Get a life!

From State Rep. Ken Paxton, a neat update on the Comptroller's website:

Texas Comptroller Web Site Helps Kids Plan Their Future

During the summer, many children complain about not having anything to do. This may prove to be the perfect opportunity to help them explore career opportunities and create a plan to help them reach their goals. To help adolescents answer the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Texas Comptroller Susan Combs recently launched a new website called Get a Life.

Get a Life advises 'tweens and teens to let their hobbies and interests guide them toward their dream career and to look for activities, classes, volunteer work and paid employment that will allow them to explore possible careers and gain valuable knowledge and skills. This website offers information about fast-growing and well-paying jobs, along with the education required for those jobs. The site also helps students to consider their postsecondary education options, including pursing an education at a four-year university, community college or technical school.

Get a Life was developed with input from middle school students and educators as a result of the involvement of Bedichek Middle School in Austin. Preparing our children for their future will also help keep our Texas economy thriving.

For more information about Get a Life, please visit www.getalife.tx.gov. For information about the Texas job market and workforce needs, visit the Comptroller's website and view recent copies of the Texas Works reports at www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/workforce/.

What the primary is for, after all

Orange-Blooded Conservative chimes in on the role of the Republican Party precinct chairman.

With that, I'm going to bed.

KVUE: KBH "might" resign "at some point"

File this one under "reporting fail."

It ain't news until someone actually does something, but apparently KVUE felt the need to trot out Elise Hu in the wake of the Texas Tribune announcement, because there was a splashy lede for tonight's 6pm newscast talking about Kay Bailey Hutchison's resignation. Much googling and shaking of fists later, what we all know to be true was confirmed: KBH ain't resigning, at least not yet, and we still only have the "announcement that she will announce" confirmation that she's running for governor.

Instead of an actual news story, KVUE fueled the rumor mill, and the misinformation mill. KBH hasn't resigned, hasn't hinted that she will resign or if she were to do so, when it might happen. So the story was just "if she resigns" what the Republican political landscape might look like. And KVUE wasn't the only culprit - the Marshall News Messenger provided a "what-if" scenario here.

I accuse KVUE of spreading misinformation simply because the newscast included a handy visual of the Republican ballot that said "if KBH resigns, Dewhurst will run for Senate, Abbott will run for Lt. Gov., etc." There is no indication that anybody WILL do anything, there's just a lot of speculation and rumor. And, should KBH resign, there is no pecking order to be followed - Abbott could run for Senate just as Dewhurst could run for governor. There is no telling what may actually happen, because NOTHING has happened yet.

So, fail. Major, major reporting fail. Instead of providing a legitimate news story about hard facts, KVUE joined the gossiping hens of the political junkie circuit (as a card-carrying member, I reserve the right call us that!). It's one thing to do so amongst friends, allies, and generally educated individuals, and a completely different thing to spew this to the unwashed and generally uninformed masses who tune in for nightly weather reports.

Asleep at the wheel?

Where are the dreamers and the do-ers?

Hans A. von Spakovsky had this to say in a recent National Review Corner post:

There is almost no doubt that the Chinese will be on the moon within a decade, while we will still be earthbound and potentially bankrupt as a nation with our economy, our technology, and our industrial might in ruins because of uncontrolled government spending, borrowing, and taxing. I had an exciting childhood living in the midst of the space race, but it saddens me to think that time, 40 years ago, may end up being the historical high point of our going out into space, the final frontier.

Well. That's cheerful, isn't it?

A fellow sci-fi fan recently said that what science fiction represents to her is the dream of being untethered, of reaching out to God. To an extent, she likened the moon landing (which took place when she was a starry-eyed child) to the realization of what science fiction presented for dreaming. And now we're back to Star Trek, and we're no closer to realizing the full dream of space exploration. It is a shame that 40 years (and one day) after United States astronauts walked on the moon, we're still reminiscing about that as though it were the last great achievement we will ever make.

Since this is a political blog, I feel compelled to make an analogy. Republicans talk about Ronald Reagan like Americans were talking about the moon landing yesterday. Last great achievement. It is long past the day when we need to look toward the next achievement. Set ourselves a goal and reach it.

I am afraid, though, that the era of dreamers, and to a greater extent the age of the do-ers, is long since over. And we will drown in our angry rhetoric and our parliamentary disputes, and wake up to find that communism surpassed us after all.

(ETA: Kenneth Anderson at the Volokh Report shares his experience and thoughts, as well as Megan McArdle's)

Gubernatorial primary process blather

I think it's just a bit paranoid to suggest Republicans are trying to "squash" the Libertarian Party (hey, Wes Benedict has suggested the inverse, after all), but BOR has an otherwise interesting piece on gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina.

But let's have a bit of a process talk. Lone Star Times is the only "Republican" blog talking about Medina at length because, well, it's run out of Medina's backyard, and she's fairly well known in certain Houston circles. Why aren't the other major right-wing political blogs covering her? Mostly because, the real "story" is Kay vs Rick, if you're anywhere other than Houston. And many of us, like myself, are giving the gubernatorial primary a wide berth except to speculate on what exactly is happening and when with regards to KBH's campaign and the Republican domino effect. Medina, at this point, is small potatoes. If BOR is right, she will be force to watch.

