Be An Urban Forester!
In today's TFR email, Michael Sullivan included this awesome gem. Check it out!
John O’Connor dies
43 minutes ago
June 27, 2008
Read more...
June 26, 2008
Blogging and New Media Summit Comes to Austin
No, this isn't Netroots Nation. It's the Defending the American Dream Summit, hosted by Americans for Prosperity and RightOnline - and it's coming to Austin July 18 and 19.
Top Ten Reasons You Need to BE THERE:
1 - Michelle Malkin
2 - Bob Barr, Libertarian Party Nominee for President
3 - Barry Goldwater, Jr.
4 - There has never been a blogging convention for conservatives - this is the first of it's kind!
5 - MICHELLE. MALKIN.
6 - Great networking opportunity for conservatives
7 - Michael Steele, Chairman of GOPAC
8 - Phil Gramm!!
9 - It's a weekend in Austin - no matter your political leanings, Austin is a great place to hangout. And you'll be in the Arboretum, near all the scenic sights along Loop 360.
10 - Seriously, this wasn't enough? Okay - how about panels on issues, Blogging 101, conservative politics and policy, and of course, awesome speakers, the likes of which Texans rarely if ever see all in one place at one time????
GO. SIGN UP. SAY THAT BLUE DOT BLUES SENT YOU.
You won't want to miss this summit!!
June 25, 2008
At the Local HEB....
I wish I hadn't left my cell phone with the camera at home! Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and State Representative Mark Strama were both at the HEB just now, where my husband and I went to pick up something for dinner.
Political circles really are that small, folks.
Combs projects big bucks from franchise tax
From LSR:
Comptroller Susan Combs issued her preliminary estimate of revenue from theRead more...
revised franchise tax. Combs said that $4.2 billion has been collected to
date. That amount, however, is still subject to any protests, appeals,
settlements, and the like that will occur.
All those required to file a 2008 franchise tax return who have not submitted one to the comptroller are now late and are subject to penalties. Combs said that 133,000 payments have been received to date. Of those 133,000 payments, 46,000 were partial payments with requests for extension to pay the full amount. The full payments will be due for those taxpayers in August or November. Combs cautioned that the full scope of the returns will not be known until after Nov. 15. The Comptroller estimated the franchise tax would raise $5.9 billion for fiscal year 2008. So far, $4.2 billion has been collected, but comptroller spokesman R.J. DeSilva noted that returns are arriving at the comptroller's office every day, and the comptroller does expect to receive additional revenue from those who made partial payments.
Of that $5.9 billion estimated revenue, $2.9 billion goes to general revenue with the remaining $3 billion dedicated to property tax relief. The $3 billion is the amount estimated to be generated from the tax changes made in HB 3 in 2006. Therefore, of the $4.2 billion collected to date, $2.9 billion is general revenue, $1.3 billion is deposited in the property tax relief fund, and any additional tax revenues received are also destined for property tax relief.
June 21, 2008
Can the GOP Keep the Base Engaged? by Will Lutz
Excellent observation piece by Lone Star Report managing editor William Lutz, over at the Dallas Blog. Will's picked up on some critical issues facing the Texas GOP. But what stands out the most is the observation about McCain and Texas Republicans:
...the Democrats federalized their convention. Most of the talk from the
podium was about the joys of Democratic nominee Barack Obama and the need for
Democrats — particularly backers of Hillary Clinton — to step in and support
him. Both presidential campaigns had banners flying behind the podium and a
prominent presence at the convention.
By contrast, there were no McCain banners flying in the GOP convention
hall, though many of the delegates had McCain signs that they waived. A few
speakers mentioned him from the podium, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
Romney was McCain’s official surrogate. But the McCain campaign had — at best —
a minor presence at the convention, leaving the impression the McCain campaign
takes Texas for granted.
