Laurence Simon sums up in one simple sentence everything I find wrong about unions today, and why I have no desire to join HOPE, the combined AFL-CIO-SEIU union for Houston city employees:
A Union is not there to get its members all they can get. No, it’s there to represent the members to help them get what they rightly deserve.
The greed of Gayle Fallon, local teacher’s union prez is what prompted his latest rant.
Hat tip to Instapundit for the above quote and link to this story out of Cleveland. How long until we see the same things here?
Motorists prove red-light cameras don’t work:
[Dave Hatala] got a ticket in the mail saying he was speeding on Chester Avenue at East 71st Street. He was cited for going 48 mph in a 35 mph zone. The only problem is that Hatala insisted he never went that fast. “This was wrong, and I’m willing to fight that,” he said.Along with his ticket, Hatala got pictures showing his van and another car that appeared to be going faster.
Hatala was lucky. He worked for a local TV station, which decided to look into it. Taking the pictures to a university math professor who proved that the ticket belonged to the other car. The judge dismissed the case, but Hatala was still out the lost time from work. Well, maybe he wasn’t, if the station determined it was part of an investigative report, but how many of us are going to be that lucky?
Bill and Sue Faber of Massillon said they haven’t been in Cleveland for six months, but the city sent them a ticket. “No way we could be in Cleveland,” Faber said.
“Do you have witnesses for that?” Pohlman asked.
“Yes, we do,” Faber said.
Yet Cleveland sent the ticket showing a car speeding, but the plate belongs to the Faber’s truck. [Channel 5 investigative reporter] Pohlman said you can’t read the license in the picture at all. He said it appears Cleveland guessed and sent the ticket anyway.
They guessed, and didn’t even bother to compare the description of the vehicle from the state record to what was on the pictures. This is innocent until proven guilty? Anyone want to bet the officer responsible for increasing city revenue reviewing the tapes didn’t even get a negative review?
We can only hope that the people in charge of the computers are less reality-impared than those in Savannah, Georgia, which let anybody check, not for descriptions of the vehicle, but sensitive personal data:
If you’ve been caught on a red light camera lately, you may have more bad news on the way. Your private information may have been seen by identity thieves all over the world. That’s what 8800 motorists who traveled through Savannah, Georgia learned last week. Identity thieves have had easy access to the sensitive personal information on motorists who tripped the city’s red light camera since last February.
A citizen noticed the problem when he searched for a name on Google and found the the photos, name, date of birth, address and sometimes Social Security Numbers of ticket recipients in the results.
Red light cameras capture more than just a photo of you and your car when you pass under their view. The information is cross indexed with even more private information contained in the state’s massive databases.
Just remember, Chief Hurtt says it can’t happen here! Maybe we need one of these for Texas. (Warning: link contains audio.)
The Municipal Channel (a.k.a. Administration Propaganda Station) has an exciting slate of programs for us all this month. Whoo-weeee, I might have to pass up on the Super Bowl to watch these. Might even have to pass up on the Super Bowl commercials.
Mayor’s State of the City Address — 2007 promises to be another exciting year in Houston. Find out what’s in store for our great city in the New Year as the Municipal Channel brings you the Mayor’s annual address from the Hilton-Americas Hotel.
Summary Translation: “Dear Citizen, in 2007 we will have more bike trails, more pork and debt forgiveness for developers, more acronyms, more red-light cameras, fewer police and a new city park for the existence-challenged!”
City News Update — Catch the news and latest Houston happenings on this edition with Host Carol Herrera. Among this month’s stories are the affects of the new Texas Legislative session on Houston, Project Houston Hope, and the highly anticipated Houston Rodeo. Airing Fridays.
Stories you won’t see: The final fate of the Bonusgate Four, an examination of how the city managed to end up with two subordinated liens on hotels and no money, a close examination of the automated meter reading program, a frank discussion of the merits of putting rail down Richmond, and any examination of the Mayor’s plan to shovel money to an old buddy for a wind generation facility in south Texas. Oh and by the way, in this context, it’s Effects, Effects, dammit!
CIP Meetings - Tune in as citizens get involved and offer their suggestions for improvements in their community. Watch the “Capital Improvement Plan” meetings, beginning in January.
The best cure for insomina ever invented! Until you realize most of the citizens are the not exactly representative of your neighborhood. (Developers and superneighborhood board members rarely are.) And you realize it’s your tax money they’re laconically blowing to the tune of tens of millions. Blasé about big bucks? Anyway, after realizing that, good luck ever sleeping again.
