08.25.10
Posted in Commentary, Election 2010, Employment, Had Enough Yet?, Local Elections, Take Action, Williamson County at 9:54 pm by dembones
Williamson County Democratic Party chair Greg Windham holds a peculiar view of voters’ perception of the party he was elected to lead.
Windham said Moving Wilco Forward and Annie’s (List) play into anti-Democratic stereotypes, making Williamson County residents and other Texans “afraid of Democrats.”
“They [voters] think we are here to kiss their men, kill their babies and take their guns,” Windham said.
In an interview with Round Rock Leader editor Brad Stutzman, Windham echoed derisive stereotypes that Republicans frequently use to bash Democrats. During his brief tenure as the head of the local party, these sentiments have sparked conflict with a number of precinct chairs on the party’s executive committee.
Stutzman provides a balanced summary of the disagreement between Windham and the executive committee members who voted to spend about half their cash to fund a voter registration drive conducted by a coordinated campaign representing all local Democratic candidates. However, Windham’s comments quoted in the story reveal that he is fixated on opposing the treasurer of Moving Wilco Forward, the political action committee managing the coordinated campaign.
Robert Jones is a Democratic political consultant with a remarkable track record of success, serving as the political director for Annie’s List, a statewide “organization dedicated to electing progressive women to office.” Jones formed Moving Wilco Forward in December 2008 with the express purpose of electing all the Democratic candidates in Williamson county.
In voting to move $5,000 over to Moving Wilco Forward, the majority of executive committee members expressed greater confidence in the organization’s ability to execute the voter registration program than Windham.
Windham said he believes volunteers should use “elbow grease,” going door-to-door to register voters.
Hard work is part of the plan, and the coordinated campaign will do a significant amount of door-to-door canvassing; however, the coordinated campaign will also be using mail pieces and targeting new residents of Williamson county, many of whom may have neglected to move their voter registration. Take the average street in your average neighborhood, for example. Perhaps 1 in 20 homes on that street will have moved in the past year. “Elbow grease” is wasted knocking on the other 19 doors.
Windham may not have been aware of this, which may explain why he was in a very small minority voting against the proposal. After all, Windham has only run one political campaign, a failed bid for County Commissioner in 2008.
After the executive committee voted to write the check to Moving Wilco Forward, Windham fired off an antagonistic email to a large number of local Democrats.
It would be responsible for wasteful spenders to be eradicated in order to combat the stereotypes that prevent us from winning elections. We are living in an age of consequences and it would be refreshing for some people to wake up and realize it.
One is led to wonder how to “eradicate” members of the executive committee who disagree with him. The executive committee believes the best chance for success in November is with an organization that has the experience and tools to register more voters. They believe that a Moving Wilco Forward-led coordinated campaign will make a much better case than Windham that the Democratic Party better represents the interests of Williamson County’s working families.
The top concerns of voters this election, contrary to what Windham says, are Texas’ highest-in-the-nation electric and home insurance rates, the difficulty in finding a job or getting enough hours to make ends meet, the expense of sending a child to college, the fear of being one illness away from bankruptcy and the strain of toll roads and fuel prices on the family budget.
In ways that directly impact the lives of families in Williamson county, the Democratic Party represents positive change, greater transparency and accountability. All the better ideas for government are Democratic. The Republican party deals in fear, distrust, delay, stagnation and corruption. The Republican party is sorry that BP was asked to pay for the damage caused by their negligence. The Republican party wants to eliminate Social Security and terminate unemployment benefits. The Republican Party wants to give $3 million to each of the richest 120,000 taxpayers.
Local Democratic activists feel a sense of urgency to act now to take back government and use it to defend working families instead of giant corporations like ExxonMobil or BP. Every election that passes without voters hearing our message, more children fail, more homes are foreclosed, more workers become jobless, more jobless become homeless and summers keep getting hotter.
Greg Windham needs to heed his own advice: “We are living in an age of consequences and it would be refreshing for some people to wake up and realize it.” Wake up, Greg. Realize that you’re hurting the very cause you were elected to champion. Either that or step down and allow someone who actually believes that informed voters will side with the Democratic Party.