Full article available here: http://www.dallasblog.com/200806201002971/will-lutz/can-the-gop-keep-the-base-engaged.html
I'm still puzzled as to why McCain felt like he had to send a surrogate instead of coming himself to a state with so many electoral votes and conservative Republicans. The best answer is that he or his campaign felt like he'd get booed more often than he'd receive applause.
And if that's true, God help the Republican Party this fall. Read more...
June 19, 2008
Looking forward to 2010
W. Gardner Selby, the Austin American Statesman's vaunted political writer, had some interesting things to say about last weekend's Republican Party of Texas state convention in Houston. It's too bad he's not a Republican, and his insights can only go so far.
2010 is in the minds of many a Republican activist and elected official, and it has been since 2006. Those of us who witnessed firsthand what a weak top-of-the-ballot candidate and a bit of well-played Democratic politics can do (like taking out Dallas County) figure on 2008 being a wash for Republicans looking to make gains in Texas. 2010 is the key for Republicans, and here's why. (I'm not speculating on Democrat manuevers in 2010 at this juncture)
Governor: Rick Perry has not given any signs that he doesn't plan on running, and he's all but announced his reelection campaign (possibly because there aren't presidential coattails he can count on riding). Kay Bailey Hutchison has been itching to run for the spot for quite some time (stopped in 2006 only by, as rumor goes, RNC officials), and given her speech at the convention, is clearly taking aim at Perry. State Rep. Leo Berman has stated his intention to run if no significant legislation dealing with illegal immigration passes this upcoming session. And let's not rule out State Senator Dan Patrick. There is already a grassroots movement looking to "draft" Senator Patrick for governor, and he's enough of a rogue that he just might do it. Other names floated about are Commissioner Michael Williams and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.
US Senate: A couple of scenarios make this one hard to predict. Hutchison's term is not up until 2012, meaning that if she runs for governor, she is not obligated to give up the seat. If she doesn't, there's not much to consider unless she loses the gubernatorial nomination/election. But if she does give up her seat, it gets interesting. First, Governor Perry would be able to nominate her replacement. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he names himself, but let's pretend he doesn't. David Dewhurst pops immediately to mind - it eliminates him as a gubernatorial rival for Perry and gets him out of the Texas Senate altogether. The Senate would then have to choose a Lt. Gov. to fill the spot until an election could be held - Florence Shapiro, perhaps? If Perry is not put in a position of having to fill this seat, it's likely that Michael Williams or David Dewhurst (and probably both) will run.
Lt. Governor - If suddenly this seat is in play as well, it's more interesting than even the Gov spot, since the LG in Texas has more "power" and is in a better position to influence legislation. Dan Patrick is again a likely candidate to run (eliminating him from the Gov race), as is Attorney General Greg Abbott and Ag Commissioner Todd Staples. And let's not rule out State Senator Jane Nelson, flush from her victory on Prop 15 last year and no stranger to conservative circles eager for a shot at truly controlling the Senate.
Congress: Until redistricting in 2012, it's unlikely this changes much. The key seat in 2008 is CD 22 (Tom DeLay's old seat, currently held by D Nick Lampson and sought by R Pete Olson). Depending on how 2008 shakes out for Republicans, primarily on whether we lose the White House, 2010 has the potential to become 1994 Redux. Key seats: Ciro Rodriguez, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Eddie Bernice Johnson.
State House: Depends heavily on 2008 turnout/results. Primary seats I would watch include HD 64 (Myra Crownover), HD 132 (Bill Callegari), HD 105 (Linda Harper-Brown), and HD 4 (Betty Brown, who has survived two attacks from the same guy so far).
State Senate: If Jane Nelson or Florence Shapiro become Lt Gov, the Senate becomes very, very interesting. Likewise if Dan Patrick runs for a different office. He's proven that he's the king of SD 7 and his endorsement matters, so the question of who runs to replace him is tricky. Best guesses, all depending on residency, would include Paul Bettencourt, Ben Streusand, Brad Wright, and some others who are much less likely to have Patrick's backing. Since taking out an incumbent senator is tough business, I'd wait to see who is and is not running for reelection and who decides to seek higher office.
