TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalState Conservative Groups Plan US-Wide Assault on Education, Health and Tax
Conservative groups across the US are planning a co-ordinated assault against public sector rights and services in the key areas of education, healthcare, income tax, workers’ compensation and the environment, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.
The strategy for the state-level organisations, which describe themselves as “free-market thinktanks”, includes proposals from six different states for cuts in public sector pensions, campaigns to reduce the wages of government workers and eliminate income taxes, school voucher schemes to counter public education, opposition to Medicaid, and a campaign against regional efforts to combat greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
The policy goals are contained in a set of funding proposals obtained by the Guardian. The proposals were co-ordinated by the State Policy Network, an alliance of groups that act as incubators of conservative strategy at state level.
The documents contain 40 funding proposals from 34 states, providing a blueprint for the conservative agenda in 2014. In partnership with The Texas Observer and the Portland Press Herald in Maine, the Guardian is publishing SPN’s summary of all the proposals to give readers and news outlets full and fair access to state-by-state conservative plans that could have significant impact throughout the US, and to allow the public to reach its own conclusions about whether these activities comply with the spirit of non-profit tax-exempt charities.
More at http://www.texasobserver.org/state-conservative-groups-plan-us-wide-assault-education-health-tax/ .
Former West paramedic sentenced to almost 2 years in prison
Bryce Reed, a former West paramedic, sobbed as he read a statement during his sentencing Wednesday taking full responsibility for his “incredibly stupid mistake,” saying he didn’t want the shadow of his misdeeds to incriminate the fallen firefighters of West.
“Heroes don’t deserve to be associated with this,” he said.
Reed, 31, was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison each for conspiracy to make a destructive device and attempting to tamper with evidence. He also will pay a total fine of $2,000.
Reed will serve the sentences concurrently and begin his sentence at a later date, which has yet to be decided, the judge determined.
More at http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/former-west-paramedic-sentenced-to-almost-years-in-prison/article_acde14e0-b50e-50bc-9140-785dffc811bb.html .
[font color=green]The irony is that Reed may be the only person going to jail for the explosion in West.[/font] 
Pauken drops out of Texas GOP governor's race
AUSTIN — Tom Pauken, the former chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission, announced Thursday that he is dropping out of the race for the Republican nomination for governor because of his campaign’s lack of organization and funds.
The move leaves front-runner Attorney General Greg Abbott in a secure position for the Republican nomination.
If nominated, he would face Democrat state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth for the governor’s office. Gov. Rick Perry announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election in 2014.
“When I first filed our exploratory committee in March, I said at the time that there were certain, minimum objectives we needed to achieve to win the Republican nomination: (1) We had to raise a minimum of $2 million; (2) We had to build a strong, statewide organization; (3) We had to develop a major social media presence in a short period of time,” Pauken said in a statement. “Even though I have worked hard to get our message out across the state the past six months, unfortunately we are nowhere near where we need to be financially and organizationally to win this race.”
More at http://www.caller.com/news/2013/dec/05/pauken-drops-out-of-texas-governors-race/ .
[font color=green]Pauken was barely able to raise more than $200,000 for his campaign.[/font]
El Paso attorney challenging Cornyn for US Senate
EL PASO, Texas —
An El Paso attorney and Democrat has announced she's running against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
But Maxey Scherr says she's most-interested in stopping his Senate colleague and fellow Texan Ted Cruz.
Scherr kicked off her campaign at an El Paso event with about 100 supporters Thursday. Spokesman Daniel Barash said Scherr has filed paperwork to compete in next March's Democratic primary.
Scherr wants to serve as a Senate counterweight to Cruz on issues like immigration and health care. While Cornyn is up for re-election next November, Cruz is in the first year of his 6-year term.
More at http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/el-paso-attorney-challenging-cornyn-for-us-senate/ncCg3/ .
Nelson Mandela dead at 95
Source: NBC News
Nelson Mandela, the revered South African anti-apartheid icon who spent 27 years in prison, led his country to democracy and became its first black president, died Thursday at home. He was 95.
Though he was in power for only five years, Mandela was a figure of enormous moral influence the world over – a symbol of revolution, resistance and triumph over racial segregation.
He inspired a generation of activists, left celebrities and world leaders star-struck, won the Nobel Peace Prize and raised millions for humanitarian causes.