But my natural skepticism regarding BOR's sold-out liberal staff and base of readers makes me wonder if their post was aimed toward generating the kind of blogger buzz that would get Medina noticed by the right-bloggers. In which case, well - I said I wanted to talk process, so this doesn't count ;-)

Also, and I need to do a detailed disclaimer post at some point, but I don't have a dog in this hunt, and for now the only story that interests me are the process stories surrounding the election, not the personality debate or even the policy debate (yet).

I suspect that may be true of some other right-bloggers.

Point is, it's still July, we still don't know how all the chips will fall - and frankly, we don't ACTUALLY KNOW that ANYONE is running as a Republican or Democrat or Libertarian. Filing doesn't even begin until December, so it's all speculation at this point.

(Randomly - today I saw a "Bill White for Texas" bumpersticker, and last week a "Tom Schieffer for Governor" sign)

No really. What has Kirk Watson done except raise money?

Westlake's Laura Bush Community Library opened today

Former First Lady Laura Bush was honored today with the opening of the Laura Bush Community Library in Westlake. A host of community leaders and politicians were on hand, as well as the lady herself. There were probably about 600 or more people present for the event, braving the central Texas heat for a chance to see Laura Bush and the opportunity to use this new, amazing library. There is information here about how the new library got it's name.

My husband and I made the trek ourselves. After all, this is Travis County (even if it's a thirty minute drive!). A picture of the ribbon-cutting (please excuse the blurriness - we went on a whim and didn't have the camera, so we relied on a cell phone):

In this picture, left to right, a few people you might recognize: Congressman Michael McCaul (grey hair, black suit); TX Comptroller Susan Combs (tall woman in khaki-colored suit); State Rep. Donna Howard (just behind Combs); Congressman Lamar Smith; Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber; Former First Lady Laura Bush (khaki skirt suit, next to podium). There are many other community leaders from Westlake pictured here, but I'm not as familiar with their names.

This is a bronze sculpture of Laura Bush, reading a book. Directly across from her, and not pictured, is a sculpture of a small girl listening to the reading. The image is that of a young girl related to one of the library founders.

The honorary color guard, posting the colors for the first time.

The Laura Bush Community Library

As if you needed another reason to oppose the health care bill....

Guess what? It's got a new provision - and this one is a big gift to trial lawyers, complete with ribbons, bows, and your money. Overlawyered has the scoop:

For some time now the federal government has been intensifying its pursuit of what are sometimes known as “Medicare liens” against third party defendants (more). In the simplest scenario — not the only scenario, as we will see below — someone is injured in, say, a car accident, and has the resulting medical bills paid by Medicare. They then sue and successfully obtain damages from the other driver. At this point Medicare (i.e. the government) is free to demand that the beneficiary hand over some or all of the settlement to cover the cost of the health care, but under some conditions it is also free to file its own action to recover the medical outlays directly from the negligent driver (who in some circumstances might even wind up paying for the same medical bills twice). It might do this if, for example, it does not expect to get a collectible judgment from the beneficiary.

The newly added language in the Thursday morning version of the health bill (for those following along, it’s Section 1620 on pp. 713-721) would greatly expand the scope of these suits against third parties, while doing something entirely new: allow freelance lawyers to file them on behalf of the government — without asking permission — and collect rich bounties if they manage thereby to extract money from the defendants. Lawyers will recognize this as a qui tam procedure, of the sort that has led to a growing body of litigation filed by freelance bounty-hunters against universities, defense contractors and others alleged to have overcharged the government.

Not surprisingly, it gets a whole lot worse.

I'm not a lawyer, nor a legal scholar, but this reads very much like a worst-nightmare scenario for us all. The whole health care bill is like that, but this provision is already giving me creepy-crawly gooseflesh.

If you haven't already done so, call your congressman (your CONGRESSMAN, not your STATE REPRESENTATIVE) and everybody else's congressman and tell them to vote no. No to state-run health care, no to state-run health insurance, and no to every version of Obamacare that might possibly come down the pike.

Anyone else thinking we need an escape hatch?

There you go again

Oh, there you go again, Joe.

“We’re going to go bankrupt as a nation,” Biden said. “Now, people when I say that look at me and say, ‘What are you talking about, Joe? You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?’” Biden said. “The answer is yes, that's what I’m telling you.”

This was at an AARP Town Hall Meeting, just today.

Brilliant.

Obama mulls "rent" option for delinquent homeowners

Of course, if you pay property taxes (and I KNOW we did), you are essentially renting your home from the government.

Think about it! If this hasn't ever occured to you, you haven't stopped to consider that even after you pay off your mortgage (assuming you do), you will still pay property taxes. And what's worse, even the senior citizen exemption won't stop it - you'll still pay taxes, they just won't go up (they won't go down, either).

I am talking from a Texas perspective, though I'm sure plenty of other states suffer their citizens to live out this same fate.

Call this Obama Fail Plan #34399893939931110.

In case you're as sick of the ObamaStarGame as I am...

