Do conservatives really watch more porn?

Survey says.....

Not really.

Here's John J. Miller taking the the "study" to task on NRO.  His greatest point is that the study looked at trends in areas, instead of polling individuals, and that leads to huge honking misleading information about red state vs blue state porn consumption.  

I think that in truth, there's no way to mine this kind of data accurately, unless you're tracking internet usage in known Republican vs Democratic households (and then you're Big Brother).  It's like how the Christian divorce rate is higher than the secular divorce rate - on the one hand, all these divorced people are claiming to be Christians,  but on the other, are they really?  Were they when they were married?  Were both spouses Christians?  I could go on.  In this case, how many people, liberal or conservative, are going to own up to exactly how much porn they watch, and admit to their political ideology in full truth as well?

Finally, I'd like to know why this kind of study is even conducted (is this what we're doing when we "create jobs" and "promote job growth" - giving money to fund this kind of drivel??).  Personally, I don't care if you're a liberal, conservative, or a Marxist Martian.  Whether or not you're watching porn isn't truly my concern, not politically.  Morally, it's a different matter, and in that case your political ideology REALLY doesn't matter.

And now I'm disgusted with myself for even blogging about this.  I got all annoyed, realized I had my Special Snowflake Soapbox to rant from, and used it.  This is what's bad about a high-speed internet connection for people like me who have a lot to say.  Blah.

Houston Tea Party video

Round 2 - Tea Party Movement Continues!

Eric Odom at #dontgo announced that April 15 (Tax Day) will be the next round of tea parties nationwide.

Check it out, and join the movement, here.

Specific details on cities and locations to come.  I will keep you posted on Texas events as I learn about them!

Dallas Tea Party Video via TCOT

TCOT Tea Party Dallas 2 27 09 from Dave Perkins on Vimeo.

Because it's Saturday

A little bit of historical perspective courtesy of Kathryn W.:

11 Most Expensive Catastrophes in History   # 11. Titanic - $150 Million The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today ' s dollars).    # 10. Tanker Truck vs Bridge - $358 Million On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the  Wiehltal   Bridge  in  Germany  . The tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4 Autobahn resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the load-bearing ability of the bridge. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.\   # 9. MetroLink Crash - $500 Million On September 12, 2008, in what was one of the worst train crashes in  California  history, 25 people were killed when a Metrolink commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in  Los Angeles  . It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a red signal while the conductor was busy text messaging.. Wrongful death lawsuits are expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink.    # 8. B-2 Bomber Crash - $1.4 Billion Here we have our first billion dollar accident (and we ' re only #7 on the list). This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in  Guam  on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to eject to safety.   # 7. Exxon Valdez - $2.5 Billion The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world ' s biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due to the remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship ' s master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship crashed into a Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.   # 6. Piper Alpha Oil Rig - $3.4 Billion The world ' s worst off-shore oil disaster. At one time, it was the world ' s single largest oil producer, spewing out 317,000 barrels of oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine maintenance, technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential in preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical safety valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a mistake and forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a technician pressed a start button for the liquid gas pumps and the world ' s most expensive oil rig accident was set in motion. Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages.   # 5. Challenger Explosion - $5.5 Billion The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. It failed to seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside. This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid hydrogen causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle was $2 billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today ' s dollars). The cost of investigation, problem correction, and replacement of lost equipment cost $450 million from 1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today ' s dollars).   # 4. Prestige Oil Spill - $12 Billion On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm off  Galicia  ,  Spain  . Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to take the ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain tried to get help from the French and Portuguese authorities, but they too ordered the ship away from their shores. The storm eventually took its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker splitting in half and releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea. According to a report by the Pontevedra Economist Board, the total cleanup cost $12 billion.   # 3. Space Shuttle  Columbia  - $13 Billion The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in NASA ' s orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry over  Texas  on February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings during launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today ' s dollars. $500 million was spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft accident investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris cost $300 million. In the end, the total cost of the accident (not including replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.   # 2.  Chernobyl  - $200 Billion On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in history. The  Chernobyl  disaster has been called the biggest socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area of  Ukraine  is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be evacuated and resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected by the disaster. The death toll attributed to  Chernobyl  , including people who died from cancer years later, is estimated at 125,000. The total costs including cleanup, resettlement, and compensation to victims has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The cost of a new steel shelter for the  Chernobyl  nuclear plant will cost $2 billion alone. The accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who violated plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed.     # 1. 2008 Presidential Election- $800 Billion in the first month.....

 

6:30 CST - Liveblogging Americans for Prosperity conference call

I'll be liveblogging tonight's Americans for Prosperity conference call with State Rep. Ken Paxton and State Sen. Dan Patrick, over at Voice of the Taxpayer.  

The call begins at 6:30p.m, CST.  Paxton and Patrick will be talking about their state spending limit legislation.  Should be an interesting call!  You can join in by calling 888-356-3090, group number 12612. 

And speaking of Americans for Prosperity, check out this post by TX state director Peggy Venable.  A sample:

With 44 states having significant budget deficits, Texas can continue to show the rest of the states – and the federal government – the appropriate role of government. We believe government doesn’t have first dibbs over taxpayers’ hard earned dollars.