Permalink
06.25.10
Posted in Commentary, Elections, Energy at 6:00 am by PECmember
The Pedernales Electric Cooperative held its annual meeting on Saturday, June 19, 2010 in Johnson City. The annual meeting culminated in the announcement of Board of Director elections. The two newly elected Directors will replace Directors R.B. Felps and O.C. Harmon, the last two holdovers from the regime of former General Manager Bennie Fuelberg. Fuelberg is currently under indictment for misapplication of fiduciary property in excess of $200,000, theft of property in excess of $200,000, and money laundering between $100,000 and $200,000. The PEC Board is now comprised of entirely democratically elected Directors. Members also voted to approve a Member Bill of Rights which guarantees their right to open meetings and open records.
New District 4 Director member of Special Interest Group
Chris Perry, 57, a resident of Dripping Springs, won the District 4 election. He was one of two candidates endorsed by special interest groups “PEC4U” and the Texas Clean Water Action. (You can read the Clean Water endorsement at http://www.cleanwateraction.org/feature/finish-reforming-pedernales-electric-co-op) In their press release, Clean Water Action takes credit for playing a role in the reforms at PEC and claims to have “endorsed and assisted” the PEC Board, which oversees electrical distribution and service to its members, but not their water supply. Perry, was on the 2009 PEC4U steering committee which helped to elect Directors Larry Landaker and Cristi Clement. Perry will now be the fifth elected director out of seven to be endorsed by one special interest group.
Both PEC4U and Texas Clean Water have angered members for stacking the PEC Board with their candidates thanks to the at-large voting system. Members have voiced their desire for single member district voting, which allows residents of a district to only vote for their representative, to an at-large elected Board which increasingly becomes deaf to member and employee concerns. All four PEC4U/Texas Clean Water endorsed Directors have voted against single member district voting despite prior claims to support it. District 2 Director Patrick Cox, Associate Director at the Center for American History at the University of Texas and Chair of the Governance and Bylaws Committee, had promised the PEC Board and membership that single member district voting would be carried out in 2009. Instead he successfully buried the proposal in committee for “further study” and then left it out of proposed bylaws revisions, causing that critical document to fail to garner the full support of the Board.
Independent Candidate Elected for District 5
Ross Fischer, 36, a resident of Kendalia, won the District 5 election. He was an independent candidate who beat out the PEC4U/Clean Water candidate Steve Carriker. Carriker is a former Texas State Legislator (D, Roby) voted the #1 Worst Legislator by colleagues in 1993 (list available at: http://www.texasmonthly.com/magazine/bestworst#1993). In his acceptance speech Fischer stated he is “independent with no ties to any special faction.” An attorney, Fischer was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Ethics Commission. His Bio states that he is “a lawyer in private practice, specializing in local government law, including open records, open meetings, and ethical standards for public officials.”
Interim General Manager Appointed
Luis Garcia, currently the cooperative’s General Counsel, was appointed by the Board to be the Interim General Manager. Departing GM Juan Garza was terminated at the Board’s regular June 14, 2010 board meeting. A sizeable number of employees attended the annual meeting to protest the termination of Garza’s contract. Board President Larry Landaker, in his speech to the attendees, cited the need for new leadership in order to keep the cooperative healthy and progressive. “All of you may have read about the recent woes of Austin Energy,” said Landaker. “They are deep in the red—in the millions. Their General Manager recently said, ‘We need a new business model or we go bankrupt.’ Because they overspent and deferred critical decisions for years, they will have to raise consumer rates 6.5% in 2012, with more to come.” Garza was, until 2008, the General Manager of the now struggling Austin Energy.
