Let's talk about food on this Blog Action Day 2011.
We all have to eat. But what we eat has become more of a concern over the years. Why are we all fat? Why are we having heart attacks at 40 or dying from cancer? Why are we eating high fructose corn syrup and wood in our food? All of these issues continue to persist, as Americans have become more and more of a food obsessed society.
Americans over the decades have become more and more food obsessed-- with TV shows telling you what to make and eat, and commercials telling you what to make and eat. But we need to be more obsessed with what we are putting into our bodies. Even if we overeat, we can still overeat the wrong things that are making us sick.
There is no reason why a chicken has to be crammed into a cage, unable to move, just so we can purchase a dozen eggs at a dollar. The same goes for pigs, cows, turkeys, and whatever other animal meat eaters choose to eat. Animals being crammed into confined spaces in their own shit is making us sick. But corporations tell us this is ok and that our meat is more affordable that way. We even allow them to put wood pulp in our food and call it fiber. It does not have to happen in order to feed our population.
When Charlton Heston yelled out in 1973 that "Soylent Green is people!" he wasn't far from the truth about the future society we now live in. The movie was talking about 2022 (the book was set in 1999) and we aren't there yet. But we need to make sure we never reach that point. We can and must read food labels and continue to be more diligent about what we eat, even if it is done in baby steps.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
12,372 And Counting. Teaching Jobs Lost In Texas
AUSTIN—More than 12,000 Texas public school teachers, librarians, administrators, and support staff have left their school job in the roughly three months since the Texas Legislature released proposed budget figures for the 2012-2013 biennium, according to data released Tuesday by the Texas Progressive Alliance.
"There is no bunk in these numbers," said Vince Leibowitz, chair of the Alliance, a group of progressive online activists including more than 50 netroots activists, bloggers, and online writers from across Texas. "These numbers are the cold, hard, truth and show precisely how significant an impact the proposed budget is already having on school districts across the state," Leibowitz said.
More alarming, he noted, is that the more than 12,000 layoffs, firings, and voluntary or forced retirements represent only a fraction of the devastating toll the proposed budget is taking on public education. "These reductions come from a grand total of 60 of the state's 1,234 school districts, less than five percent of all school districts statewide," he noted. "Imagine how high this number will be when data is collected for
all of these school districts," he continued.
The Alliance collected the data from publicly available sources including newspapers, television stations, and other media outlets that cover Texas school boards. The data was compiled by members of the Alliance and includes districts from all parts of the state. The data was released on the heels of an announcement by the Texas Legislative Budget Board that the proposed budget being considered by the Legislature will be the first since at least 1984 that does not adequately fund public school formula funding and makes no allowance for enrollment growth.
"Yesterday, Senator Ogden was quoted as saying that Texas school districts could 'live with,' five percent cuts," said Charles Kuffner, Vice Chair of the Alliance. "Evidently, Senator Ogden and Republicans in the Legislature, Governor Perry, and our state leadership think losing 12,000 public school employees, increasing class sizes, and reducing the quality of instruction are worth living with. We do not," Kuffner stated.
The Alliance will continue to track school district layoffs through the start of the 2011-2012 school year and today will ask readers of their blog to help them track this critically important number in ISDs across the state.
"There is no bunk in these numbers," said Vince Leibowitz, chair of the Alliance, a group of progressive online activists including more than 50 netroots activists, bloggers, and online writers from across Texas. "These numbers are the cold, hard, truth and show precisely how significant an impact the proposed budget is already having on school districts across the state," Leibowitz said.
More alarming, he noted, is that the more than 12,000 layoffs, firings, and voluntary or forced retirements represent only a fraction of the devastating toll the proposed budget is taking on public education. "These reductions come from a grand total of 60 of the state's 1,234 school districts, less than five percent of all school districts statewide," he noted. "Imagine how high this number will be when data is collected for
all of these school districts," he continued.
