Joe Barton uses images of violence to discuss Obama

There is that whole 'I'm a war general' claim as well as rifle shot imagery promoted by Joe Barton.

'Put anything in my scope and I will shoot it,' GOP Rep. says of Obama Administration

The former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee may have just destroyed his chances to lead that committee again -- if close attention is paid to a slideshow he's circulating to his Republican colleagues.

republicans love to pretend they are hot shot war heroes. Too, bad republicans are taking aim at the American people.

Socorro city officials give themselves free driveways

More than 200 Socorro homes are getting driveways through a new city program.

The Socorro City Council recently approved the construction of 220 concrete driveways for homes in city Rep. Jesse Gandara's district. The project started almost a month ago and is expected to be complete by March 31.

The cost of the project is about $363,000 and will be paid through certificates of obligation, city Rep. Guillermo "Willie" Madrid said.

...

Among those receiving driveways are Gandara and his family, Madrid, municipal Judge Alex Vidales and police Sgt. Refugio Orta, who is in charge of the police department while the chief of police is on medical leave.

Joe Barton is such a fool in public

republicans have such delusions.  No wonder it's so easy for them to lead a life devoid of reality.  Oh, to be a little boy playing with toy soldiers.

When Rep. Joe Barton, R-Calif., speaks before the GOP Steering Committee later this week to make his case for leading the House Energy and Commerce panel, he will present himself as the General Patton to Presumptive Speaker Boehner's Eisenhower -- ready to do battle against the Obama administration.

republicans don't bother to hide the fact that they don't care about solving problems for the people of the United States.  Too bad republicans will do anything, including hurt the American people, to promote their own welfare. 

A Latino party is NOT a good idea

Latino leaders in Nevada and nationwide are quietly debating whether to sever their traditional Democratic ties and form an independent grass-roots political group.

The idea, born of frustration over the party’s inaction on immigration reform and fears that as a voting bloc they’re a political afterthought, Latino leaders have discussed the idea among themselves locally and in conference calls with colleagues across the country.

The unlikely model for the movement they would like to launch is the Tea Party — not in substance, of course, but in its grass-roots organizational style. Acknowledging the source of their inspiration, Latino leaders have dubbed the proposed movement the “Tequila Party.”

Why make another party based on ethnicity? The Tea Party, aka the GOP, is already made up of white people. You can see how that's working out. Do we need a gay party?  Or, an African-American party?  Or, a worker's party?

No doubt Barack Obama and the Blue Dog Democrats have screwed things up acting like republicans and kissing big corporations butt.  I say, let's form a political party who's primary goal is to promote the public welfare.  A political party who cares first and only about people, not about corporations except as corporations are promoting the general welfare.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes you got your recommended allowance of tryptophan last week as it brings you the blog highlights.

Off the Kuff celebrates the DeLay verdict.

Bay Area Houston has a visual suggest to the Judge in the Tom DeLay trial on what to do with DeLay.

Did employers or their representatives provide 'assistance' to their employees as they voted in La Joya?  CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme would really like to know.

Public Citizen over at TexasVox is getting ready for the Sunset hearings on the TCEQ and Railroad Commission coming up December 15-16 by looking at a national report which gives Texas' regulatory agencies a D-.

Lightseeker raises a red flag over the morphing of the MSM coverage of  Tom DeLay's conviction. In his piece entitled The DeLay verdict - Politics as usual? Crime and Punishment? Why it Matters he argues that this is simply a case study in why we find it so hard to get our message out. Either out of boredom or malice or laziness or simple lack of time or understanding the MSM often carries water for the other side in how they cover/frame important issues. He wonders what can be done?

Republicans in the Texas Legislature filed a series of anti-immigrant bills, so, Stace at DosCentavos asks the question:  Are You Willing to Boycott Texas?  It's a serious question that will come up as these bills go through the process and quite possibly get to the floor.

Sen Jeff Wentworth pre-filed legislation for the coming session that eliminates straight-ticket voting. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs thinks he's a lone voice of reason on the right.

Reverend Manny at BlueBloggin takes an in depth look at freedom of speech. On the whole, the September FBI crackdowns are symbolic, and a local reminder, of an international repressive wave against transparency,   criticism and rational, open dialogue. The Front Lines of Reality: An International Perspective on the Battle over Free Speech.

WhosPlayin brings you a video tour of one of the modern drilling rigs that one company is using to drill in urban areas in the Barnett Shale.

Neil at Texas Liberal visited Austin this past week. He enjoyed his late night drive back home to Houston a great deal. Neil liked this ride so much, he wrote a blog post listing seven reasons the ride was so enjoyable.

Are republicans coming after Cameron County?

A top election campaign strategist for Democratic candidates in South Texas has warned that Republicans could continue to make inroads in a region of the state they have historically been weak in.

Miguel “Mike” Carrera ran the re-election campaign mounted by 13th Court of Appeals Justice Linda Yañez. The Edinburg Democrat went down to a shock defeat on Nov. 2 at the hands of the largely unknown Republican Greg Perkes of Corpus Christi.

“More than 40 percent of the voters on the south side of San Antonio voted for the Republican Latino rather than the incumbent Democrat, Ciro Rodriguez. The Republicans have already taken over Nueces County. They are coming and the next target area will be Cameron County,” Carrera warned, in an in-depth interview with the Guardian.

Guess what happens when Democrats don't get out and vote?

Greg Abbott says Hidalgo County must provide data on a USB hard drive

The attorney general agreed, telling the clerk’s office that it must provide a cost estimate for providing the public information using a USB drive.

"By refusing to furnish the information to the requester in the requested medium of a USB drive on the basis of an agreement entered into by the county clerk with ACS, or a security policy adopted by the county clerk that requires disabling of the USB ports on the county clerk’s computers, the county clerk has failed to comply with (the state’s Open Records Act) … We find that the county clerk is required to purchase such a drive, just as the clerk would purchase CDs and DVDs, in order to satisfy the requirements" of the law, wrote Christopher Sterner, an assistant attorney general in its open records division.

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas heralded the attorney general’s ruling as a "major open records victory for Texas" in a posting on its website.

An earlier portion of the referenced article makes it sound like the Attorney General was requiring Hidalgo County to allow access to the USB port by anyone requesting public data. Access to the USB port is way different than receiving the data on a USB hard drive which was purchased by Hidalgo County.

Joe Barton gets his freak on with light bulbs

republicans are so batsh*t crazy now, the thought of saving energy with light bulbs sends them into hissy fits.

Gov. Rick Perry writes in his new book that the federal government is "telling us what kind of light bulb we can use." U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, says American policy on light bulbs defies "market forces." Rush Limbaugh warns of "nannyism" and "statism."

The anti-science, anti-climate change, anti-government crowd wants to burn us down with inefficient, costly light bulbs.  Because, who has the right to tell you to save the planet, ease our dependence on foreign oil and save money at the same time.

The pushback stems from a provision in a 2007 law that set efficiency standards for light bulbs, essentially phasing out the typical incandescent bulb starting in 2012.

Proponents saw it as a simple way to save energy with more-efficient bulbs. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if every American household swapped one ordinary incandescent bulb for a CFL, consumers would save $600 million a year.

Were voters intimidated or just needing assistance in La Joya election?

I wouldn't want my boss in the election booth with me, but if I needed help voting, I would like to have it

.More than 1,000 votes were cast illegally in this month’s La Joya school board race, the losing slate of candidates claimed in an election challenge they filed Monday.

The winners categorically denied allegations that they participated in fraudulent voter assistance or intimidation and plan to file an appeal following the Thanksgiving weekend.

...

According to the losing candidates, volunteers compiled an extensive list of names, addresses and birth dates of each assisted voter along with the assistants’ often illegible signatures and addresses. The challengers claim that list connects many literate and able-bodied western Hidalgo County voters to assistants who were their immediate supervisors or employer representatives.

What additional rights do gun owners need?

'Gun-rights advocates already lobbying Texas legislators' For what, pray tell? AK-47s for school kids?

"In Texas, there's no viable reason why Texans are denied their rights the way they are," said John Pierce, co-founder and spokesman of opencarry.org, a group championing expanded gun rights nationwide. "We're talking about a tradition and history of rugged individualism that Texas embodies.

Whaa?  They want to show off their guns in public, poor babies.  But, there's more.

Some gun rights advocates hope that Texas lawmakers next year will follow in the footsteps of Arizona, Alaska and Vermont by making Texas a constitutional carry state, allowing concealed and open carry without permits.

Members of the new Lone Star Citizens Defense League are trying to find legislative support for such a proposal.

"Constitutional carry will basically enable Texans to carry a firearm for their personal defense without state regulation," said Shane McCrary, 38, of Odessa, who is helping spearhead the effort. "Nothing is really getting done in the state of Texas to enable our rights as honest citizens.

Oh, yeah. Arizona. That beacon of right wing crazy.  Let's be like them.

AP article on Tom DeLay has appearance of being written by Tom DeLay

The jury took their time to ask questions about the law and to go over the facts. Guilty.  What does this article say? Travis county is very, very liberal and therefore very, very biased and the prosecution was politically motivated. Bullsh*t.  The spin on precedent and appeals is bullsh*t, too.  The only accurate aspect is noted in the quote below.  Way to go AP. You are the reason no one trusts traditional media outlets anymore.  Shame on you, Ramit Plushnick-Masti!

