Ron Paul shines in a field of lackluster GOP presidential aspirants

From what I have seen from the conservative popular establishment since the 2010 elections, I doubt if most conservative Americans are smart enough to know that most of their conservative idols are big corporate or religious right lackeys who do not want to solve America’s problems

Note: Rocky Boschert takes a timely swing at presidential politics. East Texas Congressman Ron Paul announced his run for the presidency on Friday, his "third time's a charm" attempt, Newt Gingrich officially threw his hat in the ring last week, Mike Huckabee decided not to run, and Donald "The Apprentice and Big Mouth" Trump has managed to slide to the bottom of the favorable ratings in a matter of just a few weeks. The Republican establishment has virtually conceded the 2012 election to Obama knowing that it has a terminally weak and uninspiring field of candidates and is now focusing its attention on capturing a majority in the U. S. Senate. Good luck.

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Rocky at arrowbiz@texasorp.com or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

By Rocky Boschert
Financial Editor

The 2012 GOP presidential primary voters now have a field of candidates willing to bash the White House for basically doing the same things these candidates once defended a Republican president or governor for doing in the past. In fact, most potential 2012 candidates will be as guilty of contributing to as much big government as the president they’ll be criticizing.

Mitt Romney gave us the ObamaCare blueprint for government-run healthcare in Massachusetts; boring Tim Pawlenty and compulsive wife changer Newt Gingrich gave Republican support for cap and trade; social conservative loudmouth Rick Santorum ran cover for Bush’s entire social agenda by touting the president’s right wing big government Christian conservatism. And media whores (pun intended) like Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann will exploit any issue they can, without even knowing why.

Adding ideological insult to injury, most of the 2012 Republican presidential candidates still promote an astronomically expensive foreign policy and an out of touch big government social conservatism - while they simultaneously and contradictorily claim we must cut government spending. By and large, these candidates are conservative in rhetoric & media glory - and not with their voting records, as has been the case with most Republican presidential candidates for decades.

On the other hand, during the periods when conservatives find themselves not defending big government Republicans - and instead choose to stress the need for their base philosophy of limited government, constitutional fidelity, and the need to eliminate debt and deficits, they echo the sentiments of Ron Paul.

The difference between Paul and most Republicans, however, is Paul never changes his story. One thing conservatives can rely on with Ron Paul is his philosophical consistency, even when his fellow conservatives disagree with him (or attack him like at the 2008 Republican presidential debates). When hypocritical conservatives attack Paul for his non-interventionist foreign policy views, Congressman Paul is quick to remind them that it is mathematically impossible to reduce the national debt and deficits without seriously addressing Pentagon spending and overseas military misadventures.

Paul also has the courage and integrity to say that big government efforts such as anti-abortion legislation and cutting NPR, Planned Parenthood and local money earmarks will do nothing to effectively reduce the debt, no matter how much each concern might excite conservatives emotionally. Likewise, Paul chastises the neocons for ignoring the need for military spending cuts that will continue to sustain and grow the national debt, especially when most neoconservatives are economically dependent on their military-industrial complex corporate masters.

In addition, Ron Paul’s political integrity really shines through when he declares that obsessing over Obama’s birth certificate only distracts us from the US economy’s impending death certificate. And Paul knows that drooling over the self-serving media flatulence of a reality TV star with a bad comb-over may get some neocons excited, but it doesn’t address our collapsing dollar and our stagnant high unemployment economy.

Of course simple thinking conservatives tend to draw meaningless battle lines between Republicans and Democrats. Paul, on the other hand, establishes a sensible battle line with those in both parties who consider big government power to be absolute. This includes abusive big government power, such as the nonsense of the Texas mandatory abortion sonograms that bogus conservatives – from Jason Isaac all the way up to Rick Perry – believe is their domain to do their God-complex bidding.

As a statement of the state of national politics, Ron Paul seems to be one of the very few conservative constants in popular US politics (although Paul seems to now have a true conservative compadre in the presidential aspirations of the New Mexico libertarian ex-Governor).

To the extent that the American Right gets so easily distracted from true conservative principles, typically in the name of mindless Republican partisanship or some emotional attachment to a particular big government social agenda, they usually find themselves at odds with Paul.

This brings me now to the almost guaranteed entrenched Republican Party “establishment” distaste for Ron Paul. Generally speaking, there are two reasons for Paul’s unattractiveness to the Republican money monopoly. First, he is not a puppet of big government Christian extremists who now control the Republican Party in the southern United States. And second, Paul is not a political puppet of the US Republican Party corporate war machine (which is now only slightly more aggressive than the US Democratic Party corporate war machine).

As a reluctant fiscal conservative (not someone who supports corporate monopolies but someone that supports decentralized economic ownership) and a progressive social liberal, I just hope Ron Paul or someone of his conservative political consistency will be selected as the 2012 Republican Party presidential candidate. Regardless of whether you are left or right, we all need consistency and integrity more than ever in US politics.

But unfortunately, from what I have seen from the conservative popular establishment since the 2010 elections, I doubt if most conservative Americans are smart enough to know that most of their conservative idols are big corporate or religious right lackeys who do not want to solve America’s problems. They have the same motives as some TV contracted aging civil rights leaders: They are disingenuous faux leaders who pander to the outdated and unproductive emotional buttons of (right wing) anger and divisiveness – all too often in the name of God. Want proof?

We have just seen such unintelligent behavior by the Texas Legislature regarding the mandatory sonogram law that pretty boy mass manipulator Rick Perry will no doubt sign.

Biggest winner in Saturday elections: Once again, low turnout

No surprises in the groundwater district board race. Going in, the bets were on Ed Pope for District 4, and Greg Nesbitt from the northern Dripping Springs District 2

Note: Go to this link on the Hays County website for all of Saturday's election results: http://www.co.hays.tx.us/index.php/government/elections-and-voting/election-results/

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

Saturday's local city council elections and for two spots on the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors produced no real surprises and one very narrow upset in Buda: Incumbent Mayor Bobby Lane was defeated by Sarah Mangham by eight votes, 188 to 180. Lucy Johnson won re-election as Kyle Mayor, beating challenger Graham Mendel 514 votes to 215. Kyle had a slew of propositions on the ballot, most of which passed by large margins, including one addressing debt management and another setting council member term limits.