Seats that could be in play: Railroad Commissioner, Agricultural Commissioner, Attorney General. Various state reps and senators, and some people we've just not heard much about, could end up in the hunt for these seats if they're open.
The 2009 Texas Legislature will be a telling, and contentious, time. All of this speculation is quite early and some of it premature, but this is the kind of thing people were discussing at the RPT convention last weekend. We've all got our sights on 2010.
June 16, 2008
Libertarians "bleeding" votes from Republicans?
Every Republican in Travis County knows one incontrovertible truth - we are outnumbered in the People's Republic. Most of us only think of it in terms of liberals vs. conservatives, but the truth falls along a much more varied line. The biggest pain in the neck for conservative Republicans in Travis County is the Travis County Libertarian Party.
I can say this with absolute confidence thanks to Travis County LP Chairman Wes Benedict, who has been quoted in the Austin Chronicle as saying his goal, and the TCLP's goal, is to eliminate the Republican Party in Travis County.
I question the TCLP's motivation - after all, on a political ideological scale, libertarians and conservatives are much closer in belief than liberals and libertarians. The immediate conclusion one has to make from the statements and goals of the TCLP is that they aren't actually libertarians, but "liberaltarians" who use the libertarian philosophy to justify liberal lifestyles (instead of standing by economic libertarianism and fighting against big government at the local level as well as the state and national level). The result of this, of course, is that the Democrats continue to rule the county with few challenges. Why the Libertarian Party is bent on this goal, aiding this goal, is beyond me, short of a theory that the TCLP is really a shadow attack group for the TCDP. It certainly would help explain the deep split between the libertarians and conservatives in Travis County.
Of course, most Libertarian candidates continue to be nothing more than spoilers in three-way races (read that article; is "not liking someone's attitude" truly good enough reason to run against him?). That's certainly what LP presidential candidate Bob Barr stands to be in November. It's not Obama he'll take votes from, but McCain. Like Perot in 1992, his candidacy may doom us to at least four years of socialism and big-government hurrahs.
Further proof that the Democratic Party benefits the most from Libertarian efforts? Burnt Orange Report stated as much in a recent post concerning the Libertarian nominee for US Senate, Yvonne Schick. The quote:
Read more...That should be good for bleeding a couple percentage points out of John
Cornyn's base. Kudos to the Libertarians.
June 15, 2008
Morrison defeats Galindo in Austin City Council run-off election
I think this is the universe trying to tell me something.
Probably that voters in Austin will always be mind-numbingly devoted to wasteful, big government causes.
Anyway. Laura Morrison has defeated Cid Galindo in the run-off for city council.
And the beat goes on....
June 14, 2008
Sen. Cornyn's "Big John" Video from RPT Convention
Lots of thoughts and comments to post about the RPT convention, but for now I just want to share the very best of all the ads, videos, etc. that played during the convention:
June 11, 2008
Famous? Moi?
I wrote a letter to Michelle Malkin, which was then published in her blog. Well then! (though, it's not the first time)
A quick clarification - I am not now nor have I ever been a "Ron Paul Republican." How's that for a disclaimer?
Another clarification - I have not picked a side in what I consider to be a massive distraction from the real business at hand (defeating liberal Democrats in November!). I do think that we have leadership problems in our party and I'd like them addressed, and I also think that Debra Medina has very legitimate complaints about what the party has done/has not done (you're smoking crack if you think that Tom DeLay and the RPT and the RNC are not to blame for massive failure in CD 22, or if you think we're electorally safe down ballot). But I don't have a dog in this hunt (mainly because, like I said in my letter to Michelle Malkin, I question whether siding with anti-war, pro-choice, 9/11 conspiracy theorists is a good strategy).
Yet another clarification - There are good, trustworthy, conservative people on both sides of the debate.
