The Speech

I didn't watch The Speech.  I can only handle so much of Our Leader, I admit it.  I have read the speech, however, and I must say that I doubt even the most eloquent of public speakers could induce me to listen to it.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I completely agree with Jonah Goldberg.  Especially regarding this part of Obama's speech (which makes me flinch even now):

And so at this moment, as we wind down the war in Iraq, we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy, and grit, and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad. They have met every test that they faced. Now, it is our turn. Now, it is our responsibility to honor them by coming together, all of us, and working to secure the dream that so many generations have fought for –the dream that a better life awaits anyone who is willing to work for it and reach for it.

Our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work. To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy. We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs. This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President.

Oh for the love of pete.  Again, I say I agreed with Jonah Goldberg. ("If you read this closely, what Obama is saying is that not only do we owe it to the troops to rally around his discredited and partisan economic agenda (“It’s our turn”), not only is it a test of our patriotism to sign on with his environmental and industrial planning schemes, but that doing so “must be our central mission as a people.”).

President Obama, if you think for one minute we're going to let up, agree with your agenda, and NOT do everything in our power to throw your cronies out of office - yes, even those cronies who serve in state and local government - you've got another think coming.  The best way I can think to honor our servicemen and women is to do everything in our power to elect men and women who will right the ship on which they serve.

AWESOME

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) conceded.

Thibaut has an ACORN problem

Adding to the ever-increasing list of Texas Democrats with dubious ties and backgrounds is Rep. Kristi Thibaut, a Houston-area representative.  The Republican Party of Texas sent word out this morning about Thibaut's ACORN ties - and in light of the Harris County voter fraud issue, any ties to ACORN in Houston should be considered damning evidence.

From the RPT press release:

AUSTIN — The Republican Party of Texas today unveiled a new website, http://kristiworksforacorn.com/. The site documents Democrat state Rep. Kristi Thibaut’s sordid past and her involvement with the notorious leftwing organization ACORN. Thibaut is the incumbent in House District 133.

Thibaut’s past is not unlike that of President Barack Obama; she too started out as a community organizer. And both did work for ACORN. Kristi even appeared at the State Capitol as a paid lobbyist for ACORN during the 2007 Legislative Session.

ACORN activities have attracted the attention of law enforcement and prosecutors around the country, after they were exposed in a series of stings by a couple posing as a prostitute and a pimp, soliciting ACORN's advice on how to operate their illegal enterprise without getting caught. Even the United States Congress condemned ACORN's actions and cut off federal funding. The group has since seen many of its state and local branches disband, only to reconstitute under new names.

Harris County voting machines destroyed in a fire

I really could not believe this headline, in light of the story about voter fraud in Harris County earlier this week.

The Houston Chronicle reports that "The 10,000 pieces of election equipment were destroyed, said Hector DeLeon, a spokesman for the Harris County Clerk’s office."

It was a 3-alarm fire, and right now no cause has been discovered.

The county is looking at borrowing voting machines from neighboring counties to help cover the election.  Early voting begins on Oct. 18, and Harris County is the largest county in the state.

Dunnam: "It's not my fault!"

I seriously need a Dunnam-as-Lando avatar right about now.

Anyway.  Apparently, Quorum Report (known at our house as Jim Dunnam's Personal Press Office - never so fitting as today), got this gem of a quote from Rep. Dunnam, he of the residency issues up in McLennan County.

“Why do I still have my house they cut out of the district? After Republicans intentionally redrew my district cutting out my new home, my wife and I made the decision to leave our children in the school district where they have always attended school,” Dunnam said."

Let me not mince words here.  Just because you were gerrymandered out of your district doesn't mean you get to keep running for office in that district.  Just because the big, bad Republicans were mean to you, doesn't mean you get to keep being state representative in your "safe" district.  I'd want to keep my kids in the same schools, too, but I think I'd have to make a decision about whether it's that important to be state representative of the same district.

Whiner.



H/T Disrupt the Narrative

Jim Dunnam breaking residency rules?

Unlike in the US House of Representatives, the Texas House of Representatives requires its members to live within the district they represent, and candidates for such office to have established residency in the district.  So one would think that such a stalwart member as Rep. Jim Dunnam (a Democrat who has been in the Legislature since 1996, and who currently serves as Democratic Caucus Chairman) would be firmly entrenched in the community.  Right?

Or maybe not.  The Republican Party of Texas today came out with documentation showing:

• Rep. Dunnam and his family live at 212 Shady Trail in McGregor -- that address is not in House District 57 (click here to see who represents the Dunnam family)
• That house is listed in his name on the property tax records of McClennan County.
• Mr. Dunnam’s three cars, each bearing a State Officeholder license plate, sit in the driveway at Shady Trail.

To be fair, I'd want to live in McGregor, too, and I would much rather have Doc Anderson as my state rep (though the privilege of voting for Marva Beck in HD 57 over Dunnam would be kinda awesome).

RPT is not going to challenge Dunnam's residency in court, but boy, isn't this interesting? It isn't the first time it's come up - Dunnam was challenged on this in 2002 and promised to move.  Perhaps he's waiting for redistricting to get back within the district lines, but that's still not kosher.

