Left of College Station

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - December 5, 2011

2011-12-05T23:00:00.000-06:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks that if Herman Cain had just married all those women he could be where Newt Gingrich is today as it brings you this week's roundup.


Off the Kuff provides a little perspective about redistricting and the political outcome of the ongoing litigation over it.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson says it's time for a new direction for the Texas Democratic Party, A tremendous opportunity to create a new Democratic Party in Texas.

McBlogger says that Judge Rakoff threw a big wrench into the sweetheart deals some of the banks have been getting from the SEC. 

Bay Area Houston has information if you want to Contact the Judge about State Representative Joe Driver's sentencing.

Refinish69 has a few suggestions since The Holiday Season is Here!

BossKitty at TruthHugger - Is more comfortable with Crop Circles than the Frankenstein Tea Party the Koch Brothers created.  Why the Tea Party is like a Crop Circle.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw summaries the choices presented by the Republican presidental hopefuls in An OOPS, Serial Flipper Flopper, Adulterers, a Sourpuss and a Scared Spin Doctor. It would be funnier, if it were not all true.

Mitt Romney's path to the GOP nomination got considerably rockier in the past week, and that was before Herman Cain failed to deliver in 30 minutes or less. The rise of Newt Gingrich is however a dilemma for conservative fundamentalist Christians, as PDiddie at Brains and Eggs observes. Can they get behind a nominee who believes that marriage should only be between a man and a woman who does not have cancer?

Neil at Texas Liberal took a walk along some railroad tracks in Houston. On this walk, Neil encountered both solid and metaphorical aspects of life.

Week in Headlines

2011-12-02T17:00:00.000-06:00

#Occupy Wall Street

CampsAre Cleared, but ‘99 Percent’ Still Occupies the Lexicon

EvictionPushes Occupy Protesters in New Directions

PoliceSet Up Barricades at Occupy San Francisco

Texas News

Farmsin Texas Panhandle Collected Million in Subsidies

National News

ReportFinds State Foster Agencies Failing to Monitor Medications

Foreign Policy

AfghanistanFaces $4 Billion Defense Funding Shortfall

War & Peace

UNSays Syria Death Toll Above 4,000

Veterans Issues

TestingProgram Fails Soldiers, Leaving Brain Injuries Undetected

Economics

BanksHit by New Round of Foreclosure Lawsuits

Poverty

TexasWorkforce Commission Announces Extension of Unemployment Benefits

Higher Education

PanelRecommends 2.6% Tuition Hike at University of Texas

Environment

TexasDrought Will Continue For Another Year

Climate Change

FederalReport Finds Arctic Much Worse Since 2006

Energy

ERCOTWarns of Rolling Blackouts for Texas Next Summer

Civil Rights

StatesSeek Drug Tests for Welfare Recipients

Immigrant Rights

DrugWar Sends Emotionally Troubled Kids to Texas

GLBT Issues

ParticipantDiscredits the Original Ex-Gay Study

Race & Racism

KentuckyChurch Votes to Ban Interracial Couples

Campaign In 100 Seconds: No Sleep Till Iowa

2011-12-01T23:00:00.000-06:00

Week in Headlines

2011-11-18T17:00:00.000-06:00

#OccupyWallStreet

OccupyWall Street’s National Day of Action Launches with Protest at NY Stock Exchange

OccupyNew York Marches to Financial Center as Protests Mark Two Months

ParamilitaryPolicing From Seattle to Occupy Wall Street

OccupyWall Street Protesters Shifting to College Campuses

OccupyOakland and News Media Coexist Uneasily

Texas News

Numberof Texans Receiving Food Stamps Up Sharply Amid Recession

Texas Politics

AnotherState Permit Raises Cronyism Criticism in Perry Administration

National Politics

LawmakersDebate Deficit Reduction Plan as Key Deadline Nears

National News

InsiderTrading In Congress Under Scrutiny

International News

AfghanistanCouncil Opens With Focus on US Military Bases and Night Raids

Foreign Policy

AsIraq Hostilities End, Fate Of Combatant Unclear

War & Peace

USDrone Strike Kills Eight in North Waziristan

Economics

NewReport Finds Middle-Class Areas Shrink as Income Gap Grows

Poverty

WithDebit Fees Withdrawn Banks Reap Profits Off Unemployed

Public Education

SurveyShows Big Problems From Public Education Cuts

Higher Education

MoreTexas Colleges Turn to Outsourcing in Hopes of Cutting Costs

Health Care

StudyLinks Parkinson's Disease to Industrial Solvent

Energy

NAS-KingsvilleInstalls New Solar Array as Part of Push to Reduce Fossil Fuel Use

Environment

OklahomaEarthquakes and the Wages of Fracking

Civil Rights

ParamilitaryPolicing of Occupy Wall Street and Excessive Use of Force

Voters Rights

FedsWant More Information on Texas Voters

Labor Rights

PostalWorkers Protest Possible Shutdown of McAllen Mail Processing Center

Immigrant Rights

ICEPolicies Leave Overburdened Foster-Care System in Their Wake

Women & Gender Issues

LegislationIntroduced to Strengthen Protections for Victims of Sexual Assault in the Military

Race & Racism

CensusStudy Shows Latinos Surpass Blacks Living in Poverty

#Occupy Bryan-College Station

2011-11-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

OccupyCollege Station/Bryan (#Occupybcstx) is planning a protest tomorrow November17th from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the corner of Texas and University. Bring yourfavorite sign, and if you don’t have one there will be extra signs.

Mostof us are petitioning both the government and our fellow citizens for a redressof grievances. People feel that political and economic reforms are urgentlyneeded. An increasingly Ann Rand style laissez-faire economic policy makes itmore and more easy for money to equal power.

Itappears that rapidly increasing financial inequality has channeled power intothe hands of a few, as symbolized by the 1%, who are free to corrupt thepolitical system with impunity. One person, one vote no longer describes oursystem. America no longer feels like a democracy. Corporate centers of powerhave co-opted governance to favor their own interests and not the interests ofthe country.

Whatkind of reforms do we want? This is whatI hear from participants in no particular order: campaign finance reform; amendthe constitution to eliminate corporate personhood; rescind the effects of theCitizens United Supreme Court decision, re-regulate financial sector, noimmunity for criminal bankers. Stop the revolving door that allows governmentregulators to enter the private sector working for the corporations that theyonce regulated. Tax reform to increase the marginal tax rates at the highbracket to reign in corporate CEO compensation and reduce the incentives forbehavior that creates systemic risk. Reform the Federal Reserve System.

Ourgoals? To paraphrase one College Station occupier, “Once we our country back,our goals will be as varied as the people involved in the movement.” Join themovement.

Texas Progressive Alliance - November 14, 2011

2011-11-14T23:00:00.001-06:00

The Texas Progrogressive Alliance is beginning to think fond thoughts of cranberry dressing, pumpkin pie, and, um, something else it can't quite recall - oops! - as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff took a tour of Houston elections from the 1990s to see how they compared to more modern matchups.

Following Rick Perry's latest gaffes, Letters From Texas explains why Perry has become such a hopeless band nerd that the crazy girl who can't get a prom date pities him.

Darth Politico commemorates Veterans Day with a discussion about the history of Red Tape and veterans benefits. Emphasis on Red.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson points out that Republicans in Texas are boxed-in. They know know taxes must be raised to run our state's government, but can't bring themselves to say it, Texas GOP's cowardice.

On the same night Houston Mayor Annise Parker celebrated barely being re-elected, a few blocks away the HPD arrested seven Occupy Houstonians for refusing to move a tarp which the police called a tent. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs doesn't think that's a great way to start a second term ... unless she plans on again representing the 1%, that is.

BossKitty at TruthHugger sees another disappointing campaign season. Inundated with Republican this and Tea Party that, BossKitty is embarrassed by what we are hearing. Republican Whack A Mole Misses the Point. Some economic guru is writing the script for each candidate to spout as the Only way to get back on track, because it is always Obama's fault. We all know it was Obama's fault even before he was born. But some of the solutions totally miss the big picture.

Bay Area Houston is remembering on Veterans Day on how we have continue to screw our Veterans.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that BP wants the government to hide data while celebrating the end of its cleanup responsibility. This week: crony capitalists 2; regular citizens 0.

Lightseeker at TexasKaos gives a brief summary of the GOP voter suppression campaign gearing up for 2012. Check it out: Voter Suppression Update 2011.

Neil at Texas Liberal attended an Occupy Houston press conference about OH participants arrested by Houston police for covering up electrical equipment with a tarp during a rainstorm. If only Occupy efforts across the nation had the same First Amendment protections as large anonymous corporate political donations enjoy under the Citizens United case.

Week in Headlines

2011-11-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

Texas News

TexasOrdered To Redraw Congressional Maps

National News

SocialJustice Groups Engage Occupy Movement

National Politics

FECData Show Big Jump in Spending by Super PACs and Outside Groups

War & Peace

SoldierIs Convicted of Killing Afghan Civilians for Sport

Poverty

NewReport Shows Poverty Greater Than Previously Thought

Education

TexasHistory Standards Receive Poor Review From State Higher Ed Board

Environment

FrackingMay Be to Blame for Oklahoma Earthquakes

Human Rights

WidelyPraised Mexico Marines Commit Human Rights Abuses

Civil Rights

AnotherState Considers Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

Labor Rights

OhioReferendum Repeals Republican Anti-Union Bill

Immigrant Rights

ReportFinds Children Languish in Foster Care as Parents are Deported

Reproductive Rights

MississippiRejects Constitutional Amendment to Define Personhood at Fertilization

Women & Gender Issues

StudyFinds More Than Half of High School Girls Report Sexual Harassment

Race & Racism

StudyFinds Not Enough Minority Teachers in Classrooms

Runoff to Decide Which Republican Represents Brazos County in Texas House

2011-11-09T23:00:00.000-06:00

TheBrazos County representative in the Texas House of Representatives will be aRepublican, but we will have to wait until December to find out which one. BobYancy and John Raney each received enough of the vote in District 14 to force arun-off, as none of the five candidates received a majority.

Accordingto the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Yancy received about 4,922 votes (36%) andRaney received 3,758 (28%). Democrat Judy LeUnes finished third receiving 3,060votes (22%), Republican Rebecca Boenigk placed fourth with 1,505 votes andLibertarian Joshua Baker finished last with 266 votes.

Iwas not surprised that the election resulted in a run-off, however, I wassurprised at which two candidates will be facing each other in the run-off. Iexpected either Yancy or Raney to finish with the highest vote total, and forLeUnes to finish with the second vote total.

Thereare a few reasons I think that this outcome took place. First, while there wasan unusually high voter turnout (17%), there was probably lower than averageDemocratic voter turnout. I expected LeUnes to garner more than 22% of thevote. In 2008 Barack Obama received 35% of the vote in Brazos County, and evenin the Republican wave of 2010 Chet Edwards receive 34% of the vote.

Second,LeUnes was probably hurt by a poor showing by Boenigk. During the campaignBoenigk was highly criticized by her fellow Republicans and participated in asignificant amount of negative campaigning. After spending well over $100,000on her campaign, each vote cost her nearly $100. This hurt LeUnes because thevotes that Boenigk lost went to Yancy and Raney.

Therun-off election is nearly impossible to predict because the voter turnout willlikely be very low, and it is difficult to determine how the vote will shift.Will Boenigk supporters swing their vote to either Yancy or Raney, and willLeUnes supporters choose between two Republican candidates or stay home?

Themost interesting part about this election is that unless either of thecandidates is reelected in 2012, they will not actually ever cast a vote in theTexas Legislature. In Texas the legislature only meets for 140 days once everytwo years, since we don’t want to give them too much time to screw up thestate. Although after the 82^nd Texas Legislature, I think we mayhave given them too much time.

Whatthe run-off is about is whatever candidate that wins being able to position themselvesas the incumbent. There’s always a chance that another Republican willchallenge them in March during the primary, in which case voters would literallybe voting for state representative three times within a year. There is a possibilitythat LeUnes will challenge whatever candidate wins during the general electionin 2012. Either way, the results from yesterday’s election appear to be justthe first chapter in this saga.

Week in Headlines

2011-11-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

#OccupyWallStreet

Occupy Oakland Strike Gains Gig Labor Support

At Occupy Oakland Thousands of Protesters Rally at Port

US Occupy Protesters Clash With Police at Oakland Port

Texas News
Panel Urges Review of Arson Convictions

Texas Politics
State Workers Cut While Firm Spends

National News
Banks Extract Fees On Unemployment Benefits

Foreign Policy
US Revises Its Strategy for Ending the Afghan War

Veterans Issues
More Women Falling Into Ranks of Homeless Veterans

Domestic Policy
Million of Borrowers Eligible for Foreclosure Review

Economics
US Economy Finally Back to Pre-Recession Level

Poverty
Some 15% of US Uses Food Stamps

Health Care
HHS Releases Leading Health Indicators for the Next Decade

Public Education
Texas Students Better National Peers in Math But Reading Scores Flat

Higher Education
Shorter University Requiring Staffers to Reject Homosexuality

Environment
Texas Red Tide Kills 4.2 Million Fish Since September

Climate Change
Texas Drought to Continue Another Year

Energy
Transocean Claims Indemnity Under BP Contract

Human Rights
Human Trafficking Evokes Outrage Little Evidence

Civil Rights
Judge Denies DNA Tests Before Texas Execution

Immigrant Rights
US Sues South Carolina Over Immigration Law

GLBT Issues
Even After ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ Gay Soldiers Remain Unequal In The Military

Texas Republicans Don’t Get Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-01T23:00:00.001-05:00

"It's interesting for them to argue against capitalism and at the same time be walking down the street with a BlackBerry or an iPhone, which would not have happened had we not had capitalism to drive those innovations." That’s what Congressman Mike Conaway told the San Angelo Standard-Times, in yet another illustration of how members of the subsidiary of corporate America otherwise known as the Republican Party have no idea what the members of the 99% movement are protesting in lower Manhattan.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is not about protesting capitalism. This movement is about protesting capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich. This movement is about protesting the corruption of our government by corporate and other special interest. The movement is about protesting our democracy being turned into a corporatocracy.

