TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalLies...Big Lies...and Randy Neugebauer
By Dr. Brian CarrPresident, Behavioral Health Associates, Lubbock, Texas, 1991-Present
Chairman, City of Lubbock Board of Health, 2013
Submitted on November 6, 2013 - 7:27pm
Mark Twain once remarked that there were three kinds of lies…Lies…Da#$ Lies…and Statistics!
With a small tweak (or might it be a twerk) one can witness the intentional distortion offered by our Congressman. Randy Neugebauer continues to oppose Obamacare and reasonable government at every turn. When not engaged in belittling a Park Ranger he is huddled with Ted Cruz preparing for the next governmental shutdown. Hiding behind his official news releases he will never step up on a platform to debate the truth. It would only hurt him.
His latest falsehood designed to scare people? In his email newsletter “Randy’s Roundup” he makes the following statement:
“Did you know that through the new Obamacare exchanges, you might unknowingly subsidize abortions? Plans on the exchanges do not disclose whether they cover abortion, and if you select a plan that does, you will pay at least $1 into a fund to pay for all enrollees’ abortions on demand. That’s unacceptable.”
No matter that his contention is NOT TRUE! Facts have no bearing for a man on a mission and collateral damage involving the suffering and misery of children and families right here in West Texas are of little concern.
As reported from Right Wing Watch if there is one thing that the TEApublicans in Congress are very good at it is playing fast and loose with the facts and Representative Tim Huelskamp (R, KS) proved on Friday when he appeared on right wing radio host Steve Deace’s show.
Huelskamp claimed that the American people will support them and not the President if they shut the government down over funding for Obamacare because 90% are opposed to the fact that “every single person under Obamacare” will be required to pay a surcharge of $1 every month on their insurance premiums to fund abortion. He goes on to say that most of that money is going to go directly to Planned Parenthood.
As reported on Mediamatters.org some have taken the misrepresentation of the law to suggest that Obamacare will provide abortions for $1.
The reality is that the reason that there is a separate surcharge is to ensure that no federal money is spent in any way on abortion. Federal law bans the use of any federal funds for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the woman is in danger. In crafting the ACA bill this ban was maintained. Any plan offered on the exchanges must charge enrollees an additional fee for abortion and keep those funds separate to ensure that no federal money is used.
Any exchange must offer at least one plan that does not provide any coverage for abortion. Before a person can sign up for a plan they must be advised if that plan provides abortion coverage so they can stop their enrollment before any commitment is made.
Of course Randy is not the only one in the deceitfulness of the Extreme Right. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) recently kicked a bees' nest of Catholics and anti-abortion activists when he asserted that Obamacare contains an "abortion surcharge and a secrecy clause" that forces "pro-life Americans ... to pay for other people's abortions."
[link:http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/mar/21/blog-posting/does-barack-obamas-health-care-bill-include-1-abor/|
Politifact.org] labels this claim by our Congressman and others on the lunatic right as “Ridiculous”. Their review goes on to state:
“The provision in question only affects people who purchase insurance plans that cover abortion and who do so on the exchanges -- a much narrower group than the claim suggests. And people who make such purchases will be paying their private dollars into abortion coverage accounts voluntarily. Despite some puzzling wording, ultimately the law allows for full disclosure of its abortion rules at the most obvious time, when someone is signing up for coverage. On balance, we rate this claim False.”
When called out about his dishonesty you can expect to receive a standardized (and meaningless) form email back thanking you for your concern and Randy will take your comments under advisement after he uncovers himself from the American flag and lets go of Cruz’s hand. NOT!
At least our Congressman is predictable. You don’t have to wonder where he stands…squarely in the open palm of special interests and corporations that have well-greased his bank account. In January one can expect him to again work to shut down the government. Just as you can be assured that he has no problem in cutting off food for children while ignoring our farmers.
What a hypocrite we have in Congress.
TAGS:
LubbockOnline Blog
Abbott thinks Wendy is his dream date
Lubbock
Perry fiddles himself while half of Texans lack insurance
Randy has a nice meal I bet
Special place in hades for these guys
Texas
http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/dr-brian-carr/2013-11-06/liesbig-liesand-randy-neugebauer
Cross-posted in Good Reads forum.
Lies...Big Lies...and Randy Neugebauer
By Dr. Brian CarrPresident, Behavioral Health Associates, Lubbock, Texas, 1991-Present
Chairman, City of Lubbock Board of Health, 2013
Submitted on November 6, 2013 - 7:27pm
Mark Twain once remarked that there were three kinds of lies…Lies…Da#$ Lies…and Statistics!