The Alliance collected the data from publicly available sources including newspapers, television stations, and other media outlets that cover Texas school boards. The data was compiled by members of the Alliance and includes districts from all parts of the state. The data was released on the heels of an announcement by the Texas Legislative Budget Board that the proposed budget being considered by the Legislature will be the first since at least 1984 that does not adequately fund public school formula funding and makes no allowance for enrollment growth.
"Yesterday, Senator Ogden was quoted as saying that Texas school districts could 'live with,' five percent cuts," said Charles Kuffner, Vice Chair of the Alliance. "Evidently, Senator Ogden and Republicans in the Legislature, Governor Perry, and our state leadership think losing 12,000 public school employees, increasing class sizes, and reducing the quality of instruction are worth living with. We do not," Kuffner stated.
The Alliance will continue to track school district layoffs through the start of the 2011-2012 school year and today will ask readers of their blog to help them track this critically important number in ISDs across the state.
UPDATE #1: Diboll ISD, 5 more. New total - 12,358. Source - KTRE, 4/27/11
UPDATE #2: Refugio ISD, 14 more. New total - 12,372. Source - Refugio Country Press, 4/25/11
Monday, May 2, 2011
Texas Blog Roundup
The Texas Progressive Alliance is proud of President Obama and the Navy SEALS as it brings you this week's roundup.
Marxists, CFL light bulbs, and Paul Tsongas? These topics and more were discussed during the recent Congressman Michael Burgess town hall meeting in Frisco, covered by the Texas Cloverleaf.
We have a new map for the State House. Off the Kuff has a first look at it.
At TexasKaos, liberaltexan explains the Republican Path to Plutocracy. Are you listening Paul Ryan?
Former Texas Lt. Governor Bill Hobby served in the office longer than anybody else. So when Hobby sounded the alarm bell on Texas' lack of leadership, in a poem he wrote entitled "The Perverted Village," Letters From Texas figured people better listen up.
Texas state comptroller Susan Combs is under intense fire for allowing the personal data of 3.5 million Texans unsecured for more than a year. Calls for her resignation and various lawsuits aren't being quelled by her belated apologies and offers to pay for credit monitoring services for those affected. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs sees a political career crashing in flames, and a scrum among the GOP sharks in the tank to eventually replace her.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts that it's finally here, Texas Democrats have the opportunity they've been waiting for.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that republicans are going gangbusters killing public education and other institutions.
This week, McBlogger asks David Stockman to STOP THE DEFICIT MADNESS!
Neil at Texas Liberal noted that former Texas Lt. Governor Bill Hobby---very much an establishment figure---is wondering if the Republican intent in the ongoing legislative session is to ruin Texas.
Marxists, CFL light bulbs, and Paul Tsongas? These topics and more were discussed during the recent Congressman Michael Burgess town hall meeting in Frisco, covered by the Texas Cloverleaf.
We have a new map for the State House. Off the Kuff has a first look at it.
At TexasKaos, liberaltexan explains the Republican Path to Plutocracy. Are you listening Paul Ryan?
Former Texas Lt. Governor Bill Hobby served in the office longer than anybody else. So when Hobby sounded the alarm bell on Texas' lack of leadership, in a poem he wrote entitled "The Perverted Village," Letters From Texas figured people better listen up.
Texas state comptroller Susan Combs is under intense fire for allowing the personal data of 3.5 million Texans unsecured for more than a year. Calls for her resignation and various lawsuits aren't being quelled by her belated apologies and offers to pay for credit monitoring services for those affected. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs sees a political career crashing in flames, and a scrum among the GOP sharks in the tank to eventually replace her.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts that it's finally here, Texas Democrats have the opportunity they've been waiting for.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that republicans are going gangbusters killing public education and other institutions.
This week, McBlogger asks David Stockman to STOP THE DEFICIT MADNESS!
Neil at Texas Liberal noted that former Texas Lt. Governor Bill Hobby---very much an establishment figure---is wondering if the Republican intent in the ongoing legislative session is to ruin Texas.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Marxists, Freedom From Florescents, and Paul Tsongas?
