TX-SEN: Time To Whip Out The Old "On Notice" Board Again

Pipsqueaks (4.00 / 2)

Interesting post filled with things that needed to be said.  But the individuals you directed it to are bit players to everyone but themselves.  This behind-the-scenes manuevering is real, and the people you name and allude to are doing what you say.  But they are irrelevant and their delusions of grandeur are unimportant.

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by: Drexler @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 13:31:16 PM CDT

i can only hope you are right (4.00 / 2)

and people power wins during the tx-sen primary.

honestly, i don't dislike the congressman these money people are pushing for, but i really wish he'd stay in his current seat and try to hold it for us.

and of course, everyone is welcome to fund the candidate of their choice, but calling up the folks in DC crosses the line.  let the people decide, ya know?

Fudd's First Law of Opposition: Push something hard enough and it will fall over.
-8.25, -5.95

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by: annatopia @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 13:41:01 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I guess I'd have to say (4.00 / 4)

I told you so and DVO told you so.

And I can't find it right now but I did report on my conversation with Matt Angle and he told me that they planned on taking another step in 08.  He thinks he is running this show.  I think we decide how many and how big the steps are.

Barnett Shale: An Insatiable Thirst

My blog Bluedaze

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by: TXsharon @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 14:02:49 PM CDT

The Eyes of Texas (Kaos) Are Upon You! n/t (4.00 / 3)

We have to become the leaders we seek.
-boadicea
There is not a sport invented that matches Texas politics for contact, blood or gratuitous violence.
-Harvey Kronberg

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by: sccs @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 14:53:29 PM CDT

Anyone asked Willie? (4.00 / 1)

He's already got the biodiesel campaign bus.

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by: Ben Masel @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 15:02:47 PM CDT

don't think so =) (0.00 / 0)

love willie, but i don't think he's going to be running.

Fudd's First Law of Opposition: Push something hard enough and it will fall over.
-8.25, -5.95

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by: annatopia @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 15:06:19 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Willie has two buses (4.00 / 2)

one for Willie and one for his stash. Congress would drive Mr. Nelson crazy. I think Willie is happy doing what Willie is doing.

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by: citizenx @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 15:54:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I know which bus (4.00 / 4)

I'm gettin' on.

Barnett Shale: An Insatiable Thirst

My blog Bluedaze

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by: TXsharon @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 16:37:32 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

The plan .... (4.00 / 4)

was to offer Richard Morrison two million dollars to run for the 22nd congressional seat.  Morrison, in turn, would drop Noriega. 

You see how far that secret plan went.

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by: Galveston Gale @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 15:18:50 PM CDT

JUICY! (4.00 / 1)

Fudd's First Law of Opposition: Push something hard enough and it will fall over.
-8.25, -5.95

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by: annatopia @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 17:56:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Glad to see Lutherans and Texas Democratic Trust (4.00 / 2)

back on Colbert's big board.

I am also hoping someone walks out the hill country with the old Texas Progressive Party banners flying again so we can tell the DCCS where to shove it.

Texas needs to quit listening to anyone outside of Texas. Through their "guidence", we now have the worse health care, schools and Texas grandour in generations.

It's time to send the a bad ass back to Congress, someone who can spit fire and carry the day for the people.

Not career politicans, they bore me like pics of Brit in rehab,

a= b aa=ab aa-bb=ab-bb (a+b)(a-b)= b(a-b) (a+b)= b a+a=a 2a=a 2=1

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by: Branded Brazoria @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 17:12:04 PM CDT

It's time to stop blaming everybody else. (4.00 / 1)

"Texas needs to quit listening to anyone outside of Texas."

_____________

Sorry, the wounds are self-inflicted.
It's time to stop blaming everybody else.

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by: v2aggie2 @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 23:12:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Wish I'd read this journal before I spoke with Hank today! (4.00 / 3)

For the rest of it, Anna you are on target!
In 2006 they targeted a few legislative races and consider their results a success. I don't!  Dallas did vote out a lot of Republicans (mainly related to the courts -- which was of primary (self) interest to the Dallas Trial Lawyers.

The dynamics we witnessed last election cycle with behind scene puppet shows and non-functioning on behalf of the party's nominees is the reality in the Texas Democratic Party.