With a small tweak (or might it be a twerk) one can witness the intentional distortion offered by our Congressman. Randy Neugebauer continues to oppose Obamacare and reasonable government at every turn. When not engaged in belittling a Park Ranger he is huddled with Ted Cruz preparing for the next governmental shutdown. Hiding behind his official news releases he will never step up on a platform to debate the truth. It would only hurt him.
His latest falsehood designed to scare people? In his email newsletter “Randy’s Roundup” he makes the following statement:
“Did you know that through the new Obamacare exchanges, you might unknowingly subsidize abortions? Plans on the exchanges do not disclose whether they cover abortion, and if you select a plan that does, you will pay at least $1 into a fund to pay for all enrollees’ abortions on demand. That’s unacceptable.”
No matter that his contention is NOT TRUE! Facts have no bearing for a man on a mission and collateral damage involving the suffering and misery of children and families right here in West Texas are of little concern.
As reported from Right Wing Watch if there is one thing that the TEApublicans in Congress are very good at it is playing fast and loose with the facts and Representative Tim Huelskamp (R, KS) proved on Friday when he appeared on right wing radio host Steve Deace’s show.
Huelskamp claimed that the American people will support them and not the President if they shut the government down over funding for Obamacare because 90% are opposed to the fact that “every single person under Obamacare” will be required to pay a surcharge of $1 every month on their insurance premiums to fund abortion. He goes on to say that most of that money is going to go directly to Planned Parenthood.
As reported on Mediamatters.org some have taken the misrepresentation of the law to suggest that Obamacare will provide abortions for $1.
The reality is that the reason that there is a separate surcharge is to ensure that no federal money is spent in any way on abortion. Federal law bans the use of any federal funds for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the woman is in danger. In crafting the ACA bill this ban was maintained. Any plan offered on the exchanges must charge enrollees an additional fee for abortion and keep those funds separate to ensure that no federal money is used.
Any exchange must offer at least one plan that does not provide any coverage for abortion. Before a person can sign up for a plan they must be advised if that plan provides abortion coverage so they can stop their enrollment before any commitment is made.
Of course Randy is not the only one in the deceitfulness of the Extreme Right. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) recently kicked a bees' nest of Catholics and anti-abortion activists when he asserted that Obamacare contains an "abortion surcharge and a secrecy clause" that forces "pro-life Americans ... to pay for other people's abortions."
[link:http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/mar/21/blog-posting/does-barack-obamas-health-care-bill-include-1-abor/|
Politifact.org] labels this claim by our Congressman and others on the lunatic right as “Ridiculous”. Their review goes on to state:
“The provision in question only affects people who purchase insurance plans that cover abortion and who do so on the exchanges -- a much narrower group than the claim suggests. And people who make such purchases will be paying their private dollars into abortion coverage accounts voluntarily. Despite some puzzling wording, ultimately the law allows for full disclosure of its abortion rules at the most obvious time, when someone is signing up for coverage. On balance, we rate this claim False.”
When called out about his dishonesty you can expect to receive a standardized (and meaningless) form email back thanking you for your concern and Randy will take your comments under advisement after he uncovers himself from the American flag and lets go of Cruz’s hand. NOT!
At least our Congressman is predictable. You don’t have to wonder where he stands…squarely in the open palm of special interests and corporations that have well-greased his bank account. In January one can expect him to again work to shut down the government. Just as you can be assured that he has no problem in cutting off food for children while ignoring our farmers.
What a hypocrite we have in Congress.
TAGS:
LubbockOnline Blog
Abbott thinks Wendy is his dream date
Lubbock
Perry fiddles himself while half of Texans lack insurance
Randy has a nice meal I bet
Special place in hades for these guys
Texas
http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/dr-brian-carr/2013-11-06/liesbig-liesand-randy-neugebauer
Cross-posted in Texas Group.
Texas Supreme Court holding session at Texas A&M
Texas A&M University for the first time will play host to the highest court in Texas.
The Supreme Court of Texas will hear oral arguments on two cases beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday in Rudder Theatre. There will be a question-and-answer session after the arguments, and the maximum of 825 tickets have already been allocated.
The nine justices will hear arguments on Highland Homes Ltd. v. state of Texas and In re: John Doe. Spokesman Osler McCarthy said the justices try to pick interesting and accessible cases to hear when they travel to academia. One of the cases involves a company that seeks from Google the identity of an anonymous blogger whom the company feels is posting defamatory comments.