Money Matters — Dealing with downtown parking and parking meters can be a real headache…but help is on the way! Join City Controller Annise Parker and guest Liliana Rambo as they discuss the new parking meter technology that’s invading our city. Mondays, in January.
Aaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh please, make it stop! *gasp!* Parking meter technology “invading” the city! Oh yes , that’s how we feel about a lot of the things the Mayor is bringing to town. Parking meters, red-light cameras, Phoenix police chiefs, more fees…. It’s an invasion all right, sort of like the Huns coming over the walls, no? Yes?
Volunteer Journal — Be a part of the largest volunteer tree planting party in the history of Houston - Arbor Day 2007! Get the scoop from Host Walter Black as he discusses “The Big Dig Project” with his guests from the Parks and Recreation Department and Trees for Houston.
I can’t believe they actually had the nerve to use that moniker, considering how good of a year 2006 was for the other big dig! Meanwhile, the current is leaking and the clock is ticking on the rebar in I-45…
Houston Airports Today — Witness the dare-devil aviation acrobats, party with the stars, sing along with famous musicians, and find out what’s hot when it comes to air travel. Go behind the scenes of the Houston Airport System as we revisit the best of “Houston Airports Today” in a special re-mix 2006 episode. There’s a seat saved for you.
What they’re not telling you:
1. That seat is in a Yellow Cab, not the taxi of your choice.
2. The show is a “re-mix” because all the good audio-visual people got hired by Metro to work on their new blog.
The Municipal Channel keeps you in the loop 24 hours, 7 days a week. Log on to our website at www.houstonmunicipalchannel.org
to check the show times of these and other new and exciting programs. We care about Houston communities!
Somebody look at the CAFR and tell us what Mr. Goebbel’s budget is, willya?
Why the hell is Mayor White so worried about what janitors for private businesses make here in the City of Houston, when he can’t even give city employees a cost of living increase? He’s seeing to it that janitors get raises of up to $2.00 an hour and health insurance, but he can’t be bothered to budget some of that budget surplus he was supposed to give back to the taxpayers (before he gutted the revenue limits) for his own employees?
Why is the mayor so busy trying to help out SEIU, and encouraging, instead of fighting them, in regards to unionizing city employees? With one hand, he holds back on employee raises and benefits, and stokes resentment against the city — perhaps chasing employees into the arms of the union; with the other he twists the arms of private businesses to give in to union pressure, thereby giving SEIU a track record of “success” to tout to the very employees they are trying to recruit.
Why would a mayor “renowned” for his business accumen go so far out of his way to advance the cause of a union that doesn’t do anything for the city? Is White colluding with the SEIU in order to duplicate Tammany Hall here in Houston?
If you think “that’s politics; who cares?” just remember what Tammany Hall was most famous for:
The Tammany Society was formed in New York City in 1786. Initially a social organisation, it became increasingly political and by the middle of the 19th century had become a significant force in city government. Although controlled by wealthy men, the organization attracted the support of the working classes and the immigrant population.
Let’s repeat that, shall we? Only try it with some local flavor….
The Tammany Society Greater Houston Partnership was formed in New York City Houston in 1786 1989. Initially a social business organisation, it became increasingly political and by the middle of the 19th century first decade of the 21st century had become a significant force in city government. Although controlled by wealthy men, the organization attracted the support of the unionized working classes and the illegal immigrant population.
I don’t know if this shoe fits, but it sure looks like a good match. If so, who will be Houston’s Samuel Tilden?
UPDATE: Just recieved in e-mail. Spaminate the city employees!
City of Houston employees are preparing for upcoming negotiations. But before we can sit down at the bargaining table, it’s important that we decide which issues will be discussed at the bargaining table.
To help make sure we win a contract that improves our lives and our jobs, we all must complete the bargaining survey.
It only takes a few minutes to make sure your voice is heard during negotiations.
Visit www.organizehope.com to complete the bargaining survey online and help build a better future with HOPE.
***PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT FORWARD THIS MESSAGE FROM YOUR WORK EMAIL ACCOUNT.***
It is against City of Houston policy to forward non-work related emails.
Don’t you just love that last part?
I was going to make a snarky comment about what Pasadena’s city leaders might think of Houston planting these signs along Spencer, but when I went to look up info on the event, I realized that despite the name and location, this is not a celebration put on by the City of Houston. I should have realized that when I didn’t get a letter from the mayor encouraging me to go. Nope, much to my surprise, Cityfest is a religious revival/concert.
