October 1, 2014

Poll shows Greg Abbott with single-digit lead on Wendy Davis

Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott holds a single-digit lead over Democrat Wendy Davis in a late-September poll released Wednesday.

The Texas Lyceum Poll of likely Texas voters showed 49 percent favoring Abbott and 40 percent for Davis.

Davis enjoyed strong support from Hispanic and African American voters, but Abbott held a slight lead, 46 to 44 percent, among women – a demographic the Democratic Party has aggressively targeted this campaign season – and independents.

University of Texas Professor Daron Shaw, who helped conduct the poll, said the single-digit race for governor still leaves Davis in a difficult position.

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/poll-shows-abbott-with-single-digit-lead-on-davis/nhY6Y/

October 1, 2014

Sherwin Alumina, employees at stalemate in labor talks

CORPUS CHRISTI - Hundreds of workers for the Sherwin Alumina Co. in Gregory feared their jobs were in jeopardy as their employment contract ticked down to its final few hours.

The labor contract that covers 450 of the plant’s 600 employees agreed to four years ago was set to expire at midnight Tuesday. Under the current contract, hourly employees get a comprehensive wage and benefits package that includes health care, coverage for dental and vision, a pension and a company match in their 401(K) plan. The company has presented proposals to employees, who are represented by United Steelworkers, Local 235-A,

By Tuesday night, the two sides hadn’t agreed to terms.

“These negotiations will go on for a while. It’s going to be an all-nighter,” union president Terry Howard said. “As long as we’re at the table ... it’s hard to comment right now.”

Read more: http://www.caller.com/news/local-news/sherwin-alumina-employees-at-stalemate-in-labor-talks_50961971

October 1, 2014

State Sen. Perry discusses morals in inaugural speech; compares abortion to the Holocaust

After placing his hand on the Bible and taking the oath of office, state Sen. Charles Perry compared what he called the “spiritual battle” brewing across the nation to the Holocaust.

God has a place in the government, Perry explained in his inaugural speech as he vividly recalled a recent trip to a concentration camp in Berlin.

“There were 10,000 people that were paraded into a medical office under the guise of a physical. As they stood with their back against the wall, they were executed with a bullet through the throat. Before they left, 10,000 people met their fate that way,” Perry said.

“Is it not the same than when our government continues to perpetuate laws that lead citizens away from God? The only difference is that the fraud of the Germans was more immediate and whereas the fraud of today’s government will not be exposed until the final days and will have eternal-lasting effects.”

-snip-

“Roe v. Wade condemned 55 million innocent and defenseless souls that cried out for righteousness from a God who is just [font color=green]{speaking about abortion}[/font]— we will answer for that as a nation,” Perry said, later noting that he has made clear his stance on gay marriage.

Read more: http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2014-09-30/state-sen-perry-discusses-morals-inaugural-speech#.VCttJRbuPoE

October 1, 2014

Texas senator makes Holocaust comparison in speech

Source: AP

LUBBOCK — A recently elected West Texas state senator on Tuesday compared what he called a “spiritual battle” against religion in the United States to the Holocaust.

Charles Perry made the comparison after being sworn in on Tuesday following his victory earlier this month in a special election to replace a retiring state senator, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported.

In his inaugural speech, Perry said a recent trip to a concentration camp in Germany made him draw a comparison between what he believes are efforts by the government to pass laws against religion and the killing of Jews during the Holocaust.

“There were 10,000 people that were paraded into a medical office (at the concentration camp in Germany) under the guise of a physical. As they stood with their back against the wall, they were executed with a bullet through the throat. Before they left, 10,000 people met their fate that way,” Perry said.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20140930-texas-senator-makes-holocaust-comparison-in-speech.ece

September 30, 2014

Gov. Rick Perry tells MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ that arrogance derailed his 2012 presidential run

“Life is good.”

So said Gov. Rick Perry this morning at the outset of his interview with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, otherwise known as the show people watch in clips posted to the Internet. Perry wouldn’t talk about his indictment, nor would he say whether he’s running for president: “I’ll make a decision next year,” he said. So no holding your breath until Christmas.

-snip-

“I think America needs a competent leader,” he said. ” We’ll sort out who that’s going to be …”

-snip-

Maybe the highlight comes early in the chat, when Perry dissects his previous presidential run and the moment the wheels shot off. Said Perry, he just didn’t prepare last time, simple as that. He wasn’t prepared for all three phases: domestic policy, monetary policy, foreign policy. The reason, said the governor: “I was a bit arrogrant. I’d been elected governor three times.” And that should have been good enough. But … it was not.

Full article and video: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/09/gov-rick-perry-tells-msnbcs-morning-joe-that-arrogance-derailed-his-2012-presidential-run.html/

September 30, 2014

Davis calls for inquiry of Abbott’s role in Texas Enterprise Fund; return $1.4M in campaign funds

AUSTIN — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis called Monday for an independent investigation into GOP opponent Greg Abbott’s role in keeping records from the troubled Texas Enterprise Fund secret, and she called on him to return $1.4 million in campaign contributions he has received over the years from beneficiaries of the fund.

