The 2010 financial reform bill created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stem financial abuses on American citizens. Today, the Senate GOP, including Texas' two GOP senators, blocked President Obama's nominee, Richard Cordray, from becoming the first director of the CFPB.
The Texas Democratic Party sent out this statement.
Hutchison and Cornyn Vote against Consumers
TDP spokesperson Anthony Gutierrez released the following statement in response to the vote to block the nomination of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by Senators Hutchison and Cornyn:
"It's shameful that Senators Hutchison and Cornyn blocked the nomination of Richard Cordray. This is a slap in the face to working Texans. Their vote will leave millions of Texans without protection from predatory lending by banks, student-loan providers and payday lenders.
Every opportunity they get, Republicans make it clear that they are beholden to Wall Street and large corporations."
Without an acting director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cannot issue rules to regulate so-called non-bank lenders, which include payday lenders and student loan providers.
A critique to the public concerning trash left behind after visiting Old Pue Road River Access where the Medina River meets West 1604, in South West Bexar County. I was a part of a group of South Side Fisherman who made a plea to Texas Senator Hutchinson concerning the difficulties to access large tracks of land owned by the public such as Niches of Nature created by the construction of bridges;specifically, the 1604 Medina River crossing on the west side of Bexar County also serving the North Side of Atascosa County and West Side Medina County.
There are three high schools in this area, and many of these children never spend time in the outdoors because most land in Texas is privately owned and accessible to only the wealthy few who pay a lower tax rate than anyone else; however, enjoy more Civil Liberties than the Majority of Texans.
Sometimes, encroaching development gives back to community such as the construction of the 1 mile 1604 bridge crossing replacing the Old Pue Road bridge that spans the Medina River on the west side of San Antonio. There are very few places on the South Side of San Antonio area that a family can go and harvest Texas Pecans, Texas Wild Grapes, Fish, Swim, and Hike or just kick back and reflect about the wonders of nature which is my personal passion.
Please consider the next time you visit this area to bring a trash bag with you and remove, not just items you would discard, but some of the trash that others have carelessly left behind. I know the first thing that comes to mind is River access on the North Side of Texas is always in the News and the South Side is forgotten or never mentioned. So I thought I would write something for US!
Why It Concerns Me:
a. Because Barack Obama, the President of The United States of America told me to do so via a general email to all Americans, "There are so many ways to get involved, and every American can do something. You can join me in participating in the National Day of Service by finding a service opportunity in your area on Serve.gov."
Note: I did not like the theme of the uTube video put out by the Sheriffs Association, "The President of the United States cannot tell us what to do." Oh yes he can! We are a Nation Transformed and We The People will not tolerate the insolence of a Police State any longer. You can bet your pay check I have already made that call and reported you treasonous Commies. You are starting to sound like that crazed governor of Texas playing his fiddle while Texas burns!
b. We could lose access to this area if we do not police our own behavior!
c. I am a registered Texas Horned Lizard Watch Volunteer who documents sittings of the famous near extinct Texas Horny Toad for the Texas Wildlife diversity Program 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744 www.tpwd.state.tx.us/tracker .
Since 1999, I have seen one Horny Toad on a Texas rural dirt road leading to the famous Chalk Bluff River Side park in Real County Texas.
Citation Image: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DM07...
d. The rare Guadalupe River Bass, mentioned in Senator Cornyn's article "Celebrating Texas' Great Outdoors" can be found in the waters below the Medina Dam in this area. Warning to fisherman - Catch and release is the only way this species will survive! Citation: http://cornyn.senate.gov/publi...
e. There are 100rds of acres of private land which belongs to the public that is blocked off to the public on the South Side of Town. Why should the State of Texas allow us our liberties to enjoy nature if we do not keep it free from human pollution by discarding our trash anywhere we please?
A group of poverty stricken South Side San Antonio fisherman, as me as their proxy, made a plea to Congressman Ciro Rodrigues via Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to reopen this Public Area approximately 15 Acers of River, Streams, Pecan Groves, trails, and Texas Wild Grapes.
You're Representatives in Congress and the U.S. Senate responded with a used car parking rail, a trash can, and the construction of a rock wire-mess wall to stop the sand from washing out the bridge.
The protective wire mess wall was designed by the Texas Highway Department in such a way that any healthy person can access the Medina River south of the Medina Dam. We thank you.
I now see children hiking with their parents in those same areas of untouched natural resources with big smiles of adventure as they prove to themselves that there is a forest beyond the tress!
