Did it used to be ok to steal wages from workers?

Well, yeah. It still is. Look at the declining rate of compensation compared to productivity graphs over the years. But, what about the pittance wages promised?

During the 2011 legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1024, which closed a loophole allowing employers to escape prosecution if they had paid employees only a portion of the wages owed. But now that the law is in effect, organizations and lawmakers in at least three Texas cities — Austin, El Paso and Houston — are facing a new challenge: how to ensure that the prosecution of wage theft is a priority.

In Austin, the Workers Defense Project, a workplace justice group, is collaborating with state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, who sponsored the bill in the House, to set up a meeting to talk with Austin’s police chief and the district and county attorneys about making wage theft an enforcement priority. The author of the bill, state Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, set up a task force in his home city to work on implementing the measure. And in Houston, the Metropolitan Organization, an interfaith social justice nonprofit, plans on meeting with local authorities and elected officials to ensure that the bill is enforced.

Thank you, Eddie.

UT/TT poll shows Rick Perry doing well

WTF? I know republicans are batsh*t crazy, but these folks KNOW Rick Perry.

Gov. Rick Perry is statistically tied with businessman Herman Cain among Republican presidential primary voters in his home state of Texas, with the rest of the GOP candidates well behind the leaders, according to the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.

republicans smile broadly when a child drops out of school

The rest of us, not so much.

Every time a student drops out of public school, taxpayers save money. That’s one fewer student, at an annual savings of more than $11,000 per year from state and local sources.

You might argue those kids will cost the state a lot of money someday, either as prison inmates, welfare recipients, or as part of an expanding number of weak links in the labor chain when employers come looking for educated workers.

But the immediate result is that the dropouts save money. And politicians respond to immediate things. Not to kick anyone in particular, but when was the last time you saw a Texas governor or legislator with a 10-year plan? A five-year plan?

republicans are mean and short sighted.

It's TPA blog roundup Monday!

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone has a happy Halloween as we bring you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff has some updates on the state of play in the redistricting lawsuits.

McBlogger finds Speaker Joe Straus finally discovering that he fudged the numbers on the budget (profanity warning).

As Michelle Obama appears at a Houston fundraiser hosted by hedge fund billionaire John Arnold, PDiddie at Brains and Eggs wants to know what the difference is between Democrats who cozy up to Wall Street and Republicans.

Now that Rick Perry has flamed out, CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders if the batsh*t crazy crowd will prevail with Herman Cain?

Darth Politico takes a break from their Austin Film Festival coverage to offer some Star Wars themed advice to those enemies of the Occupy Wall St movement and offer solidarity with those who have been arrested: The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

The DOJ stated the GOP redistricting plans in Texas had "..the intent of limiting the voting power of Hispanic voters". WCNews at Eye On Williamson has that and more, Texas GOP's attack on Hispanic voters.

Lightseeker explains why The Banks have no grounds for raising their fees now! Check out the details at TexasKaos.

Neil at Texas Liberal offered up his views on who liberals and progressives can support in upcoming Houston municipal elections. Neil's view is that Green candidate Amy Price leads the pack for City Council, while incumbent Mayor Annise Parker does not merit the support of those on the left.

Nate Silver on Herman Cain

Nate Silver has some interesting blog posts on the Herman Cain phenomenon. Yesterday's post focused on the polling versus fundamentals correlation over history. Cain has great polling numbers but lacks in traditional, professional staffing, funding and endorsements. Today, Silver looks at the over predicting by 'experts' with respect to Cain's run.

I loved these posts, but I think that Silver is looking in the wrong place to explain what is going on. Silver should be looking at the republican base. They've refined themselves into a mass of batsh*t crazy. Batsh*t crazy holds traditional and professional procedure in disdain. I think that the batsh*t crazy crowd is looking for their candidate and it isn't Mitt Romney. Can Romney hold out long enough for the batsh*t crazy crowd to hold their noses and finally vote for him? Or, will the bs crowd hold out for THEIR candidate? With Bachmann and Perry dismissed, who is left to carry the batsh*t crazy banner? Rick Santorum? Newt Gingrich?

The real question is this: Do the batsh*t crazy people have enough sway in the republican primaries to carry Hermain Cain. I think they do.

Looking at university regents's for conflicts of interest

Senator Zaffirini had a simple question.

At a recent hearing of the new joint higher education oversight committee, state Sen. Judith Zaffirini asked the chairmen of the University of Texas System and Texas A&M University System regents what they had done to prevent conflicts of interest on their respective boards. There was a long pause.

She asked if either board has “a statement setting forth the expectations for the conduct of its members.” Both men said they would have to get back to her.

Zaffirini, a Laredo Democrat and co-chairwoman of the committee, is likely to get an answer even if they do not. Legislators and other concerned groups are preparing for a thorough review of the conflict of interest policies — or lack of policies — that apply to regents of the state’s public university systems.

republicans like to use public power as their own. Cronyism is their lifeblood.

Here's a strange headline

'After 10 years, Cameron County jail finally meets minimum standards'

Makes you wonder how much the republicans lowered standards and how much the jail improved.

Cameron County DA to look at cronyism charge

It took a newspaper request to look into the isssue?

Cameron County Commissioners Court voted Thursday to refer the matter regarding the hiring of Roberto Cadriel to District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos for investigation.

This action followed The Brownsville Herald’s request filed on Oct. 21 to the county for copies of reports regarding the employment amid allegations that a Cameron County employee took a civil service test for Cadriel, who is Pct. 2 Commissioner Ernie L. Hernandez Jr.’s brother-in-law.

Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia said in September that he declined the county’s request to investigate the allegations and that the county should either contact the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department, Villalobos or the Texas Rangers to conduct the inquiry.

