Craft Beer Closer to Tapping Its Full Potential In Texas

by: Joe Deshotel

Mon May 20, 2013 at 00:56 PM CDT

The bipartisan Senate bills, SB 515-518, sponsored by Eltife (R-Tyler) and co authored by Watson (D-Austin) received unanimous support from their originating body before being sent to the House where so far they have been passed on 2nd reading with little or no debate. Bills must pass a 3rd reading of both chambers before being sent to the Governor's desk. Perry could still veto the bill, but his signature is not required for it to become law, and the fact that the bill passed both chambers with better than 2/3s support means the measures would go into effect immediately. For a breakdown of what each bill would effectively do for brewers check out my earlier post.

The bills may be making their way through the process now but only because the hard work and negotiating has gone on behind the scenes for over a decade, as small brewers have battled the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas over changes to the industries "3 tier" system. The WBDT have fought against the concept of allowing brewers to self distribute, but in concession from the brewers the package of bills also included, SB 639, restrictions on "reach back pricing". That entails the brewers charging retailers or distributors based on how much those entities sell their product to consumers.

Cheers to Republican Senators Carona and Eltife, Democratic Senators Watson and Van De Putte, and all the stakeholders in the Beer Working Group who have helped to tap the full potential of this creative and growing industry.

Dubiously Named "Campus Carry" & "School Marshal" Bills Coming Up In Texas Senate

by: Joe Deshotel

Fri May 17, 2013 at 02:44 PM CDT

First, House Bill 972 referred to as "Campus Carry" is a misnomer. It implies that under current law campuses can not chose to allow licensed concealed handgun owners to carry their weapons on campus, which is not true. Currently each institution of higher education can vote to allow guns to be carried on campus, but this legislation, which is on today's intent calendar in the Texas Senate, would reverse that policy forcing campus' to vote to opt out each year.

Similar legislation has failed in past sessions, but as guns become the new rage for the right and Republicans in Texas run out of taxes and social programs to cut, the measure for true conservatism seems to be how ubiquitous one can make guns in society. This is a litmus test by design and not by demand...

Click the jump for the latest twist in this story...

Poll: GOP in Texas Faces Major Hurdles In Recruiting Hispanics

by: Joe Deshotel

Thu May 16, 2013 at 02:35 PM CDT

Ronald Reagan said, "Hispanics are already Republican. They just don't know it yet.", and apparently they still haven't learned in Texas. For Republicans trying to connect with Hispanics there seems to be only bad news, and now a new poll suggests it's reflective of an actual disconnect Hispanics feel with the GOP. For the survey PAC+ interviewed 2,685 randomly selected registered Hispanic voters in Texas counties with the highest number of Latino eligible voters: Bexar, Dallas, Tarrant, El Paso and Harris. The findings give support to a major part of Democrats plan to take back Texas -- register and turnout Latino voters. According to pollster Dr. Julie Martinez Ortega, "Latino voters make up 43% of the 'Texas Blue' vote,".

Republicans most straightforward pitch to Hispanics has been to try and co-identify as "conservative" and play up shared family values. It appears that whatever assumptions about shared values Republicans made were incorrect. When asked, "When it comes to social issues -- such as religion, abortion and same-sex marriage -- which party do you generally think does the best job of representing your views? Democrats or Republicans?", 58% said Democrats and only 24% identified with Republicans. This backs up other recent polls that show Hispanics by large margins support a woman's right to end her pregnancy. Adriana Maestas, Latina writer for Politics365, gave an early warning to Republicans over their "conventional wisdom" on Hispanics and social issues prior to the 2012 election when she said, "...if the GOP continues to reach out to Latino voters based on the perceived social agenda. These kinds of messages may not be well received this election year." She was correct as 58% of those survey by PAC+ supported Obama and only 24% supported Romney.

On economic issues, "like jobs, the economy, and immigration", Hispanics still identified most with Democrats at 57%. One of the most successful tools Republicans have used is recruiting Hispanic candidates. A majority of respondents said they were more likely to vote for a candidate because they were "Hispanic", with 44% saying they would be much more likely. Senator Ted Cruz accordingly got 32% of the Hispanic vote, but 21% of those surveyed actually thought he was a Democrat.  Recruits or not, Republicans' hardline positions on issues like immigration and voter ID laws are likely to blunt any gains from individual candidates. A whopping 71% believe that "discrimination against Latinos" is a problem in the United States, with 36% saying it was a "big" problem. When asked about "voter suppression", 59% said if they knew it was happening it would make them more likely to vote.

