Texas republicans fight EPA in court

Texas took another swing Thursday at the EPA, asking a federal appeals court to block the agency from seizing the state's authority to regulate the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

The latest legal move comes three days before new nationwide regulations for emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases take effect. Texas is the only state to refuse to implement the rules.

The Texas petition to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of abusing its powers by taking control of the permitting program without proper public notice. The EPA made the unilateral move Dec. 23.

Temporary halt to dumping radioactive waste in Texas

A Texas judge ordered a temporary halt Thursday to a proposal that could allow three dozen states to dump their radioactive waste in far West Texas, a ruling that sided with environmentalists and caught the state attorney general's office off guard.

State District Judge Jon Wisser issued a temporary restraining order against the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission, which is scheduled to vote Jan. 4 on rules that could expand how much waste could be processed at a dump in remote Andrews County.

The injunction was issued in the judge's courtroom late Thursday morning, shortly after environmentalists filed the request, with nobody there representing the commission. A few minutes later, shocked lawyers from the Texas Attorney General's Office - which hadn't been officially notified of the pending court action - showed up and persuaded the judge to order a new hearing on the injunction.

Rick Perry gives $4.5M in taxpayer dollars to his buddy

Cause that's how republicans roll.

Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday announced a $4.5 million investment of taxpayer dollars in a friend's company more than two months after the award became a campaign issue.

Perry acknowledged the investment in Convergen LifeSciences Inc., a company that is led by David Nance, an Austin entrepreneur . Nance has donated money to Perry's campaigns, and the governor has appointed him to state advisory boards.

The grant is the second-largest awarded to an individual company from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, managed by the governor's office. The state gave Convergen half the money on Aug. 13, the day the contract was signed, after Convergen either ignored or sidestepped lower reviewing panels.

Crony is as crony does.

Have republicans legislators declare Texas a sovereign state

Several Texas Republicans have filed legislation aimed at reaffirming states’ rights and providing a constitutional mechanism to annul federal laws and regulations. The calls for amending the U.S. Constitution go a step beyond the ‘sovereignty’ resolutions pushed for in 2009.

Hey, guys, legal slavery is almost here already. Corporations run you and America.

Will only republicans be allowed to vote for the the next speaker?

Warren Chisum wants only republicans to vote for the next speaker of the house. That way, any republicans who want to vote for Joe Straus are marginalized and later forced to vote for Chisum on the house floor.

The meeting, which Chisum wanted on Jan. 5, will be held the day before the 82nd Legislature convenes so that the Republican supermajority in the 150-member chamber can choose a speaker candidate from among its members.

republicans have no respect for democracy. Really, they don't.

TCEQ gives ok to coal plant for West Texas

What can the EPA do about this?

A proposed $2.2 billion "clean coal" plant in West Texas has leapt a major regulatory hurdle, receiving approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for an air-quality permit.

Texa A & M embarrassed over stifling student journalists

As well they should be.

Texas A&M University officials will take a second look at a controversial decision widely seen as an attempt to prevent student journalists at Tarleton State University from investigating their own school's public records.

republicans want class sizes of 6 zillion or more

Whatever it takes to kill public education and p*ss off the teachers unions.

While some national studies have been focused on the advantages of smaller classes, there is no recent research on how effective Texas' 22-student limit is in promoting academic success.

In 2000, a study by the Rand Corp. praised Texas for its progress with elementary school children, citing smaller classes as a key factor in improved scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

"States at the top of the heap generally have lower pupil-teacher ratios in lower grades," said the study, noting that Texas children outscored their counterparts in California largely because of smaller classes.

Psst. Class size hasn't been a problem for Texas schools.

Another day, another screwed up La Marque city council meeting

The city council, for the fourth straight time, was unable to meet because of lack of a quorum.

Councilwoman Connie Trube remained steadfast to her promise of avoiding council meetings if Mayor Geraldine Sam continues to push agenda items calling for the firings of the city manager and city attorney and rescinding a decision to make Police Chief Randall Aragon the public safety director.

See previous posts.

Harris County republican indicted for bribery

Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole has four new indictments for bribery to hang in his office.

Rice University political science chairman Mark Jones attributed some of the corruption that has tainted local politics to the "freewheeling culture" that pervades the city and state. There is such interaction between businessmen and politicians, he said, that it does not seem strange when an elected official is treated to dinner or lunch.

"Then golf," Jones said. "Then a luxury suite at the game. Then paying off a mortgage. ... It's a slippery slope."

That 'free wheeling culture' is foundation of republican ideology. That coziness with cronies is no accident.

Does Hutchison's position on net neutrality mean she has a job offer for 2012?

Being against net neutrality is like being against democracy. Sure, Kay Bailey is a republican, so who can expect her to be for the people. But, still. I smell a payoff.

While Internet activists and community groups decry the recently adopted net neutrality rules as weak and not protective enough, some U.S. lawmakers are standing on the opposite end, clamoring against the Federal Communications Commission for rules they see as overly stringent.

Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, ranking member on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, plans to introduce a resolution of disapproval alongside Sen. John Ensign of Nevada to halt the new rules. If passed, the resolution could prevent the current rules from taking place and impede the FCC from adopting any similar rules with statutory authority in the future.

republicans in Hidalgo proud they got them an Hispanic

Judging by the enthusiasm of the audience at a GOP event in McAllen last Thursday evening, state Rep. Aaron Peña’s switch in party allegiance is proving very popular with Hidalgo County Republicans.

Peña's obviously running for one of the new congressional districts. Do the people of Hidalgo County want to vote for a selfish a**, i.e a republican?

They're still building that d*mn fence

I wonder what hate-filled presents the new republican congress and the new republican Texas legislature will offer us this coming year.

Now employees with the construction company, Kiewit, are extending the U.S.-Mexico border fence, finishing up the one mile in Brownsville needed to complete the 34 miles slated for Cameron County. The iron bars stretch along Military Highway and block the view of the river from Hope Park, a green space created off Levee Street to commemorate ties between the United States and Mexico.

Texas, which was allocated about 115 miles of fencing, is the last state to see the initiative completed, according to the Department of Homeland Security. About 1.3 miles of the fence are still to be constructed in El Paso and Del Rio — another 0.2 miles of fencing devised to prevent vehicles from crossing the border were planned for and already created along the state’s southern border.

Most hate crime is directed towards gays

The religious right campaign against domestic partner benefits in El Paso just swirls up the easily ignited bullies. That's how the batsh*t crazy religious roll

.A man allegedly beaten up by men who told him they didn't want gays in their Lower Valley neighborhood is one of three hate crimes reported to police this year.

Though the number of hate crimes in El Paso is less than in similar-sized cities, El Paso mirrors a national analysis that found gays are more likely to be the victims of violent hate crimes than other minorities.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes Santa Claus was good to you as it delivers the last blog roundup for 2010.

Bay Area Houston notices that Death Panels are starting in Jan.

Off the Kuff took a look at the election contest that was filed in HD48.

Harold at Letters From Texas told a little Christmas story from his childhood, to (unsuccessfully) prove that he's not a scrooge.

It seems the EPA and Big Gas agree on something: Hydraulic fracturing causes gas to penetrate into the water zone! TXsharon caught Big Gas shooting themselves in the foot and exposed it on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

If you want a lighter take on Texas's 4 new Congressional seats announced by the Census this week that includes calls for reform on how we do redistricting in Texas and Lord of the Rings references, head over to TexasVox.

WhosPlayin has mostly been quiet over the holiday, but is following how one gas driller, Titan Operating has legal battles going on in two adjacent cities: Flower Mound, and Lewisville.

republicans are all Mr. Potter

I'm watching It's a Wonderful Life.  republicans are mouthing the words that Mr. Potter said in 1946.  No difference.  Except then, Mr. Potter wasn't a hero.

El Paso benefits fight goes to Federal court

The City of El Paso has moved the lawsuit titled Ronald G. Martin, Jr., et. al. vs. The City of El Paso, Texas; Cause No. 2010-4936, from the State Court to Federal Court.

U.S. District Court Judge Frank Montalvo has extended the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from December 29, 2010 to January 13, 2011 at 9:00 a.m., when a preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled to take place.

Due to the TRO, the City of El Paso has advised those employees/retirees who previously received letters cancelling their coverage because of the ordinance that they will not see a benefit change at this time. The City will continue to keep them informed concerning this litigation and what impact it has on their benefits.

At El Paso City Council's meeting this past Tuesday, City Council skipped a compromise in the battle for benefits of domestic partners, because of a judge's restraining order, paving the way for the lawsuit against the city by some slated to lose their health insurance.