Some reading! Caution, it's not ALL political.

Second "stimulus" is bad economics

Chip Hanlon vs the Libertarians

A bunch of press releases on finance reports trickling in

Off the Kuff: Regarding Lux' piece on TX Democrats

Pat Toomey interview at Perry County Times Online

Lew Rockwell thinks we may be headed toward national socialism

Okay, I can't resist: Obama booed at All-Star Game

Newsweek 1975: Global Cooling! (H/T The Herzogian)

Soul Pancake: What single piece of art speaks to you? (for me, it's La Mariée by Marc Chagall)

Silvestre Reyes: A Profile in Mendacity

Wait, what was the point behind campaign finance reform again?

The Harry Potter Lexicon - in case you need a reference point when your friends (or your kids) start talking about a Horcrux, the Inferi, or Muggles this week.

The Dan Patrick Factor

Ordinarily, I'd take Harvey Kronberg's theories lightly, but this one has given me a considerable amount of "hmmm"s in the last hour, so I thought I'd post about it. Earlier this evening, HK posited the theory that Gov. Perry could appoint State Senator Dan Patrick to KBH's empty US Senate seat (assuming, of course, it becomes vacant).

HK gets into all the positives that come out of such an alliance/arrangement, so I thought I'd post some of the negatives - or rather, the dirty politics of such a scenario.

1 - If you appoint Dan Patrick to the US Senate, you leave SD 7 vacant, with no guarantee of being able to elect a comparable replacement. That's bad juju for conservatives statewide. SD 7 would face a special election to replace Patrick, which presents a huge problem for the area. Bill White, currently going after the KBH place, could turn around and aim at SD 7. You could also see a rehash of Joe Nixon and Peggy Hamric going for it. I'm not as familiar with other faces in that district, but as much as Dan Patrick owns that territory in theory, it's harder to say what the outcome would be in the event no one as conservative or as heavy-hitting as Patrick gets in that race. Conservatives should oppose leaving that seat vulnerable.

2 - Historically, the odds in a special election for an appointed incumbent in a US Senate seat in Texas are extremely bad. It's essentially a kiss of death for someone's political career. Say Patrick is appointed. The special election is a majority election (thanks Chris H), but would be a veritable free-for-all since there is no primary or limit on number of candidates (think of the many Republicans getting in the mix now, and the Dems - you're looking at potentially six candidates on top of the incumbent). There's no guarantee it remains Republican at all, and while Patrick's statewide name I.D. would certainly increase with this scenario, it may not be enough to overcome what the other candidates bring into the race.

3 - I assume we all remember Shelley Sekula-Gibbs? Shouldn't that case be taken as a warning here? (not that I'm comparing Sekula-Gibbs and Patrick - God forbid! - but the point is there about incumbency not having quite the punch you'd like in an honest fight)

4 - Now for the dirty pool. Isn't neutralizing Dan Patrick the ideal scenario for David Dewhurst, who is himself a potential Senate candidate? The party is going to be split enough over the Perry/KBH primary. Add in a Patrick/Dewhurst special election, and it's all-out war in the Republican Party.

There are very good reasons for Patrick to be supporting Perry's agenda without contemplating a run for a different office at this point, and certainly Perry can gain momentum with any number of other candidates.

All the more reason that KBH's non-announcement announcement of earlier today chafes me severely. The imminent political wrangling is made all the worse by her appearing to not have her mind fully made up. Until we know if she's resigning or not, a host of decisions from statewides are held in the balance. We don't know what Dewhurst is doing, or Abbott, and meanwhile there are candidates building campaigns that could become moot if nothing happens in time for the primary. I know it's only July, but KBH is certainly acting like a serious gubernatorial candidate. It'd be nice if she would admit it publicly once and for all, and maybe offer more than Capitol scuttlebutt about resigning from the Senate.

Really, I don't see Perry appointing Patrick to the US Senate. There aren't a lot of good, solid, verifiable reasons to make such a move. Perry's smarter than this, and the people helping him make decisions are smarter. The Republican Party is something of a non-factor in the ongoing saga, but I think that even there, the idea of replacing KBH centers on known quantities that don't upset the delicate balance in the Texas Legislature. And, I think Patrick would be foolish to accept such an appointment. He should finish out his term, prove he can win reelection in SD 7 come 2012, and then start looking at his options. This is coming from someone who supported the "Draft Dan Patrick for Governor" effort last year. It's too soon for him, in the end. It won't hurt if he takes the time to build his resume and supporter base.

Guess who's not paying their property taxes???

Courtesy of ChangeAustin.org:

Property Location Sales Date Sales Price Tax Appraisal
16.8 acres Hwy 71/620 May 2007 $11.2 million $ 3.7 million
18.5 acres Comanche Trail April 2006 $ 5.5 million $ 840,000
Downtown 401 Guadalupe March 2007 $ 4.8 million $ 1.07 million
Downtown 68-74 Rainey October 2007 $ 3.2 million $ 753,600
389 acres Hwy 71@FM 973 June 2006 $28.5 million $ 6.6 million

*** and many, many more examples available upon request ***


While homeowners pay 100% of our property taxes, large commercial owners (largely out-of-state speculators and big developers) have been getting a 40% property tax break -- for years!

