Borris "Gangsta" Miles speaks out...

He probably should have re-thought that one...

(from the KHOU staff)

For the first time we are hearing what State Representative Borris Miles has to say about allegations of an unwanted kiss at a Christmas Party.

He's being sued over the incident.

On Thursday, the state representative was at a Community Partnership Breakfast in the 3rd Ward where he was greeting nearly everyone with a kiss and a hug.

In December, a woman named Krysnthia Redo claimed that Miles kissed her on the mouth at a Christmas Party.

Redo is suing to have him tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

(snip)

But when 11 News reporter Leigh Frillici asked about him invading people's spaces by hugging them, especially when he doesn't even know them, Miles said, "I'm from the South. That's how I was born and raised. As you saw, that's how I greet my people."

Ohhh Kay.

I'm sure the "that's the way we do things in the drrrrty, drrrrty South" defense might work in New York, is it really going to have much credibility, down in Texas....you know...the South....

...where if you meet most strangers with a kiss and a hug they'll respond with a shot to the groin? (or a lawsuit requesting a test for STD's)

Equally disturbing is that State Rep. Miles considers constituents and friends to be "his people". As in: "Let my people GO HUG!!!" Every time Borris Miles talks to the media, a cheerleader cries....

The strange, peculiar world of Chron.commons

One thing about the Chron.commons expiriment with citizen journalism: People say the darndest things...

(from Neil Aquino The Texas Liberal...

I've said before that if Mrs. Clinton is the nominee, I'll vote for her. I feel our problems are so great that we can't have another Republican President. I want to give our political system one more chance to prove it is up to the challenge of climate change and the global economy.

One more chance or what?

Open revolution?
Move elsewhere?
Just give up?

I guess we'll never know.


UPDATE: I guess now we'll NEVER know because the post was deleted with no explenation.

Just more fun in the Chron.commons madhouse!

More fun from the Falkenberg files

The Chron's natural Red-head provides us with more chuckles today by managing to mangle what had the potential to be a pretty good column....

And away we go...

At 17, Jeff Liu should be plunked on a couch, eyes glazed over, in front of a video game. He should be updating his MySpace profile. He should be engaged in extensive texting sessions about the latest drama at school.

Those are the stereotypes of today's teens, anyway. But Liu doesn't seem to fit them.

The junior at College Station's Texas A&M Consolidated High School has spent a considerable amount of time this week e-mailing U.S. senators, state senators, Gov. Rick Perry, the Texas elections office and this newspaper on an issue his supposedly disengaged age group should care less about.

The teen wants to be able to vote in the Texas primary in March. And no mock primary, school-simulation deal, either. He wants the real thing, in all its line-waiting, screen-touching, self-congratulatory — 'I voted'-sticker-sticking glory.

(snip)

"If allowed to cast the ballot for the future leader of the United States, how can omitting their voice in the nomination process ever be justified?"

Well, shoot. Good question. I mean, 17-year-olds fresh from government, civics and history courses should know as much, if not more, about those issues than most adults who legally cast votes. And in many races, such as those for state rep, the party primaries are the only real contests anyway. So why should the almost-adults miss out?

"Well, shoot"?

One might surmise that the justification is provided by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America which states:

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Not "around eighteen", not "almost eighteen" but "eighteen years of age or older". The original age-limit was "twenty-one" but that changed after someone realized that eighteen year olds were being drafted to go overseas and get shot at for their Country without a vote. Well, shoot. That just couldn't stand now could it.

Granted, we don't know Jeff Liu other than to surmise that he's got a good grasp on the English language and he's a Democrat:

Liu told me he first became interested in politics after joining the debate club. The idea to send the e-mails came after the topic of voting rights for 17-year-olds came up during a meeting of his school's Young Democrats Club. A sponsor had mentioned that teens in another state had sought reforms.

Outside of that he's a junior in High School, and has probably not been demanded to ship out overseas and stare down a bullet for Old Glory. And no, no one is questioning his Patriotism, just the merits of his argument that he "deserves" to have the right to vote. Before we change something that's written into the highest law of the land, we might want to take a look at all sides of the issue right? It could be that the young man has a point. As a matter of fact, its a pretty good point considering that he will be eighteen when the general election rolls around, logic dictates that he should have some say in the process that leads up to that election.

Another answer is to let each party have its say. After all, what are primaries but federal funding of two quasi-public organizations internal beauty contests right? Sure, they sometimes pick the representative, but in contested elections there's nothing "Governmental" about the selection.

The important point is that this could have been a very interesting study in electoral politics and the processes that go into them.

Instead we are reminded that its all about Lisa:

I decided to help Liu with his quest.

I left a message with the elections office and while waiting for a call back, I researched how many states allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they'll be 18 by the general.

(snip)

When I reached Ann McGeehan, elections director for the Texas secretary of state, she delivered some disappointing news. Section 13.001 of the Texas Election Code requires a person to be "at least 17 years and 10 months of age" to register to vote.

(snip)

I asked state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, chair of the House elections committee, what he thought.

(snip)

I delivered the bittersweet news to Liu.

(snip)

Well, I told Liu, he may not be able to vote in March, but his efforts have certainly made him part of the political process, and maybe — in the spirit of Obama — part of change.

I, I, I, I, I, I, I.

You have to hand it to her however, at least in this piece she made it to about the half-way point before reminding us that she is truly, really, a hard-working, concerned columnist who deserves, belongs having her smiling face and natrually vibrant red hair flashing out at us twice per week.


You're lucky to have a columnist who works as hard as Lisa Falkenberg. If you don't believe that then she'll tell you. (again and again and again and again apparently)


The blogging term for columnists like Ms. Falkenberg is "job security".

The Lampson and Edwards oil plan.

David Ivanovich's story today about Congressmen Nick Lampson and Chet Edward's oil diversion plan isn't generating much debate, but it deserves to be discussed....

Hoping to steer $1 billion in government revenue toward energy research, two Texas Democrats have introduced a bill that would block the Bush administration from adding oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Since last August, the Bush administration has added nearly 9 million barrels to the emergency oil stockpile by directing to the reserve a third of the oil paid to the government as royalties by producers operating in the Gulf of Mexico under a program known as royalty-in-kind.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized the administration to expand the reserve to 1 billion barrels. It now contains 698 million barrels.

The Energy Department has announced plans to add another 11 million barrels over the next six months. The department has drawn fire for expanding the reserve at a time of near-record high oil prices.

Continuing to fill the reserve with oil priced around $90 a barrel is "fiscally irresponsible and an inappropriate use of taxpayers' dollars," said Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford.

The bill, authored by Lampson and Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, would require the government to sell 13 million barrels by Sept. 30 and then suspend further additions to the reserve. Instead, oil received as royalty-in-kind would be sold on the open market, with the proceeds used to fund energy research projects.

Among the recipients of the funds would be the Sugar Land-based consortium Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, which is headquartered in the congressional district Lampson represents.

You can find out some more about The RPSEA here at their website. Including the leadership which includeds many top researchers and oil industry execs. It's a fairly wide-ranging group, none of which have an overwhelming history of donating to either candidate according to Opensecrets.org.

The specifics of the plan, using Government Royalty-in-kind revenue to fund energy research, may not be that bad, but it would have to be weighed against the opportunity cost of failing to expand the SR to be used in times of crisis. Given Congress' sometime cavalier attitude when it comes to tapping the SR for vote-getting reasons (foolish) or to try and stem a rise in gas prices (worthless) instead of keeping it hearty in case its really needed. View the SR as the Social Security trust fund, only smaller and easier to manipulate.

Its too bad that we're more interested in talking about supposed price-fixing because of the annual "Spring price adjustment". (hint: consume less, and the price won't go up as much)

This isn't a "look what they did" post as much as its a "is this a good idea"? Question that may or may not peak your interest.

Edwards and Giuliani Post Mortem.

Well, the first real State that means something, and two major candidates abandon the race.

Why John Edwards failed...

(By Alan Stewart Carl of the PoliGazette)

Edwards got lost this year amidst the Clinton v. Obama rumble. You could say a rich, middle-aged white guy simply had no shot in a year when historic firsts beckoned the party. But, really, I think voters just weren’t convinced that this patrician with the Southern drawl as meticulously maintained as his hair would really change America for the better.

Oh, sure, he had that speech, the one members of the media fawned over four years ago. The one that sounded so stilted and contrived at the convention in 2004. Two Americas. One for those slimy rich jerks, one for us poor oppressed masses. The fact that Edwards himself is filthy rich was apparently a sign that he knew what he was talking about – rather than an indication that he might be clueless.

Those on the right often accused Edwards of waging class warfare. Maybe in some people’s definition. But, really, he’s just a typical 20th century era liberal who believes people have little hope of a good life without the government assuring them one. That’s not to say he believes in an endless welfare state. He truly loves the virtues of hard work and believes a good day’s labor should earn a good day’s pay. In a perfect world, it should, yes. In this world, the rise of the service economy has left us with lots of jobs whose labor is worth little so that the products we buy might cost less.

John Edwards wanted to fix that, which is a positive mission. But he wasn’t advocating the removal of hurdles that make it difficult for individuals to compete in the free market or lowering the barriers that make it hard for small businesses to prosper. He believed in more regulations, more restrictions, more government that would artificially elevate wages, close off trade and try to hold back the inevitable transition to a global economy. He wanted to protect us from the big, scary free market, not help us operate in it.

(snip)

What Edwards got wrong is that there are not two Americas. It’s not so simple. There are hundreds of Americas. Thousands. And each state, each city, each neighborhood and each person doesn’t need governmental coddling. We need freedom. We need the federal government to cut away the layers of unfairness not add more layers for us to navigate. It’s not even about smaller government. Just smarter government, more focused on creating opportunity than trying to create some unreachable ideal of classlessness.

I would argue that John Edwards had the right message for Democrats, but he was the wrong person to deliver it. All of his talk about being for the helpless part of the "two Americas" rang hollow when his $6 Million Dollar House and $400 haircuts became public. It's one thing to talk the talk, but when you are walking with the "wealthy, priviliged America" that you are railing against people just don't buy the snake oil. Or, not enough people to get elected that is.

Angry political rhetoric can be a valuable tool, but you have to be sufficiently distanced from the group you are railing against to be taken seriously. At the end of the day John Edwards couldn't do that. His campaign sounded more like a trial attorney trying to gain large punitive damages from big business than it did a Presidential campaign.

I've no doubt that Edwards is a good guy. I wish him and his wife the best in both their personal struggles and in their nascent movement to address the poor housing issue. I hope that Edwards becomes very successful in this venture and is able to expand the effort. I just hope that he doesn't turn out to be another Al Gore convincing the political establishment to pay Millions of dollars to set up an industry in which he is the primary beneficiary.

Why Giuliani failed...

(from Andrew Zajac of the Tribune Washington Bureau)

Former New York mayor turned one-man conglomerate Rudolph Giuliani is quitting the race for the Republican presidential nomination today, capping one of the more spectacular political flameouts in recent memory.

How did Giuliani blow it?

He ran as America's Mayor, the hero of 9-11. It was an image that spread widely though not deeply among voters, allowing them to reflexively serve up Giuliani's name to pollsters last fall when Giuliani led all GOP contenders. His campaign would claim 'momentum-proof' bulges in large, key states like New York, New Jersey and California.

The table was set.


The conventional wisdom is that Giuliani was done in by loopy strategy in which he was mostly absent in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina, tried to compete, sort of, in New Hampshire and counted on a wave of popularity in Florida to top presumably bloody and exhausted rivals.

But when Florida finally rolled around, neither McCain nor Mitt Romney was bloody and exhausted and Giuliani found himself eclipsed by them in buzz and money.

He also seemed to have forgotten what a tough sell a pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay rights New Yorker would be to the conservative GOP base.

There's one more significant factor at play: Almost nothing that's come out about Giuliani since last Labor Day has been flattering.

Consider the extraordinarily messy state of Giuliani's personal life and his frenetic, post-9-11 business dealings, both of which he apparently, perhaps naively, perhaps arrogantly, expected his celebrity to somehow neutralize.

At the end, Giuliani wasn't 1/2 of the creation he made himself out to be. He was flawed as both a candidate and a man. When you juxtaposed "reality" Rudy against "9/11 hero" Rudy what you were looking at came up way short. Way, way short if you're trying to campaign for the hearts and minds of Republican values voters.

A "pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, anti-gun" Republican has ZERO chance to win the primary. About as much chance as a Pro-life, anti-gay marriage, pro-gun Democrat would have winning the Democratic nod. Add to that Rudy's personal foibles and lack of business acumen and you have a celebrity candidate that did what celebrity candidates do: He peaked rapidly, and then deflated like a baloon. Along the way he was able to convince other empty suits that he was the real deal. Unfortunately for Perry, real might recognize real, but the sizzle often has trouble seeing past itself to realize that the steak is what its all about.

So, after Florida the chaff is (mostly) separated from the wheat in the 2008 Presidential election. Once Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee see the train at the end of the tunnel they'll back out as well and we'll be left with the final four.

After Super Tuesday we could just be left with two. Time flies when you're having fun.

Spin Cycle

Least Common Denominator Style:

Today's subject: Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana)...

Yesterday's spin...

(from Julie Hirschfield Davis of the AP)

"The more that this is kept slimmed down and it's clean and simple, the better. I do not want it loaded up with lots of other provisions," Baucus said. "Nobody wants to be held responsible for stopping this from going through."

Today's reality...

(from Richard Rubin of CQ politics)

As they try to speed an economic stimulus bill through Congress, Democrats are torn over a divisive tax policy question: Should the rich get rebates, too?

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus , D-Mont., thinks they should, and he is preparing to move a bill to the Senate floor that would give $500 to nearly every American, regardless of income.

That provision is part of a $161.3 billion package composed of payments to individuals and tax incentives for businesses that the Senate panel will mark up Wednesday afternoon. The bill is expected to reach the Senate floor this week.

But Baucus’ rebate proposal, which added about $5 billion to the bill’s cost, has prompted a fierce response in his own caucus. Now, his bid to win Republican votes for the package is complicating lawmakers’ final agreement on a plan to prop up the economy.

Byron L. Dorgan , D-N.D., Tuesday called Baucus’ idea “absurd.”

“That’s as if common sense has left the building,” he said.

Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., promised to add income caps to the bill if it reaches the Senate floor without them. “[It] causes me to want to gag,” Reid said. “I don’t think Warren Buffett should have a rebate.”

House Democrats were equally critical of Baucus’ proposal. Lawmakers in that chamber overwhelmingly passed, 385-35, a version of the package on Tuesday.

The House bill includes income caps, and that chamber’s $600 per-person checks for most taxpayers would begin phasing out for individuals earning more than $75,000 annually and married couples making more than $150,000.

An analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation said the House plan would send $50 million to people with children earning more than $200,000. Childless couples earning more than $174,000 a year would not receive any payment under the House plan.

“I hope what the Senate does will be respectful of [the] focus we have of middle-income and lower-income people,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who added later that the Senate approach should be “disciplined, focused and fiscally responsible.”

Note to Sen. Dorgan...There's precious little evidence in this entire "stimulus" debate that common sense was ever present in Congress in the first place.

Sen. Baucus is just proving to be even more clueless on this than most.


That's saying something.

The Winter of Rick Perry's discontent.

Rick Perry is having a bad day.

Not only is it very likely that his publically endorsed Presidential candidate and Vice Presidential meal ticket is resigning from the race, but there's also growing public anger over his proposed legacy-defining Trans-Texas Corridor to the point that even Republican callers to The Church of Dan's blowtorch are referring to him as "Governor 39%."

Ouch. And that's from his OWN party. Imagine what the Democrats are calling him now? (The best campaign tool EVER, maybe?)

The REAL bad news for Rick Perry is that he's not going to be able to skate from the (temporary) Governor's Mansion to Number One Observatory Circle as he had planned. Nope, unless he finds a new gig he's going to have to stay in Texas and answer to increased voter outrage over his backroom deal with Spanish transportation company Cintra.

Ouch.

What's a little thing like cheating amongst friends?

Been forced to resign because you helped subordinates cheat on a proficiency exam?

The Texas Department of Safety is the place for YOU!

(from Roma Khanna of the Chron)

The former DNA supervisor at Houston's troubled crime lab landed a job with the Texas Department of Public Safety even as she was under investigation — and likely to be fired — for improperly coaching analysts on proficiency tests, state officials confirmed Tuesday.

Vanessa Nelson, 33, resigned from the Houston Police Department's crime lab Jan. 10 to avoid being fired after an internal investigation concluded she had given crime lab analysts the answers they needed to pass a DNA skills test, HPD officials confirmed. Nelson led the lab's DNA division for more than two years when it reopened after the exposure of shoddy work forced its closure in 2002.

In her new job, she will run the DNA division of DPS' crime lab in McAllen, a facility with its own history of closure and deficiencies. Nelson, reached at her Houston home Tuesday, declined to comment.

Her departure forced HPD once again to suspend DNA testing, reversing years of work to bring the lab up to standard and restore public confidence.

Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman, said the department was aware of the alleged cheating but hired Nelson because she had worked for DPS before joining the Houston lab. "She was an outstanding employee then," she said, "and her supervisors expect that she will be again."

Joe Marchan, head of DPS' McAllen lab, sat on the panel of five that screened candidates for the DNA division job. He confirmed knowing about the complaint against Nelson, but said he was unaware that investigators had confirmed the allegations. "As far as we knew, it was unproven," he said. Marchan referred further questions to DPS headquarters in Austin.

State Rep. Kevin Bailey, who sat on a committee that investigated problems in the DPS labs in 2003, said he was troubled that the agency would hire Nelson before the HPD cheating investigation was complete.

"It is shocking, to say the least, that they would hire someone who was giving out test answers," the Houston Democrat said. "The integrity of these DNA labs is so critical. Their work has life-and-death consequences."

The Hollywood writers don't need to come back from their strike. They couldn't imagine this level of incompetence if they tried. Heck, no one with half a brain could imagine this scenerio unfolding. Especially when you consider that the DPS lab has a history an unflattering history at that.

(from Roxanne Lerma of KGBT 4 Harlingen)

The Texas Department of Public Safety office in McAllen is under fire. An audit uncovered problems in their DNA lab.

Now hundreds of cases are under review and convictions could be in jeopardy.

All appears quiet at the McAllen DPS headquarters, but inside, turmoil has erupted.

Over a three month period last year, the DNA division of the department's crime lab was quietly shut down-- unbeknownst even to Hidalgo County's top prosecutor.

"I didn't know anything about it closing-- the McAllen DPS crime lab (DNA lab), until today," exclaimed District Attorney Rene Guerra.

The crime lab's DNA portion was closed from June through September, after an internal audit apparently revealed numerous problems including rape kits that were not properly sealed and chemical re-agents used in DNA tests that were expired.

Alex Madrigal the DNA lab chief has since been suspended with pay.

Guerra says the recent developments could cast doubt on many of his cases.

Historically I've been a proponent of the death penalty. I think that Texas is too liberal with its application, but I support its application for the worst of the worst. But, with the problems surrounding the lab testing and integrity I can no longer in good concience support a system that could be sending people to their demise based on suspect information. Especially considering the way Texas applies the punishment.

It's time to re-think what we are allowing our State and Local governments to get away with.

Astrodome developers rising from the dead.

Just when we think we've kicked them out, they wiggle back in...

(from Bill Murphy of the Chron)

A group of entrepreneurs missed a Tuesday deadline for reaching a deal to turn the Dome into a convention hotel, but have negotiated a proposed long-term lease for the aging sports venue.

Astrodome Redevelopment Co. and the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. will forward the lease proposal to the county attorney's office for review Monday, County Attorney Mike Stafford said.

The sports corporation can ask the Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for input on the lease if the county attorney's office finds that it does not violate their rights, Stafford said.

"In reading the draft, we didn't see any problems," he said.

In summer 2006, the sports corporation and Commissioners Court gave preliminary approval to Astrodome Redevelopment's $450 million proposal to turn the Dome into a 1,300-room hotel.

A letter of intent signed by the sports corporation and the company spelled out that Astrodome Redevelopment had to work out deals with the Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — Reliant Park's main tenants — and secure financing.

The deadline for reaching those milestones expired Tuesday — in part because county officials had told Astrodome Redevelopment they needed more time to review financial and legal aspects of the deal.

The Texans and the rodeo have opposed the group's hotel plan, saying it would hurt their operations and siphon off concessions and other sales.

(snip)

Astrodome Redevelopment chief executive John Clanton said his company has created models based on the assumption that rodeo and Texans' fans will not enter the hotel complex.

Sports corporation director Willie Loston said Astrodome Redevelopment needs to show that Deutsche Bank or another lender will partly finance the project based on the new economic model.

Sports corporation vice chairman Charles "Sonny" Sowell said the group's proposal is not dead. "We hope they tailor it in such a fashion that (Reliant Park's) two main tenants will approve it," he said.

I'll give them this, they're persistent.

But, now that McNair's TRUE objections are coming out (i.e. revenue) I think we're beginning to see just how futile this venture is going to turn out to be. I've got a feeling that McNair is betting the goodwill he has hoarded as "the guy who brought football back to Houston" is enough to trump the damage that will come from becoming "the guy who tore down the Astrodome."

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I MISS the Houston Oilers.

The Houston's are not now, and will never be "My" team. Sorry Bob.


(The preceding is entirely seperate from my feelings about the dome. Tear the sucker down already)

The race to replace Janek

Ah the Texas Political blogosphere is all a twitter over the Resignation of State Senator Kyle Janek and the race to replace him.