-snip-
"We try to find cases where we're expecting mostly non-legal arguments. Even with law schools, some procedural case where there is a nuance of procedure is not going to be all that interesting," McCarthy said. "We try to find, for what we would expect at A&M to be an undergraduate population, something they could identify or follow."
More at http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_cb8e7bd4-3a96-5931-bfb6-8f67c7e2f151.html .
[font color=maroon]Aggie justice--what could go wrong? 
[/font]
Tolls could be coming down road for I-35
The chairman of the state's transportation commission has revived a radical idea to put some toll lanes on Interstate 35 through Austin in exchange for removing tolls from all or part of Texas 130.
Such a swap — which in effect would make 130 the new I-35, at least in part — was proposed two years ago as part of a statewide study about how to relieve traffic congestion on I-35.
The report suggested converting two lanes to tolls on I-35, between Buda and Georgetown, while leaving four lanes non-toll.
In turn, tolls on Texas 130, which runs parallel to I-35, would be removed from the northern section, making it the freeway.
More at http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Tolls-could-be-coming-down-road-for-I-35-4962405.php .
Sen. Wendy Davis visits University of Texas at Brownsville
It was late June when Wendy Davis, a state senator from Fort Worth, rocketed to national prominence on the strength of a 11-hour filibuster of a bill being considered that would indirectly lead to the closure of abortion clinics across Texas.
The story of her physical feat, and choice of pink footwear, made her a national icon overnight and led to calls from her supporters for her to run for governor — a call she answered in October.
But while in Brownville Tuesday, Davis revealed her campaign for governor isn’t based on her abortion filibuster and brightly colored shoes.
In fact, her campaign stop at the University of Texas at Brownsville centered more on a lesser-known filibuster of hers: one she conducted in 2011 in opposition to a budget that sought to cut $4 billion from public education.
More at http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_13eedfca-469b-11e3-93b6-0019bb30f31a.html .
Obama says Perry’s opposition to Medicaid expansion is “bullheadedness”
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
DALLAS — President Barack Obama traveled to North Texas Wednesday to thank those working to help Texans sign up for coverage through the nation’s new health care plan — and to call on Republican Gov. Rick Perry to do more to help those without insurance.
He brought his defense of the controversial health care law to Texas, the largest Republican state where officials oppose the program as well as any expansion of Medicaid.
“There’s no state that actually needs this more than Texas,” Obama told a crowd of about 150 gathered at Temple Emanu-El, where volunteers work to enroll others in the health care program, before heading to two high-dollar fundraisers geared to help Democratic senators seeking re-election.
But he noted that efforts to carry out the health care law can be “especially challenging here in the Lone Star State,” prompting a woman at the event to shout, “We’re up to the task!”
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/11/06/5312489/obama-is-on-his-way-to-texas-for.html
Protesters denounce health care law, Benghazi at site of Obama’s Dallas appearance
Source: Dallas Morning News
Michael Chew, 39, said he was with a group called Activists for Truth and Liberty and came to the president’s appearance because he was tired of lies from Washington. He held a sign referring to Benghazi.
Chew, who said he has been unemployed for two years, said the Affordable Care Act won’t benefit anyone and those making minimum wage won’t be able to afford it.
“They need to throw Obamacare off the table and just do away with it,” he said. “It’s like the middle class has been kicked out and the working poor has been established. It’s like the rich and the poor and the working poor.”
Another protester, 78-year-old Frances Minkowitz, didn’t mince words on her sign with a call to impeach Obama that also alluded to Benghazi.
Read more: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/protesters-denounce-health-care-law-benghazi-at-obamas-dallas-appearance.html/
Video included at the link.
3 Leander school district marching bands sweep state championship
#t=99In most UIL state championship contests, schools face the intimidating prospect of taking on rivals from across the state. But for student musicians in the Leander school district, their fiercest competition was in their own backyard.
At the 4A UIL state marching band competition Tuesday in San Antonio, the three competing high school bands from the Leander school district — Vandegrift, Cedar Park and Vista Ridge — managed to take the top three spots, shutting out 25 of the best marching bands in Texas.
Vandegrift managed a first-place finish, dethroning neighboring Cedar Park, which finished first in the last 4A state competition in 2011. This year, Cedar Park settled for silver.
Vista Ridge High School bounced back from a flawed preliminary show to take third.
“Words cannot express how our kids felt,” said Vandegrift band director Jeremy Spicer. “It was magical. During the last song, our drum major, who was conducting the band, had tears in her eyes.”