There was one tiny nugget of truth buried within the detritus.

"Then the courts are of [Tom DeLay's] political persuasion," [ Philip H. Hilder, a former prosecutor,] added. "But still, they would have to rely on precedent and they will have to really do back flips to do any favor to him."

One court already did back flips for him to declare a check was something all together different from cash. Yeah. Right. That didn't fly on further appeal. Let's hope justice is done.

Check out lightseeker's take on this article.

LUPE GOTV increased turnout, but missed goals

In Precinct 46, in Mercedes, LUPE achieved its goal, with a 14 percent increase in voter turnout compared to the general election of 2006. Sanchez put this down to the high-profile county commissioner race between incumbent A.C. Cuellar and challenger Joel Quintanilla. Quintanilla was mayor of Mercedes at the time and won the commissioner race.

In Precinct 43, in Edinburg, there was a three percent increase in turnout over the 2006 totals, far less than the ten percent target. In Precinct 88, in Alton, there was a 3.5 percent increase in turnout over the 2006 total, again well below LUPE’s target.

Sanchez gave her comments on the results of the GOTV campaign at a Thanksgiving Dinner in San Juan on Monday evening. The group gave thanks to 118 volunteers who put in 910 hours of work for free for the campaign.

Dallas Morning News talks political polarization

Red, blue.   The hallmark of today's republican is 'no compromise'.  They're going to primary Orin Hatch for working with Democrats.  Really.  The rest of the country isn't like the hard, hard right.  But, those on the left who have been paying attention are angry at the batch*t crazies.  I doubt I will ever vote for a republican again.  My vehement reaction comes from republican action.  Most Americans aren't like me, if the polling is accurate.  Most Americans are not at the polarized edges.  Give the republicans enough time and we all will be at one edge or another.  As the republicans say, 'if you're not with us, you're against us'.  So, even if you're part of the mushy middle or too busy living your life to see what's going on, you'll be drug in.

Wayne Slater, whom I like, missed two points.  Not all of America is polarized.  How could they be when you look at the election results from 2006, 2008 contrasted with 2010?  Those of us on the left that are part of the polarized public, are radicalized by the actions of those on the right.  Watching republicans ignore science, climate change, and other poor consequences of their policies would be enough.  But, then the republicans throw in a large dose of hate, intolerance and a permanent misunderstanding of the constitution and you've got a cause to be extremely alienated.  republicans have not acted in good faith since Newt Gingrich took over.  republicans are not hiding their goal is to over throw Obama, not promote the general welfare.

We have to fight. We have to be polarized or the republicans will continue to eat away at all that is good.

Here's a funny headline

'Task force wants Texas Legislature to improve indigent defense system'

And, I'd like world peace and free internet wherever I go.

To help address the problems, the task force is calling on the Legislature to make it easier for counties to establish public defender's offices or to manage programs that assign attorneys to represent criminal defendants who cannot afford their own counsel.

[Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense] officials also want legislators to budget more money to pay for indigent defense.

The recommendations come at a time that the percentage of indigent defendants keeps going up: 65 percent of felony cases and 35 percent of misdemeanor cases last year, [deputy director of the task force Wesley] Shackleford said. The percentages are even higher in large counties, Shackleford said.

With republicans talking about throwing everybody's grandma out of the nursing home, who thinks that money will be made available for poor defendants? Even without a question of money, republicans have worked hard to tilt the justice system decidedly in favor of those with money. No one expects a republican to get a sense of fair play anymore.  Thanks for trying anyway.

Tom DeLay didn't win

Contrary to the republican friendly headline and hypothesis at the Texas Tribune, I don't agree that Tom DeLay won. Yes, we do indeed have many more republican leaning districts and we had them for 10 years. Yes, the republicans did take over congress with the help of those districts. Twice.

Tom DeLay sliced, diced, cracked and packed those districts to provide some thin margins for republicans. It's all about maximizing the chances for winning the most districts. The republicans are about to do it all over again with an updated set of demographics. Margins that were paper thin before are not likely to be very good today. The republicans are very likely going to prop up what they already have.

So, did DeLay win? He lost power in 2005 for his redistricting stunts (and, the fact that not even the republicans liked him very much.) He has been publicly humiliated. He's spent untold dollars on his legal defense and there is still more to come. So, would Tom DeLay trade his status, power and wealth for a temporary republican majority? I don't think so. DeLay doesn't seem to have an altruist bone in his body.

Jail time or no.  Successful appeal or no.  Tom DeLay has already lost what's most important to Tom DeLay. I'd still like to see him in an orange jumpsuit for a few years, though.

Tom "I am the law" DeLay found guilty on both counts

Justice can be sweet.  I suppose we'll have to wait through all of the appeals to know for sure.

Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay – once one of the most powerful and feared Republicans in Congress – was convicted Wednesday on charges he illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.

Jurors deliberated for 19 hours before returning guilty verdicts against DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to life in prison on the money laundering charge.

Corpus Christi Caller Times confuses easy vote recount with accuracy

This post is for the Caller Times Editorial board. If there is an error in the voting machines, say the results for one candidate are awarded to another, that error will persist because there is no independent way to verify the vote total. Sure, electronic voting is quicker. So what? Other states have a voter verifiable paper trail along with their electronic voting machines. Such a paper trail makes a recount a bit harder, BUT IT ENSURES A HIGH LEVEL OF ACCURACY!!!!

The following is pure drivel.

Cameron County also is where paper ballots persist. In Nueces County, which uses electronic ballots, the recount confirmed the exact election-night outcome. The Ortiz recount, plus the continuing dispute over who won the Cameron County Judge’s race, should give Cameron County impetus to update its voting system immediately.

Yes, the Cameron County election procedures need an over haul. Is quicker better than accurate? Not in my book.  Please check out this website.

PS:  Your last slam against Solomon Ortiz Jr. was unbecoming.  The man lost for Pete's sake.

Las Brisas could use 12% of Corpus Christi's water supply

How can any region afford that drain?

Opponents of a proposed power plant want an investigation into whether a city council member should have refrained from voting to authorize negotiations with the company.

At question is Councilman Mark Scott’s May 11 vote authorizing City Manager Angel Escobar to negotiate a water agreement with builders of the proposed Las Brisas Energy Center. The $3 billion power plant would add as much as 12 percent to the city’s water demand.

Nothing official announced in Cameron County Judge's race recount

The Democratic challenger says the Precinct 54 recount gave him enough votes to win. If the additional 69 votes discovered by Cascos aren't included.

Elections Administrator Roger Ortiz completed the recount late in the afternoon at the Elections Office, but he left the building without releasing the results to the public.

Democratic candidate John Wood, however, said he had the results, which he announced as 366 in his favor and 299 for Republican incumbent Carlos H. Cascos.

He said these are the same numbers that resulted from the adjustment made on Nov. 14 when a second tally sheet from Precinct 54 was added to the totals reached in the recount completed Nov. 13.

This isn't over.

Texas pays the most for home insurance. Farmers wants more.

Farmers Insurance filed for a 3.9 percent rate increase in homeowners insurance Tuesday, a change that will affect about half of its customers in Texas.

And, yet the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says we already pay twice as much as the rest of the nation. Even more than Florida.

Socorro council begins effort to remove mayor and council member

During a heated meeting that included shouted accusations and two people being removed, a recall effort began Tuesday against the Socorro mayor and a City Council member.

The introduction of the recall ordinance comes after councilman Luis Varela was arrested last week on suspicion of selling marijuana and possessing cocaine, and after Mayor Guillermo "Willie" Gadara Sr. was indicted Sept. 2 in the continuing FBI public corruption investigation.

At the special meeting Tuesday night, City Council members Guillermo "Willie" Madrid, Jesse Gandara Jr., Gloria Rodriguez and Mary Garcia introduced the ordinance to remove Mayor Gandara and Varela from office.

Can you do that with with a city ordinance? What is the recall all about, then?

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin testifies to Texas legislature, but forgets to bring his brain

Geeslin rattles off the rate increase since health care law took effect, but doesn't have a clue as to what the rate of inflation on such policies is. Geeslin is either too stupid for his job or deliberately incompetent. He could be both, I suppose.

Meanwhile, the republicans are fighting over throwing grandma and grandpa out of the nursing home.

Leading Republican senators said lawmakers hadn't decided how to respond to the federal law, though they found themselves arguing against suggestions that the state forgo billions in federal Medicaid funds and cut off current recipients.

Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, responded to one activist by saying nearly two-thirds of the Medicaid budget pays for the elderly and disabled to live in nursing homes.

City officials say stupid stuff to attack Texas Open Meeting Laws

It's just too hard, they whine. I can't do my job. Blah blah blah. Officials opposing the open meetings law don't want to be hampered by the people knowing the people's business. Stop whining.

Officials from four Texas cities testified Tuesday that fear of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act, which requires elected officials to conduct most government business in public, forces them to limit their interactions with constituents and hampers their ability to do their jobs.