Marxists, light bulbs, and former Senator Paul Tsongas were among a multitude of topics invoked during Congressman Michael Burgess's town hall meeting in West Frisco last evening. Here at the Leaf, we had other things to do, but thanks to the power of the interwebs, Burgess filmed his entire town hall live on Ustream and posted it to his website. In case he takes it down or moves it, we are posting it here (beware: it's an hour and a half of your life you may not get back, but feel free to skim)
Video streaming by Ustream
We expected the town hall to be the usual rah rah rally that local Republicans tend to get here in Denton County, but it wasn't so at Lone Star High School. It actually had some people who seemed to be Democrats asking questions.
The more liberal citizens made valid points in their questioning, on topics ranging from the destruction of Medicare under the Paul Ryan budget, how vouchers would ensure them insurance in lieu of Medicare, wanting to know why the GOP goes after small items like NPR or the EPA, and the fact the proposed budget is (as one citizen put it) "the wholesale transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich". Burgess did do a fair job of answering questions rationally, however a few points are a little hard to grasp.
When asked about budget cuts and tax hikes, Burgess replied that he believed Medicaid to have fraud of 10%. That seemed like an odd number to us, so we did a quick Google search and came up with an article about the urban myth of 10% fraud. Apparently this number was tossed into the public realm by the General Accounting Office in 1992, with no documentation to support it. An anti-fraud group who helped push that number, and even settled on 6% as their number, has since dropped that number to 3%. But the 10% myth still persists, and was even pushed by Burgess. Burgess's solution to preventing Medicaid fraud is to treat it like Visa or Mastercard does. We weren't really sure what the hell that meant, other than the fact they have employees who look for fraudulent charges. And personally, we really don't want Medicaid to operate anywhere remotely close to how our credit cards do lately-- especially since one citizen stated he filed bankruptcy recently and received a credit card offer at 128% interest.
The fun part of attending or watching these town halls is like watching a tsunami on YouTube. You anticipate it hitting something hard and killing everything in its path, but you can't turn away from it until you see someone swept out to sea. That is what the "conservative" comments were like in this town hall. You had your typical Marxism claims, as the very 1st citizen made against the President. You had your concerns over 2nd amendment rights. You even had your charge that the President is turning into a dictator by going to war with Libya. But then you get down to the good shit.
One woman made more of a speech than a question, and seemed to be a Congressman Ron "Buy Gold" Paul groupie. She spoke of how the federal government owned 650 million acres of land that is rightfully ours and she wanted it returned. Needless to say Burgess just sort of listened and didn't board that bandwagon. Apparently this is a problem, but we aren't sure why. This article tries to explain it. We don't really get it, and kind of dismissed it when we saw Senator Jim DeMint's name. He is even nuttier than Ron Paul.
The largest applause of the night came during a discussion by one concerned citizen about the environment who we gather was pushing for CFL bulbs to be standard. Burgess retorted "what business does the federal government have in telling me what type of light bulb to use?" You would have thought he was Sir William Wallace shouting out against the might King of England, because that light bulb commented whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Really, people? Light bulbs? Really? That is what chaps your hide? Granted, Burgess admitted he looked too pasty under florescent light, but give us a break.
And you probably wonder how Paul Tsongas got into the mix? Burgess cited a 1993 speech Tsongas gave in Dallas about structural debt in entitlement programs and how we would be screwed in 20 years time. We're two years away from that 20 years. Low and behold, he did make such a speech. YouTube has a two minute clip of it--- that he gave at DePauw University in Indiana on April 30, 1993 that just happened to be posted to YouTube only ten days ago? Why would someone post it so recently? We don't doubt Burgess heard the speech, but did he really hear it in 1993 or did someone dredge it up recently? It would seem rather obscure to reference a presidential also ran from the early 90s, so we still think it is suspect.
