"Gently resisting change since 1872"

by: Brenda Crane

Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 03:56 PM CDT

The history of this town is much like the history of the United States.  In the mid 1840's German farmers settled in Gruene.  Ernst Gruene and his family were the first to build their homes in Gruene where they used the surrounding land to plant cotton.  As with many investments, cotton became the number one cash crop and with that brought more families to Gruene.  New families meant new homes, different styles, and new businesses to include a cotton gin.  A dance hall and saloon (Gruene Hall) were also built which served as the heart of the community's social life.  

The original cotton gin burned in 1922 and was later replaced by a modern electric model.  The Depression along with the disasters to the cotton industry all but shut down the once bustling town.  Gruene Hall was the only "business" spared.  For close to 50 years the town remained a ghost of what once was.  In the mid 1970's much of the Gruene estate was sold ushering in a new era of business and a new and thriving community.  

If you think this is an essay on the "History of Gruene, Texas" you would be mistaken.  This is the story of America embodied by a small town in Texas.  Although just about everything in Texas is bigger, Gruene remains a charming town filled with shops offering everything from furniture to gourmet coffee.  The old cotton gin serves as a restaurant and Gruene Hall hosts the likes of George Strait and Lyle Lovett.  The town bodes something for even the most discriminating of tastes.

"Gently resisting change since 1872."  You will not find yourself bartering with cattle for your meal. Gruene does have ATM machines.  You see, although Gruene maintains its charm, it has changed.  The families who first settled in Gruene came looking for a better life, each bringing the best they could offer to their community. This was the foundation. When the old cotton gin burned down, a new, more advanced one replaced it. When hard times fell upon the nation, thus affecting the town, the landscape changed.  

For this small town it took close to 50 years for new life to be brought back into the empty stores, along with a great deal of hard work and restoration.  Our nation is facing trials not seen since the Great Depression which swallowed Gruene.  There are a great many stores that must be rebuilt, mills to be replaced and a community of people that must work together for the greater good.  Much like "Gruene Hall," Texas serves as the center of the community which even in the face of devastation never failed.  We have watched as some of our elected officials have sat for decades in office and we are now suffering from the failed policies, politics and promises they made.  As Texans, we are proud of our state.  We are proud of our history.  As Texans we must not allow that same pride to stand in the way of progress.  We may have a new, more modern cotton gin, but a great many of our stores remain cloaked in cobwebs of times long past.  Will we choose to suffer the devastation that held Gruene captive for over 50 years, or will we stand Texas proud as Gruene Hall, whose music echoes in the streets and begin our restoration.  I'm ready.  Are you?      

Andrews County Votes for a Nuclear Waste Dump

by: txnewsboy

Sat May 09, 2009 at 00:17 PM CDT

Andrews County in far West Texas is deciding today if they should use county funds to pay for a local private nuclear waste dump.
At a recent community meeting in Andrews County, voters like Gerri Steward came to learn more about the upcoming bond election. Voters are being asked to approve a $75 million deal that would finance a low-level radioactive disposal site. Gerri says her "first impulse is to say no. They should get it from a bank or something else, but with our economy, I don't know if it's the right thing or not."

50-year resident Stew Collins says he's here to get some answers. He is undecided and will make up his mind after reading pamphlets provided by Waste Control Specialists (WCS). But like most people in Andrews, he skeptical of government promises. "Some of the stuff here said it won't cost the taxpayer a dime. I don't hardly believe that I ever saw anything that came here that didn't cost the taxpayer something," says Collins.

The bonds will be used to pay for the first low-level nuclear waste disposal site licensed in the U.S. in 30 years. WCS worked for 15 years to get to this point. They dealt with regulatory agencies and successfully lobbied for changes to the environmental laws to get the license that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted it in January.

But according to WCS CEO Bill Lindquist, there is a new problem - a global recession. He says, "If we were at this point probably 12 to 18 months ago, we would have gotten the financing other ways. You read it in the newspapers and I've talked to a lot of banks, a lot of financial institutions the last three or four months and there's no credit out there."