Hilarious mention of rapist enabler John Cornyn is anti-LGBT fundraising letter

Pam's House Blend has a copy of an anti-lgbt fundraising letter seeming to call for the blood of gays. What is wrong with these people? If republicans weren't so batsh*t crazy, this letter would be funny. Especially the part about rapist-enabler John Cornyn.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas attended a fundraiser hosted by the Log Cabin Republicans.

Do you think Senator Cornyn will be able to take a strong stand for the Family against the Homosexual Agenda now that he’s got the taste for campaign cash?

And Senator Cornyn isn’t the only former ally of the family who is now pandering to the Homosexual Lobby.

Texas republicans f*ck with schools, now say they want to fix funding

Yeah. Right. republicans are out to destroy any institution that supports democracy and the middle class. Public education is a no no. GOP cronies don't make money from running the schools and the poor get an education. What could a republican like about that?

David Anderson, an education lobbyist and former Texas Education Agency staffer, called the March 2012 primaries “a critical indicator” of the public’s reaction to the budget cuts passed earlier this year. Presented with the option, he said, “will people turn out in the Republican primary and vote for Republican candidates who make a significant part of their platform restoring funding to public ed and bring some coherency to some of the critical issues?”

republicans like ignorant boobs. Seeing their children grow up to be fools is a plus.

Weslaco police PAC ruffles feathers

Money is speech according to the US Supreme Court

.Municipal Police Association's Political Action Committee Treasurer Alvino Flores on Monday fired back at allegations by former mayor Buddy De La Rosa that the PAC could be hiding income sources.

Flores provided documents on Monday showing 27 Weslaco police officers, each contributing $2.50 each pay period, are the sole contributors to the PAC.

The police association PAC is on the defensive after a ruling from the Texas Ethics Commission that said Flores, as Treasurer, violated sections of the Election Code in paperwork filed in the lead-up to the 2010 mayoral elections.

Meanwhile, negotiations continue between police and Weslaco.

After members of the Municipal Police Union rejected a one-year contract extension that excluded tuition reimbursement and education pay, the city and the union agreed to extend the collective bargaining agreement as is.

However, two contract grievances, one under litigation, still hinder the agreement from reaching a conclusion.

Chris Cagle, an attorney representing the police union said the sick-time buyback program and the city's reduction in retirement benefits have created an impasse that will keep negotiations going at least another week.

Is Hermain Cain the 'one?'

Cain came to Corpus Christi and got a decent crowd..

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain fired up a crowd of about 900 Wednesday night during a whistle-stop speech at a Nueces County Republican Women’s fundraiser.

Lamar Smith endorsed Mittens. This is strange because Lamar Smith is a whack job. You'd think Smith would choose from the whack job pool of the GOP candidates. But, nope. Is Smith too racist to pick Cain or just too 'pragmatic'?

I agree with the conventional wisdom on this one - the race is between Mittens and the whack jobs.  I think one of the whack jobs will win.  Perry was supposed to be the whack job of choice, but he flamed out.  No cold, heartless republican likes to be called heartless.  They are indeed reality challenged.  Who is left on the whack job side?  Cain.

Perry says F* Y* to Texas press. Again.

Perry's no debate strategy for his last gubernatorial race isn't helping his presidential race. Last time he blew off editorial interviews. Lets see how that strategy works this time. Perhaps Perry isn't aware that other media look to Texas for background.

In the Texas press corps, the natives are getting restless.

Despite longstanding relationships with the Texas governor and his staff, their requests to interview Rick Perry — anywhere, at any time — about his presidential bid have largely been ignored. Out on the campaign trail, they, and the national press, for that matter, get very little access. No sit-down interviews. No casual chats in the back of a campaign bus. Tuesday's press conference after Perry released his tax and spending plan was rare; there have been two brief ones in the last month.

One of Perry’s chief advisers effectively confirmed the trend at a campaign stop in Iowa, telling The Tribune: “We’re only doing local press.”

Apparently, Perry wishes he blew off the debates this time, too.

The Corpus Christi Caller Times hearts WalMart

There is so much wrong with this. 'Corpus Christi has millions of reasons to thank Walmart '

Occupy Corpus Christi persists at city hall

I'll bet there were more than 60 people at high tide.

A Corpus Christi police officer provided about a half-dozen Occupy Corpus Christi participants on Monday afternoon a copy of the city’s camping ordinance, but officials had not enforced it as of late Monday.

The local Occupy movement — based on the worldwide Occupy Wall Street protests — hit high tide about 4 p.m. Friday, when about 60 people gathered on City Hall steps for a rally.

More here.

When republicans measure the size of the fence they're going to build, they expose the size of their prejudice

republicans are hate-filled racists. If their candidates are vying for the wackiest fence, who can doubt the prejudice?

In this week’s Republican debate Bachmann, Cain, and Romney each fought to prove that if elected President they would build longer, taller, and more deadly walls than their opponents.

In the run up to the event, Representative Bachmann vowed that the length of her wall “will be every mile, it will be every yard, it will be every foot, it will be every inch of that border.” Not to be outdone, Herman Cain said, “It’s going to be 20 feet high. It’s going to have barbed wire on the top. It’s going to be electrified. And there’s going to be a sign on the other side saying, ‘It will kill you — Warning.’”

In an effort to please politicians by erecting mile after mile of border wall, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to push for new walls in the floodplain between the Rio Grande and the towns of Roma, Rio Grande City, and Los Ebanos. To convince the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC) to go along, CBP has tried to paper over the risk of increased flooding with more than a million dollars worth of reports and flood models. Walls in the floodplain are likely to either deflect water into Mexican cities or bottle it up in U.S. ones, and so far IBWC has rejected CBP’s claims to the contrary.

Weslaco police chief resigns

More upheaval for Weslaco.

