The Last Supper?

Craddick and His Cronies will hold what could be a last supper of burgers and tea on Sunday. It's shaping up to be a farewell dinner, with absolutely no one competing to be at the right hand of Craddick. Craddick will predict that he will suffer after this meal and that this will be his last meal prior to finishing his work on behalf of his lobbyist friends. He will ask the cronies to eat more burgers in remembrance of him. He will predict that one disciple, Chisum, will deny him, and go off the reservation with the print media about how he doesn't have enough votes to remain King of the Kingdom (proving it's easy to predict what's already happened). Lastly, Craddick will toss the Cup of Ice Tea at the 11 false Republicans who are meeting to pick his replacement (proving that the Republicans really do believe in voter ID. If your ID says you are a dufus, you don't get to be in the Cool Kids Who Pick the Speaker Club.)

Hoisted On Their Own Petards

The GOP is jousting over whether or not it's acceptable for a RNC chair candidate to send out CDs with the "Barack the Magic Negro" song on it. Also on the CD: "We Hate the USA" and "The Star Spanglish Banner." Let's be real clear. There are GOP leaders who think this is funny and acceptable. If it walks like "we are the white supremacy party" and talks like "we are the white supremacy party", it probably is the white supremacy party. And if Republicans don't want us to have that perception of their party, then they should universally condemn this candidate. It makes me want to go take a shower to know that people think this is cute. It's not. A petard was a medieval bomb, used to blow up fortresses. I think it's a fitting metaphor for this type of last ditch effort the Republican party is throwing at its dwindling ranks, trying to appease the racist base.

Ethics Commission Had $52.7 Million in Uncollected Fees in 2007

The Texas Ethics Commission could not collect a third of $1.58 million of fees and penalties it assessed in fiscal 2007, which ran from Sept. 1, 2006, to Aug. 31, 2007.

Most of that money is owed by public officials who were fined for filing late finance reports. And the Texas Department of Insurance left on the table two-thirds of $6.4 million it was supposed to collect.

Wow. I didn't see that coming. This was part of a Chron article about $1 billion in uncollected fees by state agencies. I thought I pretty well knew the ins and outs of the TEC, but it hadn't ever occurred to me that after all the work done by citizens to expose ethics problems of Texas officeholders, that they weren't collecting a third of the fees they assessed.

A significant portion of the state's $167.8 billion budget for 2008-09 biennium is driven by fees, which allow local government to keep taxes down. For $1 billion, the state could fund five of its Top 15 funded agencies, or Jerry Jones could build another football stadium in Arlington.

"If agencies are not collecting fees, what that means for taxpayers is that they will have to pick up the slack," said Michael Sullivan, president of the nonprofit Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. "A billion dollars represents all sorts of public services. It's a significant number, not just the quarters you find in your couch.

What an embarrassment that some elected officials are shorting the taxpayers by their negligence (aka breaking the law). It's bad enough that legislators have deregulated college tuition, electricity and insurance - and that we've seen our rates go through the roof - but some are also stealing from the state budget by not paying ethics fines?

Where's the list of those who are delinquent in paying their fines?? Let's hold their feet to the fire.

It's Not My Fault!

Blame it on the Boomers, and I'm not one of them!

After strutting and tub-thumping and preening their way across the high ground of politics, media, culture and finance for 30 years, baby boomers have gone from top dogs to scapegoats in barely a year.

As baby boomers lose their authority and appeal, generational power is shifting one notch down: to cuspers (born roughly 1954-1965), who arrived in style in 2008 with their first truly major figure, Barack Obama (born 1961).

George W. Bush, born in 1946 at the start of the postwar baby boom for which his generation is named, will leave office with the lowest approval ratings since Richard Nixon was president. As Thomas Friedman has written, Bush epitomizes what's now seen as "The Greediest Generation."

Who's to blame for the economy going into serious decline?