Amazing how they managed to forget to mention that little detail in all the advertisement, isn’t it?
Envision the biggest party you’ve ever attended. Multiply attendance by 100 or even 1,000. Now add two full days of fun, awesome Christian bands, an exciting children’s area, world-class skateboarding and BMX demos, and opportunities to see your friends and family come to Jesus Christ. That, my friend, is a Luis Palau Festival.
Makes me even more aggravated/embarassed that I was mentally grumbling about how a no-name performer was the headliner, when they had much better known artists.
So I’ll just note that it’s a damn shame that Christianity has to hide itself under layers of marketing, while we’re supposed to bend over backwards to “understand” the religion of jihad.
Controller Anise Parker has posted the Fiscal Year 2007 audit plans on the city’s website. Notably missing from the list is any operations of the Housing and Community Development Department, which have proved to be so embarassing in the past, despite the evidence that little has changed. (Item #40)
Just as an aside, you know things are bad when the Federal Government thinks you’re wasting their money and starts cutting back on the money flow.
The City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department has decided to delay issuance of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for Neighborhood Facilities Renovation. The reason for this delay is that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has reduced the City’s Community Development Block Grant allocation by $3,630,000 for Fiscal Year 2006 (July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007). The Department does plan to issue the RFP in December 2006 for funding in Fiscal Year 2007 (July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008).
One would think that maybe the $750,000 in city funds that went to propping up Metro’s ridership figures buying bus passes for city employees would be audited, or LARA would be checked over, or maybe even someone would follow up to see if HOH has reimbursed HUD — but then again, the city would rather spend $200k and try to get out of it entirely (see item #48), so why bother?
What Ms. Parker auditing in FY 2007? A whole lot of “safe” things:
Exciting stuff, eh? Certainly nothing that’s going to cause problems for the mayor or the folks lined up at the trough labeled “Houston Development.” Well, there are three items on the list which might prove interesting:
There’s more; you may want to check it out, but my read of this is that in an election year (most of these will complete in the first half of 2007), Controller Parker isn’t going to risk causing any problems for Mayor White’s last re-election bid.
(cross-posted at blogHOUSTON.)
After all the hullaballoo, the DA and FBI sure haven’t had anything to say lately. And the Chronicle hasn’t exactly been asking any questions about this either.
After some initial posturing, the usual has happened: city employees were canned, and nothing happened to those in charge. Unless, of course, you count Alvarado’s “temporary” status as not-the-mayor-pro-tem.
Small wonder my co-workers ridiculed the union representative right out of the building last week. “You’ve only worked for the city since January? How are you going to represent us? You don’t know anything about what it means to work here!”
Of course, how such a recent employee has the time to go to other worksites to shill for the union (on multiple days) is beyond me.
Edit 8/21: he was back today. I guess he wasn’t laughed at enough. He looks awful lonely, sitting there by himself, though.
So much to blog about, so little time. I’ll just have to hit the high points:
Where’s the SPCA when you need it? Last March, I reported on problems with the city pound that were brought before council. The city was spending money on artwork for the pound’s lobby while animals were being lost down drains and going without needed medical treatment. Well, guess what? Nothing’s changed.
But here’s what the city does have money for — new cement sculptures in the lobby and contemporary pet artwork worth nearly $2,000. The city says the money comes from another account. The goal: to make the pound seem friendlier for those who want to adopt.
Link to original story here.
Ben Reyes, the one-time “Godfather of East End politics,” is poised to return to the political scene in the city of Houston, and Chronicle seems to like that idea. Reyes has spent 10 years in prison, convicted along with Port Commissioner Betti Maldonodo of bribery charges — bribes that John Castillo, John Peavy, and Michael Yarborough were not convicted of having received, despite two trials. To refresh everyone’s memory:
The road to prison began with an FBI sting operation in August 1995. Reyes eventually was sentenced for bribery and conspiracy in a cash-for-votes scheme to influence a city contract for a then-unbuilt convention-center hotel project. Reyes took a $50,000 cash payment from undercover agents and was taped attempting to persuade former council cohorts to take bribes, as well. Three sitting council members also were tried, but after two hung juries prosecutors dropped the charges.
Yes, that’s the same convention center that is now a part of my pension. Fortunately, it’s doing well for now, despite Houston having the highest car rental prices in the nation (thanks to the taxes to pay for all those sports arenas) and some of the highest hotel rates in the nation (also thanks to the taxes to pay for all those sports arenas).