Police Chief Juan Sifuentes voluntarily resigned his post on Oct. 17, city officials announced on Friday.

..

His resignation comes on the heels of allegations by members of the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas that he did not follow protocol in response to a robbery the chief witnessed at the La Joya Federal Credit Union Sept. 16.

Corpus Christi bay wind turbines have failed to produce electricity

These turbines did produce money for the developers.

The news in Monday's Caller-Times that four bayfront wind turbines aren't producing electricity couldn't have come at a worse time. The turbines, which cost the city $450,000, are still relatively new, having been installed in the spring of 2010 along with nice new landscaping along the seawall near American Bank Center.

The turbines were supposed to be both decorative and functional, able to generate enough power to light the area. But they haven't worked as promised, apparently hampered by salty coastal air — which doesn't seem to faze the gargantuan, heavy-duty commercial turbines churning in Kenedy and San Patricio counties.

But why is this a knock against green energy like the Caller Times claims? Haven't they heard of BP? Exxon Valdez? Refinery accidents galore? Climate change with resulting forceful hurricanes and drought? Water pollution from fracking? Earthquakes linked to fracking?

It's Monday's TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance celebrates the start of the early voting period for the 2011 elections as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff has information about the interim redistricting maps that the federal court in San Antonio will be considering.

Letters From Texas discusses Republicans not understanding basic biology, which is why some candidates might not even realize that they're advocating banning birth control. Much worse, others do understand it.

Several Houston city council candidates earned the coveted PDiddie endorsement. Pick up your progressive voting guide at Brains and Eggs.

As early voting starts for the November constitutional amendment election get started WCNews at Eye On Williamson says Vote No on Prop 4 - the latest transportation scheme.

Libby Shaw says it best in Rick Perry: A Right Wing Wrecking Machine . She compares the degrees of diaster that seperate Perry from Romney. The result is a "how low can you go" contest that America can't afford, not when one of these mean spirited clowns could be the next American President. See her post at TexasKaos.

Neil at Texas Liberal continues to blog about and to support Occupy Houston and Occupy Wall Street.

Former McAllen principal wins suit over whistleblowing

Sometimes you can speak out.

Former Nikki Rowe principal George Padilla won some vindication Thursday for what he described as years of sadness.

Jurors decided that reassigning Padilla to a central office position after he spoke out about air problems at the campus indeed violated his freedom of speech rights. McAllen ISD will have to pay Padilla some $81,000 in damages.

Edcouch-Elsa school trustees make pricey decision to suspend new principal

What a time to blow away tens of thousands of dollars.

The Edcouch-Elsa school board flexed its muscle and angered many Wednesday when it voted 5-2 to suspend new Superintendent Delfino Alemán.

...

No trustees — including Tony Barco and Fernando Torres, who voted in the minority — offered to explain what issues might have prompted a legal review into Alemán’s conduct other than a recent spat over whether he or the board president has the authority to post meeting agendas.

Senate votes to let rich guys get government backed loans

Cause the rich are all that republicans and some Democrats care about.

The Senate has voted to extend higher limits on federally backed mortgage loans for two more years.

The 60-38 vote late Thursday meant that through 2013, the government would continue to insure mortgages worth as much as $729,750 in high-priced housing markets. Those limits expired on Oct. 1, dropping that ceiling to $625,000.

Fracking waste may get EPA oversight

You mean the greedy corporate b*st*rds don't get to pollute our water any way they want to? What's up with that?

Federal environmental regulators signaled Thursday they want to increase oversight of the natural gas extraction industry, announcing they will develop national standards for the disposal of polluted wastewaters generated by a drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Energy companies have dramatically expanded the use of fracking in recent years, injecting millions of gallons of water, sand and chemical additives to unlock gas in deep shale formations in Pennsylvania, Texas and other states. Its prevalence has raised concerns about the potential impact on water quality and quantity.

Karnes earthquake upgraded to 4.8

Was it the fracking? The Corpus Christi Caller Times neglects to mention this possibility,

A rare and record-breaking South Texas earthquake struck near rural Karnes County, about 37 miles northwest of Beeville, on Thursday morning, rattling homes and causing faint tremors in the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey revised upward the quake’s magnitude to 4.8 from the preliminary magnitude of 4.6 the agency reported Thursday morning.

Two headlines you don't want to see

'Nude' photos, bullets mark Indian Lake residents' clash with top cop and Prosecutor: Sheriff's investigators were also 'Partners in crime

Weslaco Police Association takes a TEC hit

Police and firefighters have issues in Weslaco.

A ruling from the Texas Ethics Commission says the Treasurer of the Weslaco Municipal Police Association Political Action Committee violated several sections of the Election Code in paperwork filed in the lead-up to the 2010 mayoral elections.

The ruling was made in favor of a formal complaint filed by former Weslaco Mayor Hector "Buddy" De La Rosa, which claimed police association campaign Treasurer Alvino Flores did not disclose the correct name of the police association's PAC on the committee's 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, as required by the election code.

The complaint also said Flores did not file complete reports during those reporting periods.

Beeville gets an earthquake

Fires, dust storms, hurricanes and earthquakes. At least we don't have mudslides.

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake was reported at 7:24 a.m. Thursday with the epicenter 37 miles northwest of Beeville, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center.

The Texas Tribune saw a different Rick Perry performance than I did

Granted, I could only stand watching the first 18 minutes of the debate. The Rick Perry I saw looked really slow and dumb compared to the rest of the clown car on stage. I'm not being flip about this impression. I know Perry is dumb, but after George Bush, I thought that there were techniques to distract you from that.

In his strongest performance yet — one largely devoid of the flubs and gaffes that have plagued past debates — Perry took almost every opportunity to attack front-runner Mitt Romney, and to turn the attention back to his talking points and rehearsed lines.