The short and easy answer is greedy boomers. This is the generation that knew better than their cautious, fuddy-duddy parents, the generation that protested, that had ideals and marched to the beat of defiant music: "Street Fighting Man," "We Want the World and We Want It Now," "Hope I Die Before I Get Old."

It's the generation that pursued pleasure, proclaimed "I can have it all" and refused to grow old -- "50 is the new 30," etc.

And now, after years of taking credit for changing the world, baby boomers are taking the rap for the reversal of fortune that's shaking the world.

[---]

Like a big-name Hollywood director who's lived on the edge too long, caused one too many scandals and made one too many turkeys, suddenly the boomers are the generation no one wants to be associated with.

Cuspers, the age cohort that have been living in the shadow of the boomers, now have even more reasons to stake out their own separate identity and values.

[---]

They respond to Biblical imagery, but they're not dogmatic in their faith.

They value traditional notions of family but see men and women as equals in parenting. They go back to older American values -- civility, community, responsibility -- yet keenly embrace technology and use the Internet naturally.

In fact, embracing digital technology is one of the telling dividers between boomers and cuspers. It's no coincidence that leading-edge Cuspers such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Tim-Berners Lee, all born in 1955, helped create the digital universe cuspers and younger generations now inhabit as a matter of course.

Bottom line, it's not my fault, the world is mine . . . watch out! Cupers rule!

A Christmas Gift for Seniors

This was a good move:

President Bush on Tuesday signed legislation that temporarily suspends a tax penalty for senior citizens who do not take a minimum withdrawal from their 401(k)'s and other retirement accounts in 2009.

The only problem is that there wasn't a solution in the legislation for seniors who have already made their required withdrawal this year from their decimated retirement accounts.

Got Hubris?

Dick gets arrogant and tacky:

WALLACE: During the vice presidential debate in October, Joe Biden was asked about your interpretation of the powers of your office as vice president, and here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Vice President Cheney's been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Transition officials say that Biden plans to shrink his office, that he is not going to meet with Senate Democrats the way you did every week with Senate Republicans, that he is not going to have his own, quote, "shadow government" in the White House.

Biden has said that he believes you have dangerously expansive views of executive power.

CHENEY: Well, I just fundamentally disagree with him. He also said that the — all the powers and responsibilities of the executive branch are laid out in Article 1 of the Constitution. Well, they're not. Article 1 of the Constitution is the one on the legislative branch.

Joe's been chairman of the Judiciary Committee, a member of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, for 36 years, teaches constitutional law back in Delaware, and can't keep straight which article of the Constitution provides for the legislature and which provides for the executive.

So I think — I write that off as campaign rhetoric. I don't take it seriously. And if he wants to diminish the office of vice president, that's obviously his call.

I think that President-elect Obama will decide what he wants in a vice president. And apparently, from the way they're talking about it, he does not expect him to have as consequential a role as I've had during my time.

Also, pathetic and ridiculous.

When in a recession, give NASA employees a raise.

While taxpayers are dishing out $700 Billion to bail out Wall Street, giving a $17B loan to the auto manufacturers, and wondering how they are going to buy their kids another video game for Christmas and pay the credit card later, NASA employees will be receiving a nice 3.62% increase in pay for 2009. Although this in itself isn't that bad, it's the fact that next year NASA will be asking for yet more money to go back to the Moon and to Mars, or to where ever they can afford. Maybe NASA employees should sacrifice their raises and quit asking for their own bailout for a while. The economy is at one of it's lowest points in history and yet the elite of NASA are getting another pay increase while many workers in the US are just hoping to have a job next year. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize this is wrong. You have to wonder if NASA employees are truly the right stuff.

Some of My Best Friends are _______.

Did anyone else sigh over the fill in the blank nature of Rick Warren's patronizing comments about gays? "I have many gay friends. I've eaten dinner in gay homes." Sort of like: "Some of my best friends are women. But it would be dangerous if they could vote." or "Some of my best friends are Negroes. But it would be unnatural if they ate in our restaurants or drank from our water fountains." Warren is your typical, everyday pedestrian bigot, with his own homemade Jesus in his pocket that he pulls out to justify his every thought and utterance. And why in the world is Obama catering/cratering to this type of individual when surely there are pastors who are uniters, not dividers?