The one exceptional footnote in Saturday's local election results was, once again, the dismally low turnout of voters. The grand total average turnout of registered voters across the county (about 52,000) eligible to vote in the city council and school board elections in San Marcos and Drippings Springs, to Buda, Kyle, Wimberley and to the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors (two seats) was . . . 7.54 percent, about 4,000 voters. The exceptions were turnouts in the groundwater district races and a few council races that attracted about 25 percent. About 17% of registered voters participated in the District 4 (Pope-Banks race) and about 12% in the District 2 (Nesbitt-Janda race).

This is nothing to be proud of, and, the winners certainly cannot assume their offices thinking they have won any kind of "mandate" from the people. What is clear is that some of the winners have won a mandate only for their personal political and business agendas.

In the Wimberley city council race, Place 1, Tom Talcott bested Cynthia Marion, 283 votes to 212. A 24 percent turnout, not too shabby. Make a note that it will be almost impossible for Talcott to solve the city's financial problems by taking sales tax money from the Wimberley Village Library – a strawman issue raised by some in the final days of the campaign.

Meeks/Statesman

In Place 3 (24 percent turnout), Wimberley High School grad Matt Meeks edged out Scott Johnson 258 to 241. Both are members of families with a long history in the Wimberley Valley. Guess we now know which family rules.

No surprises in the groundwater district board race. Going in, the bets were on Ed Pope for District 4, and Greg Nesbitt from the northern Dripping Springs District 2. From the looks of it, Pope, and this particular race, was among the highest vote-getters in the county in Saturday's election. Pope easily outdid challenger Erin Banks, 460 to 358. Nesbitt won his bid for re-election over newcomer Steve Janda, 307 to 187. Bottom line, we are not expecting any change in the control and policy directions on the groundwater district's 5-member board. Important groundwater management votes on policy and permitting will continue to be controlled by the 3-member voting block (Skipton, Key and Nesbitt) representing the northern portion of the District.

Bills filed by Isaac – some moving, some not

"Choose Life" license plates has yet to be voted on by the full House. HB 238 has been replaced by SB 257 which has passed both houses and sent to governor to sign

Note: Here are bills authored, co-authored or sponsored by Rep. Jason Isaac and their status as of noon, Friday May 13, summarized by Barbara Hopson. Mr. Isaac may want to chime in for further updates or comments. There are other bills he has authored or sponsored related to public schools and college tuition that are still holed up in the legislative labyrinth. His Hays Trinity groundwater district bill, HB 3865, is now sitting in the House Local and Consent Calendar. This is where House bills go, after a unanimous vote of the referring committee, "that are local as defined by the house rules and . . . to which no opposition is anticipated." At last report, Isaac and Sen. Wentworth had not reconciled the differences in their two groundwater district bills. Wentworth's version is SB 1901. It has not budged from the Senate Natural Resources Committee since mid-April. Three weeks remain in the session.

Send your comments and questions to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Ms. Hopson at hopsonbarbara@yahoo.com, to Rep. Isaac at jason.isaac@house.state.tx.us or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

HB 15 - Abortion restrictions; sonogram required. Has passed both House & Senate. Will be sent to governor for signature.

HB 3865 - "Relating to the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District." Reported favorably from House Natural Resources Committee, May 12; recommended for Local & Consent Calendar.

HB 3832 - "Relating to Hays County Development District No. 1." Still in House County Affairs Committee.

HB 2180 - "Unreasonable noise" bill; pending in House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee since April 19.

HB 1201 - "Relating to repeal of authority for the establishment and operation of the Trans-Texas Corridor." Passed full House on April 17; pending in Senate Transportation & Homeland Security Committee.

HB 561 - "Relating to a hospital district's use of tax revenue to finance the performance of an abortion." Passed House State Affairs Committee by vote of 7 ayes, 2 nays, 4 absent; not yet voted on by full House.

HB 3813 - Hudson Ranch Fresh Water District No. 1. May 13 - placed on Local & Consent Calendar (one of those Districts that legislators routinely pass for each other).

HB 238 - "Choose Life" license plates; has yet to be voted on by full House. HB 238 has been replaced by SB 257 which has passed both houses and sent to governor to sign.

HB 182 - Bronze Star license plates; pending in House Defense & Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Groundwater District issues drought Alarm Stage order

The District requests that Exempt well owners reduce their use by 20%

Note: We had a nice and much appreciated rain the other night (some folks reported marble size hail) but it hardly put a dent in the existing drought conditions, according to groundwater district officials. Cooler temps are in store for the next few days. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Send your comments and questions to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to the District office at manager2@haysgroundwater.com or click on the
"comments" at the bottom of the story

PRESS RELEASE from the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District

The Board of Directors of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District met on May 9, 2011 at the Wimberley Community Center for one agenda topic, drought Alarm Stage.

The District’s three drought condition triggers: low flows at the Blanco River and the Pedernales River, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index / US Drought Monitor, have all three met the criteria for Alarm Stage.

The District, which encompasses western Hays County, has been in drought condition Voluntary Conservation, which requests a 10% voluntary reduction. This new drought condition, Alarm Stage, sanctioned by the Board of Directors and unanimously enacted ORDER 149. It states that Non-Exempt Permit holders are mandated to reduce their use of groundwater by 20% of their total yearly permit production.

The District recognizes that there are approximately 6,000 Exempt well owners within western Hays County which are under no regulatory authority of the District. The District requests that Exempt well owners reduce their use by 20%.

ORDER 149 requests that Exempt well owners use the following outdoor watering schedule:

Odd numbered addresses: Wednesday and or Saturday only
Even numbered addresses: Thursday and or Sunday only
Watering Hours: 6:00 am – 9:00 am and or 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
No Watering at any other times
Hand-held hoses or hand-held buckets are allowed at any time

The Board of Directors recognizes Public Water Service providers within the District to manage their customer’s groundwater reductions including outdoor watering dates and time schedules.