Texas is poised to consider more stringent spending limits are enacted. Texas currently has a constitutional spending limit which but lacks definition. Texans deserve greater transparency, accountability and some degree of certainty for Texas taxpayers.

Now what? Join #dontgo

Now that the tea parties are mostly over (there's at least one tomorrow, and the one in Fort Worth is going until 7pm tonight), the question we have to answer is "now what?"

Well, here's one great idea.  Join the #dontgo Movement.

If you haven't heard of this before, #dontgo started last summer, in the wake of the energy debate in Congress (or rather, lack of debate, since Pelosi shut everything down).   Now#dontgo is getting to launch coalitions in all 50 states - and you can already sign up and join the movement here.

I know, I know - there are TONS of new online groups and mini-movements sprouting up, and you feel overburdened and overcommitted enough as it is.  But #dontgo was among the first, and they're among the best.  I highly recommend getting on board.

Back to our regularly scheduled state and local blogging soon, I promise.  :-)

UPDATED: Tea Party coverage from around the nation!

If you attended one of today's tea parties in Texas, and got pictures you're willing to share, let me know and I'll get them up!

So far, I've heard back from attendees in Austin and Dallas. Austin had about 60 or so people (according to David Guenthner), led by Americans for Prosperity and Empower Texans. Dallas had 300 or so, and a few attendees from that one are headed to Fort Worth. Houston is reporting more than 300 people attended there (here's a pic - Elvis!). No word yet from San Antonio.

(More Houston pics here)

ETA: Thanks to Will F., we've got a pic here of AFP's Peggy Venable addressing the tea party crowd in Austin! There's a whole bunch more at his TwitPic account - check them out! The pic above is his - of a protester and sign at the Austin Tea Party!

Outside of Texas, Eric Odom is reporting that there were a lot of media at the Chicago event (and he's got pics here).

MSNBC has a great picture of the tea party in Jacksonville (Florida).

UK Telegraph blogger Milo Yiannopoulos talks about the tea party protests here.

Here's a link to the Detroit Free Press story on the Lansing (Michigan) tea party.

Another news story, this one from Omaha (Nebraska).

Rumor has it that the Washington, D.C. tea party had more than 25,000 attendees - we're waiting to get confirmation about the actual size, but it had to be huge, with CPAC in town this weekend.

For more about the teaparties nationwide, go to Twitter and search #teaparty.

ALSO: Pictures and video from the Atlanta (Georgia) teaparty can be found here.

And of course, the inimitable Michelle Malkin has pictures, reports, etc. at her blog here.

ETA 2: Another picture! This is of the Dallas Tea Party (with part of the skyline visible), picture courtesy Dwayne Horner of 660 KSKY! Thanks, Dwayne! I love the Gadsden flag in the foreground. Dwayne's also got a post up at Townhall about the Dallas event.

ETA 3: Video coming in from Tulsa (Oklahoma) Tea Party. They had about 300+ attendees. Thanks to N. Taylor for the link via Twitter.

ETA 4: Tons of pics and video from all over the country over at Change We Can Believe In. I recognize Texas' Michael Quinn Sullivan in one from Austin!

ETA 5:  Pics from Mississippi, courtesy of Danielle!

ETA 6:  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a photo gallery up.

ETA 7:  TX State Rep. Wayne Christian attended the Austin Texas Tea Party!  Also, the Americans for Prosperity staff posted more pics from the ATX event here.

ETA 8: Ken Emanuelson of the Dallas County Grassroots Citizens group put up an album's worth of pictures from the Dallas event here.  Washington D.C. pics courtesy of BowlMeOverVA here - great shots!  I caught sight of Michelle Malkin in there, Joe the Plumber Wurzelbacher, and FreedomWorks' Brendan Steinhauser.  Also, check out TCOTTV for bunches of photos, vids, etc.

ETA 9:  Pics from California!  H/T Michelle Malkin.

Complete List of Texas Tea Parties

Fort Worth Tea Party
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Cowtown Bar & Grill, 7108 Camp Bowie Blvd. (817) 570-7910
More Info: Craig's list
Sponsor: Mark Christopher Frimmel, texasmusicproject@yahoo.com


Dallas Tea Party
Time: 11:00 a.m. - Noon
Location: Victory Plaza (south side of the American Airlines Center) in Dallas
Contact: dallasteaparty@gmail.com
More info: Dallas Tea Party Facebook Group
Sponsor: Dallas County Young Republicans

Houston Tea Party
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.Location: Fondren Green at Discovery Green Park, in front of the
Amphitheatre
More info: Houston Tea Party Facebook GroupContact: fcravens1@peoplepc.com


Austin Tea Party
Time: 11 a.m. – Noon
Location: South Steps of the Texas Capitol
More info: Austin Tea Party Facebook Group
Contact: Debbie McKee, threemckees@gmail.com


San Antonio Tea Party
Time: 11 a.m. – Noon
Location: Alamo Plaza
More info: San Antonio Tea Party Facebook Group
Sponsors: Young Republicans of Bexar County
Contact: texasschmidts@gvtc.com

Jindal again - the Dems are circling

Seems like there's a lot of chatter in conservative circles (Rush, for instance, coming to defend Jindal and then raising ire over at Hot Air) about Tuesday's response to the SOTU.  And here I thought I was being a special and unique snowflake.  