"It's always hanging over our head ... and we're not really sure exactly when it applies, how it applies," said Mel LeBlanc, a five-year member of the Arlington City Council. "It puts a muzzle on us."

If you like government operating in secret, vote for officials like Mel LeBlanc.

Transocean refusing subpoenas and hiding employees overseas

Federal investigators examining what caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster are running into roadblocks as crew members on the doomed drilling rig refuse to testify under oath about the incident, and key stakeholders question one investigative agency's jurisdiction.

...

Several lawyers representing Transocean employees have refused to accept subpoenas for their clients, some of whom are now assigned to jobs outside the U.S.

And a source familiar with the CSB investigation says that while most companies involved in drilling or sealing the Macondo well have been cooperative, Transocean has put up resistance.

The US government has got to hold Transocean to account. Otherwise, a new precedent is set for flouting regulatory authority. No corporation is above the law.

Texas State Board of Education disadvantages poor schools

republicans don't like public education. Especially for poor kids.

With a massive budget shortfall looming, penny-pinchers at the State Board of Education opted to incorporate changes to the high school science curriculum via lower-cost electronic supplements to existing textbooks instead of spending up to $500 million to have new ones printed.

Initially, the move had watchdog groups barking that such supplements, which they insist are not subject to the same rigorous peer review process as ink-on-paper textbooks, provide a ready-made opportunity for mischief: for, say, foes of evolution to introduce the teaching of intelligent design into Texas classrooms — “slipping [it] in the supplementary back door,” in the words of one worried critic.

But the fears may be for naught. Science teachers contend that, notwithstanding concerns of something like a creationist end-run around the curriculum approval process, the problem with electronic supplements is that many schools lack the technical capability to use them — and that while they may save money at the state level, local districts ultimately will see their costs go up.

Cameron County Judge's race continues to be weird

69 votes were discovered by Cascos. What?

The outcome of the Cameron County judge’s race became even more controversial on Monday with the discovery of 69 votes that were left off the final recount tally for the Nov. 2 general election.

With the additional votes, the unofficial results have Republican incumbent Judge Carlos Cascos ahead of Democratic challenger John Wood by 64 votes.

Weird.

“I have been in politics here for 28 years and have never seen anything like this. It’s amazing to me,” state Rep. Rene O. Oliveira, D-Brownville, has observed.

The routine canvassing vote at the commissioners' court wasn't routine.

The canvassing report that Ortiz turned over to commissioners this morning did not include the revision that had Wood winning the election. That report cannot be handed over until another recount of Precinct 54 is completed.

...

After the meeting, Wood expressed disappointment about how the vote was handled claiming he and Precinct 1 Commissioner Sofia C. Benavides did not have a chance to vote either against it or abstain from voting because Cascos rushed the item through.

Wood said by Commissioners Court approving the canvassing of the precinct election recount returns - that did not include Precinct 54 – some 413 voters in that precinct have been denied their right to vote

It would have been nice to at least have had a gentlemanly canvass. This is not going to be pretty any time soon.

Greg Abbott wants to slap Democratic donor

The attorney general's office has weighed in on the ongoing back-and-forth over releasing the details of a multimillion-dollar settlement between the Texas Windstorm Insurance Agency, or TWIA, and the attorney for Hurricane Ike homeowners. In an opinion released this afternoon, the office says, "a court cannot order TWIA to withhold information" encompassed under the state's public information act "unless that information is expressly made confidential under other law." It goes on further to say that "TWIA may not rely upon the injunction and standing orders to withhold the remaining requested information."

Expect republicans to use settlement data to harass Steve Mostyn who gave big bucks in 2010 state races.

I'm all for sunlight, but I always expect the worst out of a republican. That way, I'm never disappointed.

Who are the players in the Texas Speaker's race?

The Texas Tribune has an amusing flowchart showing outside influences.  Dick Armey's boy seems to be doing well.

Reps.-elect Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and Jim Landtroop, R-Plainview, issued a statement late Monday morning supporting McKinney Republican Rep. Ken Paxton, who has gathered a string of endorsements over the past week.

Rick Perry approves sexual harassment in the work place

Apparently, men in power have certain privileges.

Gov. Rick Perry's outgoing director of the Texas Film Commission has been allowed to stay on the job despite being disciplined for sexual harassment in 2009 and after a subsequent investigation found similar behavior again this year.

The latest investigation of Bob Hudgins also raised new concerns about gender discrimination in hiring practices.

Why should Hudgins change? Rick Perry indicated that sexual harassment was ok with him when he didn't immediately fire him.

Goodbye to Solomon Ortiz Sr.

It was past time for Ortiz to go, but who wants a ne'er-do-well suck up to the Tea Partiers as a replacement?

U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz conceded late Monday to Congressman-elect Blake Farenthold, following an extensive recount in the tight race.

Noting that the recount of more than 106,000 votes had been completed in the district, Ortiz said: “Therefore, with great respect and admiration in the Democratic process, I congratulate my opponent, Mr. R. Blake Farenthold, in his election to the 27th Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.”

Why won't Walgreens sell emergency contraception to men?

Walgreens wants to know that the woman involved is informed.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project Tuesday called on Walgreens to follow company policy and cease what the ACLU calls “gender discrimination” by refusing to sell emergency contraception medication to men.

Lisa Graybill, ACLU of Texas legal director, said complaints had been received from both Texas and Mississippi.

“We know from complaints we have received that pharmacists at stores in Texas and Mississippi have failed to follow FDA guidelines and company policy,” Graybill said.

El Paso ranked as safest city

But, isn't El Paso across the river from Juarez? Yup. Haven't stray bullets from the other side landed in El Paso? Yup.

Despite being located across the border from one of the deadliest cities in the world, El Paso is the safest large city in the United States, according to rankings released Sunday.

Though the city has been ranked in the top three each year since 1997, this is the first time El Paso has taken the top spot for having the lowest crime rate among cities of more than 500,000 population in the annual rankings by CQ Press, a publishing firm based in Washington, D.C.

Kino Flores to be sentenced December 13th

The sentencing hearing for state Rep. Kino Flores, a South Texas lawmaker convicted on 11 counts of tampering with government records and perjury, has been delayed until next month.

Cameron County Commissioners' court to decide County Judge election results

Funny thing. Both candidates are on the court.

Cameron County Commissioners Court is scheduled to meet this morning to decide whether to accept the recount results in the county judge’s race.

The special meeting begins at 8 a.m. in the commissioners courtroom of the Dancy Building, 1100 E. Monroe St. It is open to the public.

Charter schools: promoting religion and killing public education

With as much as Barack Obama caters to the conservatives, especially on charter schools, you'd think they'd love him. I guess there is the obvious fact that he isn't snow white.

Students at Duncanville's Advantage Academy follow biblical principles, talk openly about faith and receive guidance from a gregarious former pastor who still preaches when he speaks.

But his congregation is a swath of low-income students. And his sermon is an educator's mantra about the opportunities of charter schools.

Advantage's state-funded campuses showcase the latest breed of charter schools, born from faith-based principles and taxpayer funds. More than 20 percent of Texas' charter schools have some kind of religious ties. That's the case for six of the seven approved this year, including ones in Frisco and Arlington.

Your tax dollars at work. Spreading someone else's religion.

Republicans don't like Joe Barton either

Or, they have some sense that apologizing to BP doesn't look right. You know they all kiss corporate butt. I'm surprised that this edition of the republican party isn't celebrating the oligarchy.

Of all the committees Texas Republicans covet when the GOP takes back control of the House in January, the one at the top of the list for home-state importance is the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Rep. Joe Barton, of Ennis, who ran the powerful committee before the Democrats won a House majority in 2006, is bidding to reclaim the valuable prize.

But the 26-year House veteran faces some daunting obstacles to the chairmanship, which ultimately will be decided by a vote of all GOP members. Three other senior House Republicans also want the job, and some top members of the party's leadership are working behind the scenes to deny Barton what Texas lawmakers consider his just deserts.

republicans have no shame. It's all about the power, not the principle and it certainly isn't about promoting the general welfare.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is slightly distracted by thoughts of pie but still brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff examined the effect of straight ticket voting on the city of Houston's ballot propositions as well as the partisan breakdown of those propositions.

Letters From Texas temporarily abandoned Texas politics in favor of seeking answers to the important questions surrounding the Transportation Safety Administration's touching of our junk.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders how the Cameron County Judge's race can get any weirder. Who won and how did things get so messed up?

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy takes a look at the bills concerning immigration that have been pre-filled in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.

WhosPlayin posted a two-part series following air quality complaints in a neighborhood in North Texas near Barnett Shale gas wells and facilities.

Bay Area Houston wonders if Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole reported his free money to the IRS as income.

At TexasKaos, liberaltexan looks at what the prefiled bills tell us about the Texas Legislatures will try to do about the trumphed up problem of illegal immigration. Check it out : Texas Legislative Watch: Pre-Filed Immigration Bills (Part I).

Snapshots from the Conservative Freak Show: Bristol Palin and voter fraud, Louie Gohmert and the SFA instructor he got fired, and John Ensign's million-dollar earmark.

