Patrick had been upset that insurance benefits were offered to
members of same-sex couples in Travis County, the City of Austin,
Pflugerville ISD, El Paso, Fort Worth, the City of San Antonio, and El
Paso County.
Thanks to Senator Dan Patrick from Houston, cities across Texas have to deal with government telling them what benefits they can offer their employees.
Why does it bother you Sen. Patrick? And don't bring the Bible into this. To quote Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims (D): Each of us put our hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the
Constitution. We did not place our hands on the Constitution and swear
to uphold the Bible.
I don't know about anyone else, but I am so tired of hearing that Susan Reed may be running for Attorney General. These rumors have been around for years and have come to naught each and every year.
Reed, a Republican who will seek a fifth term, has a spring campaign event.
“I have already secured my first huge supporter who is doing a fund-raiser for me, and that is Red McCombs, on April 11,” she said, adding that she's amused by persistent whispers that she might run for attorney general.
“I don't want to move to Austin. I love San Antonio and have no
intention (to run for AG), although many people have suggested it to
me,” Reed said.
Can we please put an end to these rumors? Reed is not going to run for Attorney General...EVER. I may be going out on a limb by saying it, but I'll stay on that limb till it either breaks and she runs or holds steady and she just retires. I don't agree with Reed on much, but I too am "amused by the persistent rumors."
From 1993 - 2013, this seat was represented by Republican Jeff Wentworth. As a moderate Republican, Wentworth continually had a target on his back in recent years from more conservative Repubilcans. Some may remember the 2002 primary race when he beat back a challenge from Republican State Rep. John Shields. Finally, 2012 was the year it happened when he was defeated by Tea Party Republican Donna Campbell. For Wentworth's first term, this district was SD 26. Since 1995, it's been SD 25.
2012 President
Romney - 64.1%; 233,884
Obama - 33.9%; 123,739
U.S. Senate
Cruz - 63%; 225,935
Sadler - 33.5%; 120,055
We've seen this state before.
Making it's second and final appearance is Idaho. Romney won Idaho by 31.91% and carried this district by 30.2%. Cruz won here by 29.5%.
This district is 1 of 3 districts that are personal annoyances of mine. Not because Republicans are winning here, because when it's going Republican at the Presidential level by 30 points, it should elect Republicans. What's annoying is how Democrats, who live in this district (at least in Bexar County), continually fool themselves into thinking this district is winnable.
Election year after election year, Democrats nominate some hopeless case in a futile attempt to win this seat. Then you have numerous activists who go and spend all their time, energy, and money working for said candidate only to be disappointed that he lost in November...even though anyone who can read numbers could clearly see a Democrat was not going to win here. In 2008, McCain won this district by 24%. Amazingly enough, do you know what state this was closest to in 2008? It was also Idaho. From 2008 - 2012, this district got 6 points more Republican.
Care to guess the last time a Democrat won statewide in Idaho? 2002, Marilyn Howard, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. And she was running for re-election, so she had a leg up being the incumbent. The closest result since then? The 2006 race to succeed Howard. The Republican won with 51% of the vote and a margin of 11,158 votes. The average Republican vs. Democratic vote in 2006 was 53.89% to 41.26%. In 2010, it was 66.56% vs. 30.84%.
Having said all that, Idaho is a state and SD 25 is a district in Texas specifically drawn to elect Republicans. A Democrat is not going to win here unless the Republican Party collapses in on itself like flan in a cupboard. The counties that make up this district are 24% of Bexar, 100% of Comal, 62% of Guadalupe, 69% of Hays, 100% of Kendall, 7% of Travis. In 2012, only Travis voted for the Democratic candidate in the SD 25 race, and that was only by a little over 1,100 votes. Every other county voted for Campbell. This district is made up of 3 fairly reliable Republican counties: Comal, Guadalupe, and Kendall. Campbell received 77% of the vote in Comal, 70% of the vote in Guadalupe, and 82% in Kendall. Hays is more marginal, but the 69% of Hays this county covers went for Campbell by 60% versus 40%. The Bexar County portion of this district is strongly Republican; it's almost all the northside of Bexar County. This portion of Bexar County went for Campbell by 65% versus 35%.
There's one thing to be said for the run everywhere strategy, which I do agree with. I do think Democrats should run everywhere, if only to be able to get an idea of what the baseline vote is. But should you waste your time, energy and effort trying to win a hopeless race when there are other races and other political activities that would be more worth your while?
The Senate voted 62-36 in favor of disaster relief for Hurricane
Sandy. Amazingly 25 states have never had a federal disaster. Those
states are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, & Wyoming.