ETA:  For your edification, here is Rep. Dunnam's personal financial statement, courtesy of Texas Watchdog.

Back to Basics - a pack of wolves

A very enlightening interview from KWEL in Midland, in which RPT Communications Director Bryan Preston tells listeners some fascinating facts about the man behind the Back to Basics PAC.




(H/T P. Henry Saddleburr)

The Liberal Democrat "Stealth" Influence

This should not come as a surprise to anyone who actually paid attention last session, but a new analysis from Rice University suggests that despite their minority status, Texas Democrats in the Legislature actually had far more influence on the agenda than "public perception" might have it.

From the study, emphasis mine: "Contrary to common public perception, these data indicate that the Texas Democratic Party appears to have played an integral role in the legislative process during the 2009 House session.... [I]n many respects, Democrats were near-equal partners in House legislative governance during the 2009 session, either explicitly or implicitly backing virtually all legislation that was passed during that year".

This is why we cannot afford to support liberal Democrat incumbents for reelection.  This study implies that liberal Democrats, under the control of such leaders as Rep. Jim Dunnam and Rep. Garnet Coleman, steered the ship in the Texas House even without a majority.  This is the kind of thing that was obvious to anyone who watched the session as it played out, but in retrospect, as we look at exactly what passed and who was behind it (even worse, what didn't pass, and who was behind it), we've got more proof.

As long as "friendly" incumbent Democrats are given a free pass by the lobbyists and establishment consultants who make or break campaigns in Texas, this kind of "stealth" influence will continue.  Everyone wants to believe this is a Republican year, and it still might be, but smart people are saying that a true, clear Republican majority in the Texas House may still be out of reach.  If you want to curb the influence of the Obama Democrat machine in the Texas House of Representatives, you cannot, by word or deed or inaction, support a liberal Democrat incumbent for reelection.

ETA:  I really like what Disrupt the Narrative had to say about "friendly" Democrat incumbents. 

Harris County official addresses voter fraud

Following up from the King Street Patriots notice earlier, this piece at Texas Watchdog talks more about what is happening with regards to Harris County voter fraud (h/t Trent Siebert).

Harris County Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez addressed the matter in a press conference this afternoon.  From Texas Watchdog:

“Evidence shows that the Houston Votes and Texans Together organization are conspiring on a pattern of falsification of government documents, supporting perjury in a deliberate effort to overburden our processing system," [Vasquez] said.

Vasquez said he is turning evidence over to the Secretary of State’s office and the Harris County District Attorney’s office for further action.

Given what we know about ACORN (remember this from 2008?), I think any voter registration effort coming from former ACORN operatives smells dirty from the get-go.  It's good to know that Harris County's voter registration division is paying attention.  The question now is, how much of this same kind of activity is happening in places where there aren't dedicated watch groups to call attention to the problem?  Just last week, legislators heard from officials in Hidalgo, Jim Wells, and Starr counties in south Texas, about voter fraud taking place.

These stories are just becoming more prevalent as time goes on.  And Americans are fed up.  Will the Texas legislature take action?  Stay tuned.

Rampant voter fraud in Harris County

Begs the question - how much more voter fraud is there in Texas, and in how many different ways is fraud being perpetrated?  This has to stop.  The press release from Liberty Institute:

Volunteers Expose Voter Fraud in Harris County,
Tens of Thousands of Registrations Questioned by King Street Patriots
HOUSTON, August 24 - Today, the King Street Patriots, a group of citizen-volunteers in Harris County, Texas, announced their discovery of thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of incomplete, inaccurate or false voter registrations. The group, represented by Liberty Institute, uncovered hundreds of properties, including vacant lots and nonexistent addresses, where six or more people claim to live.

"It's apparent that King Street Patriots discovered voter fraud in Harris County, though we don't know just how extensive it is," said Kelly Shackelford, president/CEO for Liberty Institute and a constitutional scholar. "King Street Patriots is double-checking all registrations leading up to the election, and will be releasing information each week on what they've uncovered. There are those who are trying to intimidate King Street Patriots by attempting to vandalize their office and vehicles and monitoring the location of their offices and work. It is unfortunate that our clients are now the focus of intimidation tactics. No one should be intimidated or punished for being a good citizen."

King Street Patriots released statements today following Harris County's news conference announcing their discovery of what they called "Voter Fraud." The group, which works to ensure fair and free elections, found evidence suggesting deputy voter registrars completed registration forms incorrectly, even registering some people without their permission who have not signed up to vote in the past ten years.

"If our elections are not fair, we are not truly free," said Catherine Engelbrecht, president of King Street Patriots. "Our True the Vote volunteers are working night and day to ensure that elections in Harris County are accurate and that no one's vote is stolen."

Liberty Institute was formed to uphold Constitutional and First Amendment religious and speech freedoms in the courts and legislature.  For more information, visit www.truethevote.org and www.libertyinstitute.org.

What happened with the AISD tax increase

The Austin ISD board of trustees met last night and opted not to send the larger tax increase to voters, that I talked about here and here.  However, they did approve a tax increase for which they are not required to ask voters, as noted in this article from the Austin Business Journal.  The M&O rate will stay the same, but the I&S rate will go up by 2.5 cents per $100 valuation.  They also approved a $716 million operating budget, and Superintendent Carstarphen is getting a $19,000 bonus.