A video of the PEC Annual Meeting can be viewed at: http://pec.iqm2.com/Citizens/VIdeomain.aspx?MeetingID=1008
The complete 2010 PEC Election Results can be viewed at: http://www.pec.coop/CorpProfile/Election2010.aspx
Permalink
06.23.10
Posted in Commentary, Democratic Events, Speakers Race at 7:58 pm by dembones
With temporary committees and State Democratic Executive Committee meetings on the agenda tomorrow, Democrats are beginning to filter into downtown Corpus Christi for the state Democratic convention. Ahead are fights over party rules that partially govern the “PrimaCaucus”, our delightfully frustrating Presidential delegate nominations process; a challenge to the re-election of State Chair Boyd Richie; countless resolutions and drafting the party’s platform.
But who are we kidding? The state convention is all about candidates, glad-handing, fund raising and momentum-building. And, the drinking Blogger’s Caucus Friday night. And more parties.
Democratic success in November will hinge on whether the party faithful get their mojo back and resume their gradual return to political prominence. It’s been a long walk in the woods, oh-fer-29, according to the Richie’s challenger. The energy of 2008 produced some wins, but statewide success continues to be just around the corner. With Bill White at the top of the ticket, there’s potential for victory, but only with enthusiasm.
I’m looking forward to hopefully finding some energy in Corpus Christi — other than washed-up tar globs on the beach.
Permalink
06.01.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Road Issues, Transportation, Uncategorized at 5:12 pm by wcnews
In today’s AAS with Ben Wear’s misleading headline, Truck relief on I-35? Maybe a little. The big story is not that truck’s aren’t leaving I-35 to drive SH 130, the big news is, which is almost always the case, the consultants T&R (Traffic and Revenue) numbers are not “paying off”.
The study indicates that the 25 percent lower toll would pull an additional 350 trucks a day to Texas 130. But I-35 at U.S. 183 in North Austin had 24,000 trucks a day in 2007. So the lower toll might remove less than 2 percent of I-35 truck traffic.
What isn’t changing on Texas 130, at least not yet: car tolls, for perhaps five years. And the overall financial picture, painted mostly in shades of red.
The 2002 financial prospectus for investors who put $2.2 billion into Texas 130, Loop 1 and Texas 45 North showed initial toll rates unchanged until 2015, when a 50 percent increase was scheduled. Transportation commissioners have the power to raise rates before then, but they aren’t talking publicly about doing so.
But they might be considering it privately. According to figures from TxDOT Chief Financial Officer James Bass, the three-road system has required $68 million in tax money to balance the books over the first three years.
We’re paying tolls and our tax money is going for these roads too. Who doesn’t feel burned yet by the toll road scheme? Tip to ACREblog, SH 130 in the red–taxpayers making up the difference, with this commentary.
So why is it a good idea to continue to build toll roads where taxpayers will be paying the investors? By the way, ground has been broken on the tolled interchange at 290 East and 183—a tolled interchange being paid for by taxpayer stimulus money.
Anyone who still believes toll roads are the answer to our state’s transportation problem can no longer be taken seriously. Seriously.
Permalink
05.31.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 1:34 pm by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
This week on Left of College Station Teddy asks if Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell could be coming to an end, and Left of College Station covers the week in headlines. Teddy at will be looking back this week at highlights from Left of College Station’s first two years of blogging, and will be taking the month of June off from blogging. Look for more in depth coverage of politics and social commentary in July, including extensive research and investigations. Thanks to the Texas Progressive Alliance for supporting political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson points out that even though there’s been another audit of TxDOT, nothing will change until Texas gets a new governor, TxDOT’s management audit, we’ve heard it all before.
Harris County is considering creating an elections administration department, with a non-partisan unelected appointee at the helm. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is in favor of it, but irregular contributor OpenSourceDem is not.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is tired of racist, republican fear mongers driving poor policy decisions on the border.
Off the Kuff took a close look at the UT/Texas Trib poll of the Governor’s race.
WhosPlayin hopes everyone has a nice Memorial Day, and has a message of gratitude and remembrance of those who have fallen in the service of our country.
A Houston right wing talk show host and former City Council Member calls for bombing of a Mosque. Bay Area Houston has an opinion. Imagine that.