A copy of ORDER 149 can be located on the District’s website www.haysgroundwater.com under Quick Links / Regulatory. There you can read further detail of Order 149 plus ways property owners can reduce their groundwater use.

You may contact the District directly at 512-858-9253 with any question or concerns. We suggest you come by our office and pick up a free drought sign for your home or subdivision.

“Working together for the benefit of the health of the Trinity Aquifer.”

Rick Broun – General Manager HTGCD.

Campus guns measure sees new life

Under current law, more than 461,000 Texans have concealed handgun licenses — including an undetermined number of lawmakers. Licensing lists are kept secret

Reprinted from the Statesman. Read the complete story.

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to the Statesman's article, to Sen. Wentworth at jeff.wentworth@senate.state.tx.us (512.463.0125) or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

By Mike Ward
mward@statesman.com
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 10:47 p.m. Monday, May 9, 2011

Shooting past previous delays, the Texas Senate on Monday approved two bills that would allow more Texans to carry their concealed handguns in more places.

One highly controversial bill would let licensed Texans carry concealed handguns inside buildings at public colleges and universities for the first time.

On the other, senators, without debate, quickly gave themselves the authority to pack pistols anyplace they choose, including schools, bars and hospitals — locations that are prohibited for the general public.

Sen. Wentworth represents
Hays County in the 25th Senatorial District

"I'm more hopeful today than I ever have been that this bill will pass," Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, said after his campus-carry bill was added to a separate bill dealing with higher education funding that received final passage in the Senate.

"I felt like it was Groundhog Day — doing the same thing over and over. But we were successful today, and this is an important bill the amendment went into, so I think it will pass."

The final vote for Senate Bill 1581 including the campus-carry wording was 19-12. The measure now goes to the House, where a separate version of campus-carry has been hung up for weeks awaiting a vote.

SB 332 and The Question: Who controls the Groundwater Conservation Districts?

I believe that the groundwater districts’ purpose has become more of preserving their power instead of preserving the aquifers and being locally controlled

Saturday May 14 is Election Day for two seats on the HTGCD, Districts 2 & 4. Please vote if you reside in either district. You must be a registered voter and reside inside the district. Use the map for a quick reference, click on it to enlarge. Many, many voters opted out or were uninformed about last May's election that added three new board members to the HTGCD Board. For more info and details, call the District's office at 512.858.9253 or email manager2@haysgroundwater.com.

Note: Our friend Curtis forwarded this thought piece on Senate Bill 332, already published in about 20 newspapers, he says. Thought by some as "landmark" legislation, SB 332 seeks to codify a landowners right to ownership of the groundwater beneath his/her land. It has passed the Senate, passed the House Natural Resources Committee 9-0 on May 3 and is now pending in House Calendars (bill history and text). The bill has generated considerable debate. No surprise, seeing as how water, water ownership and water management in Texas is still the biggest dang issue around and will be for the next generation of Texans – that is, as long as the water lasts.

An equally important question to be asking is: "What do we do with a diminishing water supply in the face of unprecedented growth in population?" Groundwater districts are assigned by state law to deal with that question. The mission that has been handed to them is to manage the local groundwater resource, with an eye toward conservation, preservation and prevention of waste. Who could have a problem with that?

"Local control" is as good as the Directors who serve on the boards of the groundwater districts. Board elections is where the rubber meets the road. The last day for early voting for two seats on the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District is Tuesday May 10, 8am - 4pm. Election Day is Saturday May 14. Check for voting locations and the candidates' bios on the left hand column of the HTGCD website. This is your opportunity to have a say in the management of your groundwater in western Hays County.

By Curtis Chubb, Ph.D.
Landowner Milam County, Texas

Guest Commentary

The current debate in the State Legislature concerning who owns the groundwater has had an unintended consequence. The debate has spotlighted the question of who controls groundwater conservation districts.

Recently, I attended the hearing on Senator Troy Fraser’s bill (Senate Bill 332) which simply states that landowners own the groundwater beneath their land: a conclusion that Texas courts and attorney generals have reached repeatedly over the last 107 years. Senator Fraser wants to codify that property right.

Who constitutes the primary group fighting against the passage of Senate Bill 332? It is the groundwater districts and their pseudo-union named the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD). Although TAGD’s Web site states that it is “organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes…” they submit legal briefs defending the member groundwater districts at the drop of a hat.

The reason, however, the groundwater districts find themselves in an unwanted spotlight is that they tout themselves as being “locally controlled.” In this singularly important debate about groundwater ownership, the groundwater districts are taking their marching orders from someone else besides the landowners who constitute “local control.”

Texas GCDs/TWDB
Click on map to enlarge

Every landowner, with whom I have talked, strangers and friends, has stated they own the groundwater beneath their land. So, why have only eight of the 96 Texas groundwater districts adopted resolutions affirming groundwater ownership by landowners? And why are the groundwater districts lobbying against Senator Fraser’s bill?

I believe that the groundwater districts’ purpose has become more of preserving their power instead of preserving the aquifers and being locally controlled.

The most striking moment of the Senate hearing was when the cowboy who manages the 275,000-acre 6666 Ranch stated the obvious: “If the landowner doesn’t own the groundwater, who does?”

My follow-up question is: If the groundwater districts are fighting against the groundwater rights of landowners, who is controlling the groundwater districts?

If the groundwater districts’ board of directors and general managers do not want to respect and stand up for the property rights of landowners, they should either resign or be removed.

UPDATE: The Texas Senate by a vote of 28-3 approved Senate Bill 332 on March 30. The Texas House Committee on Natural Resources unanimously approved a modified SB 332 on May 3 that states “The legislature recognizes that a landowner owns the groundwater below the surface as real property.”

SB 332 is hallmark legislation.

An open letter to Constable Ayers: 'Thanks'

"If the individual members of the Board were made financially responsible for their fiascos our school taxes would not be nine times the national average."