He’s still got some friends, and unsurprisingly, one of them is John Castillo.
“He happened to have gotten in the cross hairs of government, like we all did,” said Castillo, who was a steadfast ally. As for Reyes’ future, Castillo said, “You don’t know what happens to a man who has been out of the community for eight years. I’m glad he is going to be able to take that yoke off his back and pick up the pieces. He is a strong man with strong convictions and a good instinct.”
Reyes’ former allies said if he had been on the political scene the past eight years, he could have provided wisdom, knowledge and experience.
Another good friend is Marc Campos, the #1 political consultant in East End politics.
“There ought to be forgiveness for any sins he’s committed,” said political consultant Marc Campos. “He knows politics, he knows people. I don’t think there was anyone as good as he was in our community. I’ve thought often how our politics would be if this hadn’t happened. There’s been a certain passion that has been missing in the local Latino community and political structure. We’re behind. We have a lot of growing to do.”
Hold that thought, please…. And yet another good friend:
“He was a trailblazer,” said state Rep. Jessica Farrar, who was Reyes’ chief of staff when he served on council. “He was tenacious. He was resourceful. He had a brilliant mind. He was a mentor to everyone in Hispanic politics today. In some way they are connected to him.”
I know that Anglos and African-Americans are just as bad about corruption in government, but you’d think Hispanics would be a little more sensitive about playing to stereotypes of corrupt Latin American politicos, with nicknames like El Patron, and support for a disgraced politician. Talk about needing to grow! I suspect that perception explains some of the opposition to Orlando Sanchez, not that I like him either.
Not that everyone follows the Godfather’s lead, or did even before he went to jail:
But political power inevitably creates enemies. In the early 1990s, Reyes lost two close bids for the 29th Congressional District seat that had been carved to elect a Hispanic to the U.S. House from Houston. Helped partly by former Reyes friends who had become his political foes, state Sen. Gene Green, an Anglo, won the seat and still holds it.
One of those foes is his most recent successor in District I, Carol Alvarado, who backed Gene Green. Perhaps he gave her some advice she didn’t like, such as, “mind the store, Carol.”
“She’s good at relationships and constituent services,� [former councilmember Gabriel] Vasquez says. “But in terms of the functional responsibility of managing the budget, preparing the budget and understanding the whole function of being a mayor-in-training, she’s not so good.�
But it’s rather curious that the Chronically Biased’s opinion on the law has done an abrupt about face in the last few days. From last week, talking about convicted felon Marc Hoskins, elected to Galveston City Council:
According to information on the Internet site for the Texas secretary of state’s office, which oversees elections, the Texas Election Code “generally provides that to be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, a public elective office, a person must have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities.”
A person who has fulfilled a sentence and been discharged can vote again, according to the state Web site, which cautions that for felons “there is no automatic restoration of the right to be a candidate, as there is for voting purposes, after a full discharge. Absent a pardon, the candidate must have obtained a judicial release from his or her disabilities in order to run for any office to which this section applies.”
From today’s editorial:
State law is ambiguous about whether a felon can hold public office, and there is nothing in the terms of his release to prevent him from seeking one.
And yesterday’s article:
Nothing in his release conditions prohibits him from holding office again, and state law is somewhat ambiguous on the issue.
Odd, how the law has suddenly become ambiguous about this humble family man.
Judging by his first press interview since his imprisonment, the man who some credit with inventing modern Hispanic politics in Houston hardly resembles the foul-mouthed, boastful manipulator who was taped by the FBI setting up a council colleague for a bribe. Reyes told the Chronicle’s Kristen Mack he accepts the blame for his crimes. “I’m sorry for what my friends and family had to go through. … It was a flaw in my character that I’ll take to my grave.”
And it doesn’t matter, after all, since Houston is squeaky clean now!
Since Reyes was caught in a federal bribery sting, term limits have reduced the power of entrenched council members to influence the awarding of city contracts, as well as lobbyists’ ability to sway council votes. Ethics legislation and a municipal inspector general discourage official misconduct.
Let me just point out that the Chronicle’s reasoning is backwards: when you’ve got three terms to make your mark and prepare for higher office, and you have to pay for three campaigns in those six years, the influence of lobbyists is tremendously enhanced. Council members know they can’t build a political base in city politics, so they have to play ball and make as many, “friends” and “business contacts” as they can. Individual voters be damned, the city be damned, the future be damned. I’ve watched this game ever since Clayton Wright persuaded enough people to vote for his delusional solution, and the city is much the worse for “hiring short-timers” to run it.
