11.29.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 9:50 am by wcnews
online poker newsThe Texas Progressive Alliance hopes you got your recommended allowance of tryptophan last week as it brings you the blog highlights.
Off the Kuff celebrates the DeLay verdict.
Bay Area Houston has a visual suggest to the Judge in the Tom DeLay trial on what to do with DeLay.
Did employers or their representatives provide ‘assistance’ to their employees as they voted in La Joya? CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme would really like to know.
Public Citizen over at TexasVox is getting ready for the Sunset hearings on the TCEQ and Railroad Commission coming up December 15-16 by looking at a national report which gives Texas’ regulatory agencies a D-.
Lightseeker raises a red flag over the morphing of the MSM coverage of Tom DeLay’s conviction. In his piece entitled The DeLay verdict – Politics as usual? Crime and Punishment? Why it Matters he argues that this is simply a case study in why we find it so hard to get our message out. Either out of boredom or malice or laziness or simple lack of time or understanding the MSM often carries water for the other side in how they cover/frame important issues. He wonders what can be done?
Republicans in the Texas Legislature filed a series of anti-immigrant bills, so, Stace at DosCentavos asks the question: Are You Willing to Boycott Texas? It’s a serious question that will come up as these bills go through the process and quite possibly get to the floor.
Sen Jeff Wentworth pre-filed legislation for the coming session that eliminates straight-ticket voting. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs thinks he’s a lone voice of reason on the right.
Reverend Manny at BlueBloggin takes an in depth look at freedom of speech. On the whole, the September FBI crackdowns are symbolic, and a local reminder, of an international repressive wave against transparency, criticism and rational, open dialogue. The Front Lines of Reality: An International Perspective on the Battle over Free Speech.
WhosPlayin brings you a video tour of one of the modern drilling rigs that one company is using to drill in urban areas in the Barnett Shale.
Neil at Texas Liberal visited Austin this past week. He enjoyed his late night drive back home to Houston a great deal. Neil liked this ride so much, he wrote a blog post listing seven reasons the ride was so enjoyable.
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11.22.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 9:44 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is slightly distracted by thoughts of pie but still brings you this week’s blog roundup.
Off the Kuff examined the effect of straight ticket voting on the city of Houston’s ballot propositions as well as the partisan breakdown of those propositions.
Letters From Texas temporarily abandoned Texas politics in favor of seeking answers to the important questions surrounding the Transportation Safety Administration’s touching of our junk.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders how the Cameron County Judge’s race can get any weirder. Who won and how did things get so messed up?
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy takes a look at the bills concerning immigration that have been pre-filled in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
WhosPlayin posted a two-part series following air quality complaints in a neighborhood in North Texas near Barnett Shale gas wells and facilities.
Bay Area Houston wonders if Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole reported his free money to the IRS as income.
At TexasKaos, liberaltexan looks at what the prefiled bills tell us about the Texas Legislatures will try to do about the trumphed up problem of illegal immigration. Check it out : Texas Legislative Watch: Pre-Filed Immigration Bills (Part I).
Snapshots from the Conservative Freak Show: Bristol Palin and voter fraud, Louie Gohmert and the SFA instructor he got fired, and John Ensign’s million-dollar earmark.
A new contributor to Texas Liberal, a woolly mammoth named Extinct, noted that Just Kids by Patti Smith was the winner of the National Book Award for 2010. Just Kids an account of Ms. Smith’s youthful relationship with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. As a woolly mammoth, Extinct has a long experience with both life and loss.
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11.15.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 10:08 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is beginning to feel the holiday spirit as it brings you this weeks’ blog roundup.
Off the Kuff discusses the issue of Latino turnout in the wake of last Tuesday’s elections.
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy takes in the landscape after the storm and presents a way forward for Texas Democrats. Left of College Station also begins the Texas Legislature Watch by looking at the bills that Representative Fred Brown has pre-filed. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
Letters From Texas explained a fundamental truth to state Senator Dan Patrick: democracy is about more than two wolves and one sheep voting on what’s for dinner.
Killing medicaid and CHIP along with Grandma and the kids will devastate the Texas economy. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders why the evil Heritage Foundation wants to hurt the Texas economy.
Mean Rachel wondered when the Democratic Party decided to become the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Republican Party.
Bay Area Houston says the GOP is giving poor Hispanic kids the bird.
Over at TexasKaos, libby shaw gives her take on “Fixing the Federal Deficit” or rather how NOT to do it while distracting a nation. Check it out : Fixing the Federal Deficit.
Neil at Texas Liberal says that where there is smoke you will not inherently find fire. Yet the smoke alone may be enough to do a great deal of damage.
This week at McBlogger, Captain Kroc takes a look at one of the newest members of the Texas Legislature.
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11.08.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 12:23 pm by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance remains committed to moving forward as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is still reeling from the republican blowout. Say goodbye to your Social Security and hello to Warren Chisum in your bedroom.