There you have an hour and a half in a Cliffs Notes blog post. We're kind of glad the Congressman made it over to Frisco and Little Elm, so we can see the true disparity among constituents, as well as what kind of representative we have aside from his Obamacare sound bites on FOX News. Once the voters get past alleged "birther hotels" and the oppression of light bulbs, maybe we can move forward as a country.
Video streaming by Ustream
We expected the town hall to be the usual rah rah rally that local Republicans tend to get here in Denton County, but it wasn't so at Lone Star High School. It actually had some people who seemed to be Democrats asking questions.
The more liberal citizens made valid points in their questioning, on topics ranging from the destruction of Medicare under the Paul Ryan budget, how vouchers would ensure them insurance in lieu of Medicare, wanting to know why the GOP goes after small items like NPR or the EPA, and the fact the proposed budget is (as one citizen put it) "the wholesale transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich". Burgess did do a fair job of answering questions rationally, however a few points are a little hard to grasp.
When asked about budget cuts and tax hikes, Burgess replied that he believed Medicaid to have fraud of 10%. That seemed like an odd number to us, so we did a quick Google search and came up with an article about the urban myth of 10% fraud. Apparently this number was tossed into the public realm by the General Accounting Office in 1992, with no documentation to support it. An anti-fraud group who helped push that number, and even settled on 6% as their number, has since dropped that number to 3%. But the 10% myth still persists, and was even pushed by Burgess. Burgess's solution to preventing Medicaid fraud is to treat it like Visa or Mastercard does. We weren't really sure what the hell that meant, other than the fact they have employees who look for fraudulent charges. And personally, we really don't want Medicaid to operate anywhere remotely close to how our credit cards do lately-- especially since one citizen stated he filed bankruptcy recently and received a credit card offer at 128% interest.
The fun part of attending or watching these town halls is like watching a tsunami on YouTube. You anticipate it hitting something hard and killing everything in its path, but you can't turn away from it until you see someone swept out to sea. That is what the "conservative" comments were like in this town hall. You had your typical Marxism claims, as the very 1st citizen made against the President. You had your concerns over 2nd amendment rights. You even had your charge that the President is turning into a dictator by going to war with Libya. But then you get down to the good shit.
One woman made more of a speech than a question, and seemed to be a Congressman Ron "Buy Gold" Paul groupie. She spoke of how the federal government owned 650 million acres of land that is rightfully ours and she wanted it returned. Needless to say Burgess just sort of listened and didn't board that bandwagon. Apparently this is a problem, but we aren't sure why. This article tries to explain it. We don't really get it, and kind of dismissed it when we saw Senator Jim DeMint's name. He is even nuttier than Ron Paul.
The largest applause of the night came during a discussion by one concerned citizen about the environment who we gather was pushing for CFL bulbs to be standard. Burgess retorted "what business does the federal government have in telling me what type of light bulb to use?" You would have thought he was Sir William Wallace shouting out against the might King of England, because that light bulb commented whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Really, people? Light bulbs? Really? That is what chaps your hide? Granted, Burgess admitted he looked too pasty under florescent light, but give us a break.
And you probably wonder how Paul Tsongas got into the mix? Burgess cited a 1993 speech Tsongas gave in Dallas about structural debt in entitlement programs and how we would be screwed in 20 years time. We're two years away from that 20 years. Low and behold, he did make such a speech. YouTube has a two minute clip of it--- that he gave at DePauw University in Indiana on April 30, 1993 that just happened to be posted to YouTube only ten days ago? Why would someone post it so recently? We don't doubt Burgess heard the speech, but did he really hear it in 1993 or did someone dredge it up recently? It would seem rather obscure to reference a presidential also ran from the early 90s, so we still think it is suspect.
There you have an hour and a half in a Cliffs Notes blog post. We're kind of glad the Congressman made it over to Frisco and Little Elm, so we can see the true disparity among constituents, as well as what kind of representative we have aside from his Obamacare sound bites on FOX News. Once the voters get past alleged "birther hotels" and the oppression of light bulbs, maybe we can move forward as a country.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Texas Blog Roundup
The Texas Progressive Alliance sincerely hopes that the wildfires in West Texas will soon be controlled as it brings you this week's roundup.