Lindquist says the solution is to use the county's credit rating, so WCS can start in June with the digging of the giant hole in the ground west of town where low-level nuclear waste collected from Texas and Vermont will be buried.

Andrews County stands to make a lot of money off the nuclear waste business. It gets 5 percent of WCS's gross income. Former Congressman and co-owner of WCS, Kent Hance, says that about $15 million a year going will be going to the county by 2011. "We're asking the county to help us out with their credit rating and I don't see any risk to them and there's a lot of upsides. They are going to make some money off this," he says

But some members of the community are against the project. No one is more outspoken then sisters Peggy and Melodey Pryor who fear a nuclear waste leak. They say, "People need to speak up in this town, 400 people is not a majority of 10,000 people." They criticize WCS paying for the election and question the safety in regards to waste coming from Vermont as well as Texas.

Although their environmental concerns went unanswered, they were still adamant about getting their point across. "You don't think this looks inappropriate that you are paying for the election. If we aren't going to pay anything, why are we even having it," they say.

Andrews County resident Dorothy Wilson comments the declining growth of the small town. She has lived in Andrews County for 35 years and seen growth go up and down with oil. She does not know if she is voting for the bill or not. "And you're saying your going to bring us more prosperity, and that's what we want, prosperity," she says.

Election Day is May 9 and WCS officials say if the bonds are rejected at the polls, they will still build the disposal site, but it might take about two more years to round up the funding.

Election Day: Finding the Vote

by: liberaltexan

Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 02:15 PM CST

There are a plethora of campaign signs, but the surprising thing is that even in a country as historically red as Brazos there are still a significant number of Obama signs. At polling places there are also campaign workers working to change minds, and those are the people that can help make the difference. That last contact and last campaign sign that voters see can make the difference.

There will be more Election Day coverage as the day goes on...

Political and social thought...
To the Left of College Station

Good Luck to Us All

by: David Van Os

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 07:16 AM CST

As I stood in the voting booth on the first day of early voting, I thought about...

Clean out the nest of thugs who stole America

by: David Van Os

Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 07:53 AM CDT

The enormous usage of lies, spin, intimidation, and subjection of public office to political power to prevent all the votes from being counted was obvious and chilling.

We saw  

Let's Put Our Students First

by: Laura Ewing Campaign Netroots Outreach

Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 11:37 PM CDT

Following James Leininger's Money

by: Triangulation of Death

Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 04:36 PM CDT

Compared to two years ago, it appears that voucher sugardaddy James Leininger has pulled back a bit (so far) in his donations to candidates for state office. Leininger is the state's biggest financial supporter of private school voucher schemes. (You can read more about Leininger in a 2006 Texas Freedom Network Education Fund report on the religious right in Texas.) Vouchers take money from public schools to pay for tuition at private and religious schools.

Over the years Leininger has poured millions of dollars into the campaigns of pro-voucher Republicans, including current Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Leininger has funneled a lot of that money through political action committees. That strategy can give him and his hired hands more control over the campaigns of candidates he supports.

So far in 2007-08 election cycle, however, Leininger has given only about $815,000 to Republican candidates and PACs, according to reports available on the Texas Ethics Commission Web site. That compares to nearly $4 million Leininger had donated by this point in the 2005-06 cycle. More than $2.35 million of that money two years ago went to the Texas Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, a PAC that targeted five House incumbents for defeat in the Republican primaries because they opposed private school vouchers. Another $620,000 went to The Future of Texas Alliance PAC, which backed House Republican incumbents who supported vouchers.

Of course, Leininger's attempt to buy a Legislature that would finally pass a voucher scheme failed in 2006. He defeated only two anti-voucher Republican incumbents. In addition, a number of pro-voucher GOP incumbents - including then-House Public Education Committee chairman Kent Grusendorf, R-Arlington - lost their re-election bids.

Leininger hasn't fared much better this year. For the second time in a row, gobs of his money failed to unseat state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth. (Geren, a strong supporter of public schools, famously said two years ago that he wouldn't "whore for Leininger" and vote for vouchers.) This year Leininger gave $100,000 to Tom Annunziato's failed effort to defeat Geren. Annunziato's campaign got another nearly $70,000 from Empower Texans PAC, which itself has received $100,000 from Leininger.

