Common Sense

Well that's not good

According to Carole Keeton-Strayhorn the tax plan being offered by Perry and Sharp will end up being $10.6 billion short over the next 5 years.

I know that doesn't sound like a lot... oh wait, it does sound like a lot of money. Details are still sketchy as to how she came up with that number, but I imagine she has the same problem the Center for Public Policy Priorities has with the use of the surplus.

Perfect attendance

There is a kerfluffle.

I got an email Wednesday from the Chet Edwards campaign .

Van Taylor Draws “Fewer than 100” at Event with VP

Challenger brings Cheney to TX-17; gets only 25% of the turnout 2004 GOP nominee had at same event before losing to Edwards

WACO – Van Taylor, the GOP nominee in Texas’ 17^th Congressional District, held a fundraiser with Vice President Dick Cheney Monday that was notable for its low attendance and questionable fundraising success.    Despite bringing in one of the GOP’s top fundraisers, Taylor attracted “fewer than 100” supporters and refused to say how much money he raised, according to media reports. 

Taylor’s campaign fell far short of the modest standard set by 2004 GOP nominee Arlene Wohlgemuth when she held an event with Cheney, despite the fact that the ticket price for the Taylor event was only $150, while the Wohlgemuth campaign charged $200.  In her unsuccessful race against Rep. Chet Edwards, Wohlgemuth drew 400 supporters for her event with Cheney and raised $300,000.  Wohlgemuth then went on to lose Waco and McLennan County decisively, garnering just 35% of the vote in the largest county in the district – a fact that does not bode well for the Taylor campaign.

I decided the journalist thing to do was contact the Van Taylor campaign for their side of the story. Campaign manager Casey Phillips says they didn't even have enough room for the people that showed up. He also pointed out that Arlene's event was a rally and this was an inside-the-ballroom type fundraiser. "Chet's campaign is grasping" at straws, he said.

If I remember correctly, tickets were $150 to $2,100 apiece. With an estimated 150 paid tickets, I would guess the Taylor camp grossed between $22,500 and $315,000. Which would not be bad at all, though I'm guessing closer to the low end of that scale.

It's usually not my place to get into a kerfluffle, and this is no different. I do have to wonder how much was raised and how much was net profit since Dick Cheney has such a long rider.

(Ed. note: I could have linked to this older, but much funnier story. You so owe me for being mature)

From preboard to pre-born

That is a terrible segue from a post about 9/11 to a billboard seen on my drive to work everyday.

My major gripe with this sign is not the subject matter, but the language used in it. We all agreed on a language, and if you're not going to use it correctly, don't say anything at all.

How can you be pre-born? It's a lot like George Carlin's famous joke about preboarding an airplane: How can you get on an airplane before you get on the airplane? There's getting on or there isn't. There's being born and there is not being born. Two very distinctive states of being. You can be unborn or you can be born. There's no being born before you're born.

Photo credit to Space Monkey.

Good news everybody

Al Edwards lost his run-off race against Borris Miles tonight.

The Houston Democrat lost to insurance agent Borris Miles, 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent. Edwards is perhaps best known for his long tenure (he’s served in the House since 1978) and for his legislation making Juneteenth a state holiday.

I think he is actually more well-known for being a megalomanical f---tard who anointed himself protector of all our morality. But I could be wrong. People at least know about the sexy cheerleader bill, if not the statue he erected of himself.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Shenanigans!

I call shenanigans on the Texas Secretary of State!

While it is probably not his fault that Barbara Radnofsky's name was left off the ballot in Maverick County (There's really a Maverick County?), I'm still going to blame him. It's just politically expediant for me.

The question now is: Did this happen in anoy other counties and it just hasn't been reported yet? The company that did the ballots in Maverick did so for 144 other counties, according to the reporting done by Vince. Maybe it is just an anomaly. It's entirely possible it is an isolated incident.

Even so, in a run-off election with turnout as low as it is, this might make a big difference. Certainly worthy of a legal challenge in my book. We'll see how things turn out as the night progresses.

Hey

Did you vote today? I didn't either.

I guess sometime before the polls close today I should go up to my local junior high gym and pick candidates for today's run-off election. BOR has a list of endorsements you can use if you still haven't made up your mind.

A real news report

Here's the Trib account of what really happened at Monday's fundraiser headlined by VP Dick Cheney.

What could have been

I didn't go to the Dick Cheney fundraiser today, but I thought I would give you a look into what could have been if I had.

After getting up at the crack of dawn, I had my coffee and actually put on shoes and socks. After all, I had to distinguish myself from the hippies somehow. Nice and cleanly shaven, I was ready to face a roomful of Republicans.

I got to the Hilton late, as usual, and had to show proper ID and press affiliation to the guy at the door. Because this was a fundraiser, dinner was served with everyone standing. It was some kind of boiled/steamed/rubber chicken with potatoes. I complained to the server, "I thought I ordered the Buddhist Pasta" which only drew nervous laughter from those standing around me.

The iced tea wasn't much better, since Waco water has domesticated animal fecal matter in it (a nice way of saying cow sh--). I was having none of it. I was determined to get a rise out of somebody, no matter how tough the crowd was. If I had to, I would do The Aristrocrats.

