Rick Perry's Lies

I decided I wasn't going to blog for a while, but I think I will just throw things on here every now and again (I know it's an addiction). As many people know, our esteemed Governor Rick Perry spends our tax money on a mega mansion, rather than living in a trailer like most people would do during their home repairs. So I bring to you a new song I wrote. Sing it to the tune of Owl City's Fireflies.

 

You would not believe your eyes

That Rick Perry spreads his lies

About how he just doesn't spend

 

He's got a big ol' house

With full bar to get soused

He spends 10 thousand on the rent

 

He's got lots of rooms in there

And many just for his hair

It takes a lot of time to primp and preen

 

I'd like to make myself believe

That Rick Perry spends slowly

It's hard to see that he is really a conservative today

But everything is never as it seems

 

700 dollar clothes rack

A private chef to make a snack

That heated pool is just really warm

 

A thousand bucks for drapes

A butler to peel some grapes

18 grand to buff the dirty floor

 

I'd like to make myself believe

That Rick Perry spends slowly

It's hard to see that he is really a conservative today

But everything is never as it seems

More MUD Action In Denton County

Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe over at the DRC does a good job exposing another "municipal utility district" in Denton County that is set to be created. Developers of the Shiney Hiney Development Corp (SHDC Partners Ltd) have thrown another random Joe Blow onto a 1000 acres of property and he will be the lone vote to create the district this month. This has been the m.o. of developers in the state, in what has been called "developer welfare".

 

Special districts go back many years in Texas and most operate under the Texas Water Code because they were created for rural areas who needed water. Developers decided they would be a good way to develop large tracts outside of cities without the support of city funds, thus the special districts. Denton County has been fond of the Fresh Water Supply District (FWSD) and Water Control & Improvement District (WCID) method. Areas like Houston have the Municipal Utility District (MUD). Each have their own slight variations in powers over roads and water/sewer under the Code.

 

The more I hear about these things the more it intrigues me. I was recently elected to my own board of directors for one of these districts that controls part of Paloma Creek. But what spurred me to get on the board, was the somewhat opaque nature of the projects. Case in point, Shiney Hiney. A random 30 year old from Dallas is plopped down in a trailer on a plot of land to vote in hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds, and to vote on five people who do not even live in the area to serve as the governing body. That has been the exact same method of creation of every district in Denton County that operates under these auspices. It is no doubt good for the developer. They get paid back for fronting the money to build. Win win for them. It is also win win for many of these local towns. They don't have to build infrastructure, but can later expand and incorporate the districts into their city limits many years later.

 

But it seems it is win lose for residents. The tax burden on local residents is higher than in a city. I personally pay $1/$100 in taxes just to my local water district. Compare that to most cities who levy somewhere around 30 to 40 cents. Residents also are faced with trying to figure out who controls what, especially when you have the water districts contracting with other government entities to provide local services.

 

Transparency is definitely an issue in government and that is why myself and other neighbors have been elected to our board. We want what is best for where we live. Hopefully the Shiney Hiney will be a shiney as they expect it to be, and not just an ass.

Act Of Stupid: Rick Perry Thinks God Created The Oil Spill

I like living in Texas, although there are many days where I question why I moved here. Usually those days have to do with weather, such as when it is 90 one day and 70 the next. Maybe it has to do with toll roads every where I look. But today marks a special day. I now know, for certain, why I question my move here. Rick Perry.

I must admit, I was a fence rider in 2002 and going back and forth between parties. Rick Perry looked like a harmless guy. I heard so many bad things about Sanchez that year, I couldn't help but vote for the guy who replaced George W Bush. Boy was I ever wrong! Perry to this day is the last Republican I ever voted for. And for good reason, such as statements such as today's. Rick Perry referred to the explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and subsequent natural disaster as an "act of God".

I'm no theological scholar and am a bit atheistic, but I don't think God ever smote anyone by blowing up oil rigs. God was more tactful, sending plagues of locusts, and tangible things like that. But blowing up a rig, sinking it, and then letting the well leak thousands upon thousands of gallons of oil, is a bit outside of God's master plan, no? I mean, what did shrimp ever do to piss God off? Did they eat themselves? That would be very un-shrimp-like. Maybe they were gay shrimp, and just totally threw Leviticus out the window and gave a prawn sized "fuck you" to the Almighty.

With this line of thinking, Perry loses any shred of credibility he has left, unless of course you believe in the theory that everything is God's will and we are just mindless pawns in a game of Civilization that God is playing on his new Vista machine. God did not cause this. Man did. Man's abuse of the Earth he was supposedly provided by God. If God is going to do any weird acts, it might be now, because we keep royally fucking up his planet.

Texas Blog Roundup

The Texas Progressive Alliance is enjoying the May flowers as we bring you this week's blog roundup.

Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project is A BIG BUNCH OF MEANIES according to a major industry publication. OGAP is so mean for "setting up shop in Texas" and requiring that industry Drill-Right Texas. And, TXsharon is really, really mean on he blog Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

Off the Kuff had a discussion of the city of Houston's term limits, which are currently under review.

In a first for WhosPlayin, a local school board trustee is compelled to admit he lied about his criminal record before the "liberal blogger" can write about it, based on act of investigating it.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to point out that border violence precipitated by poor drug policy has nothing to do with immigration reform. Think about it. Don't let fear mongers fool you.

Adam at Three Wise Men gives us the skinny on the upcoming midterms.

Governor MoFo had a decent media week: his two-month-old shooting of a coyote went national, and he pandered effectively to Texas Hispanics. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs summarizes the manipulations in "Rick Perry's not bad, pretty good week".

The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the possibility of the Arizona immigration law coming to Texas in 2011.

Neil at Texas Liberal wrote about one small way he maintains his faith in democracy despite all the dumb things taking place in daily life.

In a week full of immigration policy debates and talk of killing coyotes, Barfly at McBlogger chose to look at something far more troubling.

Bay Area Houston found Rick Perry's official campaign song, Macho Man by the Village People.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson Lt. Gov. David Dewhursts double standard on spending tax payer money, Please don't dew us like this.

Libby Shaw discovers the true prototype for Governor Perry's governing style: Beavis and Butthead. As she tells it: "Rick Perry has as much compassion and empathy for his constituents as would Beavis and Butt-Head. " She wonders, "...why does Rick Perry have serious problems with outreach programs, whether local, state or federal, all of which attempt to throw life lines to those who are in a desperate struggle, whether it is a financial burden, crippling health care costs, or top quality educational benefits for public schools? Check it all out at TexasKaos.