The I&S rate is what goes toward paying down bond debt, so this isn't the worst reason to pay more in taxes, but this part of the story didn't make it into a lot of the stories that were played on the 10 o'clock news last night.  What I'm primarily concerned with at this point is the lack of absolute transparent truth - taxes WILL go up in Austin ISD, it's just that you the voter won't have a choice.  School districts are only required to notify you with a quick note in the newspaper - they aren't required to put it front and center on their websites (and AISD did put a note about the budget on their site - and the tax rate change is buried in a click-through).

One other thing I found interesting.  In the website note on the front page of AISD's website, they made sure to mention that $128 million will go to the state under the recapture provision of school finance law.

The ISD and local government tax story is not over - it's an ongoing struggle.  The school board in Austin was divided over whether they wanted the larger increase, and Education Austin (the teacher group in AISD that often supports higher spending and taxation) pulled their support of the increase.  Citizen vigilance is still necessary.  You can't let them off the hook, no matter how innocuous their decisions seem at the moment.

More on the AISD tax rate proposal

I was interviewed earlier today by News 8 Austin concerning the AISD tax increase proposal.

Check that out here.

TONIGHT: Austin ISD to vote on tax increase

The vote is tonight and the article below is from the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Since school started today in AISD, what perfect timing for citizens to get involved and tell the district NO on new taxes!


Austin ISD Trustees To Vote on Tax Rate Election Monday: Be Heard
By austinchamber

On Monday night, Austin ISD trustees will decide whether to hold a November election asking voters for permission to raise the tax rate by up to five cents per $100 of assessed value to fund district operations. The board will also vote on an additional tax increase of 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed value tax to cover district debt payments on previously approved bonds. The 2.5-cent tax increase does not require voter approval, according to district officials.

The Austin Chamber continues to ask trustees to adopt greater efficiencies—and certainly not to dig a deeper fiscal hole—before considering a tax rate election. On Monday, the Chamber will again ask trustees to dedicate themselves to cutting deeper in order to reallocate money to fund the programs that will result in the higher graduation, college/career readiness and post-secondary enrollment rate goals outlined in the district’s strategic plan.

All trustees would benefit from hearing your views on a potential tax rate election, in particular Trustees Sam Guzman, Annette Lovoi, Tamala Barksdale, Lori Moya, and Robert Schneider. The Chamber would appreciate your advice and your willingness to contact Trustees in advance of Monday’s vote.

Judging by the discussion at last night’s school board meeting and discussions at past board meetings, here’s where the trustees seem to stand on a November tax rate election:

Standing firm against the five-cent tax increase: President Mark Williams, Vice President Vincent Torres, Cheryl Bradley and Christine Brister


Strongly in favor of the five-cent tax increase: Tamala Barksdale and Sam Guzman


Previously said they would support the five-cent tax increase: Secretary Lori Moya and Annette LoVoi


Previously said he would support the five-cent tax increase if the district’s “house is in order”: Robert Schneider

Dr. Carstarphen has not taken a public position on the five-cent tax increase as of this writing.

Last night, Sam Guzman said that he will propose the five-cent tax increase on Monday regardless of the superintendent’s position. If that motion fails, he will propose that the district spend up to $22 million into fund balance to fund additional teacher salary increases beyond the small increase already included in the budget, as well as other currently unfunded programs.

This motion, if adopted, would not represent fiscal stewardship, could reduce Austin ISD’s bond rating (which increases future borrowing costs) and will create an even deeper fiscal hole trustees will have to dig out of next year before even starting to fund key strategic plan priorities.

Gene Austin, Chamber board member and CEO of software company Convio, Inc., told trustees last night that the Chamber is enthusiastic about Austin ISD’s positive direction and strongly supportive of the district accomplishing the goals of its strategic plan. Austin recommended that trustees work on further financial efficiencies before talking with voters about a higher tax rate. The Austin, Austin Asian American and Capital City African American chambers have all asked the trustees to balance the FY11 budget and fund the strategic plan.

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Pilar Sanchez and President/CEO Andy Martinez asked trustees to “demonstrate further efficiencies before seeking a tax increase” and “limit…use of the reserve fund,” in a statement Sanchez gave last night. They also asked trustees to adhere to the strategic plan, continue recent positive changes, and aggressively pursue funding from external sources. (Read the full statement.)

Charlie Betts from the Downtown Austin Alliance also spoke in opposition to the five-cent tax rate increase last night.

In closing comments to last night’s board meeting, Austin ISD Board President Mark Williams cited business concerns, among many others, about supporting a tax rate election as a compelling reason to get Austin ISD’s house in order before approaching voters about a tax increase.

Please contact dscheberle@austinchamber.com with any questions or comments.

This information is forwarded to you by the TCRP Local Issues Committee, Roger Borgelt, Chairman

Meet Patrick McGuinness tonight in NW Austin

Come on out to meet Patrick McGuinness, candidate for state representative in HD 50.  Today from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, at the Ellexson home, located at 10802 Bonaparte Bend in Austin.