It's ok for Texas republicans to put campaign cash into their pockets

Just so long as you double bill the state for what you already paid for out of campaign cash. Who gets screwed? The taxpayers, the campaign donors or both? I say both. Not to mention the fact that the public gets an ethically challenged legislator.

State prosecutors have cleared Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, of any wrongdoing in the way he gets paid for state travel.

A California-based ethics watchdog filed a complaint last month regarding more than 100 travel expenses that Taylor covered from his campaign account — while also getting reimbursed by the state for the same expenses.

Taylor said he repaid his campaign account, but lawmakers are not required to report those repayments. He said he favors mandatory disclosure to avoid appearances of double-billing.

Appearances of double-billing. That's cute.  When were the repayments made?  Before or after the public scrutiny?  Even if you paid back the expenses to your campaign account, why did you bill that account at all?  Why not just bill the state, if you wanted the taxpayers to ultimately foot the bill?  Still stinky business.

The EPA says it will do what Texas refuses

The feud between Texas and the Environmental Protection Agency reached a new level this week, with federal officials saying that they will take over the granting of permits for new power plants and refineries in the state because Texas refuses to regulate its emissions of greenhouse gases.

Please, please EPA do what is right for the welfare of the people, not the welfare of cronies like Texas republicans do.

Ah, the gun lobby is so batsh*t crazy

With the religious extremists and the second amendment remedies folks, no wonder the Fox news crowd is so batsh*t crazy. How did we get to this place?

The federal government wants to curb violence on the U.S.-Mexico border by requiring Texas gun dealers to inform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when they sell two or more “long rifles,” including military-style assault rifles like the AK-47.

As soon as next month, gun sellers with a federal firearms license in Texas could be required to furnish letters to ATF chronicling the sale of two or more semi-automatic rifles to one person within a five-day period. The policy covers guns with a caliber greater than .22 and a detachable magazine clip, including the AR-15 and AK-47s, which ATF says are increasingly being used in border crimes.

Why is it ok to purchase machine guns?

Former Hidalgo Sheriff's deputy now in trouble with the feds

A former Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputy faces federal drug charges for allegedly scheming to steal and sell pot bundles while on the job.

FBI agents alongside Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies arrested Omar Salazar, a former burglary investigator, at his Peñitas home on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s arrest comes as part of a concurrent federal investigation on charges Salazar and his former partner, Herbierto Diaz, already face in state district court.

The potential to corrupt our government officials is too high. Legalize drugs now. Take away the profit motive.

Should America have safe drinking water even if it effects company profits?

Usually the answer to that question is ...  well usually that question never even gets asks.  Just drink your water and shut up about it.  31 US cities have chromium 6 in their drinking water.  Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein have asked the EPA to do something about that.  Obama's EPA has been looking a lot like a George Bush agency.  Maybe the Senators from California will wake the EPA up.

Check the map here to see how your city stacks up.

Judge in Willingham case gets booted out of review

Judge Charlie Baird abused his discretion when he did not recuse himself from considering a motion that challenged his authority to conduct a court of inquiry to examine whether Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted and executed, according to a ruling issued today by the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin.

Will the people of Texas get a fair review of the Willingham trail?  This is Texas where justice is usually reserved for cronies.

The media says if you move to Texas or you're born here, you must be a republican

Yes, that's what 'common wisdom' sounds like on your TV. Too bad all the new comers are Yankees and most of the new borns are Hispanic.

Torrid growth over the last decade has earned Texas four additional seats in Congress – the state's biggest leap in a century, signaling growing political clout for both Hispanics and Republicans.

Figures released Tuesday from the 2010 census show almost 4.3 million new Texas residents since 2000 – a 20.6 percent growth rate that pushed the state's official population to 25,145,561. No other state came close to that increase.

"Texas has changed drastically," said Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio , the incoming chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Texas grew more than twice as fast as the nation, thanks largely to a surge among Hispanics. The U.S. population now stands at 308,745,538, up just 9.7 percent over the last decade – the slowest growth rate since the Great Depression.

More evidence that Obama is as bad as George Bush

But new data shows that EPA enforcement of existing regulations under the Obama administration has fallen by several key measures. In Texas, the amount of pollution that companies agreed to reduce – as a result of enforcement cases – fell 74 percent in 2009-10 from 2007-08. Nationwide, it fell 57 percent.

Furthermore, the amount that polluters agreed to spend nationwide to upgrade controls and cleanup fell to $17.4 billion in 2009-10, from $22.3 billion in 2007-08. In Texas, the amount increased, from $742 million to $823 million.

Is Obama actually worse? How can we have back-to-back presidential disasters?

Civil rights groups take action against batsh*t crazy Texas State Board of Education

"We know that the [Texas Education Agency] has been failing our communality miserably, African-Americans and Hispanics," said [former LULAC National Director Hector] Flores. "We know that in Texas there are many dropout factories even here in our own community."

Standing with him were other LULAC officials, as well as local officials of the NAACP.

The groups singled out curriculum changes made this spring by the State Board of Education, which applied new standards for social studies courses taught in Texas schools that reflect a more conservative tone than in the past.

It's TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is tracking reports of sugar plum sightings as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff reminds you that expanded gambling is still doomed in the next Legislative session.

The EPA Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order to Protect Drinking Water in Southern Parker County has spawned a media frenzy but news sources only tell part of the story. TXsharon has a short timeline of events surrounding the water contamination that should change the conversation.

Led by the so-called "professional left", Texas Democrats locked Aaron Pena in the virtual town square stocks and hurled rotten tomatoes at him until he cried. "Call Out Aaron" Day was the social media hit of the holiday season, by all accounts (except Pena's). See PDiddie and Brains and Eggs for details.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know how deluded you have to be to pick Dick Armey as Texan of the Year.

Neil at Texas Liberal ran the Dan Patrick family Christmas sugar cookie recipe that Mr. Patrick posted on Facebook. In addition, far-right Senator Patrick announced an update on the Tea Party caucus in the Texas Legislature. After you eat enough of the Patrick cookies loaded with butter and sugar, you can go and die because the Tea Party Caucus made sure you had no health insurance.

Mean Rachel got really pissed off at Aaron Pena.

TexasVox went absolutely crazy covering the Sunset hearings on the TCEQ and Railroad Commission this last week, and if you missed it, you can get caught up here.

Pediatrician disciplined for inappropriately touching patients continues practice

How can that be, you ask? Simple. republicans do not give a rat's a** about you or your children.

The agreement and resulting order resolve a complaint that the staff of the medical board filed against [Brownsville pediatrician Dr. Raul Ernesto] Loaisiga earlier this year at the State Office of Administrative Hearings, alleging that he touched three female patients inappropriately while examining them. The patients were 11, 16 and 23 years of age.

Taking money away from schools to fatten business profits

Texas is overpaying to lure major economic development projects, particularly wind farms, under a state law that allows school districts to grant tax breaks to recruit capital-intensive industries, a new study by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs concludes.

Granting school property tax breaks has helped Texas attract a number of manufacturing plants with significant employment, Combs wrote, but the program "has increasingly been used to over-incentivize projects that create few or no jobs."

Almost two-thirds of the 98 projects that have won the tax breaks are wind farms.

The tax breaks awarded to 63 wind farms averaged almost $1.6 million per job, compared with $166,188 for manufacturing projects and $51,249 for research and development, according to the report.

Cronyism in charter schools. Who could have guessed?

Anybody who was paying the least bit of attention.

A Dallas Morning News review of public records and databases found nepotism in charter schools across Texas, along with many administrators earning six-figure salaries to run charter schools with only a few hundred or a couple of thousand students. For instance:

•Sherwin Allen's family, including two brothers, his wife and their two children, earned nearly $700,000 last year working for Children First Academy campuses in Dallas and Houston, according to Texas Education Agency records. The campuses enrolled a total of 750 students.

Do teaching hospitals suck?

This harm occurs in an insular, largely self-regulated industry that relies on the cheap labor of medical residents and argues that secrecy is the best way to ensure safety. Many of the victims are among the most vulnerable patients – the poor and uninsured, those rushed to emergency rooms or lying unconscious in surgery.

It's difficult to measure the national scope of patient harm in teaching hospitals because publicly released data often shield hospitals' identities. There are no federal safety regulations governing the supervision of medical residents, so the government doesn't track the problem. And the medical lobby has repeatedly fought off attempts to legislate limits on doctor training.

With Texas 'tort reform' or 'no access to the courts', the situation is even worse.