The first State House redistricting map is out, and Off the Kuff has a look at it and some alternatives to it.
Letters From Texas poked fun at the...um...hard turn John Sharp's web domain has taken, in which somebody has...um...erected quite a different focus. But most of the week was spent on more serious concerns - the West Texas range fires.
Having previously declared himself out on supporting President Obama's re-election campaign, PDiddie at Brains and Eggs finds even less to like about the rumored candidacy of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez for US Senate. Less, as in nothing.
The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the proposed TX House redistricting implications in Denton County.
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy covers the local politics of the City of College Station controversial vote to annex the community of Wellborn, and Teddy covers the national politics of the Congressional Republicans failure to lead by their politicalization of military pay. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
From Bay Area Houston: The Houston Chronicle asks How stupid are Texans?
DosCentavos opines on State Rep. Leo Berman's kinder gentler racism through a "cost-saving" English-only bill.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants everyone to know that Victoria DA Hissy Fit's tainted case against city officials has been dropped.
The Texas GOP released it's proposed map of Texas state House districts for the next decade. Dembones at Eye On Williamson posted about the most oddest shaped district in the map, Gerrymandering Wilco.
Libby Shaw at TexasKaos tells us that When Middle Schoolers Serve in Congress there is price to be paid.
Neil at Texas Liberal noted that Rick Perry has asked Barack Obama and Washington on help with Texas wildfires. While everybody impacted by the fires merits help, it sure is something that Washington-basher Rick Perry feels he must turn to the federal government to solve Texas problems. Where are the Texas Tea Party citizen-volunteer disaster relief teams to help people in need?
Like many, the crew at McBlogger is feeling the pinch of higher gas prices. What's really causing it and what can be done about it may surprise you.
TexasVox brings you a double dose of bad news about fracking, first bad news for the climate from shale gas as it could be warming the planet worse than coal and second, the awesome press conference put on by our TPA friend TXSharon about health effects from fracking. Oh, and on a completely unrelated note and blog, I warn you not to go see the new movie version of Atlas Shrugged.
The first State House redistricting map is out, and Off the Kuff has a look at it and some alternatives to it.
Letters From Texas poked fun at the...um...hard turn John Sharp's web domain has taken, in which somebody has...um...erected quite a different focus. But most of the week was spent on more serious concerns - the West Texas range fires.
Having previously declared himself out on supporting President Obama's re-election campaign, PDiddie at Brains and Eggs finds even less to like about the rumored candidacy of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez for US Senate. Less, as in nothing.
The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the proposed TX House redistricting implications in Denton County.
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy covers the local politics of the City of College Station controversial vote to annex the community of Wellborn, and Teddy covers the national politics of the Congressional Republicans failure to lead by their politicalization of military pay. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
From Bay Area Houston: The Houston Chronicle asks How stupid are Texans?
DosCentavos opines on State Rep. Leo Berman's kinder gentler racism through a "cost-saving" English-only bill.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants everyone to know that Victoria DA Hissy Fit's tainted case against city officials has been dropped.
The Texas GOP released it's proposed map of Texas state House districts for the next decade. Dembones at Eye On Williamson posted about the most oddest shaped district in the map, Gerrymandering Wilco.
Libby Shaw at TexasKaos tells us that When Middle Schoolers Serve in Congress there is price to be paid.
Neil at Texas Liberal noted that Rick Perry has asked Barack Obama and Washington on help with Texas wildfires. While everybody impacted by the fires merits help, it sure is something that Washington-basher Rick Perry feels he must turn to the federal government to solve Texas problems. Where are the Texas Tea Party citizen-volunteer disaster relief teams to help people in need?