For full results click the jump...

RNC Hispanic Outreach Director Resigns Over "Intolerance", Becomes Democrat

by: Joe Deshotel

Wed May 15, 2013 at 04:12 PM CDT

The entire study is predicated on the idea that allowing our current immigrant population to become citizens would create an unsustainable burden on current taxpayers. To the contrary, Texas' own Republican Comptroller found, undocumented immigrants are an actual net positive on the economy -- and we have the nation's 2nd largest immigrant population! Her offices study concluded in 2006 that, "The absence of the estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants in Texas in fiscal 2005 would have been a loss to our gross state product of $17.7 billion."

At this point the Heritage Foundation has distanced itself from the study's controversial author, who has now "resigned", but the damage is done. Right-wing commentators on every form of media have used the cynical study to hide their anti-immigrant bias behind the veil of fiscal responsibility. What it is really about for immigrants is the opportunity to fully express their basic human rights, the freedom to own a home, raise a family or start a business, and now what should be a more important concern for Republicans - the right to vote.  

Keystone XL: Pipelines, Property Rights And The Film Making Sense Of It All

by: Joe Deshotel

Tue May 14, 2013 at 04:03 PM CDT

I was first introduced to TransCanada and their plans to pump bitumen from the Boreal forests of Alberta, Canada to my own backyard in Port Arthur, Texas for refinement in 2010. The Sierra Club contacted me about getting local citizens to testify at public hearings. All of a sudden my home county was caught in the middle of international energy policy. It was not a case as simple as progressives against and conservatives for it, there are legitimate landowner rights at issue here.

That's where the filmmakers of Above All Else come in. They have been following the unfolding story of Keystone XL through the experiences of Texas landowners, most notably David Daniel. Daniel started a tree-sit on his property which resulted in the Canadian company rerouting the pipeline around his land. I spoke with the Director and Producer John Fiege, whose films have been featured from Austin Film Festival to Cannes, about the overwhelming amount of data and and numbers of angles to approach the subject. I expressed my interest in covering the issue more but such a daunting task has led me down more rabbit holes than it has produced cohesive and informative but digestible articles. He agreed and said that was a large part of why he chose to tell the story of this group of landowners. The films website describes the film as follows:

Learn more about the film with a link to footage after the jump...

Randy Weber & Speaker Boehner Represent China Bondholders Not American Middle Class

by: Joe Deshotel

Mon May 13, 2013 at 01:00 PM CDT

Weber voted for a Republican bill coyly titled, "Working Families Flexibility Act" that should have been more aptly called the, "Pay Working Families Less Act," because it undermines the 40 hour work, and makes it harder for workers to take advantage of the vacation days they earned. Instead of voting to increase the minimum wage, promoting fair pay, or ensuring fair scheduling practices, the purveyors of so called family values are doing just the opposite. According to the nonpartisan National Partnership for Women and Families, "The mis-named Act will mean a pay cut for workers without any guaranteed flexibility or time off" and also, "erodes the basic guarantees of the Fair Labor Standards Act: fair pay for overtime work and time off from work."

These policies promote the type of working conditions one might expect in countries who have lower standards for human rights, like China, and it may be no coincidence.

More below the jump...

President Obama in Austin, Texas Talking Middle Class Jobs And Education

by: Joe Deshotel

Thu May 09, 2013 at 05:26 PM CDT

His overall theme was that working together we can reignite the true engine of America's economic growth: a rising, thriving, middle class.

To achieve this he said would require three things: making America a magnet for good jobs; helping people earn the education and develop the skills to do those jobs; and ensuring that people who are working hard are able to achieve a decent living.

As part of his visit he also issued an executive order, "to make government-held data more accessible to the public and to entrepreneurs and others as fuel for innovation and economic growth."

"Corporate profits are at an alltime high, but thats not good enough, we have to make sure that middle-class wages are also going up, because most families haven't seen their take home pay rise for years now...There are a lot of reasons for us to feel optimistic about where we are going as a country, especially after all of the tough times we have been through the last several years. That should encourage us to roll up our sleeves and work even harder, and work together to take on the challenges that are holding back parts of our economy."

Governor Perry and Senator Ted Cruz haven't missed the opportunity to have a field day mocking the President over job creation and promoting their pro-business-at-any-cost "Texas model", in advance of his visit. Perry went as far as "greeting" President Obama at the airport with a letter and said that, "If the president is serious about creating jobs in this country, then Texas is the blueprint."