Spears’ outrage over the first ER doctor’s diagnosis and the loss of her legs has been compounded by her inability to find a medical malpractice attorney to represent her. One after another, they’ve told her the same thing: She has a great case — but not in Texas.

Screwing accomplished

Obama and his oligarchy friends got their tax cut for the rich and started the dismantling of Social Security and other government programs.  Shame on the Democrats who caved.  Shame on republicans.

House Republicans voted for child marriage

republicans voted to support child rape. Cause, you know that republicans like their women barefoot and pregnant

.On Thursday, the House took up the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010. The bill would ensure that child marriage is recognized as a human rights violation, and develop comprehensive strategies to prevent such marriages around the world. The legislation seemed likely to garner strong bipartisan support in Congress, and in the Senate, it did. But last night, the bill was voted down in the House by Republicans who argued the bill is too costly and could lead to increased abortions -- gripes the measure's supporters say have no basis in reality and are just excuses to kill the popular bill.

 9 Democrats defected as did 12 republicans. Seems to me that still should have passed the House, with Democrats in the majority and a net gain of 3 from the defections.  The vote total was 241 for.  With 435 members in the House, why wasn't 241 enough?

Here's a puke sandwich for ya': 'Texan of the Year finalist Dick Armey'

Cause the Dallas Morning News loves a corporate lackey promoting oligarchy at the expense of the public welfare. Please put down your coffee and pick up a bucket to retch in, if you wish to continue reading this post.

That is, until Armey strode forward, like a general waving his sword high in the air. He became the tea party movement's strategist-in-chief. The New York Times likened him to a "shadow majority leader," as he shepherded the movement toward an electoral stampede in November.

Oh, please. Get a room if you're going to stroke Armey like that.

John Cornyn's hypocrisy clearly exposed at his press conference on the budget

John Cornyn explains that he will stand up against his own earmarks.  The Maddow show had 52 ear marks for Cornyn in the spending bill. The Dallas Morning News counted 48. Cornyn says 'we will reject any earmarks requested by us'. Yeah.

Taylor gets TWIA settlement information

Next to come, using that information against a prominent Democratic donor.

State Rep. Larry Taylor will get much of the information he requested about Hurricane Ike insurance settlements for homeowners represented by Houston lawyer Steve Mostyn , one of the state's biggest Democratic donors.

However, the Friendswood Republican's request for a list of fees paid to homeowners' lawyers will go unfulfilled.

Do I think a republican would use his office for political gain and not to promote the public welfare? That's my basic definition of a republican.

If you're a Texas House member, you can get convicted of a felony and still 'serve'

But state Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores, the Palmview Democrat who was sentenced to five years of probation earlier this week on felony ethics charges, remains a legislator in good standing in the Texas House.

He's still entitled to his $600-a-month, taxpayer-paid salary as a legislator.

The reason: There's no law or rule that prohibits convicted felons from serving in the House if they are convicted while in office.

He'll be gone soon, though. He didn't run for re-election. His pension, is a different story. His restitution did not include giving up much money.

Trying to get San Juan city officials recalled

Activists are not giving up in their quest to oust the San Juan City Commission.

Given a chance to re-do an ouster petition originally filed last February, Ramiro Treviño and his advocacy group, The Concerned Citizens of San Juan, filed a new petition Dec. 3 with 1,438 signatures. If verified, the petition could force a special election to decide whether or not to recall all four San Juan city commissioners.

“This has been the worst city commission we’ve ever had,” Treviño said.

The petition calls to oust commissioners Bob Garza, Lupe Rodriguez, Armando Garza and Hubierto “Eddie” Suarez. It does not include Mayor Pedro Contreras.

Forth Worth wises up and bans religious ads on buses

No messages from atheists. No messages from religious proselytizers. Good idea.

The end is near for religious advertisements on Fort Worth buses.

Two weeks after controversy erupted because the Fort Worth Transportation Authority accepted ads with the atheist message "Millions of Americans are Good Without God," the T board revised its policy Wednesday night to ban all religious ads effective Jan. 1.

"I don't like the ads. I think they create divisiveness," T board member Gary Havener said before the nine-member board unanimously approved the new policy.

The Texas border sports the lowest education levels

We can DREAM though, can't we? I guess not. republicans love to quash dreams.

Statistics the U.S. Census Bureau compiled from 2005 to 2009 revealed this week that counties along the Texas border remain behind the rest of the state and country in educational attainment.

"If there are lower levels of education, you can expect higher rates of poverty," said Lloyd Potter, the state demographer and director for the Texas State Data Center.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That's the way republicans roll.

Who needs someone to watch over the oil and gas industry?

republicans don't believe in regulation. Let businesses do whatever they think is best. republican regulators don't do much, if anything at all. Why hire them in the first place?

Conventional wisdom is that a more conservative Legislature is coming to Austin to cut spending and streamline government, including the possibility of layoffs. But would lawmakers really give pink slips to three statewide elected officials all Republicans who oversee the state’s powerful energy industry?

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, a panel of lawmakers who review state agencies to make them more effective, began mulling that option without tipping their hand at a public hearing Wednesday.

A vote is not expected until next month, but attempting to change the Railroad Commission structure is a perennial issue that hasn’t gone very far in years past.

Too bad we don't have people in office who want to promote the general welfare. All the republicans care about is corporate welfare. Crony is as crony does.

Lame duck clerk blows off job

Lame-duck District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez has begun another career and is drawing some criticism because he is no longer at work full time.

But Sanchez is neither breaking state law nor violating the county's code of ethics by substitute teaching and enrolling in an alternative teacher certification program at the University of Texas at El Paso, local and state officials said.

Greg Abbott doesn't believe in gay divorce

Hey, if you get married in another state, then you have to stay married.  The religious right is jealous of Greg Abbott's position on gay divorce.  They'd like to make straight divorce illegal, too.

A state lawyer argued before an appeals court Wednesday that state District Judge Scott Jenkins violated state law and improperly exceeded his authority when he granted a divorce earlier this year to a same-sex couple.

Texas law not only limits marriage to opposite-sex couples, it forbids any action — including divorce — that recognizes or validates a same-sex marriage obtained out of state, said James Blacklock, a lawyer in Attorney General Greg Abbott's appellate division. He urged the 3rd Court of Appeals to invalidate the divorce.

Everybody's writing about Senator Wentworth today

Is it a story of hope?  Maybe Wentworth will show some sanity amonst a sea of batsh*t crazy.

Perhaps a made-up word — “mavericky” — may be the most appropriate way to describe state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio. After six terms in the Senate, the 70-year-old has earned a reputation as someone whose stubborn adherence to principle leads him to buck his own party and lock horns with leadership, sometimes to the detriment of his legislative priorities. “I don’t cow easily by anybody,” he says. “I don’t care whether I’m re-elected or not. I’m gonna do in the brief time I have in public office what I think is right, and if that goes against my colleagues or my political party, I’m not their representative. I represent the people.”

He is a republican, after all. Why expect anything positive?

Or, is it a story of humiliation and failure?

State Sen. Jeff Wentworth sounds ready to put 2010 behind him.

The veteran Republican from San Antonio, whose district includes part of southern Travis County and all of Hays County, was twice a candidate for high-ranking jobs with university systems this year. But he appears headed back to the Senate instead, and he's not thrilled that his discussions with potential employers spilled into public view.

Or, a story of ego?

If he had vacated office at that point of the election cycle, Democrats who hadn't fielded a candidate for the general election would have had an outside chance to capture the seat, he said.

Secondly, a small group of Republican county and precinct officials would have chosen a GOP candidate “in a secret, closed-door meeting,” Wentworth said.

With a Democrat facing long odds in that GOP-packed district, “I just didn't want six people to pick the next senator from District 25, I wanted the voters — at whatever time I may leave, whether by resignation, retirement or death,” he said.

He wanted the voters to have the supreme privilege of electing him. I'd say ego.  Definitely ego. Humiliation, yup. That too. Hope? No. We're talking about republicans and with them, I have no hope. Gave that up with a Supreme Court decision in 2000.

Solomon Ortiz Sr. gives gay service members the finger on his way out the door

DADT repeal passes by an overwhelming margin in the House.

Among the 175 who voted against the repeal measure were 15 members of the Democratic caucus. They include House Armed Services Committee Chair Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), as well as Reps. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.).

I don't look forward to having a self-serving blowhard like Blake Farenthold in the House, but I'm not going to miss Solomon Ortiz Sr.

La Marque Mayor reneges on meeting deal

A day after declaring she would agree to a city council meeting in which the only agenda item would be to call for a special election to fill two vacant council seats left open by a recall election last month, Mayor Geraldine Sam has had a change of heart.