A new contributor to Texas Liberal, a woolly mammoth named Extinct, noted that Just Kids by Patti Smith was the winner of the National Book Award for 2010. Just Kids an account of Ms. Smith's youthful relationship with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. As a woolly mammoth, Extinct has a long experience with both life and loss.

Brothers arrested for bilking Windcrest out of millions

A former longtime Windcrest city manager and his developer brother were indicted on three felony counts Thursday, accused of embezzling more than $4 million from the city and Internet hosting company Rackspace Hosting Inc.

If convicted of the first-degree felonies, the brothers could land in prison for life.

I could hear the cheers of Windcrest residents.

La Marque mayor and city manager still at war

Mayor Geraldine Sam requested the firing of City Manager Eric Gage be a topic for action on Monday’s city council agenda. The mayor also is seeking to fire the city attorney and city clerk and strip Police Chief Randall Aragon of his public safety director title.

Texas Rangers may be called in for Cameron County Judge's race

Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos is calling on the Texas Rangers to assist in the review of affidavits filed regarding alleged irregularities in the recount in the election for county judge.

In other developments in the still-undecided judge's race, county Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said Friday he understood a second recount of ballots from Precinct 54 might take place today. The Brownsville Herald was unable to confirm this.

Look, when you have fewer votes that is a big red flag. The election officials were correct in looking for the reason the vote totals dropped. Finding a missing, extra tally sheet makes sense. Lets hope this election gets the scrutiny it requires to achieve the outcome indicated by the actual votes.

The victims of a gay bar raid have charges dropped against THEM. Finally

More than a year after a controversial bar inspection at the Rainbow Lounge sent protesters to the streets and vaulted the city into the national spotlight, city officials have dropped charges against four bar patrons.

The dismissals came 21/2 weeks before Chad Gibson, who suffered a head injury in the June 28, 2009, incident, and George Armstrong had been set to go to trial on public intoxication charges. They had both pleaded not guilty, and Gibson had also pleaded not guilty to assaulting an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

See previous posts.

Even a republican report card says the TCEQ could do better for the public

Just window dressing? All pomp and no action? That'd be my guess.

The Texas agency that regulates industrial pollution should be more responsive and transparent to the public, according to a state analysis released Thursday.

The long-awaited report says the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality performs "reasonably well," considering the complexities of its regulatory role, but falls short in a number of areas, including the way it interacts with the public.

The report, for example, recommends that the agency adopt enforcement policies, such as the way it calculates penalties for polluters, that are easier for the public to understand. In all, the audit makes 25 recommendations to improve the agency.

Blah blah blah. The TCEQ sucks if you're a person and rocks if you're a crony.

Texas Watchdog wonders why some Houston ISD schools are more equal than others

Some schools ranked “exemplary” by the state spend enough on each child each year to buy the kid a brand new car -- such as T.H. Rogers Middle, west of Memorial Park, where each child is slated to have $18,027 spent on them this year.

Other exemplary schools could only buy each kid a used car. A really used car. That’s where Pin Oak Middle in Bellaire falls, with just $4,800 being spent per child. Pin Oak and T.H. Rogers are just five miles’ distance from each other.

I could see a plan that required additional funding to bring a poor performing school up to speed, but if the school is already 'exemplary' why is a school getting more than twice as much as others?

How can Texas republicans crack and pack any better after the DeLay travesty?

Chris Cilliza, one of those republican sympathizers 'reporting' for the Washington Post, says what I've been thinking. Tom DeLay already drew the most favorable republican map 10 years ago based on demographics that had to be better for the GOP. How can today's map be any better with a Democratic DOJ that shouldn't allow what Bush's partisan DOJ did and a demographic somewhat more favorable to Democrats?

The question for Texas Republicans, says redistricting expert Michael McDonald of George Mason University, is how aggressive they want to be in adding districts where they have a legitimate chance at victory, and how much they want to shore up their current members.

"Republicans will likely be locking in their gains rather than expanding the map dramatically," McDonald said. "They don't want to get into a legal battle, because that could unravel their map."

What do you do with a corrupt city council member and mayor?

The remnants of a city government fractured by alleged criminal activity assembled Thursday at city hall.

In the city hall where applause and boos have been banned and police keep the peace, Socorro City Council members agreed to let the public decide on the future of two city officials facing criminal charges.

A special meeting will take place next week to introduce an ordinance to recall Mayor Willie Gandara Sr. and city councilman Luis Varela.

There will be a recount of precinct 54 in the Cameron County Judge's race

Cameron County Elections Administrator Roger Ortiz announced late Thursday that his office will recount the votes cast in Precinct 54 in the election for county judge.

Ortiz made the announcement in a quickly called news conference at about 6 p.m. Thursday on the steps of the Elections Department on East Harrison Street. This is the first time he has talked publicly about the clerical mistake in the countywide recount of ballots conducted Nov. 12 and 13.

The local DA expects this election to end up in the courts.

The outcome of the election for Cameron County judge will most likely be decided by the judicial system, District Attorney Armando Villalobos predicts.

Even if the Commissioners Court approves the canvassing of the recount of votes cast in the Nov. 2 election, Villalobos believes there is a good chance that one of the candidates will take the issue to a higher court.

Ben Bolt Palito Blanco school district can't seat trustee convicted of a felony

Jesus Barrientes defeated Joe Anthony Perez for a school board position on the Ben Bolt Palito ISD two weeks ago.

After he was elected, Perez and others said Barrientes was convicted of a felony and couldn’t serve on the school board. According to the school board rules, if you are convicted of a felony, you cannot be a member of the Ben Bolt Palito Blanco School Board.

Perry's use of the phase 'states' rights' evokes racist images

It isn't unintentional. That's just too hard to believe. Nobody, not even Perry, is that stupid.

Perry defends his use of the phrase, saying his fight against Washington is about spending and federal mandates on health care and the environment, not race.

Yeah, sure. Not pandering to your racist, republican base. Nope.

How you treat prisoners is relfected in our communities

Spending more to improve prison mental and physical health care could improve public health in the free world, according to findings of researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and University of Oxford in England.

“Prisoners act as reservoirs of infection and chronic disease, increasing the public health burden of poor communities,” they write in the report scheduled for release tomorrow. “Most prisoners return to their communities with their physical and psychiatric morbidity occasionally untreated and sometimes worsened.”

Congratulations to Charlie Gonzales

Charlie Gonzales is the new leader of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Drug bust nets Socorro council member

It is time to legalize drugs. Take away the profit motive. You don't think our public officials are immune to bribery or intimidation do you?

Undercover sheriff's officers have arrested a city councilman on cocaine and marijuana charges, another blow to a town awash in political infighting and scandal.

The suspect is Rep. Luis Varela, 40, who was elected in May to a three-year term.

Deputies said that Varela had 27.5 grams of cocaine in the console of the truck he was driving, and that he helped three other men deal nearly 44 pounds of marijuana to the officers posing as buyers. The drug deal took place Tuesday in the parking lot of a Peter Piper Pizza at 10870 North Loop, deputies said.

Texas fails babies

With all that talk about pro life = republican = pro life you just wonder why reality is such a stranger to them and much of the media.

The March of Dimes gave Texas a failing report card, with Nueces County faring worse than the state as a whole, based on data gathered since 2006.

With Medicaid being used as a political cudgel expect the situation to get worse. Over half of Texas babies are born with the help of Medicaid. Pro life my a**. Short sighted and selfish is more like it.

Here's a headline to get your attention

'No criminal wrongdoing found in manual recount'   There was a general fear of election fraud?

Although discrepancies remain in the manual recount of votes for Cameron County judge, authorities said an investigation into the matter does not suggest any criminal act.

Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos said his office was asked to look into the situation and after taking affidavits and questioning Election Administrator Roger Ortiz and other election staff it appears that no criminal wrongdoing occurred.

“At this point there is no criminal investigation that would affect the voting or that would affect the Elections Department,” Villalobos said Wednesday.

Disciplined Texas doctors are on drug company payrolls

Jones is not alone. An investigation by the journalism website ProPublica, in conjunction with The Dallas Morning News, found that 46 physicians in Texas who have been disciplined by the state medical board have received more than $800,000 from pharmaceutical firms since 2009.

You're wondering about every doctor. I am too.

In all, ProPublica found that drug companies have made more than $19.5 million in payments to more than 1,100 Texas physicians since 2009 for promotion or consultation. Nationwide, ProPublica discovered more than 30,000 payments totaling nearly $282 million.

Is your doctor working for you or a drug company? Conflict of interest? No doubt. I'd call that bribery.

Who owns the water in Texas?

Do you trust a republican legislature to give a flip about the environment? Do you trust that republicans will not give your water to a corporate crony? Do you trust a republican to promote the public welfare? Who would. Who could.

The biggest water issue before the Legislature is likely to be balancing the long-term health of Texas' aquifers with property rights. The state has just completed an intensive planning process, established by the Legislature in 2005, in which local authorities decide how much they will allow their aquifers to be depleted in 50 years (the resultant numbers are called the "desired future conditions" of the aquifers). The Texas Water Development Board is processing these aquifer-depletion numbers and will soon send back to local authorities calculations on how much water per year they can draw down, given their 50-year outlooks.