Conaway later in the article said that Occupy Wall Street hasn't as much effect on the national dialogue as the Tea Party. Really? Considering that for the last month the national conversation has been almost exclusively about the Occupy Wall Street protest, I think he might be somewhat out of touch with reality.

Congress Mac Thornberry told the Standard-Times that “most people who are frustrated at not getting a job are out there looking for a job, not living in a park." I suspect that Thornberry is ignoring the fact that there are 5 job seekers for every one job in America, and that millions are a part of the long term unemployed who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. When there is nothing left to do but take to the streets, what do you expect?

Look at District 14 Campaign Finance Reports: Big Spenders

2011-11-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

A look at campaign finance records has revealed that two candidates are spending significant amounts of money on the campaign for Texas House of Representatives District 14. Republicans Rebecca Boenigk and Bob Yancy, who have also traded barbs in candidate forums, are out spending the other two candidates and are doing so with mostly their own money.

According to Texas Ethics Commission records, as of the most recent filing deadline Boenigk has reported $81,191 in political expenditures. Records show that as of that filing deadline Yancy has reported $70,312 in political expenditures. Those records show that both candidates have made significant loans to their campaigns, as Boenigk has reported a total of $140,000 in loans and Yancy has reported a total of $65,000.

Democrat Judy LeUnes and Republican John Raney are spending far less than the other two candidates, and neither of them have loaned any money to their respective campaigns. According to Texas Ethics Commission records, as of the most recent filing deadline LeUnes has reported $10,145 in political expenditures, and records show that Raney has reported $13,892 in political expenditures.

Yancy has reported the most in total political contributions to his campaign, however, a significant amount of the total has come from a political action committee. TREPAC Texas Association of Realtors has contributed $12,500 of the $23,400 he has reported. Other political action committees that have donated to his campaign include Friends of Clint Hackney & Company PAC ($1,000), HILLCO PAC ($500), One Call Concepts PAC ($250), and Texas Association of Crane Owners PAC ($250).

Boenigk has reported $14,624 in political contributions, of which $1,500 came from the Texas Apartment Association Political Action Committee. Also of note, Boenigk received a $5,000 contribution from Annette Taddeo of Miami, Florida. Raney reported $13,018 in political contributions, of which he received contributions from NFIB-Texas Safe Trust ($1,000), Brookshire Brothers, PAC ($750), Texas Academy of Audiology PAC ($500), Texas Retailers Assn. PAC ($500), and Radio Shack Government Fund ($100). LeUnes reported $9,362 in political contributions, and received a $1,942 from Texas State Teachers PAC and a $500 contribution from Joaquin Castro for State Representative Campaign.

In the final week of the campaign Boenigk has by far the most cash on hand with $95,497, while despite his aparrent attempts to keep pace with her spending Yancy has only $13,600 cash on hand. Raney has reported $19,089 cash on hand, and LeUnes has reported just $2,937 cash on hand. As the final week of the campaign expect a barrage of advertising from Boenigk as she attempts to overcome negative perceptions of her campaign.

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - October 31, 2011

2011-10-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Week in Headlines

2011-10-28T19:00:00.002-05:00

Texas News
Texas District Attorney Named in Alleged Drug Trafficking Bribery Plot

Texas Politics
Case Against Texas Business Tax Before Top Court

International News
Population Growth Taxing Planet’s Resources

Foreign Policy
Inspector General Report Finds US Wasting Money in Iraq

Veterans Issues
Jobs Increasingly Difficult to Find for Disabled Americans

War & Peace
Taliban Fighters Attack US Base in Kandahar

Domestic Policy
Government Announces New Program to Help Underwater Homeowners

Economy
Study Finds Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation’s Income

Health Care
States Are Limiting Medicaid Hospital Coverage

Education
New State Test Raises Concerns for Teachers and Educators

Environment
Red Tide Closes All Oyster Harvesting in Texas

Climate Change
Warming Could Exceed Safe Levels in This Lifetime

Energy
Exxon and Chevron Profit to Rise $6 billion

Human Rights
Study Finds Juarez Prime Location for Child Abuse

Civil Rights
DOJ Finds Evidence of Texas Intent to Limit Latino Voting Power

Women & Gender Issues
Birth Control Pill Lowers Ovarian Cancer Risk

Reproductive Rights
Federal Judge Blocks Part of North Carolina Anti-Abortion Law

GLBT Issues
Gay Troops to File Suit Challenging Defense of Marriage Act

District 14 Candidate First Look: Judy LeUnes

2011-10-28T17:00:00.001-05:00

Among the candidates campaigning for Texas House of Representatives District 14, Judy LeUnes is the only candidate from the Democratic Party. She taught in College Station ISD for over 20 years and after retiring began her own education consulting business. LeUnes has never run for public office before, but she has served on several boards for the city of College Station and nonprofit groups.

According to her campaign web site, LeUnes is running to “to be a strong voice for families who are deeply concerned about the quality and affordability of their children’s education at all levels.” Even though the district is heavily Republican, LeUnes believes that she has a legitimate shot at winning since there are three other Republican candidates running that may split the GOP vote.

LeUnes is campaigning on two main platform planks, investing in public schools and creating jobs for Texans. In promoting these issues she says that public schools “are the best chance for every child to have an equal opportunity” and that “we need to grow new jobs and support small businesses.”

In an interview with the Bryan-College Station Eagle, LeUnes said that because of her experience she is the “only candidate who knows what is really happening in the public schools." She is also planning on her ties to the community helping her with voters. She is a graduate of Texas A&M, and has also served on the board of directors for the Brazos Animal Shelter and the Rape Crisis Center. And she has worked with the city of College Station at the Lincoln Center and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

District 14 Candidate First Look: Bob Yancy

2011-10-27T23:00:00.001-05:00

The third Republican running to represent District 14 in the Texas House of Representatives is Bob Yancy, the founder and owner of MEMdata which uses innovation and technology to save hospitals money in the procurement of equipment. According to his campaign web site, Yancy is “so committed to combating wasteful spending and promoting free market competition, he built a business on these principles.”

Yancy says that the “problem in Austin isn’t that we’re not taxing and spending enough. Instead, I believe we’re not being as efficient and effective as we must be with public spending, most especially in these tough economic times.” His platform includes keeping taxes low, cutting wasteful spending, and promoting economic growth.

In an interview with the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Yancy described himself as a “I am a mainstream, pro-business, Ronald Reagan conservative and I intend to represent those values that I believe are the values of Brazos County.” According the interview Yancy’s campaign has focused much on reforming the state’s procurement code to allow for more competitive bidding on government contracts, which he claims will create a significant amount of savings for the state.

Yancy’s claims of creating health care savings for patients was challenges at a recent candidate forum by fellow Republican Rebecca Boenigk. As the Eagle reported Boenigk claimed that he only brings down cost for hospitals and not for patients, while Yancy countered saying that helping hospitals solicit competitive bids for equipment saves money that is passed on to the customer. "It is economics 101."

Yancy released the results of a poll via his Facebook page, that showed Yancy leading among voters surveyed with 35% and Democratic candidate Judy LeUnes with 26%. The poll was conducted by the Texas Association of Realtors and surveyed 330 likely voters, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4%.

District 14 Candidate First Look: John Raney

2011-10-26T23:00:00.002-05:00

A former chairman of the Brazos County Republican Party, John Raney is one of three Republicans running for Texas House of Representatives in District 14. Raney served as the chairman of the Brazos County GOP from 1971 to 1978, and was a candidate for office only one other time when he ran for Brazos County judge in 1978.

According to his campaign web site, Raney is a long time resident of Brazos County, and graduated from Texas A&M University in 1969 with a degree in Marketing. Raney is the founder and owner of the Texas Aggieland Bookstore, which opened its doors in 1969 while he was still attending Texas A&M.

In an interview with the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Raney revealed that one of the motivating factors behind his campaign was his experience lobbying for a piece of legislation in Austin. The legislation would have levied state taxes on online companies such Amazon.com and was eventually vetoed by Governor Rick Perry. Raney said he believes that bureaucrats often lead the discussion in Austin, not voters.

While he admits to not being an expert in most areas of public policy that are dealt with by the legislature, Raney told the Eagle that he would use a “common-sense approach." Raney says that he will refuse to sign any specific pledges and will sit down and talk with anyone. There are five goals listed under his “Conservative Vision for the Brazos Valley” on his campaign web site, than include jobs and economic growth, investing in higher education, supporting educators, securing the border, and taxes.

Raney was endorsed by the Ealge who said in their endorsement that his “solid, steady background, couple with his experience working with the Legislature in the past gives him an edge.”

District 14 Candidate First Look: Rebecca Boenigk

2011-10-25T23:00:00.002-05:00

Rebecca Boenigk is one of three Republicans running for the Texas House of Representatives in District 14, and one of the five candidates vying for former Representative Fred Brown’s seat. Brown resigned his seat early this year to take a job outside of the district, after the end of the 82nd Texas Legislative session. According to her campaign web site, Boenigk thinks that “Brown is leaving some pretty big shoes to fill in our Texas Capitol” but that she “the background and experience needed to hit the ground running and to be a strong, conservative leader for Brazos County in the legislature.”

Boenigk is the founder and CEO of Neutral Posture, Inc. which is an ergonomic furniture company, that has grown into a $17 million a year business. Boenigk boast on her web site that she “will put the same proven, conservative free market business principles that allowed her to build her own successful business to work for Texas taxpayers and their families in her service to the Texas Legislature.” According to Neutral Posture’s web site, the company has a contract with General Services Administration and has several contract with state governments including Texas.

According to an article in the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Boenigk said that “If you are not involved in politics, then politics are running your business," although in that article she could not name any state regulations that are adversely affecting her business. In that same article she went on to say that “Sometimes it is not about getting the right legislation passed; it is about keeping the wrong legislation from passing and making sure that people there understand the ramifications."

Boenigk’s participation in candidate forums has been hit or miss. As the Eagle reported, she pulled out of the Bryan-College Station Tea Party forum at the last minute, and she cancelled an appearance on 89.1FM KEOS without explanation. During the Chamber of Commerce candidate forum she clashed with fellow Republican Bob Yancy over health care policy.

A group of conservative activist have started a campaign against Boenigk. The Facebook page “Conservatives Against Rebecca Boenigk” criticizes her for identifying herself as a conservative as “something of a charade.” The group condemns her connection to a local group called “Get Unboxed,” that they claim “advocates universal healthcare and gay marriage.” Although, a closer look at the group reveals that it advocates that “healthcare is a privilege, not a right” and that “cannot accept gay marriage as a religious marriage.” Among other things the group also criticizes Boenigk for sponsoring a town hall for then Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards, and attending the University of Texas at Austin. So far 8 people have “liked” the group, compared to the 161 that have liked her Facebook page.

How Economic Inequality Harms Societies

2011-10-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - October 24, 2011

2011-10-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Week in Headlines

2011-10-21T17:00:00.002-05:00

Texas News
Texas Ranchers and Farmers Seeing Record Losses in Grip of Drought

Texas Politics
Straus Releases Interim Charges for House Committees

National News
Poverty Rates Up in Most US States and Cities

National Politics
Perry’s Higher Education Involvement Overshadowed by Crony Capitalism Charges

Foreign Policy
Initial US Drawdown to Pull From Restive Afghan East

War & Peace
Kenyan Forces Enter Somalia to Battle Militants

Veterans Issues
Veterans’ Unemployment Outpaces Civilian Rate

Activism
Occupy Wall Street Protests Go Global

Domestic Policy
Millions to Lose Unemployment Benefits Without End of Year Extension

Economy
Housing Market Stuck Despite Low Prices and Rates

Poverty
Americans' Access To Basic Needs Hits Recession Lows As Income Growth Slows

Health Care
86% of Workers Obese or Have Other Health Issue

Education
Study Finds Many College Students Not Learning to Think Critically

Energy
Exxon Aims to Bail on Payments for Valdez Damage

Environment
Gulf Algae Bloom Affects Much of Texas Gulf Coast

Climate Change
Global Warming Blamed For Shrinking Species In New Study

Civil Rights
Protesters Arrested at Occupy Houston and Austin

Immigrant Rights
US Deportations Reach Historic Levels

Reproductive Rights
Planned Parenthood Reels From Huge Budget Cuts

Women & Gender Issues
New Hampshire Female Inmates Not Treated Same as Men

GLBT Issues
SLDN To Sue Over Military Benefits For Spouses Of Gay Troops

Race & Racism
US Rights Watchdog Accuses FBI of Racial Profiling

Campaign & Debate In 100 Seconds

2011-10-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - October 17, 2011

2011-10-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Week in Headlines

2011-10-14T17:00:00.002-05:00

Texas News
New Initiative Tackles Child Hunger in Texas

Texas Politics
Nearly Half of Texas Business Grantees Donated to Perry Campaign

National News
Showdown Averted in New York's Wall Street Protests

Foreign Policy
US Puts Iraq Withdrawal Plans Under Wraps to Discourage Attacks

War & Peace
Drone Attack Kills a Senior Militant Leader in Pakistan‎

Veterans Issues
DOMA Challenge Heads To Veterans Court Of Appeals

Education
Coalition of Texas School Districts Files Suit Over Funding Plan

Health Care
Report Finds Texas' Tort Reform Failed to Reduce Health Costs

Environment
Texas Drought Leaves Lake Too Low for Cities' Use

Climate Change
Scientists Revolt Over Texas Censorship of Climate Science

Human Rights
Code of Silence Among Jail Guards Hinders Abuse Probes

Civil Rights
Dozens of Protesters Arrested in Denver, San Diego and New York

Labor Rights
Ruling Deals Setback to Arizona on Amendment Requiring Secret Ballots for Unions

Immigrant Rights
Appeals Court Temporarily Blocks Part of Alabama Immigration Law

Reproductive Rights
House Passes Another Bill to Reduce Access to Abortions

Women & Gender Issues
Ex-Staffer's Suit Says UH Berated Her for Being Pregnant

GLBT Issues
Gay military college students come out, start club

Race & Racism
Could Discrimination Help Trigger Illness in Blacks?

