Texas . . . saw the third-highest number of people leave the state for other states, with 411,641, meaning it had a net in-migration of about 75,000
Statesman | By Juan Castillo complete story
Dallas, TX (KERA) | By Bill Zeeble Hundreds of school districts sue state over funding – Thirty percent of Texas school districts that floated bond or tax measures this month lost at the polls. To many, that was like insult on top of injury, because school districts statewide say funding cuts approved in June will hurt their students. Many are fighting back. 319 districts assembled in one group sued the state, with at least two more groups expected to file soon.
Austin Statesman | By Ben Wear A fee by any other name smells sweeter than a gas tax – [W]hat Williams (State Sen. Tommy Williams, R-Woodlands) suggested last week was increasing the vehicle registration fee on the state's 21 million cars and trucks by about $50 each. That would raise about $1.2 billion each year, according to Texas Transportation Institute figures provided by Williams' office . . . kudos to Williams for openly acknowledging that the Legislature, one way or the other, is going to have raise revenue for transportation in the 2013 session.Houston Chronicle | Texas Politics blog Jones and Wentworth duel over Texas Senate seat, new polling – Wentworth (State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, represents Hays County), a 35-year incumbent in the race, is a senior member of the Texas Senate. Jones (Elizabeth Ames Jones, Houston), chair of the Texas Railroad Commission, recently announced she’s challenging him. Recent polling conducted by Wentworth’s long-time consulting firm, Lighthouse Opinion Polling and Research, shows Jones behind among Republican voters.
Texas Tribune | By Kate Galbraith Texas Congressman a top water user despite drought – In Texas House and Senate hearings this week, state lawmakers heard repeatedly about the crisis created by the record-breaking drought — and the need for Texans to conserve water. One elected official who has lagged on this front is U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin. From October 2010 through September 2011 — a time period that corresponds almost exactly to the first 12 months of the drought — a property belonging to McCaul and his wife was the sixth-largest water user among all Austin residential customers, according to records obtained from Austin's water utility. The McCauls' water consumption, 1.4 million gallons over those 12 months, comes to about 15 times the consumption of the average Austin home over that time.
9 comments:
Speaking of hypocritical water conservation promoters ... Wimberley is also all hype.
Tonight at a public meeting of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, the audience learned that Wimberley has been dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated groundwater onto the ground for aesthetics at a local water amenity.
Over the last 5 months (a period of exceptional drought) Wimberley dumped 700,000 gallons on the ground at Blue Hole for irrigation.
The city's mayor spoke of "conservation" just a day earlier at a Texas Water Development Board hearing. He promoted denying drinking water to properties throughout GMA 9 for the benefit of "Jacobs Well" and "Blue Hole".
Dumping large volumes of groundwater on the ground during a period of exceptional drought while insisting that others do without water illustrates Wimberley's entitlement mentality. Take the mayor's "conservation" speech with a grain of salt.
"....State Sen. Tommy Williams, R-Woodlands) suggested last week was increasing the vehicle registration fee on the state's 21 million cars and trucks by about $50 each."
This is the hypocrisy of the Republican Party.
They kiss the butts of the energy and insurance company executives in Texas - trying to get them every tax break in the book - and then try to pass on their corporate paymaster's tax avoidance with fees (taxes) to consumers and the middle class.
And don't give me that BS that Democrats do it too? At least they don't talk out of both sides of their mouth about it.
As the harassed German woman said to Herman Cain: Nein, Nein, Nein.
Or as Rick Perry said: Oops!
The respected Pew Research team puts the GOP presidential candidates at these percentages as of Nov. 14:
Romney 23%
Cain 18%
Gingrich 18%
Paul 9%
Perry 7%
Bachmann 6%
Santorum 3%
Huntsman 1%.
" Speaking of hypocritical water conservation promoters ... Wimberley is also all hype."
I totally agree with the above statement. They are irrigating hundreds of pallets of Saint Augustine Grass with drinking water during the worst drought in recent memory while passing ordinances denying their citizens swimming pools or even allowing them to top-off their existing ones. What chutzpah! Heads should roll but we know how the Cypress Creek polluters set their priorities. I wonder what the "Friends of Blue Hole" will have to say about this fraud. I wouldn't donate a dime to the Hole after this disclosure. I wonder if David Baker's buddy, Steve Klepfer, would care to comment?
