The Dallas Morning News ran a very sobering expose highlighting, by means of images and statistics, the growing prosperity gap here in the Lone Star State. Here are some startling statistics:
A child here in Texas is born every seven minutes into poverty, which directly contributes to the over 25% of Texas children currently living in poverty, and allows for the Lone Star State to rank 49th in the number of people living in poverty. Texas is also home to three of the nations poorest counties and our state ranks 2nd in overall income gap between rich and poor.
Сократить разрыв между этими слоями призван проект ПинАп. Его нельзя назвать уникальным по своей идее, но куда большее уважение вызывает то, скольким людям уже помогла площадка. А вместе с бонусом 100% на первый депозит выигрывать в Pin-Up становится еще легче.
Texas has the highest number of uninsured citizens in the country at a time when Senator John Cornyn has consistently voted against even providing health insurance to the most vulnerable in our state--our children.
Букмекерская компания 1вин протягивает руку помощи всем неблагополучным семьям Техаса. Благодаря щедрому приветственному бонусу все могут улучшить свое благосостояние.
Texas leads the country with 405 executions since 1976 yet has one of the highest crime rates overall as a state in the nation.
In an abstinence only state, Texas ranks 1st out of 50 states with the most teen births and most repeat teen births.
Texas leads the nation in cancerous emissions into the air and toxic chemicals released into our water.
This Christmas, lets keep in mind what we all are fighting for: those most vulnerable in our society, those less fortunate then you or I, and the preservation of what beauty this state has left.
(An extension of Race Watch - promoted by Matt Glazer)
Candidate filing in Texas closes on January; a mere week and a bit away and we still have a number of congressional districts with no Democratic candidate!
Once again go and take a look at the
2008 Race Tracker Wiki.
Recently we reprinted excerpts of the announcements have over a dozen campaigns. Over the past few weeks Democrats across the state have filed with the Democratic Party to appear on the ballot in March.
Two announcements we failed to run include Judge Susan Criss and State Senate candidate Joe Jaworski.
I love that in Texas, you can have a video like this and have it be devoid of snow and ice. Don't forget, you can help close the quarter strong for Rick by giving online today.
Вместе с выигрышами в ПинАп Рик может закрыть квартал уже сегодня. Можете воспользоваться приветственным бонусом в 100%, чтобы в кратчайшие сроки накопить необходимую сумму.
(Glenn is running for Congress in Texas 4th Congressional District. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
As a child I was raised to believe that Christmas is a time of comfort and joy. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, arrived in the world preaching a gospel of love.
Today I read in my local paper a threat from Ralph Hall. He said, “If we don’t solve our energy problems we’re going to have to send our kids over in some kind of troop ship to take some energy away from someone else.” After representing the oil and gas industry for 30 years, Ralph wants more welfare for these giant corporations.
It’s time for us to stop this childish behavior. Our children will NOT be used to steal oil.
We can do better. We must do better.
Please join me this holiday season and renew the true meaning of Christmas. No more wars for oil. No more torture. No more worshiping at the altar of crony capitalism. America has always been stronger, prouder and more secure when we’ve exported hope and inspiration.
Donnie Dippel, former Assistant Commissioner at the Texas Department of Agriculture, has announced that he will fight to represent Texans and hold on to Democrat Robbie Cook's seat.
According to his press release:
Dippel served as Assistant Commissioner for Pesticide Programs at the Texas Department of Agriculture for six years, and worked for fourteen years total at the TDA. "My time at the Department of Agriculture will allow me to serve District 17 well in Austin," Dippel continued. "At the TDA we put politics aside and focused on getting real results for Texas agriculture producers. That is exactly the kind of state representative I plan to be."
Dippel currently works as the owner of CHB Consulting, a small business specializing in agriculture consulting. Dippel has been honored as a strong advocate of worker-safety and enforcement of pesticide regulations. He has also worked to protect surface water and Texas' endangered species.
Like Cook, Dippel appears to be a conservative Democrat which is a solid fit for HD-17. His priorities will include-- "fighting for public schools, Texas agriculture and economic development in District 17."