Why are Austin homeowners fighting for scraps at the tax appraisal hearings when the big guys get off the hook?

"The Appraisal District actually threatened me that if I kept pressing my point to lower the appraisal on my home, they would raise it!" - an Anonymous Travis County citizen.


Is this is why 8,500 Travis County residents are
protesting their property taxes?



Join us for an old-fashioned tax protest!

Thursday, July 16th, High Noon
Travis Central Appraisal District Offices Outside
8314 Cross Park Drive, Austin, TX 78754



Bring your kids, your dogs, your pitch forks and don't forget yourself!!!

Sponsored by ChangeAustin.org
512-383-8484 *** Contact@ChangeAustin.org

Impatient political ponderings and link dump

I just had to look at a calendar, to make sure I'm right about it being July 2009, because all the campaign talk seemed to ramp up a notch today. Sure, sure, fundraising and TEC reporting has begun and that's why. But it's also that everyone is sick of waiting to see what KBH is going to do and is theorizing and talking shop.

Shocker: Rob Johnson from Dewhurst's shop is taking the helm at Perry's campaign, and the campaign lists all new hires in the press release. (QR has the list here). The question I have for you, dear reader, is what does this mean in terms of the Dew himself? Is he running, what is running for - will he EVER make an announcement, or is he waiting for Hutch to abdicate and Perry to appoint him to the Senate?

Burka's got a damned good question today. Why is Bill White running for Senate? (incidentally, why is John Sharp running for Senate?)

KBH has announced that she's got, big surprise, $12.5 million cash-on-hand. Well, she could raise money before June 2, and she's got her federal campaign kitty. I doubt, at this point, that money is the be all and end all in the GOP primary. Polling, after all, is leaning Perry's way. KBH will also announce (formally) her campaign for governor in August. So now we can all say "DUH" in our blog headlines and keep wondering when she's announcing her resignation from the Senate, or even if she will resign. Fun.

Michael Lux wrote an article for HuffPo last week called "The Future of Democrats in Texas." I need to read the whole thing, but my from-the-hip reply to him regarding the Hispanic vote - quit making assumptions about political affiliation based on skin color/race/ethnicity! Seriously, this is a problem on both sides of the aisle.

The Sotomayor hearings began today. Honestly, once Senator (I can't believe I'm typing this) Franken appeared, I had to turn it off. Was he really put on the Judiciary Committee? Sigh.

A member of the MSM spoke out on the destruction of Sarah Palin here. It's nothing we on the right didn't know. It's nice to see someone in the press admit it. It's even better to see it spelled out like this.

This isn't campaign related. But it's vital reading. Barbara Moeller speaks out on the Texas (that's UT) "mugging" of Western Civilization education.

The inimitable William Lutz of the Lone Star Report gives his thoughts on what to expect out of the 2010 campaign season. What hasn't been talked about much, yet, is the Texas House. Money will be spent to flip this chamber, we already know this. Republicans are lining up to defend their turf, and, if all goes well, aim at the so-called "low-hanging fruit" that is statistically theirs already. The question, I think, is not whether the Dems spend money - it's how much, and when.

I know there were more things. For now, I'll end this link dump.

Setting the bar too high....or too low?

Why Elite Women Hate Palin

Ooo, this is good stuff. I didn't see it when it was first published. Ann Marlowe on Forbes.com wrote about why elite women hate Sarah Palin. While some of it is certainly presumptive and kind of mean (just like those entitled, elite girls you avoided in high school were), it's a pretty insightful piece.

H/T to the Network of enlightened Women. The NeW post takes umbrage with the assertion that Sarah Palin is an "average" woman, and there are great points about the fact that what Palin did was no small feat.

What Republicans can learn from the YRNF

The zoo that the Young Republican National Federation convention has been this weekend (I'm not there, but I'm following the insipidity on Twitter) is not unique to the YRNF, but it is the latest in a long series of debacles in the GOP and should be used as a lesson for all Republicans.

The reason for the chaos is the race for YRNF president. Two candidates, Audra Shay and Rachel Hoff, and their respective slates, Team Renewal and YR Next Level, have been jockeying for support for several months among the chapter states. In just the last couple of weeks, the race took a nasty turn (which is chronicled here). Today, the convention commenced amidst impatience and controversy. A fight over the rules, and a vote on whether to conduct the elections by secret ballot, got ugly fast. (Side note about secret ballots: The only reason, in a personality election, that you do not want a secret ballot is because you want to be able to retaliate against those who vote against your side. It is not about transparency).

Ultimately, despite the controversy, Team Renewal's Audra Shay won the day, and of course, the PR nightmare began right out of the gate.

Now, I had no dog in this hunt, so to speak, not being a dues-paying YR these days and therefore having no vote. So I want to be clear, that regardless of the outcome of today's election at the YRNC, I would be commenting on this. In fact this post began a full hour or more before the election results were announced.