Asian American Action Fund Blog‘s Justin invites everyone to Houston to attend the OCA National Convention June 17-20. Festivities include panel discussions, awards gala, and free Starry Night Market and Film Festival. Eric Byler and Coffee Party founder Annabel Park’s immigration documentary 9500 Liberty will be shown.
At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw helps us understand Rick Perry’s complaints about the EPA taking over the permitting process from the toothless, Minerals Management Service, I mean the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Surprisingly enough, Mr. “Act of God” is upset he can’t continue his business first, second and always approach to environmental regulations. Take at look at Governor Perry to the EPA: Back Off.
Neil at Texas Liberal offered up a 58 second video where he listed eight points about democracy while standing in front of a car demolition lot near the Houston Ship Channel. Everyplace is the right place to talk about freedom.
Permalink
05.28.10
Posted in Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 9:49 am by wcnews
On Wednesday TxDOT released the Management Organizational Review (MOR) that was performed by Grant Thornton. Here’s the link to the report. If you don’t want to read the whole 628 page report these two paragraphs, from the introduction, sum up TxDOT’s problems pretty well.
Funding Needs
In May 2008, Texas Transportation Commission Chair Deirdre Delisi, “at the request of Texas Governor Rick Perry, appointed a volunteer committee of 12 experienced and respected business leaders designated as the 2030 Committee. The Committee’s charge was to provide an independent, authoritative assessment of the state’s transportation infrastructure and mobility needs from 2009 to 2030.” The 2030 Committee determined that the State requires $315 billion from 2009 through 2030 (or $14.3 billion per year, in 2008 dollars) to meet pavement, bridges, urban mobility, and rural mobility and safety needs. Despite the 2030 Committee’s findings, some members of the transportation community hold differing views on the actual amount of funding required to sustain the State’s transportation system for this period. [Emphasis added].
The lack of agreement on the amount of funding needed to meet Texas transportation requirements leads to a certain amount of discomfort with TxDOT requests for increased funding. In addition, mistrust of TxDOT and issues around the consistency and completeness of communications on this issue inhibits commitment to additional funding. Some stakeholders said that “TxDOT isn’t broken, it’s just broke.” Others said that TxDOT isn’t sufficiently high-functioning to know if it has the resources required to do the job needed. Still others expressed that whether or not TxDOT has enough funding, until the Department is more transparent and has improved its operations, it would be difficult to justify an increase in funding.
That means that state agency tasked with building and maintaining our roads cannot be trusted with the money needed to build and maintain our roads. Essentially everyone knows, although there is no agreement on the exact figure, that TxDOT needs a whole bunch of money in the future to build and maintain Texas’ roads. But few, if any in the legislature trust those in charge at TxDOT to do what’s right in given the money. By in charge I mean Perry and his appointees – a fish rots from the head down – not the employees at TxDOT.
I know I’ve said this many times but it bears repeating. How can anyone trust people who think government is the problem to be able to use government to solve problems? It just boggles the mind how anyone could still believe that that TxDOT can be turned around without a new governor.
Michael Lindenbarger at the DMN has a much more thorough analysis of the report, Major audit: TxDOT must change its ‘singular, deeply entrenched culture’, including:
Other big recommendations urge TxDOT to:
Fundamentally change its culture.
TxDOT has a singular, deeply entrenched culture that reflects 93 years of service dedicated to providing top notch transportation infrastructure to the State of Texas. This culture, and the ways in which the organization is led and managed, are fundamental considerations in the MOR as they affect every aspect of TxDOT performance. The unifying thread through all the MOR observations and recommendations is the way in which leadership and management practices and cultural norms affect TxDOT behavior and efficacy. Changes in this area are the essential underpinning to achieving meaningful improvements in the areas of effectiveness, efficiency, communications and transparency.
Significantly change its leadership structure. It recommends that TxDOT create three executive positions that would answer to the executive director — chief administration officer, chief operations officer, and chief financial officer. These jobs would be new — even if, in the case of the CFO, they exist in some form today, and should not be automatically reserved for members of the executive now employed, the audit says.