The elephants seem to be courting Spencer Tillman (still under the umbrella of the bootlegger's boy talent agency BTW) if you believe the reports of Paul Burka and the gents from The County Seat while Gary Polland and Charlie Howard have also been mentioned as possibles.

The big name circling around the Donkeys is Scott Hochberg who has the advantage of being very popular with the party faithful as well as being a skilled campaginer.

Kuff provides a spreadsheet that shows the 2006 voting trends for SD 17 which he says are "somewhat purple" a statement with which I disagree. This may just be semantics (or a difference in statistical analysis) but at 58.2% Republican the district is rose colored if not deep red.

For Hochberg to win in a special there would have to be VERY low turnout on the Republican side. Something that could happen given the ineptitude of the local party in getting out the vote of late. If Tillman is the nominee then the job becomes all that much more difficult due to name recognition. Polland and Howard are beatable, but Tillman is not unless he's got something very nasty in his broom closet. Something that, according to folks who know him, doesn't seem all that likely. By all accounts Tillman is a pretty stand up guy.

Another question that hasn't been answered as of yet is if would-be local king-makers Dan Patrick and Bill White want to throw a name in for consideration as they have in other local races.

Stay tuned.


UPDATE: In this Chron article detailing the presser Janek states that he is resigning effective June 2.

There's also this interesting piece of news from Clay Robison's report:

Janek said sportscaster and former Houston Oilers football player Spencer Tillman of Sugar Land, who he had been considering a race, is out of the running because he doesn't live in the district.

So far its Hochberg, Polland and Howard who are said to be "considering" a run. Were I a Democrat I'd be praying it stayed just like that. Were I a Republican I'd be twisting Spencer's arm to move into the district ASAP.


OTHER EYES:

Professor's R-squared: Fallout from the Janek Resignation.
Miya's Poli blog (KTRK): Janek to announce resignation plans.
The County Seat: Salty air and 4 hour commute finally get to Kyle.
Off the Kuff: State Sen. Kyle Janek to Resign.

There's probably a TON more, but...you get the gist.

The road to hell etc.

Good intentions and all that...

(from Renee C. Lee of the Chron)

A Montgomery County woman plans to shut down her animal-rescue operation after animal-control officials last week asked her to voluntarily surrender 40 dogs and cats.

Molly Reed, who runs Furr Kids, will also turn over three horses to the SPCA of Houston, which will pick them up sometime this week.

Reed's father, Robert Reed, said his daughter loves animals and started her operation in December 2005 to help find homes for animals left stranded after Hurricane Katrina.

But neighbors said the situation had gotten out of hand, and they called authorities on several occasions about the numerous animals and their poor living conditions on Reed's two-acre property.

Animal authorities took action following a Jan. 18 visit to the property. Residents in the Champion Forest subdivision in northeast Conroe called because they were concerned about the welfare of Reed's horses.

Reed had a llama, nine horses, several of which were pregnant, and up to 45 dogs and cats on the property, officials said. The horses were thin from not having enough grain. One died on Thursday while giving birth.

Many of the dogs were kept in a garage in crates that were too small. Six cats also were found in crates. Three were dead, said Don Smith, a livestock officer with the Precinct 5 Constable's Office.

(snip)

News of Reed's situation has many in the tight-knit animal-rescue community shocked and angered because, in addition to not properly caring for the animals, Reed also has regularly turned in sick animals to be euthanized at the Montgomery County Animal Control shelter.

According to animal-control records, Reed has brought in about 200 animals to the shelter since 2004. More than 150 have been euthanized because they were either sick or were not adopted in time, records show.

None of the animals Reed surrendered will be euthanized, animal-control officials said. Many of them have been or will be claimed by animal-rescue groups, they said.

Its too bad for the animals that these seemingly well-intentioned people got in over their heads and just kept digging. It's also too bad that the local "rescue community" just sat back and tut-tutted without providing advice, aid and expertise.

As someone whose worked with a few local rescue groups I can attest that there are a certain number of rescuers whose main mission in life is tearing down other, rival rescue organizations and positioning themselves for leadership within their hierarchies.

There are good people out there as well. People who just want to help the animals and see that they have good homes, are removed from abusive situations etc. And there are people like the Reeds who mean well but don't have a clue as to what's involved in taking care of an animal properly. Especially a sick animal.

And before you say "well you don't know"!! Yes, I do. Not only am I the proud parent of three dogs, but I've done my time (and made my mistakes) rescuing dogs for rescue groups here in Houston. I've paid thousands of dollars through the years to ensure that my dogs are healthy, fit and have proper medical care.

And I've made my share of mistakes as well.

Piper was a dog that the wife and I were "rescuing" from a kill shelter for Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue four years ago. This was our "maiden" rescue so we thought we knew it all. The e-mail alert came out that Piper was in a local shelter and someone had to go pay for the adoption and transport the dog to the Rescue group's vet, because this shelter wouldn't release dogs to rescue groups, no matter how successful they were in finding these dogs homes. (FWIW: Houston area Rhodesian Rescue is very successful placing dogs in homes.)

So, off we went. Leash in tow and full of pet rescue fervor. We also didn't have the slightest idea of what we were getting into. We arrived at the shelter (which shall remain nameless) and found a bunch of dogs in squalid conditions. Dog's were up to their knees in mud, some had what looked like mange, and the place was bursting to the seams with all types and breeds. We asked to see "Piper" as she was named on-line and, after verifying that this was the Ridgeback we were looking for, we paid the $50 adoption fee, put Piper in the back of the Cherokee, snapped a few pictures of the shelter for recordkeeping and off we went down the road to the vet's office across town.

Then the Jeep broke down. That's right, broke down, dead. Full engine seizure on Beltway 8. Somehow I used momentum to get the Jeep off the main road and onto a little cul de sac off the feeder road by a red light. I'm an AAA member so a few quick cell phone calls and we had everything organized.

With a wrecker on the way to take me and the Jeep to the shop and a friend on the way to take the wife and Piper to the vet, we decided to open the back and let little Piper walk around a bit to try and calm her down.

This was our big mistake.

Gone.

When we lifted the back door Piper shot out of there and started running laps around the cul de sac area with my wife panicking behind her with the leash trying, in vain, to catch a dog who was clearly enjoying her new found freedom. At this point the wrecker arrived and I had to try and get those details worked out leaving my wife to wrangle the dog. As I talked to the wrecker about where we needed to take the Jeep we were suddenly interrupted by a very loud scream. Piper had decided to cross the Beltway 8 feeder road, which just about did my wife in.

Fortunately, the light at the intersection was red. You could see the people in the cars caught between laughter and horror at the sight of Piper running across the street, with my wife futily trying to keep pace while scared to the point of tears that a ran-over dog would be our reward for performing a rescue. Off they went, under the overpass and then back around across the street and Piper shot under a barbed wire fence and into a muddy field.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this my wife's best friend (who we called earlier) pulled up in her car as well as some very kind stranger who, for some reason, pulled out a jar of marshmallow creme and they were all over by the fence trying to help my wife climb it while attempting to entice Piper with the Marshmallow gloop. Eventually my wife, now covered in mud, was able to wrangle Piper in the field and hand her over to the nice lady, now covered in mud and marshmallow creme, who had stopped by to offer assistance.

Everyone looked like they had just finished a survival hike in a downpour. My wife was covered in mud and marshmallows as was the stranger. Our friend was covered in mud and Piper looked like she hadn't bathed in months. She was happily licking any trace of the marshmallow creme off of whoever got within toungues' length from her. The AAA wrecker driver decided the most prudent thing to do was stop for a second, light a cigarette and just kind of soak this whole scene in.

I never did get the name of the lady who stopped with her marshmallow creme, I offered to give her some money for cleaning but she shrugged it off, had a good laugh and then went on her way. My wife and her friend eventually got in the car and drove off to the vet with a lot of explaining to do as to why the dog was filthy and on a sugar high. Me and the wrecker driver finally got the Jeep hooked up and to the shop where I got a rental so I could drive home.

After all was said and done that "rescue" ended up costing me around $1,000 taking into consideration auto repair, cleaning, vet charges (we paid for the vet to help the rescue group) and alcohol needed to calm the nerves. From that point on I told my wife that we would donate money but that we were out of the rescuing business for good, a vow that I have kept to this day.


So you see, its EASY to mean well and then get in over your head. I feel sorry for the Reeds because that's what I think happened here. In my case I knew enough to quit digging harder, and just leave these things to people who know what they are doing.

Would I do a better job rescuing animals now? You bet. For one we've got a better car and we know more about what we are doing. Fortunately, in our case, no animals were hurt while we went up the learning curve.


Sadly that's not always the case.

Noriega gets his feet wet

We knew at some point he'd have to start campaigning, smart move sticking to what he does best at the beginning...

(from R.G. Ratcliffe of the Chron)

Democratic senatorial candidate Rick Noriega introduced himself to South Texas on Monday by telling audiences the region has not had representation in the U.S. Senate since Lloyd Bentsen left office in 1993.

Noriega accused Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn of failing to fight for the region on issues such as funding the repair of flood levies and the construction of a Veterans Affairs hospital in South Texas.

But it also was clear that the Democrats who attended the Noriega gatherings had come to find out who he is. The five-term Texas House member from Houston, who is married to Houston City Councilwoman Melissa Noriega, is barely known south of the Nueces River.

"I came out here to meet him because I didn't know who he was," said Robert Tapa, a member of the Robstown school board.

Noriega cousin Armando Gonzalez of Robstown was asked whether people in South Texas had ever heard of Noriega. Gonzalez replied, "Not really, but they're going to find out."

Noriega readily admitted that in a four-way race for the Democratic nomination, he needed to reach out to the people and political leaders of an important party constituency. "Forty percent of the primary is San Antonio and all of South Texas. For the primary's sake, you've got to go fishing where the fish are," Noriega said.

While repeatedly going after Cornyn, Noriega never mentioned his three primary opponents: Corpus Christi school teacher Ray McMurrey or perennial candidates Rhett Smith and Gene Kelly.

A lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, Noriega made a special effort at every stop to reach out to retired military personnel wearing service ball caps. And he emphasized the lack of a veterans hospital in South Texas, saying Cornyn had failed the region.

"South Texas has not had a United States senator in years, since the time of Lloyd Bentsen," Noriega told about 40 people at Lena's Filipino Restaurant in Kingsville.

"When was the last time you saw John Cornyn here, fighting for the people of Kingsville, Kleberg County and South Texas?"

At some point in this race, Noriega is going to have to broaden his issues above and beyond the "Cornyn sucks" campaign tactic as independents and those unhappy with Cornyn start to look deeper into what the guy stands for on domestic issues of the day. Already there are signs that Ray McMurrey is going to challenge his progressive credentials by trying to outflank him to the left on Nationalized health care. Since Noriega hasn't addressed that issue publically (as of yet) unbiased observers are noting that there is a lot of space available for McMurrey to horn in and force a run-off. A run-off that would signal the death knell to any serious candidate in the general election.

Right now Noriega is an unknown quantity on issues not relating to VA hospitals and the Iraqi Conflict and unkown quantities make people nervous when they go into the ballot box to pull the lever.

I still think he's the longest of longshots in terms of actually beating Cornyn, especially with his meager fundraising to date and his unwillingness to speak out on the issues.

If he can't avoid a run-off in the primary this candidacy will feel more like Radnofsky than Bentsen.

Texas Wine Fridays err....Mondays (part 2)

(I meant to write this post (again) on Friday, but a deep tissue massage to relieve back pain, a deadline for a magazine article and dodgy car brakes kept me from getting it up on time.)


Haak Winery Purple Porpoise.

Two weeks ago the wife and I wandered back down to Haak Winery to try out a new addition to their line up of wines: the Purple Porpoise. The story behind Purple Porpoise is enhanced by the fact that it also happens to be true.

For years one of Haak Wineries most popular wines was the Nouveau Jacquez made from the Jacquez or Black Spanish grape which seems to thrive in Texas. Unfortunately Jacquez doesn't like very cold temperatures, and it doesn't tolerate wet well. In 2007 the vast majority of the retail Jacquez crop in Texas was rendered useless by combinations of those two factors. Since most Jacquez sold is fermented for a relatively short time (think Beujolais Nouveau in style) with an eye on drinking it young, several winemakers (and Jacquez fans) are facing the unhappy prospect of a non-existent, or very poor quality 2007 Vintage.

In response to this Raymond Haak made a decision to cancel production of the Nouveau Jacquez wine for the year and to release in its place a blend.

The result was the Purple Porpoise, a semi-sweet blend of unrevealed grape varietals that's quickly become on of my wife's favorites, and to which I plan to pair with barbecue ribs during "The big game that cannot be named" Sunday to see how the underlying sweetness of the wine plays against the spiciness of the ribs.

Purple Porpoise is a good wine. IF you are a fan of semi-sweet wines. If you're from Texas you probably are, because 80% of the Texas market is sweet according to The Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. Haak won't release the varietals that they used to create this blend, but my amateur palate detected Pinot Noir and possibly some Shiraz and maybe an Italian varietal such as Barbera thrown in for good measure.

This is a red wine that you're going to want to drink slightly chilled. By chilled I mean at an even lower temperature than you would chill a red here in Texas. I typically drink my reds around the 60-65 degree range. This wine is best at around 45-50 degrees. It's sweeter so its perfect for a hot day, or eating with spicy foods.

As far as the tasting notes I noticed pronounced berry flavors with leather, vanilla and something slightly spicy in the finish. Not pepper spicy but something else. Almost like the tickle in the back of your throat that you get when tasting really good, really fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

All in all it was a good wine.

While at Haak I also tasted for the first time the 2006 Tempranillo and found it to be a very good representation of the varietal. Tempranillo can be a big grape, and tough to get a handle on food-wise. I'm thinking of trying my hand at a Valencian paella in the near future and this is the wine that I'm planning on pairing with it. It's full-bodied but not overpowering and it has a slighy spicy finish that follows the usual vanilla, plum and tobacco notes in the wine.

We also took advantage of the 1/2 case discount at the winery and restocked with Pink Pelican and the Madiera since our home stock had long since been consumed. The Pink Pelican being one of my wife's favorite wines and the Madiera ranking as one of my top five favorite after dinner drinks available.


Salud!

Earmarks: Can Bush take the high road?

I noticed an interesting tidbit in the CNN run-up report to the SOTU address this evening...

(from CNN.com)

Bush will announce "unprecedented changes" in the way lawmakers earmark money for special projects that benefit their districts or campaign contributors, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said in an e-mail.

The president plans to sign an executive order Tuesday "directing agencies to ignore any future earmarks included in report language, but not in the legislation," Fratto said. The order will not be retroactive, he added.

"The president will say that if these spending items are worthy, Congress should debate them in the open and hold a public vote," Fratto said. "He will state his commitment to veto any spending bill that does not succeed in cutting earmarks in half from 2008 levels."

The move comes after House Republicans challenged Democrats in a letter Friday to join a bipartisan effort to overhaul earmarks. Republicans are expected to use earmarking as an issue against Democrats in the 2008 elections.

I understand that Republicans are running hot and heavy toward earmarks as their saving grace in the current elections. Yes, they want to switch the conversations from their scandals and their records of increased spending I also get that.

Here's my question: Is President Bush, the guy who never found an earmark-bloated bill from the Replican-controlled Congress that he couldn't sign, REALLY the guy who the Republicans want to lead them to the "promised land" of electoral victory in 2008?

In their individual races Republicans are resembling the first guy out to football practice as they try to run away from President Bush and his many negatives. Now he's taking the lead on one of their key election strategies?

To my Republican friends I can only offer up the immortal words of Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park: "Hold onto your butts."


ADDED: I agree with The Professors...far better to play the SOTUS drinking game and disregard all of the other stuff.

Congrats to Kuff

I saw this post on Dwight's Chronoblog earlier and wanted to echo the sentiments.

The article itself is more of a "35 people we kind of like" type of thing rather than 35 people who will shape your future (as it's marketed) but, regardless, Kuff is a good representation of the "new" breed of progressive bloggers and deserves to be there.

Our politics differ on some things, agree on some others, but his blog has undoubtedly had an influence on many people. His was one of the first blogs that I ever linked to and remains on my "daily must read" list so that should count for something.

Pork is U.S.

You can roll out the spits and smoker for what has the potential to be the most pork-laden bill in US History. All in the name of vote prostitution "economic stimulus" of course....

(from Andrew Taylor of the AP via Yahoo!)

Congressional leaders announced a deal with the White House Thursday on an economic stimulus package that would give most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200, and more if they have children.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress would act on the agreement — hammered out in a week of intense negotiations with Republican Leader John A. Boehner and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson — "at the earliest date, so that those rebate checks will be in the mail."

President Bush praised the agreement in a statement he delivered to reporters at the White House. "This package has the right set of policies and is the right size," he said.

The rebates, which would go to about 116 million families, had appeal for both Democrats and Republicans. Pelosi's staff noted that they would include $28 billion in checks to 35 million working families who wouldn't have been helped by Bush's original proposal. Republicans, for their part, were pleased that the bulk of the rebates — more than 70 percent, according to an analysis by Congress' Joint Tax Committee — would go to individuals who pay taxes.

Individuals who pay income taxes would get up to $600, working couples $1,200 and those with children an additional $300 per child under the agreement. Workers who make at least $3,000 but don't pay taxes would get $300 rebates.

The rebates, expected to go out in June, would cost about $100 billion, aides said. The package also includes close to $50 billion in business tax cuts.

The package would allow businesses to immediately write off 50 percent of purchases of plants and other capital equipment and permit small businesses to write off additional purchases of equipment. A Republican-written provision to allow businesses suffering losses now to reclaim taxes previously paid was dropped.

Yup, its bad. VERY bad:

"I do not understand, and cannot accept, the resistance of President Bush and Republican leaders to including an extension of unemployment benefits for those who are without work through no fault of their own," Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., the Ways and Means Committee chairman, said in a statement.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee Chairman, said leaving out the unemployment extension was "a mistake," as he announced plans to craft a separate stimulus package in the Senate starting next week.

Majority Leader Harry Reid said the goal is to send the package to the White House by Feb. 15 for President Bush's signature. Reid said senators would want to look at add-ons including the unemployment extension and possibly money for highway projects.

So much for all of the PAYGO nonsense the Democrats were screaming about a few months back. That's vanished in a puff of electoral whoring.

Got a vote? It's value seems to be somewhere in the range of $600.00 give or take. This doesn't include all of the bacon that's going to be slathered on this bill. It ought to be called the "heart attack inducement bill" because the Least Common Denominator of society is fixing to go on a spending spree.

The Democrats are going to increase Government funding at every angle, and the Republicans are going to try and give corporations huge subsidies for things they've basically already got on the books. None of this is going to help the economy one iota.

The financial planners over at Street Talk Live said it best on the radio the other day: "Can you pick up an elephant with a band-aid?"

The US economy is the elephant, and this vote getting scheme stimulus package is a band-aid.

Local bloggers beat Chron columnist (again)

I know, I know, you're all getting tired of hearing about the poor columns penned by Lisa Falkenberg. To tell you the truth I am as well.

But she just keeps churning them out...

The note starts out innocently enough, with felony chief Mike Trent praising the work of prosecutor Rob Freyer for convincing a "weak jury" to give a man a stiff sentence for intoxication manslaughter.

"He overcame a subversively good defense by Matt Hennessey that had some Canadians on the jury feeling sorry for the defendant and forced them to do the right thing."

Now, some of you may wonder what "some" Canadians were doing on a Harris County jury, and why they were suspected of sympathizing with this particular defendant.

That's right. Lisa Falkenberg has stumbled across the "Canadian" controversy.

Almost two weeks, after some local bloggers and local television stations discovered the same.

Two weeks, and not a single hat-tip or mention of the bloggers that discovered this tidbit. Not even a "thanks" to fellow MSM member Isiah Carey.

Two weeks.

You'd think after five straight columns on the matter Ms. Falkenberg could have brought herself current eh?

DA Raises: Much ado about nothing.

There's a ton of stuff over which to be outraged, upset, frustrated, giddy (if you're a Democrat) or generally appalled regarding the Harris County DA's office of late. Today's story about pay raises isn't one of them.

(From Chase Davis of the Chron)

Embattled District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal this month approved an $11,000 raise for his executive assistant, Kerry Stevens — his former extramarital partner and recipient of the affectionate e-mails that have embroiled his office in scandal.

(snip)

According to e-mails released as part of a lawsuit filed against Rosenthal's office, the district attorney fought throughout 2007 for raises in the maximum salaries of his office's attorneys, investigators and support staff, earning him praise from his employees.

Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously signed off on support staff increases on Dec. 18, and agreed to raise the pay ceilings of investigators and attorneys earlier in the year.

(snip)

Many of Rosenthal's support staff, including Stevens, saw their maximum pay rise from 12 to 15 percent, according to payroll records. The last sweeping increase in salary ceilings for the DA's office came about 10 years ago, Graham said.

"I know (Rosenthal) felt very strongly that support staff should get the same raises as the attorneys and investigators," Graham said.

Obviously this is something that Rosenthal has been politicking toward for a few years now. He received approval, and by all appearances the raises were across-the-board and done without favoritism. Nothing to see here, this should die out in one news cycle.

If Rosenthal was your boss you'd be happy that he fought so hard to get you a raise.

That tricky thing about competative markets.

If people have a problem with competing in them that should raise a red flag...