Sources around the district tell BOR that at least one other potential candidate is considering the race, but Dippel's strong ties to the area, the community support surrounding him, and his previous political experience give Democrats the best chance to hold on to HD-17.
We've finally got there. Day 12 of "A Cornyn Christmas". We already know that Sen. Cornyn is a Grinch thanks to the Texas College Democrats.
Now, thanks to the Texas Democratic Party, we seen 12 times why Cornyn is not the reason for the season. So check for those looking to catch up on both of these great efforts, we've gathered links below.
On the First Day: Partisanship and Demagoguery
On the Second Day: Two Abandoned Veterans
On the Third Day: Three Disenfranchised Voters
On the Fourth Day: Four Undisclosed Earmarks
On the Fifth Day: Five Border Fence Lies
On the Sixth Day: Six Hurricane-Ravaged Homes
On the Seventh Day: Seven Undetected WMDs
On the Eighth Day: Eight Children Left Behind
On the Ninth Day: Nine Fired US Attorneys
On the Tenth Day: Ten (Million) Sick Children
On the Eleventh Day: Eleven Forgotten Military Bases
We know John Cornyn is a Bush lap-dog who spouts his party's line like it was the Lord's Prayer. We know that John Cornyn was very likely a draft-dodger. And, we know that John Cornyn supported segregationist George Wallace for President. But, what about the real substance behind the man Lt. Col. and State Rep. Rick Noriega will defeat next November.
You can tell a lot about what an elected official thinks and does by the columns they are often privileged to be able to scatter through our state's newspapers like pepper on mashed potatoes. In John Cornyn's case, if you read his columns, you might get the impression (and rightfully so) that he has about as much substance as a bag of instant mashed potatoes.
Over the past year, he's extolled the virtues of Blue Bell Ice Cream, shared his undying (and, we're sure, completely platonic) love for Big Tex, and even offered a history lesson on the Texas Cowboy.
Oh, the substance! Our nation is mired n the quagmire that is Iraq, the NSA is probably reading this very blog post (as I type it!), children are without healthcare, and Mr. Substance, Jr., delivers messages like this to voters in his weekly columns:
County fairs and rodeos, usually in the winter or spring, are a staple of Texas life. The state fair over three autumn weeks has many similar ingredients, including youth livestock raising competitions. But everything is bigger.
Fairgoers are greeted by Big Tex, a 52-foot inflatable figure that started life as a Santa promoting Christmas shopping in Kerens, Texas. He was redressed in country gear for the 1952 fair, and he began talking a year later. Big Tex was refurbished in 1999 and given his AARP card when he turned 50 three years later.
A group of Dallas civic leaders came up with the idea for a state fair in 1886. After an argument led to two competing fairs, they soon combined operations at what is now Fair Park in East Dallas.
Perhaps, now more than ever, my oft-given moniker of "Senator Corny Dog" is appropriate.
It's great to see another seat challenged on the Texas Supreme Court, this time, that for chief justice. From that candidate's press release...
The highly partisan, all Republican Texas Supreme Court will soon face another voice for reform as Dallas District Judge Jim Jordan amended his committee filings with the Texas Ethics Commission to allow for a candidacy for Chief Justice.
Jordan, a veteran civil defense attorney and past member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, noted a serious backlog in cases at the state's highest court. "They are failing to do their work as the backlog in cases has reached record levels."
Jordan, who currently presides over the 160th District Court in Dallas, is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law - a certification earned by less than 2% of Texas Lawyers.
"When the system is broken, the responsibility must fall on the leader," Jordan noted, explaining his decision to seek the Chief Justice position. "I am running for Chief Justice because this Court has lost its way. Instead of upholding the law, it is advancing an ideology," Jordan added, referring to a recent study released by a University of Texas law professor that criticized the court for routinely exceeding its Constitutional authority, ignoring the role of juries, and using the bench to make policy instead of deciding questions of law.