How Crisis Pregnancy Centers Deceive Women

2011-10-13T23:00:00.002-05:00

If you have spent any time escorting at Planned Parenthood or any other reproductive health care facility, you become intimately familiar with the rhetoric that the anti-choice protesters use. One of the most frequently used rhetorically tools used by the protesters is that the women frequenting these clinics can receive care “at another clinic.” The other clinics are usually not clinics at all by so-called crisis pregnancy centers.

Crisis pregnancy centers (CPC’s) often market themselves as women’s health care clinics, except that in most cases they provide no actual health care whatsoever. They are general staffed by a few paid employees and several volunteers, and usually employee no medical professionals. The centers sometimes have ultrasound machines, but aside from store-brought pregnancy test they have no other medical equipment.

They market themselves as providing counseling to women and young girls in the midst of a unplanned pregnancy, but the counseling the provide is simply anti-abortion propaganda laced with fundamentalist Christian theology. Women are not only advised not to terminate their pregnancy, but they are often given misleading and medically inaccurate information.

CPC Watch has cataloged the ways in which these organizations misrepresent the fact and deceive women. They also collect the stories of women that have frequented CPC’s, and tell their stories.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times Katie Stack, a graduate student in gender and women’s studies at Minnesota State University, shared her experience with a CPC. After being asked on the intake form about her “relationship with Jesus Christ,” she was “counseled” that abortions caused breast cancer, warned that she would suffer from post-abortion stress syndrome, and that she wouldn’t hear this information from doctors, because doctors make money performing abortions and would lie about the procedure’s risks. All of those claims are in fact false.

Amy's story at a CPC New York City was told in Jezebel, detailed her experience with expecting to be able to terminate her pregnancy only to find herself in an anti-abortion CPC. The experience at the CPC made her experience with abortion more difficult than it already is for any woman. “If you think you want an abortion, you probably shouldn't be having a kid anyway. And if you know you want an abortion, someone misrepresenting themselves shouldn't make it harder on you.”

Our Reality: A Look at Crisis Pregnancy Centers from RH Reality Check on Vimeo.

Tina's Crisis Pregnancy Center Story

2011-10-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

When Tina faced an unplanned pregnancy, she was tricked into visiting an anti-choice "crisis pregnancy center" (CPC). This is her story.

GOP Conducting Ideologically Driven War on Reproductive Rights

2011-10-12T23:00:00.001-05:00

While millions of Americans are unemployed the Congressional Republicans have decided to spend their time waging an ideologue war against reproductive rights.

As the National Journal reported, House Republicans have opened a sweeping investigation into Planned Parenthood. House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Chairman Cliff Stearns, a Republican from Florida, has requested that Planned Parenthood detail how it has used its federal funding. While Planned Parenthood receives funding from the federal government, under law it must not use those funds to provide abortion services.

Reportedly House Republicans have requested internal auditing from Planned Parenthood and 83 affiliates over the past 12 years, state audits over the past 20 years, and “sensitive information” on how Planned Parenthood affiliates refer women to other clinics if they don’t provide abortion services.

What’s the driving force behind this assault on reproductive rights? The Americans United for Life released report accusing Planned Parenthood of misusing federal funds, failing to report child sex abuse, assisting sex traffickers and several other unsubstantiated claims. As the American Independent reported many of these claims date back several years, and they are supported by 250 notes which reference letters or newspaper articles not included in the document.

In promoting this investigation that would be a complete waste of tax payer dollars, the AUL has been making the false claim that Planned Parenthood has wasted tax payer dollars. The leader of AUL Charmaine Yoest made the claim that a Government Accountability Office found a “huge discrepancy” between what Planned Parenthood was spending and what the GAO was able to document. The non-partisan PolitiFact found that when multiple sources made this claim that they would not just false but “pains on fire” false.

This comes at the same time the House Republicans are poised to vote on the so-called “Protect Life Act.” As the Washington Post reports the bill was introduced by Republican Congressman Joe Pitts, and would prohibit federal funds from going toward any health care plan that covers abortion services; it also would block funding from being withheld from institutions that are opposed to providing abortions.

This bill would end abortion coverage in state health care exchanges, the public marketplaces for health insurance starting in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act, and it would place a gag order on insurers, preventing them from even giving women information about how to get abortion coverage. It would also permit hospitals receiving federal funds to deny emergency abortions to women whose lives are in danger. It is designed to simply make it impossible for women to obtain insurance that covers abortion.

The fact is that this investigation and the Congressional Republicans focus on abortion is an ideological drive war against reproductive rights and women in general. According to its annual report, Planned Parenthood received $363.2 million in federal funding in 2009. It is constantly audited by both the federal government and state agencies, and this high degree of scrutiny has never found any significant evidence of fraud, waste or abuse.

Framing Reproductive Rights

2011-10-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Amanda Marcotte of RH Reality Check examines the way the anti-choice movement attempts to frame the debate through language choices and offers some tips on combating them.

National Coming Out Day: Straight Allies

2011-10-11T23:00:00.001-05:00

Today is National Coming Out Day. It is a day in which members of the GLBT community recognize the process of publically acknowledging their sexual orientation. It is also a day when straight allies publically acknowledge their support of the GLBT community. While I have publically supported this community for several years both through this blog and through other activism, it felt it would be important to share my coming out story as a straight ally.

During my service in the military I made deep and lasting friendships with those that I served with, but one of the most important friendships was with Patrick. There were few service members that I have ever met that served their country with as much love and devotion. From the way in which he kept his uniform impeccable to the way he carried himself, Patrick was the definition of a dedicated service member.

However, beneath that crisp uniform was a secret that if discovered, the military would have overlooked the awards and recognition. Patrick was gay. He came out to me after we had been friends for about a year, and he told me later how difficult that was. Despite how accepting I thought I obviously was, even my best friend wasn’t sure how I would react. If he had such a difficult time coming out to me, I could not imagine would it would be like for him coming out to other people.

Later Patrick and I would become roommates, and it was through him that I was introduced into the underground gay culture in the military. It was a community of military members from ever branch of service, and from every possible job field. All of them living in fear that despite their willingness to give their life for their country that their country was not willing to let them serve openly. Few days have given me more pride than when the policy banning openly gay men and women from serving in the military known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was finally fully repealed.

However, despite that victory there are still many ways in which our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters are being discriminated against. Many states and institutions still do not have laws and policies protecting members of the GLBT community from discrimination. Bullying of young gays and lesbians is a significant problem in our schools. The federal government and most states still do not recognize marriage equality, and committed gay and lesbian couples are still treated like second class citizens.

More and more members of the GLBT community are standing up and speaking out. One of the driving forces behind the repeal of DADT was active duty members bravely speaking out, and many willing sacrificed their careers to speak out for equality. However, far too few straight allies are willing to speak out and stand up with their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

Straight Allies: It’s time to come out and speak out.

Harvey Milk - Hope

2011-10-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

"Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio there is a young gay person who all the sudden realizes that he or she is gay; knows that if their parents find out they will be tossed out of the house, their classmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryant's and John Briggs' are doing their part on TV. And that child has several options: staying in the closet, and suicide. And then one day that child might open the paper that says "Homosexual elected in San Francisco" and there are two new options: the option is to go to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. And the person said "Thanks". And you've got to elect gay people, so that thousand upon thousands like that child know that there is hope for a better world; there is hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, not only gays, but those who are blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's: without hope the us's give up. I know that you can't live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you, and you have got to give them hope."
-Harvey Milk, 1978

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - October 10, 2011

2011-10-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Week in Headlines

2011-10-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

Texas A&M News
Students Speak Out About Texas A&M University’s Future

Texas News
Texas School Budget Cuts Add to Jobless

Texas Politics
Texas So-Called Rainy Day Fund in Recovery Mode

National News
Secret Docs Show Foreclosure Watchdog Doesn’t Bark or Bite

National Politics
Poll Sees a New Low in Americans’ Approval of Congress

International News
Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Three Activist Women

Foreign Policy
Secret Panel Can Put Americans on Kill List

War & Peace
Secret US Memo Sanctioned Killing of Aulaqi

Veteran Issues
Survey Finds VA Lacks Resources to Deal With Mental Health

Economy
Falling Wages Threatening US as Consumers May Cut Spending

Education
135 Texas Schools Challenge State Funding

Health Care
Shortages Lead Doctors To Ration Critical Drugs

Environment
Record Arctic Ozone Hole Raises Fears of Worse to Come

Climate Change
Group Urges Research Into Aggressive Efforts to Fight Climate Change

Energy
Homeowners and Businesses Embracing Small Wind Turbines

Religious Issues
Pastors Who Illegally Support Candidates From Pulpit Face Few Consequences

Human Rights
Report Finds Syrian Uprising Deaths Exceed 2,9000

Civil Rights
Wall Street Protesters Sue Over Bridge Arrests as Demonstrations Continue

Voters Rights
New State Rules Raising Hurdles at Voting Booth

Labor Rights
More Than 450 Texas Workers Killed on the Job Last Year

Immigrant Rights
Immigration Policy Overhaul Likely Would Spur US Growth

Reproductive Rights
Mississippi AG Candidates Back Personhood Initiative

GLBT Issues
Storm Over Benefits for Gay Partners in El Paso

Race & Racism
Report Shows Minority Students Suspended at Higher Rates

How the Coalition for Life Lies to Women

2011-10-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

Every day during 40 Days for Life protesters stand in front of the fence at the Planned Parenthood in Bryan, and every day they spread misinformation and lies to the patients that utilize the clinic for reproductive health care. The protesters regularly attempt to pass information to the clients of Planned Parenthood both verbally and in written form. However, much of the information that the protesters try and give the clients is both intellectually dishonest and factually incorrect. Often false information is given about the services provided at Planned Parenthood and the facts about abortion and reproductive health care.

One of the pamphlets that are often given to clients, titled “10 Reasons to Avoid Planned Parenthood,” includes several factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations. The first claim listed is that the services at Planned Parenthood focus only abortion, and that while over 6,000 abortions were performed less than 300 women received prenatal care. The truth is that according to annual reports abortion only makes up 7% of the total services provided at Planned Parenthood. Also Planned Parenthood does provide both prenatal care and adoption refers for women that chose not to terminate a pregnancy.

According to the Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas 2006 annual report, 87% of the patients visited Planned Parenthood for family planning: 89,611 out of the 103,004 patients. Also, 4,969 people were tested for HIV and counseled on prevention. Only 6,811 patients who visited all of the area Planned Parenthoods, including the Houston metropolitan area and Bryan-College Station, terminated pregnancies.

Another distortion of the facts include implying that surgical abortions are dangerous, even though less than 0.3% of abortion patients experience a complication that requires hospitalization.

The pamphlet also claims that the free condoms available at Planned Parenthood are “ranked dead last” in a study by Consumer Reports. This particular study used the airburst method instead of the “gold standard” water burst method, and all of the condoms tested in the study are FDA approved. While two Planned Parenthood where ranked 23rd and 24th in the comparative study of condoms, although another Planned Parenthood condom was ranked 14th in the same study. Consumer Report recalled the study after it was found to be flawed. It should also be noted Coalition for Life and its supporters are against all forms of birth control.

Free services such as pregnancy testing and STD screening are advertised in the pamphlet to be available at the local crisis pregnancy centers, and it claims that Planned Parenthood “is not the cheapest place in town.” However, Planned Parenthood does offer free pregnancy testing, and because Planned Parenthood is a medical facility medical grade pregnancy test are used and onsite STD screenings can be performed. Planned Parenthood also accepts Medicaid.

These distortions and outright lies are part of the propaganda that is spread by the protesters from the Coalition for Life in front of Planned Parenthood. The Coalition for Life does not care about the women of the Brazos Valley, as their advertisements proclaim, the Coalition for Life only cares about attempting to preventing women from having access reproductive health care.

1 in 3 Campaign: Deb

2011-10-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

1in3Campaign.org: Deb from Advocates for Youth on Vimeo.

Dispatches From the Fence: First Week of Anti-Choice Protest

2011-10-05T23:00:00.001-05:00

The 40 Days For Life anti-choice protest has been going on for a week. Each day Shawn Carney, the Campign Director of 40 Days for Life, sends out emails and blogs detailing that day’s events and protest.

In the first week they claim “38 babies — that we know of — spared from abortion.” Of course there is never any documentation of these claims. However, often is the case that women who may leave these clinics later return and the anti-choice protesters have only made their experience more difficult. They also continue to promote these so-called “pregnancy centers,” that in most cases provide no health care whatsoever.

In George they touted a woman who choose to have a child who is “now was so very happy with her choice.” However, the anti-choice movement would actually like to see that choice taken away, and to force all women to carry a pregnancy to term regardless of circumstance. The anti-choice movement made the same claim that the “media seems to have an agenda that’s radically in favor of abortion,” while at the same time citing favorable news coverage in places like Amarillo, Texas.

In Sacramento, California the anti-choice protesters grumbled that the reproductive health care facility had place redwood fence panels on the wrought iron gate. The protesters complained that the gate allowed them to access the women frequenting the clinic. “But apparently, the abortion business is not really supportive of ‘choice’ as they do everything they can to prevent women from changing their minds.”