(from Bill Murphy of the Chron)

A company's bid to reinvent the Astrodome as a convention hotel suffered a major setback Wednesday when a county board refused to give it more time to negotiate a lease and finalize a loan.

Entrepreneurs from Astrodome Redevelopment Co., aiming to transform the building once known as the Eighth Wonder of the World into a 1,300-room, $450 million hotel, say their quest isn't over.

But the decision made Wednesday by the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp.'s board drops the development company's exclusive right to strike a deal, allowing the county to entertain other proposals to find a second life for the venue.

"It's really up to them whether it is the death knell," said County Judge Ed Emmett, who made a rare appearance before the board to ask it not to give Astrodome Redevelopment more negotiating time. "They still can move forward."

The sports corporation's board refused to extend the negotiating period on a 4-0 vote. Board members declined to discuss the vote in detail, saying there are confidentiality provisions in the letter of intent that limit what they can divulge.

Vice chairman Charles "Sonny" Sowell said: "This (vote) is not to say that nobody is interested in what ARC is trying to do. If ARC has plans that they want to continue, it's their choice."

The Dome's future rests with two bodies. The sports corporation will review options and vote on a plan. Commissioners Court gets final say.

Basically what this says is that the ARC is now going to be forced to "compete" with other proposals for how to "save the Astrodome". That they aren't thrilled about the prospect of doing speaks volumes to me about the overall viability of their plan. If you think you have built the best mousetrap then it doesn't matter what other mousetraps are in the market.


Think about that.

Finally....

It took seven columns, but a Chron Metro Columnist finally got it right when it comes to the D.A. mess...

(from Rick Casey of the Chron)

We have a sitting Supreme Court justice who has been accused by a grand jury of felony tampering with evidence in a criminal case.

The district attorney says there isn't enough evidence to pursue a criminal trial, but his credibility is impaired by the fact that he appears to have tampered with the evidence in a federal lawsuit by deleting thousands of his e-mails after they had been subpoenaed.

Thus, Tuesday, the prosecutor who actually took the case to the grand jury, Victor Jay Wisner, issued his own lengthy plaintive plea defending the dismissal of the indictments handed down by the grand jury and lamenting "the world I now work in."

It was the first of several unsubtle references to the mess Rosenthal made by using his computer for love notes to his secretary and lewd and racist e-mails, then trying to bury them.

This is precisely why Rosenthal should resign. The DA's office is too crucial to be headed by someone whose subordinates have to issue such extraordinary public statements because nobody believes the DA.

Three weeks, seven columns later and we finally have a winner.


Congrats to Rick Casey for getting it right on this one.

Tough week for the Texas Supreme Court

(and by extension, the Texas Republican Party)

Yet another Supreme Court Justice under fire....

(from Janet Elliott of the Chron)

Texas Supreme Court Justice Paul Green said Tuesday that he would try to locate records showing that 272 trips he made between the court and San Antonio over the past three years were for purposes allowed under state ethics laws.

"I want all this to be open and transparent," said Green.

Green responded to a complaint filed Tuesday with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging that he used political contributions illegally to travel to and from his home in San Antonio. A 1993 advisory commission from the commission said appellate judges cannot use their political funds to commute between their hometowns and the city where the court sits.

Campaign finance reports filed with the ethics commission show that Green paid himself $16,761 for mileage reimbursements. Green said the trips were for meetings and speaking engagements.

Green, who owns a home in San Antonio with his ex-wife, said he has had an apartment in Austin since March 2005 and does not commute from San Antonio.

The head of the group that filed the complaint said he would like to see Green's records. "If it turns out he can document these trips as being for legitimate political purposes, we are more than happy to pull our complaint down," said Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch.

It's important to note that these trips are "questionable" at this point and not concretely "unethical". That's probaby going to be lost in the hyperbole of the times. Especially when you consider this deals with the Texas Republican Party and, well...to be honest there are current questions as to whether or not they can tie their shoes in an ethical manner.

Add to this similar charges against Justice Medina (yes, that's right, that Justice Medina) and I'm sure there's not much REM sleep happening in the halls of power of the State GOP.

The problem with ethics complaints are two-fold...1. They typically are tried in the court of public opinion, and 2. People have short memories.

That most of them are filed in an election year is never a mistake.

I say this not to lessen the impact of what's going on here, but to put it into some context before the partisan politics ramp up after the March 5 primaries.

Right now nothing has been proven in regards to either of these Judges. There are allegations and some irregularities that need explaining. It's important to allow the facts to come out before calling for resignations or anything along those lines. However, where there is smoke, there is usually fire. Not always, but usually. There's a LOT of ethics smoke swirling the Republican Party at all levels of late.

Short memory? There was the same smoke surrounding the Democrats after they had an extended run of control, especially in the State Government. As was the case then I figure now some will be accompanied with fire (as in the DA's case) and some will not. Only time will tell which is which.

*Note: Commenter Leif pointed out a typo which has been fixed where I (erroneously) catagorized Justice Medina as Chief Justice Medina. (see comments)

Paper or....

bring your own?

Well, not exactly...

(from the AP via the Chron)

Natural and organic grocer Whole Foods Market announced today it will stop using disposable plastic grocery bags at supermarket checkouts and encourage reusable bags instead.

The decision affects all of the company's 270 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods said its goal is to be plastic bag-free by Earth Day on April 22.

"Central to Whole Foods Market's core values is caring for our communities and the environment, and this includes adopting wise environmental practices," said A.C. Gallo, co-president and chief operating officer for Whole Foods Market.

Cities and countries are increasingly restricting single-use plastic shopping bags because they don't break down in landfills and can clog waterways, endanger wildlife and litter roadsides, Gallo said.

He estimated that the move by Whole Foods will keep 100 million new plastic grocery bags out of the environment between Earth Day and the end of this year alone.

Before taking the step, Whole Foods tested doing away with disposable plastic bags in San Francisco, Toronto and Austin and saw positive customer response, Gallo said.

The grocery company will continue to offer 100-percent recycled paper grocery bags.

If you haven't seen this coming then you haven't been paying attention. Those disposable bags are hideous for the environment and can't be recycled via normal plastic recycling programs because of a filament in the bag that makes it stronger.

I've been using reusable shopping bags for a few months now. They're easier to carry (mine have shoulder straps) hold more without breaking, and you can even buy fairly cheap ones that will keep your meats and cold stuff cold.


Look, this isn't a "global warming" thing, its a "cause less of a mess" thing. Conservation and waste reduction are going to take the place of environmentalism and prohibition very soon when it comes to reasonable debate on how we treat the Earth.

Get in ahead of the curve.

Grand Jury disbanded.

Term expired in November 2007?...

(from Brian Rogers of the Chron)

Citing a procedural error by Harris County prosecutors, a judge agreed today to disband the grand jury that indicted Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina and his wife.

Prosecutors failed to file the proper paperwork to extend the grand jury's initial term, which expired Nov. 2, Medina's attorney, Terry Yates argued. State District Judge Jim Wallace agreed, ruling that the Medina indictments, plus 30 others in unrelated mortgage fraud cases, are now null and void.

Yates said "good lawyering" helped him discover the error.

Wallace's ruling comes just days after another judge dismissed the indictments against David and Francisca Medina at the request of prosecutors.

So, this is like when there's offsetting fouls in football and you replay the previous down? Sucks for the team (Medina) that just busted a long run up the sideline for a touchdown no?

Also, I'm guessing that there's no "contempt of court" indictment coming against the two jurors who spoke out since its all in the dumper now anyway?

You mean to tell me that Lisa Falkenberg got all fired up for NOTHING? (c'mon, admit it, you're expecting a FIFTH column chastising Rosenthal for the "procedural error" are you not?)


The problem is, I agree somewhat. Chuck "behind the right ear" Rosenthal should do the honorable thing and step down. There MAY have been no politics behind the Medina kerfluffle, but then again there could have been. Given Rosenthal's recent track record we just can't be sure that we know....for sure.

Harris County is currently saddled with a District Attorney whose every move is going to be viewed with suspicion and distrust. There are alarming allegations of sexism and racism that could be used to undermine a number of criminal cases brought forth by the office. Rosenthal needs to step down, let Greg Abbott name a placeholder, and then let the citizens of the County get going on the business of fumigating the office.

And you better do it fast before things get worse than they already are....

The "Falkenberg Count"

Four columns in a row against DA Rosenthal...

The dismissal of Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina's grand jury indictment had everything to do with insufficient evidence and nothing to do with politics.

At least that's what Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal and Medina's attorney, Terry Yates, would have us believe.

And we might have taken their word for it and forgotten all about the peculiar circumstances surrounding the burning of Medina's Spring home — if not for an outspoken jury foreman and assistant foreman who decided to talk publicly about what they believed was a miscarriage of justice.

The two jurors — Bob Ryan and Jeffrey Dorrell — told reporters that Rosenthal's office tried to prevent the panel from indicting Medina, a fellow Republican. Yates, seizing an opportunity to shift the focus from his high-profile client, is now seeking to get the grand jurors held in contempt of court while also trying to discredit them with far-fetched explanations on their motivations.

The most ridiculous: Dorrell is a gay activist who was out to get Rosenthal for defending Texas' sodomy ban in front of the Supreme Court nearly five years ago. (In reality, Dorrell, who is openly gay, was probably pleased with the performance of Rosenthal, who lost the case.)

That's right. Four. Each boiling down to the same prinicple: Lisa doesn't like DA Rosenthal and, because of that, you shouldn't either.

Seems that I'm not the only one who's noticing some "issues" with the Chron's Jr. Columnist.

(from the comments)

I read today's column with interest. It seems that you make two separate arguments:

a). Trials should be held to allow individuals to prove their innocence rather than have the state prove their guilt. This is an interesting concept that turns the US Constitution on it's head.

b). political decisions have affected the prosecutorial process in the past and should continue to do so in the present and the future. Because Chief Bradford was prosecuted and his case was immediately thrown out, all public figures must be prosecuted. See a). above. The quality of the evidence has no meaning or value in this decision making process.

The district attorney of Travis County Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, several years ago prosecuted Kaye Bailey Hutchison, a Republican. That case was thrown out for lack of evidence. She was prosecuted because she is a Republican. Does that change your calculus? Are unwarranted prosecutions o.k. so long as you disagree with the political persuasion of the person being pursed and you agree with the political persuasion of the person doing the pursuing?

I don't know if these are the kinds of questions you meant to raise with your column but you did.

You are entitled to your opinions. I am a paying customer (and have been since 1991). I expect a little more thought and a little less emotion for my money. You can do better than this.

Ouch. (but accurate in its asessment)


What we're seeing is the journalistic equivilent of throwing mud up against a wall. In making her arguments against DA Rosenthal Ms. Falkenberg is drumming up every piece of opinion she can find that agrees with hers, no matter how it flies in the face of logical argument. The readers are starting to notice.

Readers have a right to expect better from a Metro columnist writing on issues relating to the fourth largest City in America. Picking the "low hanging fruit" is understandable from time to time. But with all that's going on in Houston the Rosenthal situation doesn't deserve this amount of column space. Especially considering the columns are all basically saying the same thing, just with different levels of moral outrage.

The downtown hamster and the hotel wheel.

Despite all facts to the contrary, it just keeps spinning...

(from Nancy Sarnoff of the Chron)

The city is considering plans to bring a second convention center hotel to downtown, in an effort to take Houston one step closer to becoming a top convention destination.

Officials involved said Houston gets scratched off the lists of a lot of convention planners because it has a limited number of downtown hotel rooms.

"The current convention center hotel is filling up, and Houston can attract more conventions if it had more hotel rooms in the Central Business District, and specifically, close to the George R. Brown Convention Center," Mayor Bill White said Monday.

(snip)

The project, White said, would be "one of the larger hotels in Houston," with a "first-class national flag."

Houston Endowment, which owns about 60 percent of the parcel adjacent to Discovery Green, said it would consider selling its land for a convention hotel. "We don't have an interest in holding this forever," president Larry Faulkner said. "We would like to see it used in a way that furthers the well-being of this city."

Such a hotel could have an economic impact of $250 million annually, said Campo, explaining that another big hotel would attract larger conventions attended by more people who would dine in restaurants and rent cars. Other hotels would benefit from spillover.

(snip)

Downtown hotel occupancy was 66.1 percent through November of last year. It was down slightly because 2007 was not a strong convention year, said Keeling of PKF Consulting.

The Hilton Americas has been performing well, Campo said. But for a new hotel, the ideal scenario would be for a private developer to build it.

The mayor said there are "significant pools" of private capital available that did not exist when the Hilton Americas was financed.

Greg Ortale, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the Chronicle on Monday that some type of public support would be needed.

I highlighted the important text in that article for you. 66.1% occupancy.

What that means is that, at any time, you are likely to find fully one third of all downtown hotel beds vacant. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

In August 2007 David Kaplan of the Chron penned this article giving a glowing review of the Houston Hotel market:

Occupancy rates in the Houston area are expected to rise from 67.5 percent in 2006 to 69 percent in 2007 and 70 percent in 2008, according to the PKF report.

Whoops.

And yes, that prediction was offered by the same John Keeling who provided these facts:

Hotel consultant John Keeling said five new 200-room hotels wouldn't have the same impact as one 1,000-room property because conventioneers like to put their delegates in as few properties as possible. Full convention hotels help other hostelries raise their rates.

Downtown hotel occupancy was 66.1 percent through November of last year. It was down slightly because 2007 was not a strong convention year, said Keeling of PKF Consulting.

That's quite a change in numbers from a report penned just over five month's ago is it not?

It also ignores the obvious. (as pointed out in the second article)

Houston's hotel capacity is currently around 4500 rooms. By way of comparison San Antonio has 11,900 rooms, and they are growing. San Antonio also has the Riverwalk, the Alamo, and all of that historical content tailor made for families and larger conventions. They have the State of the art River Center, Fiesta Texas, SeaWorld, and the AlamoDome and you name it.

Adding 1,000 beds to Houston's paltry Downtown entertainment scene isn't going to put Houston on the Convention hot list. Neither is New York Penis Envy..er Discovery Green. To think otherwise is folly.

Here's the real problem...

Let's say you're running a convention of Salesmen who've been working their butt's off all year and you are getting things together and looking around for entertainment options for either single people or families. For argument's sake let's assume you are expecting 3,000 people to come to your convention.

You basically have three options, and we'll add Houston in to see how it compares.

1. Las Vegas: Not only do you have the strip, all of those casinos, Freemont Street, the Cirque du Solei shows, reviews, four-star dining and all you can eat buffet's, but you also have a relatively dry, stable climate and a City that's fairly easy to Navigate for convention goers, a top notch Convention Center and thousands of affordable hotel rooms, golf, helicopter tours and some stunning nature within a day trip of the city. Worried about your "single" conventioneers? Spearmint Rhino.

2. Orlando: Provided you don't book during hurricane season you have a City that's within spitting distance of Walt Disney World, Paramount, Sea World, world-class golf courses AND the Florida coast. Oh yeah, there's also a Busch Gardens there and dozens of golf courses and hotels all of which offer diversions for the entire family. The water is blue, and the dining is reliable (if pricey) for families. Tons of night-clubs and a hip scene for the singles.

3. San Antonio: We've already mentioned this city but let's do it again. The Riverwalk, the Alamo, Sea World, the Schlitterbahn, El Marcado and a host of Missions and Mexican-American culture stops offer up diversions for the family while the conventioneers are in workshops etc. If you're a single person attending a convention, then the Riverwalk's nightlife is for you.

4. Houston: First the good. There's a nice museum district for the family and the Aquarium downtown (which is more of a tourist destination than a good restaurant). There's no theme parks or much for the family to do besides that, and getting to the museums mean's having to ride the light rail (if its running), getting anywhere else involves deciphering Metro's impossible to navigate bus system. Dining downtown is sparse, with most of the good restaurants involving a cab ride, your entertainment options involve shopping at the Galleria, Splashtown in SPRING, Space Center Houston in CLEAR LAKE, both of which are nearly impossible to reach without a car. Your single convention goers are welcome to pay $5 to visit one of Houston's rapidly declining adult lounges, of which most are in danger of being forced out of business due to lawsuits. Oh yeah, We're building a park, with more shopping.


Sorry folks, but 1,000 extra rooms ain't gonna help this ride break even. If it could don't you think that private businesses would be lining up to take advantage of a under-developed market without throwing good Government money after bad?

Oh yeah, this during a time that police coverage is down, violent crime is peaking, and infrastructure is declining rapidly.

Houston, like that poor hamster, keeps spinning its wheels.


OTHER EYES:
BlogHouston: City to build ANOTHER convention hotel?!

Your neighborhood needs a restaurant like this.

Fortunately for me, I have one.

Of course, the picture is just the image of the "advertising van" that the restaurant uses to get the attention of passers by. I took a picture of the storefront, but because of glare it didn't come out so well. That's ok however, the food came out fine.

Before Fajita Ritas delivery food in my neighborhood was limited to one Chinese restaurant, and pizza. Now, I like pizza and lo mein as well, if not better, than the next guy but sometimes you have a desire for something more.

Something along the lines of say....Frozen Margaritas, Beer and Mexican food. Good Mexican food at that. Not great. Not "roll your eyes into the back of your head and make you dance the meringue" great, but "hey, that's GOOD" good. It's the kind of food that you can rely on to be consistent every time. Because fajitas are ALL about the marinade, and the recipe here is tangy, simple, yet not cumined to the point of begging for mercy.

The wife and I ordered the "Fiesta Pack #1" Saturday having stopped by on our return trip from the grocery store. I had seen the place several times and was intrigued by the sign and the van. Add to that the fact that I'm an addict when it comes to fajitas, and it became achingly obvious that we were going to pay this place a visit.

After a brief glimpse at the menu, we knew what we wanted. The #1 says that it feeds "up to 3" but when the wife and I are downing grilled fajita meat that third person better be able to subsist on refried beans, rice and tortilla chips. We ordered our fajitas 1/2 beef/chicken with cheese, guacamole and sour cream. We have our favorite salsa already in stock, so we skipped that option this time. We also got a 1/2 and 1/2 on the beans (refried and barracho), mexican rice, and 1/2 and 1/2 on tortillas (corn and flour) because of Linda's Celiac disease. The flour tortillas are made on site, the corn tortillas are not, both were good however.

Alas, because we had a planned drive down to Haak Winery that afternoon to taste a new wine release, we skipped on ordering margaritas. The owner (or co-owner) did let us sample them however, and they were VERY good for frozen margaritas, this comes from a guy chooses a dacquiri over a margarita 9 out of 10 times. My problem with frozen margaritas hinge on two different factors.

1. 99.99% of the time, frozen margaritas are too sweet.
2. 50% of the time, the two-sweet drinks also taste of poor quality tequila.

What one usually gets when offered a frozen 'rita from most bars and restaurants is a syrupy concoction that falls victim to one of the two above faults. I'm always leery of a waiter that tells me they are "famous for their frozen 'ritas". That's code word for "they're as sweet as candy". I don't know why it is that most people like sicky sweet drinks, but I'm one that appreciates the tang of lime that you notice in a well crafted margarita.

I'm not going to say that the margaritas here are handmade from fresh-squeezed limes, oranges and top end tequila, but I will say that they had a pleasent tang to them and no underlying taste of the low-quality stuff that can fuel your car if need be. I enjoyed the sample that I had, and wanted more of it.

All of the food came packed in a box that resembled a banker's box with each of the items individually packeged and ready to go. The "to go" containers there are dishwasher and microwave safe, so you don't have to re-package anything you can't eat. All in all it was a nice way to eat lunch because, when we got home, all we had to do was de-lid, assemble, and eat. My wife and I got about 4-5 tacos each out of the available meat. The rice and beans that were left over were re-lidded and put in the refrigerator for further eating during one work-day's lunch.

The next time we order we're going to make sure to have it delievered, and we'll probably get some margaritas as well. The total cost of our order was around $25 bucks. That was a fajita lunch for two with all the trimmings that can be delivered to your door. Not too bad. The margaritas run about $3 per serving, so they're not cheap but, again, you're paying a premium for convenience. Currently there are only a couple of tables on the front patio for dining. The original concept was planned to be similar to a pizza delivery center with a drive-thru. Because of customer demand they are planning a renovation that will allow some dining at the restaurant, and they are expanding their lineup of drinks. They also serve, and can deliver, beer.

See what I mean? Your neighborhood, NEEDS a restaurant like this.

Fuel for the "Media Bias" fire.

You have to admit, sometimes the Chron columnists make it easy for the conspiracy theorists among us...

(Yes, I'm riffing from Rick Casey's column here.)

Item One: Rick Casey pens a column highlighting the Republican scandals while ignoring some of the more prominent scandals on the Democratic side of the aisle.

It is clear by the sorry excuses Houston's politicians give for their actions that they believe y'all rode into town last night on a load of cantaloupes.

So as entertaining as the official versions are, I'm going to offer you some alternatives for your consideration.

Reason A: Casey wasn't in town during the Lee P. Brown administration, so mentioning those excuses just "wouldn't be right".

Reason B: Casey thought this column was running during "theme week". His theme? Local Republican Gaffes.

Tin Foil Hat reason: Casey HATES Republicans!!!


Item Two: Clay Robison reminds us that pro-school voucher (and Republican) backer James Leninger is "still out there".

James Leininger, the $5 million gorilla in legislative races two years ago, is so far a shadow of his former self as the new election cycle prepares to heat up.

The emphasis is on "so far" because there still is time for the wealthy San Antonio businessman and advocate of private school vouchers to shower favored candidates with about as much money as they can spend.