Lest we forget, though, Governor Jindal is exactly what the Democrats don't like and happen to fear about Republicans and conservatives, and it's time to stop sniping at one another over style/substance/etc and get back to the business of promoting Our Man in Louisiana, as it were.  Tuesday wasn't awesome, we're agreed.  But Wednesday morning on the morning show circuit, Jindal kicked a**, and we all know far more Main Street Americans were tuned in for that than were the Republican response.

There's a post over at Red State I recommend for your reading pleasure (a rare treat - I'm usually asleep at 2 in the morning, and instead I caught the Twitter feed for this thanks to a bout of barometric pressure induced insomnia).  Pejman Yousefzadeh reminds us, just in the nick of time, that every Tom, Dick, and Nancy is out for Jindal's political lifeblood, and that reminded me of the old adage about you know you're getting it right when they start threatening you.  The Left doesn't want Jindal to succeed, because they don't want us to succeed (rightfully so - we're never too keen to let them win, either), and we need to get out in front with the facts early and often.

As the news story Pejman links to states, no less that the Vice President himself, Ol' Joe, attempted to spin the facts to obfuscate the truth about what Jindal has accomplished in Louisiana.  He claims Louisiana is losing jobs at the rate of 400 per month, and the state's workforce commission came back and said no, actually, we gained about 3700 during the last period for which data is available.  

Biden's a weak attack dog, as this week's press junket has proven, but he's still an attack dog.  Don't believe your ears, folks.  This administration is as partisan as you can get, and it's gonna target our big guns before we gather the moxy to use them.  

(That reminds me of something I've been thinking about with regards to how the Obama administration sees itself - clearly, Biden's role is to be the Nixon to Obama's Eisenhower, which is not a particularly good fit for either of them if you ask me)

We're seeing RED in Texas!

Tomorrow across the country, groups will be gathering to hold "tea parties" in conjuction with the National Chicago Tea Party movement.  The point of which is, of course, to show our opposition to the out of control spending coming from the federal government (see my earlier post on this here).

But not all of us are in a position to take an early lunch or take time off, and not all of us live close to the tea party locations.  So how do we show our opposition to Washington's spending orgy and big government's violent and sudden usurpation of our children's financial security?

WEAR RED TOMORROW!

Americans for Prosperity in Texas is sponsoring "We're seeing RED in Texas" tomorrow.  Wear red to represent how upset you are with Congress and the President - wear red to represent where the U.S. economy is.  And then, tomorrow evening, plan on joining a conference call with State Sen. Dan Patrick and State Rep. Ken Paxton, whose spending limit legislation I mentioned earlier.  The call is at 6:30pm - dial 888-356-3090, group #12612. 

For more information, check out the Facebook event here.

(cross-posted at Texas Magazine and Red County)

Support Leo Berman!

If you're on Facebook, and a conservative, come declare your support for State Rep. Leo Berman!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leo-Berman/65608459415?ref=nf

In case you don't already know, Leo is THE guy for immigration reform in the Texas House.  He's also coauthor of HCR 50 (the sovereignty resolution) and is the author of HCR 66 (the nullification resolution).

The California Disaster Avoidance Plan

Taxpayer heroes State Rep. Ken Paxton (R-McKinney) and State Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) have teamed up for one of the best and most ambitious efforts of the 81st Legislative Session.  HB 994 and its Senate companion, SB 928, would (if passed) tighten Texas' state expenditure limit.

This is exactly the kind of fiscal discipline and responsibility I was talking about in this post.  It's exciting to see this get filed - now we just need a hearing, and a floor debate!

The Texas Public Policy Foundation featured Rep. Paxton and Sen. Patrick in this week's Texas Policy Cast.  Check that out here.

Incidentally, I highly recommend signing up to get TPPF's Texas Public Policy News biweekly email.  It's highly informative and will help keep you up-to-date on various Texas-specific policy issues, from a free market standpoint.  Check out their website here.

What and why - the Chicago Tea Party Movement

Over at the #DontGo Movement blog, there is a great post entitled "The soon-to-be 'Impossible Argument'" that conservatives really ought to go read. It's about the Chicago Tea Party movement, which launches tomorrow with tea party protests in several American cities (including Houston and Dallas), and attempts to address the question of why we're doing this, and what exactly it is that we're protesting.

ETA: There IS one in Austin!! Well, there's a brown bag lunch at the Capitol. Bring your own tea. Thanks to Patrick for the tip! ALSO: here's a link to a complete list of local tea parties, courtesy of Smart Girl Politics

I won't, obviously, quote the whole blog piece here, but I'll share a sample. Then you must go read what the #DontGo folks have to say in full.

While most of our conversation has surrounded the explosive pork
amendments, the outrageous spending involved and the potential expansion in the
scale and scope of the United States Government… little has been said about the
shocking reality we face once this legislation begins to take hold.

Our argument is that Government intrusion doesn’t work. We assert that
less regulation and taxation is key to the success of our country as a whole.
Our belief is that the individual is responsible for himself, and once he/she
accepts that responsibility, great things can happen.

