Going Dark

I'm going to be travelling to London and Paris for the remainder of November. During that time I don't forsee that the blog will be updated or comments monitored.

During my time away I'm going to enable comment moderation to prevent "those people" (comment spammers and trolls) from making a mess of the place. Comments made during the period of time between Friday, Nov 21st and Saturday, Nov 29th WILL NOT APPEAR on this blog (comments on Thurs, Nov 20th will still post however). If the comments are relevent, I will approve them upon my return.

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving, (especially my dozen (or so) daily readers) eat too much Turkey and fall asleep on the couch.

Here's a little "mood music" to get you through...



or...(If Adam Sandler is not your style)

Why I'm a fan of Golf....

JP Hayes...

[Golfweek]

Two-time PGA Tour winner J.P. Hayes disqualified himself from the second stage of Q-School last week after using a nonconforming ball, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Hayes’ caddie gave him a ball on the 12th hole during the first round at Deerwood Country Club. When Hayes marked his ball on the green, he realized it was not the same model Titleist he started the round with, a violation of the one-ball rule.

Hayes called over a rules official, who assessed Hayes a two-stroke penalty. Hayes shot a first-round 74 with the penalty, then shot 71 in the second round. Hayes was T-44 at 1-over 145; the top 20 and ties after 72 holes (which fell at 4-under 284) advanced to the final stage.

After his second round, Hayes realized the ball may not be on the USGA’s approved list.

“It was a Titleist prototype, and somehow it had gotten into my bag,” Hayes told the Journal-Sentinel. “It had been four weeks since Titleist gave me some prototype balls and I tested them. I have no idea or why it was still in there.

“I called an official in Houston that night and said, ‘I think I may have a problem. He said they’d call Titleist the next day. I pretty much knew at that point I was going to be disqualified.”

Hayes finished 176th on the 2008 PGA Tour money list. Hayes estimated that he will get into between 10 and 12 tournaments next year on past champions status, and a handful more for sponsor exemptions.

Mr. Hayes could have accepted the two-stroke penalty and been done with it. No one else would have been the wiser.

He could have, but this is Golf, not football (where fake catches abound), or basketball (where referees calls are agued ad nauseum), or baseball (where players continually strike) or Soccer (where the flop is King). Nope, this is golf, where honesty, following the rules and calling penalties on yourself still mean something. Not to every player out there sure but, at least, to JP Hayes. The same JP Hayes who just disqualified himself from a 2009 PGA Tour Card by reporting a violation that only he (and his caddie) were aware of.

Somewhere in Pennsylvania, Arnold Palmer is proud.

Fore!

When Houston grows up it wants to be just like Paris

Step one: Price the poor and lower middle class out of the City center.

[Carolyn Feibel, Chron.com]

New homes built in Houston will have to meet more stringent energy-saving standards starting next October under a new energy code approved Wednesday by the City Council.

"The modern trend among both some of the finer small and large home builders is to build much more energy-efficient homes," said Mayor Bill White. "In fact, you're going to see people are drawn into the city because we have good building standards."

The council passed the code unanimously with no discussion.

The new code requires new residential construction up to three stories to attain a 15 percent energy savings over the existing 2006 International Residential Code.

Builders can choose from a variety of options to meet the 15 percent goal.

(snip)

Rodney Lewis, a CIC member who represents the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, opposed the changes. He said some of the requirements are "too costly."

"We have scarce resources. Why should we be forcing everybody to do things that are uneconomical?" Lewis asked.

(snip)

The Greater Houston Builders Association approved of the changes, but wants to see the city add some incentives, said Adam Aschmann, the group's government affairs director.

For example, he said, the group would like the city to pay for the cost of energy compliance inspections for homes that sell for less than $175,000.

Aschmann said the energy goals could add between $1,000 and $2,000 to the construction cost of a median-priced home.

The new energy code also would apply to home additions of 500 square feet or more.

Barry Klein, president of the Houston Property Rights Association, said he feared the regulations would hurt homebuyers.

"For new construction, the cost becomes more and more prohibitive for people to purchase those new homes," Klein said. "There is a long established pattern of people moving out of the city to escape the city's regulations. I'm sure this is the kind of thing that will accelerate that."

White said homeowners will recoup the added costs on their utility bills within four or five years.

The problem with the "recouped costs" argument is this: There will be no recoupment of costs by the poor and middle class if entry into the market is priced out of their reach. It's happened European cities with overly-restrictive land-use policies, which have served to push the poor to the suburbs, forcing them to drive (or ride) into the City to work, often in low-paying service jobs catering to the wealthy that are lucky, or wealthy, enough to reside inside the central core. This works out OK when things are going well, not so OK when things aren't.

The issue becomes one of resource allocation. Already the City of Houston and Metro have made it clear that public transportation is going to be mostly limited to a geographic area inside Loop 610 with the rest of the City (outside the Loop) being forced to rely on a rapidly contracting bus service with rising fare structures designed to supplement the unprofitable MetroRail system and, possibly, pay off dodgy lease-payment agreements and loans that are in default.

Consider this, London, has one of the world's most fully developed transit systems, yet its still considered one of the World's most congested cities. Many London suburban dwellers are finding that they can't afford to work in the City Center. This is causing widespread devaluations of property in the suburbs, areas populated primarily by the middle class and the poor.

Even though it doesn't sound like it, I approve of the idea that new construction be completed in a more energy efficient manner, with technological advances designed to lower energy bills and reduce pollutants released into Houston's dodgy atmosphere.I WANT people to live in homes that are cheaper to live in long term, cost less to maintain etc. What I don't want is Government placing artifical targets on energy efficiency that might not be attainable at current price points. Especially not a Houston Government that has been slow to respond to the growing needs of a poor and middle-class populace increasingly being priced out of their homes due to raising property tax appraisals. Add to that the Administrations' failed floodway ordinance which only served to decimate the home values of thousands of middle class Houstonians and you have a Government that's unintentionally working to hurt poor and middle-class homeowners. I say "unintentionally" because I don't believe for a minute that Mayor White and Co. are evil politicians who get joy out of watching the middle class and poor suffer. As a matter of fact I believe that politicians (for the most part) honestly believe that their policies will help their less fortunate citizenry. The problem is they never allow the thought enter their mind that they could be going about it the wrong way.

In Sci-fi movies that pretend to show visions for future cities there are typically two contrasting visions that are offered. On the one hand you have the City where Brutalism runs rampant, people are stacked like bees in hives, forced to live in squalor where clean water, personal space and privacy are unkown quantities. Outlying areas are typically grafitti-filled slums where "outlanders" (or worse "anarchists") inhabit the land often cast as good-hearted miscreants who have revolted against their city-core bretheren due to envy. On the other hand you have a futuristic model of cities where streets are pedestrian in nature and spiderwebs of transit branch out to carry people to their homes in disparate locations. Buildings are light, airy, and secure, green-space abounds.

Amazingly in Houston the 'planning' seems to be more toward the brutalist future of cities. Transit is designed to service a limited area, plans to relocate people into a geographic area are encouraged and now there seems to be a move to make houses less affordable. The result of this will be to move more people into high-crime area apartments and dwellings where privacy and security are lessoned by proxemity. A better plan would be for the Mayor to encourage redevelopment of depressed areas, maintenance and upgrade of existing greenspace, construction and repair of vital infrastructure items such as roads, sidewalks, water and sewage while applying pressure to the (majority mayoral appointed) Metro Board to develop mass transit plans designed to move people from suburbs to key points in the City, and then shuttle them around the City Center in an efficient, flexible, reliable manner.

Of course, this would involve taking a look at pretty much everything that the City is doing and (almost) reversing course, admitting that the 'planning' that got us here was wrong, and swallowing some political pride and working to make things better.

How much would you like to be this isn't going to happen?

Houston Asides (11/20/08)

The "its about safety" version...

Pay red light fines, or lose registration. [Bradley Olson, Chron.com] - In the interim, has anyone produced any hard data showing the overall collision rates at these intersections have decreased? What? No? So much for safety.

Officers accused of beating NFL players father. [Jennifer Leahy, Chron.com] - So many holes and omissions in this story so far. If you've already made up your mind on this then you have some type of bias in the case. As for me, I would, at the least, like to know what happened in more detail.

They're not fast, but electric cars drawing Houston fans. [Tom Fowler, Chron.com] - Some of these are pretty sharp. The wife and I were talking about this around a week ago and I told her the key to this would be battery storage technology. You know, the type currently being performed by Exxon and others?

Airfares down around 50% in Houston. [Bill Hensel Jr., Chron.com] - Great news if you've got holiday travel plans, or if you're thinking about having holiday travel plans.

Board of education challenged over evolution. [Gary Scharrar, Chron.com] - "Keep politics out of science!" scream the group that's applying pressure to forward a very political view in Science teaching. Of course, irony being dead in America, they see nothing wrong with this.

Citizenship "glitch" hurts new DPS law. [Lisa Falkenberg, Chron.com] - So low-brow has become the debate over immigration and citizenship rights that the local teen diarist is allowed to use ancedotal evidence as proof of case and she's not laughed out of the building. (or, sent back to the shallow end of the pool by her superiors)

Houston ISD set to mass produce meals. [Jennifer Racliffe, Chron.com] - Brining a whole new meaning to the term "mystery meat".

State Education Board votes to give elective credits for sports. [AP, Chron.com] - When taught correctly, sports offer life lessons that are far more valuable than the origin of the species. Teamwork, honesty, physical fitness.....which is probably why those who are selfish, dishonest and out of shape don't like them very much.

Bayport container terminal is an empty place again. [Bill Hensel Jr., Chron.com] - Sucking money and built with no real purpose in mind (outside of being "World Class!") the Bayport Container Terminal could be a future case study in how NOT to allocate scarce local resources. (hint: have an anchor vendor in place BEFORE you spend Billions)

Sunbeams can help Houston's powerful vision of the future. [Thora Quaddumi, Houston Business Journal] - While I'm willing to concede they are (currently) cost prohibitive, if that can be fixed and a reliable means of storage can be developed then Solar power could be an important part of the energy mix going forward.


Pricinct Analysis: The Richmond Rail effect 2008 [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff] - Unlike Kuffner I don't think that Rail on Richmond (or Westpark) had much impact on this election. (Where much bigger issues were at play)

Metro addresses Danger Train collisions, financial deals gone bad. [Kevin Whited, BlogHouston] - Raises the (very valid) question of risk mitigation, and why local reporters haven't asked that question as well.

Houston Lures second Final Four. [Greg Barr, Houston Business Journal] - Yay! Give me FIVE final fours over one Super Bowl (and the latter's accompanying orgy) any day. As a general rule: College sports > Professional sports.

Creating campaign issues

Watch this video from KHOU News last evening. Pay close attention to the foreclosure vs. crime map...

(images of map here unrelated to map in story)

(Foreclosure map courtesy of Swamplot.)




What did you notice?

Maybe that the area of highest foreclosures (the NorthWest side) WASN'T in the high crime areas? Or that the far Southwest side (also a high foreclosure area) also wasn't "inside" the high crime areas.

Despite the fact that the TWO largest areas with the HIGHEST concentrations of foreclosures are NOT located in "high crime" areas, current City Council member (and 2010 Mayoral hopeful) Peter "plan" Brown offers up the following nugget of wisdom:

“It’s clear there’s a connection between foreclosures and increased violent crime,” Brown said.

Uh...sorry Mr. Brown, you're wrong. According to the figures on the map your staff provided the two areas with the HIGHEST concentrations of foreclosures are in the LOWEST areas of violent crime. I'm not making this up, view the video again and look at the relatively high concentrations of foreclosures that are NOT in the shaded areas.

Peter Brown's solution?

“This is clearly a red flag to our city government to take some action,” Brown said.

Brown said he would like to see city officials negotiating with banks to keep people in their homes.

So here you have a politician mainly known for his desire to have Houston become a 4-million strong Master-planned Community who is now seeking to expand his expertise into the financial realm by creating a problem that his own department's data suggests doesn't exist.

Given the track record of Peter Brown I guess we should just be happy he didn't propose formulating a plan. That seems to be his solution to all of Houston's other ills, real or imagined.


ASIDE: It would have been nice for KHOU reporter Rucks Russell to have at LEAST offered up an opposing view (or someone who could have questioned the data), but this is television news so our expectations were pretty low.

No, I haven't forgotten

This post is a little blog-style "inside baseball" for my dozen (or so) regular readers. If you're new to the blog and are confused, follow the links.


(Semi)-regular series that I haven't forgotten (yet) but which have been put on the back-burner due to time constraints....

1. Ficksing Skools - Part III is coming, but probably AFTER my Thanksgiving week trip to London. I'm losing almost a full week at work this month so I'm living in a perpetual 'time crunch'. Haven't forgotten this, just haven't had time to do the research.

2. The New Houston Political Dictionary (Revised) - Probably on hiatus until 2009. "R" is almost done so it might show up in December of '08, but that will just depend. I'm hoping to have this finished, and placed on a wiki as has been requested, by the end of 1Q09.

3. Ride Metro - I'm really upset that I didn't have time to explore this further. Life is very full right now and joyriding around the City on a bus just isn't in the cards. The wife recently changed jobs, and will be doing some work on the weekends, and College Football season is ALMOST over so.....possibly will return in 2Q09.

4. BTC - Rumors of the death of the Byzantio Transpotation Consortium are totally untrue. Granted, we've been silent of late while we watch Metro slowly slide into financial ruin due to mis-management and systemic failure but, don't take that to mean we're not actively planning for the day when we can emerge and rescue Houston from Transportation Hell....Ok, I'm kidding. Look for a BTC meeting sometime in December.

That devil, those details

Too often, our lives are dictated to us by unelected "task forces" appointed by municipal leaders who receive broad, undefined marching orders with the potential to greatly reduce the freedom in which we conduct our daily business. With that thought in mind, I offer up the following blog post....

Mayor White appoints task force to bolster power grid. [Bradley Olson, Chron.com]...

With a year left in office, Mayor Bill White is turning his attention to the electrical grid.

On Tuesday, he announced the formation of a task force that will try to find ways to bolster the reliability of electric utilities in the wake of a natural disaster.

The nine-member panel, which is expected to deliver its recommendations next spring, also will look for ways to reduce energy use that could have a significant impact on consumers. Examples include introducing higher and lower prices for electricity usage at certain times of day or the use of so-called "smart meters" that make it easier to monitor energy use.

The primary aim of the Task Force on Electric Reliability is to prevent the kind of widespread outages that left millions in the dark after Hurricane Ike devastated the region in September, White said.

But it also could lead to a reduced threat of blackouts and lower energy prices in the long run, the mayor and city officials said.

In other words, the sky's the limit on what they can recommend, how much freedom they can suggest the City erode from citizens, and how draconian they can make the pricing for the poor.

Already there's talk of additional surcharges and increased rates during so-called "peak" hours as well as whisperings of unattainable requirements for sustainable energy. White says he wants to be a "National leader" in respects to energy costs. Could this be his smoke signal to an Obama administration that he's willing to answer if they make the call for Secretary of Energy?

To date, the prevailing wisdom has been no, that Bill White wouldn't be interested in a cabinet post. It's quite possible the prevailing wisdom has been incorrect. Stranger things have happened.

Of course, its also possible that this energy task force will come up with solid recommendations. Since the panel is made up of energy executives, sustainable growth wonks, and beauracrats I'd put those odds at 20-1 against.

Houston Asides (11/19/08)

Busy, busy bee....

