These incredible men and women are the real reason we are the greatest nation on our planet:

We admit we’ve been slackers and not posting much lately.  However, we haven’t forgotten about the elections on Tuesday, November 3.  Wilco republicans understand their duty to vote, but sometimes we forget when it’s not a statewide election for people….  here’s a link to polling places.

Without any further ado, here are the eleven propositions on the ballot and our two cents.  Hold on to your wallets folks, we haven’t seen this big of a money grab, legislation promoting special interests, and *revenue enhancement* since…well, since the last session….

Proposition One:  The constitutional amendment authorizing the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the acquisition by municipalities and counties of buffer areas or open spaces adjacent to a military installation for the prevention of encroachment or for the construction of roadways, utilities, or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of the military installation.   Just what we need, our cities and counties taking on MORE debt that, we believe, will only benefit a handful of developers and good old boys.  It does absolutely nothing to protect our service men and women or our military bases.

Proposition Two:  The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property’s value as a residence homestead.  Let’s get this straight, you want us to vote for yet another tax on ourselves? 

Proposition Three:  The constitutional amendment providing for uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes.  Hmmm, uniform standards and procedures set by whom?  More hornswaggle by the good old boys trying to move money from our wallets to theirs.  Enough already!

Proposition Four:  The constitutional amendment establishing the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund.  Now this is downright interesting…. specially the “emerging” research universities.  Ever hear of robbing Peter to pay Paul?  A “National Research University Fund”??!! Really???  Pie in the sky for all them with their sticky fingers already in the higher education cookie jar.

Proposition Five:  The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to authorize a single board of equalization for two or more adjoining appraisal entities that elect to provide for consolidated equalizations.  Ditto from Proposition Three.

Proposition Six:  The constitutional amendment authorizing the Veterans’ Land Board to issue general obligation bonds in amounts equal to or less than amounts previously authorized.  Finally, a proposed amendment that makes sense and serves a needed purpose.

Proposition Seven:  The constitutional amendment to allow an officer or enlisted member of the Texas State Guard or other state militia or military force to hold other civil offices.   Does the case of Lt. General Charles G. Rodriguez ring any bells for you?  He’s the guy the State paid $53K and change to to run the Texas National Guard.  Too bad, he was also deployed on federal orders and pocketed that paycheck, too.  He wasn’t the only one caught with his both hand in two cookie jars, two other Generals were caught double-dipping their gubmit paychecks.  If you want to allow gubmit workers to be able to work two gubmit jobs at the same time, do it for everybody.  Don’t insult our intelligence by trying to wrap garbage in the flag.

Proposition Eight:  The constitutional amendment authorizing the state to contribute money, property, and other resources for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of veterans hospitals in this state.  The way the US gubmit treats our veterans and runs our veterans hospitals is an absolute national disgrace.  We agree we could do it bigger and better in Texas.  Let’s build the first one in Taylor.

Proposition Nine:  The constitutional amendment to protect the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico.  Hell yes!  If you want private beaches move somewhere else.  Are you listening State Representative Wayne Christian (R-Center)??

Proposition Ten:  The constitutional amendment to provide that elected members of the governing boards of emergency services districts may serve terms not to exceed four years.   Term limits sure has a really republican ring to it, don’t it?  some of us are old enough to remember the lamented “Contract with America” that wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.  But four-year term limits for ESDs?  Rubbish.  If it called for a two-term limit, we’d be all over it.  It doesn’t.  We’re not.

Proposition Eleven:  The constitutional amendment to prohibit the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property for public use unless the action is for the ownership, use, and enjoyment of the property by the State, a political subdivision of the State, the public at large, or entities granted the power of eminent domain under law or for the elimination of urban blight on a particular parcel of property, but not for certain economic development or enhancement of tax revenue purposes, and to limit the legislature’s authority to grant the power of eminent domain to an entity.  Saving the best for last??  We are absolutely certain the Supremes were smoking crack when they ruled in Kelo v the City of New London.  Texans need and deserve protection against the gubmit taking our property for private development, but this proposed amendment simply reeks of political pandering to special and personal interests. 