A further clarification - I am voting for Cathie Adams, should I have the opportunity, for National Committeewoman. (you should, too)
---
My wishes for this RPT convention:
1 - Getting a plank back in the platform denouncing the business margins tax and calling for repeal
2 - Getting Cathie Adams elected National Committeewoman
3 - Getting Brian Russell re-elected to the SREC
4 - Getting a whole bunch of people signed up for the Republican Assembly
5 - Seeing old friends and hanging out a bit
6 - Go home satisfied that these things have been accomplished and we didn't have to have a roll call vote on the at-large national delegate slate.
Republicans Have Bigger Fish to Fry
Over at Policy Spotlight, my husband reminds us all of something very important.
The Democrats in Texas adopted a platform last weekend that calls for a "democratic government...to achieve as a community, state, andnation what we cannot achieve as individuals." Note how far the Democrats have come from Kennedy's call to for individuals to serve the country, instead of the other way around. Not very surprising, as their agenda is more Marxist than Jacksonian every day.
Republicans are gathering in Houston this weekend, and it has been shaping up to be a true beating of a convention. But what Republicans need to remember, both now before we get into it and after, when we're licking our wounds and counting the bodies, is that we have a bigger, more important war to fight. As we often say, the enemy is out there, not in here.
The Democrats are on the verge of nominating the most liberal, socialist presidential candidate since FDR. Worse, they are a mere 5 seats away from a majority in the Texas House. We cannot afford to waste our political energy on infighting and squabbling. I have as big an axe to grind with the leadership as the next conservative, but let's not wear ourselves out entirely. If we have any goal, it should be to improve the party and shore up our base so that we can defeat the Democrat onslaught, and carry our issues and platform forward into a new age of legislative victory.
Hotze and Lambert Endorse Furse in SD 17
From today's newswire from the Lone Star Report:
Read more...Houston physician Steve Hotze and former Republican National Committeeman
Tim Lambert have endorsed Austen Furse in the open seat for SD 17. “I am pleased
to announce the endorsement of two stalwarts of the conservative movement in
Texas – Steve Hotze and Tim Lambert. These two fine gentlemen have demonstrated their adherence to the conservative principles of the Party and worked tirelessly to promote conservative values. I am humbled by these endorsements,”
Furse said.Hotze is chairman of Conservative Republicans of Texas, an interest
group that is best known for its slate card of endorsed candidates, mailed to
likely voters just prior to key elections. Hotze is also involved in a
highly-publicized disagreement with the Texas Medical Board over the criteria it
uses to discipline doctors in standard of care cases. Lambert is President of
the Texas Home School Coalition and a well-known Republican activist (view his blog here).
Austin City Council Place 4 Run-Off
I voted early - for Cid Galindo.
For some reasons why, I refer you to the following email I received today (I voted over a week ago):
Some statistics for you to consider:
1) There are 419,000 registered voters in the city of Austin;
2) There are approximately 36,000 voters who voted in a Republican primary since 2004; and 3) There are approximately 6,400 voters who have voted in the city council runoff election.
What does this all mean? It means that YOUR vote WILL MATTER, but only if you exercise it. It is a rare in Travis County that Republicans have a voice in their city government. But for once in a very long time, your vote on Tuesday or Saturday will actually have a direct impact on the Austin City Council generally, and the fate of the point of sale, or “green audit” ordinance specifically.
Think about it this way—if only 16% of Republican primary voters showed up this runoff election, we would match the total turnout through Saturday. Imagine that—if we had terrible turnout, we would still double the city council election voting.If you don’t vote, than we Republicans have no one to blame but ourselves when Austin inspectors show up to your home and demand that you make thousands of dollars in repairs and upgrades to reduce your carbon footprint.
If you don’t vote, than we Republicans have no one to blame but ourselves when the sale of your home falls through because the buyer would not wait for required improvements and “green certification.”