Yesterday a post described the “incredible darkness at the places where abortions are done.” This was in reference to a recent blog post by Abby Johnson, the former Director of the Planned Parenthood in Bryan where I am a volunteer escort. In the post Johnson details an “insider view” of what passes for conversation in the clinic, and attempt to portray the clinic staff as course and crude. This is supposed to illustrate “how cold the staff was.”

In the several years that I have been volunteering at Planned Parenthood, the vast majority of the medical staff and volunteers have been professional and compassionate. Most of us take what we are doing seriously, and deeply care about the women that need reproductive health care service. There have been a few people that I have encountered that have been course and crude. However, many of us are quick to admonish people that make inappropriate remarks.

I cannot speak to the accuracy of Johnson’s anecdotes, but I would like to make one point. She was the director. Attitude reflects leadership, and if there was unprofessional behavior at the clinic it was under her watch, and apparently with her consent.

During these protest people from around the country volunteer their time to show women that we support them in whatever choice they make, and that we are there to provide a supportive, affirming, an safe environment. The protesters are fond of saying that they “can’t imagine” what a woman walking up to the clinic is going through. Neither can I – and that’s why I am there.

1 in 3 Campaign: Heather

2011-10-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

1in3Campaign.org: Heather from Advocates for Youth on Vimeo.

Sexual Assault Resource Center Holds Training

2011-10-03T22:00:00.002-05:00

The Sexual Assault Resource Center will begin its 70th Volunteer Training Class on
Wednesday, October 12, 2011.

The Sexual Assault Resource Center will begin its 70th Advocate Training Class on Wednesday October 12, 2011. The training class is open to all individuals interested in serving as an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, their family members and loved ones. Training is free and advocates will be certified through the Office of Attorney General upon completion. Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Audrey Bohannon at (979) 731-1000 between 8am and 5pm Monday through Friday or visit our website at www.sarcbv.org. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and pass a criminal background check.

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - October 3, 2011

2011-10-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

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.

Week in Headlines

2011-09-30T18:00:00.002-05:00

Texas News
Draft Water Plan Says Texas "Will Not Have Enough"

Texas Politics
Anticipating Budget Cuts, State Agencies Shrink

Foreign Policy
800 Additional US Military Trainers to Be Sent to Afghanistan

War & Peace
Afghan Violence Up 39 Percent Over 2010

Veterans Issues
More Troops' Mild Brain Trauma Diagnosed

Economy
Deep Recession Sharply Altered U.S. Jobless Map

Education
Texas School Districts Join Fight Against School Finance System

Health Care
Affordable Care Act Headed to the U.S. Supreme Court

Environment
Study Finds BP Oil Spill Hurt Common Louisiana Marsh Fish

Civil Rights
Report Details Wide Abuse in Los Angeles Jail System

Immigrant Rights
Report Finds Widespread Border Patrol Abuse Goes Unchecked

Reproductive Rights
Texas To Seek Universal Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Screening

Women & Gender Issues
SlutWalk Making Way to Lubbock

GLBT Issues
Houston Gay Couple to Fight Judge's Child Custody Ruling

Supreme Court Ruling Prevents Texas From Enforcing Sonogram Law

2011-09-29T23:00:00.000-05:00

Last month I wrote about key parts of the so-called sonogram law passed by the Texas Legislature during the last session were struck down as unconstitutional by a US District Judge. Early this summer the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a class action lawsuit against the new ultrasound requirements behalf of Texas medical providers performing abortions and their patients. US District Judge Sam Sparks ruled that the law violates doctors' and patients' free speech rights and said the state cannot impose penalties against doctors who fail to meet its requirements.

Today the Texas Tribune reports:

The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to let Texas enforce its new abortion sonogram law while the measure is under appeal, following a similar ruling from a federal appeals court on Wednesday.

The abortion sonogram law, which forces women to have a sonogram and hear a description of the fetus before terminating a pregnancy, was deemed unconstitutional by an Austin district judge in August, who blocked several of its key provisions.

This leaves state leaders little legal recourse to pursue while the law makes its way through the appeals system. The measure's opponents say that's as it should be.

“The district court’s decision to block portions of this new law, which is intrusive and unconstitutional, was well-supported. There is no basis for the state’s attempts to short-circuit the legal process by trying to nullify the court’s decision on an emergency basis,” said Julie Rikelman, senior staff attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights.

1 in 3 Campaign: Loretta

2011-09-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

1in3Campaign.org: Loretta from Advocates for Youth on Vimeo.

Join the 1 in 3 Campaign. Share this story -- or your own -- with 3 people. It's time to support each other and assure access to legal and safe abortion in our communities.

Abortion in the United States

2011-09-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

Who are the women who obtain abortions in the United States? Why do they decide to end a pregnancy? What are their social and economic circumstances? This video was created by the Guttmacher Institute, a leading research and policy organization on sexual and reproductive health.

States Enact Record Number of Abortion Restrictions in First Half of 2011

2011-09-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

In the first six months of 2011, states enacted 162 new provisions related to reproductive health and rights. Fully 49% of these new laws seek to restrict access to abortion services, a sharp increase from 2010, when 26% of new laws restricted abortion. The 80 abortion restrictions enacted this year are more than double the previous record of 34 abortion restrictions enacted in 2005—and more than triple the 23 enacted in 2010. All of these new provisions were enacted in just 19 states.

1 in 3 Campaign: Barbara

2011-09-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

1in3Campaign.org: Barbara from Advocates for Youth on Vimeo.

1 in 3 women will have an abortion, but we almost never hear those voices. Join the 1 in 3 Campaign. Share this story -- or your own -- with 3 people. It's time to support each other and assure access to legal and safe abortion in our communities.

40 Days of Harassment Begins

2011-09-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

The anti-choice protest 40 Days for Life begins today. Twice a year so-called pro-life activists stage a 40 day protest outside reproductive health care clinics, and the protests often specifically target Planned Parenthood clinics. The protest where originally intended to be 24-hour vigils outside of the clinics, but rarely are the protests staged around the clock. For 40 days clients, staff, medical professionals, and volunteers of the clinics are subjected to harassment by the protesters. In few other places in our culture are private moments turned into such public spectacles.

The tactics of the protesters range from simply kneeling and praying in front of the clinic to aggressively targeting clients verbally while they enter the clinic. When clients enter the parking lots protesters attempt to pass them anti-literature through the window or engage them in conversation. When a client walks up to the front door of the clinic protesters often shout at them, trying to prevent them from entering the clinic. For the vast majority of the time these tactics do not work – and often harden the resolve of the clients that whatever decision they are making is the right one for them.

The organization claims that “excitement has NEVER been higher” and that the “fall’s campaign is BIG.” Reportedly just over 300 locations are participating in multiple countries, and thousands of people will take part in “prayer, fasting and vigil.” Already they are celebrating claims that the doctor who provided abortion service at the Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri has quit – which would deprive the women of central Missouri of much needed services.

The anti-choice protests view the event as “spiritual warfare.” Jennifer Fulwiler wrote recently for the National Catholic Register online that “You get the sense that you’re truly on the front lines of the war between good and evil.” She went on to say that “I count the time I’ve spent as a 40 Days for Life prayer warrior as one of the most important things I’ve done recently — maybe ever.” It is that kind of rhetoric that makes those who work and volunteer at reproductive health care clinics nervous – as it is the same exact rhetoric that has been used by anti-choice terrorist in the past.

Over the last several years, I have written extensively about 40 Days for Life and why it is actually 40 days of harassment. I have gotten up early on Saturday mornings and escorted clients and helped provide a welcoming, affirming, and safe environment for women. But here in Texas, as in other states, reproductive rights are under attack more than ever. Through demeaning waiting periods and insulting so-called counseling sessions, Republican legislators have continued to make a safe and legal medical procedure more and more difficult to obtain. It’s time to stand up for reproductive rights – and it starts by standing up at the fence.

Anti-Choice Movement Celebrates Cuts to Women’s Health Care

2011-09-27T23:01:00.002-05:00

For a movement that wears the label of “pro-life,” the anti-choice movement is celebrating the loss of access to reproductive and basic health care for women in Texas. Yesterday I wrote about effect on women that budget cuts to family planning will have, as well as the public policy failure of diverting those funds to so-called crisis pregnancy centers. The anti-choice community is actively promoting these cuts to women’s health care as a victory for their cause. Despite the mountains of data that shows that family planning services are indispensible to women health care, especially poor and marginalized women, anti-choice activist continue to hail this as a victory for life.

Since the budget cuts have taken affect with the beginning of the fiscal year, family planning clinics around the state have felt the budget crunch. Several clinics have either already closed their doors or are considering closing their doors. According to reporting by the American Independent, seven North Texas Planned Parenthood locations, including sites in Arlington and Plano, have closed due to funding cuts. Other clinics are being forced to no longer provide no cost services and having to charge low-income clients for those services. However, most clinics are still taking Medicaid.

While family planning clinics are closing and more and more poor and working women in Texas are losing access to reproductive and basic health care, the anti-choice movement in Texas is taking all the credit. The Texas Right to Life (TRL) claimed that during the 82nd Texas legislative session they “built the cornerstone by which the abortion industry suffered severe financial losses.” The blog went on to say that legislators embraced TRL’s “strategy to end the shell game of hiding and moving so-called family planning money around in these abortion clinics and their family planning affiliates.” However, most of the clinics that are being forced to close or suffering serve budget cuts don’t actually provide abortion serves.

Perhaps the most audacious claim from TRL was that budget cuts “will save countless lives since women can now seek and find medical care and support from organizations and health care agencies that offer a wide range of services and that do not specialize in selling abortion to Texan women and teens.” The truth is that according to the DSHS own reports the funding cuts will cause a reduction of 180,000 clients out of 220,000 that receive family planning services. Theses budget cuts will cause fewer women to have access to reproductive and basic health care, and it’s difficult to understand how missed well woman exams, cancer screenings, and sexual transmitted disease (STD) testing could save lives.

The Planned Parenthood in Sherman, Texas was forced to shut its doors due to funding cuts, and was part of the seven North Texas Planned Parenthood locations closed. The 40 Days for Life campaign, which begins tomorrow, took to the credit. “The closure was a direct result of the conversion and resignation of the manager of the facility (for which she credits 40 Days for Life) — and the 40 Days for Life prayer presence outside that reduced the organization’s customer traffic.” According to Life Site News the so-called conversation of Ramona Trevino occurred four months ago (which happens to be when the Texas legislature slashed funding for family planning),.Trevino says that she came to the realization that Planned Parenthood “treated women like cattle and how they only cared about making money.” The anti-choice community is comparing to conversion story to that of former Bryan Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson. If her conversation is anything like that of Johnson, she could have a lucrative career ahead of her as a “pro-life advocate.”

In the coming days the anti-choice movement will continue its assault on women’s reproductive health care, during the bi-annual 40 Days for Life protest. While the budget cuts to family planning clinics and the closures of reproductive health care facilities have a very measurable impact on women – the anti-choice protest impact are more difficult to measure. However, what is also difficult to measure is the impact that pro-choice activist can have. Not just on promoting sound public policy, but on the ground by supporting reproductive rights.

What It Really Takes to Get an Abortion

2011-09-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

Hat-Tip to Feministing: Infographic from Third Wave about barriers to abortion access. Click for a much larger version.

Third Wave Foundation has just released a new report on data gathered from their Emergency Abortion Fund (EAF). The fund helps folks with the cost of abortion.

Rick Perry Wants To Get Up In Women's Uterus

2011-09-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

Rick Perry is in favor of smaller government except when it comes to abortion.

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - September 26, 2011

2011-09-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks Alec Baldwin's hair does a pretty decent impersonation of our Governor as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discusses the latest Texas polling data and what a Rick Perry candidacy might mean for downballot Democrats.

On a night during which both Georgia and Texas put men to death, Letters From Texas visits the moral and practical implications.

Amy Price, the progressive running for Houston's city council at large #4 seat, had a great week of news coverage. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs collected the stories, audio, and video.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson shows how state Sen. Steve Ogden's retirement announcement this week has shaken up the county's politics, The changing election landscape in Williamson County, creating opportunities.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that Rick Perry is having a bad week. Boo hoo.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy asks how do you support reproductive rights? Left of College Station focuses on reproductive rights all these week as the anti-choice 40 Days for Life Protest begins. From the state of Texas funding so-called crisis pregnancy centers, to the defunding of Planned Parenthood in Texas.

At McBlogger, we take a sniff around LCRA's decision to privatize some of their assets and don't like the smell.

Neil at Texas Liberal noted a new phone app that will show the amount of forced labor used in many of the everyday things that we buy.

Libby Shaw over at TexasKaos brings us up to date on Rick Perry's limelight moment. Called upon to demonstrate his cool under fire before a national audience at the last Republican debate, he showed his true mettle. He melted down. See all the details here: Rick Perry Bombs Presidential Debate.

Family Unplanned: Texas Cuts Funding for Women’s Reproductive Health Care

2011-09-26T23:00:00.002-05:00

While Texas has some of the nation’s toughest restrictions on reproductive health care, it has also drastically cut funding to family planning centers. At the same time the state has increased funding to so-called crisis pregnancy centers (CPC), which has decreased the access women have to reproductive health care in the state. In Rick Perry’s Texas, women are not trusted to make their own reproductive health care decisions.

As the Texas Tribune reported, the Texas Legislature cut $73.6 million from the Department of State Health Services budget for family planning programs. The budget for family planning went from $111.5 million from 2010-11 to $37.9 million for 2012-13. According to the DSHS own reports the funding cuts will cause a reduction of 180,000 client out of 220,000 that receive family planning services. The Legislative Budget Board estimates that the cuts could lead to 20,500 additional births.

Dorothy Reno, Director of Clinics of Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region, explains below in an interview with Thanh Tan of the Texas Tribune what effect the cuts in family planning will have on Texas women. These effects could include women not detecting breast or cervical cancer until the later stages, or not detecting a sexual transmitted disease (STD) until after transmission to a sexual partner or it having an effect on their fertility.