But some groups are unhappy about the planning process and may well urge legislation amending it. In particular, water marketers — entities seeking to gather groundwater rights and sell water in bulk to thirsty municipalities — say their property rights have been abridged, because their potential use of the aquifers was not taken into account in the 50-year plans.

Annise Parker loses fight to appoint port official

Mayor Annise Parker Wednesday lost a pitched battle to appoint a local union leader to the Port of Houston Authority commission, angering some Latino activists by trying to replace Commissioner Janiece Longoria.

The hard-fought City Council vote, which went 9-6 in favor of Longoria, marks one of the most significant instances in which Parker was unable to bring council members around to her plans. After the matter was settled in her favor, Longoria called out the mayor directly, questioning why Parker had promised labor leaders an appointment on the Port Commission.

The Chronicle gets rather snarky with Parker

You knew this Texas legislature would have a birther bill

A state representative on Tuesday filed a bill that would require any candidate for president and vice president of the United States to show his or her birth certificate to the Texas Secretary of State, another indication of just how ambitious the conservative agenda for next year's session of the Texas Legislature is expected to be.

Leo Berman isn't a new jerk. He's an old jerk, but just like a lot of new ones the people of the US elected to office. Good luck with getting the people's business done.

Speaker candidate's disavow religious test

If you believe that headline, then my a** is made of green cheese and the tooth fairy will see you now.

Two Republicans seeking to win the Texas House speakership now held by state Rep. Joe Straus distanced themselves Wednesday from Straus critics who have brought religion into the race.

Like any one of them voted against the republican platform plank that declared Texas and the US a Christian state and nation.

Don't tell me republicans are sickened by this. I just can't believe it after the Willie Horton ads, the Swift boaters and the 2010 election ad cycle.

Conservative activist Peter Morrison has touted GOP Reps. Warren Chisum and Ken Paxton as "Christians and true conservatives."

Chisum, of Pampa, and Paxton, of McKinney, are challenging Straus.

Morrison, who publishes a conservative newsletter called "The Peter Morrison Report" from Lumberton, asked his subscribers to demand their state representatives vote for a conservative.

...

The House General Investigating and Ethics Committee is planning to look into Morrison's writings.

"We're fairly sure that he's violated some codes with his intimidation of elected officials," said Rep. Chuck Hopson, R-Jackson, chairman of the committee.

Give me a break. You're going after the guy's freedom of speech? They guy's a jerk, but he can say stupid things.  And, don't think for a minute Morrison is the only one touting a Christian leader.

Congratulations Nancy Pelosi and 150 Democrats in the US House

Glad you didn't let the republicans, the whining media or the Blue Dogs pick your leader. Pelosi is the best leader the Democrats have to offer. Reid or Obama? Not, so much.

republicans want American children to starve, if their parents are undocumented

The immigration committee of the Equal Voice for America’s Families group met at the offices of La Unión del Pueblo Entero in Mercedes on the very day another batch of immigrant-bashing bills was filed in Austin.

One the new bills would deny food stamps and other state benefits to American-born children whose parents are undocumented immigrants. Another would prevent undocumented immigrants from filing lawsuits in state courts. Another would deny birthright citizenship to those born in Texas to undocumented parents. The bills were filed by state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler.

Hey, you elect racists, you get racism. You elect fanatics, you get fanaticism.

Why does the US force children to work in the fields?

I know that the republicans want us to live like it's 1215, but children working in the field?

An estimated 400,000 children are currently employed in agriculture in the United States, according to the association, which advocates for migrants’ health and safety rights.

"Child labor law does not protect migrant seasonal workers, but it protects all other kids in all other industries," said Noemi Ochoa, the AFOP Texas state coordinator.

republicans won't help. They won't be happy until we have plantation owners, Boss Tweed and women behind locked doors in shirt factories.

Harris County Sheriff uses motorcycle cops for friends' funerals

The I-Team discovered that, on at least three occasions since June, Garcia instructed motorcycle deputies to conduct funeral escorts on taxpayers’ dime, but not for all taxpayers, only a select few chosen by the Sheriff himself.

The latest happened Sept. 15, when four deputies led a procession from a funeral home in southeast Houston to a cemetery on the city’s far north side, each spending two hours on the special assignment.

"What it is, frankly, it's an absolute waste of taxpayers’ money," said Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack.

Silence over Cameron County Judge's race recount makes everyone uneasy

On election night, republican incumbent Carlos Cascos was ahead by 77. The first recount announement said Cascos, but a missed tally sheet changed the results to Democrat John Wood by 5 votes. Nobody feels confident. It would help if the elections administrator would tell us what is happening.

[Elections Administrator Roger] Ortiz’s failure to address the issue led Wood supporters to hold a rally across the street from the elections office Tuesday afternoon seeking “justice.”

“We want an answer. We want justice,” the crowd chanted.

Ortiz was escorted out of the office by about a half-dozen Cameron County bailiffs. When asked if he had anything to say about the outcome of the election, he said he had no announcement. It is unknown who requested the security escort.

The Secretary of State’s Office has maintained that it’s a local race and local election officials need to address the problem with the vote count.

El Paso cedes to homophobic voters

The City Council voted 4-3 not to introduce an ordinance that would preserve health benefits for unmarried partners of city employees. But the council continues to consider a ballot initiative that might require restoration of the benefit.

For now, it means that on Jan. 1, 19 gay and unmarried partners of city employees -- as well as 200 others -- will lose health benefits, said city Rep. Steve Ortega.

Rick Perry yells state's rights while coal fired plants defile everybody's air

There's a reason for the EPA. There's a reason our government is charged with promoting the general welfare. Rick Perry and the republicans think that government is charged with promoting themselves and their cronies.

Coal-fired power plants in Texas are responsible for dozens of bad air days in neighboring states each year, according to a new analysis released by an environmental group Tuesday.

The study, produced by the Sierra Club, attributes as many as 64 days with harmful levels of smog in Oklahoma to Texas' coal plants. It also ties the plants to as many as 20 days of unhealthy air in Arkansas and up to 16 in Louisiana.

"The coal plants are a real problem — not just for Texas, but the entire region," said Jennifer Powis, a regional representative for the Sierra Club, which opposes the new push to build more coal-fired plants in Texas.

States rights my a**.

Your home insurance rate is twice what it should be

Thank the crony capitalist government that the republicans created. Give a special shout out to Rick Perry.

Texas homeowners paid the highest insurance premiums in the country, according to data released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Texans paid an average $1,460 a year for the most common homeowner policy sold nationwide, the association reported this week, based on data from 2008.

Florida ranked second, at $1,390. The national average was $791.

No way we should be paying more than Florida. Except for that crony capitalism thingy.

Bexar County JP at odds with Constable

Bexar County commissioners said Monday they're prepared to ask the Texas Rangers to probe allegations — including harassment and threats — lodged by a South Side justice of the peace against a constable.

The clashing officials are Precinct 1 Place 1 Justice of the Peace Monica Lisa Caballero and Precinct 1 Constable Ruben Tejeda.

Tejeda sounds like a real piece of work.

BP pollutes again

A shelter in place was issued Monday after a chemical leak at the BP Texas City Refinery created a stink, company officials said.

Houstonians drink tainted water

The City of Houston is one of the only major cities in Texas with radioactive elements, like uranium and radium, present in its drinking water, according to data provided by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and internal City of Houston e-mails.

The elements, which emit something known as alpha radiation, are not present in detectable amounts in Dallas, Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, San Antonio, or many other major cities in Texas.

Galveston beach restoration junked due to Texas Supreme Court

The “largest beach and dune restoration project undertaken in the state of Texas” was canceled Monday as a consequence of a recent Texas Supreme Court opinion.

The state halted its $40 million West End beach resanding project just as it was about to begin, fearful of legal repercussions if any of the sand were dumped on private property.

Too bad the government won't spruce up the rich peoples's new beach.

State declines to get involved in Cameron County race

The Texas Secretary of State has declined to weigh in on the recount in the Cameron County judge’s race stating it is a local issue.

Randall Dillard, with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, said county officials contacted the state office seeking direction on the election, but they were told since it is a local race they would have to address it.

Here's an oxymoron

'George W. Bush library will add intellectual dimension'

Stop snickering.

K-16 agency may kill Texas Higher Ed Coordinating Board

The justification, [state Rep. Fred Brown, R-Bryan,] says, is that the state needs to begin thinking of K-12 and college as part of the same pipeline instead of as two distinctly different worlds. His bill would merge the Coordinating Board with the Texas Education Agency to create a single state agency focused on preschool, college and everything in between. “There’s always been a real disconnect,” he says. “We need to be thinking about K-16. For the sake of our students, it just makes sense.“

DPS wants cameras to track your movements as you drive in Texas

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw recently asked state lawmakers to install license plate reader cameras on Texas roadways and to allow stationary roadblocks to stop motorists so DPS could see their driver’s licenses and proof of insurance.

McCraw wrapped these intrusive proposals in a generalized assertion of growing drug trafficking and violence during a state Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee meeting.

I'll bet this republican legislature jumps at the chance to be big brother at every opportunity.