Get off your duffs, learn more about them, and go vote.

Today, the SREC elected Cathie Adams as Chair and thoroughly marginalized the republican party of Texas. 

October 24, 2009.

We cry.

Happy, happy, joy, joy.  Pink Dome has returned from hiatus.  We were so bummed out by his leaving, we missed his return back in March.   Hacks and flacks beware. 

Is there something in the water in the Carolinas that makes politicians just plain stoopid?

First, there’s North Carolinian John Edwards.  You remember him?  The former Senator and blue VEEP candidate and his media whore mistress - who’s bastard love child might have been fathered by either Edwards or his former BFF Andrew Young.  Or not.  We may never know because she don’t want no DNA done to find out who’s really her baby daddy.  At least Edward’s staff was pretty much able to keep their candidate’s between the sheets campaigning under the covers.  Well, at least until the National Enquirer caught on to his lyin’, cheatin’, two-timin’ womanizin’ ways.

Course, since Edward’s is a dimocrat, did you really expect him to act any different?

Now, we have South Carolina’s governor, Mark Sanford.  Seems he decided to go for a hike and wound up in Argentina.  Which just so happens to be where his mistress, Maria, lives.  What a coincidence.  She surely must be one of those hot-blooded Latina lovers that guys love to write songs about - you know, like Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, and Wes Farrell wrote back in the day… 

In a little cafe just the other side of the border, she was just sitting there giving me looks that made my mouth water.  So I started walking her way.  She belonged to that man, Jose, and I knew, yes,I knew I should leave when I heard her say yeah, “Come a little bit closer, you’re my kind of man.  So big and so strong.  Come a little bit closer, I’m all alone…..And the night is so long…..”

Talk about a long distance romance. 

Just how do you solve a problem like Maria?  Unlike the lyin’ cheatin’ Edwards, once he was caught, Sanford ‘fessed up his Argentinian firecracker, sayin’ she sure put the zing back in his zipper.  This, of course, was much to the chagrin of his wife, who apparently told the philandering fool to get lost.  At least for a while.  We sorta wish she’d gotten just a tiny bit madder and tossed his clothes and stuff out the windows and all over the yard of the governor’s mansion while he was working out his detente or whatever he was working out down in Argentina.  As it is, he’s resigned from the Republican Governor’s Association.  That put Mississippi Governor and presidential wannabe Haley Barbour in that cat bird seat.

Sanford’s refusing to resign as governor.  The sharks are smelling the blood in the water and are circling.  Make no mistake, there are some very hungry sharks over in the Carolinas.  However, most of them are dimocrats.  So we say, big whoop.  Let them starve.  If they won’t eat their own, why should we feed them one of ours?

Any time now, Speaker Straus is going to announce the winners of the House Committee Chairs contest.  There will be cause for joy, cause for angst, and cause for agony, depending on who lands where.

Speaker Straus, or so rumor has it, doesn’t appear to be all ate up with vengence and spite, unlike the former, unlamented speaker Craddick.  But, make no mistake, this here beauty contest is still all about power - who has it, who won’t, and who wields it best.

Baby Boy Gattis should be stuck in the penalty box.  Heck, the penalty box is too good for him - he should be out and out shunned.  He was a Craddick supporter…until he filed for speaker his own self…until he supported Smithee…until he ditched Smithee and jumped back in the race.  He flipped and flopped more than a big mouth bass spitting your lure right back at you.  John Kerry, eat your heart out. 

As for the rest of the die-hard Craddick supporters, Warren Chisum (Pampa), Frank Corte (San Antonio), Will Hartnett (Dallas), Phil King (Weatherford), Ralph Sheffield (Temple), John Smithee (Amarillo),  and Larry Taylor (Friendswood) - it’s gonna be interesting to see where they land. 

Don’t ya just love it when it gets down to the nut cutting brass tacks?