"This was a very good night for the governor, talking about jobs, defending his records, drawing contrasts where appropriate and where available," Perry communications director Ray Sullivan said afterward. "This is a campaign that's in it for the long haul."

Want a promotion in Weslaco?

It is gonna cost ya'.

The city's Civil Service Commission will seek an opinion from the Texas Attorney General's office for clarification on whether it can charge applicants to take the fire department's promotional exam.

Firefighters take the exam to move up in rank.

Attorney General Greg Abbott in February issued an opinion that said a civil service commission may not impose such a fee.

Weslaco city officials are in a war with their firefighters.

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

Weslaco's financial rating safe, negative outlook for future

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services changed its financial outlook for the BBB+-rated city from “stable” to “negative” in a report released Sept. 29.

But city officials say certain items overlooked by S&P analysts could reverse the rating service’s determination.

Don't you ever wonder what it would be like if the US Supreme Court had not appointed Bush as president? Al Gore would have paid attention to 9/11 warnings. Probably no war in Afghanistan. Certainly no war in Iraq. Gore would have paid attention to Katrina warnings. Wall Street would not have had such a picnic on our dime. Peace and prosperity. Trickle down pain to cities like Weslaco avoided. I can dream.

See somebody illegally parked in a disabled person's parking spot?

There's an app for that.

Austin officials are considering using a smartphone application that could allow the public to record and report vehicles parked illegally in spots reserved for the disabled.

Corpus Christi Police Chief becomes assistant city manager

Strange job change.

Corpus Christi Police Chief Troy Riggs will take a new job as Assistant City Manager, city officials said Tuesday.

Riggs is expected to start in January once Assistant City Manager Johnny Perales retires. Riggs will oversee the city’s safety, health, neighborhood and park services.

Racism focuses on our border with Mexico

Barry McCaffrey and Robert Scales are propaganda whores and disgrace to the country they pretend to serve.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar says that if he went to a city outside of his district and declared it a “war zone” he would be run out of that city.

That has not happened to retired Brig. Gen. Barry McCaffrey and retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, who, in a report titled ‘Texas Border Security: A Strategic Military Assessment,’ describe the Texas border with Mexico as a “war zone.”

McCaffrey and Scales have been lauded by Texas state officials for their reporting

That has left Cuellar, D-Laredo, and U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, fuming. They and other border elected officials wonder if Republicans are trying to exploit the drug cartel violence in Mexico for political ends.

Corruption in the Hidalgo Sheriff's office

It's past time to legalize drugs. Take away the profit motive before the Mexican drug cartels are running our government completely.

A former investigator for the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office testified against his onetime partner Monday afternoon, recounting how they conspired to steal 354 pounds of marijuana from a Mission home.

Former investigator Omar Salazar described meeting with his partner and fellow investigator Heriberto Diaz on Oct. 15, 2009, outside a Stripes convenience store in Palmview. There, Diaz told Salazar that he’d received a tip about marijuana stashed at a Mission home.

“He asked me if we could steal it, or if we should report it,” Salazar said. “And if I had somebody who could pick it up.”

Weird headline of the day

'Corpus Christi to reinstate free opossum pickup service '

Please come and pick up my possum. He needs a mani/pedi.

Is Rick Perry the reason firefighters and Weslaco City officials are fighting?

Rick Perry cut back funds for firefighters. Hey, didn't we just have a massive fire disaster? Heck of a job, Rickie.

"Day 8: Union members take down this billboard," was sprawled across the city's website Thursday under the picture of a billboard that has raised eyebrows around town over the past week.

Public opinion remains mixed as city officials continue to fight back after being called out publicly on the Expressway 83 sign.

"I would be upset too and I blame all of that on Rick Perry," said George LeBlant, who grew up in Bastrop County. "…He was the first one to come out and say he was going to cut back funding for all volunteer fire departments."

LGBT supporters come out in Corpus Christi

Good showing.

About 200 people draped in rainbow ribbons, toting similar flags and posters chanted for equality while marching down the seawall Saturday in the Coming Out for Marriage Equality Corpus Christi 2011 March.

Their chant began: "People united will never be divided. Gay, straight, black, white — same fight."

Red tide is moving along South Padre Island

Bad news.

Dead fish began washing ashore over the weekend as officials confirmed that red tide is moving south along the Island, prompting health officials to issue a warning for people with respiratory conditions.

High concentrations of red tide cells were confirmed between Beach Access 4 and a point 13 miles north of Beach Access 6 on Saturday, officials said. But the algae blooms had reached as far south as Isla Blanca by Sunday afternoon.

republican DA says people's bad judgement should override evidence

I saw this tidbit from Grits for Breakfast and nearly lost my breakfast.

Remarkably, DA Abel Reyna said he prefers erroneous jury decisions over facts if they prove innocence:

Reyna said every request for post-DNA conviction must be carefully considered.

But in general, he doesn’t support such testing because it overrides what a jury decided, he said.

This is just like a reality-challenged republican. If the facts don't fit your world view, just create your own 'facts'.

TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds you that early voting for the November election starts next week as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff looks at the likely effect of voter ID on voter participation. Hint: Fewer people will be able to vote. Who could have guessed?

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme calls out Lamar Smith for his racist legislation that will harm abused women.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson says it's time for the people of Williamson County to stand up so they no longer ask, How do these people keep getting elected?

Neil at Texas Liberal offered some pictures of Occupy Houston. Neil has visted the good folks at Occupy Houston a few times now and has donated some supplies and a few bucks. The Occupy movement has taken hold in many Texas cities and across the nation. Please consider supporting Occupy in some fashion.

The Ghost of Sam Houston has some unkind words for Rick Perry's Energy Plan over at Darth Politico.

In the spirit of Halloween, McBlogger takes a look at The Return of the Living Dread.