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Mr. Raines at tmraines@amcs.org or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story


Greetings Constable Ayres,

I would like to personally thank you for doing what you can to mitigate the ongoing traffic crisis at the Jacob's Well school. Driving my daughter to school in the morning is like a hell, and now made worse by this latest incident.
Roundup article: http://hayscountyroundup.blogspot.com/2011/05/pct-3-constable-not-charging-district.html

I don't know what the School Board was thinking when they located our new school on a blind curve of the Blanco Highway. How many other schools in America shut down a state highway every morning? Certainly none of the other new schools in Central Texas. And as our school grows the situation will only get worse.

I can't imagine a solution other than move the highway, move the school, or buy the adjacent property. Whatever the solution, the School Board will expect tax payers to pay for it. If the individual members of the Board were made financially responsible for their fiascos our school taxes would not be nine times the national average.

I appreciate your good service Constable Ayres and you have my full support.

Sincerely, Terry Raines

Texas Sonogram Abortion Bill passed by state lawmakers

Proponents say the law is necessary to make sure women understand what an abortion entails. Opponents say it would interfere in the doctor-patient relationship

Send your comments to the Huffington Post (link below) or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story. Please keep 'em clean.


Houston Chronicle, May 6, 2011: Mandatory ultrasound bill giant step back for women
The Weekly Standard: House passes 'no taxpayer funding for abortion act'

Reprinted from the Huffington Post
AP/The Huffington Post
First Posted: 05/6/11 12:40 PM ET Updated: 05/6/11 11:10 PM ET

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas lawmakers have passed legislation (Thursday May 5) requiring doctors to perform a sonogram before conducting an abortion.

The legislation requires doctors to conduct a sonogram at least 24 hours before an abortion and to provide the woman with the opportunity to see the results and hear the fetal heartbeat. The doctor is also required to describe what the sonogram shows.

In cases of incest, rape or fetal abnormality, the woman doesn't have to hear a description of the fetus.

AP/Huffington Post

Texas Governor Rick Perry, a Republican, stands behind the controversial measure. While different versions of the proposal were under debate earlier this year, Perry regarded the legislation as an emergency priority.

"Ensuring Texans have access to all the information when making such an important decision is a critical step in our efforts to protect life, and I look forward to this legislation reaching my desk very soon," said Perry in a statement earlier this week, lauding the state legislature for advancing the measure.

Proponents say the law is necessary to make sure women understand what an abortion entails. Opponents say it would interfere in the doctor-patient relationship.

“I think it’s very demeaning to women and I think we have more important things to do like balance the budget without hurting families and make sure we can fully fund education and healthcare and take care of things that are important to our economy and not political partisan issues such as a sonogram bill I thought it was a very intrusive example of big government,” said State Rep. Carol Alvarado, according to My Fox Houston.

Tax cuts for the wealthy are no benefit to most small businesses

The truth is I benefit directly from my client’s economic health, not by my tax breaks. If more people who are doing well economically come to my business, I will hire more people. It's as simple as that

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Rocky at arrowbiz@texasorp.com or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

By Rocky Boschert
Financial Editor

Based on a lot of luck and hard work, I come close to being one of the few small business owners that may actually benefit even a little from the Bush administration's tax cuts enacted during W’s regime.

I figure the tax cuts save me maybe $5,000 a year, compared to what I would pay now – if the Bush tax cuts were never enacted.

But as debates over the federal budget deficit have intensified, I find the political discussion increasingly divorced from the reality of my experience as a small business owner and my client’s ability to save and invest.

Tax cuts for the wealthy do literally nothing to bolster my firm’s success. Tax cuts for the rich won’t affect my hiring decisions and they won’t encourage me to buy new equipment or help me move into a bigger, more image-enhancing office. In fact, of those business decisions, all of them would depend on my client’s economic well-being, not my personal income tax rate.

What I do in my business, which is to manage money for my client’s retirement and life objectives, has very little to do with high net worth tax policy. When my clients do well economically – when they are employed, when they feel like their family’s income needs are met, when they feel they have money to save for their children’s college – they invest more money and I do better as a advisor recipient of their money.

So in reality, if the rich paid more taxes, the economy would have more money to invest for infrastructure, education, job training and leisure, which would mean the economy is growing and my client-invested money would benefit from that growth. The outdated hope and fantasy of trickle down economics is keeping our nation stuck in post-recession recession.

While congressional Republicans and entrenched corporate lobbying groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) have been pushing hard to preserve the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, by falsely touting the interests of small businesses like mine, much of the small business community is demanding that those very tax cuts be repealed.

The tax breaks for the wealthy will add $700 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years, according to the Fed’s Office of Management and Budget. Many small firms say that money would be better spent on direct aid, such as job training and infrastructure projects, for the middle class.

The truth is, I benefit directly from my client’s economic health, not by my tax breaks. If more people who are doing well economically come to my business, I will hire more people. It's as simple as that. If you give me a token tax break, I may just take the wife to the Bahamas. (In reality I would donate it to a worthy children's charity.)

Moreover, the vast majority of small business owners are not among the elite class of small business owners making $250,000 a year or more. Most successful small businesses take in a combined $80,000 to $100,000 net a year from their business. As a result, most small businesses don’t make nearly enough to benefit from the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Most businesses don’t pay the top marginal tax rate. Most small businesses won’t be affected at all by a reversal of Bush tax cuts for the rich.

Another fact about small business tax realities is that even the few firms that do qualify and benefit from the Bush tax cuts don't boost their hiring in response to the Bush tax cuts. For decades, small companies have been able to secure tax breaks on the expenses that actually affect their bottom line – labor, rent, equipment and other necessary costs. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, by contrast, only affect how much of a firm's total profit owners keep for themselves.

The economic premise that people won’t hire because they might have to pay more taxes if they make more money is laughable. Small business owners only hire when they think there’s a way they can make more money with that hire. The percentage the government takes out of it has almost nothing to do with it.

So what really affects small businesses? The top two variables are high health care costs and limited access to credit. In addition, small business owners are directly affected by federal economic policies that directly benefit the middle class. If extending tax breaks to millionaires means denying aid to the middle class, small businesses will suffer.

