(Andy Brown is the Democratic Party Chair of Travis County. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Our country is supposed to be a place where people of many faiths and beliefs can freely come together as a community, put aside differences and solve problems. Now more than ever, Texas and our nation need true leadership, not political rhetoric.
All eyes will be on Texas when Gov. Rick Perry announces his bid for president. As governor of Texas, he has the capacity to bring together people of all backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. But instead of taking the high road in addressing our state's problems (whether he chooses to actually speak or not), Perry has chosen to align himself with the American Family Association for his upcoming event "The Response." This organization claims to be Christian, yet in my opinion it is anti-gay, anti-Semitic, anti- Muslim and filled with hate, none of which are in line with Christian values. Perry's association with this group is an embarrassment, and hosting this event to grab headlines for his run for president is disgraceful.
That is why, on Saturday, the Travis County Democratic Party is organizing a march and rally in Austin to shine a light on the damage Perry has done to our state. We will have religious leaders of many faiths (including those rejected by the AFA), elected officials, political groups and everyday people whose lives have been adversely affected by Perry's policies.
Yes, the Austin rally - Rick Perry: Bad for Texas, Worse for Our Nation - will take place on the same day as Perry's gathering in Houston. But we are not rallying to oppose prayer, as I'm sure Perry will accuse us of doing. We are coming together as a community to protest Perry and his fellow Republicans' unprecedented cuts to public education, the Draconian cuts to human services, disastrous environmental record, attack on women's reproductive rights, smoke-and-mirrors accounting of the state budget that will doom us for years, and, most glaringly, his hypocritical use of prayer and religion to exclude and divide.
Prayer and religious freedom are held dear by Americans and are a vital part of our lives, no matter what political beliefs we have. It is offensive that Perry would align himself with the American Family Association to host this exclusionary prayer vigil. It is important that we include all faiths as we solve the problems facing Texas and move our country forward.
Those of us who believe in good government, religious tolerance and a just society feel compelled to speak up. Instead of addressing the tragic effects of his extremist policies on working Texans, such as cutting billions of dollars from our state's already under-funded education budget, Perry is positioning himself to run for president. As he considers his run for president, crisscrossing the nation and teasing the media about his plans, he panders to the radical right and uses wedge issues to further his political ambition.
According to the Texas State Historical Association's Texas Almanac, Texas was first among states in the number of Evangelical Protestants in the year 2000. It was also third in the number of Catholics and Buddhists, fifth in the number of Muslims and Hindu congregations, sixth for Mormons and tenth for Jews. Growing up in Austin, I was raised to be tolerant of others and believe that together as a nation we will move forward. While Texans still have faith in this belief, it is clear, as a result of his failed record and most recent actions, working Texans have lost faith in Rick Perry. As we hope the Austin rally proves, Texas is bigger than Rick Perry.
When will the American people realize that about the only way Texans have of removing an unwanted and disliked governor is to push then off into the waiting arm of the American people (GRIN).
The most striking examples of this was G. W. Bush the younger and we all know what that brought the country!
Lets all hope that the nation doesn't make the same mistake twice!
The odious King Street Patriots(not patriots) are having the grand opening of their brand new headquarters up on 290 just south of I-610 ( 7232 Wynnwood Lane) on Monday, May 16, 2011. It's from 7-9 p.m. Here's a blog post about the opening. http://www.kingstreetpatriots....
RICK PERRY is coming to the event. We should welcome them and Gov. Goodhair with hundreds or thousands of protesters.
With 644 days left until the 2012 election welcome to Lone Star Left! This is the very first post so lets get started with a number that will make even the staunchest Corporate Republican pour their tea on themselves!
$27,000,000,000.00
That's the amount of money Texas is in the hole for. Boss Perry and the other Corporate Texas Republican's ran their most recent elections on how great the economy was here in Texas and how our conservative policies have kept Texas's unemployment numbers lower than other parts of the country. Those are great talking points, but what will happen to Texas when our legislature has to deal with a twenty seven billion dollar reality?
With education already in their cross hairs, the same good ol' boys who brought us Tuition Deregulation (and the skyrocketing college costs to follow) are now ready to cut pre-school programs across the state!