When taken in the context of a legislative session that saw the Texas budget slashed, especially in areas such as health and human services, it is easy to consider the move to cut family planning as part of a general program of austerity. Except that while the legislature was cutting funds to provide low income women in Texas with access to basic reproductive health care, it was increasing funding for ideological driven CPC’s.

According to reporting by the Texas Tribune, the legislature increased the budget of the Alternatives to Abortion program by $300,000. The $8.3 million budget for the program goes to fund Texas Pregnancy Care Network (TPCN), a nonprofit organization that contracts with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. These funds fund CPC’s, adoption agencies, social service agencies and maternity homes. While the legislature cut funds for women’s reproductive health care, it increased funds for a program that has been a public policy failure.

As the Texas Independent reported, the data shows that by any measure the Alterative to Abortion program has not met its goals and policy objectives. While the state funded family planning programs served approximately 220,000 women annually, the Alternatives to Abortion program only serves 18,000. In 2010, the program fell nearly 20% short of its projected client goal but was rewarded a 60% budget increase in 2009. The program also funnels funds to urban areas while ignoring rural areas that have less access to health care.

Not only are COC’s a policy failure – but they are Constitutional failure as well. Investigative reporting by the Texas Independent shows that CPC’s “routinely blur the line between counseling and religious proselytizing.” This investigation shows that TPCN’s own documents of inspections showed a failure to label and separate “spiritual materials from its education materials.” The investigation also showed that volunteers are told to invoked God when clients want an abortion and to “tell them to trust God, he’s got a bigger plan.”

While conflating religion and medical information, CPC’s has also been found to provide misleading and false information. A federal report commissioned by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) showed that “federally funded ‘pregnancy resource centers’ are incorrectly telling women that abortion results in an increased risk of breast cancer, infertility and deep psychological trauma.” The report found that 20 of 23 federally funded centers told clients misleading or false information about abortion, including the dubious assertion that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer.

The NARAL Pro-Choice Texas Foundation laid out the failures of the Alternatives to Abortion program in a report earlier this year. “The Alternatives to Abortion program provides no recommended health services, does nothing to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy (and thus the need for abortion), and uses millions of taxpayer dollars to fund a limited network of controversial, unlicensed, and unregulated social service providers.”

At a time when America is facing the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, when poverty rates in Texas are rising, and the uninsured rate in Texas is the highest in the nation, the Republican dominated Texas legislature cut funding for programs prove to helping working women while increasing funding for religious organizations that do nothing for women’s health care.

Growing State Abortion Restrictions Visualized

2011-09-26T22:00:00.002-05:00

With these data visualizations, Remapping Debate identifies all of the many restrictions on abortion that have been legislated in various states. Various pro-choice advocates contacted by Remapping Debate focused on “targeted regulation of abortion providers,” or “TRAP” laws, as the restrictions with significant impact, although they were unable to provide specific studies on the extent of the impact.

Hat-tip to Feministing: "We cannot afford to have a movement just focused on the legal right to abortion when that right is increasingly irrelevant to a growing number of people who need the procedure. If you can’t actually get an abortion who gives a shit if it’s technically legal? We must have a movement focused on abortion access. Because if people can’t actually access abortion, we’ve lost."

Week in Headlines

2011-09-23T19:00:00.001-05:00

Texas News
Wildfires Cost Texas Agriculture Nearly $200 Million

Texas Politics
Department of Justice Finds Redistricting Maps Don't Meet Voting Rights Act

National Politics
House Rejects Short-Term Budget Bill

Foreign Policy
Report Argues Afghan Night Raids Make More Enemies Than They Catch

War & Peace
US Increases Yemen Drone Strikes

Veterans Issues
Retiree Benefits for the Military Could Face Cuts

Poverty
2010 Data Show Surge in Poor Young Families

Education
Study Finds First-Year Teacher Attrition May Approach 10%

Health Care
Employers Increasingly Trimming Or Cutting Disability Benefits

Environment
Super Weeds Pose Growing Threat to US Crops

Climate Change
Deep Oceans Can Mask Climate Change for Decade-Long Periods

Science & Technology
NASA Satellite Expected to Hit Earth This Week

Civil Rights
Public Said to Be Misled on Use of the Patriot Act

Labor Rights
Department of Labor Expands Enforcement of Wage Violations

Immigrant Rights
Ordinance Restricting Day Laborers' Speech Unconstitutional

Reproductive Rights
Michigan State Lawmakers Approve Bans of Abortion Procedure

Women & Gender Issues
Early in Obama Administration Female Staffers Felt Frozen Out

GLBT Issues
Gay Military Members Come Out and Celebrate

Race & Racism
EEOC Files Rare Discrimination Suit Against Bass Pro Shops

How do you support reproductive rights?

2011-09-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

Reproductive rights are under attack. According to a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute, “in the first six months of 2011, states enacted 162 new provisions related to reproductive health and rights. Fully 49% of these new laws seek to restrict access to abortion services, a sharp increase from 2010, when 26% of new laws restricted abortion. The 80 abortion restrictions enacted this year are more than double the previous record of 34 abortion restrictions enacted in 2005—and more than triple the 23 enacted in 2010. All of these new provisions were enacted in just 19 states.”

Not only are reproductive rights under attack in state legislatures, but they are also under attack on street level. The bi-annual 40 Days for Life begins next week, and for the 40 days women will be under assault from anti-choice protesters. Protesters will line the streets in front of reproductive health clinics across the nation, and a particular focus will be on Planned Parenthood clinics. This protest began in Bryan-College Station in front of the Bryan Planned Parenthood. If you have ever wanted to support reproductive rights in a hands on way, and if you have ever wanted to make a real difference in women’s lives – now is the time.

Planned Parenthood needs volunteers to escort patients during the protests to help provide a welcoming, affirming, and safe environment. If you would like to volunteer you will be asked to go through a short amount of training, and fill out some paper work. This is will have a direct impact on the lives of women, and you will be directly supporting reproductive rights. If you are looking to make an impact – now is your chance. Send emails to leftofcollegestation@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering. Stay tuned to Left of College Station for updates from the front lines of the protest and the battle for reproductive rights.

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - September 19, 2011

2011-09-19T23:00:00.001-05:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance is still wondering what this wet stuff falling from the sky is as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff noted that even the state's own expert thought that the redistricted Congressional map was bad.

There's a difference between what Michele Bachmann is calling 'PerryCare' and actual peri-care, but there's not as much difference as you might think. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs elaborates.

Austin Energy’s Proposed Rate Increases Hurt Austin’s Residential Consumers and Continues the City’s Corporate Welfare Program, and you can tell the city how you feel about it. Visit TexasVox for more info.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that Republicans' plan to make us ignorant and poor is going great.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson on the latest legal action on school finance, Taylor and Hutto ISDs join lawsuit .

Neil at Texas Liberal noted the high poverty level in the United States.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy asks if the battle over collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin is coming to Texas? Left of College Station also takes a look at the most misleading chart of the week, and covers the week in headlines.

Libby Shaw points out the sad pattern: "Tea Party Republican candidates seem to bring out the very worst of their base." Check out the details at TexasKaos.

Week in Headlines

2011-09-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Texas Politics
Wildfire Protection Plan Half-Funded in Texas

Texas News
Texas’ Poverty Rate Rises for Second Year in a Row

National Politics
Revolving Door of Employment Between Congress and Lobbying Firms

International News
Reports See Fiscal Woes Undermining Palestinians

Foreign Policy
Pentagon to Drastically Cut Spending on Afghan Forces

War & Peace
Militants Launch Attack on US Embassy in Kabul

Domestic Policy
Study Finds Government Pays More in Contracts

Economy
Federal Reserve Set to Give Economy Therapy

Poverty
New Census Data Shows a Rise in Poverty

Education
SAT Scores for Texas High School Students Drop Sharply

Higher Education
College Graduates Driving Increase in Bankruptcy Filings

Health Care
Texas Leads Nation in Numbers Without Health Insurance

Environment
US Report Spreads Blame for BP Gulf Oil Spill

Climate Change
Texas Has Warmest Summer On Record of Any State

Energy
Pipeline Spills Put Safeguards Under Scrutiny

Human Rights
UN Calls on Yemen to Halt Attacks on Civilians

Women & Gender Issues
Libya’s War-Tested Women Hope to Keep New Power

GLBT Issues
Gay Marriage Ban Clears North Carolina House

Most Misleading Chart of the Week: How Social Security Is Contributing to the Spending Crisis

2011-09-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

Rob Bluey at the Heritage Foundation posted a chart showing that entitlements will “consume all tax revenues by 2049.” It appears to show the cost of Medicare, Medicaid (and other health care programs), and Social Security all increasing over time. Looking at that chart you would probably think that we need to reform all of our entitlement programs to avoid systemic long term deficits.

Now look at a chart published by Ezra Klein showing the different government programs over time. Notice something different? This chart shows that the real driving force behind our long term fiscal problems is not government spending in general or Social Security, but the rising cost of health care through Medicare and Medicaid (although Medicare is a more significant problem than Medicaid).

Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Battle Coming to Texas?

2011-09-14T23:00:00.001-05:00

A movement to bring a Wisconsin style battle over collective bargaining rights is coming to Texas. As the Austin American-Statesman reported, a “group of high-powered Houston business leaders is starting a statewide campaign to overhaul retirement for future teachers, firefighters, police officers, judges and other state and local government workers.”

This is a curious battle to fight, and seems like a waste of resources. While unions have traditionally been a center of political power for the Democratic Party, in Texas that power has always been with the trail lawyers. Also, Texas is a so-called right to work state, meaning that most workers do not have the same protections as in other states. According to statistics from the AFL-CIO, Texas has among the lowest percentage of unionized workers in the United States. At 5.4% unionization, only eight other states have a lower percentage of workers in unions.

Stranger still is that Bill King , who is forming Texans for Public Pension Reform with others from the Greater Houston Partnership, isn’t exactly a far right conservative. In his regular columns in the Houston Chronicle, King has criticized S&P’s downgrade of US debt because of their role in the financial collapse, debunked the idea that tax cuts are simulative to the economy, and most recently criticized Rick Perry for his characterization of Social Security as a Ponzi scheme.

Collecting bargaining rights have been more on the radar in Texas recently. The Brownsville Herald reported that the Cameron County Commissioners Court voted to allow voters to decide on whether to allow collective bargaining for employees of the Sheriff’s Department. In Bexar County, the San Antonio Current reports that County Commissioner Kevin Wolff is “openly trying to quash the Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County, claiming its heavy influence over department policy has kept the county from running a tighter ship at the jail.”

So, while it is unclear what the motivations behind the push to privatize public workers pensions in Texas are, it’s clear that it could becoming a political issue.

Four Horsemen

2011-09-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

The Four Horseman is a independent cinematic feature documentary which lifts the lid on how the global economy really works. Living in the age of consequence unfettered growth and profit seeking have pushed humanity to the brink.

Today’s Four Horsemen – socially organised violence, debt, iniquity and poverty control all of our lives. They’re gathering momentum, decimating communities and compromising future generations if they are not arrested the planet will gallop to a logical conclusion.

By dispelling the myth that capitalism has failed the Four Horsemen charts how a vast majority of the world’s population have been made to pay for the greatest heist in history. Capitalism hasn’t failed – it has worked perfectly according to the rules the systems creators have established at the detriment to those who can least afford it.

Younger generations sense innately that something is wrong. Disillusionment and unhappiness are far reaching throughout the developed world where almost everyone has got to the end of the benefits of economic growth.

Four Horsemen film pulls together for the first time 23 of the world’s leading thinkers who have held jobs at the highest level and explain where we go from here and how we can begin to re-engage.

What I'm Reading

2011-09-13T22:00:00.003-05:00

Rising Fears of Recession

Are we headed for a double dip recession? The signs do not look good. The New York Times reports that “economies have a strong self-reinforcing nature. When people are optimistic, they spend, which begets hiring and then more spending. When people are anxious, they pull back, which leads to a cycle of hiring freezes and further anxiety that often lasts for months. The United States appears to have entered some version of the vicious cycle. Most ominously, job growth has slowed to a pace that typically signals the start of a recession.”

Weak Unions, Weak Economy

What connects the weak middle class with the weak economy? Unions. Amy Traub at the Policy Shop writes that “a lack of consumer demand means substantial investment and hiring in the U.S. are often irrational from a business perspective. The nation’s sky-high unemployment and underemployment rates are the biggest immediate cause of the anemic demand. But a closer look at the long-term trends underlying consumer spending power suggests another, less recognized culprit lurking in the weeds: union busting.”

The Limping Middle Class

America will not have a real economic recovery until wealth inequality is addressed. Robert Reich writes in the New York Times that “the economy won’t really bounce back until America’s surge toward inequality is reversed. Even if by some miracle President Obama gets support for a second big stimulus while Ben S. Bernanke’s Fed keeps interest rates near zero, neither will do the trick without a middle class capable of spending. Pump-priming works only when a well contains enough water.”

Still Here, Still Poor

When did the discussion about the economy shift away from the poor and focus solely on the middle class? Katha Pollitt writes in the Nation that “the failure to talk about the poor, male or female, doesn’t mean they’ve gone away. In 2009 the official poverty rate was 14.3 percent—43.6 million people, up from 39.8 million in 2008. One in three Americans is low income (below 200 percent of the poverty line). What kind of American dream leaves them out?”

The Second Death of John Maynard Keynes

Eric Alterman writes in the Nation that “the consequence of Tea Party anti-Keynesianism has been, in Johnson’s words, ‘to reduce publicly funded social benefits—including pensions and Medicare—even as its methods dramatically reduce the value of private wealth now and in the future.’”