Like many, the crew at McBlogger is feeling the pinch of higher gas prices. What's really causing it and what can be done about it may surprise you.
TexasVox brings you a double dose of bad news about fracking, first bad news for the climate from shale gas as it could be warming the planet worse than coal and second, the awesome press conference put on by our TPA friend TXSharon about health effects from fracking. Oh, and on a completely unrelated note and blog, I warn you not to go see the new movie version of Atlas Shrugged.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Texas Redistricting Moves Forward, Part 2
We posted this past weekend about Texas redistricting, and another map was released today. Rep. Burt Solomons has released the proposal for the newly redrawn Texas House districts. What that means for Denton County readers, is one extra house seat that will be up for grabs. What that means for Republicans, is one extra house seat in Denton County.
Looking at Plan H 113, the newly proposed District 106 would cover parts of northern and eastern Denton County, taking parts of the previous boundaries of District 63, 64, and 65. The largest towns in the new district would be The Colony, Little Elm, and the western portion of Frisco that overlaps into the county. The rest of the district is effectively rural.
Without even doing deep number crunching, it would be classified as a Solid Republican district. There are definitely strong Democratic numbers in the proposed district based on the numbers from 2008, but those President Obama voters who opted for hope and change opted not to vote in 2010. Some of them may opt not to vote again in 2012.
For Democrats to win any of the 4 house districts Denton County, it will take demographic changes that haven't quite happened yet in the county. Maybe one day soon.
Looking at Plan H 113, the newly proposed District 106 would cover parts of northern and eastern Denton County, taking parts of the previous boundaries of District 63, 64, and 65. The largest towns in the new district would be The Colony, Little Elm, and the western portion of Frisco that overlaps into the county. The rest of the district is effectively rural.
Without even doing deep number crunching, it would be classified as a Solid Republican district. There are definitely strong Democratic numbers in the proposed district based on the numbers from 2008, but those President Obama voters who opted for hope and change opted not to vote in 2010. Some of them may opt not to vote again in 2012.
For Democrats to win any of the 4 house districts Denton County, it will take demographic changes that haven't quite happened yet in the county. Maybe one day soon.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Texas Blog Roundup
The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds you that it does not shut down as it brings you this week's blog roundup.
Off the Kuff discusses the bet the Republicans have made about how the voters will react to deep cuts to public education.
At TexasKaos, Lightseeker warns Don't Buy Into the Lie - Help Spread the Truth About the Fiscal Mess! Updated with video! Check it out - be part of the solution, not part of the problem...
From Bay Area Houston: Unlike the gop who believes the solution to teen pregnancy is duct tape and a $50,000 speaking engagement by Bristol Palin, PP actually provides education services, family planning services, and low cost birth control.
Barack Obama asked the question "Are You In?" last week, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs decided he wasn't.
Texas has a revenue problem that's so bad even the GOP is starting to realize it. WCNews at Eye On Williamson posted about that this week, Texas GOP tax talk getting louder.
The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the potential, and potentially wacky, new districts in which Denton County might end up.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that republicans want to stop you from voting, kill public education and control women's uteri. Did you see anything about creating jobs, except for the special uterus police?
More bad news for fracking from Public Citizen's Texas Vox blog, as they report House Appropriation will discuss on Thursday the tax exemption for "high cost" wells, valued at several billion dollars that should be going to schools and health care. As fate would have it, they had already planned to join a press conference that morning led by TPA's own TXSharon on health impacts of fracking- click for details!
Neil at Texas Liberal noted that while it is great for Houston Mayor Annise Parker that she raised $1 million for her reelection campaign in a single night, this fact is much less relevance to a public that finds little to care about in a Houston city politics that is nearly devoid of grassroots enthusiasms.
Off the Kuff discusses the bet the Republicans have made about how the voters will react to deep cuts to public education.
At TexasKaos, Lightseeker warns Don't Buy Into the Lie - Help Spread the Truth About the Fiscal Mess! Updated with video! Check it out - be part of the solution, not part of the problem...