Meanwhile, the mayor soon might face her own recall effort.

What a doofus.

Texas republican wants to add 'under God' to everything anybody says

For example.  Good morning, under God.  Did you sleep well, under God?  You can see the problem.

State Sen. Glenn Hegar (R-Katy) has filed legislation in the Texas Senate that would update language in the state flag retirement ceremony to add the words “under God,” making it consistent with changes made several years ago to the pledge to the Texas flag.

What other theocratic sh*t can we expect from this Texas Legislature? I try not to imagine.

Goliad residents worry about drinking water with a reopened uranium mine

The TCEQ doesn't care if your drinking water glows in the dark or bursts into flames.

State environmental commissioners voted Tuesday to grant permits for a uranium mine 13 miles north of Goliad.

The 2-0 vote by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality moves Uranium Energy Corp. a step closer to production in the proposed mine but has worried some area residents who fear their drinking water could become contaminated.

The commissioners’ decision comes despite an administrative law judge’s recommendation in September that further tests be conducted to determine whether mining could cause contaminants to seep through a fault line and into an aquifer used for drinking water.

Further tests are irrelevant,if all you care about is crony profits and not the public welfare. Now that Barack Obama has become a republican, his EPA probably doesn't care either.

El Paso police union sues over homophobic ballot prop that took away health benefits

The union that represents El Paso police will sue the city this week over a new law that is taking health benefits away from hundreds of employees and retirees on Jan. 1, the union's president said Tuesday.

Conservative religious groups put a referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot aimed at ending benefits for gay and unmarried partners of city employees. Under the city attorney's interpretation of the ordinance that resulted, about 200 others -- including retirees who have other jobs that offer benefits -- also will lose them.

Ah, unintended consequences.  The bigots still have their panties in a twist.

The health care benefits battle continued at El Paso City Council this week.

Tuesday, a proposal was introduced that would allow the domestic partners and dependent children of current city employees to keep their health insurance.

Aaron Peña switches

As an a**hole, he feels right at home.

Surrounded by a Who’s Who of the Republican Party in Austin, state Rep. Aaron Peña said he felt at home as he announced his switch from the Democratic Party.

But Peña’s constituents in the House district based in his Edinburg hometown won’t be able to fully react to his party swap until an “R” appears by his name on a ballot.

There is the telephone, email and the lack of campaign contributions.

What will Aaron Peña do?

He's a selfish a**. Sounds to me like he'd fit right into the republican party.

After meeting privately with state Rep. Aaron Peña in McAllen on Monday, Hidalgo County Republican Party Chair Javier Villalobos says he is convinced the Edinburg Democrat is about to flip and join the GOP.

“I think he will join us,” Villalobos said. “We Republicans welcome him and we congratulate him on his courage.”

A ConservaDem wants him to stay.

Former Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chair R.D. “Bobby” Guerra has called on his lifelong friend Aaron Peña to stay in the Democratic Party and not flip over to the Republicans.

“I am a conservative Democrat, always have been. Just because the wind changes direction does not mean you give up the principles that you were elected on,” Guerra told the Guardian, in a telephone interview on Monday.

I say, don't let the door hit ya on the way out, Aaron.  Brains and Eggs says Peña wants to run for US Congress as a republican in a new south Texas district.  At least he'll run under the proper political label:  selfish a**hole.

Houston is Mexico's #1 gun supplier

Isn't that just dandy.

A year-long investigation by the Washington Post reveals Houston supplies more guns to Mexico than any other Texas city.

It's past time to legalize drugs. Take away the profit motive.

La Marque blows another city council meeting

Monday, for the third straight time, the city council was unable to meet for lack of a quorum when one member didn’t show.

La Marque’s governmental stalemate might have an end in sight, however, as Mayor Geraldine Sam said she would call a meeting that would only feature an agenda item calling for a special election to fill two vacant council seats.

Dysfunction junction.

The Galveston County Daily News has more.

What special brand of hell will republicans reign down on Texas this legislative session?

republicans already gave us crony capitalism, limited application of justice, dirty water, dirty air and dirty food. Have much further can they go? I expect to see a bigger move towards theocracy in our daily lives coupled with a bigger push towards serfdom for the 99% underclasses. Company store script. Higher taxes for the poor with no taxes for the super rich. Privatization of everything with a corresponding lack of access.

“A supermajority opens the possibility that a cohesive Republican majority could put forward a number of constitutional amendments on tax issues and on social issues that Texas voters would then vote on at the next election,” [professor of political science at Southern Methodist University Cal] Jillson said.

Does any republican hold a shred of sanity?

Lubbock’s delegation wasn’t anxious to flex the new power that way.

The state had major budget and redistricting issues to handle without adding the research needed to study potential amendments, Rep. John Frullo said.

“Although they look great now, they can come back to bite you,” Frullo said.

He instead thought Republican bills requiring identification to vote and allowing concealed handguns on campus would have an easier, more realistic time receiving consideration in the House.

Those batsh*t crazy constitution amendments sound great, but concealed guns and voter id are so important. This is what passes for sanity in the republican party today.

It's official. We're in the dark ages.

Railroad Commission favors ultilities over people

Who would have thought that a republican run agency would always favor cronies? Anybody who's been paying the least bit of attention.

The Texas Railroad Commission, in setting base rates that Texans pay for natural gas service in their homes, has repeatedly overturned recommendations of staff experts to rule more favorably for utilities, a "one-sided" pattern that has cost consumers tens of millions of dollars, according to a study being released today.

Will the Texas Supreme Court reconsider making Texas beach private?

Still recovering from Hurricane Ike's 2008 rampage, Galveston was ready to celebrate another milestone with the mid-November launch of an ambitious effort to restore six miles of badly eroded beach.

But instead of firing up the sand dredgers, Galveston received a rude shock when the state canceled the $40 million project on the day it was to begin, blaming a recent Texas Supreme Court decision that weakened the Open Beaches Act.

Now Galveston has joined key state agencies in pleading with the court to reconsider a ruling that favors private property rights over public access to Texas shores.

Public, smublic. The Texas Supreme Court is all about enforcing oligarchy. There is no class warfare. There is only class crushing at the Texas Supreme Court.

Kino Flores gets probation

State Rep. Kino Flores, a South Texas politician whom prosecutors alleged had failed to report his true income on state disclosure forms as he demanded 10 percent from people he did business with, was sentenced Monday to five years of probation on ethics charges.

State District Judge Bob Perkins ordered Flores, a Democrat from Palmview who did not seek re-election, to serve five years of probation on each of four felony charges for not properly disclosing his income, and two years of probation on each of five related misdemeanor charges.

Perkins ordered Flores, 52, to pay a $1,000 fine, far less than the $10,000 fine he could have faced.

A slap on the wrist. Was that even a slap? A tiny, tiny tap on the wrist.

It's past time to legalize drugs

Lets hope it isn't too late.

Drug trafficking that has spurred violence across Mexico is spreading corruption into the Rio Grande Valley in the form of bribery that tempts some U.S. officials, a top FBI agent said.

"Our main threat in the Valley emanates from drug trafficking cartels," Miles Hutchinson, the FBI’s supervisory senior resident agent in Brownsville, said in a speech before the San Benito Rotary Club on Thursday.

Take away the profit motive. Make drugs as safe as they can be. Offer rehab. Tax drugs.

Will the EPA do its job in Texas?

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected pleas from Texas, some other states and industry allies to block nationwide rules on greenhouse gas emissions slated to start next month.

The states, industry groups and free-market groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its first attempt to regulate carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from automobiles and large industrial sources.

The rules, they argue, would harm the economy.

But the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied the request to freeze the new regulations while the lawsuit is pending, ruling that the challengers failed to show that the harms they allege are certain, rather than speculative.

Barack Obama, morphing into a republican right before our eyes, might pull a George Bush and not enforce the laws of our land.

Why do dirty CEOs get 100s of millions in golden parachutes, but public employees are asked to forfeit earned pensions?

Pensions are deferred compensation. That means pensions have already been earned. To 'change the contract' means to steal money already earned by an employee. Why is it ok to steal from workers while it isn't ok to tax corporations? Or, to tax the rich who have made off like bandits while the middle class crashes and burns?

Public pension critics are seizing on the states' dire financial situation as evidence that it is time to rewrite the social contract between public employers and their workers. They say it is unsustainable and unfair to taxpayers, most of whom don't enjoy such a guaranteed benefit.

republicans won't be happy until our country is brought into the 12th century with widespread poverty, strict class distinctions and people dying in the streets.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is stocking up on figgy pudding as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff covered a shoddy attempt by new Harris County Tax Assessor Don Sumners to disallow voter registration efforts at naturalization ceremonies.