Davis, speaking in Fort Worth, accused Abbott of a cover-up through his 2004 ruling to withhold the applications of companies that got millions of taxpayer dollars from the enterprise fund.

“Greg Abbott used the power of his office to orchestrate a cover-up of the transfer of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds to companies who never even completed an application for the funds — blocking the release of applications he knew didn’t exist,” she said.

A state audit released last week found that the job-creation fund was riddled with problems after it was launched in 2003, including lack of record-keeping and the failure to require formal applications from some businesses that received job-creation money. The audit found that the fund distributed $222 million to recipients that didn’t file formal applications for the money or failed to promise specific job-creation targets.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20140929-davis-calls-for-inquiry-of-abbotts-role-in-texas-enterprise-fund.ece

September 30, 2014

Dallas hospital patient tested for Ebola; results expected Tuesday

A Dallas hospital expects preliminary test results Tuesday that may confirm whether a patient there has Ebola.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas placed the patient in “strict isolation” after the person’s symptoms and recent travel history raised concerns, spokeswoman Candace White said in a written statement Monday.

The name of the patient and other details were not released.

The hospital said it is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to ensure the safety of patients, staff members and visitors.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140929-dallas-hospital-patient-tested-for-ebola-results-expected-tuesday.ece

September 30, 2014

In Lt. Gov. Debate, Patrick and Van de Putte Spar Over Taxes, ACA, Education and Abortion

In the only scheduled debate in their race for lieutenant governor, state Sens. Dan Patrick and Leticia Van de Putte faced off on Monday night in a lively exchange that displayed their divergent positions on everything from health care and immigration to school finance and taxes.

Both candidates played offense: Patrick, R-Houston, attempted to portray Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, as “out of step” with Texas voters. Van de Putte used the back-and-forth to try to pin Patrick down on votes he'd taken on cuts to public education. But one of the biggest points of contention in the hourlong showdown in Austin was over the state’s tax structure.

Patrick recently called for reducing the state’s dependence on the property tax to fund public schools and relying on the state’s sales tax instead. On Monday, Van de Putte used Patrick's position to argue that he would raise the sales tax, which she said would hurt businesses and consumers. Patrick sought to clarify his proposal, saying he would only support increasing the sales tax “by a penny or two” to compensate for reduced revenue from property taxes.

“There's two people standing on this stage, and I’m the only one that doesn’t want to raise your sales taxes,” Van de Putte said. “To burden Texas businesses and families with a sales tax increase ... well, that’s not being pro-business.”

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2014/09/29/debate-van-de-putte-and-patrick-sound-over-taxes/

September 30, 2014

Purrfessor Katz Kemistre Lessun Wun

Teh kittehs r n skool fur awyl sew it’z tiem fur revuwing summ lessuns. Purfessor Katz beginz wif lessun wun.







[div style="width:200%;"][/font]

September 30, 2014

35 days: Will Texas Voters Opt to Vote Out Political Corruption?

By Carol Morgan

Corruption has brought down many a country; think Nigeria and Zaire, look at Pakistan and China. Like a silent contagion, it’s infecting America as well. If we examine the kleptocracy at the state level, the prospect for good ethical governance is dim and portentous.

According to State Integrity, which gives a grade to each state based upon ten measures, Texas received a D+. In five of the ten measures, we received an F. The single measure in which Texas received an A was Internal Auditing.

And thank God for Internal Auditing...

Without it, we wouldn’t know about the deals made behind closed doors at the Austin Club, legislators’ offices, and the golf courses on the periphery of Austin. Texas has become a safe haven for insider agreements with our own Davos-banker-bespectacled governor at the pinnacle of the food chain.

If Whitey Bulger ran for office, labeling himself as a Christian Conservative Republican, he’d be elected. In Texas, wearing the CCR label is something close to ala-kazam. It’s a get-out-jail-free card without any dice rolling.

Like Bulger, many CCR politicians should be in jail, but amazingly, they’re running for office. Voting for them is akin to hiring your next babysitter from the list of convicted sex offenders.

Everyone likes lists:

1. Rick Perry: Under indictment for coercion of a public servant and abuse of official capacity. Four days ago, an audit discovered that he granted millions of dollars in the Texas Enterprise Fund to businesses and universities that didn’t even complete an application and the ones who did created no jobs or jobs in the single digits. I’m sure there’s plenty more crimes (think university meddling and the Formula One wild ride) he’s committed during his years as Texas’ governor, he just hasn’t been caught yet.