Port Arthur Needed Chris Bell

Here's a house in Port Arthur, 930 Colorado Ave., in Precinct 48. The photo above is from over 40 years ago - a little girl and her brother. The second photo below, the blue house, is the same house today.

It's on a street that is torn up bad from Ike, and I suspect some of that damage is leftover from Rita. Blue tarps everywhere, debris piled up by the street. No house number on this house, or on many others. The neighborhood is very run down. The residents are poor. I spent this past weekend in Port Arthur for the Chris Bell campaign. PAT is truly a forgotten city. It's bleak; it's depressing. I lost my soul a little bit while I was there and I cried over what a bad situation the PAT folks were going to be in if Joan Huffman were elected. Well, not enough Democrats got off their lazy butts on Tuesday to go vote and Port Arthur is going to continue to suffer because of it. I don't know when I've seen a place that is such need of better representation. Port Arthur needed Chris Bell and it's a damn shame that instead they are going to get someone who is beholden to special interests. If Joan Huffman cares even a little bit about Port Arthur, I'll be shocked, but let's hope she proves me wrong. That girl in the photo is going to see her little brother tomorrow.

NASA you are the problem.

So, the country is in a historic recession bordering on a depression. Hard working citizens are losing their jobs, their homes, and more. Auto workers are looking for a bridge loan to get them back to profitability and 3 million layoffs. Bankers have already received a $700Billion bailout (not a loan). We have a historic debt and are running a half a trillion dollar deficit. So what does NASA do? Asks for $2 Billion raise and sends their NASA Administrator, Mike Griffin, to stonewall the Obama administration, insulting them on the way. It is time that NASA, their employees, and their contractors, stop sucking on the tit of the government and start making some of their own sacrifices. NASA employees, with generous health care, vacation (at least 3 weeks/year and up to 6), and ample and liberal sick leave, should lead the way out of this economic disaster and ask for a 3% across the board reduction in salary to help the country get back on it's feet. In the mean time they need to do with what they got, use their engineering intelligence to find a way to achieve their goals, and quit whining. NASA is between an asteroid and a hard spot. President Bush directed them to return to the Moon and set their sights on Mars, without adequate funding, yet NASA management said nothing. Instead they took the ill defined and underfunded challenge and then, with their backs to the wall and unable to meet the challenge, demanded more money. This is a typical NASA ploy. NASA and their employees need to realize that Americans cannot afford incompetence, bad planning, or even a mission to the Moon or Mars. You are lucky to have received $16Billion a year, much less the $20Billion you are asking for. You whine about auto workers so-called inflated salaries (which is not true), yet say nothing about your own bloated salaries and benefits. To top it off, those in Clear Lake were represented by the best supporter of NASA in Congress, Nick Lampson. He had worked with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to secure support for your $2 Billion increase and a committment to long term funding. There was no better advocate for NASA in all of Congress. And what did you brainiacs at NASA do? You voted him out of office and put in a rookie, Pete Olson, who will most probably be headed to the Subcommittee on Agriculture. And we call you guys "The nations brightest"? Houston, we do have a problem and NASA employees need to buck up, shut up and do with what we, the taxpayers, have given them while our country's economy is bleeding red. You are not privileged. You deserve nothing more than what we generously give you. Now you need to act like the right stuff and make it happen. Failure is not an option.

Live Debate. Online Now. Bell vs. Huffman

At this link - Houston Chronicle online. If you miss it, go to this link to view the archived Q and A. If you go now - 12:20 on Tuesday - you can participate by typing in questions!