Letters From Texas projected out the grim possibilities for state representative Aaron Peña as he contemplates switching to the Republican Party.

Now is the time to ask Larry Summers to do something REALLY useful. You know, for the good of the country.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks Barack Obama is a putz and Bernie Sanders is a hero. UT professor Galbraith says it all.

Edmundo Rocha's pays tribute to the passing of civil rights activist and former San Antonio Express-News columnist Carlos Guerra. An unsung hero who never gave up hope for a better Texas.

Aaron Pena's impending party flip is tied directly to his 2012 Congressional ambitions. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs explains.

Bay Area Houston dog piles on State Representative Aaron Pena. He could get with this. Or he could get with that.

lightseeker at TexasKaos reports on Rick Perry's latest foray into half-truths and self-serving opportunism. This time he is whipping up a big batch of whacked out claims about the cost of providing health care to uninsured Texans. Check out the details here: Rick Perry , Rabble Rouser .

Public Citizen Texas over at TexasVox wants to remind everyone to show up to testify at the Sunset Advsory Commission meeting Dec 15th on the Railroad Commission and TCEQ. Details are at their blog.

Neil at Texas Liberal ran a post with pictures he took last spring at the Houston Ship Channel. Neil's view is that if the world around us is at times not ideal, there are still many things to consider, learn about, and maybe even embrace. This does not mean we should be resigned to a polluted landscape. Neil has been stressing of late in his blog the need for action by average people in the face of the newly empowered Republican party in Austin and Washington. We know from the TPA posts listed here this week that things are a mess. The question is what are we going to do in reply to this mess?

Bernie Sanders is a hero

Leading liberal Bernie Sanders mounted an hours-long pseudo-filibuster against the bipartisan tax package, carrying his message far beyond the nearly empty Senate chamber through live C-SPAN and Web feeds as he forged the emotional touchstone of the day for opponents.

Lets see more Democrats standing up for what is right. Rich people should not get tax breaks while the unemployed lose their benefits. The estate tax shouldn't give multi-million dollar breaks to the uber wealthy while republicans take aim at Granny's Social Security.

It's about time that someone stood up, really stood up, in the Senate for the middle class.

I could see voting for Mitt Romney in 2012

I honestly thought I would never, ever, ever vote for a republican in my lifetime. It's just that Barack Obama has been almost as bad as George Bush on so many different levels - Patriot Act extensions, war and economy. The only bright light was the FDA and the EPA. The EPA is teetering.

Sure, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, or Mike Huckabee are just too horrid to contemplate. But, Mitt Romney isn't completely batsh*t crazy. Craven? Probably. But, Romney's better nature might emerge and as a republican, he might be allowed to actually govern.

A Democrat, like Obama, who lets the bullys and brats have a temper tantrum, then gives them what they want is worse than useless.  Better to have someone who is in the bully and brat pack who has an opportunity to show his better self.  A faint glimmer of hope is better than no hope at all.

What a horrible world of hurt we're in when a republican seems like an option in 2012.  I hope someone decent primaries Obama.  Please don't let me vote for a republican.

Gender separate education is a bad idea

Separate 'but equal' never is equal. 'HISD board OKs creation of a school just for boys'

La Marque council meetings cancelled after recall

After the recall reduced the council to 3 members, any absence busts a quorum. It's official. The La Marque city council is broken.

Elected Galveston County judge fires people BEFORE he takes office

County Commissioner Patrick Doyle blasted the notices.

“He has no authority to terminate anyone, even if it’s for a future date, because he is not an elected official yet,” Doyle said. “If he chooses to terminate someone, it has to come before the commissioners court.”

Doyle insisted that the commissioners court, not the county judge, had to make decisions on hirings and firings of the 354 employees who fall under the departments the county commissioners control.

And while Henry will lead what will be a Republican majority on the commissioners court starting Jan. 1, Doyle questioned whether the process was transparent.

More FBI woes for El Paso

The FBI confirmed this morning that it is investigating the El Paso Independent School District.

republicans rarely say no to larger class sizes

republicans would just as soon kill public education.  Just listen to state rep Debbie Riddle.

"Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education, free medical care, free whatever?" she demanded in a legislative hearing. "It comes from Moscow, from Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell."

No surprise that the US has dropped way out of the top ten nations in education. No surprise at all. republicans either don't care if your kid gets a decent education or they would just as soon most kids didn't get an education at all.  Except to clean your house or to build it.

School districts can request a waiver from the Texas Education Agency if they need to exceed the class-size limit. Last month, in response to a public-information request from the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, officials at the Texas Education Agency said 3,085 waiver requests have been granted since 1984.

Five waiver requests have been denied.

Is the TCEQ waking up while the EPA is wimping out?

Waking up might be way too optimistic.

The [TCEQ] staff has come to believe that oil and gas site emissions -- in the case of gas wells, explosive methane and toxic chemicals such as benzene, hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde -- "have been historically underreported."

Oh, come on! It's working as designed. The crony announces whatever results it cares to announce and the TCEQ eats it.

Meanwhile, back at the Capitol, Barack Obama caves again to republican desires for crony control over pollution.

The Obama administration is retreating on long-delayed environmental regulations — new rules governing smog and toxic emissions from industrial boilers — as it adjusts to a changed political dynamic in Washington with a more muscular Republican opposition.

Can any president be worse than George Bush? Barack Obama is really trying.  For awhile, I thought that the government agencies were beginning to do the people's work.  Guess not.  Corporations rule.

By law election administrators can lose hundreds of ballots and not tell you about it

At least, that's what a San Angelo election administrator says.  Whaaa?

“I take full responsibility that this has happened,” [Tom Green County elections administrator, Vona] McKerley said. “We were under no obligation to let anybody know, but because our office aims for integrity, we let people know that this happened and that we will try to find ways that this never happens again.”

Then, there was the magical 78 votes more than the number of voters.  The election administrator doesn't seem to care about that.

The number of votes in the uncounted ballot box was 1,545, meaning that elections office has more votes than the number of people who checked in.

McKerley said having more votes than the number of people who checked in might have been the result of people voting with limited ballots during early elections who are not registered inside the county, or electronic voting equipment creating duplicate pages.

The electronic voting equipment creating duplicate pages? Or, something.  No big deal.

H/T to the Burnt Orange Report.

Psst:  Voter id would not have helped in this situation.  A voter verifiable paper trail would have.  The Secretary of State won't allow the later.  Don't you wonder why?

What UT Professor Galbraith said

No doubt we are disappointed in Barack Obama. The worst is yet to come. Yet, we can fight. And, we should.

This isn't a parlor game. The outcome isn't destined to be alright. It will not necessarily end in progress whatever happens. What we do, how we proceed, and how we effectively resist what is plainly about to happen, matters very greatly for the future of our country, of our children, and of another generation to come. We need to lose our fear, our hesitation, and our unwillingness to face the facts. If we thereby lose some of our hopes, let's remember the dictum of William of Orange that "it is not necessary to hope in order to persevere."

The president should know that, as Lincoln said to the Congress in the dark winter of 1862, he "cannot escape history." And we are heading now into a very dark time, so let's face it with eyes open. And if we must, let's seek leadership that shares our values, fights for our principles, and deserves our trust.

Here's a headline you don't want to see

'Aransas Navigation District Commissioner Tony Dominguez investigated on ethics allegations'

The Texas Ethics Commission will investigate allegations against newly elected Aransas County Navigation District Commissioner Tony Dominguez including that he took illegal campaign contributions.

In a letter dated Dec. 1, the ethics commission informed Dominguez that he has 25 business days to respond to a sworn complaint filed by Lamar Story, his incumbent opponent in the November general election.

The charges seem kind of thin.

republican lawmaker says he'll check his travel expenses

Now that Dan Flynn has been caught double dipping - charging his campaign and the state for travel expenses - he says he will 'audit' his spending. Hey, bub, do you expect us to believe that you didn't have to pay attention before? Or, that you weren't deliberately putting the public's money into your on pocket? republicans. Ethics and laws are for other people.

Rep. Dan Flynn, a conservative and self-described expert in financial management, says he will audit his own spending habits after The Associated Press asked him about thousands of dollars in questionable travel expenses, including more than $11,000 that was billed both to taxpayers and his political campaign.

A Dallas Baptist Church requires businesses to have a Christian bias

If you don't publicly proclaim that Christianity is the only religion celebrating holidays this time of year, then you are very bad. Batsh*t crazy Christian logic strikes again.