At
least that's what I have to assume, because why would 36 senators, all
Republicans, vote against federal disaster relief if their own states
had gotten federal assistance after a disaster?
Thankfully FEMA, like so many government entities, keeps records. Sens. John Cornyn (R) and Ted Cruz (R) both voted against disaster relief. Amazing. A state as big and old as Texas has never had a federal disaster.
Guess again. In fact, Texas has had more Disaster Declarations than any other state at 333. The next closest is California with 211. From FEMA:
Date
Incident Description
5/15/1953
Tornado, Heavy Rainfall
6/19/1953
FLOOD
7/1/1954
FLOOD
4/29/1957
Hurricane, Rain, Wind, Hail, Floods
6/6/1958
Tornadoes, Rain, Hail, Floods
7/8/1959
FLOODS
7/15/1960
Heavy Rains, Hail, Floods, Tornadoes
9/16/1961
HURRICANE CARLA
9/24/1963
HURRICANE CINDY
6/19/1965
TORNADOES, FLOODING
5/12/1966
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
9/27/1966
Heavy Rains, Flooding
9/28/1967
HURRICANE BEULAH
6/10/1968
Heavy Rains, Flooding
7/5/1968
Severe Storms, High Winds, Flooding
5/13/1970
Tornadoes, Windstorms, Flooding
8/4/1970
HURRICANE CELIA
9/18/1971
Heavy Rains, High Winds, Flooding
1/27/1972
Heavy Rains, Flooding
5/20/1972
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
3/12/1973
High Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding
6/25/1973
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
7/11/1973
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
11/30/1974
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
2/15/1975
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
4/1/1975
TORNADOES
6/19/1976
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
8/3/1978
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
4/11/1979
SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES
4/26/1979
SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING
6/14/1979
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
7/28/1979
STORMS, FLASH FLOODS
9/25/1979
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
8/11/1980
HURRICANE ALLEN
9/26/1980
Tropical Storm Danielle
9/21/1981
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
10/23/1981
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
4/8/1982
SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES
5/25/1982
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
8/19/1983
HURRICANE ALICIA
1/7/1984
Severe Freezing Weather
10/2/1984
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
10/30/1984
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
4/23/1986
Severe Storms, Rains, Tornadoes
9/10/1986
TORNADOES
5/26/1987
SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES
11/20/1987
SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES
10/5/1988
HURRICANE GILBERT
4/23/1989
SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING
5/19/1989
SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING
7/18/1989
Tropical Storm Allison
1/9/1990
Severe Freeze
5/2/1990
Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornado
4/12/1991
Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornado
12/26/1991
Severe Storm, Thunderstorms
3/20/1992
Flooding, Severe Storm
7/2/1992
Severe Storm, Tornadoes
9/9/1992
Heavy Rain, Hail
12/4/1992
Severe Storm, Thunderstorms, Tornadoes
4/29/1994
Severe Storms, Tornadoes
10/18/1994
Severe Storm, Thunderstorms, Flooding
6/13/1995
Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornadoes, Hail
7/7/1997
Severe Storms/Flooding
8/26/1998
Tropical Storm Charley
9/23/1998
Tropical Storm Frances
10/21/1998
Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes
5/6/1999
Severe Storms and Tornadoes
8/22/1999
Hurricane Bret
4/7/2000
Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding
1/8/2001
Severe Winter Storm
6/9/2001
Severe Storms and Flooding
7/4/2002
Severe Storms and Flooding
9/26/2002
Tropical Storm Fay
11/5/2002
Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
7/17/2003
Hurricane Claudette
9/24/2005
Hurricane Rita
1/11/2006
Extreme Wildfire Threat
8/15/2006
Flooding
5/1/2007
Severe Storms and Tornadoes
6/29/2007
Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
10/2/2007
Tropical Storm Erin
7/24/2008
Hurricane Dolly
9/13/2008
Hurricane Ike
8/3/2010
Hurricane Alex
7/1/2011
Wildfires
9/9/2011
Wildfires
If you lost count, that's 86 Major Disaster Declarations. Add to that 13 Emergency Declarations and 234 Fire Management Assistance Declarations. Those in bold occurred when either Cornyn or Cruz were in the Senate.
Since 1997, SD 24 has been represented by Republican Troy Fraser. Fun fact, back when this district was in and around San Antonio, it was represented by Harry Hertzberg. In case you're wondering, yes, that Hertzberg. From 1989 - 1993, Democrat Temple Dickinson represented this district. Some redistricting happened, so for 1 session a good part of this district became SD 25, then back to SD 24 in 1997. I swear, trying to follow redistricting changes in Texas is a Herculean task.