Did Joaquin Castro screw Bexar County Latinos?

Check the testimony.

Looking to turn anger over Republican gerrymandering into votes, U.S. Rep Lloyd Doggett’s campaign is pointing to his opponent’s behind-the-scenes role in a redistricting process that divided Hays County among three congressional districts.

Doggett’s challenger, State Rep. Joaquin Castro, personally intervened with Texas House Republicans drawing the maps to shape the new Congressional District 35 in a way that weighted the district’s population toward San Antonio and away from Travis County.

Testifying in federal court last month about the maps he helped the Texas House Redistricting committee draw, Austin attorney Ryan Downton said he moved thousands of Bexar County Latino Democrats out of neighboring districts and into District 35 at the request of Castro and State Rep. Mike Villarreal, another San Antonio Democrat.

Professional architects p*ssed at Corpus Christi ISD

From the Corpus Christi Caller Times:

More than 100 Corpus Christi and statewide architects sent a formal complaint Thursday to the Texas Education Agency claiming the CCISD school board violated state law when it interviewed a two-firm architect team to design its new Southside middle school.

The complaint, signed by 107 architects statewide, accuses the board of trustees of violating a section of the Texas Government Code covering government professional services and contracts.

The complaint accuses trustees of discussing fees and potential savings to the district during an Aug. 5 interview with local firm Gignac & Associates and San Antonio-based PBK Architects for architectural services for the new middle school. It is part of Corpus Christi Independent School District's $125 million bond approved by voters in November.

Join Occupy Corpus Christi

Good news.

The local version of Occupy Wall Street will be in Corpus Christi on Oct. 21 outside City Hall.

Occupy Wall Street is a leaderless, grassroots movement based on nonviolent, public protests and demonstrations against greed, political corruption, social injustice and environmental waste. The movement started on Wall Street in New York but since has spread to other cities across the country.

Coordinated by the International Socialist Organization of Corpus Christi, the local rally will begin at 9 a.m. and feature an open mic session at 4 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, according to the Occupy Corpus Christi Facebook page.

More here and here

republican hypocrite declines to run again for State Legislature

This is how Back to Basics took the news of Joe Driver's retirement

Today, everyone’s favorite double-dipping Texas politician, Rep. Joe Driver of Garland, announced his decision not to take another crack at helping himself to our taxpayer dollars. At a time when the Texas budget cannot even meet essential services, we salute Rep. Driver’s decision to not seek re-election as a selfless move to no longer subsidize his lavish lifestyle with public money.

Did you have any question that republicans are batsh*t crazy?

'Florida Lawmaker Wants To Bring Back Firing Squads'

They are that mean, that nasty and that crazy. No worries about recent high levels of exoneration. Nope. When will we be seeing nooses?

Confederate flag plate - celebrating slavery in Texas

Oh, the good old days. When white man ruled his women, his children and his slaves.

More than 22,000 people have signed petitions against a proposed Confederate flag license plate for Texas.

The Austin American-Statesman reports the petitions were offered Wednesday in Austin.

Soon private cops will be gone from Naval air station

It makes no sense to hire private cops with a draw down in overseas wars.

More than 50 private security company jobs at Naval Air Station Kingsville will end as part of a rule change requiring security personnel at all Defense Department facilities to be on the federal payroll.

The rule change — which went into effect at the start of the federal fiscal year Oct. 1 — means Securiguard Inc.'s contract won't be renewed when it expires Nov. 30, Naval Air Station spokesman Jon Gagné said.

Victoria has 67 active shale waste disposal wells

Injecting pollutants near our drinking water.  Nice.

There are 67 active disposal wells in the county, including six commercial disposal wells, said Ramona Nye, Texas Railroad Commission spokeswoman. There also are a total of 355 permitted wells in the county.

Disposal wells, also called injection wells, are used to dispose of saltwater brought up to the surface during oil and gas production, according to the commission's website. Disposal-well owners are required to use a three-casing system to prevent contamination of groundwater.

Who keeps throwing public assets at Paul Schexnailder?

First, they wanted to give Schexnailder a private beach. Now, the city of Corpus Christi wants to spend infrastructure money for his benefit.

A Padre Island developer and the city will coordinate designs for a bridge and an extension of a residential canal system near a proposed Schlitterbahn water park resort.

The City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to work with private developers Asset Development Corp. and Gulf Shores Joint Venture on an infrastructure project that could lay groundwork for island development.

Paul Schexnailder, of Asset Development Corp., owns about 500 acres on the west side of Park Road 22, where Schlitterbahn has proposed its resort. The property includes the Padre Isles Golf Course, a portion of which is being considered for the resort design.

Crony capitalism.

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

'Corpus Christi ISD trustees bicker about conflicts of interest before land vote

'While considering a vote to add 12.5 acres to a site for the new far Soutshide high school Monday, CCISD trustee discussion turned heated as one trustee questioned another's disclosed conflict of interest with a local title company.

Accusing Carol Scott and her husband Mark of cronyism. Good job.

Pat Ahumada Jr. is a douche bag

Why? He 'accidentally' deposited $26K of somebody else's money in his bank account. Now, he is suing the bank.

Former Brownsville Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr. is seeking an unspecified amount in a lawsuit against Compass Bank, one of its investigators and a teller regarding a $26,139 check that he was accused of stealing from the city in 2009.

Ahumada, who was mayor from 2007 through May this year, amended his lawsuit a third time on Friday in the civil case that he initially filed in Hidalgo County late last year.

He wants the bank, its investigator Joseph Hinton and teller Julio Salazar to pay for what Ahumada describes as their attempt to cover-up their mistakes when the teller deposited the check knowing that it was not made out to Ahumada.

You'd think he'd want us to forget about this. Guess not.