Perry tells ICE to take action. [Susan Carroll, Chron.com] - Or what? He'll hit them with a bottle of Aqua Net?

Let's get 'real' on immigration. [Rick Casey, Chron.com] - Somehow suggesting that everyone who sees things in a different light (from him apparently) is NOT real. Must be taking debate lessons from the Chron's kiddie columnist.

$700,000 worth of hidden Opioum found at Bush Airport. [Chron.com] - I guess they had something to declare?

Two more cell phones found on death row. [Melissa Vargas, Chron.com] - These phones breed like rabbits I tell you. At least it wasn't as bad as the last incident.

Chaney, former AG Gonzales indicted by S. Texas jury. [Christopher Sherman, Chron.com] - South Texas is rapidly garnering a reputation as the home of dodgy jurisprudence and iffy indictments. This will get great play on the InterLeft, be roundly criticized by the Bloggers O' the Right, and pretty much ignored everywhere else I'm betting.

Metro asks for Fed's help. [Melissa Vargas, Chron.com] - With hat in hand, Metro (and other transit agencies) approach the Government for a taxpayer-funded bailout....while they rush head-on into even MORE deals of the same type that they are asking to be bailed out of....insanity.

A question to my "evil empire" hating friends.

If Eeeevil big oil (and by extension, me) control the price of oil and gas and are using it to bludgeon the American people into the servitude of their evil Middle Eastern Overloards......

Why aren't they putting a stop to the current free-fall?

[Mark Williams, AP via Chron.com]

Oil prices continued to fall today as a government report showed that gasoline prices in October plunged further than they ever have and home heating oil, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas fell substantially.

Light, sweet crude for December delivery fell 56 cents to settle at $54.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

But there were signs that plummeting gas prices have begun to bring American motorists back to the pump.

MasterCard SpendingPulse reported today that even though consumption of gas for the weekend ended Friday was down 2.8 percent from a year ago, it the smallest year-over-year decline in more than two months. Americans used nearly 1 million more barrels per day of gas for the week than they did the previous week.

“Demand destruction has definitely subsided significantly,” said Michael McNamara, a vice president at MasterCard SpendingPulse.

Just as the recent price spikes were a crisis of supply vs. demand, so are the recent price troughs nothing more than a overabundance of supply vs. demand.

Nothing to see here, moving right along.

As my Blog gently weeps

The Declining Republican Brand. [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff]

The Obama Effect [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff]

Grading the Democrats in Harris County. [Robert T. Garrett, DMN]

Mapping the Presidential Race in Harris County [Matt Stiles, Chron.com]



In other words: The only thing bloggers like more than reading themselves write is reading themselves write about elections. (yes, self included)


That being said I still think that Democratic strategists are under-estimating the apathy factor that swept through the "base" of the party during the last election. If it was fair to chide the Republicans for Karl Rove's prediction of a "permanent majority" (and, by the way, it was fair) then its equally as fair to chide the Democrats based on their predictions of "the death of Conservativism and the Republican Brand." Politics are cyclical, the Republicans are down (right now) but they'll be back. Then, provided they hold true to form, we can hear about the so-called "Death of the Demorats again".

I'm an accountant not a mathmetician, so you won't get a lot of numerical analysis printed out in nice graph form on LaE. What I DO like to do is opine. So...here...we...go...

1. Adrian Garcia - Sherriff-elect Garcia did a fantastic job garnering votes from all areas of the County. He was the highest vote-getter in Harris County during the election, part due to a wel-ran, well-financed campaign, and also because he was facing an incumbent who had his fair share of ethics questions circling. As the incumbent Garcia will have the advantage in future races, provided he is competent in running the office. It will be interesting to see how he does against well-funded, Republican opposition that doesn't carry scandal baggage.

2. Statewide races - For all of the (well-deserved) talk of Democratic gains in Texas, the harsh reality is they were unable to crack the Republican strangle-hold on State-wide races. Part of this is due to the fact that they lack good, quality, high-profile players to go after Republican office-holders with authority. The second reason is that some of their strongest Legislators are staying off the battlefied. Rick Noriega and Barbera Ann Radnofsky are minor league players whose campaigns ran off the skids when paired against the major league campaign team of Kay Bailey, and the funding juggernaut of John Cornyn. Noriega was soundly beaten despite facing a John Cornyn who was beatable, and who ran a terrible campaign. You knew things were bad when John Spong of Texas Monthly sounded warning alarms and no-one seemed to pay them any mind.

3. The Hispanic vote - There's been a lot of angst and boosterism among members of the InterLeft regarding the Hispanic voter turnout, and their frustrating (to both parties) tendency to not vote in a monolithic bloc. Good for them. Keep voting bipartisan Hispanics, and keep the leverage with Republicans that the black vote lost long ago. When George Bush was winning elections, Hispanics turned out for him to the tune of 55-60%. Flip those numbers and you see an Obama Presidency. The danger here is to put too much weight on one ethnic group to the exclusion of all others. Obama couldn't have won the Presidency after all unless he had a coalition of 95% of the Black vote, 60% of the Hispanic vote and around 45% of the White vote, not to mention the Asian vote and the votes of other minority groups.

4. Harris County - Is Harris County turning Blue? That's a question that I think is still open for debate, but I do believe that it has become one of the more purple Counties in America over the last four years. In order for it to remain that way Democrats have to keep a hammer-lock on strong majorities in both the Black and Hispanic votes while convincing around 35% of White voters to pull the lever marked (D). Republicans, on the other hand, are going to have to find a new winning coalition. Right now their "efforts" to "reach out" feel more like sarcasm than an actual shift in policy, as the social Conservatives are reacting angrily to a percieved loss of influence in the last elections. A good start for Republicans would be to drop some of the more hard-line positions on immigration and craft policy that is more in line with the economic libertarian ideals of Hispanics. I'm not sure they want to do that, but I think it would help them if they do.


With this post I'm going to wrap up coverage of the 2008 National, State and Local electiion. Election blogging is not my favorite thing to do, but while they're on-going they suck up all of the news oxygen so blogging on something other than "features" material presents few options. With that, I'll close with these thoughts:

- The slate of candidates in 2008 (up and down the ballot)was BAD. Neither Party offered up much in the way of distinguishable candidates that you looked at and thought "hey, I'd like to vote for him/her in that race." Many voters cast ballots AGAINST someone instead of "for" someone, the obvious exception in this being Obama, who could be the prototype for the "new" style of National politician. I'll call them "anchorman" candidates, all sizzle, no steak.

- It's VERY hard to get anything done outside the party structure. In 2008 I made a second attempt at sending out campaign questions to candidates. Previous efforts yielded TWO responses, spam e-mail from consultants, many empty promises and little else. If you compare that to Charles Kuffner my response rate sucks. Of course, reality dictates that I acknowledge a much smaller readership than him. But I also believe that my lack of Party affiliation plays a huge role. As an independent I'm not a reliable hack. Because of this I'm considering taking a more active role in a Party for 2010. I don't know which one yet, whichever one will have me I guess. Yes, I admit, this is an admission of defeat for LaE, where I've prided myslef on being independent for almost three years now (despite some partisans refusing to admit that, I believe my posting history speaks for itself). But in America in 2010 you can't change things without being a card-carrying member of one of the two major parties. Or, maybe I won't. I might just say screw it all and move to Tulsa.

So that's it then, we can now pay attention to REAL issues until early in 2009 when the 2010 mid-terms ramp up and the partisans suck up all the Oxygen again. Joy.

Houston Asides (11/18/08)

Probation, instead of deportation. [Susan Carroll, Chron.com] - The closing chapter in what has been an outstanding review of local immigration issues by Chron Reporter Susan Carroll.

Cornyn wants investigation into immigration inmates. [Susan Carroll, Chron.com] - Something...MUST be done! So sayeth the politicians who were able to whip up enough false outrage over the issue.

Haters come out of the woodwork. [Lisa Falkenberg, Chron.com] - Nevermind the juvinile term "haters", the continued reliance on chron.comments as a basis for columns. This column is so poorly organized and reasoned that it should have never seen the pages of the Newspaper of record in the 4th largest City in America. Temper trantrums make for poor journalism. Terrible.

Regulators ok 12.3% windstorm insurance rate hike. [Purva Patel, Chron.com] - Something....HAD to be done!

Westheimer, parking lot by day, race track by night. [Mike Glenn, Chron.com] - A little late to be noticing West Houston's drag strip, but at least its being noticed as a problem.

Most Texas profs support no limit in teaching evolution. [Gary Scharrar, Chron.com] - Ironically, they wish to inject politics into the teaching of Universal origin while claiming they want politics out of it.

Election of Obama opens the floodgates of Hatred. [Something different, Chron.com] - This is only unusual if you ignore the rampant, ugly hatred of some on the Left for the past eight years. If you noticed that, then this is the Right's rampant, ugly counterpart too it. Just a shifting of the source, NOT an opening of the floodgates.

Houston Asides (11/17/08)

Four days out from darkness settling over the blog....

Ike halted 20% of Houston water service despite protections. [Bradley Olson, Chron.com] - You can't fool Mother Nature.

Grant to filter dirty school buses has few takers. [Matthew Tresaugue, Chron.com] - Possibly the most biased article written in the Chron this year. (NOTICE TO READERS: I'm not saying its wrong, I'm saying its one-sided and biased. If you don't understand that difference....)

Judge says cocaine addiction can help Houston. [Brian Rogers, Chron.com] - The prevailing complaint of Democrats regarding Republican judges is that they administered justice in a way that wasn't blind. Will judges like this do any better? It's a fair question for Republicans to ask.

Students plan to press Legislature on College issues. [Jeannie Kever, Chron.com] - Student Government as University Lobby.

Agencies say IBM contract is a bum deal. [AP via Chron.com] - Pee in the beauracracy's breakfast cereal and they will ensure you get publically hounded for it.

Can Turner win his latest race? [Clay Robison, Chron.com] - No.

No excuses, Texans lack improvement. [Richard Justice, Chron.com] - After almost six constant years of boosterism, Richard Justice seeks to refurbish his worn credibility with Houston readers.

Coogs take control of their C-USA fate. [Michael Murphy, Chron.com] - Do they ever. Think about this: IF UH beats UTEP and Rice beats Marshall the UH/Rice tie will be played with the C-USA championship hanging in the balance....for both teams.

Me watching You watching Me watching You getting all worked up because of some comments made by a low-level elected nutter. (There's nothing MORE fun than watching a bloggy spitting match where one sides' political party of choice has a member who's opened their mouths and revealed themselves to be an idiot.)

One side of the story.

The Artist Formerly Known as Mrs. White is still hitting the issues closest to Houstonians hearts.

Although the Supreme Court has deflected a challenge to Navy sonar test exercises off California that environmentalists claim can harm endangered marine mammals, there is still room for compromise. With a more environmentally oriented administration taking office next year, both sides in the dispute must realize that national security and protection of endangered species are not either-or propositions.

There is evidence that the extremely loud sonar waves involved in anti-submarine maneuvers can cause disorientation and potentially fatal injury to whales and dolphins in the vicinity, but the Navy did not complete legally required environmental impact studies before starting the exercises.

Why in the world is an Editorial board in Houston weighing in on Navy maneuvers in California? Must have been nothing in Houston that deserved a mention?

Policy keys....

This might have an effect on Obama's immigration policy ya' think?

[Denise Lavoie, AP.com]

Zeituni Onyango came to the United States seeking asylum from her native Kenya but was turned down and ordered to leave the country in 2004.

Four years later, she is still here. And her nephew is about to become president of the United States.

Onyango's family connection to Barack Obama has thrown a spotlight on a phenomenon many Americans might find startling: An estimated half-million immigrants are living in the United States in defiance of deportation orders.

It should have "thrown a spotlight" on the issue before the election, regardless of WHAT your views are on immigration that would have been a good thing. It would have allowed each candidate to make their case for their plan. Obama could have used his aunt as an example of the work-a-day immigrants who just want a better life, while McCain could have made the case his immigration plan was designed to help people just like Onyango. Highlighting the case of an African immigrant would have been illuminating as well. By removing the Hispanic racial subtext from the debate maybe we could have gotten to the heart of the issue.


Sadly, the media didn't want to tell that tale.

Hard news

Hispanic analyst from Democratic think tank says Hispanics tilted the vote for Obama!!! [Richard Dunham, Chron.com]

A new study by Andres Ramirez of NDN, the Democratic think tank, concludes that Hispanic voters helped to make Barack Obama president for three key reasons.

1) Their participation rate increased nationally -- and it increased significantly in Western swing states targeted by Obama. Wrote Ramirez: "The share of the electorate that was Hispanic more than doubled in Colorado, increased 60 percent in Nevada, and increased almost 30 percent in New Mexico.

2) President-elect Obama did 16 percentage points better among Latino voters than 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry. According to Ramirez, Kerry topped Republican George W. Bush among Hispanics, 59 percent to 40 percent. But Obama outpolled Republican John McCain by more than 2-to-1: 67 percent to 32 percent. In Florida alone, the shift from Kerry to Obama was 44 percent to 57 percent. While Bush won a majority of 55 percent, McCain lost Florida's Hispanic vote with 42 percent.

3) The Latino vote accounted for Obama's margin of victory in Florida, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada.

All that's well and good except....

95% of Black Americans voted for Obama.

Majorities of WHITES voted for Obama in key swing states as well.

It's probably fair to say that Hispanics HELPED" Obama win but to say one ethnic group was key is senseless pandering and boosterism.


It would be nice to see the whole picture laid out by journalists but, for some reason, no one seems to want to do this in our new "post racist" world*. Strange.









*I'm not saying race issues sell papers, I'm just sayin'.

Some posts just write themselves

X-Ray reveals cell phone in death row inmates rectum. [Peggy Fikac, Chron.com]

Another day, another cell phone found on Texas' death row.

Prison staff conducting a shakedown of the row today found a cell phone in the rectum of convicted murderer Henry Skinner, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons.

They first found two SIM cards, or memory cards, in Skinner's Bible, she said. Because they suspected he also had a cell phone, they took him to the infirmary, did an X-ray and found the cell phone in his rectum.

I wonder if his ringtone was Shaq singing Kobe, Tell me how my ass tastes?

Your turn...

Ficksing Skools (Part II)

This is a good start...

[R.G. Ratcliffe, Chron.com]

Texas' main college opportunity financial aid program would add tough academic standards and not just be based on a student's economic need beginning in 2010 under a plan approved Thursday by a state higher education governing board.

The change in the Texas Grants program voted on by the Higher Education Coordinating Board is contingent on the Legislature approving $77 million in additional funding for scholarships for students attending community colleges.

Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said changing the program to include higher academic standards would make the program fairer to students who apply for a Texas Grant. He said it also would make it easier to sell the Legislature on funding the program if it has a high success rate.

"I would like to make an argument to the Legislature that these are well-invested dollars," Paredes said.

If the Legislature approves the additional funding, the new academic standards will be phased in over four years beginning in 2010.

But Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, who pushed creation of Texas Grants through the Legislature in 1999, said the change to the financial aid program would be a major step backward in giving impoverished students an opportunity to attend college.

"This recommendation will shut the door in the faces of our most vulnerable students," Ellis said. "Those are the students who need financial assistance the most because they are from households that don't have the resources for tutors and test prep classes."

The coordinating board estimates $196 million will have been granted to 53,467 students in the current academic year.