Reports about today's convention proceedings prove that in the end, it almost didn't matter which side won. The YRNF is fraught with division politics, navel-gazing electoral problems, parliamentary weight, and organizational ladder-climbers. Not that these problems are exclusive to the YRNF, not by any means. The reason I'm bothering to post about this now is because I've seen these problems time and again in many different affiliate and support clubs.

Some thoughts:

1 - Perception matters in politics. Outside of the YRNF, the only story that will be told is that a "hatemonger" was elected president. I've met Audra, I never had the impression that she's like that, but it does not matter that she isn't. Have we learned nothing from political history? The media (old AND new) isn't going to tell the story you want them to tell. They'll tell the story that is most apparent to the viewer/reader. If you don't want to be labeled a racist, be intolerant toward racists, not just inclusive of all races.

2 - Faction and division are signs that the real work isn't getting done. It's notable, once again, that the McCain campaign did not have an official "Youth for McCain" arm, and it's notable that the Young Republicans have been largely absent on the national stage except for their scandals.

3 - Put your money where your mouth is. All this time and effort was spent promoting candidates to run the YR - imagine what they could do if one of them ran for Congress! Rebuild the Party promoted the idea, and I love it, of state parties running 40 candidates under the age of 40. Except for the grand display of immaturity that erupted on Twitter and elsewhere, I'm sure the candidates for this initiative could be found, in part, in the YRNF.

4 - Or, hey, say we don't focus on the under-40s for our candidate pool. Plenty of NFRW members who could run. Or NFRA members.

5 - The Republican Party is airing its dirty laundry in full view of the neighbors. We like to believe that no one pays attention to this kind of thing. But believe me, the opposition knows, and they're loving it. It's past time that we start learning the art of getting along. It's not that the Dems don't have these dramas (remember how the Florida delegation wasn't allowed to vote last year?). It's that they largely don't play out on the public scene. Don't give the media a reason to talk, don't give the left a reason to celebrate. A unified Republican Party is what they fear most. (am I breaking this rule with this post - probably)

6 - That being said, one of the rules at my house growing up was "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." This needs to be rule #1 for Facebook, Twitter, all social media tools.

7 - Last thing. This habit of running on a "slate" really doesn't do much good at all. The entire Team Renewal slate won today. But was it because they were individually competent and qualified, or because of momentum as Next Level delegates lost hope? Also, I disagree with the unit rule practice, and also the "pledging" of delegate strength before the actual convention. Let a person vote his/her conscience.

I'm sure there will be more to say when the delegates come home and tell their stories. This is only part of what I've been thinking for awhile about group politics. The YRNF, because they supposedly "represent" all Republicans ages 18-40, have a special place in this discussion.

(ETA: Interesting blog post here about the convention, from the eyes of an exhibit booth volunteer)

Rules for Radical Conservatives

"Typically, the conservative attempts to conserve, to hold on to the values of the existing society. But what if the existing society is liberal? What if the existing society is inherently hostile to conservative beliefs? It is foolish for conservatives to attempt to conserve that culture. Rather, he must seek to undermine it, to thwart it, to destroy it at the root level. This means that the conservative must stop being conservative. More precisely, he must be philosophically conservative but temperamentally radical." - from D'Souza's Letters to a Young Conservative

When Dinesh D'Souza wrote that, he was referring to college campuses. He was talking to campus conservatives, people trapped in inherently liberal microsocieties. Of course, at Blue Dot Blues, a blog written from within the vacuum of the People's Republic of Travis County, "inherently liberal" is a fancy way of describing the situation here. It's no wonder I find D'Souza inspiring reading even now, far from university life and deep in the political reality of my part of central Texas.

There is a lot of pondering happening on the right, since last Friday's shocking and, for some, demoralizing announcement from Governor Sarah Palin. Alinsky's Rules were successful. How do we fight back? Fausta has some thoughts here. And if you haven't read it, David Kahane's theory is here, posted on National Review.

It was easy to feel, especially in the blue dot, discouraged and adrift last Friday. It was like losing the election all over again - but that's a weak comparison, because Palin's resignation was far bigger than losing the election in a lot of ways. This isn't me putting her on a pedastal - there are many reasons to be bewildered and upset by her abdication - but it is me thinking, once again, of the greater impact and import of Sarah Palin. Friday's speech, at the time, felt like capitulation.

Well, I imposed the old three day rule on myself. The three day rule is an election recovery tactic. If your candidate loses, give yourself three days to mope, cry, complain, and whinge. Then, on day four, turn up the optimism. Straighten your back, hold your head up high, and start planning how you WILL win the next election.

Sarah Palin inspired and gave a wild shot of hope to so many conservative Republicans. She was the one thing, really, that galvanized voters to support McCain - and many did, Obama did NOT win in a landslide or receive some kind of definitive mandate ala Reagan in 1980. Her resignation sucks for those people, but she has her reasons, and those people need to move on. The inspiration is still there, for me. A conservative woman made it to be nominated as the Republican candidate for vice president. What success! What progress! And just as Sarah Palin once ran for city council, and then mayor, and then for the highest offices in her state, hundreds of thousands of conservative women who for so long have given support to the men in our party can also stand up and say "My turn."