Attorney, Tony Martinez announces for Mayor of Brownsville

Attorney and businessman Tony Martinez has announced his candidacy for mayor of Brownsville in the May 2011 election.

Concerned about untapped potential and missed opportunities to develop Brownsville, Martinez, a partner in the law firm of Martinez, Barrera and Martinez, said he offers a commitment to always place the interests of the city first.

“It’s about Brownsville,” Martinez said.

Wood ousts Cascos after recount

Cameron County has a Democratic County Judge.

Carlos Cascos stood his ground Sunday, disputing reports from Democratic Party officials that a review of the recount of Nov. 2 election returns showed him losing to John Wood by five votes for county judge instead of winning by 50 votes as the Cameron County Elections Department had reported Saturday night.

“I look forward to continuing my work for the people of Cameron County as their county judge,” Cascos, the Republican incumbent, wrote in a press release issued at noon Sunday.

Council of Governments hires foreign IT workers

The North Central Texas Council of Governments is responsible for helping area cities and counties calculate traffic and ridership figures for dozens of projects, including a proposed commuter rail line from southwest Fort Worth to Grapevine and Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

But a recent Texas Department of Transportation audit concluded that the council of governments should not be using federal transportation funds to pay fees and legal expenses for a handful of employees related to their immigration work status. The employees are from China, India and other countries, transportation director Michael Morris said.

The council of governments disagrees with the audit findings and intends to appeal, he said.

Couldn't you find US workers? Oh, yeah. You couldn't find Americans willing to do that kind of work. (For what you were willing to pay.)

Texas wants to give its 40% Medicaid contribution to private insurance companies

Because adding a layer of "for profit" bureaucracy will make delivering health care more efficient. Really. That's the argument.

Perry told Fox News that he thinks Texas could find a “private insurance solution” that would save the state and federal government $40 billion apiece over six years while covering more people.

Psst. The Federal government is NOT going to give you the 60% of the Medicaid funding they currently do, if you opt out.  That leaves you with 40% of the funding to create a new infrastructure.  Who's kidding who?  republicans want to get out of providing any support to the poor, the elderly and the disabled.  Get ready to take grandma out of the nursing home.

What about the loss of CHIP for children and Medicaid for poor women giving birth?

The state's nearly 500 hospitals have a big stake in the issue, with Medicaid covering more than half the births in Texas. Additionally, federal law requires hospitals to provide emergency room treatment to anyone who needs it, including the indigent. More than $7 billion in Medicaid payments went to hospitals last year, including $4.5 billion in federal money.

republicans pro life? My a** they are.  Words are cheap and so are they.

Charlie Gonzales goes for Hispanic Caucus leadership post

As Republicans prepare to take control of the House of Representatives, Rep. Charlie Gonzalez is running for chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to address concerns of the minority community in the next Congress.

Rich school districts gamed the system. Kept the money.

Until the state demanded that they pay up this year, dozens of wealthy Texas school districts had held on to more than $40 million in tax money that should have gone to poorer districts under the state's school finance law.

The Texas Education Agency discovered the delinquencies during an unprecedented review last summer. The review found that the Hallsville school district had gone more than a year without paying and accounted for about 20 percent of the delinquent funds, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

This republican legislature is more likely to kill public education than help.

The Dallas Morning News is in republican la la land with this headline

'In Texas Legislature, strides for GOP mean strides for women'

If by 'strides for women', you mean forced to keep your rapist's baby, then yes. If by 'strides for women', you mean restrictive divorce laws even if your husband is abusive, then yes. If by 'strides for women', you mean less medical care for you and your family, then yes. If by 'strides for women',you mean less of an opportunity to earn a living wage, then yes. If by 'strides for women',you mean that you and your family must breathe polluted air, drink bad water and eat tainted food, then yes.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is beginning to feel the holiday spirit as it brings you this weeks' blog roundup.

Off the Kuff discusses the issue of Latino turnout in the wake of last Tuesday's elections.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy takes in the landscape after the storm and presents a way forward for Texas Democrats. Left of College Station also begins the Texas Legislature Watch by looking at the bills that Representative Fred Brown has pre-filed. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.

Letters From Texas explained a fundamental truth to state Senator Dan Patrick: democracy is about more than two wolves and one sheep voting on what's for dinner.

Killing medicaid and CHIP along with Grandma and the kids will devastate the Texas economy. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders why the evil Heritage Foundation wants to hurt the Texas economy.

Mean Rachel wondered when the Democratic Party decided to become the I Can't Believe It's Not Republican Party.

Bay Area Houston says the GOP is giving poor Hispanic kids the bird.

Over at TexasKaos, libby shaw gives her take on "Fixing the Federal Deficit" or rather how NOT to do it while distracting a nation. Check it out : Fixing the Federal Deficit.

Neil at Texas Liberal says that where there is smoke you will not inherently find fire. Yet the smoke alone may be enough to do a great deal of damage.

This week at McBlogger, Captain Kroc takes a look at one of the newest members of the Texas Legislature.

Texas health care providers notice the republicans want to kill medicaid

That's not a popular idea among those who make their living taking care of the elderly and the poor. Too bad about them. And, their suppliers. And, their families. And, the other people with whom they do business.

Healthcare advocates, however, are preparing to resist moves to pull out of the state-federal insurance program, which covers 3.1 million indigent beneficiaries, including 2.3 million children. The total cost of Medicaid for fiscal 2011 is $24.7 billion, with the federal government paying $16.6 billion, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission says.

Did Galveston police chief obstruct investigation?

The former head of Galveston police internal affairs said on Friday that he was placed on administrative leave after he questioned an order to turn over or destroy records of his investigation of Chief Charles Wiley.

Sgt. Michael Gray said he was asked to surrender his police identification and escorted out of police headquarters Thursday after he repeatedly asked that the order by Capt. Jeff Heyse be placed in writing. Gray, 30, a 10-year veteran, said he had been ordered not to discuss his investigation of Wiley.

The rank and file police officers do not like Wiley. Will the Galveston County DA investigate?

Del Rio looks to protect groundwater

Councilman Mike Wrob asked for a discussion of creating a groundwater conservation district during Tuesday’s city council meeting.

“I hope we’re all in agreement that we need a groundwater conservation district . . . We just approved a $70,000 expenditure on our part, plus another $70,000 in state money on a creek study, and that won’t do us much good if the creek’s not there,” Wrob said at the start of the discussion. “Secondly, the (San Felipe) Springs supply the city with 100 percent of our water, so we need to protect the springs, and also, Laughlin gets all its water from us, from the springs, and so without the springs, we won’t have Laughlin, either.”

Kleberg Commisioner's race flips on recount

The third time was the charm for Chuck Schultz after a recount won him a spot on the Kleberg County Commissioners Court.

After the ballots were counted on Nov. 2, Schultz was down a vote to Democrat Joe Hinojosa. On Tuesday, Kleberg County’s five-member early ballot board threw out all the county’s provisional and military ballots, leaving the same margin — 616 for Hinojosa to 615 for Schultz.

Friday’s recount changed Schultz’s luck for the better — 618-615.

UT disowns TSC

Why?

UTB and TSC leaders say they do not know what the implications will be of the decision reached this week by the University of Texas System Board of Regents to terminate the partnership between the two institutions.

Many questions remain unanswered after the UT regents unanimously voted Wednesday to dissolve the relationship between the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

Ortiz to get his recount

I wondered if the state was going to jerk him around some more.

The Texas Secretary of State’s Office announced today that U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz’s request for a recount of ballots cast in the Nov. 2 general election has been approved.

Although it will be held next week, the date is presently unknown, agency spokeswoman Jordy Keith said.

Psst: Counting the electronic ballots 'manually' is just as silly as this sounds.

Dillard said recounting electronic ballots involves creating a printed copy of the results stored in the voting machine, then manually counting the printed results rather than relying on a computer tally.

So, if the voting machine is faulty, you can bet the printed results will be, too. Oh, for a voter verifiable paper trail. Too bad Ortiz ignored requests for that when he had a chance.

Rick Perry for president watch

What a joke. The best the gop has to offer is Rick Perry? Or, Sarah Palin?

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be tapped as the new chairman of the Republican Governors Association when the organization meets next week in San Diego, GOP sources tell POLITICO. Perry recently released a book taking aim at the federal government and both the subject of the tome, “Fed Up!,” and his promotion of it have fueled speculation that he is eyeing a presidential bid.

Politico, one of many republican propaganda rags, says this means Perry isn't running. I call bullsh*t.

Can Texas legally drop Medicaid?

On Bones last night they found and identified a shipment of slaves.  On one hand I thought this is where we were in the US not that long ago.  On the other hand I thought, that's where the corporate republicans are leading us.  Debt.  Poor and unsafe working conditions.  Low wages and disappearing benefits.  Dehumanizing people of color.

Here's a republican shout out to the poor.

A week after newly emboldened Republicans in the Legislature floated a radical cost-saving proposal — opting out of the federal Medicaid program — health care experts, economists and think tanks are trying to determine just how serious they are and if it would even be possible.