(Full disclosure:  I am working for Patrick)

Extreme, you say?

Cullar drops out of SD 22

Oh yes, it's true.

That's some great news to start the weekend!

Rasmussen: 82% Say Voters Should Be Required to Show Photo ID

This just in from Rasmussen:  an overwhelming majority of likely voters in the United States believe you should have to show identification before you vote.  It includes a majority in every demographic group, according to the Rasmussen piece, and "This is the highest level of support for photo ID since Rasmussen started polling the question in 2006."

We already knew this, of course.  A similar poll in 2008 showed the same thing, and in Texas polling often shows support for voter I.D. to be up around 70% or more.  The only reason we don't yet have voter identification laws in the state of Texas is because of an ideological split in the legislature - there are few issues that evenly divide Republicans and Democrats, and this is one of them.  You can rest assured that this legislation will come up again in 2011.

Here's some more fun information:  Eight states already request or require photo identification at the polls (Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, South Dakota).  In Indiana, their photo ID law was upheld by 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in 2007 and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ruling on appeal in April 2008. (The National Conference of State Legislatures has some great info on what various states require)

I will readily admit that voter identification is not the silver bullet to stopping voter fraud in Texas, but I do believe it is an important step.  We also need to have conversations about mail-in ballots, where a lot of fraud occurs, and regular and accurate "scrubs" of voter lists (I was witness this year to a stack of over 50 voter registration cards going to one address in Travis County).

Just remember who consistently votes against the people on this issue (every Travis County state rep, for instance)

AISD and the quest to raise your taxes

KLBJ reported this afternoon that Austin ISD has a public meeting tonight to discuss a possible $.05 property tax increase, ostensibly to pay for teacher pay raises (more in this Fox 7 news article).  A few man-on-the-street interviews found that, gasp!, ordinary citizens would gladly fork over cash to pay for teacher pay raises.  But the question is not as simple as "do you like teachers and want to pay them more."  The question is, what is the school district doing with the other money they already get?  Why is there a budget shortfall?  What's up with the huge debt (and the constant requests for new bonds - a different story altogether)?  Why do they keep asking us for more money, and rarely seem to improve when they get it?

I decided to check and see if I could easily get the information regarding a tax increase on the AISD website.  If you've been there before, you know the front page is a rather plain list of links to things the administration believes you will find important.  The possibility of a tax increase is not listed anywhere on the front page, and tonight's meeting is not listed on the front page.  On the right hand side, in the maroon sidebar, you can find a link to the 2010-2011 recommended budget. On that page, you'll get a detailed explanation about what the school district will be asking for in the budget, a link to the .pdf proposal, and a jargonized version of the possible tax scenarios:

Scenario A: M&O Tax Rate at $1.079/100 and I&S Tax Rate at $0.148/100. Total Tax Rate is $1.227/100

Scenario B: M&O Tax Rate at $1.129/100 and I&S Tax Rate at $0.148/100. Total Tax Rate is $1.277/100

Scenario C: M&O Tax Rate at $1.170/100 and I&S Tax Rate at $0.148. Total Tax Rate is $1.318/100

"M&O" is "Maintenance and Operations."  This is the main part of an ISD's budget.  "I&S" is "Interest and Sinking."

I finally found information about tonight's meeting by clicking through the following:  "Board of Trustees" on the left hand side of the front page, then "Meetings" on the left hand side, and then looking on the right hand side in the green side bar, under "Webcasts."  Tonight's meeting will be broadcast online, which is good to know, but if you hadn't taken the time to look for the webcast link, it is doubtful that you would have known anything about it.

You can view the agenda for tonight's meeting by clicking through the "Agendas" link, but I can't link you back to it directly, so I'll just copy and paste the pertinent parts of the agenda for tonight's meeting here.  It starts at #5 because the board has a closed session before the public meeting at 7pm.

5. Public Hearing on Recommended 2010-11 Budget, Tax Rate and Potential Tax Ratification Election (TRE) - 7:00 PM (60 Minutes)

6. Recommended 2010-11 Budget, Tax Rate and Potential Tax Ratification Election (TRE) (Discussion) - 8:00 PM (90 Minutes)

6.1 Discussion of 2010-11 Recommended Budget, Tax Rate and Potential Tax Ratification Election

A Google search for information on the tax increase did not turn up much that was fresh and easy for the average citizen to decipher, but I did find this article by Richard Whittaker at the Austin Chronicle.  Interesting bit (tax-and-spenders' names are highlighted so you can remember who NOT to vote for next time):

"...unless the board adopts a budget that requires a tax increase, there won't be an election. While [Outgoing Education Austin President Louis] Malfaro argued that the May board elections had increased trustees' focus on the rate, so far only three board members – Lori Moya, Sam Guzman, and Tamala Barksdale – have come out solidly in support of that spending. Board Vice President Vince Torres said the others are still waiting for a recommendation from [Superintendent] Carstarphen, and he voiced frustration that she hadn't given one already."

A 5 cent increase would mean about a $120 tax increase a year for the median valued home in Austin. It isn't clear that the proposed tax increases will only go towards teacher pay increases, and it isn't clear from the budget that waste will be cut to offset the increase in spending.  Finally, we know that AISD will likely approve some kind of hike - it's just a question of whether the amount is high enough to force a ballot measure.  Austin ISD officials like to brag that they have a relatively low tax rate - but just because you're not already taxing people to the hilt doesn't mean you should raise rates.