Koch whores

Is it just me or do you think 'Koch whore' whenever that lady in the black pantsuit and white shirt walks through the TV touting oil and gas interests? Or, when the lady tells you that sugar is just sugar and don't worry your pretty little head about fructose?

Why not eminent domain for drugs?

Drug companies manufacture their products based on their profit potential. What if a lifesaving drug is not profitable, but many would benefit from its manufacture? We have eminent domain for roads and baseball parks that do not save lives. People lose their homes for ventures that do not save lives. Why not have eminent domain for drugs? Drug companies would be compensated for their efforts like homeowners are.

Slavoj Zizek, a Slovenian philosopher and public intellectual, says we need to rethink capitalism. One change has got to be improved regulation. republicans tout 'free market', but a market without regulation leads to abusive monopolies. Fair referees are needed to ensure worker safety, worker rights, environmental protections, safe products and fair treatment for consumers. republicans tout privatization of all services. Adding a profit motive and removing public oversight doesn't provide safe, affordable services in many cases. Who wants Wall Street or Enron running your water supply or teaching your children?

Texas republicans deleted climate change reference in Rice professor's article

Texas republicans hate science and facts. Especially when science and facts hurt their crony capitalism world.

A Rice University professor is accusing Texas' environmental agency of systematically deleting all references to climate change and sea-level rise from an article he wrote about changes in Galveston Bay.

The deletions by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are ideological and political, said John Anderson, the Maurice Ewing professor of oceanography at Rice. "I don't think there is any question but that their motive is to tone this thing down as it relates to global change," Anderson said. "...It's not about the science. It's all politics."

republicans are corrupt. I have no doubt of that whatsoever.

You don't have to be a good debater to win a debate

George Bush was terrible and lost every presidential debate he was in. Sure, the media said he won, but they're propaganda pushers. I watched the debates and George Bush looked and sounded stupid. Surprise, surprise. That's the kind of president he was: stupid.

No, you don't have to be decent even to win a debate. What you have to be to win a debate is ideologically pure. Rick Perry blew that one big time with his HPV vaccine answers and his tuition for undocumented residents. The heartless GOP voters do not like to be called heartless. George Bush was doggedly persistent with pushing the ideological line. That is all Rick Perry had to do. Spout the crazy. Never waiver.

McAllen Mayor to lead Texas Border Coalition

It's time to legalize drugs and take that issue off the table. Border security becomes much easier.

Members of the Texas Border Coalition chose McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez as the organization’s chairman-elect last week.

Members elected Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu chairman and Cortez chairman-elect at the Border Coalition’s annual meeting, which took place Thursday in San Antonio. Cortez will speak for the Border Coalition and handle the chairman’s duties when Cantu isn’t available.

The Border Coalition is an influential voice on border security, immigration, trade and other issues affecting the U.S.-Mexico border. It brings together elected officials and businesspeople to advocate for the region’s needs.

The Brookings Institution is coming to the Valley

It'll be a surprise.

The prestigious Brookings Institution is going to collaborate in some form with the Rio Grande Valley, says University of Texas at Brownsville President Juliet Garcia.

Exactly what sort of collaboration has yet to be agreed, Garcia said, in an exclusive interview with the Guardian at the conclusion of the UT Vista Summit. At the Summit, Bruce Katz, vice president of Brookings, gave the keynote speech.

“The Brookings Institution wants to work with us so we are going to be doing something with them in the future. I do not know what it is going to look like,” Garcia said, following discussions with Katz.

Garcia said Katz was impressed with what he saw during his two days in Brownsville for the Vista Summit. The event, which allowed Valley education leaders to interact with some of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States, was held at UTB.

Lamar Smith gets dissed

Lamar Smith is an a**hole who should get dissed everyday.

Immigrant victims of domestic violence would be the sad casualties of Congressman Lamar Smith's current hyping of the immigration issue for political purposes.

Smith, who represents central Texas (including Austin and San Antonio), is chair of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and a sponsor of the Hinder the Administration Legalization Temptation Act (known as the HALT Act), which would force immigration authorities to deport victims of domestic violence, who reach out to authorities for help.

Apparently, republicans want to legitimize domestic violence. Look at Topeka, Kansas wanting to make domestic violence legal.

Welsaco firefighter ad has City Manager going ballistic

I think it's time to fire the City Manager.

The city manager is calling for the repeal of collective bargaining for the city’s labor unions after one of them publicly embarrassed the mayor and city commission via a billboard along the main highway.

“Welcome to Weslaco, home to a mayor and city commission who turned their backs on its firefighters,” the towering sign along Expressway 83 reads.

Who wants a hot head in office?

Bend over again for Farmers Insurance

Rates to go up nearly 10%. Don't you just love the republican crony capitalism? (subscription required)

Farmers Insurance indicated Friday that it will raise homeowner premiums by nearly 10 percent next year for about half of its customers in North Texas and across the state.

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

'Ex-auditor owes $27,000 in restitution'

Willacy County Judge John F. Gonzales Jr. has been studying county financial records since he took office and says he found that some funds owed the county have never been paid.

One amount he said he intends to go after is at least $27,000 in restitution that Gonzales said is owed by former county auditor Armando Rubalcaba after he pleaded no contest to third-degree felony theft of $64,0000 in September 2005.

It's the TPA blog roundup!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is occupying your browser as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff took a look at demographic change in one of Houston's historic neighborhoods.

Harold Cook at Letters From Texas takes a look back at old friend Molly Ivins, when he reviews a new book just released about her. His conclusion: "if you ever spent evenings with Molly, reading the book will give you the gift of spending one more. Even better, if you never got to spend that evening with Molly, you're in luck - after reading the book, you'll feel just like you did."

Bay Area Houston has an interesting audio clip of Teabag darling Galveston County Tax Assessor, Cheryl Johnson.