2012 President
Romney - 70.7%; 195,593
Obama - 27.8%; 76,766
U.S. Senate
Cruz - 69.3%; 188,722
Sadler - 27.6%; 75,138
We've been here before. Twice in fact.
Making its third and final appearance, it's Wyoming. Romney won by 40.82% in Wyoming and carried this district by 42.9%. Cruz won here by 41.7%.
The composition of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. Green = 1 Senator. Purple = 2 Senators. This is the most Southern-dominated committee. All but 2 states of the Confederacy are represented on this committee. From the Committee's website:
As specified in Rule XXV, 1(c)(1) of the Standing Rules of the
Senate, the Committee on Armed Services' has the following jurisdiction:
1. Aeronautical and space activities peculiar to or primarily
associated with the development of weapons systems or military
operations.
2. Common defense.
3. Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the
Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force, generally.
4. Maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, including administration, sanitation, and government of the Canal Zone.
5. Military research and development.
6. National security aspects of nuclear energy.
7. Naval petroleum reserves, except those in Alaska.
8. Pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and
privileges of members of the Armed Forces, including overseas education
of civilian and military dependents.
9. Selective service system.
10. Strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense.
The Senate has also given the committee the authority to study
and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to the common
defense policy of the United States, and report thereon from time to
time.
Top 10 States with the most military bases (including Coast Guard. Technically the Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee):
California - 33
Virginia - 27
Florida - 21
Texas - 15
Georgia - 12
Hawaii - 11
Maryland - 11
D.C. - 10
Alaska - 9
New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina - 8 each
States on the committee are bolded. Funny, New Hampshire has 1 military base, but 2 Senators on the committee versus California with 33 and no Senators.
Since 1993, SD 23 has been represented by Democrat Royce West. Prior to West, this district has had some notable Senators. For one term, George Erath represented this district when it covered Waco. Erath County was named for him. When this district was located out west around Wichita Falls, Democrat Jack Hightower represented it for one term. Hightower would later serve in the U.S. House for 5 terms and serve on the State Supreme Court for 8 years. When this district moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Democrat Oscar Mauzy represented it. Older liberals will probably remember Mauzy for his work in the Legislature as well as for his stint on the State Supreme Court:
Among the important things he accomplished was single member legislative
districts in the Legislature, the 1972 passage of the Equal Rights
Amendment in Texas, and the authorship of the 1989 court ruling which
declared the state's public school finance system unconstitutional.
Mauzy was one of the leaders of the 'Killer Bees' of the 66th Regular
Session, who broke the Senate's quorum to protest legislation that would
create a separate day presidential primary.
Following Mauzy, future Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson held this seat until her election to the U.S. House.
2012 President
Obama - 81.1%; 190,103
Romney - 18.1%; 42,408
U.S. Senate
Sadler - 78.7%; 181,772
Cruz - 19.3%; 44,540
Which state goes here?
Aloha, it's Hawaii. Obama carried Hawaii by 42.71% and won this district by 63%. Sadler won here by 59.4%. You're probably thinking that's a pretty wide gap...42 and 63. Let me just say, it was close. Obama's two best performing states* were D.C. and Hawaii. He carried D.C. by 83.63% and Hawaii by 42.71%. The 63 point win here was .34% closer to Hawaii versus D.C. Either way, it's safe to say this district is very Democratic.
I've heard of this only through word of mouth, but now it's finally hit the papers here. According to the Express-News, Mayor Julian Castro and 8 of the members of the San Antonio City Council have had ethics complaints filed against them. A PAC by the name of Texas Ethics Advisory Board (sounds so official doesn't it?), is behind the complaints. So what do they claim is their reason:
progressive candidates, officeholders and political action committees
who have long been contributing to the runaway growth of government.
Of course their mission statement, if you can call it that, is a LIE. What was their reason for going after the Mayor and Council? From the Express-News:
Elmer said that after the council's 2011 vote to extend employee
benefits to domestic partners, it decided to audit the campaign finance
reports of all the council members.
They weren't going after expanded government, they were going after officials who they disagreed with.
Proof #2 it's LIE, from the Express-News:
Elmer said that when his group decided to take on the City Council, it vowed to offer equal scrutiny to all 11 members.
It found no issues with the campaign finance reports of the most right-leaning members of the council: Elisa Chan
and Carlton Soules. The group found only “de minimis” violations —
those lacking significance or importance — by Chan and Soules, he said.