Some things about Austin ISD you should keep in mind when deciding whether or not you should agree to higher AISD taxes:

1 - They got a 3.9% increase in 2008, on the same reasons.

2 - While AISD had only one school rated "Academically Unacceptable" this year, ten elementary schools saw their ratings drop.  AISD officials claimed this was due to the standards measured, and not actually the schools' performance.

3 - Austin ISD has over $1.1 billion in outstanding bond debt and interest.

4 - In the 2007-2008 fiscal year (the last year for which compiled data is available), AISD spent an average of $9,062 per student and was rated only "academically acceptable," a rating they still hold.

For those keeping score at home, this is now four major property tax-collecting entities considering tax hikes of some kind for the 2010-2011 fiscal year (Austin Community College is also mulling an increase).  Taken individually, they aren't that bad, but add them together and you are guaranteed to feel it next year.  Keep in mind, too, that this is just about the *rate* of taxation, or the percentage of your appraised value you will be charged.  Appraisals, by state law, can increase up to 10% per year - and rarely, if ever, do central appraisal districts not take full advantage of the allowed 10%.  So while an extra 5 or 6% on your current appraisal may not seem so bad, consider if your appraisal goes up 10%, and you're paying that extra 6% on the new appraisal.

Constant vigilance, folks.  Mad Eye Moody clearly had the right idea.

The partisan madness of the Travis County Clerk's office

Out of curiosity, I decided to check and see if the Travis County Clerk's office had a November sample ballot available.  Of course, they don't have a real sample ballot yet, because Aug. 20 is the deadline for removing oneself from the ballot and there is still the question of whether we'll have bonds and tax hikes to consider.  But they do have contact spreadsheets for candidates.

One thing immediately stood out, however.  While you can get the websites or at least emails of all the Democratic candidates and a handful of Libertarian candidates, no such information is provided for a single Republican.  Even the biggies, like Governor Rick Perry, are only listed with their PO box addresses.  (Also, on the Excel spreadsheet, Republican SBOE candidate Marsha Farney is listed with her name misspelled - it shows up as "Marsha Barney")

In this day and age, when more than 60% of voters get their information about candidates via the internet, it is inexcusable for the official information source (in this case, the County Clerk) to not provide internet contact information for candidates.

Since the information in question is only missing for Republicans, we have to conclude that someone at the County Clerk's office is not interested in providing information for the "enemy."  After all, the County Clerk herself is a Democrat, and the vast majority of her employees are Democrats.

See for yourself.  And if you do need the websites (and correct names) of Republicans running for office on the Travis County November ballot, you can find a list here.

Who exactly helped "chub" the voter ID bill last May?

This may seem like old news, but as discussions about voter fraud begin ramping up again (apparently Reps. Ortiz and Guillen learned a lot about Valley voter fraud in Kingsville yesterday), I think it's important that we go back and look at who exactly helped the Democratic leadership kill voter identification legislation at the end of the 81st regular session.

Rep. Mark Strama, who got some press for being annoyed that some of his own legislation died as a result of the "chubbing" in May 2009, has apparently been left out of lists of Democrats who participated in that very activity.  But a careful viewing of the video from those crucial, mind-numbing days shows that Strama did in fact help kill voter I.D. legislation.  Check out this video, at about 5:45 - Strama starts yammering on with Rep. Scott Hochberg.  I warn you, if you watch too much of this, you won't need any over-the-counter sleep aids for a long time.

This anonymous comment on Paul Burka's blog, written on 5/24/09, claims that Strama, Rose, and Anchia had not participated in the delay tactics that the caucus orchestrated.  Clearly, Anonymous wasn't paying very close attention.  I don't recall whether Rose or Anchia got in on the fun, but my state representative certainly did.

Strama has not only opposed voter identification legislation in every session, he has also worked for same-day voter registration, a policy that if enacted would directly undermine election integrity.  If we have no way to ensure that someone is legally allowed to vote, any number of voter fraud techniques could be employed and could harm the legitimate outcome of the election.

The real cost of the chubbing wasn't just the death of voter identification legislation.  Because of what the Democrats, Mark Strama included, did during the final days of session, a special session was required to pass legislation, and taxpayers' time and money was wasted.  Some of what died during the delay, including sunset legislation for the Texas Department of Insurance, has to come back next session for fresh construction and debate.  The liberal Democrats' unwillingness to have a vote on this issue has been detrimental to the business of the state of Texas.  Do we really want to be represented by legislators who aren't even willing to debate issues?

Taxpayers on the hook for $2.4 trillion - in local gov't debt

It's much "sexier" for bloggers and the MSM to talk about the trillion-dollar national deficit and even Texas' projected budget shortfall than about local government debt.  But as readers of Blue Dot Blues know all too well, I like talking about pesky local government, mostly because I believe that the government closest to us also does the most damage.  When you consider than in just the last decade, local government bonded debt has gone from $1.5 trillion to $2.4 trillion, I think my point is proven.