Talk about a slippery slope! If educating Texans early isn't important then do you really think that Boss Perry will have a conscience when it comes to teacher salaries or programs like Art, One Act Play, Band, and dare I say but would not put it past him FOOTBALL?
Don't forget that with those cuts hard-working Texas educators and building staffs will be out of work, and do you really think that they are just going to stay here in the Lone Star State waiting patiently for Boss Perry and the rest of Stupor Majority to brainstorm a plan? WRONG!
At some point Texans are going to have to suck it up and start funding education in this State, but instead Corporate Republicans are pushing through Voter discrimination legislation, mandated Perrycare which force sonograms into the decision of how a woman should handle her body, and the ever popular attempt of getting guns in the hands of Texas students instead of new, cheaper, and unbiased text books. So as we head into this new session remember that Boss Perry and his compatriots in the Corporate Republican party have a vision for Texas:
POOR AND STUPID!
Until next time, keep your chin up and your chest out - it's great to be a Liberal!
Fayette area growers and producers point to damage from Coal Plant Sulfur Dioxide and Acid Gases
(Austin) Sierra Club and representatives of pecan growers and producers in Fayette and Colorado Counties in the Texas Pecan Alliance requested at an Austin City Hall press conference today compensation for losses resulting from pollution from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and City of Austin's Fayette Power Project coal plant.
"Over two dozen orchards and the livelihoods of my family and many of our neighbors have been seriously impacted by the pollution from Fayette coal plant," said Harvey Hayek of Hayek Farm and the Texas Pecan Alliance. "In 1980, the year after the coal plant went on line, we saw the abundant production out here drop and then in the Nineties, the trees began to die. Recently, I had to buy a bag of pecans at H.E.B. so my wife could make cookies."
Hayek and almost 50 people in the Texas Pecan Alliance met with LCRA officials and engineers from Austin Energy and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on November 16. Since the meeting, the TCEQ is considering additional monitoring, members of Austin City Council have set up meetings for further discussion, and the LCRA has denied Fayette coal plant contributed to pecan industry losses.
Dr. Neil Carman chemist and Clean Air Program Director, biochemical injury process, "Acid pollution from the coal plant falls on the leaves causing damage characterized by brown, dead spots, while the sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas from the plant emissions enters the sensitive leaf structure from underneath, biochemically attacking the leaves from within and eventually causing leaf loss and the death of the tree."
Mr. Hayek explained that it takes 220 leaves to produce a single pecan nut on a tree.
"This orchard has been in my wife's family for the past century. We want to recover from this damage. We want the air, water, and soil to be clean and safe enough to replant so my grandchildren can enjoy the abundance we enjoyed," said Hayek.
Hayek, Carman, and others in the Texas Pecan Alliance also expressed concerns about corrosion, water quality, coal ash waste, and human health.
Eva Hernandez, with the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign in Texas said, "The pecan industry losses clearly show one of many direct economic blows from burning coal for electricity. From the Clean Air Task Force study, we also know that, on an annual basis, Fayette coal plant pollution is linked to almost 1,000 heart attacks, asthma attacks, cases of chronic bronchitis, hospital admissions, emergency room visits, and 37 early deaths. There are direct costs associated with these health impacts and we are talking about a devastating reduction in quality of life. We can do better and we deserve better. LCRA and City of Austin must phase out Fayette coal plant by 2020 and completely develop our energy efficiency and renewable energy future -- particularly solar power."
The Clean Air Task Force study, Dirty Air, Dirty Power: Mortality and Health Damage Due to Air Pollution from Power Plants can be found at:
Texas Pecan Alliance representatives from Fayette and Colorado county today delivered 'Vanishing Pecan Pies' baked by Austin residents calling themselves the Pecan Posse to the Mayor and Austin City Council Members, Cheryl Mele, Chief Operating Officer of Austin Energy, the City Manager's office, and to the LCRA. They explained that the pies symbolized "the growing awareness in Austin about Fayette coal plant pollution and growing support for clean air and sustainable conditions for local food."