We argue that we aren’t our neighbor’s keeper. We argue that we
shouldn’t be held liable for the mistakes and misfortunes of others. And
certainly, our government should never forcefully burden us with extreme
taxation only to redistribute it to those who do not accumulate a similar (or
higher) amount of income.

Statesman headline biased?

No way!

But seriously. Look at this and tell me what you think of it. It's from this morning's Virtual Capitol update:

First Reading: Bunning knocks NRSC, Cornyn, Carona rips county judge, and Obamas are closer to picking a dog.

First of all, the Obamas picking a dog is NOT POLITICAL NEWS. Ahem. Sorry to be all rant-y before noon, y'all, but in what way does the Obama family decision to choose a labradoodle (or whatever) affect the state of the union?

And, the two Republican blurbs here are meant to show Texas politicians in a bad light.

Why isn't first reading about Congress' multi-billion dollar omnibus spending bill? And surely there was something in the Texas Legislature that was of more immediate importance than the Obamas' family pet (if we're talking about the Obama family, how about a story concerning the $60k/year school the Obama girls are going to, while Dad slashes school choice in D.C.?).

The Statesman isn't a paragon for media fairness and it never has been, and I'm not naive enough to expect it to be. But this is a tad ridiculous.

Jindal and the Future of the GOP

In the cacophony from even conservative commentators knocking LA Governor Bobby Jindal for a sedate, dull delivery of last night's Republican response to the State of the Union, it may difficult to recall the substance of what Jindal had to say. TexasFred has some great things to say on the matter here.

For my part, I've long believed that Bobby Jindal represents the new era of conservatism in the Republican Party. The noise last night and today from cynical Republicans tells me that it's long overdue. If we can't get past the fact that Jindal didn't sound as eloquent as Barack Obama, we're sunk. So let's talk substance. Specifically, Jindal's public apology and call to arms regarding the Republican Party's lack of fiscal discipline and responsibility.

It's easy to get mad about federal spending when the guy in charge is someone you never would have voted for, but it's important that Republicans become aware that our guy wasn't so great on this issue, either. Face it, until George W. Bush got a Democratic Congress in 2006, he never saw a spending measure he didn't like. He never picked up the veto pen during his first term. While he was nowhere near the big spender Barack Obama is (I saw the math - it comes to $36 billion for every day he's been in office so far, is that right?), he and the Republican Congress were not averse to spending and didn't do enough to alleviate the problems that were already happening with regards to mortgages, high taxation, Social Security, etc.

Last night, Jindal said exactly what I think needs to be said over and over again until Republicans get the point. We need to own up to mistakes, we need to champion those who have been consistent (Hensarling, Flake, Ryan, Coburn, Cantor, Culberson, others - we have good conservatives, you know), and we need to get back to basics. Tout the platform, talk about the legislation that is in line with the platform, etc. Most importantly, encourage reform. Jindal and Sarah Palin have demonstrated this the best in their states, cleaning up government and making it accountable to the people. We need that message to resonate and that reform to happen from the ground up - from the county courthouse to the White House.

When you ask Ron Paul's campaign, how did they pull off the online fundraising, they'll tell you it was that they had a candidate who had the same message for thirty years and never deviated from it. But every time we turn around, the Republican Party has a different message. It's no wonder that you walk into a room of a dozen Republicans, ask what makes them Republicans, and you get a dozen different answers.

McCain and Romney represented the status quo and every voting Republican knew it in their guts. McCain had deviated from the platform so many times, we all knew it; his "bipartisan" efforts were always detrimental to Republican values and he tried to change all of that by running on a quasi-conservative message. The thing is, he didn't change at all. Nominating Palin was a bone thrown not only to the grassroots, but to the hungry hordes in the media who could have ripped McCain to shreds if they'd chosen it. Romney, the heir to Rockefeller Republicanism that failed this country time and again, tried to obfuscate his record and run as a totally different guy. And finally, Mike Huckabee - great on social issues, kinda shaky on the fiscal ones and raised taxes in his state as governor. It isn't any wonder, looking back, why we couldn't rally behind a candidate.

And going forward, the elitists in this party (both those who mocked Sarah Palin and those who couldn't find nice things to say about Jindal last night) are going to have to decide what it is that they stand for. If they are, in fact, for fiscal responsibility, they need to rally behind those who have demonstrated it. Same goes if they are for government reform, for smaller government, for real solutions instead of constant whinging. You don't have to talk down to Republicans to win their votes. You need to start acting like Republicans.

(As for what this means for Texas, where we are still in the majority - it's not too late to stand up for what we believe in. But it will be FAR too late if we wait until after the primary. Make it clear now what it means to be a Republican, give our candidates something to stand upon, and communicate communicate communicate)

Yippy-skippy: stocks react badly to President's speech

I think we all saw this one coming.

Via RNC: Excerpts from Jindal's response to STOU

Excerpts from Governor Bobby Jindal’s Republican Address

WASHINGTON –The Republican National Committee (RNC) released the following excerpts from the Republican address, entitled “Americans Can Do Anything,” that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will deliver immediately following President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress:

 

“As I grew up, my mom and dad taught me the values that attracted them to this country - and they instilled in me an immigrant’s wonder at the greatness ofAmerica.   As a child, I remember going to the grocery store with my dad.  Growing up in India, he had seen extreme poverty.  And as we walked through the aisles, looking at the endless variety on the shelves, he would tell me: ‘Bobby, Americans can do anything.’  I still believe that to this day.