The Vice President went to the podium to give his speech. I wasn't listening. 'Blah, blah gay sex... blah, blah Congress.' Boring stuff. I was just killing time until the reception line when I could shake hands with the veep and get my photo taken. The line formed and I ended up somewhere in the middle. There was a secret service guy standing next to me most of that time so I thought I should strike up a conversation.

"Is it true you guys aren't allowed to laugh no matter what? I mean, hypothetically, if I hit someone in the groin with a football, you couldn't laugh?"

"Sir, move along please."

Then it was my moment to shine. I approached the man famous for surviving the most heart attacks being vice president. I stepped up, shook hands and smiled  for the camera. Then I reached for my business card.. let me explain, I thought we had a connection, an unspoken bond at that moment that transcended partisan lines. We could agree that we were both American. And I thought this connection was one that must be furthered and that he felt it too. I was wrong.

Someone shouted "Oh my God, he's got an ACLU card!" I don't know if you watch Animal Planet, but you know when a bunch of prairie dogs or mongeese (sic) all turn their heads and look at the same direction in unison? It was like that, only with old white men.

Secret service men jumped on top of me, ready to keep my evil, commie, pink leanings from infecting the vice president. Someone handed him a handi-wipe, even.

As they were carrying me out the service entrance to throw me into a dumpster I was screamin "But I support free trade! And I was a Federalist in a former liiiifffeee!"

I was outside with the riffraff. A group of some 25 protestors were outside with some creative banners. One really creative guy had a Superman t-shirt on, his tighty whiteys on the outside of his pants and a towel safety-pinned around his neck. He was someone I had to talk to.

"Hi there. What exactly are you protesting?" I asked.

"I'm protesting the illegal war in Iraq. I'm here to fight for truth, justice and the American way."

"You don't say."

"What happened to you," he asked noticing my quite dishevelled appearance.

"Well, I had infiltrated the fundraiser so that I could have my picture taken with the vice president. I thought I could photoshop it later and make him look funny when I posted it on my blog. I was wearing pants, so I don't know how they figured out I am a liberal."

"Liberals give off a special scent."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it smells like Axe Tsunami body spray."

"So that's why I like it so much. Hmmm."

That's when I realized I was talking to a grown man wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants and I got the hell out of there. Safe at home, I was slightly bruised but none the worse for wear. I had just enough time to get ready for work.

You see, next time you should invite me, Mr. Vice President. I'll make these little trips to Waco so much more fun.

I did not see that coming

My QR Buzz tells me that Senfronia Thompson has declared her candidacy for Speaker. Look out, Craddick!

From her statement:

From her statement titled "A Woman Seeks More House Work":, "Representative Thompson stated that her decision to run for Speaker is based on her personal experience during the past three and half years. Bi-partisanship has disappeared and the result has been harmful not only to our schoolchildren and taxpayers, but to the House as a whole. Republicans and Democrats in the House have been punished for voting their districts and their consciences. Some Republican colleagues have been defeated by the Speaker and his supporters for voting against a voucher system that would do injury to their own school districts, Thompson pointed out."

"I can no longer stand by quietly and watch such damage be done to this Institution without complaining loudly and vigorously," Ms. Thompson reiterated. " I urge my fellow members, Democrat and Republican, to join me to restore dignity, fairness, balance and progress to the House of Representatives. The legislators who preceded us and those who will follow us deserve to know that in 2007, the House will declare a clear, loud "NO" to partisanship and Big Lobby power and said yes to the voters and children of Texas."

I do have to wonder how much of a hold Craddick still has. If all of the Democrats and enough of the Republicans join together to pick Thompson, Craddick is out, making this earlier post at Pink Dome very prescient.

What kind of pool... a labor pool!

My good friend and new correspondent for SE Texas, Dick, has some thoughts on today's immigration protests:

No massive demonstrations protesting proposed immigration reforms are taking place here in Beaumont. That is not to say no showings of solidarity for the cause are taking place around Southeast Texas. Supposedly some demonstrations were held at the mall and at other places. Beaumont's Catholic Bishop, Curtis J. Guillory, also had called for a special mass today at St. Anthony church for people to pray for guidance for the nation's leaders on this issue. While those at mass were at it, I hope they prayed for the nation because of its leaders, not that I am big on the power of prayer.

But if not many are taking place in demonstrations today here in Beaumont and across Southeast Texas -- at least those in the Hispanic community -- it is because they are tearing off old shingles that Hurricane Rita blew to hell and are putting on new ones.

That is just figurative, of course. Not all Hispanics are roofers any more than all Republicans wear Sansabelt slacks. The point is that most roofers you see here are Hispanic and you see a lot of roofers because of Rita's wrath. Rita created a serious worker shortage here and I dare say that the roofing companies from Houston and Dallas and Florida that flocked to this area after the storm would not have been replacing roofs left and right without a predominantly brown labor pool.

And people here are like everywhere else (perhaps a bit more Yellow Dog Democrat than the rest of the state), they want the border to quit leaking people. But they also want their roofs to not leak.

So in the end, my fellow Southeast Texans may not feel secure with the border situation and the influx of illegal immigrants. But, by God, they are a whole lot drier.