During the 2006 campaign for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Democratic nominee Hank Gilbert said that consumers were getting shorted due to faulty gas pumps.
The question I ask consumers, particularly urban consumers, is, "how many of you can go buy top-notch electronic equipment and it works perfectly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for four years without malfunctioning?" It just doesn't happen.
So every time you buy gas now, every time you buy any type of packaged meat that has been weighed, or fruits, or vegetables weighed on a scale, you're probably getting less than what you are paying for.
Even according to the current Commissioner's own documents, there a lot of regions in the state where the weights and measures are off. They are never off on the side of the consumer.
Well, turns out he was right ... even the guy who defeated him, Todd Staples is admiting it.
"At a time when families are struggling to purchase fuel, I am sure all Texans would agree with me that despicable violations such as these are repulsive and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Staples, whose agency is responsible for checking gas pumps for accuracy.
Wow, Todd sure seems angry. Of course, if he had acknowledged the problem back in 2006 -- like Hank did -- it could have addressed back then.
But no, Staples has waited until now, when astronomically high gas prices make his outrage the politcally convenient thing to do.
Not all the blame is on Staples. Previous Republican Agriculture Commissioners Rick Perry and Susan Combs "instituted legislation to where the scales and pumps are now calibrated only every four years."
We'll be lucky when Todd Staples tries to run for higher office and loses in 2010.
Of course, we'd be even luckier if Hank Gilbert decided to run again.
Without watering down their populist message, Texas's most populist Democratic Challengers are winning over traditional Republican activists. The Trans Texas Corridor Hearings by TDoT are uniting activists who usually face off against each other. Democratic Candidates Hank Gilbert (TX Agriculture Commissioner), David Van Os, (Attorney General) and Fred Head (Comptroller) all face opponents who received money from Zachry which is the Corporation chosen by TDoT to share with Citras in the $190 billion 50 year tolled Trans Texas Corridor.
Ed. note: This week, we will feature VaLinda Hathcox and Hank Gilbert in our 40/40 reports. To get to know Hatchox, click here. Check back throughout the week for continuing coverage on two of our Democratic statewide candidates.
Hank Gilbert is running against Republican Todd Staples to be Texas' next Commissioner of Agriculture. He's quick to tell you he's not a politician -- though he exudes a certain sort of authentic Texas spirit that most folks are looking for in their elected officials.
Hank's the kind of guy you talk to at a feed store, or on a skeet shoot, or on a cattle drive. Not that I've ever been any of those places -- but I've seen movies, and I can imagine. What I know outside of the movies, though, are the issues that matter -- how droughts are affecting our farmers, how the quality of food I buy at the grocery store is determined by regulations overseen and fought at the Commissioner's level, and how the Trans-Texas Corridor is preparing to destroy hundreds of thousands of acres of irreplacable Texas farmland.
Hank Gilbert is an expert on those issues, and countless others -- but not in the rehearsed, polished way we're accustomed to expecting in our political candidates.
He's natural. He's authentic. He's a real Texan with real concerns about our state and its people, and he's not about to let politics get in the way of imporant public policy.
Hank Gilbert is pure Texas -- and he's ready to be our next Commissioner of Agriculture.
Senator Do Nothing claims he is "Approaching all issues with one question: How will it affect our families?"
After five years of "representing" District 3, Staples is remembered for two things: (1) Sponsoring HB3, the 2003 redistricting bill and (2) Sponsoring HJR6, the hateful gay marriage amendment that was passed last November.
When considering legislation, Todd Staples asks the question "How will it affect our families?" If the answer is "badly", he throws his support behind it.
What a record he has. In an attempt to suck up to the Republican powerbrokers so they'd let him run statewide, Todd Staples' two biggest legislative "accomplishments" also happen to be the two biggest wastes of time in recent memory.