All my clients work for a living, except those that are now retired. They are educators, government managers, small business owners and professionals who are more concerned with doing a good job and taking care of their clients and customers than being rich. They’re not these elite and proudly greedy Wall Street bankers or corporate executives making $20 million a year from firing people, taking their business public, or getting corporate welfare from their bought and paid for politician servants. My clients need to work and need the money. If they’ve got money, then I do better.

The upper-end Bush tax cuts are not corporate taxes, they’re taxes on wealthy individuals. Many small firms are not corporations, and owners report their profits as the individual income of their owners. Some firms choose to incorporate, though they never officially report a profit because all excess earnings are paid out to the owners.

The U.S. Chamber and the NFIB say that because these business profits are reported as individual income, allowing tax hikes for wealthy individuals will hurt small business. Neither the U.S. Chamber nor NFIB can prove that claim. In fact, the debate over the Bush tax cuts has been heavily skewed by talking points from the NFIB and the US Chamber.

The US Chamber has a long track record of backing the economic priorities of corporate elites, while the NFIB has increasingly become a partisan wing of the corporate controlled Republican Party.

The Bush tax cuts are like termites; they eat away at our economy and our nation’s future.

Pct. 3 Constable NOT charging district to patrol school zones

Note: We are informed that rumors started flying following an incident in the Jacob's Well Elementary School parking area last week that caused a real traffic problem – more than the usual at that persistently chancy location. Constable Ayers' office started traffic patrol this week (at FM 2325 and the school), and will stay on it through the end of the school year.

Send your comments and questions to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Constable Ayers at darrell_ayres@co.hay.tx.us (512.847.5532) or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

Media Advisory: May 6, 2011 | 9:50am
From: Laureen Chernow, Hays County Communications Specialist
laureen.chernow@co.hays.tx.us Office: 512.393.2296

Hays County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office is hearing rumors that the Constable’s Office is charging the School Districts money to patrol the school zones.

This is of course untrue.

The Hays County Constable Offices are among several law enforcement offices, funded by tax dollars, that help keep our roads safe, and patrolling school crossings/zones is just one of the many services they offer.

For more information on Constable duties, please see http://www.co.hays.tx.us/index.php/law-enforcement/constables/

Voting opens for PEC director election, vote on election system

May 5, 2011
TO: All PEC-area newspapers
CONTACT: Anne Harvey, (830) 868-4933; Austin line, (512) 219-2602

Click for more election details and candidate information. Read the complete press release here. PEC's website: www.pec.coop

Voting opened May 4 for Pedernales Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors election, in which PEC members will elect two directors and vote to recommend to the Board which system should be used for future director elections.

Ballots, election information and voting instructions were mailed to all members by Election Services Corporation (ESC), an independent company hired by the Cooperative to manage balloting.

Co-op members may vote by returning completed ballots to ESC by mail or they can vote online through ESC’s secure website. Mail-in and online voting has to be completed by June 10, and ballots will not be accepted at the Co-op’s offices in order to maintain PEC’s independent position in the election. Members also can vote in person at the PEC Annual Meeting June 18 in Johnson City, where election results will be announced.

The following six PEC members, listed in the order they will appear on the ballot, were nominated by member petitions to vie for director positions in Board districts 2 and 3:
– District 2 Director: Alan Yore, Cedar Park; William D. (Bill) Boggs, Leander
– District 3 Director: Stephen Thomas, Cedar Park; Kathy Scanlon, Austin; Tom Gress, Cedar Park; Matthew Weldon, Austin

Also on the ballot this year is a vote of the members to recommend to the Board which system should be used for future director elections.

Isaac files groundwater bill proposing increase in permit fee for new wells

Another big change, possibly a nod to groundwater conservationists, is a reduction in the amount of groundwater a private residential well may produce to remain exempt and unregulated

Update, Thursday May 5: Rep. Isaac called from the House floor to mention a few things about his bill. In drafting the proposed legislation, Isaac said he and his office have worked with members of the Water Stakeholder Group put together by former State Rep. Patrick Rose . . . Andy Sansom, Will Conley, others, and "Jimmy Skipton in particular." "I forwarded the draft language to some other people to see what they thought . . . there was a lot of back and forth." State Sen. Wentworth has not yet personally agreed to support Isaac's HB 3865. Wentworth's version is SB 1901. On the proposed permit fee increase: "I understand the concern for additional funds (for the District) . . . I do believe our groundwater is a limited resource; the district should have the authority to charge fees and I don't think $300 was enough." On lowering daily production from 25,000 gallons to 15,000 gallons: "I wanted to see a reduction in that number. 25,000 gallons a day is way too high. I think we need to decrease the pumping and the reliance on groundwater as much as possible."

Note: Nothing in Isaac's bill and nothing in the legislation currently granting minimal regulatory powers to the HTGCD allows a property tax or an election for a property tax, nor do they allow unannounced inspections on private property. Anyone passing around such rumors are sorely misinformed. The bill does contain a clause which appears to make it an ex post facto law, Section 8(c): "A member of the board of directors of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District elected in May 2011 serves a three-year term." The law currently says that terms are for 2 years. Citizens have already voted early and by mail in the May 14, 2011 election, and they were voting with the belief that candidates would be serving terms of only two years. Isaac should not be changing the rules in the middle of an election. He should either remove the clause or change the language so that new terms of office become effective in the next election.

Send your comments and questions to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Rep. Isaac at Jason.Isaac@house.state.tx.us (512. 463.0647) or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

HTGCD / Click on map to enlarge

By Bob Ochoa
Editor

State Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, yesterday filed HB 3865, proposing amendments to the legislation that created the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District in 2001.

See the bill text here.

HTGCD Board President Jimmy Skipton said only that he is "very comfortable" with the bill from Isaac.

The legislation would increase fees the District may charge for new groundwater well construction permits and water utility connections, up to $1,000, from the current maximum of $300. It proposes 4-year terms for District Directors and would require that District elections be held in May on even numbered years. Language is stricken from the bill that allow elections be held in November.