Reason A: Leninger was a big story in past elections, so why shouldn't he be again?

Reason B: Sometimes it's more fun to comment on the news that "could be" than the news that "is". The Borris Miles Affair "is". Besides, crashing a party with guns blazing is for the features Star section.

"Tin foil Hat" reason: Robison HATES Republicans!!


Item 3: Lisa Falkenberg devotes three consecutive columns to lambasting disgraced District Attorney Rosenthal.

Reason A: Falkenberg secretly wishes it was HER right ear that Chuck wanted to plant a wet sloppy one behind.

Reason B: Falkenberg didn't know that there were big City Council shake-ups going on regarding Pam Holm and other issues.

"Tin Foil Hat" reason: Falkenberg HATES Republicans!!

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


Note: It's typically too hot in Houston to wear tin-foil hats. There are some that persist in doing so, but they're also the ones running around saying that Pat Grey is actually pretty good on the radio.

What I think this illustrates more plainly is just how bad the Chron columnists are. Certainly the news stories to which they are all piling on are hot topics, but there are a TON of other issues that could (and should) be addressed. To harp on the DA case (Falkenberg) to the exclusion of every other local issue for three straight columns is a travesty, and shows a certain level of immaturity in her thought processes that border on obsessiveness. In other words, if she doesn't get her way then she'll keep throwing a fit, or keep restating opinions in a vain effort to morph them into fact. In the curious case of Rick Casey what you see is what you get: A columnist whose glory was based on some good reporting in San Antonio, and who is resting on his laurels in a posistion where his is not being encouraged by the brass to dig for dirt on the current local administration. Robison is just Robison, the head of a shrinking bureau that's rudderless and without direction. His inability to focus on the current issues defining State Government illustrates how off-target the Austin bureau has become.

Each of these things (in and of itself) isn't proof of case that the Chron has a liberal bias as some would claim. Yes, when you juxtapose them together it looks bad, but you have to realize that the Republicans haven't exactly done a smashing job of keeping themselves out of the news for all of the wrong reasons. The point that conspiracists will miss is that these matters deserve print space. This blog has made several posts regarding all of the issues listed above. But not to the exclusion of other breaking stories that are equally deserving of the attention to detail that a well-written column affords. News stories are great, and a well-written, well-reasearched column diving deep into the minutia of an issue with input from experts and further details are usually wonderful counterparts to a big news story.

Unfortunately we're not getting to many of those of late. From the Chron that is.

"Local Bloggers"

You'd think, when you get an entire story idea from a local blogger, you would at least give the guy some credit for it, right?

Well, in this case Rad Sallee (or his editor) didn't for some reason....

Local bloggers pointed out last week that the site being considered for a soccer stadium on the east side of downtown may lie in the path of two planned light rail lines.

Mayor Bill White's spokesman Frank Michel said that is no surprise to the city or Metropolitan Transit Authority, since both have been involved in stadium talks with the Houston Dynamo soccer team since last spring.

Dynamo president Oliver Luck said Metro's East End and Southeast rail lines would be "a natural tie-in" to the stadium. The tracks would be a big convenience for fans, he said.

But the Metropolitan Transit Authority wasn't saying whether the two rail routes will need to be altered if a stadium deal goes through.

"Local bloggers" in this instance refers to Christof Spieler's Intermodality blog who first raised the (legitimate) question regarding the location of the new stadium.

It's odd to me that Mr. Spieler wasn't given full billing in the story, because he's often quoted in the Chron as a pro-Metro voice in their articles on light rail.

Friday Blogging Ego Check

"Hey baby, wanna see my blog?" <--------- NOT an acceptable pick up line.

The Government we deserve. (Part 274,254)

We all know about the DA's office mess and how the Republicans are raking Rosenthal over the coals.

Now we have the curious case of Dean Hrbacek's head.

(from Alan Bernstein of the Chron)

The brochure that U.S. House candidate and former Sugar Land mayor Dean Hrbacek mailed to voters this week says, "Dean's record speaks for itself."

But his physique does not. In a photo next to the words of praise, Hrbacek's body is spoken for by the torso of an appreciably slimmer man.

The picture, presented as a true image of the candidate, is actually a computerized composite of Hrbacek's face and someone else's figure, in suit and tie, from neck to knee caps. The give-away is a flawed fit of head and collar.

Hrbacek, a tax lawyer and accountant, did not return calls about the campaign literature Thursday. He is among 10 Republicans seeking the nomination to run against U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford.

and then there's the curious case of Borris "Gangsta" Miles".

(from the AP via the Chron)

State Rep. Borris Miles is under investigation in connection with a complaint that he threatened a business rival and brandished a gun at a holiday party last month, officials said.

The Harris County District Attorney's office confirmed Friday that investigators are looking into allegations that the Houston Democrat crashed the party uninvited, pulled out a pistol and forcibly kissed another man's wife. The DA's office said it received a written complaint about the incident, but would not comment further.

At the party last month, Miles referred to himself as a "gangster" and a "thug," said David Harris, who threw the party for his private management company. Harris said Miles then kissed him on both cheeks and the mouth before taking out a gun and placing it in Harris' hands.

And let us not forget the unravelling of Commissioner Eversole's public service career...

(from Chase Davis of the Chron)

When Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole released new campaign finance reports this week, his bottom line reaped a sudden and sizable windfall: more than $1 million in previously undisclosed investments.

Political consultant Allen Blakemore, who was hired by Eversole last month, said he and new campaign bookkeeper Robert Eckels suggested disclosing the investment income, which was stored in certificates of deposit kept at several banks.

Blakemore said the added disclosure was part of the commissioner's effort to be more up-front about his campaign finances, which have come under media scrutiny in recent months for being vague and incomplete.

And we know that the Fed's are still investigating the Lee P. Brown administration on charges of corruption...

(From Roma Khanna and Matt Stiles of the Chron)

Grand jury subpoenas released Wednesday appear to signal the expansion of a years-long federal corruption probe to major construction projects from former Mayor Lee Brown's administration and the well-connected players who stood to benefit from them.

The corruption investigation first touched Houston more than three years ago, when prosecutors snared two former Brown administration officials in a bribery probe. Prosecutors, who then promised to uncover any related corruption, now appear focused on the deals to construct the $53 million Houston Emergency Center and two Fire Department facilities.

In subpoenas served at City Hall Dec. 18, and released Wednesday, investigators requested numerous documents related to the planning, financing and construction of the three facilities.

In light of all of this the Chron opininers are wearing out their keyboards in an effort to tell us what it all means. (well, except for Mrs. White, who's very concerned about the Guatemalan VP (no joke) and a Supreme Court ruling that's four days old.) All of whom are missing the big point.


This year more people will vote for their favorite in American Idol than will vote for the President of the Country. In the State most people don't know who their elected representatives are. In the County a majority don't know which Commissioner is in charge of the district in which they reside. In the City we have a daily newspaper of record that considers "news bizarre" and user pictures to be of greater import than Local and State news.

Is it any wonder that we're in the mess we're in?

What the....Chuck?

Just when you thought the DA's mess couldn't get any more entertaining...

(from Brian Rogers of the Chron)

Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said he will seek to dismiss indictments returned Thursday against Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina and his wife in connection with the fire that destroyed their home in Spring last summer.

A grand jury handed up the indictments despite objections from Rosenthal's office. In a rare move for a body that typically operates in secrecy, two grand jury members Thursday night publicly denounced Rosenthal's unwillingness to prosecute as politically motivated.

Rosenthal insisted there is not sufficient evidence to charge the Medinas with involvement in what arson investigators determined was a deliberately set fire. The blaze caused almost $1 million worth of damage to three homes in the Olde Oaks neighborhood in Spring.

Not ones to take this lying down, The grand jury foreman and vice-foreman are speaking out in a KHOU story...

(from Vincente Arenas and Lee McGuire of KHOU)

It is not often that we get to hear from a grand jury foreman and assistant foreman. But Robert Ryan and Jeffrey Dorrell said they had to speak out after District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said he would not accept their indictment of Medina.

"It is our collective feeling there is not enough evidence to pursue prosecution of the indictments and that the indictments be dismissed," said Rosenthal.

"This grand jury made a decision on that and in the space of minutes, after the grand jury's decision was made, District Attorney Rosenthal had decided that we didn't know what we were doing and there was no evidence to support the decision we made," said Jeffrey Dorrell, a grand juror on the Medina case.

These jurors say the DA wouldn't cooperate when they asked questions or when they asked for additional evidence.

"My strong feeling is that if this was David Medina, a truck driver from Pasadena, this investigation would not have lasted three months, said Dorrell. "It would have lasted five minutes. The indictment would be handed down and the case would be going to trial."

Yeesh.

I'm not suggesting that Justice Medina and his wife are guilty. The fact is I don't know the facts and don't know. I'm not even sure what the totality of evidence is that led to the indictment.

But isn't it in the job description of the DA to present facts to the Grand Jury and then prosecute their indictments?

Hey Hey, Hey Ho, D-A Rosenthal's got to go! (and the sooner the better)


Again...Yeesh.

Cool

Well, not really cool but..well:

(from Joe Fay of the UK Register)

Californians will be forced to break out in a sweat whether they like it or not as part of an energy efficiency plan being considered by the state government.

The plan, which would mandate “smart thermostats” in new and substantially rebuilt buildings, as well as overhauled heating and cooling systems, is included in a revised building code being considered by the California Energy Commission this month.

(snip)

Utilities, faced with energy shortages, would be able to remotely adjust the thermostats in consumers’ homes, effectively cooling down heating systems and dialling back air-conditioning systems, to reduce power draw.

(snip)

Whether the plan will be adopted is anyone’s guess. Back in 2004 a San Francisco-based state legislator tried to get the principles of Feng Shui enshrined in the state building code – shockingly, he failed. At around the same time, though, the state swore in an Austrian-born half-man, half-robot as their duly elected supreme leader.

The plan has been withdrawn due to public outcry, but its out there in the public domain now and bad ideas, like weeds, continue to grow and fester and choke out common sense once they are allowed to take root. It's that little fact that makes me think this plan will eventually become a reality somewhere in America.

Sinclair Lewis once famously opined "When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." It seems that he was wrong.

When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the mantle of "progress" and will be carrying a laptop computer.


Somewhere George Orwell is laughing his ass off at us.

Shakeup at the Chron City Hall Blog

Matt Stiles is moving out (to a different assignment), and Carolyn Feibel is moving in.

Yes, folks, the rumors are true. Matt has moved on from the City Hall beat. Or so he claims. But he's going to keep his stick in the fire -- as the Chronicle's government watchdog reporter here in Houston, he'll be reporting on city, county and even state government and doing what he does best: keeping our taxpayer-funded officials and workers on their toes.

First things first, congrats to Mr. Stiles on his new digs. Watchdog reporting has a long and storied history. However, if he starts running around town in a trenchcoat and fedora with a "press" tag in the hat band I'm getting him some professional help.

And welcome (again) to Ms. Feibel to the Houston blogosphere. Yes, I know she's been contributing for a while, but the City Hall blog is her exclusive domain now. I can't wait to see what she does with the place. (Hint: It needs a coat of paint)

During Matt's watch the City Hall beat of the Chron made great strides in covering City of Houston issues. Yes, he had a little man crush on Mayor White, but a lot of people in Houston do so we never held that against him. Aside form an occasional public display of affection his reporting was solid, insightful and very detailed. It will be interesting to see what he finds as he lifts the lid off of the cess-pool that has been County Government of late.

So congrats all around, and good luck to both of them.

TCEQ rules on tax exemption for refineries

And there was wailing and gnashing of teeth throughout the land.

(From Janet Elliot of the Chron)

Companies will be able to seek a special tax break for portions of existing plants that have not previously qualified for the pollution control equipment abatement under rules finalized Wednesday by state environmental regulators.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, however, said applications for news property tax exemptions will be reviewed, and companies must prove that the equipment reduces pollution at the plant or business site.

(snip)

But an engineer and appraiser with a major tax consulting firm disagreed that the effects of a law that went into effect last September will be minimal. Wayne Frazell said he still believes more than $1 billion will be exempted from taxation.

"This could cause a huge disruption of the property tax system and shift the tax burden to small business and residential property owners," said Frazell of Pritchard & Abbott, which advises appraisers in more than 100 counties.

He said he expects as much as half of some existing natural gas power plants that use combined cycle generators to be exempted.

(snip)

The three-member commission has struggled to implement the new law that revised a 14-year-old pollution control tax exemption. The bill passed by the Legislature last year targeted new clean-coal power plants but was so broadly worded that the commission asked Attorney General Greg Abbott to interpret its scope.

Abbott ruled in December that the law is not limited to electric-generation projects. His ruling cleared the way for the commission to decide how broadly to apply the tax breaks.

The commission declined a request from the Texas Oil and Gas Association to add downstream hydrotreaters used to remove sulfur from motor fuels to the list of equipment that could qualify for the exemption.

The commission has previously denied that such equipment meets the test of reducing pollution at the refinery site. The association argued that while the equipment doesn't reduce pollution at the refinery site, it produces cleaner burning fuels that improve overall air quality.

What this basically boils down to is a compromise decision by the TCEQ that tries to implement a poorly crafted bill in a manner that doesn't allow for free reign by refineries to exempt certain equipment that the bill never intended be excluded. The exclusion in the ruling of downstream hydrotreaters is fair, as is the inclusion of some existing technologies that plants have installed which do provide real reductions in pollution discharge.

That won't matter to the environmentalists however, because this ruling won't go far enough in punishing the oil industry. If you see a problem with their way of thinnking then good, you've taken the first step in moving your environmental thought past the rhetoric of activist politics and into the realm of sane, rational environmental policy.

The reality is that, if any meaningful climate change is going to happen, the oil and refining companies will be the ones to lead the way toward renewable energy sources. They have the money, the infrastructure, and all of the best engineers on payroll. It makes sense that, if they contribute to change, that they receive the same financial benefits as do other industries that make painful changes to help clean the air.

The TCEQ did a good job here implementing a terribly written bill. They won't get much credit for that but they deserve it nevertheless.

Mrs. White's rolling out the ol' catapult again. (be afraid)

Yesterday I weighed in with my thoughts about how to "fix" the ER crisis in America.

Basically it boils down to this:

1. Reduce the stress on the ER's by returning them to their designed function. Namely: the treatement of emergency medical situations.

2. Provide incentives for Hospital's to offer up out-patient clinics in order to handle the overload that the ER's are currently forced to absorb.

3. Revamp our healthcare system and ideas regarding the same from "treating the symptoms" to "prevention based care".

4. Stop overusing the system in a way that it was never meant to be used.

In that post I predicted that calm, reasoned response would be in short order following this survey. Today Mrs. White proved me right....

The latest figures on the median length of time a patient waits for emergency room treatment will not surprise Houstonians, who have been following the worsening crisis in health care in Harris County.

The increase in waiting times for patients going to the nation's emergency rooms — calculated using data gathered by the National Center on Health Statistics — is magnified here by large numbers of uninsured citizens and undocumented aliens jamming the city's two top tier trauma centers and other emergency rooms. Many of those patients could have been treated by private physicians, but wait until their illnesses worsen before seeking help that costs far more to provide in an emergency setting.

(snip)

Houstonians don't need more studies to be convinced that their health care system is in crisis. Those unfortunate enough to require emergency treatment and their loved ones learn that firsthand. It's not going to get better until an affordable health insurance system is available to all and the federal government and state help local hospitals deal with the mounting costs of providing emergency care to indigents.

There's change. And then....there's the catapult.

Mrs. White LOVES the catapult, provided its loaded with other people's money.

Because you don't think for one second that those vendors on the street selling you the Chronicle are provided with any type of Health insurance by Mrs. White's employer do you?

Oh, that's right, they're just "contractors", and Hearst has profit margins that they have to meet. Better to let the taxpayer and those mean 'ol corporations (but not public services like newspapers) foot the bill right?


Blech.

Welcome to the blue-ribbon of bad ideas

I'm not sure what color ribbon to give to The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission but, it wouldn't be blue....

(from Rad Sallee of the Chron)

A federal panel's recommendation for a steep increase in motor fuel taxes to meet transportation needs and repair deteriorating infrastructure spurred mostly negative responses in Houston and across the state and nation.

The 12-member National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, appointed by Congress in 2005, recommended raising the federal gasoline tax by as much as 40 cents a gallon, at a rate of 5 to 8 cents per year.

The current federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon and the state tax is 20 cents. The price of a gallon of regular gasoline has hovered near $3 for months.

The report, titled "Transportation for Tomorrow," also recommends congestion pricing — tolls that increase with the volume or speed of traffic in metropolitan areas — and an increased role for mass transit.

Three of the commission members, including the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters, dissented.

"Raising gas taxes won't improve traffic congestion. It will only perpetuate our ineffective reliance on fossil-based fuels," Peters said. "A better way forward is to provide incentives to states willing to pursue more efficient approaches and to invest federal funds more effectively to give commuters real relief from gridlock."

Much like our overburdened health care system the "fix" for the transportation system is for people to stop using it in a manner that it was never meant to be used. Let's ignore, for just a minute, that a 40 cent increase on federal taxes would decimate the poor. Let's forget that business will pass on these costs to the consumer decimating the poor and middle class. Let's also set aside the well-known fact that many Governments ignore basic (decidedly non-sexy) infrastructure issues in lieu of "legacy" projects when allocating funds.

On second thoght. Let's not ignore that last fact, because its pretty important to remember when you're discussing infrastructure maintenance and growth.

Not that I like Gov. Perry's idea any better:

As an alternative to tax increases, Perry and the late Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson had advocated strongly that Texas enter long-term contracts with private companies to build and operate toll roads.

Perry said he also opposes the report's recommendations "curtailing states' ability to leverage the capital and innovation of the private sector."

Nope, we've seen the damage that can cause here in Texas with the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor. The fact is those types of "public-private partnerships" don't work in the long run. It's akin to setting up a road monopoly, and then sitting back and watching in horror as prices spin out of control and services suffer (higher education anyone?)

America (ALL of America, pay attention Republcians and Democrats) has for years shifted money away from basic, fundamental infrastructure improvement in order to fund earmarks, outright pork, and in the interest of building edifices to themselves, playpens for millionaires, and corporate subsidies. When you add to this our Government's ADD tendencies when it comes to shifting funds to address "hot issues" to gain a few votes you see where the problem lies. The sad fact is most of our infrastructure improvement projects date back to the New Deal era, with some updates and wingdings thrown in here and there for good measure. Now that the dyke has sprung a leak the Least Common Denominator of society has decided that rolling out Mrs. White's catapult on a grand scale is the only answer to a problem that's been years in the making.

We've already lost power to most of the Eastern seaboard, had a bridge collapse and dozens die, so what's next? How long will it be before Americans look to their Government officals and say:

"Hey, you know what? We don't WANT that stadium with the roof that shoots into orbit during day games, that spiffy new jail with the state-of-the-art burnished gold locks that you got at a "discount" from your largest campaign donor's locksmith company, or New York penis-envy park complete with muggers and flashers that you fly in from Central Park on alternate Thursdays for that "authentic" feel. What we REALLY want are some roads without potholes, an electrical grid that doesn't short out every time Aunt June turns on her industro-strengh hair dryer, and a mass-transit system that gets me where I want to go without having to go downtown, make a transfer to a train, ride 5 miles on tracks that short out in two inches of rain, and then re-connect to a bus that's inexplicably going to head out to the ship channel before dropping me off at my job in Bellaire exactly two hours late while the driver randomly cusses at 1 out of 3 riders."

And hey, while your at it, how about finally getting those red lights sequenced so I don't have to lurch more on my commute than an epileptic roller coaster with the hiccups?

Think you can manage that?

If a chat is held in the woods,

and no one is around to listen. Does Metro still get to waste Millions of dollars?

Quick recap:

Metro hastily announces (late) through Rad Sallee that a one hour fireside chat with CEO Frank Wilosn is scheduled for Tuesday.

Time frame passes.

crickets...cheep...cheep...cheep (from sources that I thought would be there.)


All I'm saying is that, if I paid someone $76K per annum to blog for me then I'd expect they could get SOMETHING up online regarding the chat within 1 1/2 hours of it finishing. A transcript, highlights something. I know Metro has different ideas regarding "public communication" than do I but geez.

That is...assuming the chat worked: (from commenter wi11ie at Write on...)

My question is " why does the live chat not work?

(posted at 12:40 PM.)

Anyone? I was in a meeting and couldn't attend.

Wait times up in Houston Emergency Rooms

The Chron's Alexis Grant provides the details...

Waiting in the emergency room to see a doctor? You might want to take a dose of patience.

Emergency room wait times across the country increased 36 percent between 1997 and 2004, according to a Harvard study published today. And anecdotal evidence suggests that trend holds true in Houston.

The study, the first providing detailed analysis of national trends in emergency room waits, showed wait times increased to a median of 30 minutes in 2004 from 22 minutes in 1997. Such an increase likely has a negative impact on patient care and may result in more people leaving the hospital without seeing a physician, the study's authors said.

"Patients who present to the emergency room with time-sensitive conditions may be harmed because they're not receiving the care they need in a timely way," said the lead author, Dr. Andrew Wilper, a fellow in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School. "There's prolonged pain and suffering."

Neither of Houston's two Level 1 trauma centers — at Memorial Hermann Hospital and Ben Taub General Hospital, which treat the city's most critical patients — could provide data on how long patients wait for care. But a doctor who oversees Memorial Hermann's emergency room said wait times in Houston have increased across the board over the past decade.

