being forced to choose between paying for food or paying their utilities in the previous year. 42% reported choosing between paying for food or rent, and 37% reported choosing between purchasing food or needed medication. All were increases over the previous survey.
Here’s the link to the Press release and summary of findings [.pdf]. In Williamson County there is an outstanding group of concerned citizens headed by Joyce White, who are making a difference feeding some of the neediest in the county. See this EOW post from last year, Appeal for the hungry, to learn more and find out how you can help.
The increasing numbers going hungry in Texas and across this nation are often forgotten about. What is worse is the complete lack of discussion this gets in our political discourse. Here’s a paraphrase of what Texas Gov. Rick Perry said in his closing statement at the last debate, via Burkablog:
I get asked why texas is number one in so many categories
don’t spend all the money, use the rainy day fund
don’t allow for oversuing
We’ll need experienced leadership over the next four years.
Sure looks like don’t feed the hungry should be part of that too. For some reason he forgot to mention the 3 million Texans that are having trouble getting enough food to eat. While this is all our problem to solve, and not only the governor’s fault, it’s as if these people don’t exist in Rick Perry’s Texas.
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02.02.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 6:00 am by wcnews
From this SAEN article, Legislators debate road funding, it looks like it was an interesting, in a good way, joint hearing on transpiration yesterday. It certainly looks like Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) gets it.
Texas lawmakers on Monday hammered home that without a new funding method, the Texas Department of Transportation will be unable to build any new roads beyond 2012 and will not have enough money to properly maintain existing roads within two to three years.
They also demonstrated that finding a new funding solution they can agree on won’t be easy.
Legislators on the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security and the House Committee on Transportation grappled with the use of “public-private partnerships” and comprehensive development agreements, or CDAs, that in some cases privatize toll roads.
Senate chairman John Carona, R-Dallas, chastised language often associated with toll roads — that drivers can “choose” to use them. Carona said it’s “disingenuous” to say drivers will have an option if the only way to fund new road construction is by tolling them.
“If every new road going forward is a toll road, that’s no choice,” he said.
GOP TxDOT chair Deirdre Delisi was quoted as saying in the article, a couple of times, that TxDOT has nothing to do with the decision of how money is raised for roads, that’s up to the legislature.
Looking into other potential sources of dollars, Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, asked Texas Transportation Commission Chairwoman Deirdre Delisi whether her board, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to oversee TxDOT, supported an increase in the gas tax — something Perry has said he opposes. Delisi said it’s not the commission’s role to determine how much the gas tax should be increased — that’s the legislature’s job.
Increasing the gas tax has been a political hot potato, but it’s an issue that’s gaining traction among lawmakers. It’s unclear, however, what chance it will stand during the 2011 legislative session.
What is clear is that lawmakers say they know something must be done to address the funding shortfalls. Based on anticipated, long-range price hikes, the purchasing power of the state motor fuels tax — 20 cents per gallon — is declining, Delisi said. TxDOT needs a stable source of funding, she said, though it’s not the transportation commission’s role to say where the money should come from.
The only stable source of funding is the gas tax. Which everyone should know by now hasn’t been raised in almost two decades, so of course it’s “purchasing power” has declined. The neglect has gotten so bad, that as this KVUE report states, even “..leaders of some of the biggest businesses in Texas told Senate and House committee members they’re on board too” with raising the gas tax. Most business leaders understand that roads help drive the economy and that the gas tax is the best funding option to pay for roads.
But as Texas TURF’s Terri Hall states:
Terri Hall — founder of the grassroots, anti-toll Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom — told the committees that her organization supports a statewide gas tax increase, but with certain expectations.
“What we the taxpayers cannot allow is a gas tax hike, in addition to the continuation of toll proliferation,” she said. “What we observe is a push for a gas tax increase in order to have more money to borrow against for yet more toll roads.”
I would amend that just a bit. While the gas tax should be the main source of road funding, that doesn’t mean no toll roads. (No corporate toll roads for sure). But toll roads can work in specific circumstances, and should need the support of the people where they will be built. Stopping diversions can help too, but that alone won’t come anywhere close to making up the billions that are needed. And raising fees can help some as well. But what we all have to realize, finally, is that raising the gas tax, and itemizing it to inflation, is the only way we can make up for the neglect of nearly 20 years. And it’s unlikely that electing another Republican governor will do anything to change this.
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02.01.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 9:43 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for the Super Bowl this Sunday as it brings you this week’s blog highlights.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks that the Houston Chronicle caught the essence of the GOP with this headline ‘Many attacks, but few suggestions‘.
WhosPlayin is tired of hearing obstructionist Republicans whining about not having a seat at the table for Health Care Insurance Reform, after they make it clear they’ll vote against any attempt to harm their Pharma and Insurance benefactors.
Off the Kuff notes that the Texas ParentPAC has endorsed Thomas Ratliff in his GOP primary fight against uber-SBOE wingnut Don McLeroy.
Bay Area Houston watched as the Texas Association of Builders got kicked in the nuts at a hearing in Austin over the abuse of mandatory binding arbitration.
It’s been such an amazing news week in the Barnett Shale that it’s hard to pick one topic for the round-up. One item that should be of interest to anyone in the DFW area who drinks water: Argyle Disposal Well in Denton Creek Flood Plain. No kidding! It’s for real on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the taxing TAKS becoming the pretty STAAR that school children will have to shoot past in order to graduate.