The answer? It's complicated. But that's not stopping some conservative lawmakers in nearly a dozen other states, frantic over budget shortfalls and anticipating new costs from the federal health care overhaul, from exploring something that was, until recently, unthinkable.

...

Jobless parents in Texas only qualify for Medicaid if their income is below 12 percent of poverty ($22,050 for a family of four), and working parents only qualify if their income is below 26 percent of poverty. Gov. Rick Perry “understands the frustrations of legislators as they deal with a program that consumes 20 percent of the state budget,” says Katherine Cesinger, his spokeswoman. “Their options are severely limited by a federal government that continues to tie their hands when it comes to administering Medicaid.”

republicans would like nothing better than to stick it to the poor.  Warren Chisum, probably the next speaker of the house can't wait.

“If people are in superbad poverty, that’s one thing,” says state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, the state’s most vocal supporter of dropping out of Medicaid and a candidate for speaker of the House. “It breaks my heart when there’s someone who smokes, and who stays drunk half the time, and we’re supposed to provide their health care."

Sure, every poor person is a smoking drunk.

Warren Chisum has some competition

House Speaker Joe Straus on Thursday drew a second challenger as North Texas Rep. Ken Paxton jumped into the race for House leader.

Paxton, a McKinney Republican with strong ties to the Tea Party, said he would lead the 150-member House in a more conservative direction and outlined an agenda that includes property tax reduction, immigration and legislation requiring voters to show a photo ID in order to vote.

Yippee. Paxton is a charter member of the Stonebriar Community church.

A big thank you to today's veterans

You gave us sacrifices we can't begin to understand.  Thank you.

TCEQ lied about your drinking water

Hey, the TCEQ doesn't care about you.  No news there.

For more than 20 years, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality under-reported the amount of radiation found in drinking water provided by communities all across Texas. As a result, health risks to people consuming the water have been underestimated in many water systems where radioactive contaminants are present.

The TCEQ regulates water systems for compliance with federal safe-water drinking regulations. However, KHOU has learned the state regulating agency consistently took radiation readings it received from the water testing lab run by the Department of State Health Services and lowered the “official” radiation readings reported by the independent lab. The TCEQ would do this by subtracting off the margin of error for all radiation readings it would receive. The subtractions helped some utilities avoid radiation violations that could have forced them to clean up their water decades ago.

State makes Solomon Ortiz Sr. go through hoops to get recount

U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, must amend his request for a recount of the Nov. 2 general election because the original filing does not comply with the state Election Code.

Ortiz’s spokesman said Wednesday afternoon that the campaign was already in the process of amending the request and putting up $23,500 to pay for the recount.

Texas gives EPA the finger. Again.

Oh, yeah. Rick Perry is running for president under the batsh*t crazy label.

Texas officials said Wednesday that they would refuse to implement a program that regulates the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions, despite new federal rules that give wide leeway to states to implement the program.

The latest schism between the Environmental Protection Agency and Texas means the federal agency is almost certain to issue the permits for Texas businesses when the rules take effect Jan. 2. The EPA has previously stripped Texas' authority to issue permits under a separate air program, saying the state didn't comply with the Clean Air Act.

Too bad about the companies just looking to get a permit and winding up in the middle of a dog fight.

New HISD athletic director gets Title IX complaint

High school girls don't have sufficient opportunities to participate in sports in the Houston Independent School District, one of 12 districts across the country where a significant gap exists, a nonprofit women's advocacy group argues in a complaint filed on Wednesday.

The National Women's Law Center says HISD and the other districts violate Title IX, a federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in any educational program or activity.

"I was surprised to hear about the complaint, but if we aren't in compliance we will get in compliance and that is all there is to it," said Marmion Dambrino, HISD's athletic director.

Like that attitude.

Straus waking up to the facts

Straus isn't batsh*t crazy. That fact alone is enough to disqualify him as leader of the Texas House. Straus is a republican, no doubt, but he's no Tom Craddick. republicans want them another far out whack job. Say hello to Warren Chisum.

This afternoon's fast-moving speaker's race back-and-forth hasn't let up yet. House Speaker Joe Straus has sent a letter to challenger state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, directly taking on Chisum's earlier call for Straus to release House members from their pledges to support him.

Ouch.

The Texas House speaker race took a nasty twist Wednesday when an East Texas lawmaker withdrew his support for chamber leader Joe Straus and a conservative group urging all representatives to replace the San Antonio Republican with a more conservative member added 1,750 signatures to its original list of 46.

Psst. Warren Chisum isn't dividing republicans. Insanity versus the last trace of rationality is.

OSHA fines San Antonio company $53K

Somebody didn't have to die first. Litho Press Inc. racked up 19 violations including risks for amputations.

More public corruption woes in El Paso

United States Attorney John E. Murphy and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge David Cuthbertson announced Tuesday afternoon that a federal grand jury has indicted 62-year­-old New York businessman Joseph O'Hara and 55-year-old former El Paso Independent School District Associate Superintendent Tomas Gabaldon in connection with the El Paso corruption investigation.

The indictment, returned last week and unsealed on Monday, charges the defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and deprivation of honest services; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and deprivation of honest services; and, one count of mail fraud.

El Paso lauded for immigrant integration

El Paso is one of the top 20 cities in the United States for integrating immigrants into local communities, according to a recent National League of Cities report.

Police Chief Greg Allen viewed the report as good news for the city.

What will happen when the batsh*t crazy republicans go all racist in the Texas Legislature? Will the rest of the world begin a Texas boycott like Arizona has? Will people leave Texas like they did Arizona? I'm thinking next year will tell a different tale.

City challenges vote against domestic partner benefits

Good for you, El Paso.

The City Council on Tuesday moved to preserve health insurance benefits for gay and unmarried partners of city employees only a week after the public voted to end them.

The election came at a cost of $131,000 to taxpayers.

Council members will decide next week on whether to reverse the outcome of last week's election, a power that City Attorney Charlie McNabb says they have.

The council also will place a charter amendment on the May ballot banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, age, religion or race.

George Bush is still reveling in his entitlement

This article almost made me lose some morning coffee. 'George W. Bush says he forgives Kanye West'

Will George Bush forgive me for saying today that he doesn't give a rat's a** about black people or poor people?  Katrina just highlighted that fact. If Bush had cared one iota, he would have been prepared for the worst BEFORE Katrina hit. Bill Clinton would have been.

What a sense of entitlement that man has!

Recount for Cameron County judge on track

Provisional votes from the Nov. 2 general election counted Tuesday by the Cameron County ballot board narrowed by three votes the margin between County Judge Carlos Cascos and John Wood in the county judge’s race.

As it stands now, Cascos has 20,629 votes to Wood’s 20,552 – a winning margin of 77 votes instead of the 80 announced on election night.

Head of government panel says BP took no safety shortcuts

Looking at BP's safety record in Texas, I've got to say 'whaaa?'  Makes me wonder who bought off whom.  I'm just saying, when somebody pisses on your leg, you don't have to believe it when they say it's raining.

The lead investigator for the presidential panel delving into the BP oil spill said Monday that he had found no evidence that anyone involved in drilling the doomed well had taken safety shortcuts to save money.

Fred Bartlit, a prominent trial lawyer hired to lead the panel's inquiry, disputed the findings of other investigators, including plaintiffs' lawyers and members of Congress , who have charged that BP and its main partners, Transocean and Halliburton, had cut corners to speed completion of the well, which cost $1.5 million a day to drill.

Vince gives you a taste of upcoming legislation in Texas

Yes, it is crazy.  My pick of this litter of bad bills is from a Democrat.  Carlos Uresti gets all 'tort reform' on commercial space flights.  Skip arbitration and go right to 'if you're harmed in any way, nanny nanny boo boo on you'.

It's time to get rid of entitlements

Oh, no. I'm not talking about Social Security, Medicare or Veterans' benefits. Those 'entitlements' were earned by honest hard work and sacrifice. Those 'entitlements' are deferred compensation. I'm talking about 'entitlements' that are not deserved, nor earned in anyway.

George Bush is a textbook study in entitlements gone wrong. All of his life he used his family's position. His stint with the Texas National Guard where he jumped line and skipped service. His flirting with businesses where he used connections to salvage his abysmal failures. His fling as the 'decider' brought us untold disasters along with the ones we are all too familiar. 9/11, anthrax, Katrina, a lax FDA and OSHA, Iraq and troops with out proper equipment sent to die in Afghanistan and yet Bush brags about keeping America safe. What?

Tom DeLay on trail for money laundering claimed he was the law.

Susan Pamerleau, 'who the heck is she?', ran against long time incumbent Tommy Atkinson for Bexar County commissioner.  Susan is a retired Air Force general with a big fat head.

There was “Susan” in large, white lettering over a sky-blue background. But passers-by have to squint to see her full name or the office that she's seeking — Commissioners Court Precinct 4.

What about the banks and Wall Street types who were too large to fail, failed and rewarded themselves with big bonuses?

Now we have a DA who refuses to appropriately indict a hit and run driver, because of who he is ignoring what he has done.