"This is just another exclamation point on the fact that emergency rooms are at the breaking point," said Dr. James McCarthy, who also is an assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

(snip)

But crowding is still a problem, and experts say it can largely be traced to patients who visit emergency rooms for non-urgent problems. About half of the emergency room visits in Houston are by patients with conditions that could be addressed by a primary care physician, said Charles Begley, a professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health.

"Because the emergency room has become a source of primary care for a lot of people, it is distracting the emergency room from being able to provide the emergency trauma care that the community needs," Begley said.

For patients across the country identified as needing "emergent" care, wait times increased to 14 minutes in 2004, up from 10 minutes in 1997, study authors reported. And the subset of patients who were diagnosed as suffering from heart attacks saw a significant increase, from eight minutes in 1997 to 20 minutes in 2004.

It would be nice to see a calm, reasoned response to this issue addressing the need for Hospitals to focus more on providing "non-urgent" care centers seperate from the 'emergency' areas while focusing on 'preventative' care instead of overloading out system with curing the patient of the symptoms instead of addressing the root causes of the disease before it gets bad (and expensive) but I'm sure all we'll get is more "damn those illegals" vs. "we need 'free' healthcare" arguments that are becoming more and more circular in their logic every day.

Kicking out all of the illegals or providing health care to everyone isn't going to do a thing to alleviate the stress that we are placing on emergency care until we stop using it in a manner in which it was never intended. The entire health care debate is backwards. We want to be given free reign to continue to abuse a system while someone else picks up a majority of the tab ignoring the fact that the system is not at a breaking point because of insurance, but because of how Americans are beating the crap out of it. It's become a "right" to have advanced procedures performed when none are necessary. Just because you sprained that ankle playing a game of tag with your kids doesn't mean that an open air MRI is necessary. Ice, Rest and Elevate there Johnny U. You don't need a CAT scan for your headaches Mrs. Hypochondriac, despite the fact that you think you do, practice relaxing (you can use BlogHouston's favorite: Bikram Yoga), get active, clean up your diet or take a damn aspirin. The odds that your head is going to explode like Cameron's did in Scanners. I promise you that's not in the cards.

The fact is our health care system is a LOT like our personal finances. Until we learn to use less then we are never going to see the results that we want. I don't care HOW much we demand and beg that the other guy gets taxed out of his mind.


Also: a news story from WSJ online which touches on the same study, minus the local "ancedotal" angle.

The DA mess (part infinity)

It's one of those rare stories where, even when nothing newsworthy happens, something happens. In this case, the Chron's Mike Tolson attempts to provide some historical analysis on the man...

To those who pay scant attention to the workings of the Harris County District Attorney's Office, the fact that Chuck Rosenthal's official computer contained dozens of dubious e-mails seems a shocking lapse of discretion, especially for one of the county's top elected officials.

But for those familiar with his colorful history, shocking is far from the first word that came to mind. At numerous times during more than three decades with the office, Rosenthal has danced defiantly to his own beat, engaging in conduct that has been criticized as questionable, embarrassing or downright improper.

Attorney Jim Leitner, who ran against Rosenthal in 2000 upon the retirement of local legend Johnny Holmes, tried to seize on his personality in that first primary campaign.

"How can we expect someone to set the example for all law enforcement agencies of Harris County if they do not possess good judgment?" Leitner said eight years ago.

Given the content of some of Rosenthal's recently publicized e-mails — which included questionable campaign communications that are being investigated by the Texas attorney general, repeated love notes to his secretary, racial jokes and images, and sexually explicit video clips — the question is more pertinent than ever.

Except that the question, as it pertains to Rosenthal, has been answered. In short: he couldn't. The rest of the piece is a fairly one-sided tying up of the loose ends of Rosenthal's career. Accepting it as gospel requires that you ignore the successes that Rosenthal had as a prosecutor, and focus entirely on the negative "character flaws" that the man most certainly possesses and which contributed to his professional downfall.

While I think its entirely fair to point out the failures of DA Rosenthal, one also has to look at his successes to get a complete picture of the man. Despite being flawed he assembled a staff of assistant attorney's and caseworkers that were terribly successful in gaining convictions against those who were charged of a crime. MOST (although not all) of those convictions have withstood appeal to the highest level. So while its fair to note that Rosenthal relied too heavily (and failed to question) the failed HPD crime lab, it should also be noted that, in many cases, his attorneys were able to craft solid cases despite working with what we now know was flawed, shoddy forensics research.

This blog (and many others) have been harsh toward DA Rosenthal for his lapses in ethical judgement, and rightly so. Don't read this blog posting to be a sudden one-eighty defense of the indefensible and a back-handed endorsement of Rosenthal after the fact. The man got (is getting) the treatment that he deserves under the law for his terrible lack of judgement and seeming disregard for racial or sexual sensitivities. His ego has stood in the way of allowing a comprehensive, independent review of convictions attained primarily from HPD crime lab evidence and his actions have cast into doubt all of the good work that was done by committed staffers within the office.

It's very right to bring all of that up when looking at "Chuck" Rosenthal the man as it relates to DA Rosenthal the public servant. But you can't just ignore the successes of the public servant out of spite or differing political ideology either. To do so is patently unfair and paints an incomplete picture of the man.

Texas Wine Fridays er...Monday's...

Imagine my surprise when I found a winery right in the heart of Houston. Imagine my further surprise when the wine list was extensive, and pretty good. Saturday the wife and I were out looking for BB's Cajun on Montrose for lunch but, alas, it doesn't open until noon on Saturdays.

Originally we had planned to drive around for about 30 minutes until the place opened. We figured we'd stop by SPEC's clearance warehouse (where we found a very drinkable Arrogant Frog for $3.99 from a non-traditional French vineyard) and then just piddle around until Noon when bb's opened.

Our plans changed when we found Salud! winery right at the corner of Montrose and Sul Ross just past W. Alabama.

Salud isn't a "Texas" winery, mainly due to the fact that they don't grow their own grapes. They import the entirety of their grapes from various locations throughout the world and then craft, age and blend them on site. The resulting wines are remarkably drinkable, and reasonably priced to boot.

The food at Salud! isn't the star. The wine is.

The tastings at Salud! cost $8.00 for three samples. (a little pricey) but you can taste anything, including their limited reserve offerings. I tasted the Lodi Reserve Cabernet, The Barbaresca and the Australian Shiraz. All three wines were good. The Barbaresca was very good. Good enough that I bought a glass to accompany the Italian Sandwich that I purchased for lunch.



It was a good sandwich, with salami, prosciutto and provolone cheese that had been toasted on some toasty, crispy bread, served with pita chips that really didn't add much to the sandwich, but they were useful for pallet cleansing in between wine tastings.

The missus, as is her wont, ordered meals that were a little simpler than mine. Specifically she ordered the cheese and bread plate, with tomatoes and olives substituting for bread due to her Celiac Spure. Was it good? well, here's what was left by the time I could take a picture:


The cheese was an aged chedder, and it went very well with the Super Tuscan Sangiovese that my wife ordered in her tasting run and by the glass afterwards.

The best dish of the day was a simple caprese salad:


My wife ordered this and it was excellent. The mozzerella was fresh, the basil as well, and the tomatoes, while not grand, were firm and tasty none the less. Matched with the Olive Oil, a decent balsamic vinegar and the Chardonnay the meal was my wife's favorite part of the meal. My wife also tried the muscat, which was very good as well.


Of all the wines that Salud! had to offer my favorite was the Barbaresca and the Super Tuscan Sangiovese. I'm probably biased here because Sangiovese is my favorite grape varietal. Still, that also makes me a little more picky when it comes that wine so read into that whatever you will.

At the end of the day we left there with three bottles of wine, the Chardonnay, the Barbaresca and the Super Tuscan.



The dining room at Salud! is decorated sparsely in a very modern style. The staff is friendly and outgoing, and pours a mean glass of wine. It's a nice place to go and enjoy a nice, simple lunch with a very good glass of wine.


If only more people in Houston knew about it....

The devil is in the details

Remember when Mayor White said "no public funds" would go to the building of the soccer stadium?

Maybe he meant on the structure only?

(from Carolyn Feibel of the Chron)

The city could spend up to $20 million to buy six downtown blocks for a Dynamo soccer stadium, and it remains unclear if the team would reimburse the costs.

The blocks that officials are eyeing — just east of U.S. 59 in the warehouse district — have a total appraised value of about $5.1 million, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, or HCAD.

But local property owners who want to sell have been asking for triple or even quadruple the appraised values, as the area is seen as "hot" for development.

"I do not believe the appraisal value reflects even half of the market value," said Dan Nip, chairman of the East Downtown Redevelopment Authority. HCAD has appraised properties in the six-block area at $12.50 per square foot.

But asking prices by nearby owners have been $30 or more per square foot, Nip said. "If you have the whole square block, you can get as high as $40-$50."

City officials have not said how they would pay for the property. Mayor Bill White said he doesn't want public funds used for the actual stadium construction.

Yes, its a loophole, a $20 Million dollar one at that.

Geez.


OTHER EYES:
Blog Houston: Soccer stadium land could cost $20 Million!

"Planning" week in Houston.

Or, should we say, zoning week?

This article by Mike Snyder caps off a flurry of activity from the Chron highlighting the City's need to zone plan, to help Houston address the future.

Two of the most popular politicians in modern Houston history broke bread together last week and debated how much the city's future should resemble its past.

Over lunch with Mayor Bill White on Monday, former Mayor Bob Lanier laid out his concerns that new regulations on real estate development threaten the city's favorable business climate and low housing prices. White insisted his administration is simply taking modest steps in response to changing local development patterns.

As the two men chatted over their meals, real estate interests backed by Lanier were working behind the scenes to push back against perceived threats to Houston's unconstrained growth model — by persuading local officials or electing new ones.

"Occasionally, we need to remind ourselves that our favorable regulatory environment is worth keeping," said Kendall Miller, a shopping-center owner and one of the organizers of Houstonians for Responsible Growth.

This was preceded on Sunday by an Op-Ed piece from pro-zoning activists Mark Sterling and Sheila Sorveri:

City Hall is looking for ways to stop the Bissonnet high rise, a project that got much publicity last year. The smart money is betting the law will be very narrowly focused.

Also in 2007, after many years of effort, the residents of the Old 6th Ward got their own special law to help that small neighborhood save what history is left. Two ordinance changes give neighborhoods the chance to control front set backs and lot size, but these laws apply only inside the 610 Loop and the onus is on the homeowners to do all the work.

Some folks in The Heights have worked for years to get two small pockets designated as historic districts. Most of The Heights no longer qualifies, since less than half of the structures are original. But that designation would only slow the destruction by requiring a 90-day wait before demolishing a home.

Most people don't realize that buildings in Historic Districts or on the National Register of Historic Places are not protected from demolition (remember the destruction of Ashland House in The Heights?). They also don't know that, in parts of Houston, buildings can be built on the lot line, provided there is a firewall.

All of this was preceded by Rick Casey's column on his glee that the developers have formed a PAC:

Great news! Houston's major developers are organizing a political action committee to influence City Hall!

As my colleague Mike Snyder reports, it bears the typically generic, feel-good name "Houstonians for Responsible Growth," and it's backed by some of the city's biggest builders.

Why is this good news, you ask?

Because it's a historic development for developers and builders to have to lobby City Hall.

It means they no longer own it.

Houston was founded by real estate developers. The city has, with few exceptions, elected mayors who were either very pro-developer or who were developers.

Casey does make this important point regarding the zoning movement:

The major change is not the man at City Hall. It's the people in the neighborhoods.

Houston's political landscape is being transformed by adding a sophisticated urban core. Affluent people with urban sensibilities have been filling the neighborhoods inside Loop 610, an area that had been slowly emptying since 1960.

Many of these people, young professionals and baby-boom couples and families in between, came from other cities and have urban sensibilities that reach farther than their lawns. They are comfortable with laws and regulations that protect them from their neighbors — and their neighbors from them.

"People are buying nice homes," said Rice University political scientist Bob Stein. "They want to buy nice views."

Hey, a Bob Stein sighting!!!


But, as it applies to zoning, its important to realize that the entire movement is being driven by affluent, predominantly, non-native Houstonians. You know, the folks that took advantage of lax zoning, low housing prices and a free regulatory environment to buy their homes. They are now trying to deny others the same opportunity afforded them. All in the name of "beautification" of course.

Or could it be that they just don't want "those people" (you know: the "unsophisticated") moving into their neighborhoods?

Ya think?

Lotto: $50 ticket being bought mainly by poor.

The Chron provides some speculation that the $50 Lottery ticket could be being purchased by the poor and middle-class...

(From Lisa Sandberg and Chase Davis of the Chron Austin bureau)

When top lottery officials last winter announced the introduction of a $50 scratch-off game — the priciest lottery ticket in the nation — they said they hoped to appeal to a particular type of player: The affluent.

As it turns out, the $50 game, called $130 Million Spectacular, has fared best in middle-income neighborhoods typically not considered affluent, according to six months of sales data analyzed by the Houston Chronicle.

The Chronicle looked at each of the state's ZIP codes with at least 1,000 adult residents, dividing them into groups based on their median household income in the 2000 census.

The analysis found that sales of the $50 Spectacular surged across middle-income ZIP codes, seeing strong per-capita sales in areas both with incomes of just more than $30,000 and in those with earnings upwards of $50,000 and $60,000.

Sales figures dropped off in both rich and poor areas, although the state's poorest ZIP codes — those with median incomes of $20,000 or less — saw stronger per-capita sales than the richest, with incomes of $90,000 or more.

While the analysis is imperfect because it does not account for people who may buy lottery tickets in a ZIP code where they don't live, and whose incomes may differ from the median there, it bolsters numerous other studies indicating that lottery games tend to be most popular among the non-affluent.

The "study" conducted by the Chron doesn't tell us anything in a vacuum. We know nothing about who is purchasing their tickets, it doesn't account for people buying them at work (where most buy) etc. However, there are several other studies which show that the lottery is increasingly draining income on the poor and middle class to the exclusion of other income groups.

It also reveals a LOT about how the Chron chooses to categorize the "richest" income groups in Houston. Namely, anyone making over $90,000 per annum.

Remember that when you're struggling to pay your kids way through college, you rich people you....

A ripple effect from all those bonds

Greg Barr of the Houston Business Journal tells us that International bond servicing companies are moving to Texas to take advantage of all those public bonds that are on the books....

A public financing company with deep international pockets is ramping up in Houston to compete for a bigger chunk of the Texas bond underwriting market.

Depfa First Albany Securities LLC has brought aboard two local investment bankers well-versed in the politics of public bond markets.

Laurie Bricker served on the Houston Independent School District board from 1995-2004 including two terms as president. She joins Mark Ellis, a former Houston City Council member, on the Houston team.

Ellis, who served on the city council from 2000-2005, replaced Jodie Jiles, another local player with political connections. The former Greater Houston Partnership board chairman is now a competitor over at RBC Dain Rauscher Inc.

Vincent Matrone, Depfa First Albany managing director for Texas, says state government and school board bond issues produced more than $35 billion in bond underwriting business between 2005-2007. Voters authorized $7 billion of new statewide bonds this year.

A Depfa First Albany review of statewide bond refinancings in 2006 revealed that 28 percent were related to school districts -- the impetus behind hiring Bricker.

To quote Matt Bramanti....Heh.

Problems with the light rail

Oops...

(from Rad Sallee of the Chron)

The downtown and Midtown segments of Metro's light rail line will be closed during parts of the next two weekends to fix problems the transit agency blames on faulty construction.

In December, Metro's board of directors authorized KBR Inc. to repair the problem at a cost of up to $812,000.

The closures will last from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and on Jan. 19-20. Buses will shuttle passengers in the closed segments at 12-minute intervals, Metropolitan Transit Authority spokeswoman Raequel Roberts said.

Roberts said the work is to fix persistent trouble with the cables that carry current from power stations along the route to the rails. Metro says the problem caused parts of the line to shut down on three occasions.

(snip)

In a statement Thursday, STV said the cable installation and design were done by others and "met the relevant testing criteria."

"Since Metro did not bring us in to investigate the situation, we cannot comment on the cause of the alleged problem or on the adequacy of the proposed solution," the statement said.

Roberts said similar repairs will be made in other parts of the 7.5-mile line. The segment from Fannin South to the Texas Medical Center is tentatively scheduled to shut down Jan. 26-27, followed by the segment in the Museum District, she said.

The cable problem is one of several that have surfaced since the line opened Jan. 1, 2004. Some Metro critics have blamed the malfunctions on a rush to get the line completed in time for crowds at Super Bowl XXXVIII, played at Reliant Stadium.

"I'm not sure we can blame the tight deadline," Roberts said. "It is possible to complete something on limited deadline and still do it correctly."

I wonder if KBR got this contract on a "no bid" basis?


Either way that's almost another Million dollars of excess, unplanned expense that Metro's going to have to shell out for the light rail line. One would hope that they plan and design the other lines better, but so far they're not inspiring confidence.

Rapid Eye Movement.

High School Steroid Testing move forward - And common sense in Texas moves one step back. Already one commenter on the Chron story is making baseless allegations against Katy High, because they were successful. What a world.

Lakewood Church: The Oasis of screwballs and nuts - and 45,000 plus potential voters. Goodbye Mrs. Siegler, sorry you couldn't stay viable through the end of January.

Kerry supports Obama - I guess Hillary and Edwards paid him more to endorse someone else?

Noriega tells primary opponents to "shove it". - Questions, Questions, Questions. - Apparently Rick Noriega doesn't like answering them from ANYONE. Arrogance is never a good quality to exhibit for a political candidate. Ask Hillary Clinton. (of course, to be fair...there could be valid reasons he's ignoring questions right now)

HISD releases bonus plan, those who got lower bonuses don't like the system. - And in related news, the Sun came up in the East this morning. I love the guy's "we all work hard, we should get the same" whine. If hard work were the determining factor in payout then garbage men would be the highest paid workers in the World. Think about this: That hampster in the wheel is working hard as well. I'm sure we can expect the Teacher's union to chime in with drivel soon enough.

Dan Patrick releases Tax "overhaul" plan.

Geez, there's a lot of Dan Patrick related news today.

AUSTIN – Today, at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Policy Orientation, Senator Dan Patrick will lay out a three-point plan to provide real tax relief to the citizens of the state of Texas.

As a small business man and long-time opponent to the new business margins tax, Senator Patrick is very concerned about the impact of the tax on businesses that do not make a profit. "Texas must return to the business tax structure that recognized the critical importance of Texas' small businesses and remove the burden of taxation on businesses that do not make a profit," said Senator Patrick.

Senator Patrick's three point plan begins with returning to the more equitable tax structure that taxed business profit but continuing to include the new business entities that were brought under the margins tax. Keeping these entities will allow the old rate of 4.5 percent to be lowered. "Business taxes should not punish the business community for seeking to improve our economy but fail to make a profit over the year," stated Senator Patrick, "but at the same time, all business entities should share the load."

Senator Patrick will also advance the cause of tax reform by including in his proposal an increase in state sales tax and dedicating those funds to pay down property taxes. By raising the state sales tax by one penny, but exempting those below the federal poverty level, Texas will generate approximately $3.3 billion dollars which could be used to provide guaranteed long-term property tax relief. "Today, property tax relief is based upon the whim of the legislature and the funds available from an inequitable and onerous business tax," said Senator Patrick. "By dedicating the funds generated from a minor increase in sales tax, to property tax relief, low property taxes will be guaranteed and the Texas economy will thrive."

Finally, Senator Patrick will continue to advocate for appraisal caps. "Without the institution of appraisal caps, property tax relief is just an empty political promise. Property taxes were held down by state funds this session but appraisal hikes quickly diminished the provided relief," said Senator Patrick. "I will continue to fight for appraisal caps as part of a broad tax reform package that will secure real tax relief to Texas property owners and equitable tax burdens on Texas businesses."

Senator Patrick will soon begin to promote this proposal across the state through town hall meetings with other conservative legislators and advocacy groups like the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute.

Senator Patrick will present this proposal today at 5:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Austin Hotel in the Capitol View Terrace North conference room.

It's a three-pronged proposal, so here's a three-pronged rebuttal.

1. The business tax. - Are you sitting down? I agree with Sen. Patrick on this plank. The "margins tax" as its come to be called is simply bad tax policy. Since no one wants to say it I will: What the State needs is a tax that hits profits. It's silly to tax small or start-up businesses that are struggling to break even in the first place. Going back to the old tax plan (ironically championed by the late-Gov. Ann Richards) would go a long way towards alleviating the onerous effects that the margins tax is going to have on small businesses across the State.

At least, that is, until the entire taxation system can be re-worked.

2. Sales tax increase. - I don't like this idea at all. Just like I don't like putting most of the burden on property owners. The facts are that sales taxes take up proportionally more of the poor and middle-class' salary than they do of that of the upper class. Even when you account for the fact that the upper class purchases more expensive products. Neither do I like the idea of using the entire tax to "buy down" the property tax rate. Since the legislature has shown zero inclination to limit appraisal creep, what you will have in two years is a situation where the sales tax is higher, and poor and middle class homeowners are right back to the point they were before. Anyone remember Rick Perry's $2000?

I thought so.