Steven Malanga of City Journal has written a fantastic story about this problem, in which he points out that it isn't just the figure that's so shocking, but what is being purchased with it: "...giant development projects, for starters, including many in which the private sector has wisely shown little interest, except when government subsidizes them."  Malanga goes on to explain how this problem originated:

These projects trace their origin to the urban-renewal movement of the 1950s, when states and the federal government cleared tracts of supposedly blighted urban slums and replaced them with large, centrally planned housing projects. Over time, such efforts became so widespread that even thriving communities were declaring themselves blighted to justify construction. The nature of the projects changed, too, as politicians increasingly issued bonds to make bets on private ventures whose economic benefits were uncertain, at best.

I think we're all too familiar with what kind of structures are deemed so essential that local governments throw bonds on the ballot when they think we aren't looking, and pass them at astounding rates.  We get Taj Mahal high schools, Coliseum-esque football stadiums, cathedrals for administration buildings.  And that's just for starters, of course.  Bicycle "boulevard" projects, park improvement plans...the debt to which your local government is willing to obligate you, your children, and your grandchildren's children goes to pay for every boondoggle under the sun, and almost always without your complete prior knowledge and informed consent.

And of course, it's worse than that, if you can believe it.  Malanga points out that local governments "increasingly use the municipal debt to create the false appearance that they are balancing the budget."

Bond debt is not a new thing in American history; Malanga tells us that the first municipal bond debt on record in the United States was in 1812, to pay for a canal.  But just because something has been done repeatedly, and sometimes successfully, in the past does not justify the continued use (and some would say abuse) of the practice today.

For the most part, Malanga's story focuses on those states and municipalities who have reaped a bitter harvest from being unable to meet bonded debt obligations, and what he has written here ought to serve as a stern warning.  Texas is not immune to the problems California and New Jersey, and neither are Austin, Houston, and Dallas immune to the problems of Charlotte, North Carolina.  In fact, Texas is served best by the strong state economy that leaves the local government debt problem in the quiet shadows - when your state has one of the lowest unemployment rates and is still the number one state for Fortune 500 companies, it's hard for voters to get agitated about ISD debt to the tune of $250 million and more.  But that's exactly the problem, isn't it?  We appear to have it so good here that we're missing the problems that are a real drain on our resources, and which will haunt us during the state's tough budget cycle ahead.  Texas is among the worst in the nation for local government debt per capita (to get an idea of what that means, see this 2009 Denton Record Chronicle article)

I love what Veronique de Rugy had to say about this: "The bottom line: If this debt in the states should be added to the federal debt — and especially if this debt has to be repaid back with higher taxes — there is one very large bill coming our way. Remember, there is only one taxpayer, not a state taxpayer and a federal one."

Too true.  As such, there can be only one solution, and you can bet I don't mean electing tax-and-spenders at the bottom of the ballot.  This is why we need partisan elections, on uniform election days, to uncover the worst of the seemingly innocuous, hide-behind-the-rhetoric, tax-and-spend bureaucrats who lurk in county commisioners' courts, city councils, school boards, MUD boards, and so on.

And just to drive my point home:  the city of Austin, as of August 2009, has $4,653,793,433, or over $4.6 billion, in outstanding bonded debt.  That's just the principal amount, and is just city debt, not what taxpayers owe to the local ISDs or to Travis County.  (Thanks to the Bond Review Board for the information).  It also obviously does not include the $90 million in brand new bond debt that the city plans to ask taxpayers for this November.

Sleep well.

Rep. Paxton on the sales tax holiday

This hit my inbox earlier this month, and I think it will be useful information for you as we head toward this weekend's sales tax holiday.


Sales Tax Holiday - from Rep. Paxton's "Capitol Steps"

The State's annual sales tax holiday will take place this year August 20-22. During the tax holiday weekend, shoppers may purchase most clothing items and shoes priced less than $100 tax-free. The tax break applies to both children's and adults' apparel. Lay-away plans can be used again this year to take advantage of the sales tax holiday.

Last legislative session, [the Texas Legislature] passed House Bill 1801 to expand the list of items qualifying for exemption from Texas state and local sales and use taxes during the annual sales tax holiday to include school supplies. This means that Texas families will now also receive a sales tax break on most school supply items priced less than $100 for use by an elementary school or secondary school student (a purchaser buying school supplies using a business credit card or checking account must provide an exemption certificate certifying that the items are purchased for use by an elementary or secondary school student).