Dictators Over Communities of Color: Coming to a Town Near You

2011-09-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

Advancement Project, in partnership with Michigan Forward and New Media Advocacy Project, has released a video detailing Michigan's attack on democracy, voting rights and people of color.

Michigan's state legislature passed Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act on March 16,2011. Also known as Public Act 4, this law greatly increases the power and authority of Emergency Managers who can be appointed by the Governor to deal with financial emergencies in schools, cities, villages and townships.

Across Michigan voters have been disenfranchised in Detroit, Benton Harbor, Ecorse and Pontiac under this new legislation. More communities under the threat of Emergency Management are Flint, Highland Park and a potential 150 + school districts across Michigan.

Benton Harbor has seen the most extreme situation where an Emergency Manager has now seized total control of the entire. The order went into effect on April 14,2011 and has virtually stripped citizens of their voting power! In Pontiac, a past manager sold the treasured and historic Pontiac Silverdome stadium for only $583,000 when it cost over $55 million to build.

In Ecorse, emergency managers in both cities made major layoffs to the firefighter and police departments,outsourcing many of the jobs to neighboring cities. Lastly in Detroit, the emergency manager for the largest school system in Michigan has closed schools, and threatens to increase class sizes to 60 students, and completely ignored parent and student voices!

To get involved please visit: MichiganForward.org

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - September 12, 2011

2011-09-12T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance joins the rest of the country in honoring our first responders as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discusses how many votes it will take to have a shot at winning citywide office in Houston this year.

Eric "Illegal Signs" Dick gets nailed to ~~a utility pole~~ the wall once more, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs laughs and points.

Bay Area Houston notices that a new flavor of ice cream has been created for the Tea Party. Schwetty Balls.

Don't use 9/11 to promote Bush or Cheney. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is appalled at the thought that anyone would give them credit for good actions.

Neil at Texas Liberal made note of his growing appreciation for Rick Perry. With the Governor's lack of any second-guessing over all the people who have been executed while he has been Governor, at least Mr. Perry embraces our culture of violence and death with open arms. The Governor offers voters a clear choice. We'll see what people want in 2012 and we'll move ahead from that point.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson, a picture is worth a thousand words, Perry/Texas GOP budget cuts already proving costly for Texas.

At TexasKaos, lightseeker ponders the relationship between Perry, Wildfires and Cultism. Give it a read.

Did you watch the Republican Debate? So did McBlogger...

The Policy Implications of the American Jobs Act

2011-09-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

President Obama laid out his jobs plan on Thursday night, and I laid out what I thought of the politics. Now, I wanted to look at the policy, and politics aside what I think of the American Jobs Act. My initial impressions are favorable – I think it is an important first step. But I agree with Matthew Yglesias that action by the Federal Reserve might be more important than this plan.

Overall most of the policy wonks I trust are giving the plan high marks, and I think the boldness of the plan surprised many people. Jonathan Cohn at the New Republic breaks down the three essential elements of what makes a stimulus plan successful: size, speed, and smarts. To paraphrase Cohn’s analysis, the plan is the right size because it’s large enough to move the unemployment dial; the plan is the right speed because the majority of the plan goes into effect within the first year; and the plan is smart because the tax breaks are targeted and it’s paid for.

What I like most about the plan is the infrastructure spending. America’s infrastructure is crumbling – and there is no better way to put Americans back to work than having them rebuild our roads and bridges. The plan includes $50 billion in investments for highways, transit, rail and aviation. While $50 billion is rather small compared to the about $2 trillion investment it would take to completely repair our infrastructure – it’s a start.

Most economists will tell you that generally speaking tax cuts are not as simulative for the economy as government spending. However, there are targeted tax cuts that can be simulative. The President’s plan calls to cut in half taxes paid by businesses on their first $5 million in payroll, which the White House claims will affect 98% of business below that threshold. This is a way to prevent larger firms from just pocketing the cash. The plan also calls for a complete payroll tax holiday for added workers or increased wages. In other words if firms hire someone or give someone a raise in the next year they will get a tax break.

There are other small things to like. There are incentives for hiring veterans, whose unemployment rate is hire than the national average. There is $35 billion to prevent layoffs of 280,000 teachers, which would be beneficial in states like Texas where thousands of teachers have been laid off. There is $25 billion to modernize 35,000 schools, and another $5 billion to modernize community colleges. There are plenty of other important components of this plan that are good policy on their own merit. Next week I will look at a few of the parts of the plan individually.

So, how would the plan affect the jobs picture? According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, “the package would increase employment by about 4.3 million jobs over the next couple of years. The new initiatives would boost employment by about 2.6 million jobs, while the continuation of the two temporary provisions (EUI and the payroll tax holiday) would prevent a backslide of over 1.6 million jobs.” The President did not include any estimated numbers on job creation – a political lesson learn from the American Recovery Act.

So, overall it’s not bad. I share Paul Krugman’s take: “The plan would be a lot better than nothing, and some of its measures, which are specifically aimed at providing incentives for hiring, might produce relatively a large employment bang for the buck. As I said, it’s much bolder and better than I expected. President Obama’s hair may not be on fire, but it’s definitely smoking; clearly and gratifyingly, he does grasp how desperate the jobs situation is.”

Week in Headlines

2011-09-09T19:00:00.002-05:00

Texas News
Texas Prison Industry Programs a Victim of Economic Recession

Texas Politics
The Largest Budget Cuts in Texas History Take Effect

National News
US Regulator to Sue Banks Over Subprime Mortgage Losses

National Politics
Obama Unveils Jobs Plan to Jolt the Economy

Foreign Policy
US May Leave 3,000 Troops in Iraq Past Year-End

Economy
Businesses Post Most Job Openings in Three Years

Poverty
Middle-Class Americans Often Fall Down Economic Ladder

Health Care
Healthier Living Could Cut 2.8 Million Cancer Cases

Environment
Scientists Call for End to Deep-Sea Fishing

Climate Change
Clouds Affect But Don't Start Climate Change

Energy
Oil Exploration Under Arctic Could Cause Uncontrollable Disaster

Human Rights
Court Convicts Serb General for Balkan Atrocities

Civil Rights
Nation's Jails Struggle With Mentally Ill Prisoners

Reproductive Rights
Funding Travesty Cripples Health Clinics

Women & Gender Issues
Study Shows Contraception Key in World of Seven Billion

GLBT Issues
Med Schools Fall Short On LGBT Education

Race & Racism
Report Finds White Students Get More Aid

Obama Calls on Joint Session of Congress to Pass American Jobs Act

2011-09-08T23:00:00.001-05:00

I have not been impressed by a speech that President Obama (or anything other politician) has given in quite some time. Tonight the President gave a speech in front of a joint session of Congress and surprised me. The style of the speech (I will get to the substance later) about action as opposed to reaction – it was forward looking and visionary. The broad idea of job creation was simple – and the details of the plan where uncomplicated.

More than anything there was a certain amount of energy that was present in his speech that has not been there since the 2008 campaign. I’m not sure how much of the credit should go to the quality of the speechwriting or to quality of the deliver. But, it’s clear that something is different.

This speech also brought into stark relief the difference between his vision and style and that of the Republicans candidates for President. During the Reagan Debate last night most of the Republican candidates regurgitated the same old conservative talk points and their disagreements were mostly over the details of each other’s records and not policy proposals.

Which brings me to what I think is the political implications of the speech, and why I think it is a game changer. It is politically easy to run against something. In 2008 then Senator Obama successful ran against Senator John McCain by running against President Bush’s record. In 2010 the Republicans successfully rain against President Obama behind the enthusiasm of the Tea Party.

In 2012 it is a given that the Republican candidate will use the same strategy – they will run against President Obama’s record. That is unless the President can make the change the conversation. If the President can make the conversation about this policy proposal, and force the Republicans to campaign against a jobs bill it changes things.

It doesn’t matter that the bill will have no chance to pass the Tea Party dominate House, and that Republicans in the Senate will filibuster it. They have to explain why they are against taking action to create jobs – especially since taking control of the House the Congressional Republicans have taken no action on the jobs crisis.

The bottom line was that this was as much about addressing America’s job crisis as it was making a clear distinction between President Obama and the Republican candidates. So, how will this play out? We will wait and see.

More on the policy side tomorrow.

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - September 6, 2011

2011-09-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a fine Labor Day weekend as we bring you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff looks at a movement to end pensions for public employees.

Amy Price is one of just a few progressives running for Houston City Council in 2011, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is helping her campaign.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson show that the Texas GOP's next trick will be to come after pubic employee pension to protect their wealthy campaign contributors, "Wisconsin-style" pension scheme coming to Texas.

I guess my favorite Rick Perry getup is "tough cowboy who shoots coyote with laser pistol". Libby Shaw has some of the others at TexasKaos. Read all about it in her piece: Rick Perry's Colorful Costumes.

This week, McBlogger considers The Audacity of Hopelessness.

Neil at Texas Liberal noted the absence of Tea Party sponsored highway rest stops between Cincinnati and Columbus. Government plays a role in our everyday lives that some of us may only consider when they are constant attack.

With the beginning of the college football season this weekend, Citizen Andy asks "Why does Rice play Texas?" And how does it relate to the wildfires, Obama's cave-in on the EPA's smog rules, the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline protests, Hurricane Irene, and our continued drought and economic malaise, clean air, climate change, and a switch to a clean energy economy? Read up at TexasVox.

Labor Day: El Empleo

2011-09-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

Week in Headlines

2011-09-02T19:00:00.002-05:00

Texas News
Thousands of Disabled Texans Face Service Cuts

Texas Politics
Hundreds of New State Laws Take Effect Today

National News
Research Shows Rich Getting Richer Makes Poor Poorer

National Politics
Candidates Increasingly Connected to Independent PACs

Foreign Policy
CIA Strikes Strain Ties With Pakistan Further

Veterans Issues
Veterans Discover Allure of Jobs in Western Wilderness

Education
College Student Anxiety and Depression Levels Show Sharp Rise

Economy
Youth Unemployment Crisis Has Longterm Implications

Health Care
Study Suggests Higher Cancer Risk for 9/11 Firefighters

Environment
Texas Drought Could Threaten Endangered Species

Climate Change
Climate Change May Make Future Droughts Worse

Human Rights
WikiLeaks Reveals Horrifying Sexual Exploitation By UN Peacekeepers

Immigrant Rights
Report Finds US-Mexico Border More Secure Than Ever

Reproductive Rights
Virginia Clinics Threatened By New Regulations

GLBT Issues
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Hurts Workplace Performance

Race & Racism
Study Finds Minority Children Feel Stigmatized in Primary School

Miracle or Mirage, What Kinds of Jobs Has Texas Created?

2011-09-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

Via the Texas Tribune:

"According to statistics from the Texas Workforce Commission, the annual median wage in 2010 for all occupations in Texas was $31,500, or 7 percent less than the national median. The most common occupation sectors in Texas were office and administrative service, sales, and food service. Of the three, office jobs had the highest median wage, at $29,300. Food service had the lowest median wage of all occupation groups, at $17,700 annually. Together these occupational groups made up more than a third of employed Texans."

Texas' Middle Class and the Opportunity Crisis

2011-09-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

“The American Dream is about working hard in return for decent wages, economic stability, and being able to provide a better life for your kids. But the kinds of jobs that can provide a solid middle-class life in return for hard work are in short supply in Texas. Unemployment is still high, earnings have been stagnant for a decade, and many workers lack health insurance and retirement savings to protect them financially during a serious illness or when they can no longer work.”

This is from a new report from the Austin-based progressive think tank Center for Public Policy Priorities entitled Texas’ Middle Class and the Opportunity Crisis. The report makes it clear that the Great Recession and Texas’ weak social safety net have had a devastating effect on the middle class in Texas.

The report finds that workers at all levels of education have faced stagnant or declining wages over the last ten years. In all sectors of the Texas economy, employers are also less likely than in other states to provide benefits such as health insurance or pensions. It has also become more costly to raise a family as child care, housing, and gas prices have all become more expensive.

The report notes that the state lost 320,000 due to the Great Recession, and estimates that the recession reduced revenue to the state by $540 million. The lost revenue could have paid the salaries of over 4,700 teachers or nearly 3,900 nurses. The budget cuts made during the 82nd session of the Texas Legislature will also make the job losses worse, and further hurt the middle class.

Instead of taking the steps necessary to protect and strength the middle class, Governor Rick Perry and Republican legislators in Austin have made decisions that will further weaken the middle class and ensure that the so-called Texas Miracle is nothing but a mirage for all but the most affluent Texans.

Texas Sonogram Law Struck Down By Federal Judge

2011-08-30T22:00:00.001-05:00

Key parts of the so-called sonogram law passed by the Texas Legislature during the last session were struck down as unconstitutional by a US District Judge today in Austin. Early this summer the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a class action lawsuit against the new ultrasound requirements behalf of Texas medical providers performing abortions and their patients. The Houston Chronicle reports that US District Judge Sam Sparks ruled that the law violates doctors' and patients' free speech rights and said the state cannot impose penalties against doctors who fail to meet its requirements.

In a press release the Center for Reproductive Rights said that “today’s ruling is a huge victory for women in Texas and a clear signal to the state legislature that it went too far when it passed this law. Politicians have no business telling doctors how to practice medicine or meddling in women’s private medical decisions.” Governor Rick Perry issued a statement saying the ruling was a “great disappointment to all Texans who stand in defense of life. This important sonogram legislation ensures that every Texas woman seeking an abortion has all the facts about the life she is carrying, and understands the devastating impact of such a life-changing decision. I have full confidence in Attorney General Abbott's efforts to appeal this decision as he defends the laws enacted by the Texas Legislature."