I and other Texans would like to develop some of these areas with profit making concessions that will help preserve Nature and Our Right to enjoy them. Privatizing the concessions of these areas is a stroke to the heart strings of any True Texas Republican.
Tell me, how can I approach the Texas Department of Agriculture if their counter argument is that the People on the South Side of San Antonio have no respect for their natural resources? Hey, that's what they are saying about the People on the North Side - I Know We Can Do Better!
We can start by giving the Park a name such as a green highway sign that reads "The Park With No Name" or if you would like an entrepreneur like me to take ownership and responsibility with no cost to the State of Texas, you can name it after me "O'Dell Park." When you make a citizen of the State the responsible party, he/she takes ownership that will ensure access to Texas Public land and the preservation of Niches in Nature by defending Our Right to enjoy them!
God Blessed Texas with Natural Resources. Please help preserve public lands. The Best Things In Life Are Free!
It would be expected for Kay Bailey Hutchison, who has been in the U.S. Senate since 1993, to raise a significant amount of money from Washington, D.C. for her gubernatorial campaign.
However, Rick Perry -- the guy who cannot go one speech without blaming all of Texas' problems on "Washington" -- actually raised more money from Washington than Hutchison did in 2009.
Kate Alexander, the Statesman’s data guru, ran some numbers and found that, in the second half of 2009, Perry raised $37,500 in Washington, while Hutchison raised $19,900. For all of 2009, Hutchison raised $45,165 from Washington and Perry raised $38,225. (As a sitting governor, Perry was barred from raising money for almost all of the first half of 2009 because of the legislative session.)
Embry notes that Hutchison transfered $600,000 from her senate account and so, if that amount is included, she likely did raise more from Washington in 2009.
There should be no surprise that national Republicans are taking a financial interest in a primary that is billing billed as a battle for the soul of the Republican Party. What is slightly surprising is that Perry leads Hutchison in fundraising in a city that she has spent more than fifteen years working in.
Over at Crooks and Liars you can watch Kay Bailey on Fox News feigning outrage at Sen. Harry Reid's absolutely true comments about previous attempts by conservatives to impede reform. She also reiterates the patently false claims that the Republicans do have a plan and that the mean old Democrats won't give it a chance. Then she gets the interviewer's name wrong. Work it, Hutch.
Even though the race may not officially exist yet, there is plenty going on in the race to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate.
If you're in Austin, John Sharp is launching his campaign at Abel's on the Lake at 6pm tonight. Suggested contribution is $35.
Speaking of Sharp, Galveston County Democratic Party Chair Lloyd Criss has a BOR diary up encouraging the former Comptroller to get out of the Senate race and run for Lt. Governor. Criss, as you might imagine, is supporting Houston Mayor Bill White for the U.S. Senate.
Bill White's campaign has named Joe Hamill to be their Central Texas Regional Field Director. Hamill, an Austin native and Austin High graduate, was the Field Director for the Travis County Democratic Party's Coordinated Campaign last year. Austin area supporters for White will also be registering voters at First Thursday on South Congress tomorrow (Facebook event info)
While Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's health care editorial from the WSJ inspired a small protest outside the store's Austin headquarters it also apparently got Russell Verney, a former advisor to Ross Perot, thinking Mackey could be a solid candidate for the Senate. Unsurprisingly, a Whole Foods spokesperson tells the Statesman "there is absolutely no truth to that rumor."
Gardner Selby had a story a few days ago about Austin area legislators taking sides in the U.S. Senate race. Diana Maldonado and Valinda Bolton are hosting Sharp's event tonight while Patrick Rose, Mark Strama and Dawnna Dukes are backing White.
All this and yet, thanks to the indecisive mind of Kay Bailey Hutchison, no election date.
Texas Dmoecratic Party Chair Boyd Richie authored a solid op-ed in yesterday's Austin American-Statesman (Sat., Aug. 1st) titled "Texans Lose Helping Hand Because of GOP Finder-pointing".
Richie makes a lot of interesting points in the letter. Some include:
Here's the Republican primary politics price tag on just this one issue. The state will have to borrow - with interest - as much as $2B to cover the shortfall in our unemployment fund. Texas employers will pay a "Republican Primary Tax Hike" because our tax dollars went to other states.
The unemployment fund fiasco should send an ominous warning to voters about what happens when politicians stay in office so long that they put their political careers ahead of what's right for Texas.
Today, we are paying the prices for a Republican primary between two politicians who have shown neither the character nor the leadership that made Texas great.