Colorado District Attorney Mark Hurlbert has dropped felony charges against Martin Joel Erzinger, a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney wealth manager who controls $1 billion in investments, because financial rules would require Erzinger to notify his clients that he was charged with a felony, and this would have "serious job implications" for the financier. Erzinger is facing charges for allegedly rear-ending cyclist Dr. Steven Milo, and then leaving the scene of the crime. Milo, a liver transplant surgeon, has spinal and brain injuries, disfiguring scars, and will likely be in pain for the rest of his life.

Yesterday, a friend of mine told me about an incident that happened to him while he was in the Army as an enlisted man. Tiring of MREs, he was delighted to be invited to an event where steak dinners were provided. When he and his enlisted buddies arrived, they were told to prepare and serve the steaks for the officers. None of them were allowed to eat. Half of the officers refused to eat in protest.  My friend's story is a great example of entitlement trumping leadership.  A true leader takes care of the troops first.

Where are our leaders in Washington?  Certainly, none are republicans.

Judge found guilty of keying neighbor's car lies about it

Former State District Judge Woody Densen pled guilty to keying his neighbor's car in a court of law.  Now, Densen is telling State Commission on Judicial Conduct he lied in court.  Which tale is a lie?  Does it matter to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct?  If he lied in court, isn't that an offense that should get him disbarred?  If he lied to the Commission, shouldn't that get him disbarred?

The Commission did not suspend the Judge, but gave him a “public warning.

THEY GAVE HIM A PUBLIC WARNING? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Sorry for the shouting. This is Texas and there is no justice in Texas.

Galveston Police Chief fights citizen review board

Chief Wiley is famous for fighting with the police in his department. They don't think much of him. Turns out the pugnacious chief worked to get the head of the citizens' review board fired. What a guy. The Galveston County Daily News obtained emails from the chief to a city council member.

The message said of [Civilian Review Board Chairwoman Julia] Hatcher: “Her anti-police bias is obvious in every single meeting. She was elected by the other members as chair before they determined she was biased against the police. She has never ruled in favor of an officer in about a dozen or so cases and is always dissatisfied with the police department internal affairs investigation.”

It continued: “Every meeting is contentious either with staff and/or other members of the CRB. I’d be glad to discuss it with you in person over time but please begin to consider what we might do differently as it relates to this appointee. We really have no difficulties with any of the other appointees.”

Recount for Cameron County judge

A manual recount of the Election Day votes in the county judge’s race requested by candidate John Wood will be held at the end of the week.

Wood, the Democratic candidate for county judge, lost last week’s race by just 80 votes to incumbent Carlos H. Cascos and asked that a recount be held Friday, said Election’s Administrator Roger Ortiz on Monday. The recount will be held one day after the votes are canvassed.

Sharon Keller skates, yet again

A special court of review on Monday declined to reconsider a decision to void an ethics rebuke given to Sharon Keller for her role in a botched execution-day appeal, apparently ending the case against Texas' top criminal judge.

This is Texas. There is no justice here.

Kid dies at Houston treatment center while under restraints in a closet

An emotionally troubled 16-year-old living in a Manvel residential treatment center died after a restraint was applied in a closet by a staffer — just four days after the home was placed on probation by the state, The Texas Tribune and the Houston Chronicle have learned.

Michael Keith Owens’ death on Friday night occurred after a Daystar Residential Inc. staff worker tried to physically restrain him. The teen, who had been in state foster care since 2008, fell unconscious, and staff summoned the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office for help.

By the time Owens arrived at Memorial Hermann in Houston, about 25 miles away, he was dead. The initial cause of death appears to be asphyxiation.

Don't expect any better for our troubled kids with this new bunch in the Texas Legislature.

Will Hispanic bashing trump gay and reproductive rights?

The Hispanic bashing is getting all of the ink, but I don't doubt that the new Texas Legislature has a lot of evil work in the wings.

But [Rep. Ryan Guillen 's, D-Rio Grande City] bills will numerically come after those of state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, who camped outside the office for two nights before filing measures that make it a violation of state law for illegal immigrants to be in Texas, requires school districts to report the number of illegal immigrants enrolled and stipulates that voters must provide proof of eligibility at the polls.

Crazy Debbie is the new norm in the Texas Legislature and the US House.

Texas: A polluter's best friend

In the seven years since the state auditor issued a report highly critical of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, little has changed.

The agency's coziness with industry and its reliance on weak penalties continue unabated, abetted by state lawmakers. And its laissez-faire regulatory style has led to an unprecedented threat by the Environmental Protection Agency to take over the state's permitting of industries that pollute the air.

Everything is wonderful inside the demented head of a republican.

Here's a headline to make you pound your head into the table

'Texas stands alone in stubborn refusal to clear air'

Are we the dumbest state in the union? If we're not yet, will soon will set the all time record.

While everyone from the U.S. Supreme Court to EPA scientists has agreed that greenhouse gases are a pollutant, Texas stands firm – and, in this scenario, alone – in disputing that fact. While the EPA warns that these emissions can pose a danger to human health, Texas is content to be the King of Carbon, spewing more of the stuff than any other state.

republicans have a belief system that does not recognize even the concept of 'facts'. Perry is catering to these batsh*t crazies and staging a run in with the EPA. No doubt Perry is running for president or vp in 2012.

MALC adds 5 republicans

For now, MALC is composed of only Democrats — there are currently no Hispanic Republicans in the House. But [Larry] Gonzales says he is “absolutely” going to join and is looking forward to his fellow GOP freshmen following suit. He hopes his opinions about issues affecting Latinos could signal a change in the way MALC members come together. “Why is there such an attempt to have just one opinion? We don’t have one opinion, because the Latino opinion is very diverse,” he says.

During the 81st Legislature, MALC put forth a united front in opposition to one of the session’s most divisive issues: voter ID. Though some members were more vocal than others, the caucus as a whole participated in the “chubbing” that successfully killed the bill on the House floor.

Assuming that all Hispanics will lock arms this session would be a mistake, Gonzales says.

I guess, a republican will vote for an Hispanic if the Hispanic is on the ballot as a republican in the general. That's good to know.

Hispanic Republican candidates scored record gains at all levels of government in Tuesday's elections, significantly advancing their party's longtime goal to widen its reach within the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority group.

The victories were particularly evident in Texas. Businessman Bill Flores ousted veteran congressional Democrat Chet Edwards of Waco, and Republican Hispanics broke a partisan barrier to win at least four seats in the state Legislature. In Tarrant County, political newcomer Mary Louise Garcia won election as county clerk, joining two other Hispanic Republicans who hold countywide offices.

republicans want the poor dying in the streets

Some Republican lawmakers — still reveling in Tuesday’s statewide election sweep — are proposing an unprecedented solution to the state’s estimated $25 billion budget shortfall: dropping out of the federal Medicaid program.

...

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, estimates Texas could save $60 billion between 2013 and 2019 by opting out of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, dropping coverage for acute care but continuing to fund long-term care services. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which has 3.6 million children, people with disabilities and impoverished Texans enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, will release its own study on the effect of ending the state’s participation in the federal match program at some point between now and January.

How much money will it cost the state to clean up the bodies?  Will these bodies cause a health risk to the affluent or just the working poor?

Psst: Medicaid dollars pumped into the Texas economy are multiplier dollars. CHIP dollars are, too. Why gut punch the Texas economy? Why gut punch Texas health care providers?

Removing Medicaid and CHIP means that the county heath districts are left holding the bag without an influx of Federal dollars to help out. The counties' only alternative is to let the poor die in the streets.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance remains committed to moving forward as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is still reeling from the republican blowout. Say goodbye to your Social Security and hello to Warren Chisum in your bedroom.

Off the Kuff starts to discuss a way forward from this election.

There was some good, some bad, and some ugly in last Tuesday's election returns. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the deets.

After Tuesday's Demageddon, Mean Rachel offers some advice as to what political candidates should do with their social media accounts after losing an election.

Len Hart at BlueBloggin has a few words on Election Postmortem: A Picture of Dorian Gray It is said that insanity is repeating a failed strategy in the expectation of one day getting a different result. Because that never happens, the nation is nuts! Just enough people always vote against their own interests to guarantee that wealth will continue to ‘trickle up’...

Andy Wilson over at Public Citizen's TexasVox wants to point out that members of Congress who lost their re-election in Texas all had one thing in common: Opposition to climate change legislation.

TXsharon who blogs at Bluedaze recently flew to EPA headquarters in North Carolina to present four case studies of health impacts caused by natural gas extraction in the Barnett Shale. She met with the top rule makers in the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards who are working on new rules for the oil and gas industry. They said it was "incredibly strong evidence."

A day after the election, Letters From Texas identified dark clouds on the horizon for victorious Republicans. Later in the week, he detailed the first cloud up to bat: the state budget.

Lightseeker, over at TexasKaos tries to figure out where we are and where we go next, after the mid-terms. Check it out.

While things were rough at the ballot box in the northern hemisphere, in Brazil the political left won a third consecutive national victory. Even on the darkest days, there is always progress being made someplace in the world.

After a campaign-work related hiatus, Capitol Annex returns to active blogging with a new look, a new logo, and this post addressing the growth of food service jobs in Texas and why the growth of low wage jobs sill eventually cause the Texas economy to grind to a halt.