3. Fighting for appraisal caps. - While I still think this is a good idea, I've also come to the realization that its not going to have any legs as long as the State's property taxes are the crutch upon which the financing of State Gov't leans. Under the current system the bulk of the taxes are paid by the middle class and small-businesses. The wealthy pay a share but have an easier time gaining ag exemptions on prime commercial property than does the common citizen. My stop-gap preference would be to immediately raise the Homestead exemption, and then key it to inflation so that it doesn't fall behind the increases in the market. This puts a temporary hedge on the taxes payed by the poor and middle class.

At least, until the political will exists to change the entire tax structure of the State. But don't wait too long for that to happen, both parties have an issue that will rally the base and most partisans REALLY believe that disproportionate taxation of society is a good thing. They just disagree on which proportion should be disproportionatly taxed that's all. The Democrats want everyone making $500,000-$40,000 per year to fund it while the Republicans want everyone making from $200,000 to $30,000 to bear the brunt. Either way if you're in that $200,000-$40,000 range (what I would call the TRUE middle class) you're screwed.

Most ironic is Patrick's admission (now) that taxes will have to be raised at all to keep the State of Texas running. Gone are the histrionics on the Senate Floor that he has found "Billions of dollars in waste that could be cut" (much of it wasn't waste) and what we have now is a new found reliance on the very Government that he ran on reducing and limiting.

It's surprising to hear him speak of expanding the time that the Lege is in session, making them year-round, full-time employees (with the resulting increases in pay) now that he's safely tucked into a very red district behind a radio blow-torch and with an Internet house organ behind him playing hymnals for the Church of Dan. That's hardly the "voice of change" that we were promised when he was campaigning against the "not true conservatives" in the Primary eh?


FWIW: I voted for Henley.

The P(R)rimaries they are a churnin'.....(UPDATED)

The County Judge dust-up between Ed Emmett and Charles Bacarisse has cranked into high gear in the wake of the Rosenthal e-mail fiasco.

(from Alan Bernstein of the Chron)

In the March 4 GOP primary for county judge, challenger and former District Clerk Charles Bacarisse called Wednesday for Rosenthal to resign and, when asked repeatedly by reporters, said there should be an independent investigation of his actions. A campaign aide said calling for Rosenthal's resignation was more significant because an investigation was inevitable.

In contrast, incumbent County Judge Ed Emmett announced the county's request for an independent investigation by the state attorney general and, when asked repeatedly, said Rosenthal should resign.

"That's fairly stout. That says, look, this is more than just calling and saying, 'Gee, why don't you resign,' " Emmett said. "This is saying, 'We are starting a process that, if the facts turn out ... we will remove you from office.' "

Both strove to be portrayed as distant from longtime county government practices.

"The voters in general are sick of politics as usual," Bacarisse said.

And Emmett said: "I had no connection to county government before I became county judge (in 2007). I clearly am the outsider and the newcomer to all of this."

If Rosenthal remains in office for a long time — his term lasts through the year — the scandal could hurt public opinion about all local Republican candidates, just as party leaders feared when they urged Rosenthal to end his re-election campaign, experts said.

Those of the political persuasion are getting a press release per day from the Bacarisse campaign, asking questions that are indirect (though thinly vieled) shots at Emmett's integrity and, in some cases, creative application of fact as it relates to Emmett's stances on certain issues.

For example:

The "question":

Do you still support the District Attorney as you said on December 28th and reaffirmed on December 30th, or are you going to suddenly change your mind as you did on doubling toll taxes?

Emmett's supposed "support":

Dec 28:

Former Judge Eckels and current County Judge Emmett are both supporting Rosenthal. Privately though, a number of others within the Republican Party are concerned that having Rosenthal on the ballot could damage other Republican candidates in Harris County.

Dec 30:

Harris county judge Ed Emmett says Rosenthal's emails were done in poor judgment and have put the Republican party in an awkward position with voters.
"There's no violation of county policy, but the term I used is 'this was stupid' and people expect the district attorney to have judgment beyond reproach," said Harris County Judge ed Emmett.

Note that both of these blurbs were spoken Before the New Year, before the extent of the issue was fully known. Also, the spoken "support" for Rosenthal in the Dec. 28th story is implied by the reporter. There is no direct quote from Emmett.


At present I'm not backing anyone in the DA's race but, just as I stated regarding the Noriega claims regarding Cornyn's vote "dishonest criticism is dishonest criticism and shouldn't have any soapbox in the political arena.".


Which brings us to The growing battle over Texas House District 130 where Dan "Gospel Truth" Patrick has started a war of insinuation and mud-slinging on behalf of Alan Fletcher against his opponent, incumbent House Member Corbin Van Arsdale.

The survey in question has brought many responses, some favorable to Mr. Fletcher's position, and some not so favorable of Dan Patrick for "secretly" commissioning this poll and then using his house organs to regurgitate the results.

Kuff provides a good primer on the poll:

This is a push poll. Not an egregious one, of the "Would your opinion of Senator Bedfellow change if you learned that he regularly kicks puppies?" variety, but a push poll nonetheless. There's nothing wrong with this, as the point is to demonstrate that voters can be swung by a particular candidate's message, but it does mean that message has to get out there - a lot - in order for those votes to swing. I'm guessing that Fletcher isn't having too much trouble raising money (we'll know for sure soon enough), which is the key factor here. Basically, expect there to be a lot of negative mail sent about Rep. Van Arsdale.

Last night, on KSEV radio, Dan Patrick was all but frothing over the fact that, supposedly, Van Arsdale is running his own "push poll" in the district to counterbalance Dan's poll. Mr. Patrick all but took off the glove and slapped Van Arsdale in the face for daring to question the integrity of Gospel Truth Dan. He then went on to denigrate Mr. Van Arsdales use of "dirty politics" while assuring listeners that he was above such things.

Except, the facts aren't baring that out.

To whit...

Here’s an example– many pollsters, if they wanted to keep certain questions confidential, would have re-written and re-numbered the survey questionnaire made available to the public.

In this survey, for instance, we redacted questions 18 and 19. These questions addressed unflattering (but entirely accurate) information about Van Arsdale. No doubt those questions impacted respondents willingness to say he “deserved reelection” on second ballot. Our client wished to keep those questions confidential, so as not to tip their strategic hand.

If we had simply re-numbered the survey no one would know that the questions had been asked. But this would have given the public a false impression, because you would then assume that the +22 point jump in “new person” (and -18 point drop in “deserves reelect”) was wholly the result of the tax & spending vote questions, which isn’t accurate. These other questions had an impact too.

It's important to understand that there were two questions on the survey that were redacted from public view. Benzion himself states that they were concerning 'unflattering' (although the claim is that they are accurate) information regarding Mr. Van Arsdale. These questions were asked of the respondants however, right before the second attempt to quantify support.

In other words, would you still support Van Arsdale if you knew he did "X".

And then there's this question:

13._ Corbin Van Arsdale has represented House District 130 in the state legislature for the past six years. During that time, can you remember something specific that he has done for you personally, your family, neighbors, community or others?
[IF YES OR UNSURE, FOLLOW-UP, RECORD]
And in your own words, what did Corbin Van Arsdale do that you remember?

That question is so loaded it ought to come with a warning.


The final kicker is here:

change their minds based on new information, so I’m going to ask you again...
20._ Do you think that Corbin Van Arsdale has performed his job well enough to deserve reelection as your state representative, or do you think it’s time to give a new person the chance to do better?
ASK ONLY IF DESERVES RE-ELECTION IN Q 20
20.a. Would you say you will vote for Corbin Van Arsdale in the next election regardless of who runs against him, or would you not say that?

Say what you want, but that ain't right.

One last thing:

A seemingly credible caller to Edd & Pat Wednesday morning indicates that someone is in the field with their own, apparently “pro” Van Arsdale survey

I heard that call replayed on Dan's show while driving home last night. He didn't supply ANY of the questions that he was asked, wasn't asked to hold on for verification of who he was, etc. He just said that "Van Arsdale was running a "push poll" in the district" which he (and the morning hosts and Dan) assumed was "dirty politics" and claiming that Dan was lying. The charge the started the whole rant.

I have no vote in HD 130, therefore I don't really have much of a stake in who wins. I DO have a stake in Texas politics as a whole, as do you.


So, based on all of this, here's my "push poll" question:

Is this the type of leadership you expected when you voted these people into office?



Hold tight, its going to get muddier before all is said and done.


UPDATE: (and a mea culpa, correction, clarification whatever you want to term it)

First off, I'm not a pollster. I'm an oil and gas accountant for an oil company who fiddles with a blog to pass the downtime in the evenings/during early mornings and during the occasional work break or when things are running REALLY slow at work.

From time to time I will be wrong. I make every effort to publically, and prominently, correct those errors when they are made.

This is one of those times.

The "poll" in question is not a "push poll" as I agreed with Kuff (erroneously) that it should be characterized as. As a matter of fact (as I've admitted in the comments) as a tool to probe Van Arsdale's relative strength in the district it is a very legitimate tool.

What I take issue with, and what I originally intended to highlight in my post, was the manner in which the Fletcher campaign, Lone Star Times, and Dan Patrick are utilizing this poll to convey ideas that blurr the lines between black/white and gray areas.

I have posted quotes, recounted information to the best of my ability to demonstrate facts to prove my case. In the process of that the focus of the post was drawn closer toward the buglight of pollster technicalities than I have the expertise and/or desire to focus on. Therefore I will defer to the "pros" and remove my characterization of the poll as a "push poll". I will however leave all links and the original posting text unchanged, so that you may see the errors that I made.

I stand fully behind the other criticisms I made in the post however.

Thank you.

Stepping one foot closer

to a Minor League Soccer stadium in Houston...

(from Bill Murphy and Carolyn Feibel of the Chron)

The city took a major step towards acquiring land for a permanent home stadium for the Dynamo, Mayor Bill White said today.

City officials signed letters of intent Monday to purchase parcels of land east of 59, near the downtown central business district. Officials would not identify the exact location, but said that discussions with the Dynamos were proceeding, with the intent of having the team finance construction of the stadium.

The preferred location of Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the Dynamo, has been between the George R. Brown Convention Center and Minute Maid Park on the other side of U.S. 59.

"It's not going to be done the way it was done with other stadiums, where the taxpayers picked up the tab," said White said.

The city is also "very close" to signing letters of intent for a regional amateur soccer complex, White said. The 18-field complex would be home to the Dynamos' practice facility and to amateur clubs.

The city is considering two locations just west of 288 in southern Houston. One is immediately north of Sims Bayou and the other is north of Almeda-Genoa Road.

"It's going to be one of the biggest things in amateur sports to have occurred in this city in a long, long time," White said.

White said officials would see if school districts wanted to partner with the city on the complex. He said some soccer fields could be up and working as soon as 2009.

Well, its going to be "different from other stadiums" in that the owners of the Dynamo are "supposedly" going to be "footing" the bill for most of the Stadium, while he taxpayer will be on the dole for the land, and infrastructure improvement.

Oh yeah, and the practice facility (don't forget about those school taxes) and "regional soccer complex" etc. That's if you ignore the fact that there are several "regional" soccer facilities in Houston already. Of course, these are administered by the County and not the City, which causes soccer ball envy you understand.

The "best" argument that the Dynamo have is that Houstonians already financed play-pens for the Astros, Rockets and the NFL's Houstons so why shouldn't they get a stadium as well?

If you think the MLS is "World Class" soccer then I guess you buy this argument but, being a soccer fan at the International and European levels, I would say that the counter argument is that we HAVEN'T built anything for the Aeros or the Comets as of yet, which would be more equivilent to the level of public interest that the Dynamo generate.

My second point is one that I made during the run-up to the other sports stadiums...

If the Dynamo (or Astros, or Rockets, or Houstons) truly deserve a stadium, then let them buy the land and build it. If the numbers are sound then it will certainly pay for itself and provide the owners a healthy ROI in no time right?




Oh. Nevermind.



OTHER EYES:

BlogHouston: City signs letter of inent for soccer stadium land.

The Republican Problem

And how New Hampshire went a long way toward fixing it.

How much trouble is the GOP in this year?

Their reaction to Hillary's win in New Hampshire tells you all you need to know.

It's pretty bad. So bad that the Republicans aren't pinning their hopes on one of their own candidates, but are praying that the other side nominates a candidate that will stir up echoes of past hatred and eight years of teeth-gnashing in hopes their base will vote AGAINST Hillary rather than FOR the eventual GOP nominee.

It's gotten so bad they're grading Hillary an "A" in debates, and talking about how much "better" she is than the other guy. You know, the charming African-American who had an artificial bump after Iowa?

There are some Republicans who don't subscribe to this way of thinking, preferring instead to focus on the positives of the Republican candidate. Those thoughts are becoming more and more dispersed in the fields of Republican dissatisfaction however, and a weary party is turning its eyes to Hillary Clinton as their saviour in a 2008 Presidential race where none of the candidates are looking very Presidential.

At least it makes for some entertaining reading however.

Metro: Revenue > Public Safety

Isiah Carey of Fox 26 gives us the rundown of how Metro is using police to drive revenue...

Officers Fear Bus Initiative Jeopardizes Public Safety
Some Metro Police officers say that public safety is being put at risk while they are forced to distribute bus passes known as Q-Cards. Reporter Isiah Carey has the Only on FOX details including the response from Metro Police Department.

Follow the link and watch the video.

It paints a disturbing picture of a program authorized by Metro Police Chief Tom "What Part of Safety don't you Understand" Lambert where Metro Police officers are taken off the streets, and sent to local schools to hand out Q cards to students.

According to the video Chief Lambert thinks this was a fine thing to do. Which raises the question:

What part of Public Safety don't YOU understand Chief?

Besides: You'd think METRO would have other well-compensated employees who could go to schools and push the Q card program wouldn't you?

Not to say I told you so...

But I told you so....

Conventional wisdom BEFORE Iowa and New Hampshire:
Hillary is the Democratic front-runner and the GOP race is wide open

Conventional wisdome AFTER Iowa and New Hampshire:
Hillary is the Democratic front-runner and the GOP race is wide open

Much ado about nothing.

On to Super Tuesday. (sorry South Carolina and Michigan, but you don't matter either)

OTHER EYES:

Professor's R Squared: New Hampshire Primary Wrap-Up

Sharks circling DA Rosenthal (UPDATED)

It keeps getting worse for Chuck "Kiss you behind the right ear" Rosenthal, yes it does...

(from Brian Rogers, Alan Bernstein and Matt Stiles of the Chron)

New e-mails released Tuesday show District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal sent and received racist jokes and strategized with political consultants and colleagues about his re-election campaign on his county e-mail account.

Also within the correspondence obtained Tuesday by the Houston Chronicle were numerous sexually explicit images. It was unclear, however, if Rosenthal ever forwarded those files.

The latest batch of 730 e-mails was met with concern by Harris County GOP leaders, who had already successfully pressured him to abandon his re-election bid.

"It's time for Chuck Rosenthal to pack his bags and leave," said county GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill.

Rosenthal declined to comment late Tuesday.

Among e-mails that concerned Woodfill were video clips of nudity and sex acts and a racist joke forwarded by Rosenthal that compares former President Bill Clinton to a black man.

The e-mail says Clinton played the saxophone, smoked marijuana and gets a check from the government each month.

The sex will get the sizzle of the story, but the steak is probably in the racist joke that was forwarded.

You did know that D.A. Rosenthal has a reputation for agressively going after the death penatly right? And that a majority of the cases in which he seeks the death penalty involve young black men?

Yeah, that looks bad. Even given the probable fact that Rosenthal didn't target these men because of their race (which I believe) as a D.A. in Texas largest county you not only have to be colorblind and evenhanded, you can't let there be the appearance that you are not raise its ugly head.

He should step down, and the airing out of the office can begin.

UPDATE: 3:00 PM Jan 9...

In a press conference today Harris County Commissioner Ed Emmet asked for the State District Attorney to investigate Rosenthal. He also said that he will ask Rosenthal to "step down" if he can't provide "a good account" of how he is spending his time on the taxpayers' dole. The article also notes that Emmett's primary challenger, Charles Bacarisse, made similar calls for Rosenthal to step down previously.

Yup, the sharks are circling.

OTHER EYES:

Profesor's R Squared: Time to go Chuck. Now.
Off the Kuff: Oh, those e-mails.

Can't open up a can of care.

I tried to care about Iowa, I really did. But at the end of the day the only story that came out of that was what we already knew:

"So called"values voters LOVE Huckabee and Young voters find Obama "groovy". So, tell us something we don't know.

Oh, that's right, Change right? That's the media "buzzword" for the election now.

Americans want "change".

Forgive me if I don't have the same lightbulb moment that all of the talking heads are having on talk shows across the land.

Change? You think?

Let's review. (deep breath)

After six years of slogging along in a Middle Eastern Sandbox the currently unpopular President decides to sell the surge to a war weary public whose continually being beaten down with bad news on the economic front and who is sick and tired of a Congress who can't go to the bathroom, put away the groceries much less pass meaningful legislation that's not ineffectual and loaded with pork and they are just now figuring out that "Americans want change?"

So I'm sorry New Hampshire, but I still can't get excited about a few small, predominately white, upper to middle class township residents with an overstated, cliched penchant for freedom based on the bones of ancestors dead now for many years. Nope, I just can't do it.


Oh....Obama and McCain will win.


You won't care either, admit it.

The City Government you deserve...

Not much ado about the City Council committee assignments in the news today I see.

Here they are for those paying attention:

Budget and Fiscal Affairs
Clutterbuck (chair), Garcia (vice chair), Green, Holm, Khan, Lawrence, Lovell, Adams, Noriega, Rodriguez

Ethics
Clutterbuck (chair), Khan, Brown, Lovell, Jones, Sullivan

Flooding and Drainage
Khan (chair), Lawrence (vice chair), Garcia, Brown, Clutterbuck, Johnson, Noriega

Housing and Community Development
Jones (chair), Brown (vice chair), Garcia, Green, Khan, Johnson, Adams

Human Services and Technology Access
Johnson (chair), Adams (vice chair), Khan, Lovell, Jones, Noriega

International Liaison and Protocol
Khan (chair), Garcia, Johnson, Jones, Sullivan

M/WBE, Small Contractor Development and Contract Compliance
Garcia (chair), Rodriguez (vice chair), Johnson, Adams, Jones

Pension Review
Holm (chair), Green, Clutterbuck, Johnson, Adams, Sullivan

Public Safety and Homeland Security
Noriega (chair), Garcia (vice chair), Khan, Lawrence, Johnson, Lovell, Adams, Jones, Rodriguez, Sullivan

Quality of Life
Holm (chair), Lawrence, Clutterbuck, Lovell, Adams

Regulation, Development and Neighborhood Protection
Lawrence (chair), Sullivan (vice chair), Garcia, Holm, Brown, Clutterbuck, Johnson, Lovell, Adams, Noriega, Rodriguez

Sustainable Growth
Brown (chair), Rodriguez (vice chair), Clutterbuck, Lovell, Adams, Jones, Noriega

Transportation, Infrastructure & Aviation
Lovell (chair), Johnson (vice chair), Garcia, Green, Holm, Brown, Noriega, Rodriguez, Sullivan


I find it interesting on the heels of news that former Mayor Lanier is politicking against increased development regulation and Mayor White's insistance that he's NOT pro-zoning:

White has characterized his administration's development proposals as narrowly focused efforts to protect neighborhoods or preserve historic properties. White has sought to deflect perceptions he supports zoning or other broad-based land-use planning initiatives.

...that Mayor White would appoint Houston's largest Pro-zoning advocate to the "newly formed" committee that's going to be primarily responsible for drafting future zoning ordinances.

Besides that there's nothing juicy here.

NewsWatch: City Hall and Kuff's guest blogger provide a little more.

Blah Championship Series

Thank goodness its over.

Here's the final tally:

Rose Bowl:

USC 49
Ill 17

Sugar Bowl:

UGA 41
Haw 10

Orange Bowl:

Kan 24
VaT 21

Fiesta Bowl:

WVA 48
OU 28

B(C)S Championship game:

LSU 38
OSU 24


*YAWN*

Let's be honest here. Except for the Orange Bowl, this year's slate of B(C)S games were terrible, not competative, boring, and did nothing to convince the casual observer that the system needed to be scrapped.

How bad is it?

So bad that the Official B(C)S site has links to four articles by sportswriters saying the B(C)S works.

That's all fine and good if you ignore the fact that EVERY sports writer who's saying that had a team that benefitted from the system.

The LA Times? USC gets a $17 Million dollar payout.

The Chicago Tribune? Illinois lucked into a Rose Bowl game they didn't deserve.

The Kansas City Star? Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution? Georgia got a gift by drawing a weak Hawaii team.

For each of those articles however, there are just as many dissenting opinions calling for some sanity (and a legitimate champion) in College Football's highest level.

Because right now we don't have one. There's a B(C)S champion and then everyone's opinion about whether USC or Georgia or West Virginia are better than LSU. Four teams with a legitimate claim to the throne. Four teams who destroyed similar opponents in bowl games. Bowl games that just didn't happen to be ordained the "championship" by the coaches, who had to game the system to get the teams they wanted in the "championship". At this rate we might as well go back to the "old" bowl system. At least then we don't have to put up with the pretense that this is about 'crowning a champion'.

As much as I like College Football and enjoy the atmosphere and the games, the B(C)S is almost unwatchable. I only watched the Orange Bowl all the way through, and I turned off every other game at halftime.


Blah.

Lanier v. White

Round One: Development ordinances.

(from Mike Snyder of the Chron)

Former Mayor Bob Lanier has joined prominent home builders and developers campaigning to limit new development regulations they believe could threaten Houston's growth.