Close but no cigar Governor, according to the White House the President is here, "Showcasing the Innovative Spirit of Austin as a Model for the Rest of the Country".  Our Republican state leaders continue to promote the Texas mirage that low taxes, low services, and low regulation alone are the fuel for our economic success, but the White House sees something very different and so do the facts.

Not only does Texas rank near the bottom on important statistics relating to quality of life, income and savings, but the areas in our state that lead in job creation also happen to be the bluest. Cities like Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas constantly top the growth and job markets for the US and all 4 of their respective counties rejected Rick Perry as Governor in 2010. According to Forbes Texas also has two top 10 cities for green jobs, Houston and Dallas.

More below the jump!

Poll: Texas Border Hispanics Take Personal Offense To Education Cuts

by: Joe Deshotel

Wed May 08, 2013 at 09:00 AM CDT

The results found that 67% of respondents were aware of the cuts made in 2011, and the specific local consequences most commonly identified were fewer teachers, crowded schools and cuts to after-school and extracurricular programs. Using the Rainy Day Fund to restore the funding was supported by 75%. According to Sylvia Manzano, senior analyst at Latino Decisions not a single positive outcome from the cuts was cited. "The question was open-ended, but no one mentioned lower taxes, spending efficiencies, or any local condition that might justify the action," she said.

The survey revealed strong personal connections between the Latino communities and their local public schools with over 82% participating in school-sponsored public events. Texas has a Hispanic population of 9,533,000 (38%), 69% which are native-born, 77% have or have had children in the public school system and 48% of all Texas students K-12 are Hispanic.

The concern by Hispanic parents extends beyond primary education. The survey showed that over 90% would prefered to see their child receive a college degree than vocational training, and 85% say it is more important for their child to attend college, than it is to secure a full time job.

Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population, and it is easy to sympathize with their frustration of watching the state legislature defund education when it is so integrally tied to the next generation's chances at success. Those frustrations will continue to manifest into electoral power as the state's demographics shift. In 2012 there were 3 House Republicans who were replaced by Hispanic Democrats, and by 2016 Texas will have an additional 900,000 newly eligible Hispanic voters.  

May Day Rally For Immigration Reform Draws Thousands Of Supports & Some Critics

by: Joe Deshotel

Mon May 06, 2013 at 01:55 PM CDT

"The drumbeat for common sense immigration reform is only getting louder," said Eliseo Medina, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer. "Today, as we raise our voices and our American flags in honor of all working families, we march and rally throughout the country to make sure we mark 2013 as the year our government passed an immigration bill worthy of our highest national values."

Not everyone rolled out the welcome matt. Houston blogger for Big Jolly Politics called it a, "rally for illegal immigration" and said, "I'd suggest that instead of arrogantly flaunting our laws, perhaps your organizers could set up a day to clean the park...You'd be amazed at what that would do for your reputation." He blame them for our closing schools and even connected them to cartel violence, "...it is but a short jump to attributing the violence of drug cartels to all illegal immigrants - after all, if you are arrogant enough to flaunt the fact that you are breaking one law, it is easy to conclude that you have no respect for any authority."

Texas Is Battleground Zero In Gun Debate With NRA in Houston & House Debating Firearms

by: Joe Deshotel

Fri May 03, 2013 at 03:38 PM CDT

Among the bills the House will debate are HB 47 by Dan Flynn (R-Canton). The bill reduces the minimum number of hours (from 10 to 6) of the classroom instruction portion required in the handgun proficiency course for a concealed handgun license and removes the limit on the number of instruction hours. You may have seen a preview on The Colbert Report?

The "campus carry" bill, HB 972 (Fletcher/Flynn), would reverse current law and effectively legalize guns on campus across the state by forcing student bodies and faculty to individually adopt written rules or regulations prohibiting concealed handgun license holders from carrying handguns on premises. Testimony on behalf of the bill included representatives from the Tarrant County Republican Party, Texas A&M Student Government Association, Texas state rifle association, and Texas students for concealed carry on campus. Testimony against included representatives from: Texas Gun Sense, Austin Police Department, Texas Suicide Prevention Council, and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.

HB 1349 by Larson (R-San Antonio) would prohibit the Texas Department of Public Safety from requesting or requiring a concealed handgun license applicant or holder to provide their social security number as part of application or renewal.

You can see what other firearm bills will be discussed here, or watch the floor debate live via the Texas Tribune live feed or follow the hashtag "#TxLege" on twitter.