Leininger also ponied up more than $70,000 for the failed re-election campaign of state Rep. Nathan Macias, R-Bulverde. Leininger bankrolled Macias' successful effort to unseat anti-voucher state Rep. Carter Casteel, R- New Braunfels in 2006. Macias, who also got about $80,000 this year from Empower Texans PAC, narrowly lost his Republican primary last March.

Although his spending so far is less than usual, we would be surprised if Leininger doesn't spend more money in support of pro-voucher candidates in the fall.

Proposed Obama/McCain town hall meeting at the LBJ Library

by: boo

Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 02:22 PM CDT

The McCain camp, which has been pressuring Obama to participate in a whole series of joint town hall meetings with the Republican nominee, has already accepted the invitation.  No word, yet, from the Obama campaign.  

The two campaigns have been wrangling over the number and type of joint appearances they will agree to before the election.  The McCain camp initially proposed ten such meetings to take place before the Democratic and Republican conventions.  The Obama campaign has countered with an offer to participate in one joint town hall meeting in July, in addition to three traditional debates and an in-depth foreign policy debate in August.  The McCain camp says that is insufficient and are obviously hoping that they can make this a campaign issue, as did Clinton.

The LBJ/Reagan press release states that "A respected, independent polling organization will be brought on to ensure that the audiences will represent a cross-section of the American people."  I have written to Anne Wheeler with the LBJ Library asking how the public will submit themselves for consideration. I will update this diary with details if I hear anything.

Capital City Young Democrats Endorse in Austin Municipal Election

by: PI Lawyer

Fri Apr 04, 2008 at 02:36 PM CDT

CCYD endorsed the following candidates:

Austin Community College Board of Trustees, Place 1
Tim Mahoney

Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees, District 3
Jerry Garcia

Austin City Council, Place 1
Lee Leffingwell

Austin City Council, Place 3
Jennifer Kim

Austin City Council, Place 4
Robin Cravey

Early voting in the municipal election will take place Monday, April 28, through Tuesday, May 06.

CCYD meets the first Thursday of every month at 6:00 PM.  Membership is open to anyone 40 years old or younger.

Ray McMurrey Endorses Rick Noriega

by: Ray McMurrey for U.S. Senate 2008

Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 02:30 PM CDT

~Karl-Thomas

McMurrey Statement on Primary Results
Expresses Thanks to Supporters; Endorses Noriega

Ray McMurrey issued the following statement regarding Tuesday's primary results:

Based on the results of the March 4th primary election, my candidacy for the 2008 Democratic nomination for United States Senator has ended. I gave my time, talent and treasure to this race. My campaign was always about the issues and ideas that will improve the daily lives of Texas families. My platform resonated across Texas, and I appreciate the many supporters who believed in me and my message. It is my hope the Democratic ticket will embrace single-payer health care, a strict timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and public financing of campaigns.

I wish to thank the wonderful people of Texas for the gracious reception and hospitality given to me. It was one of life's greatest experiences to travel this beautiful state, to hear Texans' concerns and hopes and to run as a Democrat.

I endorse Rick Noriega for the United States Senate. During this primary, Rick has always been a gentleman and shown kindness to me and my family. I have the highest respect for his military service to this country and his legislative experience in the Texas House of Representatives. Without reservation, I will lead a get-out-the-vote movement in my area to elect Rick Noriega.

Although elections should not be about money, we know the reality: John Cornyn has raised millions of dollars in campaign money from corporate interests that pollute the political process and betray the public interest. Mr. Cornyn epitomizes what is wrong with politics today. He is the reason why working-class Texans struggle daily and lose faith in the political process.

Texans need to rally around Rick at this time and help him accumulate the funds needed to take on John Cornyn. I urge all Texans to do what they can to help Rick end the Cornyn legacy of abusing Constitutional liberties and rights to privacy, betraying children by denying health benefits to hard-working families and deceiving this nation about the Iraq War. We must - and we can - do better.

Let's elect Rick Noriega in November! Start today by visiting his Web site, http://www.ricknoriega.com, and contributing now.