Lanier's comments are part of a nascent effort to respond to recent city laws and policies, including a high-density development ordinance now being written, that affect the politically powerful real estate industry.

A new organization, Houstonians for Responsible Growth, which has begun the process of registering as a political action committee, is coordinating the campaign, said Ken Hoagland, a political consultant working with the group.

Lanier's involvement came in a letter delivered Dec. 27 to all 14 City Council members and Mayor Bill White. It also was signed by Leo Linbeck Jr., owner of a major local construction company, and Richard Weekley, a prominent developer and home builder.

"We are writing you because of our growing concern that the city is embarking, with the best of intentions, down a path of more extensive planning and regulations, many of which have ill-served cities across our nation," the letter states.

The public involvement of people with the stature of Lanier, Linbeck and Weekley suggests there's a well-organized effort to preserve Houston's traditional laissez-faire approach to land-use regulation.

(snip)

Lanier said he agreed to sign the letter because he shares the concern that increasing regulations could add to the cost of new housing in Houston and price young families and first-time buyers out of the market.

"Each unit of additional cost knocks off a certain number of people from buying a home," said Lanier, who served as mayor from 1992 to 1998. "It's a serious error, in my judgment, to undertake to demonize the development industry."

(snip)

Some of the leaders of Houstonians for Responsible Growth are real estate professionals serving on a "stakeholders group" advising city officials about the high-density ordinance. Lanier, however, said his concern is about more than one project or ordinance.

"In the aggregate, they're much more significant than just Ashby," Lanier said.

White has characterized his administration's development proposals as narrowly focused efforts to protect neighborhoods or preserve historic properties. White has sought to deflect perceptions he supports zoning or other broad-based land-use planning initiatives.

Hoagland, the consultant, said Houstonians for Responsible Growth includes bankers, architects, construction project managers and others concerned about the economic "ripple effects" of excessive regulation.

First off: Calling the development group: "Houstonians for Responsible Growth" is a misnomer. Not that I'm taking sides, but c'mon.

Second: This is an interesting test of political power for Mayor White. If there is a public figure that's more admired than White in the City it's former Hizzoner Bob Lanier.

Right now we're dealing with a letter and a study from a libertarian think tank. Stay tuned however.

The Chron's linkpost REALLY suffers when Mr. Silverman's out of town.

Perusing the Chron's blog watch page this afternoon I noticed something that struck me as odd....





See, the link to Trying to help Teddy from the Houston Wartime Consigliere?

That's great right?

Except that the post has been there since November of 2007:

http://houstonconsigliere.blogspot.com/2007/11/trying-to-help-teddy.html


The Chron Blog Watch. "What They're Saying Around Town."


TWO MONTHS AGO!

Houston Jeopardy! 01/07/2008

Spotted at the Houston Boat Show:






A: The Bombardier Recreational Products Spyder..


Please state your response in the form of a question

The Gift that keeps on giving.

The Lee P. Brown administration is back in the news...

(from Wayne Dolcefino of KTRK 13)

Eyewitness News has learned the FBI has taken the lead role in the investigation of Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole. We've been bringing you the exclusive details since October about his use of campaign money and the house a county contractor helped design.
The news about Eversole isn't the only bombshell involving the feds and possible wrongdoing.
We've learned the FBI has delivered subpoenas to Houston City Hall looking for records of dealings with two companies and contractors with close ties to a slew of local politicians involved in the creation of city fire stations, county jails and even our football stadium.
You may not have heard of Michael Surface, but his name could soon be in the headlines a lot. He quietly resigned during the holidays as chairman of the powerful Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, the county created landlord of the Reliant Stadium complex. The county judge says he urged Surface to leave.

My thoughts on the whole Eversole mess are pretty well known. It's pretty obvious the guy has done less work in the past year than the scoreboard operator in charge of changing the Astros run total. As for Lee P. Brown. "Worst elected official ever" is the phrase that comes to mind.

OK, maybe not the worst "ever", but as time goes on we are finding out more and more shady dealings that spring from his lack of adminstrative competence.

To whit....

Two years ago the former head of Houston's building department, Monique McGilbra, and Mayor Lee Brown's former chief of staff Oliver Spellman were found guilty of bribery in Cleveland. Newspaper accounts at the time also claimed the government was prepared to prove McGilbra had also been bribed by a company called Keystone here in Houston. Surface was a partner in the company, but neither he nor anyone else at Keystone was charged with a crime.
In 2002 a Houston Chronicle editorial called the company the keystone of Harris County cronyism.
"I know for a fact the FBI certainly hasn't talked to me, I wasn't around when anything alleged to have occurred, occurred," Emmett told us.
Commissioners El Franco Lee and Jerry Eversole led the effort to lease purchase county buildings from Keystone. Lee's former company did business with Keystone, Jerry Eversole's son shared office space with the company and while his company made millions from county contracts, Surface was reappointed chairman of the sports corporation by Commissioner Eversole.

Tell us again Ms. Alvarado how 'term limits' have hurt Houston?

No, really, we're listening.


The reason you need term limits in a City such as Houston is due to the fact that the general populace is, for the most part, too busy to pay attention to the minutia of local politics, and the "fourth estate" has basically taken a pass on digging deep to unroot corruption. As a matter of fact, the local paper of record is on record extolling the virtues of immorality. Now, we can argue whether "corruption" exhibits a lack of morals until the indictments come in, but the bottom line is the Chron, with some notable exceptions, has not put forward the front of a paper that seeks to investigate the inner workings of the local government.

Television news is a different story. They like a good, juicy scandal as much as the next station, mainly because of ratings. But they lack the time, forum, motivation and resources necessary to devote the time necessary to follow a scandal from beginning to end. Once the reporter is finished with the "pop" story, the resulting follow up is mainly in the form of "updates" or to report on the results (if any) of what the ultimate outcome was. Some bloggers try to highlight corruption, but that's a limited audience at best.

So what we end up with are administrations such as the one headed by Lee P. Brown. Who would still probably be in office today had he not been term limited out.

And if you think the public would have "gotten wise" to the misdeeds and realized what a mess was going on down at City Hall think about this....

Four years later and the Cleveland mess is FINALLY being reported as a Houston issue.


OTHER EYES:

BlogHouston: Dolcefino reports on FBI Probe...
Off the Kuff: Is it about to get worse for Chuck?
HouBlog: Stink on a stick, and a Million dollar carport.

Yeah, but will it fly?

Cars that drive themselves?

(from Tom Krisher of the AP via the Chron)

Cars that drive themselves — even parking at their destination — could be ready for sale within a decade, General Motors Corp. executives say.

GM, parts suppliers, university engineers and other automakers all are working on vehicles that could revolutionize short- and long-distance travel. And Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner will devote part of his speech to the driverless vehicles.

"This is not science fiction," Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development, said in a recent interview.

The most significant obstacles facing the vehicles could be human rather than technical: government regulation, liability laws, privacy concerns and people's passion for the automobile and the control it gives them.

Much of the technology already exists for vehicles to take the wheel: radar-based cruise control, motion sensors, lane-change warning devices, electronic stability control and satellite-based digital mapping. And automated vehicles could dramatically improve life on the road, reducing crashes and congestion.

If people are interested.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind having a car that drives itself for my daily commute. That'd be great. Blog, read the online news and eat breakfast all during my commute.

But where are my flying cars?

Because when I was a kid I was promised cars that fly. And while self-driving is admittedly cool. It ain't flying.

Just kneel down and shut up would ya?

After all, these are our best and brightest...

(from Ericka Mellon of the Chron)

A new state law requires a host of people to submit to criminal background checks to work in schools: teachers, janitors, bus drivers, contractors, even some volunteers.

But the law does not apply to school board members, a fact that has raised concerns among some taxpayers who call it a glaring omission.

The recent indictment of an Alief school trustee — and the revelation of his criminal record — has prompted the question: Should the state or local districts require the same background checks for board members as they do for employees and volunteers?

"I think everybody should be scrutinized; anybody who represents or works for the school district," said Cheryl LaBelle, who retired last year as a secretary for the Alief Independent School District, in southwest Houston. "It's not even a matter of fairness. The first priority of the school district is to teach our children and protect them."

The idea of checking school board members has generated support from some current board members. Manuel Rodríguez Jr., president of the Houston board, and Don Ryan, president of the Cypress-Fairbanks board, said they would favor such checks.

"You are in a position where you have a leadership role in the district. I think the community would want to know if you had anything on a background check," Ryan said. "Our main focus is on the protection of the students and staff. So anything we can do in that regard to increase that protection, I think the board ought to take action to do that."

Alief board president Sarah Winkler said she plans to ask her colleagues at their next meeting to consider requiring annual background checks for board members.

"We are in and out of schools on a regular basis, so we're around students," Winkler said. "If we're going to ask our volunteers to do background checks, then I think we should, too."

I don't know. Everytime I hear a politician AFTER THE FACT talking about 'we should too' I just can't help but hear Mel Brooks' famous line in Blazing Saddles...

"Let's get a hurrumpf from that guy....we have to save our phony balony jobs!"....

Hurrumpf.

Some final thoughts on Iowa

So the Iowans have met in their homes and Elk lodges and have caucused their way to declaring their preferences for each parties' Presidential nominee. More importantly, the candidates and media beat feet out of "flyover country" (their words, not mine) before the ink was even dry on the first reporting of the results. Thank you Iowa, you don't mind if we just sneak out and leave the money on the bed side table do you?

Thoughts:

Democrats:

It's a 3 person race between Clinton, Obama and Edwards. Everyone else is either just along for the ride or sticking with the race due to some form of delusion that probably needs to be diagnosed and addressed.

Republicans:

It's a 4 person race between Huckabee, Romney, McCain and Guliani. I know, I know Thompson finished 3rd, but I don't think he'll have the staying power in New Hampshire and the other early states to remain viable heading into Super Tuesday.

Turnout:

Numbers were through the roof. with Democrats drawing an estimated 220,588 Iowans and Republicans drawing 114,000. If you're paying attention to the numbers that's roughly a 2-1 advantage for Democrats over Republicans. If you compare that to the 124,000 to 87,666 (or 1.5-1) advantage the Democrats had over their counterparts in 2004, its hard to argue that the "base" of the Donkey's is certainly more motivated than the "base" for the Elephants this time around. Will that change during the "general" election? Republicans are putting all their hopes for victory in that basket, but I'm skeptical that they are going to get that much of an appreciable bump in turnout just to keep someone out of office.

Meaning:

I still hold that Iowa doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things other than to whittle away at the candidates that didn't have a chance to begin with. For all of the talk of "values voters" propelling Huckabee to victory and the "young energy" of Obama's campaign, all of that can be undone by a poor showing in New Hampshire, followed up by a flop in South Carolina. Make no mistake about it, there were messages sent in this caucus that can't be ignored, but as for determining a winner this is just the starting gun of the marathon. As I stated before there are too many delegates still to be determined before some deeper meaning can be pulled from Iowa.


Lessons:

1. $20 Million doesn't buy what it used to - Darn that weak dollar.

2. different strokes for different folks. Depending on which candidate you support, this could have meant any number of different things.

3. Snow shovels are avaluable vote-getting tool in Iowa.

4. As are corn-subsidies. (despite the fact that ehtanol is a sham)

5. The Orange Bowl was more entertaining. (Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk)


P.S. And now for something completely irrelevent....Wyoming!

Be afraid, be very afraid

I've got two camping trips planned in 2008. A few of the people reading this may be going along with me. To them I offer up this warning:

I got THIS book for Christmas...






And yes, its actually very informative. It gives tips how to make pots and pans (and coffee/tea assemblies) from tin foil, as well as a reflection oven and bowls.

It also has a LOT of good recipes inside for all the different meals.


Don't say I didn't warn you.

We hate those who don't agree with our definition of Hate crime

Quannell the Tenth is at it again.

Still fighting the good fight against common decency and reasoned dialogue.

(by Robert Crowe of the Chron)

Activists are criticizing Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman's office for not treating racist words spray-painted on an Humble family's home as a hate crime.

The N-word and "monkey" were scrawled with red paint across the garage of Elvira Bowie's home in a subdivision near Aldine Westfield early Sunday morning. Bowie, who lives in the 21600 block of Lovis, is black.

"It's not being treated as a hate crime because it's an offense against property," Hickman said.

An incredulous Quanell X said the use of the racially offensive words is all the evidence deputies need to treat the case as a hate crime.

"You spray paint (the N-word) on a garage and 'monkey' and he says to us what does it matter if it's classified as a hate crime," the activist said. "That's exactly what too many insensitive white people in law enforcement would think. Ask a black law enforcement officer what he thinks."

Activists have asked the FBI's Houston office to investigate the incident as a hate crime.

Hickman said his office is treating the incident as criminal mischief, in part, because investigators believe it was linked to an altercation between an African-American teen who lives at the residence and a group of Hispanic girls.

Investigators interviewed the youths involved in the altercation, but they have not been able to link them to the vandalism. Hickman said a 15-year-old boy who was not involved in the altercation has been identified as a suspect, but he has not confessed.

The family did not see the vandals. Neither the family nor Hickman knew the motive for the altercation or vandalism.

Treating it as a hate crime, Hickman said, would not change how deputies investigate the case. He said it would ultimately be up to the Harris County District Attorney's Office to file hate crime charges.

He acknowledged that his office could recommend hate crime charges if they arrest a suspect who confirms the act was motivated by a racial prejudice or bias.

"It's way premature to presume what the motivation was or what he or she was trying to accomplish," Hickman said.

Quanell X said Precinct 4's failure to seek hate crime charges against two white teens who shouted "white power" as they attacked a Spring Hispanic teen in 2003 shows a pattern of insensitivity to minorities.

Why not ask a "white" person what they think about Q-10 catagorizing them as "insensitive" without basis?

Because, racial profiling without basis in fact is a form of "racial hate" Quannell, despite your high-minded rhetoric to the contrary.

On an entirely different note: It's ridiculous for a group to "require" that a crime with racial overtones be immediately "investigated" as a hate crime (whatever that's supposed to mean). The reason? Because if you "investigate" this as a "hate crime" then you are, by fiat, ruling out entire segments of the possible suspect pool because of the assumptions made in "hate crime" prosecution.

What if, for the sake of argument, a crime of this type was committed by two black teens against the property of a black family whose son had gotten into an argument with them at school? If we were to take the advice of Q-10, then these two teens wouldn't come under scrutiny because "hate" is code-word for white on black crime.

The simple fact that the Constables don't know who committed the crime automatically precludes them from classifying the crime as anything other than a vandalism. Once (if) suspects are identified and detained then it is the job of the District Attorney's office (not the office of the Constable) to determine whether or not hate crime statutes apply.

I should remind you that ALL of this takes place independently of Houston's most visible bounty hunter "activist" and his so-called organization. Not that little things like "fact" and "rule of law" have any meaning to the man mind you.

You thought people were throwing up on the Texas Cyclone the last time...

Wait until they get all liquored up...

(from the AP via the Chron)

After officials at Six Flags revealed their intention to sell alcohol at the amusement park, about 60 people showed up at a meeting Thursday night to find out how to protest the decision.

Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor posted notification on Dec. 17 that the parks were applying for liquor licenses. Following that posting, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission got more than 600 phone calls, so Thursday's information meeting was scheduled.

The intent of the meeting was to tell the public how to formally protest the applications, but residents spent most of the time expressing displeasure that a mixed-beverage permit could be issued for the parks.

"I feel this is totally unfair to families and children," Arlington resident Linda Rosenberry said in a story for Friday's editions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It's just putting your own customers at risk."

The Rev. Bart McDonald, a season pass holder and father of two young girls, said he planned to file a protest.

"To me, it's a safety issue and a health issue," said McDonald, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington. "If someone gets drunk, it will affect the peace of the park."

Because that drunk guy on the roller coaster is LESS likely to stand up and try to touch the flag on top of the first incline right? Or stumble and fall down in the middle of the line.*

Just say no to roller coasters and booze.

*forgetting for a minute the extra puke factor, clean-up, the increased reality that the seat you are offered won't be entirely empty.....Yuck.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

Chuck's considering a comeback...

Well, I wouldn't call it a "come back"...

(from Alan Bernstein and Brian Rogers of the Chron)

A day after withdrawing from the District Attorney's race, Chuck Rosenthal said this afternoon he is considering refiling his candidacy.

In his second term, Rosenthal said he had not discussed the matter with Republican leaders. He wouldn't comment beyond that, saying that he is mulling re-entering the race before the deadline expires Friday at 6 p.m.

He also wouldn't comment on whether he supports Assistant District Attorney Kelly Siegler who announced earlier today that she wants his job. Siegler said in her anouncement(sic) that she wouldn't have considered running if Rosenthal hadn't dropped out late Wednesday.

Rosenthal has had several changes of heart since a political scandal over intimitate(sic) e-mails he sent to his administrative secretary erupted last week.

I assume they mean "announcement" and "intimate" (hey Chron, Mozilla offers spell-check INSIDE the browser.

Outside of all that.

Agony and ecstacy depending on which side you sit.

Houtopia weighs in as well (not "giddy" per se but undeniably not sad about this turn of events.)

And, if you're of the Democratic persuasion why wouldn't you be happy? Rosenthal IN the race now is a Republican nightmare. At BEST (for Republicans) he files as a Republican and loses the nomination. But you're still stuck with what will surely be a hotly contested primary that could lead to some bad juju within the DA's office. All of this during a relatively high profile election when Republicans are trying desperately to hold on to Harris County.

The middle option is that Rosenthal runs as a Republican and wins the primary. What that sets up is the best possible scenario for a C.O. Bradford win. Rosenthal would be infinitely more damaged than Bradford, especially if the rumors are true and he is in legal hot water for deleting 2000 e-mails.

Disaster for Republicans would be that he runs an independent campaign. I don't THINK that can happen now because the filing deadline has passed for the primaries, but I'm thinking that an independent COULD still file for the general election, should he be able to gather signatures and pay the fee. Why is this a disaster for Republicans? Because Rosenthal probably would get around 20-30% of the Republican vote. Hail and hello District Attorney Bradford.


All together now:

Republicans: Nooooooo!

Democrats: Yessssss.


Bloggers: Thank you Chuck "kiss you behind the right ear" Rosenthal for the story that keeps on giving.

UPDATE: Kuff puts a dampener on any "independant" fun for Rosenthal. I thought that was the case, but I've seen odder oddities when it comes to filing, so it was worth a mention.

I wonder if there's a Mr. Falkenberg?

And if so, Is he checking Lisa's "unmentionables" drawer right now?

(From Lisa Falkenberg of the Chron)

In the end, it took no more than a brief peek into the public inbox of Harris County's tough-as-nails district attorney to render the prickly, obstinate, at times arrogant red meat prosecutor completely vulnerable.

Who could have predicted that, of all things, love would bring down Chuck Rosenthal?

Late Wednesday, the top prosecutor who had stubbornly fought off attacks from GOP brethren, bowed to their demands when he withdrew his name at the last minute from the primary ballot in which he had hoped to seek his third term.

But the revelations in Rosenthal's recent electronic missives to his executive secretary — dripping with desire and a schoolboy's giddiness — have revealed more than his own soft side.

The fallout of the e-mail scandal has exposed on a grand scale the vulnerabilities of a Harris County Republican Party already battling shrinking winning margins, inevitable demographic shifts and an approaching political tide that has drenched Dallas County in a great blue wave.

(snip)

It seemed harsh to some Republican moderates. None of us are without fault and few of us would appreciate having intimate details of our private lives spread like sleazy centerfolds before the public eye, including one's wife and teen daughters — over Christmas.

But the mere perception of infidelity is intolerable for a certain wing of a party that has set an unrealistic standard of perfection for candidates, who are expected to be a little more human than the rest of us.

"The Harris County Republican Party has a sad tendency to eat its own young and they do so with great glee and gusto and it is a sadly self-destructive trend that is probably not going to serve them well for the future," said Patrick McCann, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, who describes himself as a lifelong Republican.

Cheating on one's wife? No big deal, after all they're just wedding vows and when you're as influential of a bloviator as is Ms. Falkenberg, you can't let old fashioned things like "honesty" and "fidelity" get in the way of a good story. Nope, marriage is so OLD FASHIONED and loamy. It's like, so Iowa.

To Ms. Falkenberg that is.

To some people marriage vows are still considered somewhat sacred. Yes, the divorce rate is high and yes, I will admit that these people get a little tiresome railing on about the "sanctity of marriage" and their opposition to anything other than "one man, one woman" etc. etc. but hey. If they're the ones that voted Chuck Rosenthal IN to the office, don't you think for a minute that a public laundering of Chuck's dirty laundry MIGHT cause them to want him OUT of the office as well?

Well, not if you're Ms. Falkenberg. Ms. Falkenberg don't understand why anyone would be against a politician fooling around or breaking their wedding vows. Ms. Falkenberg is "urban", in that witty, charming way that "urban" means better than you or me. She's trendy, has redder hair, a by-line in a major regional daily (complete with color picture) and, dad-gummit, SHE gets things like light-timing done!

You?

Well, your job is to defer to her. Nevermind that there are legitimate ethical questions that arise surrounding a man who uses public computers to carry on a very private affair, ignore for a moment that maybe, just MAYBE there's going to be an issue with Mr. Behind the Right ear deleting some e-mails, forget that he HIRED the lady and paid her a fat salary and car allowance. Forget all of that, and lets focus instead on Ms. Falkenberg's infatuation with marital affairs.