In August, we ran our now infamous "Coward" print ad in over twenty newspapers across the state of Texas, and it got the attention of millions of Texans. This time around, we're expanding our ad buy of our new"Face Us"print ad to 41 newspapers across Texas! We're calling Governor Perry out for his cowardly refusal to both face voters in an open debate and to acknowledge that Texas is facing the worst budget crisis in recent history.
As recently as Sunday, Perry was missing in action during a public gubernatorial debate. It's clear to many Texans that Governor Perry is scared to answer questions about his dismal and costly 10-year career as governor. This is pure cowardice on Perry's part.
No wonder why Perry's hiding from voters and editorial boards given the recent reports that he's accepted millions in campaign funds from political appointees to state agencies and that he's given sixteen million dollars of our taxpayer funds to these campaign donors. Texans are demanding that Governor Perry be held accountable on his "pay-to-play" scheme in selling out our state government to enrich his campaign, and the bank accounts of his campaign donors.
Rick Perry again proved what a coward he is by stiffing Texans and skipping out of Sunday's gubernatorial debate. With a looming $21 billion budget deficit and the recent scandals showing Perry's willingness to sell out our state government to campaign donors, it's no wonder he's afraid to face the people of Texas in an open debate.
We released a new TV ad this morning showing how Texas home insurance premiums have skyrocketedto an unbearable $1,448 for Texan families - 76% higher than the average U.S. premium of $822.
Why are rates in Texas so high under Governor Perry? In our new TV ad we explain why and show how Perry's made it even harder for Texans to make ends meet.
Insurance companies under Governor Perry made out like bandits with $14 billion in profits thanks to a law pushed and signed by Governor Perry.
This law was exploited by insurance companies as reported by Texas Watch, and ended up being a massive boon for the insurance industry.
The demonization campaign is in full swing in Texas.
Location: View southbound from Interstate Hwy 35 just north of exit 315, town of Bruceville, TX
Question: How is the Earned Income Tax credit (EITC) pioneered by Richard Nixon, Treasury Secretary Connally (a Texan), and Economist Milton Freedman less "socialist" than Obama's stimulus plan that simply routes money to "shovel ready projects" in the states to reduce the "pro-cyclical" impact of reduced state government spending? The EITC is a shameless form of wealth transfer, almost like the "Negative Income Tax" (NIT) Freedman advocated along with his flat tax. Yet, there is an effort to demonize Obama for a stimulus plan less shamelessly "Socialist" than the Nixon-Connally-Freedman program?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has formally disapproved of Texas's flexible air permit plan after over a year of wrangling between the federal agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The EPA contends that the program, which has been managed by TCEQ since 1995, does not comply with the Clean Air Act. The state claims that its permitting process is effective in reducing air pollution and that the EPA's actions will unnecessarily hurt Texas' economy. The debate came to a head on May 25th, 2010 when the EPA took over control of an air quality permit for a Corpus Christi power plant and threatened to take over 39 more if the TCEQ did not change its permitting process.
At issue are Texas' controversial 'flexible permits' which allow facilities to group emissions from multiple smokestacks under one permit. In most other states, flexible permits are limited to minor emission sources, but in Texas they are given to large facilities, especially along the gulf coast. At larger facilities, a significant number of smokestacks could fall under the same permit, allowing some smokestacks to emit over the legal limit and raising concerns about the practical enforceability of emissions limits for each smokestack.
Perry isn't taking the affront to his stellar environmental record lying down. On June 14th, 2010, State Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a federal court challenge to the EPA's actions. The state is arguing that the EPA had a year from when TCEQ submitted the revised rules for the permitting program (1996) to act on them, but they did not do so until 14 years later.
"We are defending our flexible air permitting program because it works," said TCEQ Chairman Bryan W. Shaw in a press release. "EPA is not able to demonstrate how our program is less protective of the environment than the bureaucratic federal approach. EPA's philosophy of more bureaucracy by federalizing state permits will not lead to cleaner air, but will drive up energy costs and kill job creation at a time when people can least afford it."
Perry has been billing the conflict as an economic and states' rights issue more than an environmental issue, which may play well with voters, but hasn't convinced the EPA to back down so far.