Chronicle Endorses Chris Bell for Senate

Short (muse) version: Chris Bell is the better choice for Texas families. Long version (with muse bolding making the case for the short version):

With the 81st legislative session looming next month in a weakening economic climate, residents of District 17 need an experienced public servant with a firm grasp of spending priorities. With his commitment to bolstering public education, reining in college tuition increases, and controlling skyrocketing insurance premiums, the Chronicle believes that Chris Bell is the best candidate to represent the diverse district in the Texas Senate.

Bell served two full terms on Houston City Council and one term as a congressman before losing to Al Green in a redrawn district. He was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2006, coming in second in a four-candidate field behind Republican Rick Perry.

While on City Council Bell chaired the ethics panel that drew up new guidelines regulating campaign contributions and the activities of lobbyists. While in Congress, he filed ethics complaints against then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay, presaging DeLay's eventual resignation.

An unlikely assemblage of varying communities and residents, District 17 poses a challenge for any successor to incumbent Kyle Janek, who resigned earlier this year to enter the private sector. It runs from Bellaire and West University Place south to the Freeport area and then up the Hurricane Ike-battered coast from Galveston to Port Arthur. A little more than half Anglo, it includes a slice of Southeast Texas life ranging from urban professionals to blue-collar refinery employees to ranchers and agricultural workers.

In the general election, Bell led a six candidate field, followed by former Judge Joan Huffman. They are paired in the runoff with early voting starting Monday and election day on Dec. 16. The turnout is expected to be low, and the race will likely be decided by which candidate can best motivate their supporters to return to the polls.

Bell, a former news reporter and practicing lawyer, says his previous political experience has educated him about the concerns of Texans. According to Bell, "even before Hurricane Ike hit and even before the meltdown on Wall Street, people here in Texas were starting to feel a sense of insecurity, seeing school districts forced into crisis funding modes." He promises to make education issues a top early priority if elected, while working to create coalitions with members of both parties.

District 17 will benefit from being represented by a veteran elected official with statewide name recognition and a proven commitment to high ethical standards. The Chronicle urges constituents to make a special effort to go to the polls and cast their ballots for Bell.

All early voting locations are here. We start voting tomorrow, December 8th! Early vote through Friday, Dec. 12th. Note that in Fort Bend, the early voting dates and times are:

Monday, Dec. 8 through Wednesday, Dec. 10, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11 and Friday, Dec. 12, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Election Day is Tuesday, December 16th from 7 AM to 7 PM. Sign up to volunteer here. A friendly campaign worker will give you a call. Or, just show up at a Bell HQ! Maps and locations here. Make phone calls from home using virtual phonebanking! This just couldn't be easier. Sign up here. The Bell campaign will put your donation to good use to contact voters to get out and vote! Donate here.

Diane Trautman Ready to Serve

ANNIE’S LIST STATEMENT ON THE RESIGNATION OF HARRIS

COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR PAUL BETTENCOURT

JUDGE ED EMMETT AND THE HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT SHOULD APPOINT DR. DIANE TRAUTMAN TO FILL VACANCY LEFT BY SUDDEN RESIGNATION

(Austin) – In the middle of the night it has been confirmed by the Houston Chronicle that Paul Bettencourt intends to vacate his seat effective December 10^th and that the Harris County Commissioners Court will now need to appoint an interim successor to fill his term.

“We strongly encourage Judge Emmett and the Commissioners Court to appoint Dr. Diane Trautman to fill this unexpected vacancy. She is an extremely accomplished woman who, after being a candidate for the position for over a year, understands the Tax Assessor-Collectors office and has a clear vision of how to move this office forward while removing the air of partisanship that has undermined it in the past” said Annie’s List Political Director Robert E. Jones.

“With over 24 years experience as a teacher, administrator and college professor, Dr. Diane Trautman has demonstrated she has the experience and a track record of ethical leadership to run the Tax Assessor-Collectors office as a service organization that puts people over politics.”