Justice finally starts to come for man falsely convicted 25 yreas ago in Williamson County. WCNews at Eye On Williamson has the story, Michael Morton walks free after 25 years behind bars.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme says Texas Republicans hate the elderly, workers, children and women.

Occupy Houston, the solidarity march and protest which grew out of the continuing Occupy Wall Street action, was covered by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Neil at Texas Liberal reported on the first day of Occupy Houston. It is great that something hopeful is finally taking place in our politics. The Occupy Wall Street movement gets the idea that the work of freedom and democracy is up to each of us.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw tells us "Poor Rick Perry thought he could easily preen, charm and tall tale his way through the 2012 Republican Presidential primary cycle. Unfortunately for the Governor he has not been outside of his impenetrable Texas Republican bubble much. Rick Perry spends so much time with his crony donors that he obviously has no clue what the other 99% of the population believes." She explains why that didn't happen. Read more: Rick Perry: Razzle, Dazzle, Snap, Crackle and Flop.

Pregnancy counseling centers that avoid abortions upset over signage requiring truth

The anti-abortion crowd like to lie and cheat. How dare the government require the truth be told to clients?

Four facilities that counsel women with unplanned pregnancies sued the City of Austin on Thursday , arguing that an ordinance passed last year violates their constitutional rights to free speech and freedom of religion.

The ordinance requires the centers to post signs at their entrances saying they don't offer or refer clients to abortion or birth control services. It was proposed by City Council Member Bill Spelman and unanimously OK'd by the council.

Those that violate the ordinance can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by fines of up to $450 . Municipal court records show that no one has violated the ordinance since it took effect last April , a city spokesman said.

republicans want Medicare doctors to quit

republicans are trying their best (worst?) to kill Medicare.

Half of Texas physicians would consider withdrawing from the Medicare program if Congress allows a forthcoming deep cut in reimbursement payments, Texas Medical Association officials said Thursday.

Let the old people die. Let the injured workers die. New, minimum wage jobs to clean the dead off of the streets.

Texas to workers injured on the job: "Drop dead"

You know republicans don't want regulations that ensure worker safety. republicans in the house move to kill safety regulations for workers and thereby kill workers. You know that the republicans don't want to pay workers that are injured on the job. Like the republican presidential debate audience cheered for the death of an uninsured man, republicans would just like the injured worker to die. Preferably after leaving the work site.

As Deputy Sheriff Ed Martin sat by his squad car in a fast-growing pool of his own blood, he called his wife and woke her at 3:30 a.m. He knew he might die from the point-blank shotgun blast that greeted him moments earlier when he knocked on a door for a 911 call in a tiny east Texas town called China.

“It’s pretty bad and I don’t know how it’s gonna turn out,” Martin told his wife as he awaited a helicopter medical evacuation. “Get the kids and meet me at the hospital.”

When they arrived, Martin was on a gurney and covered with a white sheet splotched red. His wife clutched their sleepy 2-year-old daughter to her chest as their sons, 6 and 10, stood at her side.

“I know it was tough for them,” Martin says, retelling the story of that night in June 2006 in the flat monotone of cop-speak. “But I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through surgery and I wanted to at least tell them ‘Hello’ and ‘I love you.’ ”

Doctors say Martin’s life was saved by his ballistic vest and the swift trip to the hospital in Beaumont, near the Gulf Coast and the Louisiana border. But the blast vaporized the skin of his inner arm down to bare muscle and tendons, and tore out the main artery.

A couple of weeks later, Martin got a phone call from an insurance adjuster handling his workers’ compensation claim. He was told the $7,300 helicopter ride was “not medically necessary” and likely would not be covered.

How low can republicans go? Really. I don't think my mind can grasp how low.

Texas judges to get another look at school funding

Let's face it. republicans want public education dead. What better way than to withhold funds. republicans don't like to pay their fair share of taxes anyway.

During the legislative session earlier this year, David Thompson received a message from a Republican lawmaker on the floor of the House.

“Please sue us soon,” it read.

The veteran school finance lawyer told the story to several dozen school leaders last weekend as he explained to them why he is poised to do just that — file litigation against the state over the way it funds its public schools. The involvement of courts, he said, could help provide political cover for lawmakers to make better policy.

Though the prospect of school finance litigation arose even before the Legislature removed $4 billion in funding it owed Texas public schools and passed last-minute legislation distributing the cuts in a way that another school finance expert likened to a shotgun wedding, the details of such lawsuits are just now taking shape.

A republican lawmaker asks to be sued in order to have cover to do what the lawmaker knows is the right thing to do. Is this what passes for ethics in the republican party?

Betancourt won't challenge Gonzales

Sounds like Betancourt puts his party and his state ahead of himself.

Democratic candidate T.C. Betancourt announced Wednesday he will not run against state Rep. Veronica Gonzales if he is “paired” with the McAllen Democrat under an interim or remedial Texas House map.

The Edinburg businessman started campaigning in District 41 after Gonzales announced she would run in neighboring District 40. His slogan was “A Fresh Start in a New District.” However, with a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio now set to draw a new interim House map, there is speculation that Gonzales will switch back to District 41.

Mauricio Celis wants back in

Too bad.

A former law firm operator convicted of impersonating a lawyer is asking an appeals court to rehear his case.

Mauricio Celis was convicted in February 2009 of 14 counts of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer. He appealed the conviction on 18 points, including that the trial judge was biased against him, but was denied by the 13th Court of Appeals.

He is a crony, though.

republicans want water to be controlled by cronies

Everybody needs water to survive. What a deal for republican cronies to control our water supply. The whole idea of privatization really is about crony capitalizing on our basic needs as human beings.  How did an infrastructure bill get by?