Jordan, who first presided over the 44th District Court in Dallas, was a partner with the firm Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller before returning to the bench. In 2006, he won election to the 160th District Court. In amending his filings with the Texas Ethics Commission, Jordan also reaffirmed his intention to voluntarily comply with the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act.
(More developments in this story... - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Texas Moratorium Network submitted a Public Information Request to Sharon Keller to receive a copy of the letter she wrote to the Houston Chronicle's R.G. Ratcliffe in response to Ratcliffe's own PIR. Ratcliffe wrote his story on his PIR on Dec 13 ("Judge in death case violated policies: Keller, who shut out appeal, says new written rules reflect unwritten ones on that day"). He wrote that "Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller apparently violated court policies for handling death penalty cases when she closed the court clerk's doors on Michael Richard's efforts to file a last-minute appeal before his execution."
Ratcliffe's reporting seems to have uncovered the smoking gun admission that Keller broke the CCA's policies in effect on the day of Richard's execution. He should be given some sort of journalism award for his work. We congratulate him on his idea of asking for the policies in effect on Sept 25. His article left us wanting to see the entire text of the policies ourselves, so we submitted our own PIR.
Reading the entire text of the policies makes it very clear that Keller violated the rules by not contacting the assigned duty judge about the request by Richard's lawyers to file a late appeal. The consequences of her action should be for her to resign immediately or if she lacks the integrity to resign on her own, then the State Commission on Judicial Conduct should compel her to resign.
We will send a copy to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct of Keller's letter to Ratcliffe and of the document "Execution-day Procedures". We hope the Commission has already obtained a copy, but just in case, we will send them our copy, along with another 250 or so new names of people who have signed our judicial complaint against Keller since we first submitted about 1600 names on Nov 16.
Read the procedures below and judge for yourselves if she violated them. Here is a link to a pdf of the document we received from the Court.
Here's what's happening across the country in our various state level blogging communities.
Illinois PSB poster bored now serves up an excellent updated analysis of the Dem candidate three-way for Denny Hastert's abandoned seat in IL-14. In IL-03: Lipinski wants to have his cake and eat it too
Maryland Maryland Republicans are suing to prevent recently passed tax legislation from going into law. Gotta give them points for moxie.
Texas Texas Democrats pick up a Republican state house seat in a special election in Fort Worth. Dems are now only 5 seats away from regaining the majority!
Today, Rick Noriega was endorsed by the Blue Majority National Netroots community. For me, this is hugely exciting as both a Texas blogger and someone who has the pleasure of supporting Rick.
Read Markos's full post or this really great section below.
But aside from that, Noriega is the face of a our modern Democratic Party -- pluralistic and multicultural, committed to national service, and competent. There's a reason that Republican Texas chose Noriega (a Democrat) to run the Katrina relief effort at the Houston Convention Center.
These are the races that define us as a movement. We can shy away from tough challenges, or we can meet them head on and build for a future in which the Democratic Party doesn't just govern, but that it reflects the values all Americans hold dear -- values forgotten by not just Republicans in DC, but the Democrats currently in charge of Congress. In 2006, we took out the frontrunner to the GOP presidential nomination (George Allen) as well as delivered a Democratic Senator from blood Red Montana. We kicked out the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee out of the Democratic Party.
There's no doubt that Texas is our biggest challenge yet, but we don't gain anything by sitting back and looking for the easy calls. We didn't get this far by being timid, and we won't advance by retreating into caution and tenuousness. And the Texas progressive community is working their ass for Noriega. Let's give them moral and material support, no matter where we might live.
Donate towards the effort and help give Rick an impressive end of quarter fundraising total. Having the support of Blue Majority and the Blue America national blogging community is a huge plus for putting Texas on the national stage (in a good way this time!).
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PSB poster bored now serves up an excellent updated analysis of the Dem candidate three-way for Denny Hastert's abandoned seat in IL-14. In IL-03: Lipinski wants to have his cake and eat it too
Maryland Republicans are suing to prevent recently passed tax legislation from going into law. Gotta give them points for moxie.
Texas Democrats 