Your choice is clear.If you want a strident partisan who publicly denigrates conservatives in a non-partisan election (see attached) and who called the point of sale ordinance a “moral imperative”(see below), than support Laura Morrison. But, if you want an independent voice on city council who has consistently stood up for homeowner rights by stridently opposing the point of sale ordinance, despite attacks from the liberal political elite, then Vote Cid Galindo.
Remember, you CAN vote in the election on Tuesday or Saturday, even if you did not vote in May. So take this opportunity to vote NO on the liberal political establishment, and vote NO on the “green audit.” On Tuesday or Saturday vote YES to homeowner rights, vote YES on Cid Galindo.Early Voting locations can be found here: http://www.co.travis.tx.us/county_clerk/election/20080614/early.asp
And forward this email to as many friends, relatives, and homeowners as possible!
Laura Morrison Endorses Climate Protection PlanTexas Environmental Democrats, City Council Place 4 Questionnaire http://www.texasenvironmentaldemocrats.org/candidates_environmental_positions.html
June 09, 2008
Cornyn Leads in Recent Poll
New Rasmussen poll has Cornyn up 17 points over Noreiga.
Fantastic news!
June 08, 2008
Governor's Mansion Destroyed in Intentional Blaze
I wish so much that this headline were a cruel joke.
Early this morning, a fire began at the governor's mansion in Austin, destroying a good portion of the 152-year-old structure.
A lot of the commenters on the KXAN web story seem to be applauding this as either karma coming back to roost on wasteful, horrible Texans, or as some kind of sign about how terrible our governor is.
Me? I'm just devastated that such an important place in our history has been damaged so heavily, and apparently by vicious human intent. While I have a suspicion that the guilty party will turn out to be someone with a political grudge against Governor Perry or Texas government officials in general, whatever the motive was, setting fire to someone's home is an incredibly stupid way to make a point.
Very, very sad.
June 06, 2008
LSR Liveblogging TDP and RPT Conventions
The Lone Star Report's William Lutz and Mark Lavergne are camped out at the Texas Democrat Party convention this weekend, which is taking place here in Austin. In a cool twist this year, LSR is liveblogging the convention, and they promise to do the same next week in Houston for the Republican Party of Texas convention.
Check it all out here: http://lonestarreport.blogspot.com/
June 04, 2008
Texas Defending the American Dream New Media Summit
Be there on July 18 and 19 in Austin - at this fantastic event, conservatives will have a chance to get in on the only conservative blogging conference in the nation. It's going to be awesome!
Planning to protest your property tax appraisal?
If you're protesting your property tax appraisal (and if you live almost anywhere in Texas, chances are this is a good idea), you'll want to have a copy of this handy guide to effectively protesting property tax appraisals.
It was put together by Galveston County Tax Assessor-Collector Cheryl Johnson (a champion for taxpayers if there ever was one!), and is applicable in a any county/CAD.
There is more great information about property taxes available at Americans for Prosperity's blog here.
Brookhiser on Eloquence
Great quote, worth remembering as we start hearing more about Barack Obama's "eloquence:"
The most eloquent men in American political history were Patrick Henry, Daniel.http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTNjYzY4MmNiMjBlOGJmY2I2Mjc4OThmMjlhMDM3YzY= Read more...
Webster, Henry Clay, and William Jennings Bryan. The last three wanted to be
president; none succeeded
June 03, 2008
SD 17 news
Quorum Report is saying that former State Rep. Brad Wright is "strongly considering" a run for the Senate seat being left vacant by Sen. Kyle Janek, and boy isn't this a fun time to be a conservative down there!
Austen Furse, the only officially declared candidate in the race thus far, is getting help from Allen Blakemore, a well-known consultant who typically chooses the "established" mainstream Republicans. As always in politics, it's important to look at who is supporting a candidate, and it's easy to want to like Furse based on Blakemore's support (I recall hearing that Court Koennig, Senator Dan Patrick's former chief of staff, is also on Furse's team - quite intriguing at the outset).