Lessen its focus on engineering among its top leadership, and indeed throughout the agency. Currently, engineering expertise — even a license — seems to be the only coin of the realm that carries any value. That has meant putting engineers in non-engineering roles, just to keep them aboard, and making it harder for non-engineers “to be heard” no matter how strong their relevant, non-engineering expertise might be.
Make the aides to the five TxDOT commissioners who oversee the agency answer to the commissioners, not to the executive director. The report says that has created a conflict of interest. If the commissioners are to oversee the agency, they deserve unbiased and unfettered advice from their administrative assistants.
Divide the government relations staff and the communications staff. A few years ago, communications folks — spokesman and others — were merged under a new department led by Colby Chase, who had represented the department’s interests in Washington previously. The report says that has helped lead to TxDOT’s image as an overly political entity, and the staff of about 50 full-time workers should be divided once again.
Too little metrics, means it’s hard to assess TxDOT’s work. Is TxDOT doing good work? Efficiently? Who knows, says the audit.
Clearly TxDOT employees are accomplishing a great deal of work. However, in the absence of relevant metrics, performance reporting, management disciplines and controls – deployed across the organization – it isn’t possible to determine whether work is being done effectively or efficiently.
Burka has more as does Kuff who notes that “..State Sen. Kirk Watson and Bill White also weigh in from a more pointedly political perspective”.
Permalink
05.27.10
Posted in Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Commentary, The Environment at 11:15 am by wcnews
Yesterday it was reported that The Environmental Protection Agency is stepping in to because the Texas Commission on Environment Equality will not follow federal regulations, State, federal officials blame one another for air quality impasse . This is not something out of the blue. This story goes a long way back and has implications all through our governments, federal and state, and how federal regulations really don’t mean anything unless they’re enforced. It’s become easy to see that there is no such thing as industry self-policing and that deregulation hasn’t worked.
The dressing-down from EPA was not unexpected. In its own self-evaluation report submitted in the fall to the Sunset Advisory Commission, the agency had to respond to the question “What are your agency’s biggest opportunities for improvement in the future?” Its answer: “Building Relationships and Partnerships ,” especially with the EPA.
And in August, Larry Soward, in his last days as a commissioner at the state agency, told a conference of environmental attorneys that “EPA has acknowledged the threat, however veiled you may view it, of Texas being stripped of its authority to issue major air permits unless the state agrees to some changes. I have heard it said, ‘Texas can step up, or EPA will step in 2009′”.
Of course Gov. Perry is throwing a fit. And his appointees, and the corporations are are not happy about this.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which issues permits, released a letter from Executive Director Mark R. Vickery to the EPA that lays out the state agency’s efforts and communication with the EPA and said it “remains committed to reaching resolution of Title V (operating permit) objections.”
“We still have significant differences in opinion on a number (of) issues, but processes for moving forward have been developed,” Vickery wrote. “A collaborative effort will continue to be beneficial for both agencies’ limited resources and the continued protection of the environment and public health.”
[...]
“EPA has either been told or been convinced by environmental groups that the permitting program that Texas operates is somehow deficient or not completely consistent with federal law. Our position, and the position of both the chemical manufacturers and refineries that are covered by these state permits, is that those allegations are completely false and without any foundation,” said Stephen Minick, of the Texas Association of Business.
Minick called it “a complete waste” and “very expensive” for companies to have to submit applications to the EPA, predicting that at the end of the process, the federal agency would find they met all applicable requirements.
Hector L. Rivero, Texas Chemical Council president and chief executive officer, said, “This is the first time we are aware of EPA demanding a Texas facility apply directly to the federal government for a Title V (operating) permit. . . . We are incredulous that EPA would encroach on a state regulatory program that has a proven track record of success.”
[EPA Regional Administrator Al] Armendariz said if TCEQ wants to retain authority over the rest of the permits at issue, state officials must “demonstrate to me in very short order … that these permits they are going to issue are going to be consistent with the Clean Air Act.”
“Some agency has to be issuing permits that are complying with the Clean Air Act,” he said. “If the state of Texas won’t do it, then I have the legal obligation to assume that role.”