Excerpts from the October 26, 2008 Houston Chronicle

Endorsement of Dr. Diane Trautman

“Diane Trautman will clear the air of partisanship while offering able administration of the office's core duties. We recommend a vote for Trautman as Harris County tax assessor/collector.”

“Trautman vows to run ‘a service organization, not a political organization.’ She pledges to return "servant leadership" to the office.”

“She appears to be an informed, experienced outsider capable of changing the troublingly politicized milieu inside the tax assessor/collector's office. The Chronicle urges a vote for Diane Trautman.”

###

I concur. Fabulous solution to Bettencourt's "stick it in your eye" resignation. muse

Midnight Resignation

Do you feel like you've been had? Bettencourt resigns at almost midnight on a Friday, one month plus one day after elected to return to office. Way to avoid the news cycle. Way to give the voters the finger on your way out. And, by the way, good riddance. Hugs to Diane Trautman who would have brought a tremendous amount of fairness to the tax assessor collectors office.

Sarah's Secret

Hey, I want campaign accessories! So Sarah Palin, she who has resorted back to the bad hairdo, got to spend campaign money at Victoria's Secret, Nieman Marcus and Aldo. Dang. She spent bunches of money even after the first report of the campaign fashion spending spree: The party also paid $55,700 in "consulting" fees to Lisa Kline & Co., a New York fashion stylist. And the McCain-Palin presidential campaign, which was funded with $84 million in tax dollars under the presidential public campaign financing system, dispensed $34,384 to Amy Strozzi, a celebrity makeup artist. The campaign had previously paid Strozzi $36,000, disclosed in earlier campaign finance reports. I haven't ever see a line item for bras on a campaign budget, but maybe I should think more out of the box when spending "miscellaneous."

Chris Bell Ad: Exactly

I like this. There is a real contrast between Chris Bell and Republican Joan Huffman. Bell has a record of real reform, and will address the issues that are important to Texas families - education, health care and cost of living issues. Someone's got to get up to Austin and be an advocate for families. I'm tired of hearing from my kids about how school is too test-focused. I'm tired of not wanting to open my electricity and insurance bills, knowing that when I see that big amount owed I'll get that "there goes another vacation" feeling. I'm tired of worrying myself sick about paying for college. Chris Bell has always worked hard from day one in every office he's held. He's not afraid to jump in and fight for what's right. That's what I'm looking forward to when he's elected as my state senator on December 16th. He needs your help to close the deal. Go to chrisbell.com to donate or volunteer. If you don't make phone calls to get out the vote, who will? Don't think there are ten other people to take your place. It's you that needs to make 50 or 100 phone calls to voters to make sure we elect one more Democrat to the Texas Legislature. Early voting starts Monday and goes through next Friday, Dec. 12th. The voting times and locations are very confusing and our voters need a phone call from you to let them know what to do. Thanks in advance from this SD17 voter. :)

In Pursuit of Coffee

The NYT has a brilliant story about the life of a coffee drinker, told in drawings. I heart this! If I were to tell the story of my coffee drinking life, I'd have an illustrated napkin with me grabbing up the kids and our belongings and frantically leaving our home the morning after Ike, in order to drive to Austin to be an electricity refugee, AKA find a cup of coffee on the road ASAP. There was zero luck in Katy, Brookshire and Sealy . . . all totally without food and drink because of faster moving refugees than me . . . but then there was the Whataburger in Columbus. Full of people, food and coffee. That was a great moment. I hear there are contraptions that make coffee without electricity and I'm going to own one of those before the next year's hurricane season.

I'm A Bell Woman!

I've joined Women for Bell, and I hope you will, too. The SD17 runoff on December 16th is the last election in the country this year - our last chance to do the right thing for Texas families. Sign up for Women for Bell here. You can donate to the Bell campaign here. Sign up to volunteer here. Early voting is December 8th-12th and all early voting locations and times are here - with a fancy google map! Watch this Bell commercial called "Women" to find out why it's so important we all do what we can to get Chris elected!