"An unrealistic standard of perfection" probably wouldn't include cheating on one's wife using public computers and e-mail systems. Call it me but I think that's setting the bar a little low.

Especially if you're a "family values, law and order candidate" as was Chuck Rosenthal. It's not unrealistic to expect people to live up to the ideals upon which they publically campaign to win votes. Idealistic maybe? Sure. But our politicians encourage that kind of thinking with their campagin promises anyway.

Unrealistic could be Ms. Falkenberg's view of pretty much every loyally married couple in Houston. I know that I have never cheated on my wife. I guess that's "unrealistic" of me eh? Besides, my wife would kick my ass if I ever tried.


Is the "family values movement" a little overboard?

Well, yeah.

My Republican friends all know that I disagree with them on many of the so-called "family" issues. Gay Marriage? Fine, doesn't affect my relationship any. Abstinance only education? Nope, let's teach kids to use protection, but still keep teaching that abstinance is the only 100% for sure way. You know, because that's the truth. Abortion? Legal but rare.

The point is I'm not here trying to roast Chuck Rosenthal over the "family values" flame. I've been roasting him over the "honesty" flame. I would be just as likely to vote for a candidate who admitted they had an affair in the past as I would a guy who married his high-school sweetheart, claimed to have never cheated on her and had video evidence to prove his fidelity.

I'd change my mind if either of them were caught with their hands in the cookie jar and then flubbered around trying to cover up what is patently obvious to every person in the room.

Congressman Jefferson with money in his freezer and Chuck Rosenthal with e-mails on his hard drive are all the same to me. It's not about sex, its about honesty.

THAT's the value that I expect from my elected officials.


And Ms. Falkenberg should expect that as well.

Why Super Tuesday matters

And why Iowa and New Hampshire really don't. (contrary to media reports.)

It's a simple matter of delegates or, more specifically, the lack of them.

The Demcorats are spending Millions of dollars in Iowa for 86 of the 2137 that are needed to secure the nomination. That's 4%. In contrast, on Super Tuesday for the Democrats 2064 delegates are up for grabs. That's almost the entirety of delegates needed to secure the nomination.

By contrast the Republicans are spending Millions in an attempt to secure 64 out of 1259 needed to secure the nomination. That's 5%. In contrast, on Super Tuesday for the Republicans 1081 delegates (give or take a few) will be up for grabs, 2/3's of what is needed.

So, why then is so much attention paid to 4 and 5 percent of delegate votes?

Because the media needs the field to be narrowed. The talking heads and pundits need some numbers to either a.) allow them to feign surprise, or b.) convince you that this is what they said ALL ALONG and that they, and not you, know who it is the "American People" want to be President. (forgetting for a minute that the D.C. media wants out of the "Heartland" so badly they're starting to draw straws to see who gets to go back inside the Beltway to cover Bush's annual physical.) Nope, because the election is all about the people, and the people are (for now) a very narrow slice of America in a state with low ethnic diversity and an unusual affection for corn subsidies at the expense of other major (some would say National) issues.

So, when you watch the news returns tonight and you see that either Obama or Clinton won in a squeaker, and that Huckabee or Romney won a "close, hard fought race" that went down to the wire, remember: Historically this matters, because a vast majority of candidates that win in either Iowa or New Hampshire go on to secure the nomination for their respective parties. Partially because Iowa and New Hampshire do a pretty good job of seperating the wheat from the chaff.

But don't read too much into the tea leaves that Candidate X's supporters are spreading around after this. Because, from an electoral perspective, Iowa and New Hampshire's place in the spotlight is maintained just to make them feel relevent. After all, it's called "Super Tuesday" for a reason.


As for me? I'll be watching Kansas play Va Tech in the Orange Bowl, hoping that (finally) we'll get decent B(C)S game this year.


Oh, and in case you're wondering:

Picks as follows:

Donkeys: Obama
Elephants: Huckabee

And I concur with the Professors about Thompson. (I'm sure they were worried about that. :/)

I do hearby solemnly swear

Interesting tidbits from Peggy Fikac and R.G. Ratcliffe's wrap-up of State filing news today.

anti-war Democrat Dennis Kucinich apparently will not be on the ballot because the party returned his application after he scratched out a portion of the oath pledging support for the party's presidential nominee if it was not him, said party spokeswoman Amber Moon.

Moon said Kucinich's aides wanted to change the pledge to say the party nominee had to promise not to use war as a tool of foreign policy, but the party staff could not change the oath.

Campaign spokesman Andy Juniewicz said Kucinich filed documents Wednesday in a federal court in Austin to challenge the requirement. He said Willie Nelson is a plaintiff, along with Kucinich.

No word as to whether Kucinich is trying to change OTHER oaths. The oath of office, the pledge of allegiance etc.

In state House races, former Rep. Al Edwards filed against incumbent Borris Miles in the Democratic primary for District 146.

Cheerleaders everywhere are shaking their booties in support of Miles.

And out in the West Texas town of Pecos, 143rd Judicial District Attorney Randy Reynolds filed for re-election as a Democrat, with no opposition in either his own party or from the Republicans.

Reynolds triggered the statewide Texas Youth Commission scandal when he failed to bring a timely prosecution against two TYC staff members accused of sexually abusing boys in their care. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has obtained indictments against them.

Hey, I wouldn't run against him either.


No mention in this article of the CD07 Culberson/Skelley showdown and, so far, there aren't any other major surprises that I'm aware of (outside of the Rosenthal mess) but at least we have a basic idea of how most of these races will shape up.

Micheal Berry carjacked

At knifepoint!...

(from Anita Hassan of the Chron)

Former City Councilman Michael Berry says he was carjacked at knifepoint in a parking lot behind a southwest Houston nightclub after attending a concert there last month.

The conservative radio host, whose term expired Wednesday after six years on the Houston City Council, was at the Firehouse Saloon, 5930 Southwest Freeway, on Dec. 22 attending Texas country musician Cory Morrow's show.

After leaving the concert, around 1 a.m. on Dec. 23, Berry said, he got in his Chevy Tahoe, put down his BlackBerry and put his keys in the ignition when a man wielding a knife entered the vehicle from the front passenger door.

While Berry tried to shield himself by lifting his arm in front of his face, another man entered the Tahoe from the back passenger door, he said.

"Then I realized there were two guys and I needed to get out," Berry said.

As he got out of the Tahoe from the driver's side, a third unknown man, also carrying a knife, tried entering the vehicle from the same door, he said.

"I ran past him and he started to chase me," Berry said.

Afraid he was going to be stabbed in the back, Berry said, he turned around to face the man, who then demanded Berry hand over his wallet.

"He only got a chance to ask me once," Berry said. "But the car was starting to drive away and he jumped in."

Police found the abandoned Tahoe the same night at an apartment complex about 15 minutes away, only a few hours after Berry filed a report.

Wow. Why I may not be in agreement with Mr. Berry on every single issue, I don't wish crime at knifepoint on ANYONE. (and I'm nowhere near as crass as the Chron's usual slurry of anonymous commenters, brave people who would probably wet themselves if they were held up at knifepoint btw.)

Note: If you're so poisoned politically that you think its acceptable to take pot-shots at someone who just had a knife stuck in front of their grill, maybe you need to take a vacation.


Anyway, good to hear he wasn't hurt and that they found his vehicle.

Harris County races shape up. UPDATED (again)

Barring a disaster, or something silly, it looks like we have the principles that will square off in MOST County Races....

County Judge

Ed Emmett - Repub.
David Mincberg - Demo.

County Sheriff

Adrian Garcia - Demo.
Tommy Thomas - Repub.

District Attorney

C.O. Bradford - Demo.
Winner of Primary - Repub.

District Clerk

Theresa Chang (?) - Repub.
Loren Jackson - Demo.

Tax Assessor-Collector

Paul Bettancourt - Repub.
Diane Trautman - Demo.

County Attorney

Vince Ryan - Demo.
Mike Stafford (?) - Repub.


I have question marks beside Stafford and Chang because, at this point, I haven't heard whether they have filed or not but since they are the incumbents I would imagine the answer is yes.

Of course, the D.A.'s race is still in flux on the Republican side.


But, with what we DO know...What's the early read?

I say the Democrats can win 5 0f 6 races, with Bettencourt being a pretty safe hold for the Republicans based on his name ID and fierce following from SD7 residents who pray daily at the Church of Dan. District Clerk and attorney are not very well known, so they will probably be won more due to trickle down from the Presidential and Senate races, rather than because of any great advantage one candidate has over the other.

Right now I've got the Minceberg/Emmett tie leaning slightly in favor of Judge Emmett. To my mind the key in this race will be how involved Mayor White wants to get in support of a Friend of Bill. Or will he sit this out and let Minceberg run solo?

The D.A. is "pick 'em" and will remain that way until we find out who the Republicans are going to put forward to take on Chuck "I wanna kiss you behind the right ear" Rosenthal. I would guess that Patricia Lykos is the popular choice, but with the Harris County Republican Party who knows?

The Sheriff's race promises to be intriguing, if only because it will be interesting to see how negative Adrian Garcia decides to tack against Sheriff Thomas. There's plenty of grist for the mill there because of the sorry state of Harris County prisons, but Thomas has an out because voters didn't vote for new prison bonds. It's a shaky strategy, but it could be all he's got. Slight edge to Garcia early, but that could change based on his campaign. It's too early to tell what the tea leaves say regarding Garcia's surprise elevation to the (now largely ceremonial) Mayor Pro-Tem position by Mayor White. Is this a sign that a term-limited Mayor with a 90% election return is getting ready to spread around some political muscle?

What better way to make a case to the State Democratic Party that you're a serious player for Governor in 2010 than to turn a red (although rapidly purpling) County Blue?


UPDATED: Chuck's out...(Alan Bernstein of the Chron lets us know)

So, its official: Bradford's Crime Lab deficiencies are back in play.

Note: DA's race changed to reflect new candidates.

UPDATE II: Kelly Siegler is in. (signifying ANOTHER change to the run-down.)

Kuff was correct in his guess that Leitner was a "placeholder".

But will they respect you in the morning?

Hope for shut-ins everywhere...

(From Fritz Lanham of the Chron)

If you're younger than 35, you'll probably live long enough to put David Levy's prediction to the test. Levy says that by 2050 we'll be creating robots so lifelike, so imbued with human-seeming intelligence and emotions, as to be nearly indistinguishable from real people. And we'll have sex with these robots. Some of us will even marry them. And it will all be good.

Levy lays out his vision of a Brave New Carnal World in Love and Sex With Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships, which, despite its extended riffs on sex toys through the ages, is a snigger-free book. Levy's no Al Goldstein. Rather he's a 62-year-old British chess master turned artificial-intelligence expert persuaded that robot sex can brighten the lives of many, many unhappy people. "Great sex on tap for everyone, 24/7,'' he writes on the final page of the book. What's not to like?

"Chess'' and "sex'' aren't words that normally share the same sentence, but in Levy's case, the one led to the other. A keen chessman since boyhood, by the time he got to St. Andrews University he played at the international level. At the university he got interested in computers and the challenge of programming machines to play chess. Eventually he earned international recognition for his work on chess-playing computers and natural-language software, and in the mid '90s headed a team that won the Loebner Prize, widely regarded as the world championship of conversational software. Today he owns a firm that develops electronic hand-held brain games.

Single guys living in their parents basements everywhere just had a warm and fuzzy moment thinking about how lucky they are going to get......42 years from now.


Hey, they've waited this long right?

As the DA turns

More fun stemming from the "I want to kiss you behind the right ear" files...

(from Alan Bernstein of the Chron)

Harris County Republican Party leaders interviewed potential candidates for district attorney Tuesday night as they tried to anoint a single challenger against scandal-scarred incumbent Chuck Rosenthal in the March 4 primary.

"My goal is to get behind one individual," party chairman Jared Woodfill said.

The county party's advisory committee, principally made up of chairmen from each of the county's state Senate districts, was set to meet with at least five potential candidates for the top law enforcement job.

"All have indicated to me they won't run if they are not the person the party wants to support," Woodfill said.

Meanwhile, County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt said Tuesday that he was brokering discussions between Rosenthal and party officials concerning the selection process.

Some party officials said in private that there remained a possibility that Rosenthal would step aside after all. The district attorney has publicly rejected the party advisory committee's request that he drop out of the race. He vowed instead to run and win.

Harris County Republican and Democratic parties usually do not endorse candidates in their contested primaries and cannot block candidates from signing up to run as long as they as they meet the legal requirements for the job under state law.

But now that the county GOP has asked Rosenthal to abort his 2008 re-election campaign, the party is poised to back someone against him in the primary.

I don't know about you, but it sounds to me as if Rosenthal has had, or is in the process of having, a series of "come to Jesus" meetings with those close to him and to whose opinions he will listen. It also sounds as if his internal polling could be telling him that he's got about as much chance as winning without Republican Party support as President Bush would have in a popularity contest in Iran.

The article also provides some speculation for the grist mill as to who the "chosen" replacement could be:

Two of the potential candidates, according to sources, are defense lawyer and former prosecutor Jim Leitner and former felony court judge Patricia Lykos, who now works for Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. They both ran against Rosenthal in the 2000 Republican primary.

In that contest, Lykos forced a runoff. Lykos, also a former Houston police officer, was helped in her campaign by then-Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and another Republican stalwart, Jack Rains, former secretary of state and former chairman of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority.

Lykos, who spent 20 years on the bench, estimated that she presided over 20,000 felony cases, including four that resulted in death sentences.

Although she did little advertising, Lykos proved herself an accomplished campaigner who raised her profile with Republican voters during an unsuccessful 1994 run for Texas attorney general.

Leitner, who placed third in the 2000 primary, said his experience on both sides of the courtroom would help the perspective of the district attorney's office.

In 2001, Leitner said he thought Harris County prosecutors were overzealous in their pursuit of death sentences against capital murder defendants.

"As long as that is the prevailing view, there are going to be a lot of capital murder prosecutions. People in other counties don't see it that way."

He added, "I think we kill a lot of people who don't fit the statute."

Harris County is the leading local jurisdiction in the nation for death penalty convictions. Leitner has been the defense attorney in at least eight capital cases.

I'm betting the smart money will be placed on Lykos, although I think that Leitner might be the better candidate. His well thought out comments regarding the death penalty will probably not score well with the hang-em-high Republican primary voter. It's too bad that both Lykos and Leitner can't enter the primary, and then let the voters decide. You know, in a democratic fashion?

Of course, then Woodfill couldn't play the role of "King maker".

Plus, you have the additional problem of relying on the voters to *shudder* be entrusted with a decision and we don't want that.


Before this turn of events I stated on the comments section of BlogHouston that I thought the biggest question surrounding the election would be if enough Republicans would be willing to hold their noses and pull the lever for Rosenthal if, for nothing else, to keep C.O. Bradford from getting into office. If Rosenthal does survive a contested primary then I believe that's still the case. If Rosenthal drops out or loses however then the whole race springs wide open and Bradford's negatives regarding the HPD crime lab are suddenly very real and back into play.

The question is will the "chosen one" have the time and money to exploit those?


OTHER EYES:

Off the Kuff - Rosenthal versus the Republicans.
The County Seat - I'm running, whether you want it or not.
Bayou City Madman - The State can't quit you, Baby.
KTRK 13 Political Blogger Miya Shay - Inauguration, DA Picking, busy day ahead.
Houston's Clear Thinkers - So Chuck, what did you plan on doing after public service?.
Slampo - Kiss me Deadly (behind the right ear if you please).

Those good ol' Pro-Business Republicans

Gotta love 'em for passing the tax that just keeps on giving (bad news that is)...

(from Aissatou Sidime of the San Antonio Express-News via the Chron)

When the new Texas margin tax kicks in this year, many businesses will get hit with a surprise tax bill costing them several thousand dollars.

Under a new state law that replaces the franchise tax with a margin tax, businesses will pay based on gross revenues. The number of companies paying taxes will rise to 900,000 in May 2008 from 700,000 in 2007. The amount of state business taxes paid is expected to more than double to $11.9 billion during the next two years versus $5.7 billion for the last two-year period under the outgoing franchise tax, according to the Texas Comptroller's Office.

And a business could have to pay a margin tax even if it loses money, according to federal tax calculations.

"A lot of taxpayers will be caught off guard by their new tax liability," said Clint Munsell, a certified public accountant at Sol Schwartz & Associates in San Antonio.

The franchise tax was levied on net income or capital and applied only to corporations and limited liability companies based in Texas. The franchise tax also allowed deductions for salaries, benefits, administrative costs and rents. As a result, less than 10 percent of all companies paid the tax.

The Texas Legislature created the margin tax during a special session in 2006 to close the loopholes and to generate revenue to cover a school funding deficit created by reducing local school property taxes.

Under the margin tax, most entities that were exempt will now have to pay state taxes, including out-of-state limited partnerships, investment partnerships, law firms, doctors' groups and joint ventures. In addition, business losses no longer can be deducted.

In case you don't remember, this tax was sold to the public using the two pillars of phony political selling points:

1. It's for the Children. - Because revenues from this were supposed to be earmarked for education remember? There was that whole lawsuit thing where the judge ruled that Texas' education spending was un-Constitutional (via the State Constitution) and had to be revamped? $6.2 Billion for the children of Texas. Except that it wasn't, mainly because of phony political selling point #2.

2. Vote for me and I'll lower YOUR taxes. - That's right. All of the money raised by the margins tax isn't going to infuse cash into the education system. It's being offset to pay for a reduction in property taxes. A supposed reduction in property taxes that many won't see to to rate increases and appraisal value increases that have effectively eaten up that $2,000 dollar increase homeowners were promised to receive. Promises made by Governor Perry on the campaign trail BTW.

Think that people are going to forget that? Yeah, me neither. Not that Perry will care, he's already probably got his boxes packed in anticipation of either a Vice Presidential run (should Guliani pull off a miracle win) or a slot on the new President's cabinet should another Republcian win. In short, he's already mentally done with Texas. Let the next Governor worry about cleaning up the mess.

And what a mess it is. At heart, this was a tax designed to hit small and medium sized businesses the hardest. Businesses that receive the bulk of their income from Texas sales. Big Corporations do most of their business in other States and Countries, and could actually pay LOWER taxes because of the decreases they will receive in property tax values. While I've got nothing against having business get the same reductions in tax that I do, I DO have a problem with tax legislation that singles out certain portions of the economy at the expense of others. Crafting a tax policy that doesn't spread any increase around in an equitable manner runs the risk of irreperably damaging large swaths of the State's economic crazy-quilt.

Nice job.

Houston Murders Slightly Down in '07

Back to 'normal' murder rates after Katrina?

Jennifer Leahy of the Chron gives us the down n' dirty:

After two consecutive years of increases, the number and rate of Houston homicides dropped in 2007.

The city had 351 homicides through Dec. 31 down from 376 in 2006, HPD spokesman John Cannon said.

That's 14.4 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2007, compared with 15.9 during 2006. In 2005, Houston recorded 336 homicides, a rate of 14.3 percent.

(snip)

Authorities warn that Houstonians shouldn't get too excited about the unofficial tally.

As cases are reviewed, the numbers will likely increase.

"There are delayed deaths and delays in rulings," Jett said. "In the case of an arson death, it may take six months for it to be ruled a homicide. Infant deaths are the same way."

(snip)

It's up to the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office to determine the cause of death, and official rulings can take months as investigators wait on toxicology and other test results, Jett said.

Additionally, not every homicide is counted in the figures, police said.

"Not all homicides are murders; justifiable homicide is not considered murder," Jett said. "Homicide may be an accidental death. If you have a person who is showing a family member how to use a gun and accidentally discharges the weapon and kills someone, that is a homicide but not a murder."

Even within HPD, there's some confusion over murder reporting and designation, Jett admitted, adding that newly implemented internal standards should lead to more efficient and accurate cause of death records.

Interesting to see that HPD is now making it a point to address the concerns raised in by KHOU reporter Mark Greenblatt regarding alleged 'undercounting' practices when it comes to classifying homicides as either, "murder" or "non-negligent homicide. This is a big turnaround from their first reactions to the story (think ostrich) and a departure from the previous tactic of responding to criticism by attempting to smear the journalist. That's good to see.

The most telling numbers however come when you take a look at the "trends" regarding murder rates as reported to the FBI:

Homicides per 100,000 Houston residents for the first 11 months of the years:
• 2007: 14.4

• 2006: 15.9

• 2005: 14.3

• 2004: 12.4

• 2003: 12.8

If you were to "draw a line" through 2006, writing off the large increase in murders during 2006 as a "one off" event sparked by the confusion surrounding the influx of a criminal element from New Orleans (Not to be confused with the 'normal folks' who were displaced by Katrina mind you) then you'd see that the "murder rate" in Houston is actually still on the uptick (albeit slight), and the only reason the numbers appear lower is due to the fact that 2006 was exceptionally high.

Just as it was not fair for some to blame the HPD for the increase in murders in 2006, its also not fair for HPD to take credit for reducing the murder count from that time. This had little to do with the overtime programs or anything other than the fact that most of the criminal element that came in has either left of their own accord, or were rounded up and imprisoned due to inter-agency task force efforts. Certainly HPD had a prominent role in working in these tasks forces, but to say that HPD programs helped lead to this reduction overstates the role of the Department in dealing with the problem.


Still, as with any news that crime is going down it should be welcomed with open arms, and our politicians and policy-makers should consider taking hard looks at the programs that made this happen, both HPD and non-HPD related.