…

 

“Republicans are ready to work with the new President to provide those solutions.  Here in my state of Louisiana, we don’t care what party you belong to if you have good ideas to make life better for our people.  We need more of that attitude from both Democrats and Republicans in our nation’s capital.  All of us want our economy to recover and our nation to prosper.  So where we agree, Republicans must be the President’s strongest partners.  And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward. 

…

 

“The strength of America is not found in our government.  It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens.

…

 

“To solve our current problems, Washington must lead.  But the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians.  The way to lead is by empowering you - the American people.  Because we believe that Americans can do anything. 

…

 

“Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy.  What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt.  Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need?  That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did.  It’s irresponsible.  And it’s no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children.

…

           

“In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear - because our party got away from its principles.  You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility.   Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington.   Republicans lost your trust - and rightly so.

…

 

“A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said ‘we may not be able to reverse.’  Our troubles are real, to be sure.  But don’t let anyone tell you that we cannot recover - or that America’s best days are behind her.”  

 

###

 

Burka: Informed consent bill is "posturing"

Oh yes, he went there.

Texas Monthly's Paul Burka saw fit to call Senator Patrick and Rep. Corte's effort to require ultrasounds when a woman wants an abortion political "posturing" on the legislators' part.

I think it's important to realize that contraception will not be the cure-all for unwanted pregnancies and abortions, and that there need to be efforts made to stop abortions all the way up until the abortion is actually performed. Informed consent is a very good way of doing this. Consider that many abortions take place because the unborn child is not considered "alive" (one of the many arguments used by the pro-abortion lobby). Prove that the child is actually, truly alive, and there may be much fewer abortions.

Now, I wasn't looking forward to opening the can of worms that is the abortion debate on my blog. I've been an active pro-lifer since I was a kid, longer than I've even been political. You aren't going to change my mind by commenting with some ill-advised rant about a woman's right to choose." But Burka went there, and so I'm going there. I think the informed consent legislation being pushed by Patrick and Corte is a GREAT idea, and I think it's one of the best efforts I've seen towards actually ending abortions.

Think about it. In the last couple of years, Glamour magazine did a reader poll which revealed that the majority of their readers under 24 years of age considered themselves pro-life. Now, Glamour magazine is not exactly known for promoting that viewpoint (ads for Planned Parenthood have appeared on those pages). And it's not as if society has had this great change of heart and is generally actively pro-life. What can we attribute it to, then? I'd say technology. Young women of today are left in no doubt as to what a fetus actually is - a young, unborn, developing human being - thanks to sonograms and advance ultrasounds.

Informed consent, therefore, is a major step in preventing abortions.

Also, a quick note on the argument for greater contraception. Yes, contraception would be the first step (and this pro-lifer has long argued that point) in preventing abortions. The best contraception is abstinence and there is no harm in promoting it. But the point is that there are thousands of young women who are, right this moment, considering abortion because they did not use contraception, for whatever reason. And even with widespread availability of contraception, there will still be those young women. Why not avail ourselves of the technology?

Senator Patrick's version is SB 182. Rep. Corte's version is HB 36. Today is Pro-Life Lobby Day at the Capitol - bank on it that the pro-lifers who have descended on the Capitol will be talking about this legislation.

"The coming civil war"

Saw this on Digg and had to share.

Salon blogger on Fox News' war gaming

I haven't read the whole thing, as I was mostly interested to find out that Fox News' Glenn Beck had been sponsoring a roundtable, more or less, to "war game" a coming civil war. See, I thought that talk of a civil war was verboten, or at least not taken very seriously. But if the leftist media isn't just going to ignore Glenn Beck, like you think they would if the notion of a civil war is so nuts, then I suppose it's worth thinking about.

Personally, I've spent more time getting up to speed on my pre-WWII, Depression-era history and politics than I have on my pre-War Between the States history and politics, at least lately. I feel very much like it might be a good idea to have a sense of how things went before, and I'm the weird type of person who reads history books in order to understand the present. That being said, I have been very interested in Jackson's presidency of late for similar reasons. I think there are a lot more similarities between 1828 and today than 1860 and today.

But it bears repeating that the Nullification Crisis was a major harbinger of the war.

We could all do with a serious dose of history right about now.

And I think my post has now gone off on a tangent unrelated to the Salon article and Glenn Beck, so I'll hang it up for the night and let y'all talk amongst yourselves.

4 governors may refuse stimulus money

Fox News is reporting that at least four state governors are considering refusing stimulus money.  Of course, thanks to the sneaky unconstitutional clause in the bill that allows state legislatures to bypass the governors and accept the money on their states' behalf, this isn't really the end of the story.  If a governor chooses to decline the cash, the legislature can say "not so fast, cowboy" and plunge the state into not only more certain financial ruin but also into a nearly unprecedented relationship with the federal government.

I can't find a link to verify which four governors these are, but when I flipped on the news I got that they're all GOP governors, and Fox News was interviewing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.  I have seen interviews with Louisiana's Gov. Bobby Jindal saying he intends to refuse the money.  We know for sure Texas' Gov. Rick Perry is not on the list - he caved despite high rhetoric.