From Bay Area Houston: Unlike the gop who believes the solution to teen pregnancy is duct tape and a $50,000 speaking engagement by Bristol Palin, PP actually provides education services, family planning services, and low cost birth control.
Barack Obama asked the question "Are You In?" last week, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs decided he wasn't.
Texas has a revenue problem that's so bad even the GOP is starting to realize it. WCNews at Eye On Williamson posted about that this week, Texas GOP tax talk getting louder.
The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the potential, and potentially wacky, new districts in which Denton County might end up.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that republicans want to stop you from voting, kill public education and control women's uteri. Did you see anything about creating jobs, except for the special uterus police?
More bad news for fracking from Public Citizen's Texas Vox blog, as they report House Appropriation will discuss on Thursday the tax exemption for "high cost" wells, valued at several billion dollars that should be going to schools and health care. As fate would have it, they had already planned to join a press conference that morning led by TPA's own TXSharon on health impacts of fracking- click for details!
Neil at Texas Liberal noted that while it is great for Houston Mayor Annise Parker that she raised $1 million for her reelection campaign in a single night, this fact is much less relevance to a public that finds little to care about in a Houston city politics that is nearly devoid of grassroots enthusiasms.
Largest Breach Of Personal Info In TX History On Susan Combs Watch
3.5 million birth dates and social security numbers were made available to the public via the Texas Comptroller yesterday. The breach is said to be the largest security mishap in state history.
Apparently this wasn't just a one day screw up. The information was on a public server for one year. This included names, addresses, date of birth, social security number, and driver's license numbers from people in the databases of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, the Texas Workforce Commission, and Employees Retirement System of Texas.
It is no telling how people's identities will now be stolen and who's credit and life will be potentially be ruined. You may see all of the fly by night companies who try to help guard against identity theft, but they really do not help most people who are victimized. It can take years, and sometimes not even then, for a person's credit report to be clear of fraud.
In a time when our economy is floundering, people are out of work, and Texas prepares to lay off hundreds of thousands more people, this is not something to take lightly. While the Attorney General is going to perform a criminal investigation, it should be noted that a "shit, my bad" response from the Comptroller's office really is not sufficient in this case. Susan Combs and her employees should be held accountable.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Texas Redistricting Moves Forward
While the budget fight continues in the Texas Legislature, the much anticipated redistricting process has begun to move along as well. While none of the plans are official, some possibilities have been submitted. You can view them on the Texas Legislative Council's district viewer.
State Board of Education, Texas House, Texas Senate, and US Congress must all be redrawn as a result of Texas's increase in population in the 2010 US Census. One would think that this may benefit some Democrats, as most populations have increased in urban areas and among minorities, but Republicans will most likely ensure to gerrymander the districts according to their liking to prevent such a case.
It seems the only official potential redraw has been done by Rep. Burt Solomons for the SBOE. Those of us in Denton County would be part of the redrawn 11th district, which would be smaller than the current beyond massive 14th district. The only drawback to being placed in district 11 is it will still be solidly Republican and is currently held by someone even more right wing than Gail Lowe. Patricia Hardy is a member of the right wing social agenda on the board and would most likely hold her seat.
Apparently citizens can submit what they think the new districts should look like as well, as there are a number of proposals for Congressional districts on the website currently. Only one plan seems intent on keeping Denton County in one district, but it would place it with Collin County. The others have it split up among either 2 or 3 districts. But the intent is clear, in order to ensure Denton County, or at least parts of it, remain Republican.
We should not expect Rep. Solomons to do us any favors here on the home front. The hope may be slim, but hopefully some of these districts will at least give Democrats the potential to represent their constituents fairly.
State Board of Education, Texas House, Texas Senate, and US Congress must all be redrawn as a result of Texas's increase in population in the 2010 US Census. One would think that this may benefit some Democrats, as most populations have increased in urban areas and among minorities, but Republicans will most likely ensure to gerrymander the districts according to their liking to prevent such a case.