No personal offense intended to Rodney Ellis, but he's dead wrong on this. The addition of academic qualifiers for receiving financial aid won't do a thing to punish low income students, who are qualified to be in College. It would also help those who attend College "just because the money's there" but have no business taking classes at a College level. What this could do is force unqualified students into the work force, and make them work to earn a living at something they are actually good at doing.

"But this traps them in low income jobs because of their lack of education."

I disagree with that canard, and reject it as something that's been foisted on us artifically by academics who are releasing work-force studies to forward an agenda. Namely: increasing attendance at institutions of higher learning.

Why does a Welder need to spend three semesters studying the works of Plato?

Why does a retail worker need to know the mechanics of solar fusion?

Why does a road worker need to know how to derive the molar strength of an acid?


In short, they don't. The long-form answer is that we've allowed ourselves to be tricked into believing that some of the knowledge above is what makes on "smart". That the trickery was based on a falsehood has, to this point, escaped us as a society. In America we put more intellectual worth on the eccentric sitting behind a desk telling us that Chaucer really wrote all of his stories because he was sexually repressed than we do the worker operating a boom crane. Which one is harder? We view writers and thinkers and critics as "sophisticated" while ignoring the simple fact that they would be sitting around shivering in the cold of winter if it weren't for the skilled and unskilled laborers who built the grand buildings from which they wax authoritative.

We've learned to devalue physical labor to the point that its considered second-class, something "those" people do all to often. Building roads are a necessity, contemplating the sexual deviances of Plato isn't. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading Homer's Iliad as much as the next guy, but I'd much rather have a building in which to read it when its raining.

There are a host of careers that we've let corporations define as "menial" in America so they can get away with paying a cheaper salary.

Let me ask you a series of questions:

When was the last time you had really good customer service at a retail store?

Can't remember? Neither can I. The reason you don't remember is because retailers aren't interested (for the most part) in keeping and retaining quality sales associates. Retailing is an art more than a science. Greeting a customer, meeting their needs, and identifying (in a polite manner) needs that they don't realize they have takes skill, training and experience. In my younger days I was a retailer, and it took me three to four years of "hi, welcome to XXXX" before I started to be able to look at customers and determine their needs.

When was the last time you had really good service at a restaurant?

It's been a while for me, but I can guarantee you that it wasn't at a chain restaraunt, and the waiter wasn't a kid working their way through College. There was a time in America that being a "waiter" was an honorable profession. Serving people their food correctly, anticipating their needs, and identifying issues before they become problems takes training, and experience. In Europe there are career waiters who undergo apprenticeships for years to learn this skill. In America we allow our food to be handed to us (and handled) by relative novices.

What is a "good" career?

Does a good career involve sitting in an office? Standing in a classroom? Or is a good career defined as something done well that provides a good, benefit or service to society? My vote will always be the latter. In America we've allowed ourselves to be fleeced by the education industry to believe that a "proper" career can only be attained after 4 years of University Study. We've over-valued the mental to the detriment of the physical. As attitudes about physical labor changed, companies took advantage of those attitudes and used our new disdain for manual labor to cut costs, fire experienced workers and lessen quality throghout the land.

The sad thing is, we've let this happen.

Part One of fixing schools revolves around taking a hard look at what it is we are educating our children to be. If America remains content on putting children on a conveyor-belt to higher learning then schools will never be "fixed". We'll just keep churning out a sausage grinder that's going to smash the self-image of approximately half of our population.

Failure sucks. It's a hard thing for a young adult to enter College only to find out that they just can't make it. That physics is beyond their grasp, that statistics will be the hurdle they can't clear, that philosophy is a bunch of rubbish and they'll not be a teacher because they don't see it. Don't believe me? Take a look at our National Dropout rate.

I want every child that's suited for College to be able to afford to attend. I want them to have the resources and quality teachers available to them so that they can graduate and excel in their chosen field.

What I also want is for those children who aren't cut from the College Cloth to have the same opportunity to succeed and grow as their University-bound counterparts. This means changing the ingrained thinking of High-school guidance counselors who downplay the benefit of trades. It means pushing for people to stop looking down on manual labor as "menial" but realizing that we all play a role in helping society stay healthy and strong.

These goals can be met, but not by utilizing the current education system. Two things desperately need to change.

In the next post on this topic I'll discuss how trade schools and apprentice programs have fallen out of favor and need to be revived again to allow non-university track students the opportunity to succeed.


As always, cuss and discuss. These posts are more designed to start a conversation than they are designed to be an unchallenged answer.

Houston Asides (11/14/08)

The purple gorilla version....

Houston, Harris Co. make plans to buy foreclosures. [Liz Austin Peterson, Chron.com] - Nothing like a little economic crisis to bring about a fresh new wave of social experimentation is there not?

Condi Rice tells Houston: "Change is a good thing." [Jeannie Kever, Chron.com] - Of course, rumors are she's going to slide into a multi-million dollar position as the President of the San Francisco 49'ers so...yeah. Change is going to be real good for her.

UTMB will keep its academic standing. [Eric Berger & Jeannie Kever, Chron.com] - Of course, no actual teaching will occur. Which, of course, puts them on par with the rest of the Universities in Texas. Cool.

Classes at TSU cancelled today after fires knock out power. [Mike Glenn and Jeannie Kever, Chron.com] - If ever an institutiion needed a break....

How will President Obama Govern? [Something Different, Chron.commons] - Like a liberal version of Bill Clinton if rumors of his cabinet selections are true. (I leave it up to you to decide if this is a good, or bad, thing.)

Hillary Clinton as Sec. of State? Good choice! [Gimme some truth, Chron.commons] - The logic boils down to "Hillary will like it". While that doesn't really cinch the deal for me she's a darn sight better than Richardson would be.

Additional votes have no affect on Harris Co. races. [Alan Bernstein, Chron.com] - One good thing: Bradford finally conceded. Hopefully now he can retreat to the private sector and the scrap-heap of political history.

Furniture sales a bright spot in Houston's economy. [David Kaplan, Chron.com] - Hmmmm..pro Star Furniture article appears on the same day that a Star Furniture "banner ad" runs on Chron.com? Nah....Has to be a coincidence......right?

Fighting over Pre-K funding. [Gary Scharrer, Chron.com] - Encourage failure. That should be the motto of the public education system. (fun aside: Spring Branch threw in a "World Class!")

President Bush defends U.S. Style capitalism. [Ben Feller, AP via Chron.com] - Right on the heels of dismantling it. That takes talent.

Personnel a big question for Texans. [Richard Justice, Chron.com] - Reality hits the Texans cheerleader smack in the face. Pre-season: THIS TEAM IS LOADED!!!...oops.

Rosenfels' inconsistency is baffling. [Dale Robertson, Chron.com] - Not really.

That's Peter Brown, ARCHITECT - Ha!

COH jumps feet first into the bailout pool [Rorschach, Red Ink: Texas] - Nepotism at City Hall? Oh, wait...Jolanda Jones is involved? At least she didn't get in a shouting match or paint the walls pink over at PW&E. (baby steps)

"We're Just asking for about $10-$15 Million Dollars"

Such are the rallying cries of the 150 (or so) die-hard Dynamo fans who lined up today in the spirit of "making the case" to County Gov't that they should get off their duffs and build the beloved Dynamo a first-class playpen with a corner office for Oliver Luck in the Correct Zip Code.

Of course, the selling point for the stadium is that it's going to "revitalize" a Not-so-correct zip code.

Yup....[Liz Austin Peterson, Chron.com]

Standing on the proposed site of the stadium, Lipton gestured at the abandoned industrial buildings and empty fields nearby and pledged the blight would be replaced by restaurants, clubs and thriving businesses if the project moves forward.

"The East End is ready for economic growth," added Hedy Wolpa, interim president of the Greater East End Management District. "An investment here in the East End will be a tremendous value to Houston."

Heck, even the FANS are getting in on the fun:

"We are not second-class fans," he said, noting Minute Maid Park, the Toyota Center and Reliant Stadium were built with public funds. "We're just asking for about ten or 15 million dollars. That's peanuts for all that you'll get here, all the development, all of the jobs."

Uh-huh...


How's all that Enron Field Astros' Park uh..Minute Maid Park "economic development" workin' out for ya?




$10-$15 Million could improve a LOT of infrastructure. Of course, then poor Oliver wouldn't get his corner office, but at least residents could have sidewalks.

A Parting "gift" from President Bush.

From all accounts his administration is going to enact, in the 11th hour of his term, regulations designed to eliminate on-line gambling...

[Corey Boles, Dow Jones]

The Treasury Department has finalized regulations that would effectively ban online gambling in the U.S. and is trying to have them implemented in the waning days of the Bush administration.

The controversial rules would make it illegal for banks to process credit card transactions from most Internet gambling sites.

Their implementation has been opposed by groups advocating individuals' right to gamble, the banking industry, Democratic lawmakers in Congress and even officials at the Federal Reserve.

The rules stem from a last-minute addition to a law passed in the final hours of the Republican controlled Congress in 2006. The provisions related to online gambling were included in an unrelated port security bill.

The Treausury Department forwarded the final regulations to the Office of Management and Budget on Oct. 21, a necessary step towards their implementation.

It's standard practice for outgoing administrations to finalize controversial regulations before leaving office, a practice known as a midnight drop.

The law as drafted by Congress includes some exemptionsfor horse race betting, interstate online lotteries and betting on fantasy sports.

But draft rules published by the Treasury in October 2007 don't define what would be considered an illegal transaction, and there has been much confusion as to what types of online gambling would be rendered illegal.

Banks have warned they may block all online gambling transactions rather than try to determine which ones are illegal. An official from the Federal Reserve testified before Congress in April that the draft regulations created considerable uncertainty.

Bad legislation designed to limit personal freedom to protect citizens from unidentified "threats".

There's still hope that an incoming Obama administration will overturn the regulations, especially when you consider almost no one not in the Treasury Department wants to see them enforced.

Well, State-ran gambling would like to see them enforced but then, they want all gambling that they don't control eliminated to ensure their monopoly.




Full disclosure: I play poker, I want to play on-line poker, and I'm a member of the Poker Player's Alliance working to allow on-line poker, for real money, again. I have NOT been paid anything for this post however.

Houston Asides (11/13/08)

More light blogging today as the "real world" provides more pressing concerns...

City tries to take the air out of "tacky" ads. [Carolyn Feibel, Chron.com] - Sucks to be you if you own one of these inflatable companies. Maybe Scenic Houston will pay for your unemployment?

Regents blame Hurricane Ike for layoffs. [Jeannie Kever and Jennifer Latson, Chron.com]

Owner of Houston Malls, The Woodlands, faces solvency problems. [Purva Patel & Nancy Sarnoff, Chron.com]

Developer puts Rice Area Condo Project on Hold. [Nancy Sarnoff, Chron.com]

Franklin Bank files for Bankruptcy. [Mark Babineck, Chron.com]

Dynamo fans push County for new Stadium. [Liz Austin Peterson, Chron.com] - With all of the financial uncertainty and are job losses the money could be better spent in different areas. Here's hoping County Government stays "unenthused".

What's in a name? [Lisa Falkenberg, Chron.com] - This COULD have been a good piece about names and politics. Too bad there are the usual teen-age themes and bad assumptions scattered throughout.

Apartheid. [Lou Minatti. Louminatti.blogspot.com]

The Big Flip: HC GOP recriminations and navel gazing. (11/12/08 edition) [Kevin Whited, BlogHouston.net] - Be sure to read, or even participate, in the comments. Republicans desperately need a new message. The question remains: What message will it be?

An Image Overhaul for Houston? [Tory Gattis, HoustonStrategies.com] - This from a guy who desperately wants a new marketing plan for Houston. Good blog, bad idea. (including the millions of dollars in Gov't expenditures it will take to implement any new "branding" strategy.)

Wham-Bam

MetroRail sir may I have another...

[Dale Lezon, Chron.com]

Three passengers on a MetroRail train were taken to a hospital this morning after the train collided with a car at a downtown intersection.

The accident occurred about 9:20 a.m. as the driver of the car attempted an illegal left turn at Main and Leeland, said Metro spoieswoman[sic] Raequel Roberts.

The passengers were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center with injuries that were deemed non-life-threatening, Roberts said.

The car was traveling on Leeland when it crossed the northbound train's path and was struck on the driver's side, Roberts said.

The driver, who was not injured, was cited by police for turning illegally, she said.

Anyone else notice that when the public is at fault the citation is issued immediately, but when Metro appears to be at fault there's a lengthy delay coupled with a series of press releases issued by Metro smearing the hittee?

I guess that's all part of the job when you're a spoieswoman?

Houston Asides (11/12/08)

Light blogging today because of a schedule overload....

Suspicion over DPS Plan. [James Pinkerton and Susan Carroll, Chron.com] - Um....stops and requests for "documentation" with no probable cause? I'll pass thank you.

It's airport screening at your own pace at Hobby. [Bill Hensel Jr., Chron.com] - Yet more proof that what we're supposedly putting up with in the name of "safety" is really not about "safety" at all. (the illusion of safety maybe)

Democrats sue Bettancourt. [Alan Bernstein, Chron.com] - The assault on the credibility of our electoral system continues. At least something should be known on this soon.

Wi-Fi bubble bursts. [Bradley Olson, Chron.com] - This plan was the epitome of "over-promise, under-deliver". What we've basically done is established a $3.5 Million dollar network to provide the same service the private sector could have provided in a shorter time frame, for comperable costs. These are the people we want running our health care?

Grand Parkway Plans shift [Liz Austin Peterson, Chron.com] - I've no doubt it will be built, some even argue its needed. Me, I'm not so sure.

A God-Free Christmas [Eric Gorski, AP religion writer via Chron.com] - Just celebrate the Holidays your own damn way without denigrating how I do it. There's an idea.

I guess the South and Midwest suck at science? [Eric Berger, Chron.com] - South bashing, Pt. 1.

The Increasingly Irrelevent South. [Something Different, Chron.commons] - South Bashing, Pt. 2. (from the "Republican" who hates Republicans and voted for Obama mind you)

Lawmakers Proposing Property Tax Trade-off. [Clay Robison, Chron.com] - I doubt this will get much traction, but we'll see. (My feelings about sales tax increases are well documented)

Where - And When - The vote was. [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff] - A good numerical presentation of voting trends. I disagree with the analysis because it dismisses the fact that Republicans just didn't turn out in high levels in favor of the theory that there are more Democrats than ever. I believe the true story lies in combination.

Ficksing skools (part 1)

Once again the Texas State Legislature will tackle the sticky subject of education during the 2009 session. Already there are talks of tuition freezes, Bibles in classrooms, sex (gasp!) education and creationism being taught side-by-side with evolution. (double gasp!)

What the debate is missing is some good, old-fashioned, creative thinking about how to best serve the education needs of our children, our economy, and our society. Let's say that again: "How to best serve the education needs of our children, our economy and our society."

This statement is important in light of two facts:

1. Many primary education decisions are made with teachers (more importantly teacher's unions), and not students, as the primary focus.

2. Many secondary education decisions are made with special interests, and not students, as the primary focus.

Education is politics, with high stakes yes, and with an unrepresented majority (children) granted, but its politics nevertheless. I'm not arguing that children should have the right to vote, far from it. What I am going to argue throughout this series of posts is that we (adults) have a responsibility in education to produce able, knowledgable citizens from the primary education system. We then have a responsibility to ensure equal access to secondary education if the child is capable, but to not determine a round hole is needed for a square peg.

All of this leads us to our first question: Is College "right" for a majority of children?

There are several opinions on this issue:

Are too many Students going to college? [Charles Murray, American Magazine]

The Case Against College by Caroline Bird [Time.com]

We send too many students to College. [Marty Nemko, Martynemko.com]

The case against College. [Linda Lee, eNotAlone.com]

Experts say invest more early to get more kids in College. [James Walsh, Star Tribune]

Chicago Public Schools aiming to send more kids to College. [Janet Rausa Fuller, Encylopedia.com]

Editorial: A Plan to get more students college bound. [Sacramento Bee]

The benefits of a College education. [Jeff McGwire, CollegeView.com]


After all of that, I'm of the opinion that we do indeed push too many high school graduates to College. Yes, I understand the old saw that there's a benefit to a College education, but that presumes that the student has the ability to graduate. Facts are, if a child is in the bottom half of their high school graduating class, there's less than a fifty percent chance they are going to graduate from High School and reap the increased salary benefits that a degree offers. (Marty Nemko)

In fact, My own personal opinion is that, by wasting two to three years in College, non-college adaptable students are wasting prime earnings years following a path they have no business following.

Wouldn't it be better for a child who shows an aptitude for welding to spend two years welding?

Wouldn't it be preferable for a child who has an aptitude for auto repair to spend his education learning how to fix cars?

So why are we spending two, three and sometimes four years teaching these children about the combined works of Plato, Shakesphere, and lower-level calculus? Wouldn't a more practical application be personal finance and civics class?

Those are the ideas that I'm going to follow down the rabbit holes over this next series of posts on schools.

1. That we are pushing too many students to College.
2. That we should better utilize trade schools.
3. We need to restructure primary education to meet demands.
4. That more public funding should be directed to four-year Universities, with less reliance on Community Colleges for liberal arts education. (Community Colleges DO play an important role however, more on that later)
5. That education is NOT a partisan idea and that we've failed our children (who have no say in the matter) by throwing partisan educational ideas into the mix at the expense of basic concepts.


Almost every politician that you speak with, or read in the news, agrees that our education system is rapidly leaking oil. Tuitions are rising to unsustainable levels, Community College systems are stretched to the breaking point, primary education is close to dysfunctional (despite our best efforts to solve the problems) and good ideas on how to fix it are being ignored every year by politicians whose idea of a "solution" begins and ends at the checkbook of interest groups who are more than happy to write a campaign donation to tip the status quo in their favor.

I am not now, nor have I ever been, an education expert. I have however attended (and graduated from) public schools, Public 4-year Universities (University of Houston), Community Colleges (Now Lone Star College) and Open-entry Universities (University of Houston-Downtown). In primary school I attended both private and public institutions. I've seen what works, and what doesn't work. And I spent a LOT of time my second time through College listening to people (including students) talk about what should be done to fix it.

I'm under no illusion that this series of blog postings will change any minds, or that some politician will read it and decide its brilliant, probably all I'm inviting here is a host of snide comments and people searching for proof-reading errors. That's OK. I hope I'm writing this because it needs to be written, and if you ARE an education expert and want to use even some of the ideas, feel free. I'd much rather have you take the credit for it and get the system fixed than anything else. Because I believe that education is the biggest challenge facing Texas (and America) today. How and whether or not we fix it will determine where we are ten years from now.

At the end of all this however I hope you take the time to read the information I'm linking to, and form your own opinion on how best to fix things. Not an opinion formed by some politician whose either speaking to get elected or obtain a campaign check, but an opinion formed by an honest review of literature from all points.

Reaching for a local angle.

Oh come on!

[Jonathan Feigan, Chron.com]

Zeke Battier slept.

The world he joined five months before Election Night might have changed around him, and perhaps someday his father will tell him the way much of his life was transformed when he was just a baby.

For now, Shane Battier considered the redemptive potential of change and believed that hope was not audacious at all.

Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, and Battier thought that perhaps his son would never feel the sting of childhood labels, would never deal with the awkward uncertainty, never ask the questions that filled his father’s childhood.

“I think I share a very similar experience to Obama from the standpoint we both grew up mixed in a black and white world,” Battier, 30, said. “It’s a very different experience, and it’s something my white friends don’t fully understand and something my black friends don’t fully understand. It’s about being sort of in between always.”

Battier, though usually decidedly non-political, felt proud on Election Day, and again last week when Obama referred to “mutts like me.”

The Chron's "features" based sports reporting is typically awful. This piece is no exception.

The election of Barack Obama will have less effect on the quality of opportunity that little Zeke Battier is afforded in life than will the small fact that Papa is a multi-millionaire and can self-finance Zeke's way through life.


Is anyone else getting the strange feeling that some news organizations are trying to inflame racist feelings with their post election coverage? I'm not suggesting that Jonathan Feigan is intentionally setting out to write a story that is racially divisive, after all I don't know him or anything about him. I'm just confused as to what sports related function he was trying to accomplish with this?

Is it pride? Shame? Anger?

What's the desired reaction here?



I'm proud that America could elect a half-black/half-white President. I'm proud that America (once again) completed a peaceful exchange of power. I'm ashamed that some Americans feel Obama will provide for them at the expense of others. I'm ashamed that some Americans feel the need to fan the flames of racism.


The media is, to date, doing a terrible job framing the challenges that face America post election. Like most (not all) Americans, I want Obama to be a successful President. Because what's good for the office of the President is good for America. I want Congress to get off their butts, stop acting like society's least common denominator and get to business.

I really don't care which party is in charge, and what color the people are making the decisions. Electing a black, white, brown, yellow, orange, blue or purple President isn't going to affect my health and well-being one iota. Unless you think said President is going to take from others and give to you, in the manner of South Africa or Zimbabwe. Surely we aren't calling for that kind of change are we?

Be proud of our President, of the American Democratic process, regardless of party affiliation. I'm not saying you have to agree with each and every policy position, but pride in a political system that's the envy of the free-world is nothing to be ashamed of.

Just don't let the media and overzealous "activists" let you lose sight of the "real" goal: The President's job is to "raise the tide" for ALL Americans, just not ones who happen to look a little bit like him (or, hopefully some day, her).



And keep the "features" stories out of the Sports section. Please.

Houston Asides (10/11/08)

The "thank a veteran" edition....

Area officals decry Federal "red tape" from storm relief. [Mike Snyder & Lynn Cook, Chron.com] - And these are the people we want running our health care?

Texas sues Darque Tan. [Rosanna Ruiz, Chron.com] - You mean...cooking yourself under a flourescent light DOESN'T fight cancer?

Voter turnout in Harris County. [Texas Liberal, Chron.commons] - "All voters are racist" is the underlying theme from this self-proclaimed "enlightened liberal". There's an interesting debate on-going in the comments however. Houston's most humorous "blog" never fails to entertain.

HISD gets a warning during audit. [Ericka Mellon, Chron.com] - Don't read too much in a warning. The headline's a little misleading here.

Some see pride in Obama's win as wrong. [Lisa Falkenberg, Chron.com] - Instead of an honest discussion of racial issues, Houston gets a teenage tantrum and put-down session from the Chron's Jr. columnist. The fourth largest City in America deserves better.

Southwest lines up partner in Mexico [Bill Hensel Jr., Chron.com] - Unlike many of my travel friends, I like Southwest. Being able to take advantage of their low-cost routes to Cancun etc. sounds promising.

Mapping the Presidential Race. [Matt Stiles, Chron.com] - Whether or not there are "Two America's" there are certainly "two Harris Counties". Finding common ground between the two will be the key to continued growth in the region.

Nick Lampson says goodbye. [Alan Bernstein, Chron.com] - And takes a parting shot at Tom DeLay in passing. Perhaps he lost because he still thought this election was about Tom?

Move It! [Rosanna Ruiz, Chron.com] - A good start to a column that had gone off the deep end under the prior writer. Once Rad Sallee took sides in the rail debate, his credibility was shot.

We stopped because we saw the Bulldog [Anne Linehan, Bloghouston.com] - BlogHouston looks at the AGD ordinance proposal and finds many of the same flaws I do.

Houston vs. the AGD's [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff] - The Blogger who will most likely affect your future (according to Texas Monthly) chooses to not affect this issue by remaining "ambivalent" regarding AGD's.

Republicans remain in control of the Texas House. [BigJolly, Lone Star Times] - It's a tenuous control, and whether they have a governing majority is open to question, but hey, when you're Republican you take what you can get.

House Poor: Make Restoring Galveston's public housing a priority. [The Artist Formerly Known as Mrs. White, Chron.com] - This really deserves its own post, but I've not time for that. Left unaddressed however is how a suddenly "tax poor" county could possibly finance the drain that is "long term" indigent housing if they address it BEFORE they re-establish their tax base? Also, can we please put the myth of "short-term hands up" to bed? How "short-term" have the "hands-up" to Katrina victims been? Galveston has a chance to set a new standard, the AFKAMW is asking them to repeat the same mistakes that got us into this mess.

Ready or not: here comes the 2009 State Lege...

All hail the bi-annual silly season!!! [Janet Elliot, Chron.com]

A bipartisan coalition of Texas senators has signed on to a bill, filed today, that would put a two-year moratorium on college tuition rate increases.

It was one of hundreds of bills expected to be filed today, the first day when lawmakers can file proposed legislation for the session that begins Jan. 13.

Sen. Juan ''Chuy'' Hinojosa, D-McAllen, filed Senate Bill 105, which also would limit increases after the two-year moratorium to the inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Price Index.

(snip)

Another higher-education bill would allow for more top-tier research universities in the state. Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said raising universities to the level of the University of Texas and Texas A&M University would improve the state economy.

Other lawmakers had health issues on their agendas as they filed bills related to abortion, children's health care and adult stem cell research.

Patrick and Rep. Frank Corte, R-San Antonio, each filed legislation that would require abortion providers to give a patient an ultrasound of the fetus and an explanation of the child's development before the procedure. A similar bill failed last session.

Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, filed a variety of bills related to children. One would create a health insurance pool within the state's child support system.

(snip)

She also filed measures to improve protection for children in day care, provide additional support for foster parents and create a consortium to spur adult stem cell research.

There are two ways of looking at Texas Lege 2009...

1. This is the "last stand" for Republicans. It's put up or shut up time for the Party that has held majority power for a while now.

2. This is the "return" of the Democrats. Can the minority party leverage their new found gains into meaningful legislation?

A good tracking mechanism could be the legislation of Sens. Dan Patrick and Jane Nelson. Patrick fashions himself the standard-bearer for the evangelical Christian wing of the party. He also trumpets his bonafides as a "true conservative". This article focused soley on health issues, but I'm sure Sen. Patrick will file several other bills for consideration as the session continues. Sen. Nelson seems to be placing herself closer to the middle, as a possible moderate option for the Republican Party. An option that will still be unacceptable to partisan Democrats, but will be designed to capitalize on issues that appeal to so-called "moderates" in the electorate. Her risk, of course, is looking too Democratic and blurring the line between the parties. No matter how good a legislator is, if they lose their distinctive identity then they run the risk of losing their partisan voters as well.

At this point I'd guess that the tuition freeze is a given, but it's going to need to be coupled with funding increases or Texas Universities will be crying "poor" for the next two years. The "ultrasound" bill is dead in the water. While even I, who's more pro-choice than pro-life, would like to see abortions minimized, I don't see Planned Parenthood, NOW and other pro-abortion groups, who raise most of their money due to that wedge issue alone, allowing something that could possibly REDUCE abortions, to pass. I do however think this could be the session where there's real movement on appraisal value caps. I know that Democrats HATE them but, so far, they've done very little to make the case for anything else.*








*Yes, I know, Democrats LOVE to rant and wave their arms and scream "State income tax". The problem is, that's where it ends. Oh sure, they point to "studies" which they claim show income taxes are "better" but then they fail to identify those studies, or produce something from the uber-liberal CPPP(an organization that never met a tax, or tax increase, that it didn't like). I'm no fan of increased sales taxes, which I believe to be terribly punitive to the poor, and am actually a fan of a State Income tax, due to the taxpayer's ability to write it off, dollar for dollar, on their Federal taxes. However, there's no-one standing up and making the case on the Income tax side. Until that happens, at least the Republicans are offering up ideas.

R.I.P. Mac (2006-2008)

Houston Zoo loses Mac to elephant herpes virus [Chron.com]...

Very sad.

Mac, an Asian elephant whose birth was a cause for celebration at the Houston Zoo scarcely more than two years ago, died Sunday night after a brief battle with the elephant herpes virus, zoo officials said this morning.

"The entire zoo staff is absolutely devastated," said zoo spokesman Brian Hill. "It's difficult to put into words and describe the attachment that has developed over the past two years.

"This is a terrible loss, especially for the elephant keepers and veterinary medical staff who cared for Mac during his time with us," Hill said.

The elephant keepers alerted the zoo's veterinarians on Sunday morning after noticing indications that Mac might be infected with the virus, Hill said.

Veterinarians began treating Mac with an antiviral medication that has shown limited success with some elephants.

"The early indications were encouraging," Hill said. "Mac's appetite rallied and he took some water."

However, Mac took a turn for the worse and died Sunday night with his mother, Shanti, and his aunt, Methai, nearby, Hill said.

As some readers know the wife is a BIG fan of elephants, having ridden them during her employment with Ringling Bros. Circus. As zoo members we'd head down to Hermann park quite often, sometimes for no other reason than to just say "hi" to Mac and watch him play for a bit.

This is the second baby elephant that the Houston Zoo has lost due to this same illness. Idiots with certain "animal rights" groups will imediately start piling on. There's a time for that, but it's not right now. Let those of us who enjoyed seeing Mac alive remember that, grieve his passing, and then lets talk about the Houston Zoo's elephant breeding program.

Condolances to the committed staff of elephant keepers, veterinarians and other support staff at the zoo as well. I can only imagine how hard this is for you.

Circuit City folding, competition blamed

If capitalism is the reason you list for going under then maybe you needed to go under?

[Bloomberg News via Chron.com]

Circuit City Stores Inc. filed for bankruptcy amid rising competition from Best Buy Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and online electronics retailers.

The petition for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia, listed $3.4 billion in assets and $2.32 in liabilities. The Richmond, Virginia-based company, founded in 1949 when Samuel Wurtzel opened Richmond’s first retail television store, has lost more than $5 billion in stock market value in two years.

The chain, with 721 stores in the U.S. and about 770 in Canada, has said competition hurt sales, especially at its older locations in lower-income neighborhoods. Amazon.com Inc. and other Web-based retailers of computers, televisions and music also have lured customers away.

In other words: Our competitors did a better job selling widgets cheaper, so we're filing for bankruptcy protection.

No word yet as to whether management will walk away with huge Golden Parachutes and severance packges, although I wouldn't be surprised.

Meanwhile: Around 7,000 (probably hourly, low paid) employees are going to get the boot, and be without a job at the beginning of the holiday season. Good luck folks, hang in there.

City Council tacks anti-commerce.

I'm sorry, anti "visual clutter"...

[Carolyn Feibel, Chron.com]

Giant blue gorillas could become an extinct species in Houston, under a proposed ordinance that would ban inflatable advertising balloons and other "attention-getting devices."

The gorillas — along with the giant eagles, balloon rockets and Uncle Sams that sometimes appear on the rooftops of car dealerships and other retail outlets — contribute to visual clutter and pose a potentially dangerous distraction to drivers, city officials say.

The City Council could vote on the ban at its Wednesday meeting. If approved, the ban also would prohibit flashy and motion-driven devices, such as dancing wind puppets, spinning pinwheels, pennants, streamers and strobe and spotlights.

"I call them attention-distracting devices," said Jeff Ross of the city's planning commission. Ross said getting rid of them will make Houston more competitive with other cities that have banned them, such as Dallas, Austin and St. Louis.

"They distract the eye, create potential safety obstacles, obscure permanent signage and create visual blight," said Tommy Friedlander, who chaired Mayor Bill White's On-Premise Sign Task Force.

My question to Mr. Friedlander, and the On-premise sign task force, would be this: Are there any studies providing data to back your claims? My early guess would be "NO", partly because of the word "potential" attached to the front side of "safety obstacles" in Mr. Friedlander's description. That leaves a lot of wiggle room, and it only serves to obcure the "real" arguement....

Ross said getting rid of them will make Houston more competitive with other cities that have banned them, such as Dallas, Austin and St. Louis.

What we have is another case of an un-elected Houston offical finding something they don't like, building up a false-case against it, and persuading an anti-commerce City Council to bring it up for discussion.

Here's the thing: Banning these devices is not going to hurt big multi-national corpoorations or out of town conglomerates, its going to be extremely punitive to small businesses which rely on the sale of these for income, or for the attention they garner to bring in new customers. This is not a case, like the billboard elimination movement, where the advertising media are controlled by a few big companies with big voices and deep pockets. It's a case where the little guy is going to get smacked down because some Cities that a few nanny-statists view as "models" have something in place that Houston doesn't. And Houston HAS to keep up with model cities such as Austin, Dallas and St. Louis right?

In short, we're solving a problem before we are even sure if there's a problem. Ready, Fire, Aim! governance at its finest.

Houston Asides (11/10/08)

The "dirty, dirty, aftermath" edition...

10 ways historic vote will change Harris Co. politics [Alan Bernstein, Chron.com] - Reads more to me like "10 factors that played out in 2008" rather than a list of changes (the young getting involved, new groups becoming key etc.) but hey, they're trying to milk this election for all its worth.

Gas under $2 is back here [Kristen Hays, Chron.com] - Analysts are predicting it won't last (and I agree) but its sure nice to fill up at under $2 for a little while.

Texas' Pre-K reform under fire. [Gary Scharrar, Chron.com] - It seems that people are (gasp!) making money off of a multi-million dollar Gov't program....horrors!

Advice for the Republican Party. [Something Different, Chron.com] - Pre-election this blogger advertised himself as "a Republican voting for Obama". Post election he's referring to Republicans as the "other" party. Just sayin'.

This kind of change won't be coming. [Clay Robison, Chron.com] - Putting parenthetical letters behind judges is good for scorekeeping only. Which is why, in the zero-sum game that is politics, its not going away.

The 2010 race is underway. [Alan Bernstein, Chron.localpolitics.com] - One thing about "the show", it's always on....

So, was there an HGBLT endorsement backlash? [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff] - Considering the "straight party" nature of judicial votes, was anyone surprised?

Bitter fruits [The County Seat] - Internal sniping in the Republican Party should be at an all time high.

Rapid Eye Movement

The "I'm a little teapot" edition...

Obama's Designated Asshole. [Mike Madden, Salon.com] - There's nothing transformtaional about hiring a political hit man. Guess where the buck will stop if things start going South?

Lieberman in talks about caucusing with Republican Party. [Andrew Miga, AP via Yahoo! News] - Is anyone really surprised by this?

Son: Billy Graham's work with Presidents is over. [Mike Baker, AP via Yahoo! News] - Waiting for some liberal partisan to call him a racist.....

Study: Steamy magazines make men feel as bad as women. [Jenna Bryner, LiveScience.com via Yahoo!]

Obama meets with economic advisors. [Wall St. Journal] - Reported first phrase: "Aw shit!"

Firms say bailout lacks necessary clarity. [Micheal R. Crittendon, WSJ]

Cuba sanctions likely to ease. [Evan Perez, WSJ] - Two words: Cigars! Rum!.....that is all.

In the end, McCain played to the GOP. [Laura Meckler, WSJ] - At least, he tried to.

Palin and the GOP [WSJ]

Rahm pick shows Obama wants to win. [Ben Smith and John M. Harris, Politico] - Win, and crush his opponents. In a kind way of course. *snicker*

Obama's Victory: A change the world should believe in. [Philip Stevens, Financial Times] - Let's allow him to be sworn into office first before we say he's changing the world mmm-kay?

A sweeping rejection of President Bush [David Boaz, Cato@Liberty]

Curb your enthusiasm Democrats. [Englund, Victor & Friel, National Journal]

The mandate is for moderation. [Peggy Noonan, WSJ]

Progressivism's Achilles Heel [Jonah Goldberg, RCP]

Do Republicans have a "Yes we can"? [Christian Science Monitor] - For balance' sake, America needs a conservative option right now. That hasn't been the GOP for some years now. Even the Harris County-based Church of Dan is really more corporatist and theocratic than Conservative. Keep the conviction, drop the anger.

Gloom and Doom

1. Ford

[Jeff Bennett & Stephen Wisnefski, CNNMoney.com]

Ford Motor Co. (F) on Friday announced wide-ranging cost cuts after burning through $7.7 billion in cash in the third quarter, as revenue dropped because of rapidly deteriorating auto-market conditions.

The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker hopes to improve the cash position in its automotive business by between $14 billion and $17 billion by the end of 2010, through a mix of job cuts, reduced benefits, lower capital spending, divestiture of noncore assets and new financing measures.

Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally said during a Friday conference call the measures were needed as the global auto industry downturn "will be deeper, broader and longer than was previously assumed." Ford expects that volume declines in 2009 will be comparable with this year's steep declines, and the company said it will continue to adjust production to match the lower demand.

Ford, like its domestic peers, is in a race against the clock to boost liquidity as global auto sales suffer the effects of deteriorating investor confidence and tight credit conditions. Ford and other auto makers have had to ramp up restructuring efforts in recent weeks, while seeking financial support from governments to weather the downturn.

2. GM

[Tom Krishner & Jeff Karoub, AP Business via Yahoo! News]

General Motors Corp. says it lost $2.5 billion in the third quarter and warned that it could run out of cash in 2009.

GM also said it has suspended talks to acquire Chrysler. While it didn't specifically name the automaker, GM said it was setting aside considerations for a "strategic acquisition."

The automaker also said its cash burn for the quarter accelerated to $6.9 billion due to a severe U.S. auto sales slump.

The company on Friday reported a net loss of $4.45 per share during the quarter, compared with a record-setting loss of $39 billion, or $68.85 per share, a year ago.

Revenue fell to $37.9 billion from $43.7 billion, due largely to credit freezing across the globe.

The loss exceeded Wall Street estimates. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters predicted a loss of $3.70 per share on sales of $39.4 billion.

The struggling company announced it would improve liquidity by $5 billion by the end of next year by cutting capital spending, reducing sales promotions, and further cutting production in the first quarter. It also suspended the company match for its stock savings (401k) plan in the U.S.

3. Chrysler

[Poornima Gupta & Kevin Krolicki, Reuters.com]

Chrysler LLC is rapidly burning through cash and being driven to prepare for a possible break-up if it can't clinch a merger with General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) or get government funding needed to ride out the economic crisis, people with knowledge of the situation said.

Without new funding or a wrenching restructuring, executives have raised concern about the automaker's ability to finance its operations from existing cash beyond the first half of 2009, said the sources, who were not authorized to discuss Chrysler's performance.

Chrysler has had to pay out over $100 million a month to support strained suppliers on top of a total $200 million support to sales through dealers in August and September as it suspended vehicle lease financing, the sources said.

The $11.7 billion the struggling automaker said it had as of end-June has seen a substantial decline because of the company's deteriorating performance marked by a 35 percent slide in October sales and increasing cash incentives, they said.

4. Unemployment Rate

[Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics via Yahoo! Financial]

The nation's unemployment rate bolted to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent in October as another 240,000 jobs were cut, far worse than economists expected and stark proof the economy is deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid pace.

The new snapshot, released Friday by the Labor Department, showed the crucial jobs market quickly eroding. The jobless rate zoomed to 6.5 percent in October from 6.1 percent in September, matching the rate in March 1994.

Unemployment has now surpassed the high seen after the last recession in 2001. The jobless rate peaked at 6.3 percent in June 2003.

With hat in hand the "Big 3" will trundle up to Washington D.C. and beg to be propped up (again) until said time they imagine they can compete Internationally with auto-makers that the Unions and bad-business decisions haven't totally ruined.

Imagine if GM was selling a $15K version of the EV1 right now....

ADDED: Of course, the best bailout in the world isn't going to remove the yoke of the UAW from around the Big 3's neck. Union Labor is this close to killing the golden goose. Card check that.

Change

Rahm Emmanuel was Director of Freddie Mac During Scandal.

[Brian Ross & Rhonda Schwartz, ABCNews.com]

President-elect Barack Obama's newly appointed chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, served on the board of directors of the federal mortgage firm Freddie Mac at a time when scandal was brewing at the troubled agency and the board failed to spot "red flags," according to government reports reviewed by ABCNews.com.

President-elect Barack Obama's newly appointed chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, served on the board of directors of the federal mortgage firm Freddie Mac at a time when scandal was brewing at the troubled agency and the board failed to spot "red flags," according to government reports reviewed by ABCNews.com. According to a complaint later filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Freddie Mac, known formally as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, misreported profits by billions of dollars in order to deceive investors between the years 2000 and 2002.

Emanuel was not named in the SEC complaint (click here to read) but the entire board was later accused by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) (click here to read) of having "failed in its duty to follow up on matters brought to its attention."

In a statement to ABCNews.com, a spokesperson said Emanuel served on the board for "13 months-a relatively short period of time."

The spokesperson said that while on the board, Emanuel "believed that Freddie Mac needed to address concerns raised by Congressional critics."

Oops.

And before you get all "well he was only there for 13 months" haughty and defensive ask yourself this.

IF, as his spokesperson suggested, Mr. Emmanuel "believed Freddie Mac needed to address concerns raised by Congressional critics" when he was on the board of directors, then WHY did he not push for changes once he was elected to Congress?


Strike one for "change".

Two glimpses into the political Crystal ball.

Craddick may be Odd man out in feisty speaker's race. [Gary Scharrar, Chron.com]

The next speaker of the narrowly divided Texas House must be bipartisan, and that rules out controversial Speaker Tom Craddick, several key lawmakers said Thursday.

Members tired of the bitter fighting marked by Craddick's leadership got help this week from voters who created the environment for bipartisanship by electing more Democrats. The House either will consist of 76 Republicans and 74 Democrats or it will be split 75-75, depending on the outcome of a Dallas-area legislative race.

"The new speaker will be bipartisan by necessity and by desires of the members," said Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston.

Nine members have officially declared their candidacies. The chamber's 150 members will choose a speaker when the Legislature returns to session in January.

I'm not sure why this would be a surprise to anyone who's paying a modicum of attention to politics. If any political party has a bad election then its not atypical (except in the US Senate) for there to be a purge and restructuring of leadership.

Misty-eyed reporters and weepy members of the (sometimes former) minority party will wax poetic about high-sounding ideals such as "bi-partisanship" but the fact is the Speaker's office is, by design, a very partisan position. The Speaker's chair sets the agenda, the tone, and crafts the legislative identity of the House. Craddick's speakership wasn't a failure because he wasn't "bi-partisan", it failed because he was autocratic, and didn't pay attention to the disgruntled members of his own party.

Had Tom Craddick listened to, and worked with rank-and-file Republicans then he'd probably still be the favorite to be speaker because 50% of the House would vote for him as a block. Add in the infamous "Craddick D's" and you have a majority.

My early money is being laid on Jim Keffer (R) of Stafford. The Democrats are too fractured to rally support behind any one candidate in their ranks. Scott Hochberg, Pete Gallego, Allan Ritter, Sylvester Thompson and (now perennial speaker candidate) Senfroina Thompson will play against each other and dilute the strength of Democratic influence. Keffer stands to gain a large majority of Republicans in this race. Outside of Craddick, the remaining Republican candidates are fringe.

Hutchison, White hint at political futures [R.G. Ratcliffe, Chron.com]

Houston Mayor Bill White and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said they are inching forward to possible runs for other offices.

While speaking at a University of Texas conference Wednesday, White said he is considering a run for Hutchison's Senate seat if she resigns to run for governor, but he also said he may decide to join the 2010 gubernatorial race.

The mayor also said he is not "jockeying" for a possible appointment as U.S. energy secretary in the administration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Hutchison, meanwhile, told reporters she is still on the path of becoming a candidate for governor.

She said she would feel more comfortable resigning her current post to run now that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has won re-election.

"From the standpoint of Texas in the Senate, if I did decide to step down in order to run for governor, Texas would actually be well-positioned because John Cornyn will have had a full term," Hutchison said. "And this really is a better time to be bringing someone new in to build seniority when you've got someone who has it. Four years ago would have been less advantageous."

White talking about running for Hutchinson's seat feels more like a ploy to try and scare her out of the race to me. For one, White doesn't have the temperment to survive in a chamber such as the Senate where polite disagreement and compromise rule the day. Think back to the (too few) times when City Council stood against a White measure. White gets snippy and curt when faced with opposition to his plans, something he'd have to constantly endure in the Senate.

Hutchison, on the other hand, is going to have to throw her hat in the Gubernatorial race in 2010, or else she's running the risk of becoming a political distraction. For six years now we've heard rumors of Kay Bailey's on again/off again flirtation with the Governorship. Eventually there's a limit to how much Texas voters are willing to take. Hutchison is also facing the reality that her moderate views in the Senate are eroding her support in the Republican base that she's going to need to be Governor. Not only did she lose the angry caucasian vote with her immigration stance, but she is weak with fiscal conservatives as well because of her ready vote for the $700 Billion financial pork fest bailout package.


The one commonality that's shared by BOTH of these races is a high level of uncertainty. Were these races being handicapped I'd have them as follows....

Speaker's Race:

Jim Keffer (4-1)
Tom Craddick (5-1)
Democrat (10-1)
Other (20-1)

Keffer is in the lead but 4-1 are relatively long-odds for a favorite. Craddick and his core of support cannot be ignored however. Democrats are trailing, but 10-1 is a pretty good betting number for an underdog. If I broke them out individually (Hochberg, Thompson et al) then the individual odds would run a range from 25-1 (Hochberg) to 100-1 (Turner). "Other is so high because the parameters of the race are pretty clear.

Tx Senate Race

Hutchison/White (10-1)
Perry/White (20-1)
Dewhurst/White (100-1)
Other (2-1)

In the Senate race, due mainly to the two year time frame, I still believe the leader has to be "other" and by a large margin. Remember that, at this time two years prior, the prevailing wisdom was that we would now be contemplating how Hillary Clinton beat Rudy Guliani for President. Oops.

Houston Asides (11/07/08)

The "MANdate" edition...

Forever 21's Downtown debut breaks the mold. [David Kaplan, Chron.com] - Here's hoping they succeed. Color me skeptical but I'll be more a believer in the "downtown residential revival" when a Kroger's or H.E.B. opens and drawas a crowd.

Huffman, Bell differ on public education [Alan Bernstein, Chron.com] - Bell's calls for "spending more" won't play well in a shaky economy. The guy's one-note to the core.

Rice has a drive for a Billion. [Jeannie Kever, Chron.com] - Good luck to 'em. Rice is an underappreciated treasure in the heart of Houston.

Half Million blown for dirty tricks [Rick Casey, Chron.com] - A re-hash of what has been in the public debate for a few weeks now. Too bad Rick didn't get in the "Al Edwards" reference. He must have been running close to deadline. (or missed that bullet point in his review of local blogs)

Conquer the divide. [The Artist Formerly Known as Mrs. White, Chron.com] -Young voters (for the most part) supported Obama for his "rock star" appeal, not because of some new-found interest in the issues. Odd also is that the AFKAMW lists "reading editorials" as a necessary cog in the machine of public participation. Most young kids are running to blogs and on-line commentary, many of them probably have NEVER read an editorial except by accident. Therein lies the problem dead-tree media is facing. The more "engaged" the young group becomes, the more information they have access to, the less relevent anonymous, unsigned editorials become.

HISD plans to cut magnet-school bussing criticized. [Ericka Mellon, Chron.com] - Oops.

Illegal Immigrants feel heat from ICE in Houston. [James Pinkerton, Chron.com] - As well they should, ESPECIALLY illegal immigrants who have committed other crimes. Amazingly, some "activists" don't even want violent criminals detained and deported.

Kubiak's Job could hinge on second half. [Jerome Solomon, Chron.com] - Not as bi-polar or rah-rah as Justice, Solomon is right here.

Dynamo want progress on Stadium deal soon. [Bernardo Fallas, Chron.com] - Or what?

When readership is falling....

The solution is obviously come-hither eyes and "do me" heels.

It's no secret that the Chron is losing readers like a seive. Obviously the "hope" in their post-election coverage is that casual observers will "change" their habits and check in daily to see what the weel-heeled are up to. For me, I can't help but think back to the scene in Escape from L.A. where Snake Plisskin meets the Surgeon General of Beverly Hills.

Chop 'em up, dress 'em up, give 'em a purty mouth and wed them off to some older rich lawyer or trust fund baby. Then send over funeral-crasher party reporter Shelby Hodge to slather on a layer of sticky, sugary, pasty, nasty prose to make them seem more than they really are. You have to lay it on fairly thick to camaflauge the reality that the cost of these ladies wardrobes is higher than that of most people's yearly rent. Yet, I'm willing to bet you, that a strong majority of them went to the voting booths (the ones that voted anyway) and, with a straight face, pulled a lever for Obama while tax accountants hired by their husbands were hastily working on new tax avoidance strategies to keep them in chiffon. If you hooked each of them up to a lie-detector, the concern they feel for the poor would probably be genuine. Except you don't see many of them lining up to give away those nice evening gowns or (more importantly) those smart business-suit sets to women needing outfits for job interviews. Nope, theirs is a liberalism that begins and ends at charity balls, change for change' sake provided change doesn't take away the lifestyle they've become accustomed to through fluke of marriage, birth or (for the extremely lucky) both.

Now, don't take this to mean that I dislike the rich. You can bet I do. The rich have wealth which creates jobs, drives investment and moves the economy along. Nowhere in here do you see me saying that they shouldn't have riches and wealth and artificially obtained beauty etc. Nope, I'm glad they have that and wish for them more. Can we please just stop holding them up as paragons of charity and society? They're baubles, these trophy wives, used by men with much money and low self-esteem as a crude, 17th century method of score-keeping. "My wife is 2 years younger and has implants 2 sizes larger than yours little man." Outside of clubbing and dragging back to the cave there's no more throwback a method of choosing a mate than the courtship arranged to improve social status. Love may not be in the air, but its certainly in the numbered Swiss bank account.

Don't forget to check out the, oh-so riveting, "making of" pictorial, which stunningly suggests that the Chron wasted the resources of two photographers to capture these images. Meanwhile today there is a run-off in SD 17 that still needs to be done, a still disputed contest for District Attorney (although the outcome has pretty much been excepted by everyone except the loser) and a host of politicians that are soon to be looking for a job.

Just another day in the life of the "features" section in the halls of the mighty Chronicle.

Running them out on a rail.

Metro's bank deals close to default. [Rosanna Ruiz, Chron.com]..

Metro, like dozens of transit agencies around the nation, is in negotiations with banks to avoid millions in default payments triggered by AIG's collapse in the midst of the financial crisis.

American International Group, an insurance and financial giant recently rescued from ruin, provided payment guarantees on lease agreements between the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and several banks. Those deals required payment guarantees from insurers, such as AIG, with high credit ratings. The deals guaranteed by AIG now are in technical default as a result of the insurance giant's slashed rating.

(snip)

Metro may be on the hook for about $14 million, roughly the amount in revenue it earned through the deals, said spokesman George Smalley.

If negotiations fail to achieve waivers or extensions, the transit agency could pay millions more in termination fees.

"We don't think, at the end of the day, we will have to pay," Smalley said. "We think a resolution will be found."

Metro entered into a dozen of the deals, which allow transit agencies to lease railcars, buses and other assets to banks. The banks can claim depreciation of the assess in tax deductions. They then lease back the assets to the transit agencies at a reduced rate. The transit agencies' payments were guaranteed by AIG or other insurers.

From 2000 to 2003, Metro completed 12 lease agreements involving its garages, buses, and other assets worth a total of $460 million. The deals generated $14 million in revenue for Metro, which it applied to capital improvement projects, Smalley said.

The amazing part of this, behind all of the legalese, is that Metro has somehow managed to build and operate a rail line, busses, and a (albeit bad) transportation network, and actually owns a very small amount of the assets. That's right, they're leased.

It would be interesting to see if the Chronicle "follows the money" to see if anyone on the Metro board has financial businesses that profited from this leasing scheme (that was disallowed in 2004 btw) but I'm not holding my breath.

Even more amazing is the fact that a blank check has been written for light-rail development to what is probably the most poorly managed transit company in America. Houstonians have demanded the heads of private sector executives for FAR less than this.

Loren Steffy? Silent.
Mrs. White? *Crickets*
Rick Casey? na-da
Falkenberg? Bwahahahahaha

No watchdog reporting at all from the newspaper of record in the 4th largest city in America on a transit agency that oversees huge sums of taxpayer money and is supposed to provide a critical need.

Maybe that's because they aren't looking?

Two editorials, same message

Not content with yesterday's plea for an end to partisan bickering the Artist Formerly Known as Mrs. White pens a second missive today sounding the same themes....

[Editorial Board, Chron.com]

President-elect Barack Obama wasted scarcely a breath before reaffirming his commitment to move the nation beyond partisanship and be a leader who is, first and foremost, a unifier.

Obama's victory speech on Tuesday night was graced with eloquent passages devoted to bringing Americans together in common cause. He summoned memories of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy to make his case. No cause is more urgent.

"In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people," Obama reminded the crowd gathered in Chicago's Grant Park and across a watching world. "Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long."

One could not help but notice Obama's choice of the word "immaturity." It's the right one. There is something profoundly adolescent about the name-calling and finger-pointing that has gone on in our politics for too long. It isn't worthy of this great country. It certainly does not bring us closer to solutions to difficult problems.

The man many across the globe are hailing as the black Kennedy waxed appropriately Kennedyesque as he urged all Americans to "summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."

That's a far cry from the calls for disagreement from other voices that the same editorial panel (albeit under a different director) ran after the 2004 elections.


Of course, in 2004 they didn't have a member of the editorial staff who made a donation to the Obama campaign, which the Chronicle has yet to openly disclose when penning an editorial on Presidential matters.

Houston Asides (11/06/08)

The "Parliament is still standing" edition...

Courts reel after elections. [Mary Flood & Brian Rodgers, Chron.com] - The reeled some time back when Democrats lost the courts as well. Some quality judges lost to Republicans that had no business being on the bench. Such is the cost of living in an open Democracy.

Economy, Ike Hammer Houston Homebuilders. [Nancy Sarnoff, Chron.com] - Some would say that Houston is overbuilt. Some would say this is bad for the Houston economy and foretells struggle. Both are probably, at least somewhat, correct.

Trail Freedom Fighters blazed led to this moment. [Lisa Falkenberg, Chron.com] - The Chron's Jr. columnist fulfills her "white guilt" column quota and can now return to telling us about her hair color.

Disease fighting beer? Rice Students seek the perfect brew. [Jeannie Kever, Chron.com] - As long as it doesn't taste like ass, or Budweiser Select, I support 'em.

What Could Have Been. [Something Different, Chron.commons] - I can tell what is NOT. Democrats posing as former Republicans winning with class. Palin lost, its time to stop bashing the lady.

Lampson knew odds were low for keeping seat. [Stewart M. Powell & Mark Carreau, Chron.com] - Interesting tactic: "Well, you know, I knew I was going to lose....

Bradford not conceding to Lykos in DA's race. [Liz Austin Peterson, Chron.com] - There's nothing more pathetic than a bad politician who can't accept that voters shot them down. Look for this one to head to the courts as Bradford tries desperately to re-write a failed legacy.

Battle lines form to select next Speaker. [Gary Scharrar & Peggy Fikac, Chron.com] - Nothing more exciting to political wonks than a good, old-fashioned slap-fight for a leadership position. Republicans maintained a razor-thin 76-74 edge, so who wins this is anyones guess.

Unions are eager for change. [L.M. Sixel, Chron.com] - "Card check" unionization rules could be just the tonic to cure their shrinking membership and failing finances. What's that? You didn't know that this was all about power, greed and money?

Dynamo want stadium deal soon. [Bernardo Fallas, Chron.com] - Maybe the cusp of a deep recession is not the time for Billionaires to hold the City hostage? Just sayin.

Where do we go from here? [Rorschach, Red Ink: Texas] - Some post-election navel-gaving from the Pachyderms.

The Big 3 GOP. [David Benzion, Lone Star Times] - More post-election navel-gaving from the Pachyderms.

Rapid Eye Movement (11/05/08)

The "Cult of Personality" edition...

Obama's Victory, Democratic Gains change Washingtons agenda. [Janet Hook, LA Times] - Nice bit of editorial posing as hard "news". Ignores the fact that most Democratic gains were "centrist" Democrats. Hardly a mandate for card-check union rules and other little m marxist wants.

Much of the World Applauds Obama. [Jim Sciutto and Zoe McGee, ABCnews.com] - Bush didn't take their needs into account in his decision making, it seems that Obama will. It will remain unreported that its blatant self-interest and not some benign desire to see the US return to prominence that's pushing this goodwill.

Same Sex Marriage Ban passes in California. [John Wildermuth, SF Chronicle] - I would suggest a different tactic for the GLB&T groups, but they wouldn't listen anyway. Too busy shouting accusations of "hate" to anyone who dares not agree with them 100% of the time/ (and, like Republicans, losing just as often)

President Elect Obama [WSJ]

I vote "no confidence" in Congress. [Harvey Golub, WSJ] - Pelosi & Co. are going to overreach. They're total lack of self-awareness demands it.

Yes, Detroit can be Fixed. [Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ] - But the fix would be a stick in the eye to Big Labor. So much for that then.

We need sustainable capitalism. [Al Gore & David Blood, WSJ] - Because if we don't get it we're going to go broke. (and lose OUR decidedly UNSUSTAINABLE lifestyles)

The Treatment of Bush has been a disgrace. [Jefferey Scott Shapiro, WSJ] - Too many immature people (from both parties) view election defeats as personal rejections. The end result is ugly, vile hatred.

What Barack Obama means to America. [Anna Quindlen, Newsweek] - "Look in my eyes, what do you see? A cult of personality."

Conservatism faces challenges. [Phillip Klein, The American Spectator] - Nice to see some election analysis minus the blubbering hyperbole. Obama and the Democrats won in part because Obama was an eloquent candidate, and in part because the Republicans blew it. Period end of story.

America the Liberal. [John Judis, The New Republic] - No, America the Centrist. (currently center left) Ironic that the same people who vilified Karl Rove about the "permanent majority" are now shamelessly salivating over an "enduring majority" of their own.

Obama's Post-Racial Promise. [Shelby Steele, LA Times] - So EVERY caucasian who voted for Obama did so because they were too stupid to see trough his game of racial three-card monte? Sorry, not buying it.

Will Obama heal the racial divide? [T.D. Jakes, Time.com] - Of course not, but maybe he'll inspire more people to work to achieve their dreams rather than listening to snake oil salesmen such as Jakes tell them to give to the Church to receive blessings.

Obama's victory ushers in New America. [Joe Klein, Time.com] - Not really. America is still the same, still faces the same problems, is still led by the same incompetent elected officials....they just rearranged the furniture.

An early answer to Question One.

According to the Artist Formerly Known as Mrs. White the answer is NO:

But this election was about something else, too: A clear urge to repudiate the policies of George W. Bush. Many Republicans and independents joined Democrats in the wish to state their strong disagreement with the Bush policies on the war in Iraq and ill-conceived tax cuts and out-of-control deficits. In the end, it was probably the tanking economy that made up a lot of voters' minds. They let their ballots do the talking.

It was a tough season to be running as a Republican. We congratulate Sen. John McCain on his vigorous campaign. McCain's clear and courageous voice will be welcome in the U.S. Senate as the nation faces difficult times.

We would like to believe that a third thing also was at work in Tuesday's result: A wish on the part of many voters — a no longer silent majority — to move past the too-intense partisanship of the past dozen years and reclaim the common ground for politics and policy-making in this country.

It is more than symbolic that the red-blue paradigm crumbled on Tuesday.

The Obama victory was forged with the help of voters in those presumed red states, and we hope that message is heard by leaders of both parties on Capitol Hill. The problems are too big and serious for a return to bickering.

This from the same editorial board (albeit with some different staff) who penned the following words in 2004 immediately AFTER the Bush re-election...

Having met with humiliating defeat, some Democratic leaders and strategists are urging their party to be, or at last talk, more like Republicans. This is not a promising tactic. If Democrats propose to discount their humane priorities and adopt conservative theological tenets, the country would be no better off, and probably a good deal worse. Better to have an impertinent, heretical opposition to a dominant party than one theocratic monolith.

Amazing, now that the shoe is on the other foot, a group of similar minded people come to the exact opposite conclusion is it not? One wonders if whomever wrote this current missive was an written by an Obama contributor.

Unfortunately since the Chronicle decided to address the ethics issue in house we'll never know....

Unanswered Questions

Things we need answered after Tuesday's election results.

1. Is Dissent STILL the highest form of Patriotism?

During the run-up to the Iraqi war, and in the debates afterward, Democrat after Democrat assued us that the above was true. There was even attempts to tie the statements to Thomas Jefferson to provide them the gravitas associated with the founding fathers. That was a lie of course, Thomas Jefferson did not say that. "Instead of being 200 years old the quote is around 2 years old" [David Emery, Urbanlegends blog]. It appears the phrase was originally uttered by Communist and social activist Howard Zinn. Given false weight through a false association with Jefferson, will Democrats now try to downplay the truth of the quote when the dissent is on the other side of the aisle?

For me, I disagree with the statement altogether, but substitute a more practical application....."The presence of dissent is evidence that the body politic is whole."



2. Does Tom Daschle constitute "Change"?

If rumors are true, then Obama is planning on reaching back to our partisan recent past to nab former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle as his Secretary of State. For a candidate who based his entire campaign on "hope and change" and "reaching across the aisle" the selection of an old-school DC insider as SoS seems out of character does it not? Unless "change" means that the ire and spit in D.C. stays, just that there are different minds and mouths spewing it?

There are a lot of people today who look back wistfully on what are considered to be the "salad days" of the 1990's. Historical revisionism has convinced us that a surplus was real, that there was a peacetime dividend, and that America was, indeed, the land of milk n' honey during Clinton's reign. What's often ignored by historians is that this was the era whose reductions in intelligence gathering laid the foundation for 9/11, where the FBI was used for personal gain, where Ruby Ridge, Waco and Elian Garcia were foisted into the American spotlight, and where the legislative framework for the current financial crises was formulated. And no, that's not an indictment of Clinton only, becuase it was a Republican Congress that originated most of the poor legislation. Do we REALLY want to change back to the past? I thought this election was about moving forward?

3. What now for the GOP?

If you're a Republican this morning that has to be the first question on your mind. What is going to become of my Party? That the GOP needs change is beyond debate. What type of change however could be played out in the public square. Will the future GOP become more one-note than it is today? Will they be able to "expand the tent" and suppress the anger of the high-school educated caucasian male that's driving the party today? Can any party remain viable if they continue to alienate the Hispanic vote?

From where I sit I can see two directions that the GOP is likely to take. On the one hand you have the future as laid out by Paul Ryan/Bobby Jindal, on the other hand you have the political future as defined by Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. Both groups' plans offer up a "new vision" for conservatism to follow. Which one the GOP decides to take will be an interesting debate to follow over the months to come.

Houston Asides (11/05/08)

The "Thank God its (mostly) over" edition...

3 (possibly 4) Republican judges hold on. [Mary Flood, Chron.election08.com] - As close as you can come to a judicial sweep thanks to straight-ticket votes. Here's hoping that the (mostly) non-vetted Democratic winners are qualified. (Aside: I wonder if, in 2010, we'll hear about how "bad" it is to have all of the judges be Democrat? Nah...)

Harris County Democrats Giddy about Future [Brad Hem, Chron.election08.com] - Now, if they could just get some decent candidates. This is probably their "high water mark" year if they keep choosing to run crap on a plate for big offices.

County Leadership to get bi-partisan look [Mike Tolson, Chron.com]

The pleasure of becoming bi-political. [Rick Casey, Chron.com]

30 out of 35 offices will now be held by Democrats. That's only "technically" (barely) bi-partisan, and reveals something about the Chron's view of local politics.

State Democrats ride wave of National success [Gary Scharrer, Chron.com] - As predicted, the Republicans maintain control of the State House. (barely) On to the speaker's race!!!

Houston voters hand Garcia historic victory in Sherriff's race. [Matt Stiles and Julia Moreno, Chron.com] - I kid you not, that was the headline. From early reports Thomas' drubbing was a County-wide phenomenon, and not a case (as the Chron headline writer would have us believe) of the "wise, urbane city voter" correcting the errors of us "rednecks" in unincorporated areas. The article however, gets it right.

Emmett edges out Mincberg, keeps seat [Liz Austin Peterson, Chron.com] - In the end, the best candidate won here. Mincberg is better suited for the private sector.

Cornyn defeats Noriega [Clay Robison, Chron.com] - No surprise here. That makes two straight Senate campaigns where Democrats have failed to put a good candidate on the ballot.

Olsen wins, Lampson out (again) [Stewart M. Powell, Chron.com] - Calling this district "heavily Republican" is a tad bit misleading. It's pink for sure, but in a few years it will be noticably more purple.

Lykos wins Harris DA as Bradford's early lead vanishes. [Brian Rodgers and Roma Khanna, Chron.com] - Now both parties need to find credible candidates to put on the ballot in 2012.

Run-off for Bell/Huffman in CD17. [Carolyn Feibel, Chron.com] - Bell is "confident" that Democratic trends will help his campaign in the run-off...except that he's not going to have the "Obama voters" there to provide him a lift. Expect the condensed campaign to be nasty. Bell has a lot of money and is desperate to find some elected office that will have him.

The Day After

"Now I don't have to worry 'bout working to fill my gas tank, or working to pay my mortgage, Obama is going to help me" - Notable Quotable from an Obama supporter on CBS' election coverage of the Big Outdoor Victory Party in Chicago (BOVPC)

Ah the irrational exuberence of youth. Of course, Obama never made a campaign promise that came anywhere near what was being spouted out there, but why let a little thing like fact get in the way of a good celebration. By now, unless you've been living under a rock wearing noise dampening headphones, you know that the 44th President of the United States of America will be one Sen. Barak Obama (D-Illinois). That he won is not news, that he won in a landslide is however.

This one wasn't even close. At around 8PM, sitting in the command chair of the Crow compound surrounded by the Boss and the three defense puppies, I turned to my wife and said "Looks like a bloodbath for the Republicans". Her response was simple, and accurate: "Yup". Then she informed me that she'd had enough of people waxing philisophical and could I please change the channel back to the Buffalo/Miami(OH) tie on ESPN2.

Thoughts one day later:

I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Sen. Obama believes that, too. - Great, not just good, concession speech by John McCain. He's going to be unfairly tarred and feathered by the angry Right for the loss but, in reality, there wasn't much the guy (and gal) could do. For eight years now the Republican majority in Government have abdicated their responsibility to the American Citizen in a rush to appease campaign donors in the corporate world. A sliver of Theocrats have pushed several moderates away from the Party and, if the Republicans wish to rise from the ashes quickly, finding a way to win them back will be the key to any Pachyderm resurgence. I'm not saying that Republicans need to abandon Conservatism, quite the opposite. I'm suggesting that Republicans need to rediscover Conservatism and root out the Corporatist rot that's currently destroying the Party from within. This, would be a good place to start.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America. - And Change we will, maybe. The question now that voters and pundits will level at the Democrats is the same one that Republicans were constantly unable to find a good answer for: Can they Govern? It's easy to craft a campaign speech and a winning message, many politicians have done that in the past. What's not easy is moving forward with that campaign message and morphing it into workable solutions for real problems. Some Democrats will never admit this, they'd just as soon admit their intolerance of outside ideas, but it was moderates who provided them with the voting edge that placed them over the top. Most of the new Senators and Congressmen with (D) behind their name are closer in ideology to Dell Miller than Paul Wellstone. While it may be true that America is now a center-left nation, the operative word there is "center". Radical change as espoused by ultra-marxist bloggers and fringe commenters with no duty to govern would be an overreach that could result in a new flipping of the map in 2010. Can the Democrats Govern? We'll see.


And, on another note: Cheer up Republicans. The sun rose this morning after all.

Real-time bloggy stuff (election version)

As I write this, the Electoral count is hovering around 202 Obama - 114 McCain and there are 83 votes on the West Coast that will certainly go to Obama.

In other words, it's all over but the crying and shouting for Republicans as wails of "stolen elections" and "the rise of unchecked Socialism" will be the buzzwords of the day for the defeated Republicans. Already today I've been shellacked by the Right Wing of the Party for not buying into that.

Yes, I'm aware of Obama's call for a "civilian defense force" that's "funded on par with and as strong as", the military, and yes I'm concerned about things such as the Fairness Doctrine and other Democratic plans that are, shall we say, concerning. But what I also understand is that it looks as if the Republicans will hold off the Super-majority in the Senate (this time) and have a change to make sure that what is ultimately passed is moderated, and some of the more onerous bills are squelched due to filibuster.

So, no, I'm not worried (that much) about the imminent destruction of our wonderful Democracy.

Will America change after tonight? Probably, and probably in ways that are good as well as bad. Democrats now have a chance to prove the Republican nay-sayers incorrect and govern the Country to the Center-left. If they move far-left they will be elected out of their current majorities in a couple of years. It happened to the Republicans when they lose their compass, and it will happen to the Democrats as well if they aren't smart.

In Harris County its a mixed bag for both parties. Democrats seem to have won some judgeships and Garcia is the new Sheriff, but other races, such as County Judge are very much up in the air. Democrats also appear to be in control in races for County Attorney, Clerk, and are in the game for Tax Assessor-Collector. Overall it appears that Obama is going to take Harris County as well. If you didn't believe this County was solidly purple before now, you probably won't be a believer when changing demographics turn it blue.

Your State Gov't will remain in Republican control, but the majorities will be decidedly smaller, making the "next" political question for junkies focus entirely on the Speaker's race. Interesting times.

Oh, and it appears that Chris Bell and Joan Huffman will be in a run-off. Anyone wanna bet who wins that?


The Networks (especially CBS) have been terrible, while CNN and FoxNews have provided the best, most accurate coverage. CNN has the best techno toys.


To those of you staying up late: Good luck.

I'm heading off to bed. I've listened to all of the talking heads I can handle.

Cue Meltdown....

Local:

Conservative Texans Must VOTE!! [BigJolly, Lone Star Times] - For Republicans mind you, whether they be Conservative or not.

Does Democratic Victory spell the end for "Centrist America" [RickG, Lone Star Times] - If the Democrats win, Democracy and the rule of law is flushed down the toilet. (alternate Republican theory: Americans are stupid {on loan from Democrats who used it during their lean years})

Socialsm comes to America. [Dr. Melissa Clouthier, blog of same name] - WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!! (this message sponsored by the Texas Republican Party)


Sounds exactly like what the Democrats said after Bush was elected (twice). Last I checked America was still here. Our Nation doesn't like losing, but they dislike not being "popular" even less. Right now Republicans (and their corporatist ideals) are not very popular.


So they're throwing a little fit today.



It's OK Republicans, the sun will come up tomorrow and you'll be back on the job.

US President: When you've lost Malaysia....

World Hopes for a Less Arrogant America. [William J. Kole and Matt More, AP via Yahoo! News]...

A world weary of eight years of George W. Bush was riveted Tuesday by the drama unfolding in the United States. Many were inspired by Barack Obama's focus on hope, or simply relieved that — whoever wins — the current administration is coming to an end.

From Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to the small town of Obama, Japan, the world gears up to celebrate a fresh start for America.

In Germany, where more than 200,000 flocked to see Obama this summer as he moved to burnish his foreign policy credentials during a trip to the Middle East and Europe, the election dominated television ticker crawls, newspaper headlines and Web sites.

Hundreds of thousands prepared to party through the night to watch the outcome of an election having an impact far beyond America's shores. Among the more irreverent festivities planned in Paris: a "Goodbye George" party to bid farewell to Bush.

"Like many French people, I would like Obama to win because it would really be a sign of change," said Vanessa Doubine, shopping Tuesday on the Champs-Elysees. "I deeply hope for America's image that it will be Obama."

Obama-mania was evident not only across Europe, where millions geared up for all-night vigils, but even in much of the Islamic world, where Muslims expressed hope that the Democrat would seek compromise rather than confrontation.

The Bush administration alienated Muslims by mistreating prisoners at its detention center for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison — human rights violations also condemned worldwide.

"I hope Obama wins (because) of the need of the world to see the U.S. represent a more cosmopolitan or universal political attitude," said Rais Yatim, the foreign minister of mostly Muslim Malaysia.

"The new president will have an impact on the economic and political situation in my country," said Muhammad al-Thaheri, 48, a civil servant in Saudi Arabia. Like so many around the world, he was rooting for Obama "because he will change the path the U.S. is on under Bush."

Nizar al-Kortas, a columnist for Kuwait's Al-Anbaa newspaper, saw an Obama victory as "a historic step to change the image of the arrogant American administration to one that is more acceptable in the world."

Yet John McCain was backed by some in countries such as Israel, where he is perceived as tougher on Iran.

Israeli leaders, who consider the U.S. their closest and most important ally, have not openly declared a preference. But privately, they have expressed concern about Obama, who has alarmed some by saying he would be ready to hold a dialogue with Tehran.

If, by cosmopolitan, he means reverting back to the 18th Century standard for women's rights and allowing honor killings, three independent witnesses for a rape conviction, genital mutilation, corruption, bribery and other wonderful public policies espoused by some Countries in that region of the World I think I'll pass....

I understand the World doesn't like a leader such as Bush who's viewed as arrogant, I get that. In a way, I agree with them that we have to get some buy-in from other Countries before we run roughshod. We have to work with our friends to lessen the influence of our enemies. Understood. I also understand that other Countries root for what's good for them, not necessarily what's good for America. Some people in this Country don't seem to understand that and either get offended when France opposes a US policy because it will hurt their economy or spit bile at OPEC because they are protectionist. No sense.

At the same time its incredible to me that voters who would go into epileptic shock if a woman was denied the right to vote in America are accepting, even supportive of the very restrictive nature of women's rights in Sharia law abroad.

Regardless of your political persuasion I hope we can agree that Malaysia has no business lecturing the US on how to be "cosmopolitan" in our Governing style.

Houston Asides (11/04/08)

The "Hunker down" edition...

A vote for casting a ballot on election day. [Lisa Falkenberg, Chron.com] - Voter snobs? "Old school" voting? How "tweener" of the former Teen columnist.

Texas officials say they're ready for local voter turnout. [Kelley Shannon, AP via Chron.com] - State Democrats have a long list of names to call Republicans and State Republicans have a long list of whines to release after the bloodbath. Yup, we're ready.

Houstonian wearing Alaska T-shirt almost denied vote. [Jennifer Laston, Chron.com] - Knowing the state of the Texas education system they probably assumed she wasn't a U.S. citizen.

The MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION EVER! [Rev. Matt Tittle, Houston Belief, Chron.com] - No more or less important than any other election, we just have to make it seem so to make ourselves feel special.

It ends tomorrow. [IJ Reilly, Bayou City Madman] - Which would be today. Next election season I'm voting for the candidate that DOESN'T robo-call my house 1000 times.

The Big Urbans and the Big Suburbans. [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff] - When he's not blockquoting the World or name-calling in lieu of debating the Future can riff some good analysis. This is one of those posts.

Election Day '08 is here [Kevin Whited, Blog Houston] - Thus begineth the days of mourning for Republicans.

November 3: Shocked! I say, Shocked! [Unca Darrell, UncaDarrell.com] - Remember all of those promises by partisan Dems that they would lower your electricity rates. Yeah, not so much. (As stated on LaE many times, carbon cap n' trade is horribly punitive to the poor and middle class)

Presidential Election: V.I.P.

Let me splain...

If you want to know early, and impress your friends at election parties (if, that is, you are the kind of person who attends election parties) here's something to watch for as an early indicator of how the Presidential election winds will blow....

V.I.P.

Virginia (13 Electoral votes)

Indiana (11 Electoral votes)

Pennsylvania (22 Electoral votes)

All three of these States are close, all have tightened leading up to the election, and whoever carries the majority will probably walk away with the election. I did a courtesy search of the Internet to see if any other political pundit has already coined this phrase, and I didn't find it so I'm claiming it. If someone HAS already said this then please let me know. I want to give proper attribution even IF I think I've come up with it myself.

Election day Pick 'em. (and closing thoughts)

How do YOU think the races will go?

President: - Obama, and it won't be very close. I'm guessing he'll receive around 350 electoral votes. McCain will win Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, the SEC states, Alaska, and little else. I'm recommending a vote for Bob Barr (Libertarian) in this race. Terrible choices foisted on the United States electorate by the big two.

US Congress: - The Democrats will expand their Congressional advantage to 250-185. Nancy Pelosi will preside over a decidedly Democratic Congress and will finally (much to the joy of progressives) put a leash on the Yellow Dogs.

US Senate: Not quite a supermajority, but damn close. Give the Democrats 59 and the Republicans 42. An odd thing about elections, they make for unusual power brokers. Joe Lieberman becomes the mother of all "Swing votes" and is able to inject a needed dose of moderation into the liberal progressive laundry list of policy.

US Rep 7: Culberson vs. Skelley - Despite the fact I recommend Skelley, I don't forsee him beating Culberson here. Despite breathless squeals of glee from liberal progressive partisan bloggers, this is still a very Red district. It will be close, but Culberson will pull it out.

TX Senate: Cornyn vs. Noriega - Not very close all things considered. Noriega has ran a terrible campaign against a candidate who was there to be beaten. This race continues the curious inability of Texas Democrats to run good races on a Statewide level. I'm recommending a Libertarian vote in this race. Neither major party candidate is worth much.

TX State Rep 135: Elkins vs. Fleming - Elkins, it won't be close. I've met Tre Fleming and like him well enough, but he's not going to have a prayer against Elkins in this heavily Republican district. That being said, Elkins has been a good Rep so I recommend a vote for him. There's a role for Mr. Fleming in Gov't, but this is probably not it.

Harris County Judge: Emmett vs. Mincberg - Emmett in a squeaker. This race wouldn't be all that close but for the propensity of large numbers of uninformed voters to pull "straight ticket". I recommend voting for Emmett.

Harris County District Attorney: Bradford vs. Lykos - Bradford by about 7%. Not that this is anything to be happy about. Nor would a Lykos win be anything to be excited about. All Bradford accomplished during his tenure as police chief is the continued destruction of the credibility of the HPD crime lab, being in charge during an ill-planned raid that cost the City Millions of dollars to settle, and overseeing policy that led to the current officer shortage. Bradford's tenure as police chief was a disaster. Based on his silent campaign there's no reason to think he's any more qualified to be District Attorney. His is a coattails campaign that's relying on Obama to get elected. Sad thing is, against Lykos, he'll probably do it. All evidence points to the reality that Pat Lykos is totally unsuited to be District Attorney. Ancedotal evidence reveals a mean, petty, vindictive side to her personality and her answers to key questions reveal and ignorance regarding the actual responsibilities of the District Attorney. Vote your conscience on this race, or do as I do, just skip it altogether and work to put someone qualified on the ballot the next go-round.

Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector: Bettencourt vs. Trautman - Trautman wins here, due in large part to straight-party balloting. I'm recommending a vote for Bettencourt. Despite the visceral dislike that liberal progressive bloggers seem to have for him, there's real evidence that under his leadership operations in the TA-C office have improved. Trautman is an educator, and has no experience relevent to the position.

Harris County Attorney: Mike Stafford vs. Vince Ryan - Ryan, not close. This is a down-ballot race that will be won/lost by straight ticket voters. Ryan is a decent choice for this post. Vote your conscience on this race. (if you pay attention to it at all)

District Clerk: Chang vs. Jackson - Jackson, again due to straight-party advantage. Going into this I was pro-Chang, but there are credible questions that have been raised regarding her payment of taxes. Questions that she hasn't answered. As a result I've moved from recommending her to "vote your conscience" on this race.

County Sheriff: Thompson vs. Garcia - Garcia, won't be close. Thompson has been dogged with ethics charges and needs to go. I'm not saying Garcia is the ideal candidate to replace him, but for now he's all there is. I've got concerns that Garcia is willing to abandon the unincorporated Harris County areas to subsidize the City, but if he did that he'd be voting himself out when his terms up so we'll see. All things considered I'm recommending Garcia. (albeit with reservations)

Harris County Commissioner: Precinct 3: Radack vs. Handy - Radack but close. According to Radack this is his last term. We'll hold him to that and add this: over the last few years Precinct 3 has boomed, adding parks and roads and improving infrastructure. Handy has a good campaign slogan, an Air Force background and little else. His endorsement list reads like a who's who of Democratic organizations. Radack is the good vote here, although if Handy wins its probably not the end of the World.

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice: Jefferson vs. Jordan - Jefferson, in a close race. The argument being used by Democrats as a reason to vote for Jordon is not that Jordan is more qualified (he's not), not that Jefferson has been a bad jurist (he hasn't) but that all the judges on the Court are currently Republican. I'd much rather have good justices regardless of party. Jefferson is recommended here.

Texas Supreme Court pl. 7: Wainright vs. Houston - Houston, due to straight party votes. Wainright has drawn fire for some of his courtroom practices. Political gimmicky name (it's not an intentional gimmick btw) notwithstanding Sam Houston seems to be a qualified candidate for the bench. Houston is recommended here.

Texas Supreme Court pl. 8: Johnson vs. Yanez - Yanez, giving the Democrats two justices on the Texas Supreme Court. I'm not overly impressed in this race with one candidate over another. Vote your conscience here.

Railroad Commissioner: Williams vs. Thompson - Williams in a close one. This one shouldn't be close. Williams is qualified, Thompson isn't. If you're a strong partisan Democrat and want to pretend you're thoughtful then vote for Williams in this race. There's no reason I can find to cast a vote for Thompson, who's totally unqualified for the position.


Picks only, no recommendation (not my yard man)...

Tx St. Senate: SD 17 Special - Run-off: Bell vs. Huffman. This race has been the ugliest of the ugly, with Chris Bell benefiting from a Republican group that can't shoot straight. Sad thing is, even with big dollars from Democrats, Bell still won't pull this out and will lose in a run-off.

US Rep 22: Lampson vs. Olson - Olson wins due to the majority Republican make-up of this district.

Tx State Sen 11: Jackson vs. Jaworski - Jackson by a couple of percentage points. The Dems get closer in this district but not close enough.

Tx State Rep 126: Harless vs. Khan - Harless, by a lot. Khan's campaign has been non-existent. Harless was targeted by Dems, but the challenger fell short.

Tx State Rep 127: Crabb vs. Montemayor - Montemayor in an upset. This is one that partisan Democrats are really hoping for. Chalk one up to Obama's coattails.

Tx State Rep 129: Davis vs. Matula - Matula, by a lot. And yes, I'm basing this solely on the amount of Matula signs I've seen while driving through this district.

Tx State Rep 133: Murphy vs. Thibaut - Thibaut, not close. Again, I'm basing this on "driving around" polling more than anything.

Tx State Rep 134: Cohen vs. Agris - Cohen, by over 60%. Cohen has turned this district into the epitome of a "safe seat" for the Dems. Expect her to carry the water for a LOT of progressive legislation this next session.

Tx State Rep 138: Bohac vs. McDavid - Bohac by a mile. Very popular rep, heavily Republican district. 'nuff said.

Tx State Rep 141: Thompson vs. Bunch - Thompson by over 65%. Thompson will be making a strong push for speaker if the Dem's take over the House. She's as safe as safe gets.

Tx State Rep 143: Hernandez vs. Olmos - Hernandez due mostly to high straight-voter ballots cast in this highly Hispanic district.

Tx State Rep 144: Legler vs. Redmond - Redmond, in a switch. Legler is a decent candidate and Republicans would LOVE to hold onto this seat, but I think electoral trends are going to work against them here.

Tx State Rep 145: Alvarado vs. Rodriguez - Alvarado. If Rodriguez gets 30% of the vote I'll be surprised. Positive note: we don't have to worry about Alvarado firing off another missive about how her expertise will be missed in this non-term limited elected position.

Tx State Rep 149: Vo vs. Myers - Vo. Can you believe it? I'm not sure what this says about the voting intelligence of residents of the 149th.

Tx State Rep 150: Riddle vs. Brad Neal - Riddle. Democrats would love to have Riddle voted out, but this predominently white, middle-class district will remain under Republican representation, for now.

Tx State court races: - All in all I see the races for judgeships breaking about even. Democrats will eat into the bench advantage that Republicans currently enjoy in Texas, but there will be a few outliers where Republican vitory seems uncertain, but happens reguardless.


Thoughts: A lot of pundits are saying this election will be about "change". While it may be that Democrats will surge to huge majorities (and flirt with a supermajority in the Senate) all that's happening right now is the same thing that's happened many times previously in America, the political pendulum is swinging. Because of this I don't buy into the "change" meme as nothing will really change. America has been moving down the road toward totalitarianism for a long time now. With the passage of the Patriot Act, FISA changes and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security we've happily sold our civil rights down the river in change for the feeling of security. The next logical step is for Americans to sell their financial rights down the river in exchange for a feeling of security while "Hope"-ing an ineffectual, bloated Government to run things in a manner contrary to historical precedent.

In short, we're just expanding the breadth of the path on which we've been walking now for seven years into the financial realm, and not just limiting it to matters of personal security. Republicans who had no qualms allowing the Bush administration new authority regarding wire-taps and access to personal data are fainting from the vapours because Obama has decided he thinks the same Government should have more say in our personal finances. Democrats who are actively rooting for the Government to take personal wealth and redistribute it, were making their pants over thoughts of the Government reading an e-mail from one potential terrorist to another just a few short months ago. That's not "fundamental change" it's just an expansion, more of the same if you will.

IF Democrats get a 60 vote super-majority, gain a majority in the House and control the White House then Americans are going to have to hope that they suddenly develop an inclination to police themselves. Based on past historical evidence, this is not likely. If given full control of the Government nanny-statists will be unable to resist the temptation to protect the citizenry from itself, and there will be very little free-speech activists or the opposition will be able to do to stop them. Legislation such as the Fairness Doctrine and calls to create a Civilian Defense Corps should scare the populist pants off of the staunchest Democrat, unless that Democrat suffers from the same totalitarian impulses they like to brand their intelllectual opposition with so freely. They don't like to face down that charge, but its true.

I recommend avoiding the political blogosphere for at least two weeks following the election. All you're going to find are bad sportsmanship on both sides. The Democrats will be partaking in that ugliest of winning traditions: gloating, while Republicans will be mirroring them in ugliness by whining and blaming. It's not going to be pretty. Once the emotion wears off however things will revert to normal, the piling on will stop (except in some of the more childish blogs) and real policy analysis and wish lists will start to take shape. At that point, we'll begin to see how the Democrats will govern: with the restraint and moderation that they are promising publically, or with extremism and bile that they've been building up privately for years?

For the sake of the Country you always hope the best of our political leaders, and that prophecies of doom are the sole provision of partisans on the losing side. The American people are going to speak on Tuesday, most of them will speak despite being totally uninformed on the issues or candidates.

Let's just hope that America's quadrennial educated guess is a good one.

Rapid Eye Movement (11/03/08)

The "on the eve of Republican doom" edition....

Leap of Hope [WSJ] - Every election is a gamble really, contrary to popular (partisan) dogma the stakes are always the same.

The Change We Need. [Barack Obama, WSJ] - Warren Buffett is the go-to "rich guy" that Democrats lean on for "business-sector" support. Hope, Change.....hope that change doesn't break us? Gambling.

What we're Fighting for. [John McCain, WSJ] - One of my political pet-peeves are candidates who catagorize Government work as a "fight". Puh-leeze. Get over yourself. You're not "fighting for the little guy" you're applying for a job. A freaking job. (with good benefits and powerful ego strokes)

New Source Rescue [WSJ] - The next time a Washington D.C. Democrat speaks about "their commitment to low fuel prices" you may offically accuse them of lying.

Are Obama's Friends Fair Game. [Bari Weiss, WSJ] - More importantly: Does the electorate even care? (my guess: NO)

Argentina Impoverishes itself, again...[Mary Anastasia O'Grady, WSJ] - The "breadbasket of South America" has a lot of moldy product right now.

Back to a Big-Tent GOP? [Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ] - Texas Republicans are far more neo-con theocrats than the rest of the Nation, so I doubt we'll see this kind of change here.

A race like no other. [James Rainey, LA Times] - Hopefully we never see one as long as this one again. (not counting on it)

Panicky America set to lurch to the left. [Conrad Black, National Post] - Given the antics of the Right, can you blame them?

Fickle voters fill pollsters with dread. [Daniel Finkelstein, London Times] - It's discouraging that the best coverage of this election has come from British media.

The Opening Obama Saw. [E.J. Dionne, RCP] - As is his wont, Mr. Dionne gives Democrats too much credit for the failures of Republicans. Only a complete idiot couldn't win the Presidency from the Republicans in this environment, Obama is a savvy campaigner.

What will be left of the GOP? [Paul Krugman, NY Times] - To date, Krugman has been wrong regarding just about everything having to do with this election. I think he's correct here however.

A conservative reckoning. [Jonathan Gurwitz, MySA.com] - "Center Right Nation" will be the talking points du jour for Republicans.

Has the media lost its credibility? [Douglas McKinnon, NY Times] - Yes.

How Smart is the American Voter? [Larry M. Bartels, LA Times] - Not very considering almost 1/2 pull straight ticket. (with little thought, or education, regarding down-ballot races)

America's burden is to lead the World. [Ralph Peters, NY Post] - That doesn't mean we should finance its security however.

Travelog: Prepping for London

It's November, which means that it's getting close to time to abandon the mild, chilly Winters of Houston and head across the pond to the wet, cold Winters of London. (and Paris, but that's for a different post).

As a proud part of the estimated 27% of Americans who have a Passport the focus of November is preparation for a week-long trip to London over Thanksgiving. As such, whether you are interested or not, you're going to be inundated with a bunch of mundane, travel related material over the next three weeks. Sorry, that's just the way these things work. (this being my blog and all).

As with any trip to a destination, the first hurdle we had to clear was that of finding packable solutions for warmth. Granted, most of the chill in London is going to be handled via oat soda refreshment (and hot toddies) but there will be times where walking in the rain is going to be unavoidable. Fortunately, I found this jacket at LL Bean for around $80.




Even better, I received a $50 gift certificate to LL Bean from Big-Giant Oil Company as recognition for some work I did, so my final charge was only around $38 including shipping and handling.

All I need now are some water-resistent travel pants and I'm good to go.

Now I've got to get back to work and see if I can get another recognition award.

Houston Asides (11/03/08)

The "funny, I don't feel older" edition...

Rachel Ray holds mass wedding in Houston [Jemimah Noonoo, Chron.com] - I'm sure she had some, sicky sweet, mangling of the English language name for it such as "wedish".

Texas Offical says Ike left some beaches forever changed. [Richard Stewart, Chron.com] - Typically hurricanes have restorative effects (long-term) on the coastline. Why should we expect Ike to be any different?

HISD attempting to get more graduates to College. [Ericka Mellon, Chron.com] - Part of the problem is that our one-note public education system tries to shoe-horn kids into college that have no business being there.

Rosenfels' errors cost Texans [Megan Manfull, Chron.com] - Mangled prose and topsoil-thin insight. Yup, that's a Manfull story all-right.

The End of the Culture Wars? [A World with No Boundries, Chron.commons] - No, this blog entry runs under the false assumption that the so-called "culture wars" are one-sided.

A day for lasts [Something Different, Chron.commons] - Hopefully the last of the robo-calls as well.

Undecides now deciding. [Gimme Some Truth, Chron.commons] - Of course, since they're not "deciding" for Obama it doesn't matter right?

Could it get anymore bitter? Actually: yes. [Alan Bernstein, Chron.houstonpolitics]

Democrats bring Terrorism in to County Judge Race.[Alan Bernstein, Chron.houstonpolitics]

Allen Blakemore and Terry Abbott are two peas in the same pod. Local politics would be better off if both of them just went away.

Former JMH grocery store owner bags new concept. [Allison Wollam, Houston Business Journal] - Think a privately owned, small-scale Central Market priced to a level that the upper-crust need not having to wait in line with those of a lower "level of sophistication"....A West University brand of "class warfare" supported by the good "progressives" that dominate that neighborhood.

Subsidies may need a fresh look. [Shannon Buggs, Chron.com] - Summary: Get rid of GI Bill subsidies and replace them with subsidies tied to reparations for slavery. All in the name of the "American Dream". This election season is turning into a liberal progressive wet dream. (Side bet: after the election I believe that we'll see the fake term 'progressive' dropped and 'liberal' will suddenly appear again.)