2. Greg Abbott: The list is long and for those with selective memory loss go here. Recently, Senator Davis shined a little light on the unexplored shadowy corners of Mr. Abbott’s term as AG. How is he linked with the $222 million TEF audit controversy? What about CPRIT? He withheld money for real cancer needs and passed it on to his donors. He downplayed the West explosion to please the Koch Brothers. His decision to appeal Dietz’ ruling, instead of allowing the Legislature to fund our schools; he flat-out lied during the RGV debates. Don’t forget his stance on equal pay, rape, and women’s health. He’s Rick Perry’s hand-picked successor, need I say more?

3. Dan Patrick: Dannie Goeb’s certainly cleaned up his act during this campaign. We don’t hear much about his dirty tricks and cheesy theatrics like we did in 2013. He done pretty well for an ex-titty-bar-entrepreneur-turned-self-righteous-radio talk show host who won’t pay his bills even when he has the money and then, gets all depressed about it. If you want to completely dismantle public education, then he’s your man.

4. Ken Paxton: This is the biggest knee-slapper of all! How can it be that a man who might be elected as Texas’ number one attorney could be a possible two-time felon and disbarred from the TBA all at the same time? His shenanigans with the Mowery firm could cost him, and us. The Travis County DA’s office has decided to postpone Paxton’s possible indictment until after the election. Try to explain that to the kiddies, eh?

5. Glenn Hagar: He says he’s proud to cut the funding to our schools. Is he proud of depriving 11, 000 educators of their livelihood? Mike Collier, please.

6. George P. Bush: Knows nothing about lands other than the front yard he dug up with his Trans-Am when he got mad at his girlfriend. If elected, he will give a free ticket to any energy mogul or polluter that has ties to the Bush family. (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/nut-some-soup-0)

7. Randy Neugebauer: Moves the family business to Puerto Rico to avoid taxes. Allows family farms to suffer without a viable farm bill for how many years? Exponentially increases his personal wealth during his term in office. Likes to use military veterans as a prop. Lapdog to the Heritage Foundation. His latest gift is the Jobs for America Act. It will change the definition of a full time worker in America and thus, assist his corporate handlers. Neal Marchbanks please.
(http://www.democraticunderground.com/107819444)

These midterms scare me.

At the national level, it could determine the nominees for SCOTUS at a later date and that will be uglier than Faustus’ bargain with Mephistopheles.

If Governor Perry’s hastily-arranged-carefully-orchestrated special election is any indication of the poor judgment, lack of factual knowledge, and the dogged belief in dumbed down GOP rhetoric, rather than campaign substance, then those of us on both sides of the aisle have much to fear.

It was name recognition that sent a new Senator to Austin; a man funded by Empower Texans, headed by a fallen Eagle Scout under an ethical cloud for lobbying without registering, and now he’s moving to Denton to get a more favorable ruling from that court.

Empower Texans is merely a front group for Midland oilman and Christian private school entrepreneur, Timothy Cook. If Mr. Cook wants to control things, why doesn’t he run for office himself?

There’s plenty of information out there to educate yourselves on the issues, but most would rather concentrate on football, getting drunk at Raider Alley or ogle Kim Kardashian’s gross oversized wide load.

I want to shake some Texans by the shoulders.

Corruption in Texas is a foundational issue that taints everything. It undermines civic virtue, reduces accountability, and siphons off citizen’s trust in public policy. It results in the inefficiency of public services; assistance does not get to those who need help. Most of all, it’s just plain dishonest; something I thought we were supposed to know by age five.

Until we pluck out the Conservative parasites who are sucking the life and integrity out of Texas, we’ll accomplish nothing. I’ve been ranting about this for two years, and if the experts are correct, that it takes 151 times of hearing a message before you “get” it, then I’m just going to keep on talking every single day.

There should be no more arguments with those who justify Texas corruption by referring to the “Texas Miracle” because that card trick is miraculous only for the insiders and lobbyists; the bootlickers of the corrupt. The only ones who’ve benefitted from the TM song and dance are energy executives, state contractors who operate without any state oversight, corporations who endanger their workers by refusing to provide Workmen’s Compensation, and for-profit educational corporateurs who disguise themselves in the cloak of educational reform.

If there is a GOP victory in November, it won’t be a victory for the people of Texas. It will be the kind of victory that William Faulkner wrote about, the victory that’s “an illusion for philosophers and fools."

I don’t plan on being one of those fools in November. What will it take for you to disengage yourself from the fool’s camp?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carol Morgan is a career/college counselor, writer, speaker, former Democratic candidate for the Texas House and the award-winning author of Of Tapestry, Time and Tears, a historical fiction about the 1947 Partition of India. Read her work at the Houston Press and MetroLeader News Service. Email Carol at elizabethcmorgan@sbcglobal.net , follow her on Twitter and on Facebook or visit her writer’s blog at www.carolmorgan.org

http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/carol-morgan/2014-09-29/35-days-will-texas-voters-opt-vote-out-political#.VCnwbBbuPoE

Permission granted to post this blog in its entirety. Links for items 6 and 7 of Carol Morgan's list were inserted by me. Item #6 should be corrected from Trans Am to Ford Explorer.