I have to go (headed to north Texas shortly for the Collin County Lincoln Day dinner and a family visit), but let me leave you with this thought.  If a state legislature bypasses a governor who has refused to accept the money from the stimulus bill, is it safe to say that our country will be in the thick of the worst constitutional crisis since at least the 1860s?

So Putin thinks socialism is a bad idea

When even avowed former commies warn you to stay away, isn't that a SIGN?!

Via the American Thinker:

Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin has said the US should take a lesson from the pages of Russian history and not exercise “excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence”.

“In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute,” Putin said during a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.”[Snip.]

Sounding more like Barry Goldwater than the former head of the KGB, Putin said, “Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors, and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.”

See you on March 9 - Williamson County Republican Women meeting

I'm scheduled to speak, with Ryan Gravatt of the Patriot Group, to the Williamson County Republican Women on Monday, March 9.

Our topic is "Using Technology to Promote Republican Values." I'd say it's a pretty timely topic, wouldn't you?

Looking forward to seeing WilCo readers there!

ACTION ALERT: No new taxes to fund rail transit!

Via Shirley Spellerberg, the inimitible maven of Denton County Republican politics: some information concerning SB 855:

At a time economists are labeling as the worst recession in the United States in 50 years, Austin lawmakers are currently discussing proposals that would allow for new taxes and tax increases just to fund a comprehensive rail network in the North Texas Region. When Americans have less, government says we want more!

NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR NEW AND INCREASING TAXES

Proposals that have been discussed include:

· A property tax increase;

· A new tax that collects monies from taxpayers for each mile they drive;

· An increase in the motor fuels tax up to ten cents a gallon and indexing the gas tax to inflation;

· An increase in the vehicle renewal registration fee up to $60 more a year;

· A parking regulation and management fee up to $1 per car per hour (the particular details for this are not yet specific);

· An annual vehicle emissions fee up to $15 per vehicle per year;

· Doubling of the driver's license renewal fee; and

· A registration fee for people moving into the region up to $250.

FACT: Rail Transit is Expensive

The typical cost of commuter rail is $12 - $20 million dollars per mile, compared to $4 - $6 million per mile for adding a lane onto an existing freeway or tollway. Light rail is even more expensive, with conservative estimates running between $50 and $60 million per mile.

FACT: Rail's Impact on Road Congestion is Minimal

Rail offers little benefit in alleviating traffic congestion due to its low-load factor and limited capacity. Rail typically carries only a small fraction of commuters that are carried on a single freeway.

FACT: Rail's Impact on Improving Air Quality is Negligible

Research shows that the construction and expansion of new and existing rail systems is very energy intensive. Additionally, with the high consumption of electricity used by rail cars, in addition to the smaller amounts of heavy petrochemicals, an increased share of rail ridership has, at best, a neutral effect on the environment.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING MOBILITY AND FUNDING RAIL

1. Stop the diversion of the state's gas tax money

Much of the money collected from the state's tax on gasoline is currently diverted to fund non-transportation related projects, including public safety, art and historical programs. Tell your legislators that this diversion must be stopped so Texas will have more resources to fund the construction and maintenance of new and existing roads to improve mobility across the state.

2. Increase appropriations to improve our state's transportation infrastructure

Texas must make transportation a priority and put more money towards improving our state's infrastructure. The Legislature should reallocate resources away from unnecessary programs and services and put the money towards meeting our state's transportation needs.

3. Challenge cities that want rail to prioritize their spending

Cities have existing resources to fund rail and other transportation needs, but it will require prioritization. They can use local option sales taxes or increase property taxes to fund mass transit. Additionally, a portion of community and economic development dollars may be used for transportation purposes. Finally, there is nothing stopping a city from contracting transportation services using funds from their general revenue.

TAKE ACTION NOW:

What you can do: Be aware. Watch the progress of this bill. Watch the language that is used; language that will mirror the language used for the federal stimulus package - something must be done or a catastrophe will happen. Call or write (do not email) your state representative. Call or write your city council. Call or write Gov. Rick Perry asking him to veto the bill if it comes to his desk. 800-252-9600 Call or write to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst asking him to oppose the bill. 512-463-0001

Medina files TEC paperwork for governor race

Former SREC member and RPT vice chairman candidate Debra Medina, who gained a bit of notoriety last summer during the lead-up to the Republican Party of Texas state convention, has filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission announcing an intent to run for Texas governor in 2010.

A list of currently filed candidates for all offices sought in Texas can be found here.

As I've said, it's going to be a crowded field next March.

WFB, prescient and relevant

Jonah Goldberg pointed this out, from a Buckley essay in 1952:

One thing we know: in the past we have temporized with collectivism, and we have lost. And after 'the campaigns were over, we were left not with the exhilaration and pride of having done our best to restore freedom, but with the sickening humiliation of having failed to seduce the American people because we were pitted against a more glib, a more extravagant, a more experienced gigolo.

Exactly.

North Texas cities ask for money for transportation lobbying

There are a lot of headlines, every morning, that serve to raise my blood pressure to alarming heights. This is why, typically, I don't read the headlines until later in the day when the caffeine has stopped working and my eyelids are drooping.