The Rev. Robert Jeffress, the church's pastor, announced Tuesday the launch of www.GrinchAlert.com. There people can post on a "naughty" list the names of businesses that aren't acknowledging Christmas through store displays, advertising and greetings to customers.

"Too many businesses have bowed down to political correctness," Jeffress said. "I thought this would be a fun way to call out businesses that are refusing to celebrate Christmas."

The website also features a "nice" list for recognition of businesses that do observe Christmas.

Mr. Jeffress, you can take your form of Christianity and shove it. America is not a theocracy. Yet.

Crazy Leo Berman wants to jail Federal employees for enforcing the health care law

Just when you think that they couldn't possibly be any crazier.

A law proposed by an East Texas lawmaker would jail federal employees who enforce the new health care law.

Leo Berman isn't an aberration amongst the batsh*t crazy crowd.

Ten other states' lawmakers have proposed similar legislation and 13 states have joined Texas in filing a lawsuit against the federal health care law on the basis that the law is unconstitutional.

Did Texas sell your baby's blood to a private company?

A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Antonio alleges that the state health department "deceptively and unlawfully sold, traded, bartered, and distributed blood samples" from thousands of newborns in exchange for fees, lab equipment and other purposes.

The federal suit was filed against the Texas Department of State Health Services and its commissioner, Dr. David Lakey, by the Texas Civil Rights Project on behalf of parents Jeffrey Higgins of San Antonio, Andromida McCall of New Orleans and others who could join if the judge approves class-action status. The suit alleges that the use of the blood samples was an unlawful "search and seizure" that violated "fundamental privacy rights" of the children and possibly their relatives.

Nothing like a republican to help their cronies and make a buck off the blood of innocents.

Texas senators say FU to sucessful teenage immigrants

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the target of pressure from demonstrators at her district offices, says she will vote against legislation today that would create a path to citizenship for some children of illegal immigrants.

The senator voted to advance the bill in the Senate in 2007 but considers the current version too broad.

The batsh*t crazy bunch still won't like Kay Bailey even if she growls and howls. Perhaps she is crazy enough to think that her vote against the Dream Act will get her re-elected by the Tea Partiers in 2012. Dream on, KB, no pun intended.

Meanwhile, John Cornyn finds it very annoying that Dreamers are passionate and dedicated enough to risk their health fighting for reform.

With the Senate poised to vote on whether to offer eventual citizenship to some children of illegal immigrants, Texas Sen. John Cornyn expressed disapproval of a hunger strike intended to pressure wavering lawmakers.

Let them get sick. Then, don't help them with health care.

Barack Obama caves in to bad deal

The republicans hate Barack Obama because he is a Democrat. That fact that he is an African-American just frosts them. republicans like Obama even less for caving in to their threats and their temper tantrums. Obama is now trying to make every Democrat alive hate his guts, too. Soon, there will be no one on this planet who likes him.

Rachel Maddow had a great segment on how Obama is moving backward on the success ladder."First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." Maddow thinks Obama has moved backwards to the 'ridicule you' stage. I disagree. Let's ignore him.

Psst: Letting the republicans soar the deficit does nothing but harm. Soon, the helpful republican trolls will offer to gut Social Security and Medicare to balance the budget. Cutting the payroll tax will help make their case.

Psst: Democratic leaders, obviously I don't mean Obama, please, please, do the right thing. Let the Bush tax cuts expire, if the republicans won't pass the middle class version. Let the republicans take the heat for blasting the unemployment payments.

Let the accountability roll.

Texas Senate plans to weaken public education even further

The Senate Education Committee wants the Legislature to consider easing class size limits in elementary schools to save money and eliminating the cap on independent charter schools in Texas.

Bad student to teacher ratio AND increase the number of charter schools. That's just dandy.

Joe Barton loses bid to head Energy and Commerce Committee

Was he too crazy for the House republicans? I doubt that. Just too publicly crazy. At least that's something.

Barton’s seniority placed him in line to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee, but he was weakened from the start by the fallout from his apology to BP PLC during a congressional hearing on its oil spill. He also needed a waiver of a term-limits rule to remain the top Republican on the committee for a fourth term.

Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., won a vote of the GOP Steering Committee, a panel composed of party leaders. The appointment must be ratified by the full Republican conference on Wednesday.

EPA playing tough with plants that pollute in Texas

The EPA has threatened dozens of Texas refiners and chemical and plastic makers with penalties if they don't begin taking steps to bring their air pollution permits into compliance with federal law by late December.

The blunt threat was made in a recent letter by the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator in Texas, heightening tensions in a standoff that has already reached the courts.

Harris County DA files successful appeal to stop death penalty hearing

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted an unprecedented death penalty hearing late Tuesday after an emergency appeal from the Harris County District Attorney's Office argued that a Houston judge was overstepping his boundaries.

The hearing on the constitutionality of the procedures surrounding the death penalty in Texas will be stopped to allow both sides 15 days to respond and file briefs in the state's highest criminal court.

State District Judge Kevin Fine had acknowledged that the appellate court may have been considering whether to order him to halt the proceedings in a preliminary hearing in the death penalty trial of John Edward Green.

No new trial for Mauricio Celis

A judge on Monday refused to grant a new trial for former law firm operator Mauricio Celis, who was convicted of falsely identifying himself as a peace officer.

A jury in July found Celis guilty of false identification as a peace officer, a Class B misdemeanor. Visiting Judge Richard Terrell sentenced him in October to suspended jail time, placed him on probation and fined him $2,000.

See previous posts.

Quico Canseco begs for lobbyists' money first chance he got

After Francisco "Quico" Canseco beat Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Tex.) as part of the Republican wave on Nov. 2, the tea party favorite declared: "It's going to be a new day in Washington."

Two weeks later, Canseco was in the heart of Washington for a $1,000-a-head fundraiser at the Capitol Hill Club. The event--hosted by Reps. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) and Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.)--was aimed at paying off more than $1.1 million in campaign debts racked up by Canseco, much of it from his own pocket.

republicans care about their money and their power. You don't come in as a distant third ... or 50th.

Dreamers refuse to stop hunger strike

Despite San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro's pleas, the hunger strike continues.

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro on Monday asked a group of activists to give up a nearly month-long hunger strike aimed at pressuring Congress to vote for the DREAM Act.

Castro said he supported the proposal, which would provide a path to citizenship for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. To qualify, immigrants would have to complete two years of college or military service and keep a clean record.

“Everyone gets the point they have made,” Castro said, “but we are concerned about their health.”

Outside interests hire truck to follow Fort Worth bus with Atheist's message

Baldus is a partner in Lime Media, a Garland company that keeps a fleet of trucks, which are commonly used for billboard-style advertising. The pro-religion ads were paid for by “a couple of individuals and business owners” from outside the Fort Worth area who asked to remain anonymous, company president Heath Hill said.

For the strong-arm Christianist republicans, there is no dissent allowed. None. Any sign of independent thought is taken as an attack by them. The current crop of republicans in the Senate illustrates that position with their letter demanding that the 42 republicans run the Senate.  No compromise.  My way or no way.

I don't think that either religious or atheist's messages should appear on public buses. Neither.

We all lost a friend yesterday. RIP, Carlos Guerra

Carlos Guerra, a former columnist at the San Antonio Express-News, was found dead Monday in Port Aransas, officials there said.

Number of young US Hispanics grows

The new [Census Bureau] figures also confirm earlier research showing huge growth in the number of young Hispanics.

"That's absolutely dramatic demographic change," said Luis Salinas, a sociologist at the University of Houston, who noted that the growth is highest for children 3 and younger, as birth rates in the white, black and Asian populations dropped during the recession.

Hispanic birth rates dropped, too, but not as much, he said.

A republican just did something to help people

Let me rub my eyes and read this story again. There has to be a selfish angle. republicans don't do anything to promote the general welfare.

In an order signed late Friday and made available Monday, [Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike] Geeslin banned so-called discretionary clauses. The clauses give insurance companies the authority to interpret the terms of their policies. They also provide the legal cover to win most lawsuits in which policyholders sue over unpaid claims. As pointed out in a story in March in the American-Statesman, the clauses effectively give companies the authority to decide who gets paid and who doesn't.

The clauses, already banned in 22 other states, are most commonly found in long-term disability policies, though they occur in some health care policies, as well, according to Deeia Beck , who heads the Office of Public Insurance Counsel.