Which is the crux of the issue as Bill White points out in his statement:
“Because of Rick Perry’s mismanagement of the state’s environmental agency, our state is now losing our ability to make our own decisions about air quality and the economy.
While Perry will likely try to make this into a partisan issue, the truth is that the state was repeatedly warned, beginning in 2007 under President Bush, that its permitting program violated the law that granted Texas the authority to issue air pollution permits.
Historically, under federal and gubernatorial administrations with leaders in both parties, Texas had earned the ability to administer the Clean Air Act. This delegation of authority has been important to Texas, letting our state implement the Clean Air Act in a way designed to fit our own air quality and economic needs.
Over the course of two federal administrations, Perry’s agency lost the confidence of regulatory authorities to the detriment of all Texans.”
This is Rick Perry’s fault, plain and simple. Because Perry’s appointees have not been following the federal regulations and the Bush Administrations failures to enforce them, this has now come to a head. More than likely because the Perry appointees at the TCEQ didn’t think the EPA would actually go to this extent to enforce the regulations.
We have to remember that these regulations are for our protection. These are to protect the air we breath, the water we drink, and the land that grows the food we eat. They’re the only ones we have and they cannot be replaced.
Kuff has much more. As if on cue the Austin Chronicle and the Texas Observer have articles on the TCEQ and it’s corporate friendly attitude. Links to those below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry �
Permalink
05.24.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Election 2010 at 2:12 pm by wcnews
There appears to be something about the recent actions of the State Board of Education (SBOE) that have sent some in the Texas media into a bit of a tizzy, (see here, here, and here). They’re either urging Bill White to, or questioning why he hasn’t, attacked Rick Perry hard enough over the changes the right wing SBOE made to Social Studies/History curriculum for Texas public schools. It’s as if they finally realized that the state of Texas has been take over by right wing zealots.
But it brings to mind a couple of other topics about the Governor’s race in Texas so far. Many, myself included sometimes, tend to wonder what kind of a race Bill White is running, or intends to run, against Perry. The best explanation so far is that’s he is running the kind of campaign he won with before. This from Jason Embry’s First Reading from last Thursday:
In this space yesterday, I wrote that one consequence of White’s recent television advertising is that money spent now is money that’s not available in the fall, when voters are paying more attention.
Houston Chronicle columnist Rick Casey, who has been following White much longer than I have, wrote to point out that, when he first ran for mayor, few gave White much chance for winning. And so he went up on television in February, nine months before the election, with about $2 million in his own money, and he stayed on television. By summer, polls showed he had a good shot. That early ad buy helped raise his profile and helped him raise $9.7 million. “To be a
And this from today’s HChron:
Read the rest of this entry �
Permalink
Posted in Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Commentary, Had Enough Yet?, Money In Politics, Taxes at 11:05 am by wcnews
The numerous problems with the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) have been apparent, for anyone willing to see them, for quite a while, (see State Development Fund Rewards Hype: Incentives Great, Penalties Few For Companies That Overstate Their Benefits). The TEF allows the Governor, with tacit approval of Lt. Gov. and Speaker, to hand out corporate welfare to supposedly “attract new business to the state..”. From what Gov. Perry and his GOP cohorts always say, Texas already being such a great place for businesses, that they wouldn’t have to bribe them to come here.
But as we continue to find out the TEF is not living up to its billing, Recession Pounds Perry’s Jobs Fund.
Key findings of TPJ’s analysis reveal:
* The Governor’s Office has awarded $363 million to 45 TEF recipients to create or maintain 47,735 jobs. These projects claimed 31,319 jobs in compliance reports covering 2008.
* Just 13 of the 45 job-related projects reviewed were performing well.
*As of October 2009 the Governor has penalized 11 TEF grantees for defaulting on their job creation commitments. These penalties, totaling $647,100, amount to just 1 percent of the $64 million in TEF funding that they received.
* The Governor has imposed the “death penalty” on just two TEF projects despite the fact that many other TEF recipients have qualified for termination.