It's hard to ignore some headlines, though, and this one from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram pushed all the right (or should I say, wrong) buttons: North Texas officials want more money for transportation lobbying.

Say it with me now: What. The. *#@!?

In light of the odious Senate Bill 855, the North Texas transportation tax bill (see last night's blog post), that headline serves to give me a migraine even on a tranquil, sleepy, rainy Central Texas morning like this one. Yet I can't help it, I have to actually read the darned thing.

So there's the first paragraph, emphasis mine:

After committing more than a quarter of a million dollars in lobbying
fees for a major transportation bill, North Texas officials are asking
suburban cities to step up with more money to push the legislation "over the
goal line."

Wait, wait. Suburban cities are paying for this? Who are they paying?

The article tells me in the next paragraph - why, it's HillCo! Referred to as "blue-ribbon," a very powerful lobbying firm in Austin!

Basically, officials in the "big cities," Fort Worth and Arlington specifically, are asking officials from towns like North Richland Hills and Burleson to pony up cash to help pay for HillCo's lobbyists. The mayors of NRH and Burleson have acquiesced, and have sent a letter to other small Tarrant County communities asking them to "do their part" to secure the funding for their grandiose transportation projects (NOTE: RAIL, NOT ROADS - it's TxDOT's function to take care of the roads, and these local option taxes and fees will be aimed at the proposed rail service).

Then the article reveals what exactly these lobbyists will be paid to lobby for (as we all know, lobbying is much more effective when there is specific legislation to champion):

Sponsors of the legislation, called the Texas Local Option Transportation Act,
will outline their plans at a news conference today at Dallas/Fort Worth
Airport. Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, plans to file a bill in the House, and
Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, will introduce a companion measure in the Senate.

Many cities and towns in Texas hire lobbyists to represent them and promote their legislative agendas, using taxpayer money - but it appears that this transportation tax requires special lobbying contracts above and beyond their already bloated lobbying budgets. More from the FWST:

The fee for transportation lobbying, [Reid Rector, FW's director of government
relations] said, is separate from Fort Worth’s $93,000 contract with HillCo to
represent the city’s other legislative issues in Austin.

Taxpayer-funded lobbying, specifically to gain permission to raise taxes and create new fees to pay for something that won't truly address the transportation problems facing North Texas? Sounds like a job for Peggy Venable and the taxpayer crusaders at Americans for Prosperity.

Sneaky tax plan filed in TX Senate

Senate Bill 855, relating to "local options regarding transportation and mobility improvement projects in certain counties."

Code for transportation tax bill.

This is the same legislation I blogged about at Red County last week.  Don't let the caption fool you - Senator Carona's goal is to allow local governments to raise taxes and fees in order to pay for special rail lines that a very small portion of the population will actually use.  Instead of addressing the actual issues facing TxDOT with regards to funding, budgeting, accounting, infrastructure, and execution, Sen. Carona is intent on giving local governments what amounts to a loaded weapon.

The infamous former state rep. Fred Hill on these local option tax increases (courtesy Lone Star Times and the DMN blogs):  One regret is not passing legislation letting North Texas have local elections on expanding rail service. The region is becoming too congested and opponents “have to look past the tax issue and focus on the benefits.”

Um - what?!  That sounds awfully Clayton Williams-esque to me.  And it's clear from even a cursory glance at Carona's bill, he's basically in the same camp as Fred Hill on this.  Taxes are inevitable - just learn to lie back and enjoy it.  What a load of horsepuckey.

When state gov'ts spend beyond their means....

Texas lawmakers, particularly those anxious to spend and tax our way to greater prosperity, ought to pay close attention to what is happening in Kansas right now.  

From the Wichita Eagle:

[Kansas] doesn't have enough money in its main bank account to pay its bills, prompting Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to suggest transferring $225 million from other accounts throughout state government. But the move required approval from legislative leaders, and the GOP refused Monday.

....

The state has transferred funds before when it has been short of cash in its main bank account. Most recently, the state issued the special certificates required in July and December for transfers totaling $550 million.

....

Some Republicans question whether such borrowing would be legal. When the state issues a certificate, it must promise that the money can be paid back by the end of the fiscal year. But the state already is projected to have a deficit in the current budget.

What is most disturbing about this is the partisan nature of the dispute.  Gov. Sebelius needs to be fully prepared to govern her state from a fiscally responsible standpoint.  Fiscal responsibility is not a Republican vs Democrat issue - it is simply a matter of good budgeting and responsible spending.  Clearly, the way Kansas has been operating has led to this point, and a budget fix is necessary to ensure the state's liquidity.  

Thank goodness Texas is in better (and more responsible) hands.

Texas politicians on Twitter (updated 2/17)

I'll keep a running list as I find them.

State Legislature

@AllenFletcher

@MarcVeasey

@dangattis

@dan_flynn

@DanPatrick

@RepHancock

@RepHughes

@lhbcampaign

@aaronpena

@markstrama

@jddeshotel (?)

@LarryPhillips (so far inactive)

@philking (so far inactive)

State Executive/Statewides

@GovernorPerry and @TexasGov

@SpeakerStraus

@MichaelWilliams

Federal

@PeteOlson

@johnculberson

@MichaelBurgess

@JohnCornyn

Local/County

@cuttax (Cheryl Johnson, Galveston County Tax Assessor-Collector)

Campaigns

@kayvsrick

@GovPerry2010

Can we have a serious talk about nullification??