I guess there could be a first time. But, I've been burned too many times to not be skeptical.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is gathering up boughs of holly in anticipation of future hall-decking as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff takes a look at the HHSC report on the effects of dropping Medicaid. Short answer: It would be bad, but what they really have in mind to do may be even worse.

Bay Area Houston has some interesting comments on the criminal probe of State Representative Joe Driver.

Capitol Annex takes a look at a dangerous proposal by incoming State Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Humble) to allow independent school districts to lessen the amount of cash reserves they are required to keep on hand and explains why this is a terrible idea.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy takes a look at the shortfall in the Texas budget. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.

This week, McBlogger reminds everyone to STOP SHOUTING at the Federal Reserve for doing it's job.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme won't be switching to Uverse now that AT&T bought 700 copies of Rick Perry's book. Yuck.

Neil at Texas Liberal makes note of the fact that unionized city workers in Houston are taking voluntary furloughs to help ease Houston's budget crisis. What a contrast this act of helping out Houston represents, in comparsion to the public-at-large in Houston which can be barely troubled to vote in municipal elections. Sometimes it is government that gets it right while individauls may be apathetic or even hostile in regards to the public good.

Public Citizen's TexasVox blog gives you ways to get involved to keep Texas from becoming the nation's radioactive waste dump by attending the public hearing in Austin on Dec 9 at 10am.

San Antonio Mayor shows concern for Dream Act protestors' health

Concerned about the health of local DREAM Act supporters who are on a hunger strike, Mayor Julián Castro said he plans to meet with them today — not only to voice his support for the legislation, but also to ask them to consider eating again.

In a written statement issued Sunday, Castro said he sought the meeting with DREAM Act supporters to open a dialogue and “to urge the hunger strikers to be mindful of their health.”

“The awareness these students have brought to this very important issue is important, but so is their health,” he said. “I plan to urge them to give the legislative process a chance to work.”

Aaron Peña concedes Texas to the republicans

Can we expect his change of party soon? Don't let the door hit ya.

Here's a headline you don't want to see

'UTB-TSC official resigns following ethics complaint'

Antonio “Tony” Zavaleta has stepped down as associate provost for the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

...

His departure from the administration follows an ethics complaint alleging that he hired his wife, Gabriela Zavaleta — who had been a one-year renewable lecturer in the Department of Government — to be an assistant master technical instructor in the same department, on a tenure track with higher pay and benefits.

DPS abuses law to screw media

Department of Public Safety officials say bills passed in the last few legislative sessions give them the green light to make anyone with a copy of the state’s criminal records database pay expunction fees. But the monthly costs have become unpredictable and prohibitively expensive for many news organizations.

State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, says the records-clearing legislation he championed was intended to keep commercial information clearinghouses in line, not to allow the state to charge news organizations for access to criminal records. “We never, ever contemplated that these fees would be charged to the media,” West says. “Obviously we need to take a look at this during the next session to see what we can do to find a happy medium.”

Hidalgo School District official charged with tuition theft

The Hidalgo school district’s former finance director faced allegations Friday that she stole $111,100 in tuition money before it could get to the district’s coffers.

Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies launched an investigation into the alleged theft by the public servant in July, after Hidalgo school officials learned the tuition money had been collected but was missing from the district’s coffers.

AT&T funnels money into Rick Perry's pocket

Thinking of switching to Uverse?  Think again.

 'AT&T buys over 700 copies of Perry book for luncheon attendees'

The audience listening to Gov. Rick Perry's latest address on Washington's spendthrift ways Friday didn't just hear the speech. They got the book – for free.

Dallas-based AT&T sponsored a lunch that included at least 700 copies of the governor's book for state legislators, lobbyists and activists attending a conservative policy summit. Hardback copies were placed on each seat in a ballroom where Perry traced the history of what he called "oppressive government" from the birth of the income tax to the passage of the recent health insurance law.

republicans have already made themselves blind so that they will not see the suffering they cause

Millions to lose health coverage without Medicaid. Who will see the poor dropping dead? Would a 'die-in' at the Capitol be noticed?

The republican report on Medicaid presents the most negative slant on the new Federal health care rules it possibly can. Still, even some blind republicans are having trouble ignoring 2.6 million losing health insurance. Why can't republicans look at a problem and then try to solve it with 'promoting the general welfare' in mind?  Instead, republicans either ignore the problem or look at it with 'imposing a rigid ideology' in mind.

Has Perry caved on Medicaid because his cronies might lose taxpayer dollars?

Texas cannot walk away from Medicaid, and Gov. Rick Perry agrees, Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs said this afternoon, hours after releasing the agency’s long-awaited report on the feasibility of dropping out of the federal matching program.

“He knows he can’t walk away leaving 15 percent of the health care economy on the table,” Suehs said in an interview with the Tribune. “But he also knows he can’t continue the program the way it is today, and we have to work with Congress to reinvent it.”

Will the batsh*t crazies in the Texas Legislature agree?  Some of them prefer batsh*t crazy ideology over cronies.

Psst:  Democrats tried to solve the health care dilemma by proposing a single payer health plan.  republicans killed that.  Every other modern nation has solved the health care problem the Democrats' way and each delivers better health care to its public at much, much lower costs.  But, then those nations don't cater to cronies like republicans do.  Guess who gets all the extra money our health care costs?

When will Rick Perry pardon Tom DeLay?

Maybe there is an upside to Perry's run for president.

The State Republican Executive Committee is considering a resolution calling on Gov. Rick Perry to grant a pardon to former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on his recent money laundering conviction.

But unlike the president, a Texas governor does not have sweeping pardon authority.

Thanks to Govs. Ma and Pa Ferguson selling pardons, the state Constitution limits the governor’s pardon authority. Perry can only grant a pardon on the recommendation of a majority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

DeLay probably wants to see if the courts will fix his problem first. And, by 'fix', I mean 'fix'. Texas is a justice light state.

Corpus Christi Caller Times editorial board puts its bias and ignorance on display

The Democrats just voted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the first $250K of earnings. Everybody gets a tax cut for the first $250K earned. That includes people earning more than $250K. Obama campaigned on the tax break up to $250K.

But, 250K doesn't fit in with this narrative from the Corpus Christi Caller Times editorial board about the 'poor' Nueces County medical examiner who needed a measly $75K raise.

His raise alone is more than 50 percent bigger than the county’s estimated median household income of 2008 ($45,000 and change) according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Fernandez’s new salary is $238,634 — comfortably beyond the $200,000 limit the Democrats use to define rich folks they’d deny an extension of the Bush income tax cuts.

DON'T YOU READ THE NEWS?????  Are facts just malleable things made to conform to whatever point you're trying to make?  Shhheeesh.

We're #1! In gun silencer sales.

Because early morning murderers are polite?

Some people take their silencers to shooting ranges. Others might take them to "machine gun shoots," where gun lovers gather to fire at targets. Still more might keep a silencer on their handgun or rifle at home to help with "varmint" control -- shooting coyotes, skunks or snakes.

"The only use I can think of for a silencer is if you are hunting hogs and have 15 to 20 hogs at a feeder," said Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a former state senator who shepherded conceal-carry legislation in 1995. "That's a practical use if you want to shoot one without scaring others off.

Cause Texas likes to shoot hogs?

Texas rejecting drivers' licenses to legal immigrants

Many non-immigrant visa holders living, working and studying legally in the United States are facing problems replacing or renewing their driver’s licenses due to state workers’ lack of familiarity with all the various types of legal status and the federal documentation that accompanies them.

One major wrinkle for these foreign nationals is the requirement that they produce documentation showing they have at least six months of legal status remaining if they want to obtain or renew a Texas driver’s license.

Perry doesn't care if you have toxic water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday demanded that Texas immediately take steps to reissue Clean Water Act permits to some 80 facilities that have been operating without the necessary paperwork, a request that signaled the latest round in a long battle between the state and federal governments.

Why bother with the proper paper work, if all you care about is your corporate cronies. People's clean water? Perry doesn't seem to give a flying flip.

The latest matter involves water discharge permits. The agency says many of the facilities in question have had their paperwork delayed "due to issues regarding the toxicity of the discharges." A "significant number" of permits have not been issued because concerns raised by the agency have not been resolved, it said.

As far as Perry is concerned? Toxicity, smocicity.

San Antonio Home Depot ignored OSHA, gets slapped again

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday cited two San Antonio-area businesses for violations found during safety inspections.

The Home Depot store at 9115 N. Loop 1604 in San Antonio is facing $70,500 in proposed penalties for lacking personal protective equipment and for deficient injury record keeping. The store was cited for repeat violations.

Repeat violations. The store flack goes on to say how committed Home Depot is to employee safety. Yeah? Sounds just like an 'up is down' republican.