But somehow, I don’t think that’s why the Chronicle supports bringing back a disgraced retread from the past.
If he is sincere and remorseful, the man once called “El Patrón” should be welcomed back into the civic life of the city to which he once contributed many positive achievements. However, anyone expecting him to reclaim his past clout will be disappointed. Houston and its Hispanic leaders have long since outgrown the need for a godfather.
No, no, he’s just a harmless old man, nothing to see here, move along….
Well, not specifically me. Nor Houblog’s.
Mayor Bill White needs you to help Houston lead Texas in celebrating our nation’s birthday! The City’s official Fourth of July celebration, Chevy’s Freedom Over Texas with fireworks presented by Shell will bring thousands of people into the heart of Houston for food, fun, and fireworks! As the largest event Houston has hosted to date, it will be simulcast all over the state and now in New Mexico by our friends at ABC 13. To help put Houston’s best foot forward, we need your help as event volunteers. Afternoon or evening assignments can include assisting with admissions or tending any of the many booths that make up the festival’s infrastructure. In return for their time, volunteers will be treated to world-class entertainment, great refreshments, and dazzling fireworks displays. An event of this magnitude would not be possible with out the dedication of volunteers so please visit our website at www.chevysfreedomovertexas.com for volunteer signup and event information. We hope to see you on the 4th!
My opinion is that if it’s the city’s official celebration, then it’s a city duty, not a volunteer project. Especially if it’s promoting Shell and Chevy. You want me to volunteer my time to sit (or stand) in the heat and swelter? With what city employees are paid, we should consider our jobs as volunteer work! I did mention that I qualify for the city’s housing assistance as I make less than 80% of the city’s median income, adjusted for family size? And that without the two promotions I’ve recieved in over 15 years, I would have taken a 6-7% erosion in purchasing power?
By the way, will the simulcast be transducion en espanol? I only ask for the benefit of people about whose residency status I am prohibited from enquiring when they’re trying use a non-American ID.
Even without being busy lately, I’ve been remiss in keeping up with many of the great sites on my blogroll lately, which is how I let Tory Gattis get past me last Thursday with this gem of a post based on notes he took during “MBA Day� for Harris County. Most of the department heads were there, as were Radack and Eckles.
Tory had a lot of great information on the region and how we’re doing that he picked up from the meeting, but there were a few items I thought bore repeating. Some of their statements that had to deal with the City and Metro were facinating, and not always in a good way. By all means, I recommend that you head over there and read the rest of a very fascinating post, as I’m only excerpting the parts relevent to the city, and not the port, airport, or toll roads.
Recent news has been just full of good cheer about the local scene, with no less than four stories over at BlogHouston today (and a couple of recent ones from here) that serve to illustrate exactly what’s wrong with how the city’s being run these days.
Sports Authority Gets New Exec — What the Sports Authority needs to get is eliminated. Both mayors Brown and White have displayed a willingness to expand government by setting up unaccountable “Authorities” which then develop a life of their own.
A woman who serves as acting head of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau is expected to be named chief executive of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority today.
Janis Schmees will be given the mandate to attract new events, including track and field competitions, to the city, said Billy Burge, chairman of the sports authority.
Setting up the SA was a shuffle to keep the increase in taxes from being either “city” or “county”; there is no need to have an expensive agency and executive salaries for the sole purpose of paying off the bonds used to build a new set of stadiums. Of course, that’s why the SA is looking for more work, just like any government.
Odd, isn’t it, how sports franchises are the only entertainment “industry” that gets government taxpayers to fund their “manufacturing facility.” When was the last time a major city built Sony a new recording studio?
The New Super Fire Station construction contract is coming up for a vote. Of course, we wouldn’t have to construct a new fire station if Outta Town Brown hadn’t sold both of our downtown stations to developers. One was torn down to build the Downtown Aquarium and helipad (a mere 40 feet from the elevated I-45). Oh wait, thanks to a city employee with the guts to do his job, that genius idea got shut down. Of course, if the council hadn’t given the developer carte blanche to change the plans without submitting them for review, that might not have happened.
As for the other, well, the Rockets allegedly play basketball there now, but you couldn’t prove it by me.