I spoke with Brian Pendelton this week and shared my observation that unless the State Party makes some move to LEAD the people in a meaningful battle against corruption (especially in regard to the reengineering of Texas's process of financing transportation) during the off election year, we'll face the next election cycle with the people aware that the party fails to lead.

Right now the republicans who authored the ttc cda enabling legislation are having "religious conversion experiences" and standing up and saying publically that they were too stupid to understand what the laws they authored, sponsored and voted into law meant! The Republicans are distancing themselves from their prior positions on CDAs "designed to generate as substantial surplus toll revenue to be paid in up front payments to RTCs and as profit to private operators of toll projects."  Now the dialogue in Senate Transportation Committee Hearing on SH121 regarding right of way is truly interesting. For years we've been told by TxDot and others that the reason highway right of way is purchased years in advance of use is that by purchasing it early, taxpayers (public) save because it costs less than if it is purchased when the highway is built. Now TxDOT, NTCOG, and the local city commissioners and county commissioners who appoint the RTC are trying to sell the concept that TxDot is "obligated to serve the taxpayers by generating the maximum revenue out of the ground" by "refinancing the highway right of way (purchased years ago with taxpayers dollars) at today market value and charging that rate to the cost of the SH121 project and applying that higher cost in figuring the rate of the tolls!

Yea! Geneate the maximum return out of the ground... charge the people who paid for the right of way years ago today's rate as it is whipped into the CDA revenue funding scheme masquerading as a toll road project. Charge citizens the maximum toll possible based on inflated right of way costs, pork distributed to non elected RTC's as up front payments (PAYOFFS), and profit to Cintra!

What is the response of the Texas Democratic Party Staff?  Most Democratic senators and legislators supported the 2 year moratorium on CDAs but the Texas Democratic Party remains sadly silent on the issue. Instead a recent high profile gala by the the TDP featured a list of sponsors which sadly reflects many of the corporations who underwrote seminars to sell the TTC and greased the hands of legislators, senators, Perry, Dewhurst, and Craddick to help CDA/TTC enabling language sail through both houses of the Legislature.

Unfortunately, the moratorium bill, which is supported by the majority of the members of the House and Senate languishes in committee in both houses. It will not come to a vote this session. There is a Senate ombudsman Transportation Bill which may eventually contain language which will repeal some of the changes to the Transportation Code which enabled this attempted land grab and power shift from the elected state officials to appointed regional players.

The sad thing is that the TTC grants the TDC the ideal opportunity to reunite the troops, bring us together and give us one opportunity to work together constructively on something that really matters. Instead they are sitting there and letting the opportunity languish (similar to the bills that are stalled in committee) while the Republican incumbents who penned these instruments of thievary are allowed to rehabilitate themselves by admitting their mistakes and appearing to work to solve the transportation dilemma.

In reality we all need to be calling EVERY HOUSE MEMBER and demanding that they address transportation funding seriously. We need to be pointing out to each and every one of them that what happened to Kent Grusendorf following the failure of the Legislature to address school finance will happen to those who refuse to realistically tackle and solve the problem of designated monies being left unappropriated while our highways crumble beyond repair. We have to demand that they not be allowed to pass legislation which allows them to transfer designated monies they refused to appropriate last session into the General Fund. We must demand that they seriously examine the access Texas has to bond money for highway construction. We must demand that they seriously look at indexing the gasoline tax. 

Steve Odgen, who authored the CDA enabling TTC legislation testified before the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee this month that "We never dreamed of selling our highways to the highest bidder when we passed the CDA legislation." He said that CDAs were to be seen as the last resort and to be used only if 1. the private lenders would finance at rates lower than the state could get other money 2. It would result in lower tolls (cost) for citizens to use the road. He said that neither of those things are true in regard to TTC or SH121. He said there is ample bond money available for use to finance highway construction in Texas at rates lower than what will be paid through the proposed CDAs on TTC and SH121. The tolls expected to be charged by Cintra on SH121 are higher than they would be if the state financed the road itself or if the state entered into a contract with an operator like NTAA. 

Why is it, that as we see the REPUBLICANS who devised this scheme repent, the leadership of the TDP remains sadly silent.

Our downticket candidates from the last election cycle continue to lead the charge. The people are still firmly behind them. Yet Boyd and buddies aren't outfront with us.

How do they expect "Democrats" to follow them in 2008 if they don't lead now!

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by: faithchatham @ Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 18:07:22 PM CDT