Off the Kuff starts to discuss a way forward from this election.
There was some good, some bad, and some ugly in last Tuesday’s election returns. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the deets.
After Tuesday’s Demageddon, Mean Rachel offers some advice as to what political candidates should do with their social media accounts after losing an election.
Len Hart at BlueBloggin has a few words on Election Postmortem: A Picture of Dorian Gray It is said that insanity is repeating a failed strategy in the expectation of one day getting a different result. Because that never happens, the nation is nuts! Just enough people always vote against their own interests to guarantee that wealth will continue to ‘trickle up’…
Andy Wilson over at Public Citizen’s TexasVox wants to point out that members of Congress who lost their re-election in Texas all had one thing in common: Opposition to climate change legislation.
TXsharon who blogs at Bluedaze recently flew to EPA headquarters in North Carolina to present four case studies of health impacts caused by natural gas extraction in the Barnett Shale. She met with the top rule makers in the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards who are working on new rules for the oil and gas industry. They said it was “incredibly strong evidence.”
A day after the election, Letters From Texas identified dark clouds on the horizon for victorious Republicans. Later in the week, he detailed the first cloud up to bat: the state budget.
Lightseeker, over at TexasKaos tries to figure out where we are and where we go next, after the mid-terms. Check it out.
While things were rough at the ballot box in the northern hemisphere, in Brazil the political left won a third consecutive national victory. Even on the darkest days, there is always progress being made someplace in the world.
After a campaign-work related hiatus, Capitol Annex returns to active blogging with a new look, a new logo, and this post addressing the growth of food service jobs in Texas and why the growth of low wage jobs sill eventually cause the Texas economy to grind to a halt.
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11.03.10
Posted in Commentary at 9:09 am by wcnews
(Wrote this Monday and didn’t post it, still seems fitting. Originally titled, “Thoughts on the eve of election day”.)
My overriding thought as we head to election day is that this election is being driven, nationally and in Texas, by the frustration of working people who are no longer able to get ahead. And no matter the outcome(s) tomorrow, that frustration is not likely to be eased in the next two years. Let’s be clear though that this is not to be taken as a “your vote doesn’t matter tomorrow” statement, the exact opposite as a matter of fact. You must vote tomorrow, it’s essential to fixing our problems.
What it means is that the narrative of this election has not been about what matters the most. The focus at the federal level should be about putting people back to work by funding the rebuilding of our infrastructure, education system, and research, as we did once before. It’s been decades since everyone in our country has been asked to sacrifice – yes everyone, even the rich, must give a little – to insure the productive future of our country. But none of those issues make good 30 second ads to attack an opponent.
It’s not Democrats and/or Republicans that will lose tomorrow. Again the losers are likely to be the working people and their families. Those who will wake up Wednesday morning and again go about their daily lives despite the odds that are being stacked against them. It will be the inability, whether through ignorance or greed, of those in positions of power to ease that burden that will insure the continuing frustration for the next two years.
Here in Texas there has not been a serious discussion of what balancing the state budget through “cuts only” will really look like. The Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka gave it a shot when the projected shortfall was still at $18 billion, and it included ending several state agencies. It is now projected to be $25 billion. While this topic is mentioned often, there is a little serious discussion about what it means for public education, and assistance for the neediest among us. topic and the media in this state has done little to hold any candidates feet to the fires on this issue. From the governor’s race on down to individual state house races.
And at the federal level there’s little difference. Whether it’s being discussed whether we should keep all the Bush tax cuts or just those for the middle class – both scenarios will still about hundreds of billions to the deficit – no one really talks about whether we should just end them all and use that money to give people work, (see above).
Discussion of witches, whether someone is a trial lawyer, or whether they once may have voted to think about possibly raising a tax disqualifies them from public service, does nothing to fix the problems that will continue to keep people frustrated with their governments.
One of the most frustrating data points, in my opinion, is that there’s a growing pessimism about the future. Things like this, Will the Next Generation be Better off Than Their Parents’ Generation?, and this, Newton, Iowa: Anger in the Heartland, are just a few things to look at. The utter contempt that Americans have for the bankers and the profound sorrow that these people have for themselves, their families, and their fellow Americans is enough to make anyone mad. But it’s only surpassed by the complete inability, so far, of those with true political power to hold anyone accountable for the cause of our economic situation and the inability to help those in need, while insuring this doesn’t happen again.
All of that had added to the frustration of the people and is making them see their government as the enemy, when it should be being used to help them, as it did in the past. That’s why electing more people on Tuesday who see government as the problem is unlikely to change much, if anything, for the better for working people in the next two years.
This is not meant to be as pessimistic as it sounds, because I do believe that there are much better days ahead for our country. Ending two wars and extricating ourselves from overspending on a military presence around the world – not ending but definitely shrinking it – and refocusing our efforts on our own people at home would be a start.