Has the so-called nuclear renaissance been dealt a blow by the South Texas Project’s troubles? Learn more at Texas Vox.
If you missed the GOP gov debate, check out McBlogger’s rather insightful analysis of the three players performances, along with a mercifully brief comment on the sexual desirability of Rep. Louie Gohmert.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the latest Texans for Public Justice “Watching Your Assets” report, this one about the Texas Enterprise Fund, Perry’s corporate welfare not paying off for Texas.
Over at TexasKaos, Libby Shaw puts a local spin on young James O’Keefe’s foiled attempt to tamper with Mary Landrieu’s phones. The roll call Texas Republican admirers is quite long. Of equal interest was the discussion that followed the outing of these Republicans. See it all at Texas Republican Lawmakers Honor James O’Keefe.
It’s a travesty that only Bill White and Farouk Shami are participating in the Texas Democratic gubernatorial debate on February 8 because the other five candidates don’t meet the “standards”. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs believes it’s impossible to reconcile that KERA, a public broadcasting station, together with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Univision and other corporate and media industry sponsors, would conspire to preclude candidates for the state’s highest public office.
Neil at Texas Liberal is glad that Houston City Councilmember Jarvis Johnson is talking about poverty in his 18th U.S. House District primary fight with incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee. However, it will take some solid ideas and not just talk to feel that Mr. Johnson is really serious about the issue.
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01.30.10
Posted in 2010 Primary, Commentary at 11:54 am by wcnews
If you didn’t see it and want to watch it can be viewed here. Again this debate was hard to watch for a Democrat. All of them are either proposing more of the same or worse. None of them has a coherent plan for transportation, and they all seem to think all of our state’s woes can be blamed on illegal immigration. They spoke little about the issues that effect the struggling workers in Texas – education, health care, etc..
For analysis Burka thinks Perry won, Texas Tribune liveblogged it, and McBlogger has a more rational take. Brains and Eggs has a full, link-filled wrap up.
PoliTex and TrailBlazers have are truth testing last night’s debate.
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01.29.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 11:57 am by wcnews
After shots were fired last week at the Texas Capitol building in Austin it appears that security changes are afoot, Capitol security boost recommended. The sticking point in the new security recommendations appear to center around whether or not to still allow guns in the building.
While officials declined comment on the details of the recommendations citing security concerns, participants confirmed that security checkpoints at Capitol entrances could be on the way.
One possible sticking point: How to allow Texans with concealed-weapons permits to get through security with their guns.
[...]
In the past year, long before the shooting occurred, DPS officials that oversee Capitol security had ordered up a security review by the U.S. Secret Service, a report that is said to have recommended major increases in staffing, the installation of package scanners and metal detectors at entrances and loads of added surveillance cameras.
There was more on the issues of concealed weapons later in the article.
Earlier this week, Patrick — who holds a state concealed-handgun permit, as do a number of Texas lawmakers — sent his colleagues a letter advocating increased Capitol security. “However … I do not want to see those who have a legal right to carry a gun denied their constitutional right.
“Whatever new measures we may adopt, I would not want to stop law-abiding CHL holders from carrying their guns in the Capitol,” he stated in the latter. “The goal is to stop those who bring illegal weapons into the Capitol, not those who have a legal right to do so.”
[...]
Reached by phone, Patrick said today that Texans with concealed-handgun licenses might “put their gun in a tray, go through the detector, pick it up and go” or perhaps they could show their state-issued license and walk around security-screening devices.
[...]
Why not make the Capitol a gun-free zone altogether, like schools and businesses and other places are already?
“If you continue to restrict more and more places where CHL holders can carry their weapons, you’re tearing away at the intent of the legislation that established this program,” he said.
Despite remaining issues, Patrick, Whitmire and others said they hope the review of enhanced security can move ahead quickly.
“(The shooting) brings on a fear of copy-cats,” Patrick said. “We don’t want to have a fortress mentality when it comes to Capitol security, because we should keep it as public as possible, but we need to address the situation sooner rather than later.”
It would seem that the two main goals of security at the Capitol would be to make it as secure as possible in the least burdensome way possible. After that’s done then worry about how or if to allow guns in the building. Certainly, as mentioned in the article, having an expedited entry for employees, media, and frequent visitors, as well as large tourist groups makes sense too. All of that being said, being able to walk into the building without being searched or forced through a metal detector is something that will be missed if changes occur.
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01.27.10
Posted in Commentary, Commissioners Court, T. Don Hutto, Williamson County at 4:31 pm by wcnews
Via the Taylor Daily Press, Wilco, ICE renew agreements.
The Williamson County Commissioner’s Court renewed agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) pertaining to the T. Don Hutto detention center in Taylor Tuesday. This center is a 490-bed facility run by CCA to house immigrants awaiting hearings and decisions on their immigration status.
County Judge Dan Gattis motioned to pass an agenda item that approves an inter-governmental services agreement between ICE and Williamson County. The following agenda item was also passed unanimously and will approve an agreement between CCA and the county regarding management and operation of the facility.
CCA provides the services detainees require and the agreement was set to expire on Monday. After ICE signs the agreement, it will be complete.
Click below to read the extended entry for the comments of Jane Van Praag who was in attendance and sent an LTE for publication:
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