But never fear, citizens of Houston! While the mayor’s shell game continues apace, council member and NJR (Non-Jacksonian Republican and supporter of illegal alien daycare job centers) M. J. Khan is organizing the business people of southwest Houston, where many of the Katrina refugees settled. Strangely, this area has seen a spike in the crime rate, leading said businesspeople to take matters into their own hands. Or forgo business. A resturant that closes before supper? I expect to hear things like that in the fifth ward, or up on Lyons Ave. where the crack-whores walk. Not in Chinatown. On the other hand, the closet commies haven’t managed to abrogate the Second Amendment yet.
Meanwhile, the original unelected Authority, Metro, isn’t exactly trusted by HPD to deliever an unbiased report about an accident involving one of their own.
“Also, I do not believe the information provided by Metro conclusively ruled out the possibility that the lights may have malfunctioned with regard to what the officer saw,” Ready said.
Although Metro police normally investigate MetroRail collisions, Ready said HPD, which has a division specifically for accident investigations, handles those involving the city’s fleet.
Since this is essentially an overlapping jurisdiction, it will be interesting to see if Metro tries to maintain their usual position of “it’s the driver’s fault” so they can keep working on their bag limit. Pedestrians, bicyclists, SUV drivers, it’s open season on everyone except HPD. Although Metro doesn’t appreciate the distinction. As Anne points out over at BlogHouston:
Amusingly, the original Chronicle story on the accident includes this quote from Metro’s George Smalley:
Smalley said the preliminary report also indicated that the officer may have run a red light at the intersection.
That would undoubtedly be Metro’s preliminary report.
Heh. Indeed. At least it didn’t vanish, like one of Metro’s earlier studies. We wouldn’t even know about that one if it weren’t for perennial thorn-in-Metro’s-side, Tom Bazan.
I wonder if raising the speed limit at the Deathramp is just TxDOT being jealous of Metro’s accident total?
And now for the ” if anyone wonders why I don’t like the Chronicle, Marvin Zindler, or Wayne Dolcefino, then ask yourself why an informal alliance of bloggers have to spend their own time, money, and effort dragging together all these facts and checking up on our local government — for free – while the folks that get paid for shutting down whorehouses and crawling in dumpsters get all the kudos.
As he makes his rounds through the city — his city — chances are the people who rubberneck to catch a glimpse have on their minds neither the Chicken Ranch nor the story Zindler considers his most important — his 1985 reports on financial mismanagement by the Hermann Hospital board of trustees. And it’s a sure bet they aren’t thinking about the Agris-Zindler Children’s Foundation, which has helped children all over the world.
No, they’re thinking of his weekly reports on restaurant health inspections, with their frequent finding of “SLIIIIME in the ice machine.” He shouts it like a battle cry. Or they’re thinking of his latest piece — he’s done thousands — about ordinary people who got a bum deal.
They’re the press. They’re the ones who are supposed to be the “watchdogs of government.” What are they doing? Puff pieces on Marvin Zindler. Herman’s financial mideeds? Hey, that was twenty years ago, Marvin. What have you done for us lately? Busted dirty restuarants and sleazy car dealers. Oh, and in the interests of full disclosure, pestered Public Works over the usual stupidity. We’re an easy target, because we can’t say “Hey, Marvin, the citizen complaining to you is ‘telling the truth with a notable lack of enthusiasm!’” Instead of questioning Metro’s train fares, our local media spent “sweeps month” going on and on about Enron. Well some of them are paying attention to the issues:
The people who answer Houston’s 911 calls said their office is in a state of emergency, and something needs to be done.
Union leaders said poor management at the center has lead to poor working conditions, low morale and a high turnover rate that’s lead[sic] to understaffing — and that puts the public at risk.
They also said despite past complaints, the problems have not been solved. Union leaders met with emergency center officials to once again try to find a solution.
I guess it led to understaffing too. Not that the union seems to be all that worried about it:
Union officials said they will not endorse the hiring of any new employees until existing problems at the call center are fixed.
Talk about counterproductive. “Hey, we’re going to hold our breath and demand you make the understaffing problem worse!”
(Update: Both Houstonist and BlogHouston now have pieces on it.)
Well, it’s a bare-bones article (KTRK has little more), but at least it’s some coverage on an important subject, even if it lacks context. But Tom Kirkendall’s excellent opinions aside, the effect of Enron, or the wall-to-wall Enron coverage to which we were subjected (endlessly), on the average Houston citizen will be zilch.