The tax-free holiday includes the following clothing items:

· Baby clothes
· Backpacks for use by elementary and secondary students
· Belts with attached buckles
· Boots - cowboy, hiking
· Caps/hats - baseball, fishing, golf, knitted
· Coats and wraps
· Diapers - adult and baby
· Dresses
· Gloves (generally)
· Gym suits and uniforms
· Hooded shirts and hooded sweatshirts
· Hosiery
· Jackets
· Jeans
· Jerseys - baseball and football
· Jogging apparel
· Neckwear and ties
· Pajamas
· Pants and trousers
· Raincoats and ponchos
· Robes
· Shirts
· Shoes - sandals, slippers, sneakers, tennis, walking
· Socks (including athletic)
· Shorts
· Suits, slacks, and jackets
· Sweatshirts
· Sweat suits
· Sweaters
· Swimsuits
· Underclothes
· Work clothes and uniforms

The tax free holiday also includes the following school supply items (if priced under $100):

· Binders;
· Book bags;
· Calculators;
· Cellophane tape;
· Blackboard chalk;
· Compasses;
· Composition books;
· Crayons;
· Erasers;
· Folders (expandable, pocket, plastic and manila);
· Glue, paste and paste sticks;
· Highlighters;
· Index cards;
· Index card boxes;
· Legal pads;
· Lunch boxes;
· Markers;
· Notebooks;
· Paper (loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board and construction paper);
· Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes;
· Pencil sharpeners;
· Pencils;
· Pens;
· Protractors;
· Rulers;
· Scissors; and
· Writing tablets.

A complete list of items that are exempt and ones that are not exempt may be found at the Comptroller's website.

Texas universities suffering from "administrative bloat"

Doesn't sound like something a little Maalox will fix, does it?  Apparently, Texas universities are suffering from a malady that is spreading throughout the United States, according to a new study released by the Goldwater Institute.

Between 1993 and 2007, the number of full-time administrators per 100 students at America’s leading universities grew by 39 percent, while the number of employees engaged in teaching, research or service only grew by 18 percent. Inflation-adjusted spending on administration per student increased by 61 percent during the same period, while instructional spending per student rose 39 percent.

Ten Texas public and private schools were included in this study, and would you like to take a guess as to which public school had the highest administrative growth in the period studied?  I bet you didn't think to guess the University of Texas at Arlington.

That modest school that used to be the choice of DFW students who couldn't afford the bastions of academia further south is now being singled out for administrative growth that outstrips that of comparable schools and the actual needs of students.  And while most of the schools in the study seem to have grown primarily at taxpayer expense, the Texas public schools listed have grown more on the backs of students - the Dallas Morning News points out that between the years 1993 and 2007, tuition at Texas universities jumped between 200 and 340 percent.  It isn't noted that most of that growth in tuition costs actually occured between 2003 and 2007, after tuition deregulation passed in Texas - and of course, it's easy to make the connection, that tuition deregulation didn't make universities accountable in any way, and actually contributed to administrative bloat at schools like UT-Arlington (where apparently the way to stay 'competitive' is to increase administration and charge students more for it, instead of increasing quality in the classroom and making it easier to afford tuition).

There is some hope that this study will help lawmakers next winter when they begin the unenviable chore of cutting costs to make up the expected budget shortfall.  Universities did not get the message in 2003, because lawmakers in Texas were too eager to placate the powerful UT lobby.  The answer to budget restraint is not more spending, or higher tuition, but budget cuts and hard decisions.  Moreover, the low grumbling you occasionally hear about the quality of higher education will not be placated with more administration, but with accountability (for starters).

H/T Lone Star Report's Will Lutz.

"Those voices don't speak for the rest of us"

I needed to watch this today.  I needed to remember, not everyone believes the drivel that is spouted by Pelosi, Reid, Obama, Dunnam, and Strama.

Those voices don't speak for us.

Does the City of Austin even care what taxpayers think?

Clearly, this is a rhetorical question.

The city of Austin has completely disregarded public sentiment on budget cuts.

From the Statesman: "From the original list of 39 possible cuts totaling $9.3 million, budget writers cut about $600,000. From the list of 51 possible additions totaling $19.2 million, they added $4.5 million. They also proposed raising the property tax rate and a few utility fees, which means the typical Austinite would pay the city $112 more next year."

Did you catch that?  Budget writers decided not to actually cut the budget at all, and instead added a substantial chunk in spending.  Not to mention, to pay for their impending boondoggles, they are recommending a property tax hike and utility fee hikes.

There is still time to weigh in with the city council, and ask them to make changes.  But don't hold your breath - city officials have made clear, they just want access to your pocketbook.

Is Patrick Rose living off his campaign donations?

That's the question making the rounds today.  An ethics complaint has been filed.  It appears that Rep. Rose (D-Dripping Springs) has been raising money not to run for reelection so much as pay for his everyday expenses.

From the press release:

The discovery of Rose’s ethical lapses has revealed even more questions. Rose drives a 2003 Ford F-150 pickup truck. The lien is held by a credit union. The problem is: Rose has never reported this vehicle on his Personal Financial Statements. This disclosure was required on each of his personal filings dating back to 2003. A complaint has been filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.

This isn’t the first time Rose has had trouble with his personal disclosures. In March of 2008, he was fined $500 for failing to file his personal financial statement on time.

In March of 2005, Representative Rose evidently got tired of paying for his own gasoline in his 2003 Ford F-150 and began charging it to his campaign. Since that day, Rose has billed his campaign approximately 322 times totaling $21,340.90 for gasoline and $15,422.67 for maintenance of his personal vehicle, a total of $36,763.57.

Rose has been passing these charges along to his campaign for approximately 65 months (or approximately 273 weeks). Typically, a pick-up truck needs to be filled up weekly. Simple math shows that Rose may not have paid for a single tank of gas since February 2005.