We needed what she represented. We knew, and needed reminding, that what she has done is necessary and possible.

And not just women! On some level, conservatives of both genders and every race and ethnicity needed it, too. And it spread like wildfire, this renewed passion.

What we cannot do, after Friday's speech, is collapse and wither back into the accepted role of silent majority. And we cannot continue to let the inherent nature of our society keep us hiding and frightened.

We must, in essence, be temperamentally radical.

Summer Reading List

I know, there are weighty and heavy things I should be blogging about. After today's Austin Tech R's meeting, I have a lot of thoughts about Republican messaging, and I could blog about that if I didn't feel like getting into health care or cap-and-tax or how much money Gov. Perry has raised (or how much money Dan Branch has raised - whew).

But it's a hundred degrees outside, I feel a great need to take a dip in Barton Creek pool, and I want to blog about reading. My blog, my rules, etc blah et al.

This was inspired by The Anchoress, incidentally.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a bookworm and have been since the age of 4. My husband is also a bookworm, and the two of us combined have a collection that just keeps growing. At any given time, I am probably reading two or three books, not counting whatever Bible study I'm doing at the time. One may wonder how, with basically having three jobs and keeping up a blog and doing side projects and being a club officer - well, you get it.

And yet....

Okay, my summer reading. Subject to change at will. I'm nothing if not totally unpredictable when it comes to what I'll be reading when.

Since early June:

First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis' Civil War by Joan Cashin. I got this for my birthday; it's a great, thorough biography of Varina Howell Davis, who has fascinated me since I did a paper on women and the Confederacy in the 7th grade. Excellent.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I don't think I have to explain. But if I do, skip this blog, go to the bookstore, and report back when you're done.

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. I can never put into words how much I love Margaret Atwood. This historical fiction was amazing.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. A re-read. I love this book so much. I'll never understand why they assign it in high school, though, when really, it takes an older mind to get some of the nuances. I think some books are better when you're older, even if you're technically able to read them when you're younger. This is one of them.

Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. Largely a re-read, though there was a chunk I didn't get to the first time around. Still digesting this one. It's a good, relatively quick read (esp. if you have any knowledge of American history beyond what they teach in survey courses) and it is endlessly fascinating and deeply disturbing.

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. I'm a big believer in reading this kind of thing in the summer months, when the melodrama is less likely to contribute to seasonal mood swings. This was a first for me, and I enjoyed it - once I found a copy that didn't have the Oprah Seal of Approval on it.

Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin. I was sent a copy of this by the publisher through a GoodReads program, and I....well. I liked it okay, it was one of the better examples of the genre. I can't say I loved it. I'm not really one for this kind of fiction (what I think of as "sex and the city" fiction). Still, it was an enjoyable frothy read. Sometimes froth is good.

Currently:

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. A re-read, for my Christian women's book club.

1776 by David McCullough. Believe it or not, first time reading this, though I've had a copy for a couple of years. I am LOVING it.

Letters to a Young Conservative by Dinesh D'Souza. Another re-read. I'm working on a blog post based off this re-read, as I think there is a lot in it relevant to the "old" conservatives I know who are searching for definitions.

To-read pile (just a sample):

Mrs. Lincoln by Catherine Clinton. I thought it would be an interesting follow-up read to the book on Varina Davis. They were such different people, who lived through extraordinary times.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. My library doesn't have this, but I'll get my hands on it eventually.

The Harry Potter books by JK Rowling. Time for a re-read. I'm of course thrilled about the movie coming out.

Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by H.W. Brands. If you're a history nut and you have NOT read something, anything by H.W. Brands (or David McCullough, or Amanda Foreman), you are MISSING OUT. I read Brands' book on Teddy Roosevelt awhile back and was just floored. I got this one on Andy Jackson for my birthday and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Austin Tech Republicans Monthly Meeting Weds.

Austin Tech Republicans will have their next meeting on Weds, July 8th, from 11:45am to 1pm at Mangia Pizza on MoPac. Discussion Topic A: "The Republican Party - What's wrong with the GOP? (And what's not wrong)? How can we fix it?"

If you're a conservative/Republican interested in science and technology issues, social media marketing, or just looking for like-minded individuals in the north Austin area, please join us!

The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:


For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.



New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Source: The Pennsylvania Packet, July 8, 1776

Palin follow-up, link round-up

ETA: Mark Levin says Palin's running for president and to get used to it.

First, all of you who think you're being clever making "jokes" about Palin and Sanford having an affair? You're classless. Fail. Major, major fail.

Now that's off my chest....

I've watched the speech, had a chance to think, and had good, stiff drink. Now, what does Palin's resignation mean?

For Palin: It probably means she's going on the lecture circuit to make enough money to pay off those legal bills she mentioned, and that we're unlikely to hear any political announcements from her for a good long while. We don't know all her reasons why, but frankly, the speech was pretty revealing. Her voice was shaky at times, she kept a smile on but it was a hard smile, and she didn't refrain from slamming the left and the media. She's done, for now.