Governors can't refuse the stifling package? What is this, Moscow?!

Via Michelle Malkin (emphasis mine):

SEC. 1607. (a) CERTIFICATION BY GOVERNOR — Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act, for funds provided to any State or agency thereof, the Governor of the State shall certify that: 1) the State request and use funds provided by this Act , and; 2) funds be used to create jobs and promote economic growth.

(b) ACCEPTANCE BY STATE LEGISLATURE — If funds provided to any State in any division of this Act are not accepted for use by the Governor, then acceptance by the State legislature, by means of the adoption of a concurrent resolution, shall be sufficient to provide funding to such State.

I heard Governor Perry speak at the TCRP Lincoln Day dinner last night; I think he was pretty clear about his feelings regarding the stifling package, and I hope that he will take his cue from South Carolina (why is it ALWAYS South Carolina?!) Gov. Mark Sanford in continuing to LOUDLY OPPOSE the stifling package. And this amendment makes certain that in Texas at least, our governor will have no say in the end - our legislature will make the decision, and isn't THAT scary?! (regardless of how I feel about decentralized state gov't and limiting the power of the governor, in the end the governor is the head of our government and should be sufficient enough for Congress)

Outrageous.

If you do nothing else today, sign the Americans for Prosperity NoStimulus petition and then email your senators and congressmen with the text of the Tenth Amendment.

Gah!

Another "what?" moment in House Cmte Assignments

Biggest one so far, really.

Lois Kolkhorst is Public Health Chairman.

So, score one for Republicans. But....Kolkhorst didn't even want that. She wanted Transportation and Appropriations, which are the commitees on which she has significant experience. She hasn't even ever served on that commitee.

So why exactly did she get Public Health?

The outside guess is that Straus figured he had to throw her a bone, since he knew he was saving Appropriations slots for freshmen Democrats. But to not put her on Transportation is just outrageous, and it's just plain weird that she got Public Health.

This is one I can't quite hazard a guess about.

More on House Cmte Assignments

I won't have a chance to do a really good analysis of the Texas House committee assignments until tomorrow, since tonight is the Travis County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner (featuring Gov. Perry and Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams). But I have a few quick thoughts (plus lists available at Red County).

The worst news for conservatives comes when you drill down and look at assignments for all members, and not just committee chairmen, which are bad enough. On the one hand, conservatives are stacked deep in Ways and Means, despite a liberal chairman; on the other, they are outnumbered in Appropriations, which is being chaired by the legendary moderate Jim Pitts and vice chaired by the liberal Richard Raymond. State Affairs, where social issues went in the past, is being chaired by Burt Solomons and features Tom Craddick, but is otherwise bereft of social conservative leaders, which is surely causing consternation in those grassroots circles.

Some appointments are really surprising. Leo Berman on higher ed, but not Pete Gallego? No Lois Kolkhorst on transportation? Other appointments strike me as hands-down political favors - Tommy Merritt on Redistricting, with Delwin Jones as chairman and ultra-liberal Mike Villareal as vice chairman, for instance. Public Ed reads like a who's who of Parent PAC appointees, and in cases where the Parent PAC had no vested electoral interest, it's a who's who of head-scratching choices (Harold Dutton? Really?).

Local & Consent is in the hands of Senfronia Thompson, which is the truest seniority pick on the list. Madden is still on Judiciary, much to the possible chagrin of his primary challenger Jon Cole, but it's a good place for him. House Administration has gone to Charlie Geren, vice-chaired by Patrick Rose.

I have to come back to Higher Ed. I'll be honest, looking at this committee I couldn't tell you where many of them will fall on the tuition dereg debate (one assumes so many Democrats would be disposed to disliking tuition dereg, but you never know), but I know for sure where they'll fall on in-state tuition for illegals. The only Republicans on the committee are Dan Branch (chair) Leo Berman, and Brian McCall. So it's safe to say that Branch's big initiative, getting a law school for UNT, will be heard and probably pass the committee without too much kvetching.

Energy Resources is another liberal-legislation-friendly committee, packed with a few big personalities (Tom Craddick, Mark Strama, chaired by Jim Keffer). Interestingly, while Phil King is not on the committee, some of his surrounding representatives are (Rick Hardcastle, David Farrabee). Electoral reasoning may have come into play here - Hardcastle and Farrabee will be well-placed to support a King challenger, with lots of available rhetoric on energy deregulation.

Voter ID has been punted to the House, and it's clear that Dewhurst intended it this way - let Straus handle it, and either take credit for it's passage or easily blame "squishy" Republicans in the House for its failure. So taking a look at the Elections Committee, where one would think voter ID might end up, it's easy to see a 5-4 partisan vote in favor - assuming each of those Republicans is willing to come out in favor. You've got Todd Smith chairing, and Betty Brown, Linda Harper-Brown, Dennis Bonnen and Dwayne Bohac - any one got any idea if some of them may not be in favor of voter ID?

Okay, time to end this post. Thoughts and comments appreciated - I'm really interested to see what others think of these assignments.