Another big change, possibly a nod to groundwater conservationists, is a reduction in the amount of groundwater a private residential well may produce to remain exempt and unregulated. Currently, home wells are exempt from permitting and regulation if they are producing less than 25,000 gallons daily. HB 3865 would lower the maximum daily allowable production to 15,000 gallons.

Legislature moving bills advocating adoption of solar energy

POAs implemented restrictions against solar devices in their deed restrictions. Now the Legislature is hoping to eliminate those restrictions so that solar energy usage will increase

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Ms. Hopson at hopsonbarbara@yahoo.com or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

By Barbara Hopson
Special to the RoundUp

More bills dealing with solar energy were introduced in this legislative session than were bills dealing with rainwater collection, but there was duplication in the solar bills. The bills fall into two broad categories: bills dealing with incentives for solar energy adoption and bills dealing with property owners' associations vis-a-vis solar devices.

Of the five bills dealing with incentives, all five are languishing in committee and probably won't be reported out. That is not surprising at a time when the Legislature is dealing with such a shortfall of revenue as compared to spending. Not a time for new incentives. I won't report on the ill-fated bills, but here are the numbers if you want to look them up: HB 3532, HB 3260, HB 2961, HB 2428, and SB 492.

The bills dealing with property owners' associations (POAs) and solar devices deal with the fact that not-so-long ago solar devices on roofs were considered ugly. (I guess they still are, but now they also seem increasingly necessary.) POAs implemented restrictions against solar devices in their deed restrictions. Now the Legislature is hoping to eliminate those restrictions so that solar energy usage will increase.

There are five House bills dealing with POAs/solar. All of them (except one) are left pending in committees. But HB 362, authored by Burt Solomons (R-Carrollton), passed the full House on April 11. Solomons is the head of the House Redistricting Committee, and my guess is that no House member wanted to step on Solomons' toes, and they all deferred to his bill and let their own take a nap. At any rate, Solomons' bill reached the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee on April 20. It is captioned "Relating to the regulation by a property owners' association of solar energy devices and certain roofing materials."

Senate Bill 238 (West & Wentworth) passed the full Senate on March 31 by a 31-0 vote. It would allow solar installations on roofs or in yards, but with specific regulations which must be approved by the POA.

U.S. views of Obama improve with Bin Laden death: Reuters poll

Thirty-two percent of Americans think Obama deserves the most credit for the U.S. special forces' assault on Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, while 13 percent gave credit to former President George W. Bush

By John Whitesides WASHINGTON | Tue May 3, 2011 1:43pm EDT

Read the complete story and video here

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The killing of Osama bin Laden sharply boosted President Barack Obama's image, improving Americans' views of his leadership and his efforts to fight terrorism, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found.

About four in 10 Americans say their views of Obama improved after he ordered Sunday's successful military operation in Pakistan to kill bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington.

The boost to Obama's popularity from bin Laden's death could be short-lived as voters focus again on the economy and lingering unemployment – top concerns heading into 2012 election campaign.

"There is no evidence the boost in his approval rating will last until the election, but an event like this could position Obama as more of a military leader and give him more authority," Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said.

That could help put a long-term dent in Republican efforts to paint Obama as weak on national security and indecisive in reaction to the "Arab Spring" protests in the Middle East and North Africa.

The poll was conducted Monday with a 1,010 adults in the United States interviewed online.(Editing by Alistair Bell and Deborah Charles)

U.S. Forces unsure Bin Laden was there until face to face

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

AP sources: US used "multiple methods" to ID body

By Gregory Viscusi and Anwar Shakir
May 2, 2011 10:20 AM CT
Bloomberg News

Read the complete story here

The U.S. special operations forces who killed Osama bin Laden didn’t know for sure he was in a fortified villa near Islamabad until they swooped in and came face to face with the world’s most wanted terrorist.

While U.S. intelligence officers had concluded there was a “strong probability” bin Laden was living in the compound near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, all they could be positive about was that it was occupied by a high-value individual, unidentified officials said at a White House briefing.

The military’s target was a specially built property in the city full of retired military 35 miles northeast of Islamabad. The U.S. team was on site for less than 40 minutes, and bin Laden was killed resisting the assault, an official said.

Three other men, one of whom may have been one of bin Laden’s sons, were killed in the raid along with a woman used as a human shield. Two women were injured. No other civilians or U.S. personnel were injured, said the officials, who spoke on condition they wouldn’t be identified.

“We heard a loud explosion and then the sound of guns firing,” said Iqbal Alam Khan, 37, who works as a merchant in the town of Abbottabad where the assault took place. “It came from Bilal Town,” a property development of newly built villas and mansions about two miles from the center of Abbottabad, he said in a phone interview. “We didn’t know the cause of the fighting and we didn’t go outside to see because it was the middle of the night,” Khan said.

One helicopter was destroyed by U.S. forces after it was grounded by a mechanical failure. U.S. officials wouldn’t say how many men were involved in the operation, describing it as a surgical strike by a small team.

Bin Laden’s body was taken out of the country by the assault team and later buried at sea, another official said. DNA tests proved that the body was bin Laden’s, another administration official said. Obama was shown a photograph of bin Laden’s body, the official said.

Tax talk the issue in two contested races in Wimberley City Council election

"People are demanding the same services as Houston but we don't have the money to offer the same services . . . "

Note: Early voting started this morning for municipal elections across the county, and for two seats (Districts 2 & 4) on the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. Election Day is Saturday, May 14. Please remember to vote.

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

Reprinted from the Statesman

By Cristina Peña
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 9:00 p.m. Sunday, May 1, 2011
cpena@statesman.com | 445-3851

WIMBERLEY — Property tax debates are dominating municipal elections in Wimberley, where the races for two of three council seats are contested.

Wimberley, which incorporated in 2000, levies no property taxes and relies on sales tax revenue and franchise fees from utilities such as the Pedernales Electric Cooperative. Its 2010-11 budget of about $968,322 serves 2,626 residents, according to city documents and 2010 census data.