For Republicans: I'd hardly go about crowning Mitt Romney the new heir apparent, as some seem more than willing to do. I think Palin's resignation means we have a lot of work to do to find a candidate who can appeal to middle America (Romney is incapable of that - he's a northeastern money boy from the Rockefeller establishment, and the only cure for that is a ranch in Midland and eight years as Texas governor...). We need to get better at growing, protecting, and promoting strong women candidates (Sarah was an anomaly - she's inspired a lot of Republican women anew, but she was totally unique).

For women: I haven't decided yet what this might mean for women. I think it's less likely that Palin's resignation has an effect so much as Palin's meteoric rise will have a long-term effect. I hope so, anyway.

And I think there's something that the tea party movement needs to take from this. You need to stop protesting and rallying with so little follow-up - you need to start finding candidates for office in your ranks and promote them. And you need to stop tearing down "all politicians" and start praising and encouraging those who are on your side. Believe it or not, there are some. And Palin was one of them. You've lost an ally. Start finding her replacement.

Never let it be said I don't do my part to prop up the right-wing blogosphere: here are a bunch of links about the Palin announcement, largely courteous of The Anchoress:

Rich Lowry at NRO

Rick at Brutally Honest talks about McCain staffers' roles in all this.

Fausta on Palin's chances of political recovery

Christmas in July for the left

Ed Morrissey: Yes, her career is over.

Quin Hillyer: Dereliction of duty!

Video at Yid with a Lid

K-Lo's unfailing optimism

Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels chimes in.

Michelle Malkin's shocked blog post.

Gateway Pundit: video, commentary.

So much for politics-free weekend - Palin resigns, speculation begins

Oy. I was just sitting here listening to country music and catching up on Twitter....and the news comes out that Sarah Palin is resigning her position as governor of Alaska.

What???

There's just so much wrong with this. Mark Sanford abandons his state and his job to pursue an illicit relationship with a woman not his wife, and starts sticking his foot in his mouth over and over, but no word of resignation. Sarah Palin is in Alaska doing her job, obviously openly contemplating a bigger future, and a week of really bad press comes down between the Vanity Fair sham-article and former McCain campaign staffers pointing fingers over leaks and who supported her and who didn't - and she resigns.

There is optimism in various circles that she's running for president. Bill Kristol, in fact, is on Fox right now saying maybe it's crazy, but it could make sense in the long run for a serious run at the presidency. "Shrewd gamble" are his words.

Whew boy.

4 ALS - Join the effort to defeat Lou Gehrig's Disease

I'll be among those taking a break from politicking to enjoy the 4th of July with family and friends, but before I go offline, I want to leave y'all with this story.

As I've explained previously, my mother Lillian was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS) last September. My grandmother Jean died from the same disease in 1979. It's a progressive neuromuscular disease - my mother's form of it is known as bulbar ALS and her first symptoms appeared in her throat and tongue muscles. She lost the ability to speak and swallow really before the disease had even been formally diagnosed. In recent months and weeks, her ability to walk has begun to deteriorate, and she will soon be wheelchair bound.

Ironically, perhaps, my mom is also the biggest New York Yankees fan you'll ever meet. She loves baseball - I grew up in a house where the World Series was a bigger deal than any other event! Her special love for the Yankees came because she's from New York, and her parents were big fans themselves.

On July 4, Major League Baseball is going to recognize the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's famous retirement speech and kick off a campaign to raise awareness about the disease that ended Gehrig's life. The speech will be read during the 7th inning stretch of every major league game happening tomorrow, and all the players will wear patches that read "4 ALS." "4" was Gehrig's number, and 4 ALS is an effort by Major and Minor League Baseball, teaming with four ALS organizations, to raise money for research to help find a cure for ALS. The AlS Association, the group my family has chosen to work with, is also sponsoring a fundraiser called "Covering All the Bases."

You can learn more and sign up to support Covering All the Bases here. Learn more about Gehrig, the "Iron Horse" of baseball, and his all-time stats here. Read Gehrig's farewell speech and listen to audio clips here.

My sisters and brother, along with our spouses and our extended families, will be participating in the Walk to Defeat ALS in Austin later this year. You can learn more about that here.

Independence Day Tea Party events in Austin

July 3rd, 9:00am to 11:00am, Austin Tea Party
Zilker Park Polo Field [Barton Springs Road and MOPAC]
Special guests: Joe the Plumber and KLBJ morning talk show host Sgt. Sam Cox
More info at http://www.havinganaustinteaparty.com

July 4th, 2:00pm to 4:00pm, Austin Independence Day Tea Party
Texas State Capitol South Steps/Lawn
Special guests: U.S. Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert, State Rep. Wayne Christian, others
More info at http://austinreteaparty.com/default.aspx

Special ends, CDA bills die, but.....

The fun ain't over. No sooner did the gavel fall sine die than speculation about Democrat statewide ambitions kicked up afresh. The life of a political blogger is rarely boring, y'all.

So, last night I told you that Capitol Annex (blogger Vince Leibowitz) was behind the effort to draft Ronnie Earle to run for governor. Earle had been talking about a possible run for attorney general, said last week that he was toying with the idea of governor, and is now looking to be quite serious about....something. He filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to raise funds for an unspecified statewide campaign.

Let's not forget State Senator Kirk Watson, another Austin Democrat with big dreams and deep pockets. When State Senator Leticia Van de Putte backed off the idea that she may run for governor, she encouraged Watson to do so in her stead. Watson ran previously for attorney general (handily defeated) before becoming state senator following Gonzalo Barrientos' retirement. The gang over at BOR are among his supporters for a run at governor, and so is Off the Kuff's Charles Kuffner.

What does it all mean? Frankly, that the Democrats are in a similar position that Republicans are in some respects. We have our own domino effect waiting for a push on this side (Dewhurst and Abbott, thought to be running for US Senate and Lt. Gov respectively, have been absolutely mum on their ultimate intentions). Earle running for anything just makes the Dem contests look more interesting (remember, Barbara Radnofsky is running for AG and Tom Schieffer is running for governor), but Watson running for another office opens up SD 14, and creates a scramble on the left to anoint a successor and could open up one, maybe two state house seats in Travis County.

You know, it's a good thing this is a holiday weekend.

Political reality sinking in as special continues

The Texas Department of Transportation is, for good or ill, the most distrusted agency in the state of Texas. Witness the bipartisan tagging of legislation that would give TXDoT any leeway in conducting its affairs - from the most liberal Democrats to Senator Dan Patrick, the Senate is showing TXDoT and the Governor exactly how it feels with numerous tags on the Senate CDA bill, SB 3.

Meanwhile, on the House floor right now, legislators are debating an amendment to the funding bill, HB 1, that would strip bonding authority from TXDoT and put it in the hands of the state infrastructure bank. HB 1 already went through a vicious process in House Appropriations yesterday - legislators are letting it be known, they trust no one at the Texas Department of Transportation.

ETA: Pitts affirmed just now to Rep. Leibowitz and Rep. Morrison that the infrastructure bond money will not be used for CDAs, toll roads, or the Trans-Texas Corridor. He also affirmed that pension money will not be deposited into this account.

Gov Perry on Pajamas TV

Just passing on the word. Glenn Reynolds (InstaPundit) interviews Governor Perry.

Sweet.

So why would Wal-Mart support Obamacare?

The question is being asked, and Occam's Razor is applied over at Outside the Beltway. The easiest and simplest answer as to why Wal-Mart would back the effort in Washington to require employers to provide health benefits is that Wal-Mart already does it, and wants their competitors to be forced to do likewise.

Check out the full reasoning here. I have to say I agree - marketing isn't always the #1 reason for a company to act on something, and Wal-Mart really has nothing to worry about with a tarnished image. On the other hand, competitive motive is a extremely traditional corporate motive. Wal-Mart may look altruistic saying that every employer should be forced to provide health insurance, but the practical reasoning is far colder.

Left blog starts Draft Ronnie Earle effort

So the Texas Democrat gubernatorial primary ballot could consist of Tom Schieffer, Kinky Friedman...and former Travis County DA Ronnie Earle?

Capitol Annex wants him there.

More here.

HB 1 out of committee; Senate Finance still meeting

House Appropriations has approved HB 1 and sent it to Calendars.

Senate Finance, dealing with three bills, is now taking up SB 3.

There is, incidentally, a fourth House bill (appropriately, HB 4). It has been referred to House Transportation. No word yet on whether it will be heard.

TX Lege Special - two hours in

House State Affairs has approved HB 2, the House bill to keep the lights on at the five state agencies pushed into limbo back in May. Vote was 12-0.

House Transportation, called to order a half an hour after the scheduled start time, immediately went to recess while Chairman Pickett waits to get his ducks in a row (and on Lege Council, it appears). The only bill on the docket is HB 3, already a controversial piece of legislation, dealing with toll roads and bonds.

House Appropriations is dealing right now with HB 1, a TXDoT revenue bill.

House Calendars is scheduled to meet at 3:30pm today.

The Senate is recessed until 3:00pm today. All three Senate bills were referred to Senate Finance, which is meeting as I type. Dewhurst explained these bills to Senate members in this memo (H/T Quorum Report).

Rumors are circulating about amendments in the House that could slow down the process.

Updates as necessary.

Video: On the ground in Honduras

If you're not familiar with what's happening in Honduras: President Manuel Zelaya was removed by the Honduran Supreme Court after an apparent fraudulent election and coup attempt. Zelaya's ties to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and attempts to hijack the Honduran political process make all of this very suspicious. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the same president who refused to make a strong statement of support for democracy in Iran is now denouncing democratic action in Honduras, and calling for Zelaya's return. (a very good take on the situation can be found here)

Courtesy of Net Right Nation, here is some video from Honduras, taken by someone on the ground.

Special session kicks off with,,,singing?

So far this morning we've been treated to the vocal stylings of Rep. Valinda Bolton and the rest of the Travis County delegations singing "Happy Birthday" to Rep. Eddie Rodriguez. And, Rep. Jessica Farrar leading the House in singing "Happy Birthday" to her grandmother, who is visiting today.

I'll be sure to let you know if Rep. Byron Cook treats us to some Shakespeare later.