It seems the only official potential redraw has been done by Rep. Burt Solomons for the SBOE. Those of us in Denton County would be part of the redrawn 11th district, which would be smaller than the current beyond massive 14th district. The only drawback to being placed in district 11 is it will still be solidly Republican and is currently held by someone even more right wing than Gail Lowe. Patricia Hardy is a member of the right wing social agenda on the board and would most likely hold her seat.
Apparently citizens can submit what they think the new districts should look like as well, as there are a number of proposals for Congressional districts on the website currently. Only one plan seems intent on keeping Denton County in one district, but it would place it with Collin County. The others have it split up among either 2 or 3 districts. But the intent is clear, in order to ensure Denton County, or at least parts of it, remain Republican.
We should not expect Rep. Solomons to do us any favors here on the home front. The hope may be slim, but hopefully some of these districts will at least give Democrats the potential to represent their constituents fairly.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Speaking Out Against Firearms On Campus
Thanks to a simple prod from a friend who is a teacher, I decided to send this letter to my Texas state reps, Rep. Myra Crownover and Sen. Jane Nelson. You should do the same in your own way.....
I am writing you today to speak out against allowing concealed handguns on college campuses in Texas. Bills such as HB 86, HB 750, and SB 354 have the intention of providing for a safe school environment, but in fact it they have the opposite effect.
In speaking with friends who are teachers in community colleges, and professors at state universities, they are fearful. They are not afraid of the lone gunman who has mental issues. They are fearful knowing they will have to teach in an environment that allows for anyone to conceal a weapon.
We should ask ourselves, “where did it go wrong?” When did we evolve from a mindset that prevented weapons from being brought onto campuses to a mindset that will allow anyone to toss their handgun of choice into their book bag?
I admit I did not attend school in Texas, but I certainly attended school in real world modern situations. My high school in the rural suburb of McLeansville North Carolina banned the use of book bags because of a problem with concealed weapons on campus. Our principal made that decision to keep weapons out, not allowing more weapons onto school grounds. When I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, concealed firearms were not allowed. Our Chancellor made that decision to keep weapons out, not allowing more weapons on campus. I also happen to be the victim of armed robbery in Raleigh, although not on a campus. I can assure you in that situation, a concealed weapon would not have helped.
Providing students, faculty, and staff a safe environment, without worry of someone in the classroom carrying a 9mm or larger caliber firearm of choice around with them, should be the goal of higher education. Providing proper funding for campus police, buddy systems, and mental health clinics should be the goal of the 82nd Legislature.
I am writing you today to speak out against allowing concealed handguns on college campuses in Texas. Bills such as HB 86, HB 750, and SB 354 have the intention of providing for a safe school environment, but in fact it they have the opposite effect.
In speaking with friends who are teachers in community colleges, and professors at state universities, they are fearful. They are not afraid of the lone gunman who has mental issues. They are fearful knowing they will have to teach in an environment that allows for anyone to conceal a weapon.
We should ask ourselves, “where did it go wrong?” When did we evolve from a mindset that prevented weapons from being brought onto campuses to a mindset that will allow anyone to toss their handgun of choice into their book bag?
I admit I did not attend school in Texas, but I certainly attended school in real world modern situations. My high school in the rural suburb of McLeansville North Carolina banned the use of book bags because of a problem with concealed weapons on campus. Our principal made that decision to keep weapons out, not allowing more weapons onto school grounds. When I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, concealed firearms were not allowed. Our Chancellor made that decision to keep weapons out, not allowing more weapons on campus. I also happen to be the victim of armed robbery in Raleigh, although not on a campus. I can assure you in that situation, a concealed weapon would not have helped.
Providing students, faculty, and staff a safe environment, without worry of someone in the classroom carrying a 9mm or larger caliber firearm of choice around with them, should be the goal of higher education. Providing proper funding for campus police, buddy systems, and mental health clinics should be the goal of the 82nd Legislature.
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