* In February 2009, Perry declared that the TEF program had created 54,000 jobs since 2003. More than one-third of these jobs are pledges that have yet to materialize.
There’s much more. The Texas Observer had this story earlier in the year, Slush Fun, which shows that several companies that received money from the TEF, gave money to Perry in the form of campaign contributions.
Many companies that have received money from the fund have, in turn, aided the governor. An Observer investigation has found that 20 of the 55 Enterprise Fund companies have either given money directly to Perry’s campaign (through their political action committees or executives) or donated to the Republican Governors Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group that Perry presided over in 2008.
The 20 companies have received a combined $174.2 million from the Enterprise Fund. During the same time period, those 20 corporations have donated $2.2 million to Perry and the governors association. Several companies made donations around the time they received grants from the Enterprise Fund. It’s even possible that taxpayer money from the fund came full circle into Perry’s own campaign.
Over the weekend Kuff had this from, More Enterprise Fund failures, a recent HCrhon article on more corporations that have received Perry’s TEF welfare that are not living up to their potential. And today the Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) have word of more problems with the TEF, TPJ Calls on Perry, Dewhurst & Straus To Investigate State Grant to Sematech.
Texans for Public Justice today urged Texas’ top three officials who oversee the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) to investigate if Sematech, Inc. violated the 2004 contract it signed to obtain $40 million in state funds. Governor Rick Perry’s highly-touted Enterprise Fund awarded the high-tech consortium $40 million in 2004 to establish the Advanced Material Research Center (AMRC) in Austin. Sematech’s subsequent dealings with the State of New York strain the terms of its TEF contract—arguably to the breaking point. In a letter today to Governor Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus, TPJ called for a probe into Sematech’s contract compliance, urging the officials to either “enforce compliance or recover the scarce funds that failed to deliver the promised benefits.”
[...]
“The Enterprise Fund is crying out for greater accountability, transparency and oversight. The Sematech fiasco highlights Governor Perry’s conflicts in both awarding and enforcing Enterprise Fund grants,” said Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice. “The governor is quick to tout the promised jobs but slow to make corporate welfare recipients live up to the terms of their handouts.”
[...]
“If Sematech is two-timing Texas, Perry needs to get our $40 million back,” added McDonald.
View TPJ’s letter to Perry, Dewhurst and Straus.
Of course Democratic candidate for Texas Governor Bill White has proposed an audit of Perry’s TEF, and Texans agree it is needed.
This is one area where Texans can see the unchecked powers that Perry has accumulated from being in office for too many years. Perry believes, because he’s been in power for so long, that like a King he can do as he pleases. He also thinks that because he’s been returned to office, over and over again, that whatever he does it right and Texans will go along. If Perry is returned to office again we can only imagine how much more of our money, for four more years, will go to corporations in this manner.
Permalink
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Uncategorized at 9:07 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is enjoying the last week of school before summer vacation as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
WhosPlayin notes that the Dallas Fort Worth area has once again failed to meet its 8 hour ozone attainment, forcing TCEQ to implement contingency measures. Have you had your two teaspoons of ozone today?
Rand Paul explains why Texas Republicans don’t mind pollution notes CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme.
Off the Kuff kicks off the official countdown to KBH’s 2012 re-election announcement.
Gas and Greed Divide Neighbors in Argyle, TX. A tale of greed, lies and corruption and civil disobedience in the Barnett Shale brought to you by TXsharon at Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
Bay Area Houston will be attending the Sunset Commission review of the Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday.
There’s a common thread of arrogant ignorance that runs between Rand Paul and the Texas SBOE, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs pulls the string.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson shows that the “big 3″ get skittish on certain budget cuts, that won’t be the case after the election, Perry, Dewhurst, Straus playing politics with budget cuts.
Libby Shaw says Thank You Rand Paul. The bash talking ideologue has broken the rightwing’s first rule – don’t tell’me what you really think. See more at TexasKaos.
Neil at Texas Liberal reflected on how glad he is that we have a well-armed Federal Government from freedom-snatching folks like Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Permalink
� Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »