Snowmaggedon and slavery

Well, Snowmaggedon 2026 did not pan out. At least not as snow.

SLEETmageddon? Different story.

I’m kind of disappointed in some ways, actually.

Wouldn’t it have been interesting, just a year after we equalled or slightly surpassed the old one-day snowfall record for any date, to shatter it by 3 or 4 inches?

Of course, that combined with the coldest temperatures since Winter Storm Uri five years ago, would have led to other “interesting” things.

First would have been, would the Texas electric grid hold up this time?

Second would have been, who would Dan Patrick blame this time if it didn’t?

Third would have been, would the Texas Department of Transportation been broken instead of the electric grid ant the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, aka ERCOT?

I’m not throwing any shade at TxDOT plows or salt, sand and brine trucks. But, if we had gotten the early forecast worst-case scenario of 5 inches of snow on Friday followed by a foot on Saturday, there’s no way they could have fully kept up, as I see it.

So, WHY did we not get a foot of snow?

I think the answer is probably primarily due to one reason, the same reason the local County Commissioners Court declared a burn ban Jan. 12.

It’s too dry.

That breakthrough of the “polar vortex” was certainly strong enough, looking at how cold it got.

But in front of it, on the ground here in north Texas, and weather patterns from further south? There just wasn’t the ready moisture available to generate that much precipitation.

So, why did the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it’s subagency of the National Weather Service, and private forecasters like the Weather Channel or Weather Underground, not get it right earlier? (There’s big bucks in private forecasting, by the way. Weather Underground used to be owned by IBM; both companies are now owned by the same vulture capitalist private equity firm.)

I mean, this is not Troy Dungan and David Finfrock of long-ago Metromess TV news, dueling over weather porn and eyeballs.

I was worried, though.

And, I thought I would keep myself stocked up on food the easy way.

So, I figured I would pre-order a Domino’s pizza delivery for once every 4 hours during waking hours, from Friday evening through Sunday morning.

And, to make sure it would get delivered, I figured I would also pre-purchase a Domino’s delivery driver at a Uber slave market or something.

Wait, what? You can’t say that, can you?

Having just read a book of essays by the dean of Reconstruction historians, Eric Foner, yeah, my mind wandered a bit.

But, just think.

TxDOT could have plantation labor running the snowplows, maybe in conjunction with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice sending out convict labor. TxDOT wouldn’t “break” at all.
(I hear nervous laughter somewhere in the background.) The only thing that might upset this is small-government plantation owners not wanting their state governments to own slaves.

Picture Uber drivers, or food delivery drivers in general, at a slave labor pen next to fast food restaurants all in a cluster. Like next door to one another in Charleston, South Carolina. Or next door to one another just off the Mall and just down the road from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

(I hear more nervous laughter.)

OK, I will stop going down the road of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.”

But, there is a reason I did that abrupt switch.

Martin Luther King Day was earlier this month, in the middle of Black History Month. Too often, in my book, he gets too sanitized, including one famous phrase quoted out of context of the rest of the “I Have a Dream” speech. (At least the speech hasn’t been totally eviscerated by some “teach the opposing viewpoint” idea, like Carroll ISD and the Holocaust a few years ago, which was even before the most recent changes in Texas education guidelines.)

Let’s not yet turn away from this issue.

In the 1850s, many northern Democrats, trying to split the difference on slavery, supported the idea of popular sovreignty, or settlers in organized federal territories choosing on their own whether to be free territories, or slave territory, before statehood.

People like Stephen A. Douglas reassured people in Illinois that the west was way too dry to support plantation slavery.

Either a silly man or a lucky man was he.

After the canals started being built in Southern California, then after people started cheating on maximum farm size allowed by the Bureau of Reclamation, then cheating again after the law was loosened up, the hue and cry for foreign agricultural workers started.

It was the likes of Japanese and Filipinos at first. Then Mexicans, later augmented by other Hispanics from yet further south.

What if slavery were still around?

Don’t you think that many California corporate farmers would push for a change in the state’s “free-soil” status?

 

Texas roundup: TxDOT cheating, Alex Jones cheating, Three Percenters, Ike Dike

Wylie's Guy Reffert, described as a ringleader of stirring up Jan. 6 insurrectionist, now has his reward. It's seven years in the federal stir. Looks like sentences are getting tougher. Unfortunately, though legally understandable, the judge rejected a terrorism enhancement, and yes, why haven't prosecutors followed that angle before. 

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The state is being sued for breaking the new Austin I-35 work into segments small enough to try to dodge environmental impact statements. It's by some of the same people who fought the I-45 expansion in Houston, and the story shows just how much TxDOT has used this dodge. This:

The case, filed in U.S. district court, raises larger questions about the federal government’s decision to give TxDOT the authority to approve its own environmental reviews.

is the key, and how it's laughable that the federal government outsources too much work to states. And whose fault is that?

Uh, Dear Leader's, not Shrub Bush and not Trump. Read the words:

In 2012, the Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA — which oversees the construction and maintenance of highways — created a program that would allow state transportation departments to assume federal responsibility to enforce NEPA.

Disgusting.

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Dan Solomon comments on the lack of free speech implications in the Alex Jones trial. That's because Jones and his attorneys didn't care to pursue First Amendment angles. They DO care to abuse other parts of the legal process, with Jones' parent company filing for bankruptcy last week, and using a part of the bankruptcy code intended for small business.

UPDATE: In a colossal self-own, Jones has now been busted in lies about never using email and not being able to find Sandy Hook info on his smartphone when one of his attorneys accidentally shared some of Jones' cellphone records with attorneys for Sandy Hook people suing Jones for defamation. This of course opens Jones up to perjury charges. It also opens both him AND his attorneys, if they had any inkling that Jones was lying about this, to other legal sanctions or charges.

As for the $45 million punitive damages verdict?

Not only will it likely be legally reduced, but, per Jones' bankruptcy cheating, how much money anybody from Sandy Hook will ever get out of Jones is debatable. Months ago, I blogged that anybody suing Jones needed to ask the judge in the case for an asset freeze order right off the top of the bat, and he's now proven why.

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The Senate OKed the antienvironmentalist Corps of Engineers to start planning for an Ike Dike that isn't funded yet, but once the Corps has its claws in it, probably will get the bucks, even though it's not only environmentalist but won't do half of what most people think it will do, and even that much is only if it works perfectly. Stuff it on this one, any Houstonians with whom I've argued directly or indirectly. I'm right, and I collected past receipts on this when I called out The Fraud (aka "The Squad") and other allegedly environmentalist House Dems for voting in favor of this a month ago. David Bruce Collins doesn't fully like the Ike Dike but doesn't think it's the end of the world, either. Texas Greens, by webmail and email, as well as Twitter, haven't answered me yet. Maybe they're less environmentalist than even the #GangGreen Sierra Club, which expressed concerns about an Ike Dike when the idea was first broached?

Update? Adding to the fun, the email address cochairs@txgreens.com doesn't work!

I would have searched on the website, but, guess what? The Texas Green Party's website ... doesn't have a search feature. This is 2022, not 2002. Seriously.

Texas Progressives talk schools, DAs, candidates, newspapers

The Texas Progressives hope you put the spirit of labor into Labor Day, America's capitalist cock-block of May Day, on Monday, and extolls condolences to those who have to work for capitalist, rather than public safety, reasons, especially if you don't get comp time.

And with that, on to the Roundup.


Texas politics

Greg Abbott took flak from both sides (I see what I did there) at his first roundtable discussion after racist wingnut Patrick Crusius' shoot-up in El Paso. Gov. Strangeabbott? It's OK to "stand your ground." (I see what I did there.)

An interesting new development in the Bonnen vs Mucus standoff. Strangeabbott publicly endorsed the just-resigned former head of the House GOP caucus, Justin Burrows. I presume rumors were already floating about Christo-fascist Tim Dunn wanting Burrows primaried? The Trib adds that even Danny Goeb is calling for party unity on this issue, rather than publicly backing Mucus, as one might think.

Off the Kuff looks at the psychological shift in Texas politics.

The TSTA Blog wonders if our state leaders will ever criticize Donald Trump.


Dallas

Jim Schutze laughs at Mayor Eric Johnson's naming a commission to look at the city's murder rate.

In the Texas schools A-F ratings, in the Best Southwest, Lancaster finished two points ahead of DeSoto and tied with Cedar Hill with an 81, while three points behind Duncanville. Wilmer-Hutchins High had a 70 and Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary had a 59-F. Good think that now-disgraced Larry Lewis couldn't brainwash the school board nearly 15 years ago into taking over the old Wilmer-Hutchins ISD.

Grits for Breakfast notes how KPMG told the city of Dallas to manage its PD better before hiring more cops.


Houston

Grits takes Harris County DA Kim Ogg, who looks more and more like a ConservaDem hack all the time, to the cleaners for why she opposes the bail lawsuit settlement there.

Juanita is pissed off at Pearland.

John Coby calls out Houston Mayoral candidate Bill King's dishonest endorsement claims.


Texana

SocraticGadfly looks at how the proposed Gannett-Gatehouse merger might affect the Texas newspaper world.

The Texas Observer localizes for Texas what intelligent transportation planners have long known: adding freeway lanes in urban areas ultimately ADDS to traffic congestion rather than lessening it. This is important given how much the Metromess, Helltown and also San Antone are already sprawled, and the I-35 double deck history in Austin, plus the reality of climate change. Once those new lanes get built, it's harder to fight new rounds of sprawl, to extend mass transit into new sprawl and more.

Orac notes that medical public health and computer modeling say that, thanks to antivaxxers like Former Fetus Forever Fuckwad Jonathan Stickland, Texas is "overdue" for a measles outbreak. The research includes Dr. Peter Hotez, attacked and mocked by Stickland during the most recent session of the Lege. The state's four largest metro areas could be facing 400 measles cases. Of course, FFFF Stickland lives in one of those metro areas.

The state of Texas executive Larry Swearingen for the murder of Melissa Trotter even though he may well have been innocent.

Are you REALLY hungry? Here's this year's State Fair food finalists.

Therese Odell wades into the Sean Spicer/Dancing with the Stars controversy.

Rosalie Reuss documents her experiences commuting by bike in San Antonio.


National politics

A Native American, a Diné, Mark Charles, is hoping to be elected as an independent. A longer shot for sure than Winona LaDuke being elected as Nader's Veep, and I don't know what his positions are right now outside of American Indian issues, but, he was part of a candidates forum on those issues.

David Bruce Collins says that Howie Hawkins, one of several Green presidential candidates, will be hitting the Texas hustings, in Dallas Sept. 7 and Houston Sept. 9. The lie that he's a Russiagater (if by that, you mean he believes there was Trump-Putin collusion) continues to spread. Rather, for conspiracy theorists like Caitlin Johnstone, and people who link to her Tweets, Howie believes, as do I, that Russia did engage in a variety of Russian government connected general meddling in the 2016 presidential election. That said, as I said on Twitter, if his nomination leads to a bunch of conspiracy thinkers leaving the party, I'm all for it right there.

Dear Texas voters: Vote No on Proposition 1

First, to refresh your memory, there is one constitutional amendment proposition on this year's ballot.

It reads as follows:

“The constitutional amendment providing for the use and dedication of certain money transferred to the state highway fund to assist in the completion of transportation, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation projects, not to include toll roads.”

There's the "what."

Now, here's the "why" on voting no.

First, this is similar to Prop. 6 from a year ago, that wanted to tap the Rainy Day Fund for water projects. It's not that I'm averse to using the RDF; I certainly supported tapping it during the Great Recession for school funding, especially based on Comptroller Susan Combs' real fake projections on where the state's revenue stood.

I don't support using the RDF for non-emergency needs, though, especially when the non-emergency problem, in both cases, has been manufactured by the Republican Party.

And, with that, I'm going to do an expanded version of what I said under my overall 2014 endorsements.

In this case, I see this as further encouraging Republican bad behavior on refusing to be willing to pay adequately for an adequate level of services in Texas.

Dear Texas GOP: You want better roads? Fine — dedicate 100 percent of the state gas tax to roads and other needs. If that's not enough, then, do what the feds also should be doing. With more fuel-efficient vehicles, raise the gas tax.

If not dumping any of the gas tax in the general fund means other things are getting shortchanged? Well, then it's time for you to start being honest with the Texas general public, isn't it?

And a note to wingnuts who pull the "R-only" lever, too.

Your Texas Lege inflicts "fees" on you regularly. It forces counties to inflict even more "fees" on you.

These "fees" are nothing other than taxes by another name.

You're already paying more now for some things, even with a state that, contra the GOP talking points, isn't running at full efficiency.

Finally, there's a bait-and-switch of sorts.

Many people will see the last phrase and think this means no more toll roads in Texas, I'll venture. All this means is that the RDF won't pay for toll roads.

But, revenue is fungible. TxDOT will still be able to OK any toll project it wants.

Beyond that, none of this RDF money would be set aside for urban mass transit, so it's a failure there, too.

2014 Texas endorsements

This is a mix of real and snarky for some of Texas' top races, and just in time for the start of early voting. So, buckle up!

1. Governor: Democrat Wendy Davis vs Republican Greg Abbott vs Libertarian Bat out of Hell Kathie Glass vs. the walking dead man formerly named Brandon Parmer on the Green ticket. Well, in some places, you can vote the dead, but nowhere can you vote for the dead, so Parmer is out. (Hell, maybe the Green Party should have continued with the idea of asking Parmer to not campaign, albeit for other reasons, since he didn't anyway.)

Libertarians are out in general unless they're somehow less nutbar than Republicans. (Whatever Libertarian runs against Ted Cruz in 2018 might just qualify.)

So, Davis vs. Abbott. Or ... another option yet.

Anyway, would Davis be better than Abbott? Yes, the left half of my tuchis would be better. That said, more seriously, she's run a campaign that's been a mix of disorganization, buttoned down by handlers and pandering rightward.

That "another option" is the one of not voting in this race. And, one that I may choose to exercise. It's likely not, but, I may.

Or, there's yet another option. Both the governor's race and the U.S. Senate showdown have write-in lines. I offered to write in Perry (blogging friend, not THAT Perry).

Here's an earlier overview I had of just this race.

2. Lite Guv: The GOP's Stinking Anglo Formerly Known as Danny Goeb vs. Democrat Leticia Van de Putte vs. Green Chandrakantha Courtney. (Libertarians, per the above comments, get no mention from here on out.)

Courtney is the choice. This is the highest-profile actual Green race. Besides, LVDP is running for the wrong office; what would have happened had she been the filibuster leader a year ago? (I know, she had a family death and other things; nonetheless, I get the idea she would have run a better campaign than Davis.)

3. Attorney General: The Dems' Sam Houston vs. the GOP's Ken (Not Yet Indicted) Paxton vs. Green Jamar Osborne. Sorry, Osborne, but calling bar exams unconstitutional because you can't pass one strikes you out. Besides, with his name, maybe Sam Houston can win.

4. Comptroller: Dem Mike Collier vs. Repub Glenn Hegar vs. Green Deb Shafto. 2010 gubernatorial candidate Shafto gets the nod. Collier would be better than Hegar, as would my left tuchis, but having worked for both Exxon and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, as well as another oil company, is surely too conservative.

5. Land Commissioner: Republican George P.(lease, Not Another!) Bush vs. Dem John Cook vs. Green Valerie Alessi. I can't find any detailed info about Alessi online, in what should be a top position for the Greens. So, former El Paso Mayor Cook is a reasonable choice.

6. Ag Commissioner:  Green Ken Kendrick vs. Republican Sid Miller vs. Junior Republican Junior Samples (thanks, Perry!), aka Democrat, or "Democrat" Jim Hogan. A clear, clear choice. Democrats? Stop pulling the party line lever and vote for Kendrick.

7. U.S. Senator: Republican John Cornyn vs. former Republican and still Daddy Warbucks of David Alameel vs. Green Emily "Spiceybrown" Sanchez.

I still can't warm to someone putting a nickname, and one that's surely not a lifelong nickname, on the ballot. Besides, that particular nickname? How would Greens, or Democrats, particularly those of color, like to see a GOP candidate with the nickname "Brightywhitey" on the ballot?

On the other hand, her Facebook page says it comes from a poetry slam nickname. And, I've done a few slams myself. So, I'll say vote for her.

Beyond that, she and her nickname have now been profiled by the New York Times.

8. Texas Railroad Commission: Republican Ryan Sitton vs. Democrat Steve Brown vs. Green Martina Salinas. Unfortunately, on what should be another high-profile race for Greens, based on their environmental background, the party has a weak candidate. Salinas specifically seems weaker than Brown, who seems on the liberal side of Texas Dems in general, on fracking-related issues. Vote Brown.

9. Judicial endorsements: Charles Waterbury, Supreme Court Place 7; Jim Chisholm, Supreme Court Place 8; Judith Sanders-Castro, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4; George Joseph Altgelt, CCA Place 9.

These are all Greens running for spots where no Democrat is on the ballot. Make sure to vote these spots to keep Greens having a partywide ballot line in 2016.

Besides, per a post 10 days ago by friend Perry, Democrats need a kick in the nads at times anyway.

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Finally, besides candidates, there is one constitutional amendment on the ballot.

I urge a "no" vote on Proposition 1. It's not that I fear the Rainy Day Fund being bled dry for transportation needs.

Rather, I see this as further encouraging Republican bad behavior on refusing to be willing to pay adequately for an adequate level of services in Texas.

Dear Texas GOP: You want better roads? Fine — dedicate 100 percent of the state gas tax to roads and other needs. If that's not enough, then, do what the feds also should be doing. With more fuel-efficient vehicles, raise the gas tax.

If not dumping any of the gas tax in the general fund means other things are getting shortchanged? Well, then it's time for you to start being honest with the Texas general public, isn't it?

I have now extended the Vote No on 1 thoughts into a separate blog post.

Texas Lege: More #TexasSolutions budget fear-mongering in 2015?

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus

On the surface, Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus' call for all gas tax revenues to actually be devoted to roads sounds great, doesn't it?

Especially when, a year ago, TxDOT was talking about turning interstate access roads in oilfield-heavy areas back to gravel. But, per this Straus column (hat tip, Bay Area Houston), there's more beneath the surface.

First, Straus notes that money from dedicated funds was sequestered in the past. With that unavailable, wait for GOP wingnuts to talk about the need to cut the rest of the budget even more.

Here's Straus:

This November, voters will also consider a constitutional amendment transferring some revenue from oil and gas production taxes to the highway fund.

Given that surplus oil and gas taxes currently go into the Rainy Day Fund, that means less money there, as John also notes at Bay Area Houston.

But, wait? Didn't we just pass a constitutional amendment last year that said we'd use excess RDF money to fund revolving loan accounts for water infrastructure projects? Er, yes!

Of course, the likes of Straus will say that money's being borrowed, not taken, the water money. And, it's that financial brilliance that illustrates Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. And Straus represents the not-totally-nutbar wing (or back porch, or single piece of decking flagstone) of the Texas GOP.

Of course, as the drought which is NOT caused or abetted in any way by human beings, according to anybody to the right of Straus, continues, Denial ain't a river out in West Texas, either.

Borrowed, stolen, wisely used, whatever, the wingnuts will call it another "run" on the RDF, which they want to protect like Jack D. Ripper's precious bodily fluids.

So, expect fear-mongering over that in 2015, too. Wingnuts withholding vital essence from the state of Texas.

Meanwhile, Eye on Williamson notes the ultimate problem. It's "Texas solutions" that never mention taxes; he's referring to this column by Chuy Hinojosa. Of course, the Pointy Abandoned Object State™never has any trouble coming up with new fees for services, programs, and licenses, but, we can't call any of those "taxes," now, can we?

Note to Chuy,  Battleground Texas, and all others: You ain't getting anywhere if you keep to tiptoe around the manure passing for GOP financial brilliance. If your "solutions" don't involve telling Texans services cost money, they ain't solutions. So, if I hear "Texas Solutions" out of one more Dem mouth, I'll reach for Jerry Patterson's revolver.)

(Note to McBlogger: See, you can write stuff like this stone cold sober and without a single profanity, either.)

And, neither Bay nor Eye mentioned the bigger storm cloud over 2015 budgeting. I'm going to assume that the state loses the final, re-heard version of the school finance lawsuit, and that the financial remedies imposed by Judge Dietz are significant.

Per the reason Dietz decided to re-hear the case, after the 2013 Lege seemed so generous, there's this:

"Any and all funding changes are temporary at best. There is absolutely no requirement they be in existence beyond the year 2015," said Rick Gray, a lawyer for the Equity Center, which represents about 400 school districts, the bulk of them poor, in the sprawling litigation that involves five other parties. "It was an exceedingly small step in the right direction."

Exactly. And, per everything I mentioned above, stand by for some new Pointy Abandoned Object State™solution. For schools. For water. For roads.

And, these problems are all incestuous and intertwined. I already noted that we could have a roads funding state amendment competing with a water one. Well, part of the reason not all of the gas tax is going to roads is that hundreds of million of dollars of it has been going to ...

Wait for it ...

Wait for it ...

Look below the fold for it ...

TxDOT dumps state cheapness on Texas counties

It's technically not an unfunded mandate, but it's clearly in the spirit of one. And it will primarily hit smaller, rural counties, the ones with the least free money.


For Texans who live in rural counties, they're likely familiar with alert signs on state and U.S. highways like "CR 340 <--- ---="" 171="" or="">" or "CR 292 <--->" advising that the intersection with said county road is about one-quarter mile ahead, and the county road goes left, right, or both ways.

Well, the Texas Department of Transportation has said it will no longer pay to maintain such signs.  Counties have the option of paying TxDOT to maintain or replace them, or else letting TxDOT take them down without replacement if they're damaged or deemed to be past their shelf life.

It's not huge, in that rural residents of farm roads are probably giving good directions to would-be visitors, anyway.

It's just that it's another sign of state of Texas cheapness.

And, given that one party has controlled the state of Texas for more than a decade, we know who to blame.

Right, Mr. Abbott, as you talk about how you won't stand for wheelchair speeds on I-35?

LCRA appoints Rick Perry political hack Phil Wilson

Well, this is interesting.

To replace its current general manager, Becky Motal, whose previously announced resignation is effective as of the first of the year, the board of director of the Lower Colorado River Authority appointed former TxDOT head Phil Wilson:

Wilson, a former deputy chief of staff for Gov. Rick Perry, was named Texas secretary of state in 2007. He left that job in 2008 to work as a lobbyist and senior vice president at Luminant Energy. He left there to join TxDOT.

Wow. 

Let me see. A top assistant to a global warming and climate change denialist, who then went on to work for a major coal-fired electric utility, adding to the global warming and climate change his previous boss denies, now is going to work for an entity whose primary business is water management, and whose primary business was hit hard by a 2011-12 drought that may have been exacerbated by climate change and global warming? Wunderbar.

LCRA's board head tries to sell this as an "experience" decision:

LCRA board chairman Tim Timmerman said Wilson’s experience as secretary of state, as executive director of TxDOT and as an executive with Luminant Energy made him the best choice.

“He’s been in the public sector, been in the private sector, and we’re sort of in the middle” as both a water and electricity wholesaler and the manager of parks and the region’s main water supply, Timmerman said. “It seemed like a perfect fit.”

Given that, per the National Weather Service, all of 2014 is likely to very likely to have above-average temperatures in West Texas, and somewhat likely to likely to have that for the full state, and with rainfall for West Texas likely to be below average for the first half of the year, Wilson's going to have his hands full.

Indeed, a week ago, LCRA already asked the state for permission to cut back on downstream flow-throughs in 2014, like it did this year and last year.

This is why: Flow into the Highland Lakes was the second-lowest on record last year.

Meanwhile, both newspapers in Marble Falls, in the center of the Highland Lakes, have little different to say than the American-Statesman story. Of course, the owner of one of them doesn't believe in anthropogenic global warming, so, there will be no op-eds of concern about this issue.

#TxDOT bribery? - we don't do urban roads, we don't need machines!

The folks at the Texas Department of Transportation claim that they've got taxpayer interests in mind with plans to auction off as much as 6,000 pieces of equipment.

"We owe it to the taxpayers to get the best value we can," said TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson. "When we have 16,000 vehicles, we should ask the question, 'Do we need all of those?'"

Er, isn't this instead likely to be connected to the agency's push to dump maintenance responsibilities for a bunch of state-signed highways in major metropolitan areas on the respective cities or counties?

And, just in time for the meeting tomorrow of the Texas Transportation Commission!

Yeah, the road-dump idea is just being discussed, but I'm sure a "spoonful of sugar" would be to offer cities involved a right of first refusal or something on any auctioned-off machines.

In fact, this story about Permian Basin leaders opposing the road-dump plan kind of confirms that's a possibility:

Ector County Judge Susan Redford, who called the proposal “an extra kick in the teeth for counties in West Texas,” said the county builds roads more cheaply than TxDOT, and it lacks the equipment it would need to maintain the state roads.   

Connect those dots, folks!

Showing how ridiculous the plan is, in Waco, for example, TxDOT wants to "abandon" U.S. 84 where it runs through Waco as Waco Drive. I originally thought, before hearing details, that this proposal was only about loops and spurs, like Loop 12 in Dallas, or Spur 491 in Waco, not through routes,

This is 10-cents-on-the-dollar cheap, folks.

And, it's another way in which state-level GOP wingnuts will try to continue to claim that they provide government without raising taxes.

Noooo, they just raise fees instead, where they can, and dump stuff on the local and county level where they can't.

Meanwhile, there's the flip side of the coin, with TxDOT wanting to convert more and more farm-to-market roads to gravel. Its starter plan was 83 miles of road in six counties in South and West Texas to gravel. However, state Sen. Carlos Uresti says he has heard the agency has 400 road miles in its target.  And there's this:

Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke met with TxDOT officials in August to address questions rural Texans have regarding the conversion of the roads hardest hit by oil and gas exploration.

As a result of that meeting with Farm Bureau and concerns expressed by others, TxDOT has pledged to work closer with stakeholders with plans to hear their concerns in public meetings in the affected counties.

Also, in a response via letter to Farm Bureau, TxDOT said they will restore converted roads to their original construction “as soon as possible.” TxDOT qualified “as soon as possible,” however, as contingent on the reduction of energy-sector activity on FM roads and provided that “sufficient additional funding” is obtained.

In other words, don’t hold your breath.

On the other hand, all you folks like the president of the Farm Bureau who continue to vote for GOP government on the cheap, of the cheap, by the cheap and for the cheap, you've got nowhere to look but yourselves for why this is happening.

Rick Perry and Texas transportation trauma

As Texas political watchers of all stripes know, we're now headed to a third special session of the 83rd Texas Legislature. The last time that happened? I believe it was in 2005, when Gov. Tricky Ricky Perry had a unanimous vote against his initial proposal for school finance reform, or "reform," in the first special.

That's why Gov. Helmethair pretending to be the voice of reason on transportation issues is such a laugh. He hasn't been the voice of reason since he jumped in bed with Cintas and Zachry over the Trans-Texas Corridor. Ahh, who could forget that.

Well, certainly not tea party types. It's arguable that, three years or so before the election of Barack Obama as president, tea partyism got its start right here in Tejas over the TTC.

Xenophobia over a foreign country? Check. (Warranted not as a foreign company, just a big privatizing one.)

Paranoia about big government? Check, but again, warranted, given the rampant, roughshod powers of eminent domain Tricky Ricky was proposing.

Paranoia about major spending? Check, but not warranted.

That said, there's plenty of blame, almost all Republican, to spread on this issue.

Texas' gas tax hasn't been raised in 20 years, right? Well, if math is correct, the GOP has controlled the governor's mansion for the last 18 of those, the lieutenant governor's slot for the last 14, and a majority of both houses for the last 12. Ditto on the fact that the state's gas tax isn't totally dedicated to roads.

Texas' general refusal to engage in long-term state indebtedness for road projects? That one's a mix of Republicans and conservative Democrats. Anything that would disturb Big Oil is a no-no.

That, in turn leads back to the current situation, namely the refusal to consider tapping the Rainy Day Fund. (Tea partyers' stance on this in the Lege spells difficulty for the water projects constitutional amendment in the fall.)

This stars with Tricky Ricky, who refused to entertain the idea for education two years ago. It's exacerbated by Comptroller Susan Combs' willfully bad accounting then.

That said, this is a chance for Dems to insist that an ever-more-urbanizing Texas put more money into light rail and other urban transportation alternatives to building more pavement. Tricky Ricky simply can't get a decent bill passed without them.

Tea partiers will not trust Perry on transportation issues, period, given the TTC past. And, there's enough people who fall into this category, especially in the Texas House, that I don't think there's any chance a bill moves without Democratic support, and a decent amount of it. Dems are in the driver's seat; will they know how to properly work the gears?

And, given that this is not about a social conservative measure, when are Dems going to start hammering Perry for wasting $800K for each special?

Gov. Perry OK with Texas city taxes for rail

Although still generally moronic about TxDOT

Well, this is good news for the future. Perry said that, while he generally opposes tax increases, he doesn’t have a problem giving local communities more choices to set more taxes for themselves if they want.

He also said he wants to boost transportation spending in the state by $750 million, primarily through stopping gas-tax diversion.

And, he expects the Sunset Commission’s recommendation for TxDOT overhaul to fall flat on its face in the Lege. He even laughed at the idea, the Morning News said.

Well, Rick, the Lege has wiped smirks off your face before; I wouldn’t get so cocky.

He then said a board of overseers was part of the problem:

"Where do you stop? Why not appoint a panel to oversee education and anything else. If you want a full-time Legislature, then this is a good first step. But Texans, and most lawmakers, aren't going to want that," he said.

Actually, this Texan, and probably a few others, DO want, if not a full-time Lege, a part-time one that meets for regular sessions every year, instead of every other.

Trans-Texas Corridor dead; GOP politics alive and kicking

Gov. Rick Perry, claiming the program was "misunderstood" by the Texas public, who apparently weren't collectively sheeple-ish enough for him, has weighed in on the "demise" of the Trans Texas Corridor. (And, could we just pay some Iraqis to "graciously detain" him for a while?

Uhh, yeah, right. Aside from the most extreme worries about a North American Union (the more moderate level concerns had some grounding), it's clear the public new just what was up, Gov. Helmethair?

And, was this all a matter of coincidence, anyway, on "dismantling" and renaming the TTC? The Texas Department of Transportation fixing to come under more direct oversight from the Lege, if it follows Sunset Commission recommendations, and Lil Rickster looking ahead to 2010.

Hutchison thinks not.

Franchise tax hot-button issue for 80th Texas Lege

Texas business owners could be facing changes in the state’s franchise tax in the 81st regular session of the Texas Legislature next year.

State Rep. Jim Pitts, the speaker in the fourth and final TGIF legislative breakfast sponsored by the Best Southwest Chamber of Commerce — which represents the Dallas suburbs of Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville and Lancaster — talked about this and other issues at DeSoto’s Thorntree Country Club Aug. 29, as originally reported in the full story, part of the top news source for south suburban Dallas, Today Newspapers.

He continued in the footsteps of the series’ previous speakers — state senators Royce West and Bob Deuell — in speaking to a fresh series of topics.

Pitts, whose district covers exurban Ellis and Hill counties as well as a slice of southern Dallas County, serves on the Texas House’s powerful Ways and Means Committee and is vice chair of the Government Reform Committee. So, he was well placed to address the franchise tax, education spending and transportation issues.

Franchise tax
The franchise tax was reformed two years ago, in part to close loopholes and in part to find money for the state to take on a greater share of local education costs from local school districts. Pitts spoke about the changes.

“We’ll see who was hurt and who was helped,” he said. “We have to see if we created more loopholes.”

He later tied this to education funding.

“There are some Hill County school districts who said they could not pay their August bills. They’re going to have a really hard time if we don’t change the method we use to finance schools,” Pitts said.

Pitts promised to work on new legislation next year, including addressing current state funding levels for school bus transportation costs. That said, other than addressing loopholes, he did not indicate whether or not he would be looking to find more net revenue from franchise tax changes.

In a recent constituent newsletter, state Sen. Royce West also addressed the franchise tax.
“Regardless of whether we stand pat, tweak the tax further, scrap it altogether, or adopt the homestead exemption increase … $15,000 to $30,000 or $45,000, the plan that prevails should levy a tax rate that spreads the financial burden as fairly as possible,” he said.

Transportation
Next, Pitts went to more general transportation issues.

“Transportation is a huge issue for this area,” he said.

He pointed out that the Texas Department of Transportation is under review by the Texas Sunset Commission. Every 12 years, on a staggered basis, almost all state agencies come before the appointed commission, which reviews them and recommends to the Legislature whether or not their existence should be renewed, and if so, what changes, if any, should be made.

“TxDOT is up for really hard scrutiny this session,” Pitts said, adding that in the past, in the legislature, “TxDOT was the industry you loved to hate.”

Pitts then covered another controversial educational issue.

That was the state’s Top 10 law, whereby top 10 percent graduates of public high schools automatically qualify for admission to state universities. Pitts said he opposed changing it.

“Kids that graduate Ellis and Hill counties would not be able to attend The University of Texas and Texas A&M. It has done what it was supposed to,” he said.

Royce West speaks
That was also a topic of powerful State Sen. Royce West earlier in the cycle of legislative breakfasts.

West, whose district covers most of southern Dallas County, is most passionate about is the top 10 percent rule, which he was instrumental in getting passed in 1997. Under the current rule, students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school’s graduating class are granted automatic acceptance into any public university in Texas.

“The issue of the top 10 percent rule will be front and center again,” West said. “I don't care what anyone says, the statistics show that the students, regardless of the color of their skin, are very successful. If you look at their numbers it shows that the program has been successful and it is not based on race, it is based on merit. If those high school students are successful in the environment they are in, they will get an opportunity to get an education at any institution of higher education in the state of Texas.”

The law has been controversial, with critics saying students from competitive high schools are being denied spots in Texas universities. Both the Texas House and Senate considered amendments to the law in 2007, but no changes were made.

West also talked about the importance of getting programs in place to help combat the high dropout rate of African-American and Hispanic males.

Bob Deuell
State Sen. Bob Deuell, a physician, spoke between Pitts and West Aug. 22. He has had a practice in Greenville for more than 20 years and has been in the senate since 2003.
It was these qualifications that he brought to the Best Southwest Chambers of Commerce TGIF Legislative Breakfast Aug. 22.

Deuell, with his professional background, spoke about health care as well as the transportation needs facing the state.

The Republican Deuell, generally a social conservative, talked about the difficulty in providing health insurance for everyone, but had no immediate solutions to the problem.

“What is the main problem with health care? Many of the uninsured get health care. Many of the insured do not,” he said. “My goal is not to insure 23 million Texans. My goal is to get 23 million Texans health care. Insurance is a tool, but it is just one tool.”

From there, he touched on Medicaid’s role in the process.

“When people think of Medicaid, people think the typical patient is people who have children they shouldn't have had. That is really only 28 percent of the Medicaid budget. Close to 70 percent of the budget is elderly and disabled care, and nobody wants to cut that.”

Deuell said that because of Medicaid's low rates, many Medicaid patients don't have access to health care because they can't find providers. He said many physicians refuse to see Medicaid patients due to the low re-reimbursement rates. This results in hospitals being swamped with patients, which they then have to turn away, he said.

Cut gas taxes, cut Texas jobs

A 90-day suspension of the federal gasoline tax could cost Texas half a billion dollars, and, as a result, 20,000 jobs over the next four years.

There are no easy answers on Peak Oil. Period.

Grow up, Americans, drop the blinders, and get rid of the idea of American exceptionalism.

Besides, the D.C. talk is of a much-needed raise, probably 10 cents a gallon.

Unless you want some Texas bridge to join the Minneapolis-St. Paul one near I-35 to join it in falling into some river, you should willingly pony up. If you live here in the Dallas side of the Metroplex, you may recall TxDOT found a hole in the pavement in a lane the Mixmaster section of I-30 earlier this summer.

Put TxDOT under Lege control

Amen to the Sunset Advisory Commission suggestion that the Legislature directly control the agency.

The Rick Perry Era, namely on the Trans Texas Corridor, combined with the agency deliberately trying to claim it was almost broke this spring, shows why TxDOT needs to be out of the governor’s hands.

Now, will the Lege actually pull the trigger next year?

TxDOT – get rid of carpool lane on 67 in south Dallas

With traffic on the road getting heavier all the time, you need to ditch the carpool lane, or at least, change it to a “congestion pricing lane,” ASAP. My preference would be the former.

I-35, after all, doesn’t have a carpool lane at all one you get south of the south Dallas split.

At the same time, part of the fault is due to drivers. Dallas in general has a number of “left lane lopers,” but they are a HUGE problem on 67. Pass or get out of the way.

Well, TxDOT is at it again

Well, more than six hundred new Texas laws went into effect Sept. 1. Unfortunately, not one of them was about controlling the Texas Department of Transportation making propaganda films.

I’m sorry, did I say that? I mean, informative commercials about just how wonderful TxDOT wants to make our lives with brand-spanking new, wide, fast-moving roads. Now, the word “toll” was never used, let alone the phrase “Trans Texas Corridor,” but, they were lurking in the background, like the shadow of an 800-pound gorilla.

Meanwhile, some people are even floating the legal possibility that TxDOT could “buy back” already-built roads; that is, it could pay the federal government its original construction costs and then make I-45, for example, a toll road.

Frankly, I’m shocked — shocked, I say — that TxDOT hasn’t pulled out the terrorism angle. This would make a better commercial than anything they’ve run so far.

Picture a TV commercial voiceover saying, “When our roads are no longer free, then terrorists will no longer be free to use our roads. Support TxDOT’s fight against terrorism by supporting the Trans Texas Corridor.

Life flashes before my eyes

Damn near got killed driving up to Dallas. I took the “scenic” route driving up there, taking Texas 6 past College Station all the way up to Waco and I-35. Didn’t know that 35 was that torn up southof Waxahachie.

Anyway, a car was broken down in a stretch of 35 where there is NOshoulder, not even a partial, on either left or right — nothing but two lines of concrete barriers. I was almost the second car, not counting the break-down, in what surely would have been a chain accident, given the amount of traffic on 35.

Thank doorknobs I have a car new enough to have antilock brakes, and that I have tires with less than 10,000 miles on them, too. I just locked up, and then, as the car in front of me realized it couldn’t stop in time and swerved into the left lane, I was able to do so as well, and miss hitting it by about a foot. I’m also grateful I was paying full attention.
And THAT is another reason never to drive while talking on a cell phone.

As for the newer car … what about poor people who don’t have the money for a car with antilocks, as well as one that doesn’t pollute as much as an older model? (People who deliberately keep boats and drive a limper spare because they’re in hock for a set of “rims” don’t get my sympathy.)