To meet the needs of its growing population, drought-stricken Texas urgently needs more water infrastructure totaling $231 billion to augment water supplies and treatment, wastewater processing and flood control by 2060, according to a draft of the state water plan that was released last month.

Next month, Texans will go to the polls to decide whether to help the state get part of the way there. If Proposition 2 on the ballot passes, the Texas Water Development Board, the state's water-planning agency, will be authorized to lend $6 billion via a bond fund dedicated to building and fixing water infrastructure.

Many of the state's business heavyweights have lined up behind the proposition, as have some environmental groups.

Regular, not-in-the-water monopoly business, people want to have a reliable, affordable, clean supply of water. Even business people.

You know it's bad when you can't eat the fish

Algae toxins are the problem.

Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District Local Health Authority advised residents to not eat any fish caught at Petronila Creek recently.

UTB-TSC professor alleges discrimination

More trouble for UTB-TBC.

An associate professor of business filed a lawsuit against UTB-TSC this summer alleging she was discriminated against because of her race and gender, court records show.

Mary Jane Sauceda filed a complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission in May against the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, according to the records. In June, the TWC sent her notice of her right to file a civil lawsuit, the records state. The same records show that on July 29 Sauceda filed the lawsuit in a Hidalgo County state court, but on Sept. 30 the case was moved to the U.S. District Court in McAllen.

Poor Texas kids with cancer

republicans throughout the country couldn't care less. Really, they don't care one little bit. republicans aren't in it together, they're in it just for themselves.

The numbers are devastating: almost 2,000 poor kids in Texas with cancer, another 18,000 with diabetes and more than 350,000 suffering from chronic lung disease, heart disease or stroke.

What sounds like a grim statistical report on poverty and disease is actually a lobbying message from Medicaid advocates to Texas congressman Jeb Hensarling, Republican co-chairman of a special congressional panel charged with cutting at least $1.2 trillion from the U.S. deficit over 10 years.

The message is in a 14-page electronic brochure titled “Medicaid’s Impact in Texas,” sent to Hensarling and other Texas lawmakers by the health consumer advocacy group Families USA, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association and American Lung Association.

I don't think Hensarling gives a flying flip if kids all over Texas drop dead as long as they don't get in his way.

What's wrong with this headline?

'Perry's Suggestion of Military Action in Mexico Draws Varied Reaction'

The front page of the Texas Tribune has this headline (the actual story has this headline 'Perry's Remarks on Mexico Are Praised, Dismissed')

You just have to wonder how someone could be so stupid (Rick Perry) as to suggest invading our neighbor, but then who else is so stupid as to think that was a good idea? Of course, the neocon, Tea Baggers are so myopic, selfish and thuggish that force seems like the first and best choice to them.

Welsaco police not happy with their chief

Cowardice? Ouch.

One of the city’s police unions is trying to oust the police chief on grounds of incompetence, neglect of duty and cowardice, according to a letter sent to city commissioners Thursday.

Chief Juan Sifuentes failed to follow procedure during an armed robbery he witnessed last month, according to a letter drafted by Roberto "Bobby" Garcia, regional attorney for the Rio Grande Valley chapter of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, or CLEAT.

TPA blog roundup!

The Texas Progressive Alliance has no plans to move to the Southeastern Conference or the PAC 12 as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff notes that the federal court in San Antonio has issued an injunction preventing the state from implementing its new redistricting maps, and that until preclearance is granted it will draw its own maps to use for next year.

CitizenAndy has joined the dark side with his new blog Darth Politico. He'd appreciate if you checked out the new site, liked Darth Politico on Facebook, and subscribed to his feed. He's especially proud to have The Ghost of Sam Houston blogging at his site.

Letters From Texas explains why conservative pundits' Perry problems perpetually persist. Perfect.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson points out that while Gov. Perry and the Texas GOP think all is well with the Texas economy that's far from reality, 2012 revenue estimate for Texas will be “Flattish", dedicated funds trickery.

The "Move to Amend" Texas tour -- the effort to repeal the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision by constitutional amendment -- has stops scheduled in Bryan-College Station, Houston, San Antonio, Bastrop, Austin, and Corpus this week. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the details.

Over at TexasKaos, Liberal Texan has his say about Texas' latest assault on women: Family Unplanned: Texas Cuts Funding for Women's Reproductive Health Care. Check it out.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme tries on crazy shoes and rates the main GOP presidential candidates.

Bay Area Houston shows why Perry is weak and wrong on immigration.

Neil at Texas Liberal commented on welding and on the different ways that things are brought together based on a picture he took at the Houston Ship Channel.

McBlogger was a little surprised to learn from Rick Perry that Warren Buffett is clueless about the private sector.

EPA says your state can't pollute my state

That seems reasonable. Tea baggers, aka corporate puppets, will have a fit.

The EPA’s new Cross-State Air Pollution Rule is aimed at reducing smokestack pollution in Texas and 26 other states because of the impact on downwind states. Pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from coal-fired power plants in Texas mingle with contaminants in downwind states, creating acid rain, soot and smog, and making it difficult or impossible for metropolitan areas in those states to satisfy federal air quality standards, says the EPA.

Lawyers in bribery scandal fight over fees

There is more than one kind of greedy b*st*rd.

The deeply layered federal racketeering and extortion case that brought down former 404th state District Judge Abel C. Limas and former state Rep. Jim Solis has led to new allegations that Solis defrauded the state of Texas and its taxpayers by lying about his address to remain on the state payroll after his retirement from the Texas House of Representatives.

Those allegations were filed this month in a civil lawsuit brought in 2008 by attorney Marc G. Rosenthal, who is charged in a separate but related 13-count federal indictment that says he directly and indirectly paid Limas, or instructed Solis to pay Limas, for favorable orders, rulings and treatment from the bench.