Why is this a LIE:
But some of the allegations levied against Chan and Soules' colleagues easily could apply to the two North Side council members.
Elmer's
group alleged, for example, that Bernal, Taylor, Saldaña, Medina, and
Lopez each accepted contributions from “T.C. Frost.” The group claims
the council members failed to “fully disclose the name” of the person
making the contribution.
It also said that Bernal, Taylor and Castro accepted contributions
from “K.P. Ganeshappa” in violation of the same reporting requirements.
Campaign finance records show Chan accepted contributions from the same two individuals, and reported them in the same way.
They LIED. Did they file complaints against the two most conservative members on the council? Nope. This group was going to scrutinize all 11 council members, yet for some reason, they decided that the 2 most conservative members didn't need the complaints filed against them even though they had the exact same violations. You're not after bigger government, you're after people who disagree with you.
Like a bunch of other hateful, angry, and bigoted Tea Party conservatives, they can't win at the ballot box, so they try to intimidate and brow beat everyone into submission. Apparently they learned political skills from Torquemada. 5 will get you 10 if you asked this group their opinion on frivolous lawsuits, they'd be against them. Funny, they don't mind frivolous complaints. Maybe it's time for the Texas Ethics Commission to have a reverse fine policy. You file too many frivolous complaints and you start getting fined for each one. Speaking of Torquemada, you can't talk Inquisition with out Mel Brooks:
This group of Ozzie and Harriet enthusiasts are filing ethics "complaints" against numerous elected officials both Democratic and Republican. Apparently if you are an elected official who doesn't believe in their bigoted backasswards view of the world, you're likely to have your financial reports gone over and have a complaint or 20 filed against you at the Texas Ethics Commission. It's one thing to be a good government watchdog like CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) or the Sunlight Foundation. CREW has pointed out corruption ranging from conservative Republican to liberal Democrat. It's another to be going after officials because you disagree with them.
If you're pro-choice, you're in their line of sight.
If you think gays aren't an abomination, you're in their line of sight.
This same group doesn't just limit their targets to elected officials. Apparently they also spend their time trying to ban books and cover up nude statues. Next thing you know, Cotton Mather will be here and they'll have girls
claiming they've been afflicted by the apparitions of their enemies.
You don't even need to be pro-choice or not anti-gay. For Republicans, you just have to be not-too-crazy. Here's a question to progressives: when you think of progressive elected officials currently in office, do the following names ever come to mind:
State Rep. Allen Fletcher (R-Cypress)
State Rep. Jim Keffer (R-Eastland)
State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham)
State Rep. Joe Straus (R-San Antonio)
It really is kinda sad. It's like watching a species go extinct. Their worldview filled with hate and bigotry is dying and they don't know what to do.
Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. Purple states have both Senators on the Committee. Interestingly, all 3 of those purple states have 1 Democrat and 1 Republican.
From the Committee site:
The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest
committee in the U.S. Senate, consisting of 30 members in the 111th
Congress. Its role is defined by the U.S. Constitution, which requires
"appropriations made by law" prior to the expenditure of any money from
the Federal treasury. The Committee, chaired by Barbara Mikulski
(D-Maryland), writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the
numerous government agencies, departments, and organizations on an
annual basis. Appropriations are limited to the levels set by a Budget
Resolution, drafted by the Senate Budget Committee.
12 subcommittees are tasked with drafting
legislation to allocate funds to government agencies within their
jurisdictions. These subcommittees are responsible for reviewing the
President's budget request, hearing testimony from government officials,
and drafting the spending plans for the coming fiscal year. Their work
is passed on to the full Senate Appropriations Committee, which may
review and modify the bills and forward them to the full Senate for
consideration.
The Committee is also responsible for supplemental
spending bills, which are sometimes needed in the middle of a fiscal
year to compensate for emergency expenses.
Most people might think, the larger your state is in terms of population, the more money a state would need.
The top 10 most populous states: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, and North Carolina. Bold states are on the Appropriations Committee.
The 10 least populous states: Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine. Bold states are on the committee.
Since 2010, SD 22 has been represented by Republican Brian Birdwell. This district is in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area and was one of several districts that seemed to get shuffled around during redistricting. In 1993, SD 22 was represented by Republican Jane Nelson, who currently represents SD 12. Back then SD 22 was made up of Bosque, Comanche, Denton, Eastland, Erath, Hamilton, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise counties. Enter redistricting a couple years later, and Republican David Sibley represents a larger SD 22 with the addition of Hill, Jack, and McLennan counties. Fast forward to 2002, Sibley resigns and Republican Kip Averitt becomes the new senator for District 22. Citing health reasons, Averitt resigns and a special election is order, and Birdwell becomes the new Senator for a smaller District 22.