Del Rio doesn't have to subsidize a rich guy's business with taxpayer dollars

Representatives of the city of Del Rio, the Del Rio Babe Ruth Baseball League, the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District and the Del Rio Aviators, the proposed professional baseball team associated with the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Teams, met for nearly three hours Tuesday in an attempt to hammer out the necessities it would take to allow the Aviators to operate in Del Rio.

Why are sports teams subsidized by the public?  Why does Nolan Ryan need so much money that he took it from Nueces County and still does cheesy commercials?  Legacy smagacy. 

Las Brisas given thumbs down again

The Las Brisas coal (pet coke) plant proposed for Corpus Christi has had its air permit recommended for denial by the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) for the second time. The SOAH judges presiding over the case have stated in their “proposal for decision” that:

At this time, we are unable to recommend that the requested permits be issued, because we find that Las Brisas Energy Center, LLC… has not made the necessary compliance demonstration to ensure that emissions from the proposed facility would not contribute to air pollution through a violation of a NAAQS or the PSD increment, particularly in regard to particulate matter (PM).

Though not a legally binding, a recommendation of denial of the permit by SOAH for a second time, hopefully, will have some impact on the TCEQ, who has the final authority for granting the permit.  However, the TCEQ has a history of simply ignoring SOAH, the public, and even their own staff in order to grant inadequate and inappropriate permits to large, industrial sources of pollution such as Las Brisas.

Is it time for liberals to take to the streets?

Yes.

The Senate is set to vote on a controversial immigration bill. If it fails, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez tells Bryan Curtis he’s prepared to ditch Obama and the Democrats—and take the movement to the streets.

We don't need to start another political party, but we can scream at the one we have.

Psst. Leave my internet alone!!! The FCC is working against freedom and for the interests of corporations by suggesting tiered access to the internet.  Pass the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.  And, while I'm at it. The Bush tax cuts are GOING TO EXPIRE!!! No action means they all expire. Let that happen, if the republicans refuse to go along with continuation  for those making less than $250K. The Democrats are in control of the Bush Tax cuts. THE DEMOCRATS ARE IN CONTROL!!!! Act like it.

Texas A & M embarasses itself with open records request policy

Way to look like a flagship university - in the old Soviet Union.

[Wanda Garner] Cash, who is also associate director of UT's School of Journalism, said the A&M System's policy appears to be in part a slap against Dan Malone, a Tarleton journalism teacher whose students obtained records under the information act showing that the university failed to fully comply with a federal law requiring schools to disclose crimes on and adjacent to campus.

Malone, who won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 1992 when he was at The Dallas Morning News, declined to comment.

It's up to the voters to clean house in Socorro

Voters will now decide the future of Socorro Mayor Guillermo "Willie" Gandara Sr. and city Rep. Luis Varela.

Socorro City Council members Guillermo "Willie" Madrid, Jesse Gandara Jr., Gloria Rodriguez and Mary Garcia passed an ordinance Wednesday to have an election and let the voters decide whether they want to recall Mayor Gandara and Varela.

The decision was made after Varela was arrested Nov. 16 on suspicion of selling marijuana and possessing cocaine, and after Mayor Gandara was indicted by a federal grand jury in September for allegedly committing fraud when he was a school board member in Socorro.

It seems strange that a recall can be called for by a majority of the city council. Although, this situation does call for a good recall election.

Is the Texas death penalty constitutional?

Justice is only available to the rich.  We don't even provide money for lawyers to those who cannot afford them.  These facts make the death penalty a violation of due process, not to mention a cruel and unusual punishment.  Cruel, anyway.

Texas' messy death penalty saga continues Monday in a Houston courtroom, where a district judge will for the first time in state history consider whether the risk of executing an innocent person makes capital punishment unconstitutional.

Harris County District Judge Kevin Fine is set to hold a hearing in the case of John Edward Green, who is charged with fatally shooting a Houston woman during a robbery in June 2008. Harris County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case. But Green’s attorneys and capital punishment opponents want Fine to rule that prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty because the way it is administered in Texas is unconstitutional. They say they have proof that at least two wrongfully convicted men have been executed. With so many chances for error in the courts, they argue, Texas shouldn't risk putting an innocent person to death. “The current system is profoundly and fundamentally flawed from top to bottom,” says Andrea Keilen, executive director of the Texas Defender Service.

Kudos to the protestors for the Dream Act. Raspberries to Hutchison.

After spending a night in jail, 16 college students and community activists continued pushing for passage of a youth immigration measure Tuesday, holding rallies and vigils and continuing a three-week hunger strike to ratchet up pressure on lawmakers.

The activists were arrested Monday night on trespassing charges after refusing to leave the offices of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Youth standing up for the good. Kay Bailey Hutchison standing up for nothing. Hutchison dismissed the protestors.

"We're being denied access to a federal building? Taxpayers and combat veterans are being denied access to a federal building?" called Mike Chavez, 46, of Houston, a tall man in a white Polo with Stars and Stripes collar who said he served 15 years in the Air Force.

"Are members of the media allowed in?" [Houston Chronicle reporter Lisa Falkenberg] asked the officer. He told me no. I decided to walk in anyway. Officers inside started to turn me away when another offered to escort me up to Hutchison's office.

"We don't want to give the impression that the federal government is closed for business," he explained in the elevator, asking not to be named. But he said he and the other officers were simply honoring Hutchison's request.

Spanish TV big winner in ratings

The November network television sweeps rating period ended last week.

The big winner: Spanish-language networks, especially Univision Communications Inc., the Los Angeles-based network that started in San Antonio.

The big loser: English-language networks.

republican declared winner of Cameron County judge race

It took almost a month after the Nov. 2 general election for Commissioners Court to approve the final vote count. Unofficial results after election night found Cascos with a lead over Wood by 80 votes, so Wood asked for a recount.

The recount – with a correction made hours after results were announced -- swayed the election to Wood by a mere five votes. Then, days later, Cascos found an additional 69 votes in his favor that had been properly tallied but not included in Ortiz’s summary report. Ortiz also reviewed those tally sheets and discovered the mathematical error. He corrected his summary report, which then put Cascos ahead of Wood by 64 votes.

The series of mistakes had at least one Cameron County resident, Fernando Ruiz, asking Commissioners Court for Ortiz’s termination. The county cannot continue to have incompetent people in administrative positions, he said in comments made at the meeting.

Why does Texas have to pay for the privilege of taking other states' radioactive waste?

It didn't take long – 11 days to be exact – after Gov. Rick Perry was safely re-elected for the Texas Compact Commission to pass rules potentially opening up Texas to radioactive waste from across the nation.

The 5-2 decision moves Waste Control Specialists and its owner, major Republican donor and swift boater Harold Simmons, one step closer to turning its Andrews County site into a national dump for radioactive waste.

Waste Control has made no secret of its plans. For years, the company has said it wants to be the "national solution" to radioactive waste disposal. And they seem to believe the compact commissioners – six of whom are Perry appointees – are on the same page. "I think the Texas Compact is in favor of a national solution,” Baltzer told an industry summit in September, according to the trade publication RadWaste Monitor.

If you're a republican, can you get paid for expenses twice?

Some Texas republican house members think so.  For them, anything is ok as long as you're a republican.  Laws are for the other guys.

Texas prosecutors are stepping up their investigation of a lawmaker who admitted he pocketed thousands of dollars in state travel reimbursements, just as officials are laying out plans to tighten ethics rules at the Capitol.

Assistant Travis County District Attorney Gregg Cox, head of the public integrity unit that oversees official corruption cases, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that prosecutors had begun reviewing the travel practices of Rep. Joe Driver before the November elections. Now that the elections are over, that review has turned into an active criminal investigation, Cox said.

How can you teach journalism without asking for public records?

Texas A & M wants to hide information from the public. That's the only conclusion one can make from this story.

A program that teaches college journalism students about using public information laws has run into an ironic dilemma. Teachers at one of the state's largest university systems can be disciplined — even fired — if they ask students to file an open records request with their school.

Major Texas cities doing relatively well in recovery

The report from the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program ranks 150 cities: 50 in the United States, 50 in Europe and 50 in the rest of the world. Austin was the highest-ranked U.S. city and No. 26 in the world. Dallas ranks as the No. 4 U.S. city and No. 39 in the world.

San Antonio ranks No. 11 in the U.S. and No. 51 in the world. Houston is No. 15 in the U.S. and No. 61 in the world, according to the report, Global MetroMonitor, which received assistance from the London School of Economics and Political Science.