(Deeeeeeeeeeep breath…../puts down the blunt object/) Well, in any case, if you think Marvin and/or the Chronicle already make enough money, you can always reward some of the area bloggers by hitting their tip jars or shopping at their stores:
BlogHouston
Houston’s Clear Thinkers
Or their favorite charities:
Off The Kuff
And of course mine are over there on the right.
Note: any other local bloggers that I missed can put theirs in the comments below and I’ll add it to the list for a couple of days. (Though I do reserve the right to reject causes I disagree with, like CAIR, PETA, Hamas, etc. )
The job’s never over until the paperwork’s done, and here’s the paperwork. No time to analyze it, but it’s the the text of the ordinance passed this week by the Council to transfer the everything to do with the parking over to the new “commission” and placing that commission under the Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department.
Background to that: CEFD is an “Enterprise Fund.” Translation: “revenue generating” as opposed to normal governmental budget funds, which are not. The largest enterprise funds are the utilties and airport; the convention center has been a distant third. (There is a fourth, but I can’t recall it offhand.)
In short, the city is tacitly acknowledging that this is considered revenue enhancement, not law enforcement.
Warning: this file is over 1.1 megs in size. It is in .pdf format, and you can get the reader here, if you need it.
Edit: forgot to link back; this is in answer to Anne’s question over on BlogHouston.
(Edit: Oops! Originally posted with the wrong title, drawn from the next article in this series.)
I have, since reading Meade’s magazine article distilling Divine Providence, in which he discusses the Jacksonian tradition, wanted a political party based on the principles espoused by that tradition, and none other. Up until a month ago, I settled for backing the Republican party as the closest alternative. I was hardly alone in that: Meade points out that the Jacksonian principles make up a major portion of the Republican Party:
Solidly Democratic through the Truman administration . . . Jacksonian America shifted toward the Republican Party under Richard Nixon–the most important political change in American life since the Second World War.
It is my contention that the alligence of this Jacksonian block has been lost by the actions of the Republican party in supporting pork, failing to prosecute the war’s home front seriously, and failing to oppose illegal immigration, despite the clear and strong message sent by the voters. For many years, the term applied to such “strays from the fold” has been RINO. It has also been applied by the religious wing of the party to those insufficiently responsive to their beliefs, but this usage is not as common; nothing gets a politician tagged RINO quicker than supporting big spending and big government. But RINO is a deceptive term: these people are part and parcel of what the Republican Party is today. We somehow remain blind to that fact, even as we acknowledge (and lament) that their presence prevents the Party from being what we want. Therefore, a more accurate depiction would have been “NJR” or Non-Jacksonian Republican.
This is a crucial distinction, and one the mainstream media has not seen, or perhaps it refuses to. In the view of our oh-so-centerist media (just ask them, they’ll tell you!), “conservatives” mean Jesus freaks and NASCAR rednecks. The followers of the Jacksonian tradition have ground their teeth and tolerated the slurs, having no clearly defined identity, no tag, no label to describe itself. Arguably, the Jacksonians weren’t even aware of themselves as a group until after Meade’s groundbreaking article was published. But now they are beginning to be–and a critical mass may be reached soon, for Meade firmly predicts that the fate of the Republican party will rest with the decisions made by Jacksonian believers:
The future of Jacksonian political allegiance will be one of the keys to the politics of the twenty-first century.
It is my belief that the discontented “conservative” voters in the U.S. today are primarily Jacksonian in their outlook, and they are ready to lay down their allegience to the Republican Party. The “silent majority” has been disenfranchised by the persistant lean (if not outright run) away from its principals by both parties, and the Jacksonians badly want a party reflective of their belief structure. Peggy Noonan says in today’s Opinion Journal:
The problem is not that the two parties are polarized. In many ways they’re closer than ever. The problem is that the parties in Washington, and the people on the ground in America, are polarized. There is an increasing and profound distance between the rulers of both parties and the people–between the elites and the grunts, between those in power and those who put them there.
But how? The dominant political parties have “rigged the game” to make it extremely hard for others to enter it. In doing so, they have undone the work of Andrew Jackson:
-Andrew Jackson laid the foundation of American politics for most of the nineteenth century, and his influence is still felt today. With the ever ready help of the brilliant Martin Van Buren, he took American politics from the era of silk stockings into the smoke-filled room. Every political party since his presidency has drawn on the symbolism, the institutions and the instruments of power that Jackson pioneered.