There are no plans yet to put the matter up for a vote, but discussions are ongoing. Supporters say the money is needed to pay for infrastructure such as sidewalks and for parks and other amenities.

The race for Place 1 is between Cynthia Marion, who works in advertising sales, and program manager Tom Talcott. The winner will replace Council Member Marilee Wood who is not running for re-election.

Talcott said that property rights are already very restricted in Wimberley and that he is running to make sure the rights of residents will be protected and to keep Wimberley a pleasant area to live. He said the city's policies restrict development and make it hard for property owners to grow their properties as they wish.

"I want to make sure the City Council is working toward protecting our rights," Talcott, 61 , said. "Wimberley has kept the quality of life and property up, and I want to keep that going."

Talcott, who opposes establishing a property tax, said the city held a citizens meeting to hear grievances about election issues, including a possible property tax. "The citizenry said they didn't want a property tax," he said. "This is not a good time in the economy to raise taxes."

Marion said residents may be against a property tax, but the city is challenged to make ends meet. "We've got to find a way to pay for the services," Marion said. "It's not about what people want. It's about what we need."

Marion, 60, said the city has to focus on finding money to keep Wimberley a good place to live. She said the current funding model is not enough to keep the lifestyle the residents want. "The city is funded by sales tax, and it's just not enough," she said in making the case for a property tax. "We're looking for new creative ways to solve the challenge of finding money."

In Place 3, which has been vacant since Bill Appleman resigned amid controversy over a proposal for the city to pave a private road, graphic designer Matt Meeks is running against rancher Scott Johnson.

Meeks, 31 , said that as a younger member of the community, he is has seen how hard the city makes it for startup businesses to find success, citing zoning restrictions as an example. Meeks is a fourth-generation resident of Wimberley, and his family owns Rio Bonito Resort, which he helps operate.

"My main concern is giving the youth a bit of a chance in the community," Meeks said.He said he has lived in the community his whole life and wants to give back. "I'm involved in the community and hear a lot of things firsthand," he said. "I see how things directly affect people on a day-to-day basis.

"On the tax question, Meeks said he does not think the residents can afford a new property tax along with existing taxes.

Johnson said one of the major issues in the city at the moment is the finite amount of water and the increasing growth. He said people are coming from cities the size of Houston and Dallas and expecting to live the same lifestyle in Wimberley.

"Some people come from tax-based cities and are used to certain amenities," Johnson, 53 , said. "We have to watch how we grow and conserve that uniqueness."

Johnson said population growth coupled with the drought could cause a 30 percent decrease in business. He cited an economic study by the Texas River Systems Institute's Cypress Creek Water Shed Project. "When people come to move here they don't bring their own water," Johnson said. "If the water dries up, the economic impact would be significant."

Johnson said he opposes new taxes without knowing fully what the needs of the community are. "What I plan on doing is finding what our needs are versus what our wants are," he said. "Wimberley has a dynamic problem of continued growth, and we need other ways to generate revenue."

John White , a 65-year-old accountant, is running unopposed for re-election to his Place 5 seat. He said his main goals will be to eliminate some city regulations and block a property tax. "Ninety percent of the people in this city don't want anything to do with it," White said. "It's just another tax on top of all the taxes we already pay."

White said he has been in Wimberley since 1951 and he wants to preserve the city's atmosphere. "People are demanding the same services as Houston but we don't have the money to offer the same services," he said.

Woodcreek survey confirms attitudes about Aqua Texas: Not so good, to beyond the pale

". . . I hope Woodcreek will explore water catchment and other sewage options to become self sufficient & to heck with this water company! I want them gone!"

Note: We've reprinted the recently completed Woodcreek survey verbatim, with some deletions/editing for length and spelling. The residents’ perceptions survey report lacks any editorial comment, but the views of Woodcreek area residents are very clear, to say the least. Simply put, customers are not happy with the cost of service from the Aqua Texas utility. What’s more, it appears that the Aqua customers were eager to speak out (see written responses below) with more than 900 Woodcreek area residents taking the time to respond.

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to the City of Woodcreek at the website, http://www.cityofwoodcreek.com/, to AquaTexas (Austin) 512-990-4400, to an Aqua America customer service rep at custserv@aquaamerica.com, taken from Aqua America's website, or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story

See the Better Business Bureau report on Aqua Texas Inc. here

The City of Woodcreek created a Water/Wastewater Taskforce (WWT) in the Fall of 2010. The purpose of the WWT was to explore options that the City of Woodcreek had in terms of water and wastewater services. Residents of the City of Woodcreek, and a defined unincorporated area including Woodcreek North, receive water and wastewater services from Aqua Texas, a private utility. The rate structure in effect at the time the WWT was formed had been established in 2005; the term of the rate structure is set to expire in July, 2011.

It would be an understatement to say that residents are concerned about what they perceived as extremely high rates. The local newspaper routinely carries articles and letters to the editor in which the high rates are mentioned. Stories circulate about retired couples having to move away from the community because of the high rates. The rate situation with Aqua Texas, at least as it applies to water/sewer service in the Woodcreek area, is perhaps best described as follows: The monthly cost of service is in excess of $125.00, and that is before a tap is turned on or a commode is flushed.

It was in that context of service rates that Aqua Texas, through its corporate offices, distributed a questionnaire to customers in the Woodcreek area at the beginning of 2011. Not knowing the extent to which the results of that survey would be made public, members of the WWT believed that it would be beneficial for the WWT to distribute a similar survey.

Toward that end, the Center for Social Inquiry of The Department of Sociology at Texas State University was asked to assist with the design and management of the survey on behalf of the City of Woodcreek and the Woodcreek Property Owners Association on a pro bono basis. For all practical purposes, the questions from the WWT survey mirrored many of the concerns covered in the Aqua Texas survey.

A total of 2150 surveys were mailed to registered voters in the City of Woodcreek and the surrounding area, including Woodcreek North, along with a postage paid, return envelope, and a request that the surveys be returned to the Center for Social Inquiry by March 21, 2011.

As of the deadline date of March 31, 2011, a total of 928 surveys had been received (a return rate in excess of 43% and a margin of error of less than 2.5% at a 95% level of confidence).