My Take:
Realize, what Rick Perry did, as horrible as it is for Texans, was politically brilliant. This is candy for his 400,000+ Republican primary votes he'll need to secure his win over Hutchison.
Perry was down by as much as 25% before this, and up at least 10% after.
Smart move for Perry, horrible for Texans. This is the reason Perry will win the Repub Primary in March 10'. He will do anything to win.
Can you blame Gov. Perry for wanting to win and doing whatever it takes to win? A lot of folks in that position might have done the same thing. He's simply pandering to his conservative primary base.
What would you do if you were in his shoes, knowing this act would likely help you win the Governor's seat?
While Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, complain about the Obama administration and Democratic controlled Congress spending on the stimulus, the budget and potentially on health care reform their votes in favor of building seven more F-22 fighters for $1.75 billion are hypocritical in the extreme. Republicans including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Senators John McCain and John Kyl among others agreed that the F-22 was unnecessary and an inappropriate expenditure. Fortunately the vote to kill the F-22 was truly bi-partisan with 42 Democrats, 15 Republicans and 1 independent; unlike some other legislation lately which had only token Republican support.
Our senators claim to make their votes based on what's good for Texas and the country but how is building a cold war era fighter that can't be flown near an aircraft carrier and hasn't been used in combat over Baghdad because its super-sensitive electronics can't deal with the mass of radio signals good for the country?
I've heard some Republicans say they voted for the F-22 to save jobs; but their party generally claims, quite loudly, that government spending doesn't create jobs, so which is it? There are plenty of worthwhile projects that $1,750,000,000 could fund including bridge repairs, building schools, green energy and energy efficiency projects that would pay dividends for all of us for years to come.
*** Bus Departs Kerrville, 10:30, WalMart off the Junction Hwy, July 9th, 2009***
*** Comal County - carpool from 2850 Bunker St, New Braunfels, 78132. For more information, please contact Rob Ragels at robragels@aol.com
*** Guadalupe County - carpool from the park-and-ride lot across from McDonald's on IH10 at SH46. For more information, please contact Alicia Helton, arhelton@satx.rr.com, 830-401-4231
*** Rally Begins at 3133 General Hudnell Drive at 11:30, July 9th, 2009***
Perry political consultant Dave Carney said the Republican governor agrees the party should welcome new voters.
"But that doesn't mean you take your principles and throw them out the door and become a whorehouse and let anybody in who wants to come in, regardless," Carney said.
Whether he meant to or not (and, as you might expect, Team Perry issued a statement saying Carney's statement had nothing to do with the Governor's race), his words upset quite a few supporters of Kay Bailey Hutchison.
As businesswomen, community leaders and mothers, it is always concerning and disheartening when we see people resort to behavior aimed at belittling women. Therefore, you cannot imagine how appalling it was to see your campaign's chief strategist liken our Senior Senator's primary campaign to "opening the doors of a whorehouse" in the pages of this past Saturday's Dallas Morning News.
While we come from all corners of Texas and from all walks of life, we come together to express beliefs that are shared by countless others. There is no room in campaign politics for your strategist's recent comments, and even less room for it in a discussion about the future of our great state. Not only do his words do a disservice to our efforts to provide conservative leadership, they denigrate the accomplishments of women everywhere.
Whether Carney was specifically talking about the Governor's race or the party's future in general is almost irrelevant. At this point, they go hand in hand.
Next year's Republican Gubernatorial primary is shaping up to be a battle royale for the heart and soul of the GOP. Republicans across the nation are wondering what is next: will the party choose to completely turn its back on moderates and independents, content to champion a narrow agenda that appeals to a dwindling base? Or will they decide to go with so-called "moderation" and start to long road back by moving away from social arch-conservatism.
Next March, we will know the answer. One thing is clear from the campaign rhetoric 10 months before election day: neither side will go down without a fight.
Sen. Hutchison's visibility campaign took a wrong turn today when her office released the Senator's "Weekly E-Update.". The picture on the front page shows her giving the commencement address at Sam Houston State University, noting she was in Nacogdoches, Texas. In her whirlwind tour of unfamiliar places, Senator Hutchison may not have realized that she was actually in Huntsville, Texas. Nacogdoches, as most Texans know, is home of Stephen F. Austin State University, Sam Houston's chief rival! It may have been a while since Senator Hutchison lived in Texas full time, but Sam Houston State has not moved 2 hours to the northeast while she was away. Next, I suppose she'll be giving the UT commencement in College Station.