Meanwhile, we did a bit of digging on Wright's history as a legislator. Over 7 sessions, Wright scored a 98.6% composite score on Young Conservatives of Texas' legislative ratings. There was only one time that he didn't score a perfect 100 - his last session, the 71st, in which he scored a 90%. Only one other former legislator is comparable - Talmadge Heflin, who scored a 97% composite over 11 sessions and who received a lifetime legislative achievement award from YCT in 2007 (among his many other accolades from conservative groups).
Wright told QR that he supports a 3% cap on residential appraisals and real appraisal reform, and he supports outright repeal of the business margins tax. Intriguing? Definitely.
This race is only going to get more interesting. The Democrats being floated as possible candidates include Chris Bell and Rep. Scott Hochberg. Conservatives Gary Polland and state Rep. Charlie Howard have also been tossed up as possible Republican contenders.
TPPF Tackles Higher Education Cost Structure
Does it mean anything to anyone that Texas State University was listed in ISI's Civic Literacy Report as one of the schools that fail to adequately teach civics? I think it should be earth-shattering, especially given the 10% and more per year in tuition increases that have occured at Texas State since 2003.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation released a commentary from Foundation president Brooke Rollins today, calling upon university regents to reign in the cost of higher education.
Since tuition deregulation in 2003, Texas' public university tuition has skyrocketed as boards of regents have been given free reign with no accountability in budgeting and spending. The result has been that students have been priced out of higher education, whilst employers have begun to call for more degrees and ever higher levels of achievement. Not long ago, students could count on going into debt to the tune of $20,000 or more for a four-year education at a "mid-level" school (with the recent student loan "crisis" causing the federal government to take the private sector out of the equation for student loans, students are no longer guaranteed even that much). The cost for the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University rivals that of private schools like Baylor University or Southern Methodist University.
Rollins says in her commentary that "there is little incentive for public universities to operate efficiently or respond to what their customers – the students and their parents – actually demand. Increasing state appropriations actually perpetuates the unsustainable growth in spending by public universities." She is absolutely dead-on. Universities have no incentive to perform better - because they are part of the bureaucratic nightmare that is government education. State appropriation increases do nothing but encourage universities to spend it all and then ask for more later.
The solutions we've been proposing for some time now include making the boards of regents accountable to students and parents through an election process, making universities (which are government agencies in the same sense that TXDoT and the Department of Health and Human Services are) subject to the sunset process, subjecting universities to budget review and audit through the State Comptroller's office, and also repealing tuition deregulation in full. If public universities are going to receive money from the state and their employees be counted as state employees, they must be held accountable as state agencies, period. Legislative oversight is crucial here.
This is the double-edged sword we face when it comes to fixing this: Republicans supported deregulation and many still do, under the assumption that this sort of deregulation was like that for energy and telephone companies. Au contraire, this sort of deregulation gave more power to unelected bureaucrats. True university deregulation would result in cutting off state cash flow (tax dollars) and state benefits. Democrats (Sen. Judith Zaffarini being the well-known exception) did not support deregulation, but at the same time they support further tax dollar support instead of real reform from the inside.
Trust me when I say, there is nothing conservative about tuition deregulation. There is never anything conservative about handing over financial power to unelected, politically-appointed bureaucrats. I daresay there is nothing American about it either, otherwise I doubt the Democrats would have picked up on how wicked tuition deregulation actually ended up being.
Rollins also calls out universities for spending so much on remedial and review courses - something that should be unnecessary if our K-12 education were as "college prep" and thorough as it should be. I couldn't agree more. Too much time is wasted on filler courses that are taught by graduate students; it used to be a hallmark of university recruiting to brag about the teacher-student ratio, and now you're lucky if you get small classes dedicated to serious study before your junior year.
Higher education reform is a serious, in-depth topic that needs to be tackled head-on. Kudo to Rollins and TPPF for starting the conversation.
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