Several complaints have been registered with the HTGCD. The water use figures came directly from WWSC. For all we know they may have even been supplementing the weak flow from the creek to keep their Toxic Square pollution from backing up into Blue Hole.
"Wimberley Water Wasters" would make a nice 'T' Shirt slogan for Market Days.
~
Thanks Anon for identifying Steve Klepfer as tied to Blue Hole. He was a speaker on behalf of WVWA at the TWDB hearing.
At the Friends of Blue Hole site, one can see that another speaker at the TWDB hearing for WVWA, Andrew Sansom, is also tied to Blue Hole.
The newsletter stated that Friends of Blue Hole is planting 650 trees in the park ... during an exceptional drought?. Steve Klepfer and Andrew Sansom want others in GMA 9 to be without drinking water while they plant and landscape with impunity. How are they "conserving" water? If anything, they are increasing the base demand for water at Blue Hole.
Farmers are having to tear down orchards in other parts of the state and the country due to water shortages. But not Wimberley, WVWA, or "Friends of Blue Hole". They want to create and use governmental entities to deny water to others in the region but expect entitlements and exceptions for themselves.
These whiners are out planting 650 trees and a bunch of St. Augustine grass during an exceptional drought to create a water hungry bogus oasis amenity in the Hill Country desert. How is this conserving groundwater now or in the future? So much for the veracity and sincerity of their groundwater "conservation" message. They only expect it to apply to everyone else.
Friends of Blue Hole Newsletter (Nov. 2011)
"because school districts statewide say funding cuts approved in June will hurt their students."
Actually they don't give fig about their students or the tax payers They only care about their teachers (employees), administrators and football. When they stop funding sports arenas and performing arts centers, along with cutting back on administrators then we can talk about increasing their funding.
Last Anonymous says:
"Actually they (school districts) don't give fig about their students or the tax payers."
I don't believe this comment is generally true.
Angry rants that put everyone at a school district in the same category are pure foolishness.
School district administrators may have their priorities screwed up but the teachers are property tax payers as well - and generally sincerely care about the students and their success in public schools.
I say your corrupted politicians in Austin - especially the right wingers - whose hidden agenda is to privatize education for their crony friends and corporate masters - are the real culprits here.
Their budget cutting is making citizens angry and turn against each other, pitting end of the rope tax payers against public education employees that work to provide education services for the middle class.
Now you middle class ranters have "taken the bait" and are stupidly letting yourselves be led around and mouthing the anti-middle class agenda of elitist (legal) corruption allowed in our clearly failing political system.
Like chumps being told the big lie that giving tax breaks to the rich will create jobs, you are now being foolishly suckered into ranting against your own interests.
Attack public school administrators sure, but don't allow yourselves to be manipulated into making self-destructive comments about your next door neighbor - who is just trying to survive like the rest of us.
"It turns out that in the Republican budget they submitted for next year, they slash funding for the agency that issues Tsunamis warnings and organizes response to the Tsunamis. In their defense, Republicans say Tsunamis are just a theory and they are not a real threat - like ACORN, NPR and math teachers in Wisconsin."
"Good news for Freedom Lovers, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has signed the bill sticking it to the real power brokers in our society - teachers, janitors and bus drivers."
"Sarah Palin has strong opinions on the Libyans. She said marriage is between a man and a woman - and Libyans like Rachel Maddow are what is ruining this country."
I'm tired of being a fool
And my mind going from hot to cool
And trying to conform to others ideas
And someone else's rules
The life I'm living ain't mine
I'm supposed to feel that's fine
I didn't make the world I'm living in
And I ain't gonna toe the line
I'm tired of trying to be something I know ain't me
I'm tired of living up to what people expect me to be
You know some people are different
Now ain't that a crying shame
Now wouldn't be a real drag if we were all the same
And I'm not going to try to please
Eyes that just don't see
If I get myself together
You'll have the blues not me
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