Though there is certainly a rivalry among the school district bands, Spicer said their ability to sweep the top three spots speaks volumes about the school district’s attitude regarding music education.
“This would not have happened if there wasn’t a strong sense of camaraderie between these three schools,” said Spicer.
Cedar Park director Steve Wessels said his marchers were understandably disappointed about not retaining the championship but were still proud of the performance they gave.
“Everybody poured their hearts out onto that field,” Wessels said. “They were focused and they did their job, and that’s all you can ask for as a director. Vandegrift put on a heck of a show.”
There was also “a tinge of disappointment” for third-place finisher Vista Ridge, until the band realized it had been part of a district sweep.
“Any disappointment began to fade when we realized that LISD might have swept the medals … a historic achievement,” said Vista Ridge Marching Band director Bryan Christian. He added the band is able to take pride in coming back from a less than stellar preliminary round in which the band was initially ranked fourth.
All three bands have spent months perfecting their shows. Because part of the score is based on the difficulty of the music, they challenged themselves with arrangements of music by classical masters. Vandegrift and Cedar Park both opted for music from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, while Vista Ridge took on a score from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
The bands plan to spend the rest of the week celebrating their successful season. Most of the student musicians will be given a break from rehearsals, while champion Vandegrift will enjoy a formal medaling ceremony and a live TV appearance later in the week.
But there won’t be much time off for the directors. It’s time for them to begin planning next year’s show.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/3-leander-isd-marching-bands-sweep-state-champions/nbjxW/
[font color=green]Bands advance to the state finals every other year based upon their UIL enrollment classification. This year class 1A, 2A and 4A schools were in competition. Class 3A and 5A compete again in 2014.[/font]
How Texas Conservatives Keep Gay Couples Locked in Marriage
In his last few sessions in the Texas Legislature, former state Rep. Warren Chisum, a conservative Republican from Pampa, filed legislation to chip away at no-fault divorce. Before he left the Legislature in 2012, Chisum sought to strengthen marriage by making it more difficult to divorce. Chisum also happened to be among the most outspoken anti-gay members of the Legislature and the architect of the state’s 2005 ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions.
Much has changed since Chisum began his marriage crusades. Fourteen states now recognize marriage equality and, following this summer’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Windsor, so does the federal government. Windsor has sparked a number of lawsuits around the country, challenging both state bans on same-sex marriage and the recognition of marriages performed in other states. Despite these bans, thousands of legally married same-sex couples now reside in states, like Texas, that prohibit marriage equality. While many states grapple with whether same-sex couples can get married, Texas is deciding whether same-sex couples must stay married.
As it turns out, Texas’ anti-gay policies may create something very close to Chisum’s ideal of lifelong marriage—but, ironically, only for same-sex couples. Texas’ laws against same-sex unions may have the perverse effect of keeping same-sex couples bound in marriage.
Today, the Texas Supreme Court addressed the question head-on: Even though Texas does not recognize same-sex marriage, must it authorize divorce?
More at http://www.texasobserver.org/op-ed-texas-conservatives-keep-gay-couples-locked-marriage/ .
Cross-posted in Texas Group.
How Texas Conservatives Keep Gay Couples Locked in Marriage
In his last few sessions in the Texas Legislature, former state Rep. Warren Chisum, a conservative Republican from Pampa, filed legislation to chip away at no-fault divorce. Before he left the Legislature in 2012, Chisum sought to strengthen marriage by making it more difficult to divorce. Chisum also happened to be among the most outspoken anti-gay members of the Legislature and the architect of the state’s 2005 ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions.
Much has changed since Chisum began his marriage crusades. Fourteen states now recognize marriage equality and, following this summer’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Windsor, so does the federal government. Windsor has sparked a number of lawsuits around the country, challenging both state bans on same-sex marriage and the recognition of marriages performed in other states. Despite these bans, thousands of legally married same-sex couples now reside in states, like Texas, that prohibit marriage equality. While many states grapple with whether same-sex couples can get married, Texas is deciding whether same-sex couples must stay married.
As it turns out, Texas’ anti-gay policies may create something very close to Chisum’s ideal of lifelong marriage—but, ironically, only for same-sex couples. Texas’ laws against same-sex unions may have the perverse effect of keeping same-sex couples bound in marriage.
Today, the Texas Supreme Court addressed the question head-on: Even though Texas does not recognize same-sex marriage, must it authorize divorce?
More at http://www.texasobserver.org/op-ed-texas-conservatives-keep-gay-couples-locked-marriage/ .
Cross-posted in LGBT Group.
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,085