If those of us that are frustrated don’t vote this election, that means we are one more election further away from fixing our problems. The best way to end the frustration and insure that our country and our children have a prosperous future is to make sure we invest in it through education, infrastructure and research – the jobs of the future. That is what we did after World War II which created the prosperous nation we once were and it’s long past time we did it again.
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Posted in Bad Government Republicans, Blogging, Commentary, Election 2010, Williamson County at 9:02 am by dembones
That rush of voters we documented as the election day was winding down appeared to have no impact on the early vote deficit of Democratic candidates. The 20-point lead Republicans took from early voting was sustained on election day.
The Republicans were victorious this election. Working families will have to wait another two years for any possibility of a government that cares for them. Expect more corruption, less access to the courts, more imprisonment, less civil liberty, more poverty and homelessness.
The crew of crooked Republican officials for this blog to cover increased by one TLR-funded stooge, a man completely devoid of charisma whose first instinct is to lie and second is to attack, Larry Gonzales. Add to that list Charles “Dr. Creepy” Schwertner, a man whose single motivation for running for office was to fight health care reform at the state level. The future is bright for liberal bloggers who had been fretting over a shrinking beat.
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11.02.10
Posted in Election 2010, Good Stuff, Williamson County at 5:21 pm by dembones
Reporting from Williamson county’s Democratic-leaning precincts indicates a surge in turnout as election day progresses. The uptick indicates that Democratic candidates that had fallen behind during early voting are now closing the gap.
Polls remain open for another two hours, and lines are beginning to form in strongly Democratic areas of Anderson Mill, Hutto and Round Rock. Voters in line at 7:00pm will be allowed to vote, even if there is a line.
Among the possible reasons for the last-minute urgency by Democratic voters are reports that the election may actually be much closer than statewide polls have indicated. If the Democrats get an expected boost from elevated election-day turnout, they may erase an early deficit that emerged in the first week of early voting.
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Posted in Election 2010, Good Stuff, Take Action, Williamson County at 1:00 am by wcnews
Polls are open from 7 a.m to 7 p.m., anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. All the information needed for voting can be found at the Williamson County Elections page. Here you can find a list of polling places by precinct [.pdf]. At this link you can find your polling place and see a sample ballot, just type in your address. EOW encourages everyone to vote.
2010 Democratic Candidates
Governor:
Lieutenant Governor:
Linda Chavez Thompson
Attorney General:
Barbara Ann Radnofsky
Land Commissioner:
Hector Uribe
Agriculture Commissioner:
Hank Gilbert
Railroad Commissioner:
Jeff Weems
Supreme Court, Place 3:
Jim Sharp
Supreme Court, Place 5:
Bill Moody
Supreme Court, Place 9:
Blake Bailey
Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6:
Keith Hampton
Member, State Board of Education, District 10:
Judy Jennings
Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals District, Place 4:
Kurt Kuhn
State Senate, District 05:
Steve Wyman
Texas House, District 52:
Diana Maldonado (I)
County Commission, Precinct 2:
Jim Stauber
County Commission, Precinct 4:
Jeff Maurice
County Court At Law, Seat 1:
Teresa Duffin, Round Rock
County Court At Law, Seat 3:
Allyson Rowe, Round Rock
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11.01.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Uncategorized at 9:02 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for Election Day as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
Off the Kuff takes a look ahead at redistricting.
Letters From Texas pointed out a low-down dirty Republican plot to cheat African-American voters out of casting their ballots, then turned around and did the same thing to voters casting ballots for Republicans, Libertarians, and Greens.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson, while most Texans know our our state needs investment in our people – like education and infrastructure – instead we will get the GOP’s planned austerity which will irrevocably harm Texas.
South Texas Chisme offers kudos to Hidalgo County Texas Democratic Women, the Stonewall Democrats and the new County chair for the big turnout!
Phillip Martin at Burnt Orange Report reminds everyone about what is at stake on Tuesday with a lot of posts he’s put in one place: Rick Perry’s Cover-Up and Corruption: A Ten Part Series.
The revealing of Todd Staples’s slimy pyramid scheme was only the latest devastating hit the incumbent agriculture commissioner has taken during the 2010 election campaign. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs exposed the corruption.
nytexan at BlueBloggin looks at The Constitutional Ignorance of the Tea Party. As we have all come to learn, the Tea Party, both candidates and their supporters, are extremely ignorant of the document they want to restore, the U.S. Constitution. Let’s not fool ourselves and think that the Tea Party and the wing nuts just stumbled upon their ignorance, its been in full bloom since Bush began stripping the Bill of Rights. It didn’t seem to bother them because it was the Patriotic thing to do.
The newest scandal to rock a Republican elected? It’s all about a pyramid scheme and Todd Staples.
Neil at Texas Liberal made an effort with a variety of posts over the past week to encourage folks to vote in Houston, Harris County, Texas, and the nation. That’s all one can do. Let’s get past Tuesday and move ahead to a better day. Thanks for reading Texas Liberal and all TPA blogs. There are hopeful days ahead and we’ll keep fighting.
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