Seems like the She-Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is skootching closer to running for Governor in 2010.  Saturday, the Quorum Report printed the list of her 300 BFFs who are going to help her win the right to squat in that burnt out mess of a mansion over on Colorado Street.

Leading her list are GOP has beens party stalwarts like Phil Gramm.  Yes, that Phil Gramm, the former Senator, Aggie economist & Enron stockholder that said we’re nothin’ but a nation of whiners.   One of my favorite people.

Then, there’s Rod Paige, former HISD Superintendent and W’s secretary of education and architect of No Child Left Behind.   Woo hoo, betcha that’s gonna get you a lot of votes.

How about former congressman Henry Bonilla?  He founded the “American Dream PAC”, but instead of dreams, Bonilla’s hand-picked treasurer got caught with his hand in the PAC cookie jar.  Whoops.  In spite of having a congressional district drawn just for him, he managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and lost the seat to a dimocrat. 

Then, there’s convicted drunk driver Congressman Kevin Brady from The Woodlands.

So far, we are underwhelmed.  So goes the battle of the big-haired former rah rahs.

Have you wandered over to one of those librul dimocrat blogs lately?  Most of ‘em have a countdown clock until W leaves office.  If you happen to be able to tell time, you will note the countdown clock is a bit off, and one is about 12 hours off. 

Evidently on Planet Dimocrat, W leaves office at Midnight.  The rest of us realize that W leaves office at noon, when #44 takes the oath of office.  Evidently, between the midnight witching hour and high noon there’s no one in charge of Planet Dimocrat.

We always say, there’s a reason we call them DIMocrats….

The speaker is done.

According to an Associated Press story in the Dallas Morning News, four members reported that Craddick is dropping his bid to remain Speaker. 

Over at the Statesman,  Representative Sid Miller dismissed Straus’ gang of 85 stating:

“I don’t think it will matter.  The dynamics of the race has changed. It’s not a Straus-Craddick race anymore. It’s a whole new day.”

Whatever you say, Sid.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the Speaker tossed in his towel.  Representative Will Hartnett (Dallas) said Craddick has withdrawn and freed his pledges.  According to Harnett, the “vast bulk” of the erstwhile speaker’s pledges are now supporting John Smithee.

So now, according to Craddick loyalists, it’s shaping up to be a Straus-Smithee race for the speaker.

Bring it on.

The King is Dead.  Long live the King!!

Per the Quorum Report, Representative Joe Straus just released these comments:

“Since entering the House, I have been guided by the very straightforward principle of representing my District first, while continually evaluating what is best for Texas - the way in which a democratic body should function.” 

“The needs of special interests and partisianship will take a back seat to doing what is right for our State at this critical time.”

“It is time for a new tone and an atmosphere of trust in the Texas House of Representatives.”

“Having received the committment of a strong majority of my colleagues, it is my goal to restore civility, fairness and transparency to the House of Representatives and its public-policy making process. 

“Speaker Tom Craddick has served  with distinction in the Texas House for four decades.  I have great respect for him personally and honor his service to the State.”

“In the coming days, I look forward to meeting with each Representative and discussing their district’s priorities.”

Straus also released a list of 83 members he says support him as speaker. 

It’s a veritable who’s who of the house - including now former speaker candidates Byron Cook, Pete Gallego, Burt Solomons, Scott Hochberg, Delwin Jones, Jim Keffer, Ed Kuempel, Brian McCall, Tommy Merritt, and Allan Ritter.

There are some notable exceptions:  Craddick D’s Harold Dutton (Houston), still speaker candidate and Craddick BFF Sly Turner (Houston); Baby Boy Gattis and his unholy trio - Kolkhorst, Hamilton, and Harless; and odd speaker candidate out John Smithee.

Let’s try some cipherin’ here:  83 supporters plus Straus his ownself equals 84, which is eight more than the 76 required to successfully stage a palace coup in the Texas House.  Those are some mighty impressive numbers.

It might be all over, ‘cept for the shoutin’ and band wagon jumpin’ on.  But the fat lady don’t sing until January 13th.