I'm not stunned about the decline of Barack Obama

Picture from Fox News 7 Austin - State Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin) greeting President Barack Obama on August 9, 2010.  State Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin) can be seen in the immediate background.  Strama and Watson are eager to associate themselves with a failing administration and an increasingly unpopular president.

Nothing in this Telegraph list is surprising in the least.  But for our amusement, I'll share a truncated version here (the full thing, with all the explanations, can be found here).

1. The Obama presidency is out of touch with the American people

"The “let them eat cake” approach didn’t play well over two centuries ago, and it won’t succeed today."

2. Most Americans don’t have confidence in the president’s leadership

"According to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll... showed that a staggering 58 per cent of Americans say they do not have confidence in the president’s decision-making, with just 42 per cent saying they do."

3. Obama fails to inspire

"From his extraordinarily uninspiring Afghanistan speech at West Point to his flat State of the Union address, President Obama has failed to touch the heart of America. Even Jimmy Carter was more moving."

4. The United States is drowning in debt

"Under its alternative fiscal scenario, the CBO projects that US debt could rise to 87 percent of GDP by 2020, 109 percent by 2025, and 185 percent in 2035."

5. Obama’s Big Government message is falling flat

"The relentless emphasis on bailouts and stimulus spending has done little to spur economic growth or create jobs, but has greatly advanced the power of the federal government in America."

6. Obama’s support for socialised health care is a huge political mistake

".... the legislation is “a great leap forward by the United States towards a European-style vision of universal health care, which will only lead to soaring costs, higher taxes, and a surge in red tape for small businesses. This reckless legislation dramatically expands the power of the state over the lives of individuals, and could not be further from the vision of America’s founding fathers.”

7. Obama’s handling of the Gulf oil spill has been weak-kneed and indecisive

"Instead of showing real leadership on the matter by acing decisively and drawing upon offers of international support, the Obama administration settled on a more convenient strategy of relentlessly bashing an Anglo-American company while largely sitting on its hands."

8. US foreign policy is an embarrassing mess under the Obama administration

"The surrender to Moscow on Third Site missile defence, the failure to aggressively stand up to Iran’s nuclear programme, the decision to side with ousted Marxists in Honduras, the slap in the face for Great Britain over the Falklands......"

9. President Obama is muddled and confused on national security

"From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the War on Terror, President Obama’s leadership has often been muddled and confused."

10. Obama doesn’t believe in American greatness

Barack Obama has made it clear that he doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism, and has made apologising for his country into an art form.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress NO on HR 1586

This came from a conservative message board I'm on - this information is important, so please help spread the word:

"[Post Author] was just on a conference call with Michele Bachmann, Steve King, Joe Barton, Louis Gohmert and 1 million Americans. I have to say that I did not understand the significance of the $26 Billion bill (HR1586) being voted on tomorrow. I understand now:

1. This legislation is Unconstitutional because it is a revenue bill and should have started in the House

2. They used the shell of HR 1586 which had to do with Aviation and stripped it and replaced it with this spending bill

3. The purpose of this bill is to give this money to Unions and the unions will use it to get Democrats elected in November; that is why this is so important that Pelosi called everyone back to Washington.

[Bachmann] kept referring to this Kevin Bogardus article from The Hill:

Several unions will pivot off expected House passage of the latest jobs bill to rev up their campaign machinery during the August recess.

The House plans to vote Tuesday on Senate-passed legislation that provides $16 billion in extended Medicaid benefits and $10 billion in education funding for the states.

The schools funding has big significance for union members, many of whom could lose their jobs if the money doesn’t come through. Labor officials plan an onslaught against those who oppose it.

PLEASE call your congressman tomorrow! According to Congressman Bachmann, Pelosi is not allowing any floor debate on this legislation. Call early and tell them NO on HR 1586."

Austin to put $90M bond on Nov. ballot

I've been hearing the Jaws theme song in my head ever since hearing about this on KLBJ this afternoon - whether that's because it's also Shark Week, I'll leave to you to decide.  But you can't deny that a $90 million bond package, during a recession, when the city is already talking about raising taxes, sends a certain danger signal that even a Great White could appreciate.

Check this out: "If you vote for this proposition, you're going to get a list of projects and you know they are going to get built in the next couple of years," Councilman Bill Spelman said."

The list on the city's website, on the press release that went out today, states that the projects are simply "proposed" and hints that the list is not complete.  One would think that before Austinites could be expected to vote on something this big ("bond packages" is a fancy way of saying "new interest-collecting debt"), a complete list of proposed projects would be published immediately.  Oh, and, there would be some kind of guarantee that the bond package funds would be used only for the purposes given.

The City Council will have a budget work session to address transportation on August 25.  The full updated schedule for the budget work sessions is available here.

Constant vigilance, taxpayers!  I'll keep you posted on this new bond package as more information becomes available.  In the meantime, contact the city council if you have concerns and questions, and if you want to talk about the budget, sign up at SpeakUpAustin to join the city's official online discussion forum.

Follow Bill White's lead: Duck and Cover!

I do wonder what Obama's Biggest Supporter, State Rep. Mark Strama, plans to do when President Obama comes to town.  Will he "duck and cover" like Democratic candidate for governor Bill White is doing?