2012 President
Romney - 68%; 186,950
Obama - 30.7%; 84,413
U.S. Senate
Cruz - 66.5%; 180,482
Sadler - 30.9%; 83,744
Which state fits the bill?
Wyoming makes its second appearance. Romney won Wyoming by 40.82% and carried this district by 37.3%. Cruz won here by 35.6%.
Labour MP and 2-time Academy Award winning actress Glenda Jackson reminds us that just because someone is dead doesn't mean they're automatically a saint.
On France24 they had a panel looking at Margaret Thatcher's legacy. The only real defender of Thatcher seemed to be the only person who wasn't an adult while she was PM. France24 Part One and Part Two.
Senate District 21 is a Laredo-based seat that, thanks to Republican redistricting, goes all the way to Travis County/Austin. Democrat Judith Zaffirini has represented the district since 1987 and she's the 2nd most senior senator and the first Hispanic woman elected to the State Senate.
2012 President
Obama - 58.4%; 116,117
Romney - 39.8%; 79,167
U.S. Senate
Sadler - 54.3%; 104,747
Cruz - 41.5%; 80,022
She's behind Democrat John Whitmire in terms of seniority, but she equals him in another.
Delaware most closely matched SD 21 (and previously SD 15). Obama won Delaware by 18.63% and carried this district by 18.6%. Sadler won here by 12.8%.
Senate District 20 is based in South Texas and has been represented by Democrat Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa since 2003. Prior to Hinojosa, Democrat Carlos Truan held the seat from 1977-2003. Not much to tell about this district, although one of it's previous occupants did cause some trouble in the Legislature. John Dancy represented SD 20 for 1 term back in 1851-1853. Dancy then was elected to the State House of Representatives for 1 term (1855-1857). While in the State House, Dancy had some trouble during the session. From the House Journal 8/21/1856:
The Speaker called Mr. Dancy to order, stating that it was out of order for any member of the House to set within the bar of the House, during the session thereof, without his coat.
Mr. Dancy appealed the decision of the Chair, whereupon the yeas and nays were called, and the House sustained the decision of the Chair,...
Four days later during a call of the House:
On motion of Mr. Poag, the Sergeant-at-Arms was dispatched after Mr. Dancy, who made his escape through the window.
Interestingly enough, from the House Journal on that Aug. 21 day:
The Joint Committee on Enrolled bills have examined the following bills, and find them correctly enrolled:
An Act to create the county of "La Salle."
An act to create the county of "Brown,"
An act to create the county of "Palo Pinto."
An act to create the county of "Jack."
An act to create the county of "McCulloch."
2012 President
Obama - 57.1%; 107,629
Romney - 41.6%; 78,474
U.S. Senate
Sadler - 54.4%; 99,706
Cruz - 43%; 78,736
Which state goes here?
As Maine goes, so goes the nation. Obama carried Maine by 15.29% and he won this district by 15.5%. Sadler won here by 11.4%.
According to the USDA (Agriculture Dept.), the top 10 agricultural producing states (in terms of cash receipts) are: California, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, North Carolina, Indiana, & Missouri.
What all does the Agriculture Committee have responsibility for? From the Committee website:
1. The following standing committees shall be appointed at the
commencement of each Congress, and shall continue and have the power to
act until their successors are appointed, with leave to report by bill
or otherwise on matters within their respective jurisdictions:
(a)(1) Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, to which
committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages,
petitions, memorials, and other matters relating primarily to the
following subjects:
1. Agricultural economics and research.
2. Agricultural extension services and experiment stations.
3. Agricultural production, marketing, and stabilization of prices.
4. Agriculture and agricultural commodities.
5. Animal industry and diseases.
6. Crop insurance and soil conservation.
7. Farm credit and farm security.
8. Food from fresh waters.
9. Food stamp programs.
10. Forestry, and forest reserves and wilderness areas other than those created from the public domain.
11. Home economics.
12. Human nutrition.
13. Inspection of livestock, meat, and agricultural products.
14. Pests and pesticides.
15. Plant industry, soils, and agricultural engineering.
16. Rural development, rural electrification, and watersheds.
17. School nutrition programs.
(2) Such committee shall also study and review, on a comprehensive
basis, matters relating to food, nutrition, and hunger, both in the
United States and in foreign countries, and rural affairs, and report
thereon from time to time.