As the Los Angeles Times reported, anti-choice legislation flood the state legislatures this year, and Texas’ sonogram law was set to go into effect Thursday on September 1st. According to an article in the Texas Independent, requires women seeking abortions to undergo a sonogram at least 24 hours before the procedure (with the waiting period reduced to two hours for women who live more than 100 miles from an abortion provider). Doctors must also show and describe the images to the woman and play sounds of the fetal heartbeat. Women could only opt out of hearing the sonogram described by certifying in writing that they either underage, were pregnant as a result of sexual assault, or were carrying a fetus with a medical condition. The Washington Post reported that ruling also struck down a requirement that allows women to avoid seeing the sonogram images only if they sign a statement that they are pregnant because of sexual assault or incest. Sparks ruled, that the state cannot compel a woman to disclose such private information that she may not even wish to tell police.

The Center for Reproductive Rights challenged the law on eight grounds and based their request for a preliminary injunction on four: Equal Protection, subjecting pregnant women to unwanted speech, vagueness, and compelling speech by physicians and patients. Judge Spark’s ruling found that the law was unconstitutional based on vagueness and compelled speech.

The Judge rejected the Equal Protection challenge saying that “if the Texas Legislature wishes to prioritize an ideological agenda over the health and safety of women, the Equal Protection Clause does not prevent it from doing so under these circumstances.” Although in a footnote on that page the Judge wrote that “It is ironic that many of the same people who zealously defend the state’s righteous duty to become intimately involved in a woman’s decision to get an abortion are also positively scandalized at the government’s gross overreaching in the area of health care.”

In rejecting that the law subjects pregnant women to unwanted speech, Judge Sparks wrote that despite the logic of the plaintiff’s argument, “the State of Texas wishes to force a particular message upon a captive, and potentially unwilling, audience.” The Judge went on to write that there “are limits to the government’s power to impose whatever message it desires, on whomever it likes, under any circumstances it desires, those limits seem fairly undefined, at least as applied to this case.”

The Judge did rule that the law “contains three provisions that are, at least under some circumstances, unconstitutionally vague.” The Judge also ruled that the law violated the 1st Amendment because “compels physicians to advance an ideological agenda with which they may not agree, regardless of any medical necessity, and irrespective of whether the pregnant women wish to listen.”

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - August 29, 2011

2011-08-29T23:00:00.003-05:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance, which has some experience in these matters, extends its best wishes to the east coast as it recovers from Hurricane Irene. Here now is the roundup:

Off the Kuff notes that Texas' unemployment rate is at its highest level since the days of the oil bust. Maybe firing thousands of teachers and other public employees isn't such a hot idea.

Sanger ISD Administrators make fun of Rick Perry in a Hee-Haw sing along skit.

A Houston city council candidate has affixed hundreds of his campaign signs to utility poles -- in violation of both city ordinance and the utility company's rules -- throughout the city, many of them 20- and 30-feet off the ground. This candidate, an attorney, blames "overzealous volunteers" and makes no promise to remove them. This candidate's name is Eric Dick. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs asks the (hopefully obvious) question: does Houston really need another dick on city council?

How can you tell that republicans are batsh*t crazy? Rick Perry has jumped to the top of the polls. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme has warned you for years.

Libby Shaw at TexasKaos has a roundup of Icky Ricky's Pay to Play Politics for those inquiring minds that need to know. See Icky Ricky Perry, the Master of Pay to Play Politics.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson shows that state Sen. Steve Ogden needs to check his facts about who's to blame for the budget impasse last session, Sen. Ogden's false equivalency.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy continues to look at Rick Perry's Texas. From tort reform that doesn't deliver on promises to water infrastructure neglect that has left Texas a dry state; from crony capitalism that benefits Perry's campaign contributors to the fact that Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured in the nation. It's hard to mess with Texas when Perry already has.

Neil at Texas Liberal will be taking part in a spoken word event and concert in Cincinnati on Saturday, 9/3 to mark the release of the Aurore Press book Living In The Lap Of Labor. This book is a collection of essays about working in America. Neil has an essay in the book and will be reading from that essay. While it is unlikely you will be in Cincinnati in the week ahead, Neil asks you to stop on by and say hello if you are in fact in town.

Rick Perry’s Texas: Keynesian Miracle

2011-08-29T23:00:00.001-05:00

Keynesian Miracle: Despite the rhetoric from Rick Perry, the public sector has driven job growth in Texas more than the private sector. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, employment in Texas’ public sector has grown more rapidly than the private sector recently, with a 19 percent growth in government jobs compared to 9 percent growth in private jobs since 2000. Texas has added more than one in five of the public-sector jobs nationwide at local, state and federal levels.

Texas A&M Freshman Convocation 2011

2011-08-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2015 began their journey at Texas A&M University by gathering in one place, at one time on August 28, 2011. Joining the students at the ceremony were President Loftin, vice presidents, provosts, and faculty from each academic department in full academic regalia to welcome everyone into the Community of Learners and Scholars. The 2011-2012 Student Body President provides an introduction to what it means to be an Aggie.

Rick Perry’s Texas: Tort Reformed

2011-08-25T22:00:00.000-05:00

Tort Reformed: Texas underwent drastic tort reform in 2003 under the promise of lower health care cost and bringing doctors to underserved rural areas, despite the fact that malpractice claims made up less than one percent of total health care expenditures in Texas. Texas Monthly reported that malpractice insurance reductions have been less than 1.5% since 2003, and that nothing changed except that insurance company profits doubled. While Perry credits tort reform for luring 17,000 new physicians to the Texas, more than 5.2 million Texans live in areas designated as official health professional shortage areas. Texas ranks 48th out of 50 states in the number of physicians per 100,000 residents.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

The Mess in Texas: Debunking Perry

2011-08-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Rick Perry’s Texas: Dry State

2011-08-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dry State: Since passage of legislation in 1997 state funding for water projects has dried up. As the Houston Chronicle reported, state leaders still have not found a reliable way to finance water development beyond asking voters for authority to issue debt through bonds. While $53 billion in Texas infrastructure development has been identified, but experts say that without the investment 83% of Texans will not have an adequate supply of water in times of drought.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

On the Agenda: College Station City Council

2011-08-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

From the Regular Agenda:

Budget Amendment No. 3
The council will conduct a public hearing and will consider Budget Amendment No. 3 to amend the FY 2010-2011 budget in the amount of $7,699,757. The council also will discuss two contingency transfers and one inter-fund transfer. The city charter allows the council to amend the annual budget when revenues are available to cover increased expenditures. Click here and go to page 118-121 to view a detailed listing of the items in the budget amendment.

Issuance of COs and GOBs
The council will consider approving the issuance of certificates of obligation for $7.9 million for electric and wastewater improvements and general obligation bonds for $1.9 million. The city issues debt to fund various capital projects identified and approved as a part of the annual budget. General Obligation Bonds are paid primarily through the debt service portion of the property tax rate and are authorized by voters. Utility Revenue Bonds are backed by the revenues of the city’s utilities and are issued as a business activity. These are typically only issued for utility capital projects. Certificates of Obligation normally include at least one additional revenue stream, such as utility revenues, but are considered to be much like general obligation bonds and normally receive a similar rating. Voters approved almost $77 million in the 2008 bond election, and this is the third bond sale from that authorization, which provides for a seven-year capital plan.

Read more from the preview of the College Station City Council Thursday, August 25th meeting at the city's blog.

Rick Perry’s Texas: Crony Capitalism

2011-08-23T22:00:00.002-05:00

Crony Capitalism: Perry has used the governor’s office to ensure that top campaign donors were rewarded with state money or appointed to high profile positions. As the New York Times reported, over three terms in office, Mr. Perry’s administration has doled out grants, tax breaks, contracts and appointments to hundreds of his most generous supporters and their businesses. According to a study by Texans for Public Justice, Perry has raised at least $17 million from more than 900 appointees or their spouses, roughly one dollar out of every five that he has raised as governor.

Michael McCaul is Richest Member of Congress

2011-08-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

The residents of Texas Congressional District 10 are represented by the wealthiest member of Congress. Representative Michael McCaul is worth $294.21 million, according to analysis of personal financial disclosure documents by Roll Call. The per capita income in District 10 is $25,186 per year and 8.2% live in poverty. According to an article in the Texas Tribune, McCaul is considering a run for US Senate in 2012 and reports speculate that he could self finance the campaign.

Perry’s Contradictory Stimulus Views

2011-08-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - August 22, 2011

2011-08-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance believes that all visitors are welcome in Texas as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff has one piece of advice for President Obama regarding Rick Perry's Presidential ambitions.

The already-existing field of Republican Presidential candidates, along with former Bush administration officials, and even the current occupants of the White House, reacted to Rick Perry's entry into the Presidential race, and Letters from Texas reacted to their reaction. The conclusion: they're all screwing this up.

Bay Area Houston says Fact checking Rick Perry is not for the ignorant.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is amazed that the always nuts Congressional rep Peter King wants Rick Perry to tone it down. No doubt that today's republican is looking to nominate the mayor of crazy town.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the horror that often times is the Williamson County justice and DA John Bradley. A man has spent 24 years in jail for a crime he did not commit, it truly is A tragic story.

From Iowa corn dog porn, to "gaps" in the theory of evolution, to passive-aggressive assaults on Ben Bernanke and from Karl Rove, Rick Perry had a no good, very bad first week on the national stage. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs documents the governor's gaffes, faux pas and self-administered gunshots to both cowboy-booted feet.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy continues the Rick Perry’s Texas series by looking at innocent executions, college denied, child poverty, and even a chart showing that despite Perry’s belief in the “free market” that Keynes has come to Texas.

Neil at Texas Liberal said this week that while circumstance matters, it is best not to let others construct your reality.

Rick Perry’s Texas: Uninsured Population

2011-08-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

Uninsured Population: Texas has the highest rate of people without health insurance in the nation. According to statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 26% of Texans are without health insurance, compared to a national average of 15.4%. There are more uninsured residents in Texas than there are people in 33 states. According to reporting by the Houston Chronicle, 1 in 5 children in Texas are without health insurance.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

Douthat on Messing With Texas

2011-08-22T21:00:00.001-05:00

I read Ross Douthat in the same way that I read David Brooks, hoping for some interesting insight into conservative intellectual thought – only to be disappointed by the same rehash of conservative arguments. In Douthat’s column in the New York Times today he writes about why he thinks his opponents (both in the Republican primary and possibly the general election) would be wrong to criticize Texas and not criticize Rick Perry. In doing so Douthat sings Texas’ praises with some of the familiar conservative talking points:

“Texas does have higher high school dropout rates than the average American state. But then again, Texas isn’t an average state: it’s an enormous melting pot that shares a porous, 1,969-mile border with Mexico. Once you control for demographics and compare like with like, the Texan educational record looks much more impressive.”

Meaning, once you discount all the people of color – and compare Texas to much whiter states then it looks more impressive. One of the biggest drivers of dropout rates is poverty, and when one in four Texas children grow up in poverty that might have more to do with it than sharing a border with Mexico.

“Perry can credibly claim that his state delivers on conservative governance’s two most important promises: a private sector that creates jobs at a remarkable clip, and a public sector that seems to get more for the taxpayers’ money than many more profligate state governments.”

Except that job growth in Texas has largely been driven by public sector jobs and not private sector jobs, and the public doesn’t get more for the taxpayers money – we just have to do more with a hell of a lot less.

“Many of his policy forays have been boondoggles or train wrecks, from the failed attempt to build a $175 billion Trans-Texas Corridor (the kind of project conservatives would mock mercilessly if a Democrat proposed it) to an ill-designed 2006 tax reform that’s undercut the state’s finances.”

Here is where Douthat makes a real and important point – while the state of Texas does paint an important picture of Rick Perry as a governor there are policy disasters that are a direct result of Perry and not the two decades of conservative policies in Texas. Whether he is right that it would be more effective politically to criticize Perry as a governor rather than Texas under Perry remains to be seen.

Bill Flores 44th Richest Member of Congress

2011-08-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

According to an analysis of financial disclosure records by Roll Call, Texas Congressional District 17 is home to the 44th richest member of Congress. Representative Bill Flores has $7.81 million is assets (Flores made his money as an oil and gas industry executive), and $100 thousand in liabilities. Flores represents a district whose per capita income is $17,207 and whose 17% of constituents living in poverty is higher than the 15.4% statewide.

On the Agenda: Bryan City Council

2011-08-22T19:00:00.001-05:00

On the Bryan City Council agenda tomorrow is a first public hearing for a proposed tax increase. The council will “receive public comment regarding a proposal to adopt a property tax rate of $0.6364 per $100 assessed valuation, raising the annual amount of taxes imposed by $959,952 to a total amount of $23,800,131. The council will also hold a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2012 budget of $392 million.

Also on the agenda is a public hearing on a text amendment for Bryan Code of Ordinances (Chapter 130, Zoning, of the City of Bryan Code of Ordinances) by adding a definition for afterhours club uses. This is in response to what the Bryan Police Department has described as “causing a serious quality of life problem.” The first reading of this ordinance is also on the agenda. Read the rest of the workshop agenda and regular meeting agenda.

What I'm Reading

2011-08-21T21:00:00.001-05:00

Humble Service With a Side of Swag

Ever want a politician to just come out and say that the reason he is running for office is to feed is own ego? This is exactly what Frank Bruni desires, what he most hopes to hear from a politician is this speech:

“I’m running for president/governor/senator because it’s about time I moved up in the world, and if I win, the perks are out of control. People will pretty much genuflect before me. I can wring my hands about the environment from the back seat of a chauffeured Escalade with continents of legroom. I’ll have a staff big enough for one aide to carry my Purell and another to dispense my Altoids. And there’s huge “Meet the Press” potential. Nothing says power like a Sunday morning round table.”