The third (and final) section of the report presents a random sample of 30 responses to the open-end additional comments. All of the additional comment responses are available on a CD at The City of Woodcreek City Hall, 41 Champions Circle, Woodcreek, Texas 78676.

Survey note: Just to avoid any confusion, please note that this survey about your water and sewer service is not being sent to you by Aqua Texas. The City of Woodcreek, under the auspices of its Water / Wastewater Taskforce, and The Woodcreek Property Owners Association are conducting this survey.

Results

ITEM (%) – Strongly Agree / Agree / Neutral / Disagree Strongly / Disagree / No Response

Aqua Texas’ services are a good value:
Strongly Agree - 1.0%
Agree - 2.0%
Neutral - 6.0%
Disagree Strongly - 21.6%
Disagree - 68.6%
No Response - 0.8%

Aqua Texas’ rates are affordable:
SA - 0.9% / A - 1.6% / N - 3.3% / DS - 15.8% / D - 77.8% / N - 0.5%

Aqua Texas’ water rates are comparable to nearby communities:
0.4% / 0.9% / 8.3% / 18.5% / 69.3% / 2.6%

Aqua Texas’ services are reliable: 1.9% / 20.4% / 30.0% / 20.2% / 26.8% / 0.8%

Aqua Texas repairs water or sewer problems quickly and effectively:
2.3% / 10.1% / 32.2% / 19.9% / 33.3% / 2.2%

Please write down one word that best describes your view or your opinion of Aqua Texas as a water / sewer service provider. 97% Responded 3.0% No Response.

The top 22 words used:

Words / Frequency / Percent

expensive	175	18.9
overpriced	48	5.2
thieves	30	3.2
greedy	29	3.1
No Response	28	3.0
poor	23	2.5
terrible	22	2.4
crooks	20	2.2
horrible	18	1.9
bad	17	1.8
rip-off	15	1.6
monopoly	14	1.5
sucks	14	1.5
unaffordable	14	1.5
outrageous	13	1.4
criminal	11	1.2
wasteful	10	1.1
awful	9	1.0
costly	9	1.0
exorbitant	8	.9
extortion	8	.9
high	8	.9

Other words used, from the survey chart: "lousy, robbery, adequate, unfair, corrupt, robbers, thief, average, fair, good, greed, irresponsible, ok, pitiful, ridiculous, rip-off, unacceptable, bandits, evil, negative, rapacious, rape, sorry, unethical, crap, disappointed, disgusted, disgusting, extortionist, gouger, opportunistic, pirates, questionable, reliable, thiefs, unsatisfactory, avaricious, criminals, deplorable, despicable, disgraceful, dishonest, exploitation, improvement, inadequate, incompetent, inefficient, mediocre, nasty, outrage, predatory, profit, profitable, reprehensible, satisfactory, satisfied, scam, selfserving, stinks, suck, sufficient, theft, too expensive, unconcerned, unreliable, very expensive, $$$$, abhorrent, absurd, alienating, arrogant, at best average, awesome, bandit, baron, bitter, bloodsuckers, callous, carpetbagger, censored, cheaters, Communisticdictatorshipcorporatethugs, competent . . ." (The list goes on.)

A sampling of respondents written comments, some shortened for length:

Aqua Tx is cold and indifferent to the monetary plight of retired fixed-income families . . .

Rates are high and we see leaks all the time they do not fix them very quick which wastes water

Our water has ruined every appliance we have. It tastes like chlorine water. If we had comparable rates it would be one thing but we're paying nearly $100 a month for this awful water, and this is with try(ing) to con(s)erve as much as possible . . .

Sewer smells continually come thru our toilet.

Aqua Texas has done everything they can to resolve every problem I've had. Their employees are respectful and courteous. I have no complaints.

The deeds say Aqua Texas is responsible for the sewer service yet the owners have to pay electric for the grinder pumps, and pay for repairs needed for them. For the price we pay for water and sewer services Aqua Texas should be able to fix them and pay for the power to run them. Perhaps they should be investigated as was PEC.

The service does not provide what I would call "drinkable" water and do not trust it to drink nor cook with. It is also very hard water causing discoloration (bleach) to plants and hard water deposits in commodes, sinks and clogs up dishwashers. It smells like chlorine. To top it off, the price, when combined with water & sewer & fees, is the equivalent of a used car payment! Even if you conserve water, the bill does not drop significantly.

If the water loss information is correct then why do we put up with such poor service.

They are devoid of local representation. We talk to people in Penn. when we have issues. They now have us all over the barrel and we are helpless to do anything about it. Woodcreek sold her soul when they sold the water utility to Aqua Tex. They want us to pay for repair for aging, leaky water lines after gouging us for years. If there was a choice, 90% of us would quit Aqua service.

My San Marcos Water Bill was $30 a month. Not $169.00.

They replaced my meter and charged me over $900 in water I never used. I'm sorry we don't have other source for our water.

The cost of water and sewer services are ridiculously high! Our water bill exceeds our electricity bill most months! And our home is all electric! The total cost should be reduced by at least 50%.

Aqua Texas does have the monopoly over Woodcreek North as being our only option for water/sewer services $ they can charge whatever rate they choose. I use at least $47.00 in water/month and before I even turn on the spigot I pay $125 or more just to have service to my house – very unnerving.

Dirt in the water – see it in the toilet tank
Pressure varies
Too expensive to water lawn

The only word I have about service is the outrageous price. Habitat for Humanity doesn't build in Woodcreek because the homeowners would not be able to afford the water – what a commentary to make in America . . .

The minimum water & sewer prices are the absolute highest I have ever paid in my life. The high cost of living in Aqua area affects the selling of real estate. No one wants to live where the minimum water/sewer cost is $150/month! Outrageous!!!

Sadly our Texas departments in charge of rules - standards and regulations for water-sewer companies simply turn a blind eye to the practices of Aqua Tex. - aka - Aqua America . . .

. . . I hope Woodcreek will explore water catchment and other sewage options to become self sufficient & to heck with this water company! I want them gone!