More than that, he brought the American people into the political arena. Restricted state franchises with high property qualifications meant that in 1820 many American states had higher property qualifications for voters than did boroughs for the British House of Commons. With Jackson’s presidency, universal male suffrage became the basis of American politics and political values.
And from there, we went on to universal citizen suffrage, which is where we should be. But how important is that vote, when someone else controls who you can vote for? Oh, there has to be a selection process, to screen out the whackos and field strong candidates– but with only two choices, group-think has set in with a vengence. County-wide, less than 100 people make the real decision on what choices we have on primary day. That’s out of a population of what, four million? At the state level, it’s even worse, proportionally speaking.
Addendum: From The Twilight of the Two Party System, a position paper of The Jacksonian Party:
The work of the Two Party System since the 1930’s has been that to divide the commonality of We the People and repudiate the Constitution in that doing. And the fruit of those long decades of giving unto the Federal Government more and more responsibilities and allowing the Legislative and Executive branches to codify their parties into perpetual power and their persons in High Office in Congress as Royalty that may not hindered by the mere Law that applies to We the People is a bitter one. We the People now stand as a People divided by ethnicity, national origin, skin color, living circumstance, sexual outlook, religious viewpoint, and fiscal wealth. Each party has pushed hard for these divisions so as to ensure that We the People will view each other with suspicion and not be able to come together to form ‘a more perfect Union’ and ensure ‘Justice’ that can be applied equally to All of the People.
Continuing:
Just look at all the footwork being done by Strayhorn and Friedman to run for governor of Texas as independants. The very fact that they are in the race is indicative of people’s alienation from the major parties: Strayhorn actually has a shot, a long one, but a shot at winning nonetheless. Beyond even that, however, is the fact that both she and author Kinky Friedman may outpoll Chris Bell, the Democratic Party candidate. He isn’t a particularly strong offering to start with, but to be relegated to fourth place is an embarassment for any so called major party, and a measure of how angry the electorate is. If enough of that anger turns against Perry’s “tax solution,” then Strayhorn’s chances will improve remarkably, and we may be treated to the spectacle of an independant governor in a state, indeed a region, with no tradition of independant politics.
It is Ms. Noonan’s contention, and that of the Texas Rainmaker (who also quotes the above) that not only has the come for a third party to form; it will form, and this time it’s got leverage that even Perot’s money couldn’t buy fourteen years ago: The internet.
Perot showed that even with a dissatisfied electorate and a lot of money, one cannot build a political party on the leadership of a single person (especially if he’s a flake.). A broad-based coalition of angry voters must emerge around local leaders to create a new national party. The only way to build it is from the ground up. And the only way to do that is to reach enough people who are willing to set aside their apathy and feelings of helplessness in the face of the two-party system, and pitch in to build that party. The internet is the method to make that possible. Again, quoting Rainmaker:
…with the grassroots effort of the Internet, I think the tide could be changing. Now anyone with a computer and Internet access can reach millions of potential voters and get something close to “equal timeâ€?… especially as citizens continue to shun the traditional media outlets.
The question is not if… but when?
Obviously, it is impossible to make a showing in the 2006 elections now — and our masters in Washington know that, even as they continue to “pork it up” and allow illegals to flood across our border. They pay us lip service even as they continue business as usual. But Houston has a unique opportunity to make a statement on national issues within the local scope in 2007. Yesterday, two issues about which the electorate has been increasingly polarized, were passed by the City Council at Mayor White’s request. The lesser of the two would be the red light camera system. The idea itself, the questionable value, and equally questionable bid procedure was enough to make it a contentious issue, but one that probably would be “forgotten” in the same way that the Kingwood annexation and (Un-)Safe Tow have been forgotten: the anger is still there, but it’s muted and part of the background mutter now.
Not so with the day labor center. It is too wrapped up in the issue of immigration, which will keep it fresh in everyone’s minds; further, since the funding has to be voted on yearly, it will come up again next year during the campaign.
Add all this to the latent unhappiness over expensive arenas, unsafe rail, Metro’s arrogance, and Mayor White’s use of quasi-governmental authorities to “lock in” his agenda for the future … and the opportunity exists for a group to coelesce in opposition to all this. One that can draw on a wide base of anger to bypass the traditional party apparatchiks that control who we get to vote for, and thereby what kind of government we get.
Will Houston become the base from which a new political party springs? A Jacksonian party, built around the principals of that oh-so-overlooked president?
One can could only hope. Now, perhaps, one can do something….