South Africa is still bedeviled by challenges, from class inequality to political corruption to AIDS. And with Mandela’s death, it has lost a beacon of optimism.
Read more: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/05/17500450-nelson-mandela-dead-at-95
CNN documentary airing tonight focuses on Michael Morton case
Central Texan Michael Morton, who was accused, convicted and later exonerated of murdering his wife, Christine, is the focus of a documentary premiering tonight at 8 on CNN.
“An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story” tells the tale of Morton, who was freed earlier this year thanks to DNA evidence. He’d spent nearly 25 years behind bars.
The documentary comes from Academy-Award-nominated filmmaker Al Reinert, the man behind “Apollo 13” and “For All Mankind.” It features interviews with Morton and his son, Eric, as well as inmates, attorneys and others with knowledge of the case.
The network has created a Twitter hashtag – #AnUnrealDream – for viewers interested in using social media to discuss the documentary, and has also created a website with more details on Morton’s long journey to freedom: cnn.com/anunrealdream .
http://www.austin360.com/weblogs/tv-radio-blog/2013/dec/05/cnn-documentary-airing-tonight-focuses-michael-mor/
Texas State Trooper Jimmy Gillman Caught Buying Meth in Cleburne, Police Say
A Texas state trooper was arrested in Cleburne Tuesday night after allegedly buying 6 grams of methamphetamine.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, 47-year-old Jimmy Jay Gillman, an officer in the Texas Department of Public Safety's commercial vehicle enforcement unit, was picked up just after 9 p.m. in front of his Cleburne home.
Police -- some with Johnston County's "Stop the Offender Program Special Crimes Unit," some with the Burleson Police Department, some with the Texas Rangers -- were watching him there after receiving a tip about Gillman's alleged drug use.
Inside the home, officers found more drugs and drug paraphernalia. Gillman's girlfriend, a 53-year-old Arlington resident, was taken into custody but was later released.
More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/12/texas_state_trooper_jimmy_gill.php .
How a Texas school responded to anti-gay bullying by suppressing the victim’s free speech
Let’s play a game. Read the following little story and then guess where it happened:
A student in a high school tears pages from a “holy book” as a protest. The incident causes considerable outrage from authorities. The fact that he owns the book and no one is injured doesn’t matter; he is suspended from school.
Was this something that happened in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq?
Nope, it was Richland Hills, Texas. The “holy book” was a Bible and the student, Isaiah Smith, was the victim of anti-gay bullying. In protest, he tore the pages from the books of Leviticus and Romans in his Bible.
More at http://www.lonestarq.com/dungeon-diary-north-richland-hills-school-district-violated-isaiah-smiths-free-speech/#more-879 .
Cross-posted in Texas Group.
How a Texas school responded to anti-gay bullying by suppressing the victim’s free speech
Let’s play a game. Read the following little story and then guess where it happened:
A student in a high school tears pages from a “holy book” as a protest. The incident causes considerable outrage from authorities. The fact that he owns the book and no one is injured doesn’t matter; he is suspended from school.
Was this something that happened in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq?
Nope, it was Richland Hills, Texas. The “holy book” was a Bible and the student, Isaiah Smith, was the victim of anti-gay bullying. In protest, he tore the pages from the books of Leviticus and Romans in his Bible.
More at http://www.lonestarq.com/dungeon-diary-north-richland-hills-school-district-violated-isaiah-smiths-free-speech/#more-879 .
Cross-posted in LGBT Group.
Study: Refusal to expand Medicaid is costing Texas billions
AUSTIN — If Texas keeps refusing to enlarge Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, the state will pass up a heap of money, a new study has found.
In 2022, the state would pass up federal money for Medicaid expansion equal to more than twice its haul that year in federal highway aid, according to researchers Sherry Glied and Stephanie Ma of New York University.
Texas would forfeit $9.6 billion of federal Medicaid matching funds in 2022. That’s one-fourth of what the federal government expects to spend on defense contracts in the state that year, the study said.
“No state that declines to expand the program is going to be fiscally better off because of it,” said Glied, a former Obama administration health planning official who is dean of NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
More at http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20131204-study-refusal-to-expand-medicaid-is-costing-texas-billions.ece .
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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: 112,101