Rick Perry’s Radical EU-Style Federalism

You wouldn’t think that the governor of Texas, the most conservative of the viable candidates in the Republican presidential field, would want to make the United States more like Europe. Unless, of course, you have read Rick Perry’s book. Ezra Klein chronicles the ways in which Rick Perry’s radical state’s rights position has more in common with the European Union than the United States:

“What’s perhaps most interesting about Perry’s take is that he’s not quite willing to abandon the government’s core commitments. When questioned, he doesn’t argue that pensions and health care are none of the government’s business. Instead, he suggests that we let “the states keep their money and implement the programs.” So Perry’s world is not a libertarian dreamscape devoid of Social Security or bank regulation. It’s a world in which public pension systems and bank regulation vary state by state. It’s a world, in other words, that looks less like the United States of America and a whole lot more like the European Union.”

The Republicans’ new voodoo economics?

Conservatives used to support monetary policy – in fact it is often noted that Milton Freeman said that it was a failure of a lack of monetary policy that caused the Great Depression. But as Greg Ip writes, things have changed:

"Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a newly declared candidate for president, said it would be “treasonous” for Greenspan’s successor, Ben Bernanke, to “print more money between now and the election” in an effort to boost the economy. Other candidates have been equally damning if slightly less extreme in their statements. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has accused the Fed of “debasing the currency,” while Rep. Ron Paul of Texas has written a bestseller called “End the Fed.” The party’s economic standard-bearer in the House, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, repeatedly charges the Fed with “bailing out” what he considers President Obama’s reckless fiscal policy and wants the institution stripped of its mandate to promote employment."

Broadcast of College Station City Council's Budget Workshops

2011-08-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

All 12 hours of the College Station City Council's budget workshops will be rebroadcast on Suddenlink Ch. 19 starting on Monday.

Monday, August 22nd: Water/Wastewater Fund, General Funds, Tax Rate (10am & 2pm)
Tuesday, August 23rd: General Funds, Recreation Funds, Pay Plan (10am & 2pm)
Wednesday, August 24th: Public Agency Funds, Other Governmental Funds (10am & 2pm)
Thursday, August 25th: Other Governmental Funds, Internal Service Funds (10am & 2pm)

The four workshops were conducted Aug. 15-18 at the Carter Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility, which prevented live broadcasts being produced. The meetings also are archived on the city's website at cstx.gov/cstv19. A public hearing for the city's proposed FY 2012 budget is set for September 8th, with final adoption scheduled for September 22nd. View the proposed FY 2012 budget.

Week in Headlines: Perry Campaign Week 1

2011-08-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Perry's Colorful Tongue Takes the National Stage

An Off-the-Cuff Rick Perry Vaults Into the Headlines

Fact Checking Field Day of “Texas Miracle”

A Closer Look at the Texas Miracle

Tough Questions for Perry in New Hampshire

Rove Criticizes Perry For Dissing Bush

Rick Perry's Anti-Science Streak is Nothing New

Rick Perry’s Social Security Problem

Something Political About The Response After All

Aggie Tales From the Dixie Chicken

Rick Perry’s Texas: Child Poverty

2011-08-18T22:00:00.002-05:00

Child Poverty: A report from the Center for Public Policy Priorities that found nearly one in four Texas children lived beneath the poverty line. Texas Kids Count released a report showing that Texas is home to 1 of every 6 children newly added to the poverty rolls, and continues to have the highest rate of uninsured children. More than 600,000 Texas children have at least one unemployed parent who is looking for work. One of every four Texas preschool-aged children is not read to on a regular basis - ranking last in the country.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

Keynes Goes to Texas

2011-08-18T21:00:00.002-05:00

via Talking Points Memo:

“As Bernstein notes this "shows Texas to be following a traditional Keynesian game plan: as the private sector contracts, turn to the public sector to temporarily make up part of the difference."

Additionally, Perry's papered over some looming budget gaps with fancy paperwork, and unless he or the next governor take steps (like raising taxes) to balance the books, he'll have to cut spending (read: public sector jobs) and many of his gains will have proved illusory.

That's doesn't match Perry's private market, anti-government rhetoric very well, which is why he and his supporters will shout "Texas miracle!" if they're confronted with these facts, to obscure the underlying reality.”

Rick Perry’s Texas: College Denied

2011-08-17T22:00:00.002-05:00

College Denied: Because of the deep budget cuts less students will have a chance to go to college. Only 33,100, of the 110,000 incoming low income college students who meet academic and financial eligibility requirements will receive grants for college. The Austin American-Statesman reports that as a result 70% of the students that qualify will not receive much needed college aid.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

Bob Moser Evaluates Governor Rick Perry's Touted Record in Texas

2011-08-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

Since announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination over the weekend, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has already raised eyebrows over a number of heated comments. On Monday Perry accused Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke of treason and suggested he would face physical harm in Texas. His comments were widely criticized from the White House to Republican key strategist Karl Rove. Perry has also drawn criticism for calling Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare "a Ponzi scheme." Perry's record in Texas is also beginning to face increased scrutiny. He claims responsibility for the an "economic miracle" in Texas, but many have questioned the success of his economic policies. Democracy Now! takes a look at Perry's recent comments and his past with Bob Moser, Executive Editor of The American Prospect. Moser is the former editor of The Texas Observer where he spent the last three years in covering Perry.

For the complete transcript, to download the podcast, or for more Democracy Now! reports about the Republican candidates for president, visit DemocracyNow!

Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - August 15, 2011

2011-08-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes that the nation remembers Molly Ivins' words about Texas governors as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff notes that the Voting Rights Act is squarely in the sight of Texas Republicans as they try to get their gerrymandered maps approved.

As Texas Governor Rick Perry (R - idiculous) officially enters the race for President, Letters From Texas presents Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Perry, But Were Afraid To Ask.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson warns that a Rick Perry presidential run should not be taken lightly, because if elected he would be Bush on Steroids.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks that Rick Perry, (r-Dominionist), is just a puppet for the true leaders of the slow moving mob of republican fanatics.

Over at TexasKaos , Libby Shaw gives us a quick summary of Good Hair's presidential creds in The Success of Rick Perry.

Do the King Street Patriots -- via the Texas Secretary of State -- intend to turn away veterans at the polls? It looks as if they do, and Open Source Dem at Brains and Eggs has the details.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted on Rick Perry's conflicted views about gay marriage. If you read pages 26 and 27 of the hardcover edition Rick Perry's book Fed Up!, you will see that his social conservatism and his extreme states' rights are not compatible. Both Rick Perry's far-right backers and his centrist and liberal opponents should note this dramatic inconsistency.

Rick Perry’s Texas: Innocent Execution

2011-08-14T17:00:00.003-05:00

Innocent Execution: Along with executing the mentally challenged, Texas also executes innocent people. Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in 2004 after being convicted of arson and the murder of his three children. Even after evidence emerged showing that arson had not caused the fire, Perry refused to grant a stay of execution. Five years after Willingham was executed, a report from a Texas Forensic Science Commission investigator found that the fire could not have been arson. As the commission prepared to hear testimony from the investigator in October 2009, Perry quickly fired and replaced three of its members, forcing an indefinite delay in the hearing.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

I Told You So

2011-08-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

“The Republican primary will belong to one person: Texas Governor Rick Perry. While Perry’s reelection to the Texas Governor’s mansion is not completely certain, it is going to be difficult for Democratic challenger Bill White to win in such a red state during such a red year. Perry is the perfect match for the anxiety within the Republican Party and the firebrand of the Tea Party. In New Hampshire Perry’s secessionist comments might actually play well, and in South Carolina his connection to the South will benefit him. If he comes into Texas with momentum he could pull ahead of the other candidates, and be standing at the podium in Tampa, Florida as the Republican nominee for President in 2012. But that’s just one theory.”

Week in Headlines

2011-08-12T17:00:00.002-05:00

Texas News
Texas’ Thirst for Dams Bucks National Trend

Texas Politics
Big Donors Found to Make Up Half of Perry Campaign Cash

National News
Chamber Of Commerce Battles Anti-Bribery Statute

National Politics
Majority Would Vote Out Current Congress

War & Peace
US Drone Strike Kills 23 In Training Camp

Veterans Issues
Tortured Veterans File Lawsuit Against Former Secretary Rumsfeld

Education
Texas Charters Score Lower Than Traditional Schools In Federal Ratings

Health Care
Nonprofit Hospitals Face Downgrades As Revenues Fall

Environment
Drought Officially 2nd-Worst on Record in Texas

Climate Change
Polar Climate Change May Lead to Ecological Change

Human Rights
Human Rights Abuses Ongoing in Congo

Immigrant Rights
Restrictive Immigration Legislation Passed in 40 States in 2011

Reproductive Rights
Kansas' Planned Parenthood Defunding Faces Federal Scrutiny

Women & Gender Issues
House GOP Revives Global War on Women’s Health With “Gag Rule”

GLBT Issues
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Anti-Marriage Equality PAC Reporting Requirement

Race & Racism
Research Finds That Sleeping Problems Are Linked to Racism

Rick Perry’s Texas: Disabled Execution

2011-08-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

Disabled Execution: In 2001, Rick Perry vetoed a bill passed by the Texas legislature banning the execution of the mentally retarded, saying that the state's judicial system already contained adequate protections for such defendants. The Huffington Post has reported that supporters of the bill disagreed, pointing to evidence indicating that at least a half-dozen prisoners with mental deficiencies had been executed since 1990.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

Tweets From Town Hall

2011-08-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

Tweets from @leftofaggieland during Congressman Bill Flores’ town hall tonight at the Blinn College campus in Bryan (tweets are in reverse chronological order).

Flores complains about stimulus, says tax cuts would have been more stimulative - Ignores that it was 1/3 tax cuts. #florestownhall

Flores says top ten percent pay 70 percent of taxes - Ignores that they make 40 percent of income. #florestownhall

Flores asked about tax loopholes: "There are not loopholes." #florestownhall

Flores says he doesn't support natural gas subsidies - but defended oil company subsidies in Roll Call. #florestownhall

Flores asked if he would support law to make Congress subject to all laws - He said he would. - Newsflash: They are. #florestownhall

Flores says he supports budget cuts to defense in Ryan budget - I have found some agreement with @RepFlores #florestownhall

Ask about what budget cuts could make meaningful difference - Says Congressional salaries should be cut. #florestownhall

Flores says budget can be balanced in 17 years - Progressive Caucus budget balances budget faster than #GOP plans. #florestownhall

Flores says we borrow "40 cents out of every dollar from the Chinese." - False #florestownhall

Flores asked about America's infrastructure - He says "What's the President's plan?" #florestownhall

Flores: "Government doesn't create jobs." - While standing in a public community college. #florestownhall

Flores asked about the fair tax, and says "I like the fair tax" but adds uncertainty to economy if implemented now. #florestownhall

Flores asked if he is a member of the #GOP or #teaparty - Says if "you want to call me that" he'd be glad to be called one. #florestownhall

Question proposes interesting conservative critique of Balance Budget Amendment based on giving Congress general & broad powers.

Question ask how Super Committee is Constitutional. Flores says it was "the last option" calls trigger "nuclear warhead." #florestownhall

Flores is taking question - written question. #florestownhall

Flores say Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are "insolvent." - False. #florestownhall

Flores says the best way to create revenue is with a private sector job. - I thought we didn't have a revenue problem? #florestownhall

Flores: "Silver lining" on the downgrade is that it is "2x4" over head on President and Congress. #florestownhall

Flores touts Ryan budget as score by the Heritage Foundation - Despite the wide spread debunking of scoring. #florestownhall

Flores plays a clip of Paul Ryan interview with Sean Hannity defending vote for Budget Control Act - Cuts off Hannity follow up questions.

Crowd gets angry at Flores vote for Budget Control Act. #florestownhall

Flores: "If you didn't like the last three days" then you wouldn't have liked default. #florestownhall

Flores promotes Balance Budget Amendment - Worst idea in Washington. #florestownhall

Flores on Ryan budge "single most important piece of legislation." - Budget that uses bad math and privatizes Medicare. #florestownhall

Flores: "new freshman are trying to stop the damage." - #GOP are the ones causing the damage. #florestownhall

Flores is having fun with charts - Manipulating data and making wrong assertions. #florestownhall

Flores: "Washington doesn't have a problem with tax receipts" but with spending. - False: Revenue at 14 percent of GDP #florestownhall

Congressman Flores is giving presentation - Says "we're making progress" at "painfully slow rate." #florestownhall

Presentation of colors, invocation, Pledge, introduction, mic troubles. #florestownhall

#florestownhall has officially begun.

What are the chances this starts on time? #florestownhall

Overhearing interesting conversations before @RepFlores town hall. Mostly conservative crowd. #florestownhall

@TeamSHIFTInc The @RepFlores town hall begins @ 6pm #florestownhall

What question do you want to ask @RepFlores? #tx17 #bcstx #tamu #tcot #p2 #florestownhall

Got a front row seat for the @RepFlores town hall. #tx17 #bcstx #tamu #florestownhall

Rick Perry’s Texas: Underfunded Schools

2011-08-09T22:00:00.003-05:00

Underfunded Schools: Due to draconian cuts in education, to address a $27 billion budget shortfall, thousands of Texas teachers will be losing their jobs this year. The Texas Tribune reports that Perry signed a school finance plan that cut $4 billion from districts statewide. To date 12,000 teachers have already lost their jobs, and up to 100,000 of the state's 330,000 teachers might lose their positions.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas

Free Speech TV Coverage of The Response

2011-08-09T21:00:00.002-05:00

Texas Governor Rick Perry, a possible candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, spoke at a controversial "prayer event" in Houston this weekend. Mary Tuma, a reporter for the Texas Independent, has more on the event.

Rick Perry’s Texas: Failing Schools

2011-08-08T22:00:00.001-05:00

Failing Schools: Half of Texas school districts and 1 out of 4 campuses failed to reach federal academic targets established by the No Child Left Behind Act. The Austin American-Statesman reported that statewide 605 districts and 2,233 traditional and charter schools failed to make the grade.

Read more about Rick Perry's Texas