Thursday, April 27, 2006

You Go Cowboy

Who elected this guy?

The courts said he had to do it and by golly Governor Goodhair is gonna do it.

If you haven't heard Texas schools are in a mess. Under funded, under staffed, and dare I say it, the Texas leadership is under motivated to make the necessary changes. But, alas, the Texas Supreme Court said changes had to be made. So here we are with our backs against the wall, and there's nothing like a court order and impending elections to motivate a politician.

Mr. Perry has said time and time again that he is going to lower property taxes. He's dug that hole so deep there's no getting out of it now. Property taxes fund schools in Texas, so where's he going to find the offset? Ahh, search and ye shall find. I heard it said that his plan is similar to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I like that. I like that analogy alot.

"You can say one thing for the governor and legislative leadership – once they latch onto a bad idea, they stick with it." – Texas Federation of Teachers President Linda Bridges

Remember that scene in the Titanic where the band was playing as the ship was going down? I think Rick Perry was playing lead bagpipe. He's made promises that he can't keep, and now he has to find the money somewhere. Where 'o where will it come from?

Here?












or maybe here?












The Governor says we will raise money for education by making sure we get the "real" taxes owed from the sale of used cars and also by tacking on a dollar per pack of cigarettes. Well we all know that used car buyers and sellers are sleazeballs so that's a slamdunk in the legislature. But maybe there are a bunch of puffers in Austin because it looks like a harder sell with the smokers tax. But then again it might be that the tobacco lobby is just more powerful than the used car guys? I get this mental picture of the lobbyists on the capital steps handing out smokes and bald tires. Which would you take?

All you ex-smokers we need your help! Think of the kids. Go to the Mini Mart today, grab a carton and smoke like there's no tommorrow. Because really there isn't. Our children deserve better. Bump that two pack a day habit up to three. Please. We need the money now.

Joe, Joe, He's Our Man!

Who elected this guy?

"Nobody's happy with gasoline prices being where they are," said Representative Joe L. Barton, Republican of Texas and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who last year championed scores of new tax breaks for the industry.

Well, duh, Joe. Thanks for giving those poor, helpless folks at Exxon Mobil a tax break. Without it they may not have been able to acheive record breaking profits.

And if restricting your freedom to move about the country by auto wasn't enough, well Joe has a plan to bog down the Net highway as well. Who's the sponsor of the COPE act? Our friend Joe.


Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act.

Sounds benign enough, right?
Only if you're the type that likes your information filtered by the ones that can make the most profit. My pals over at MyDD have some good thoughts on this issue. So why should Net Neutrality matter? Check out this video.

Well, how are your elected officials doing? I know mine suck.

And once again, thanks Joe, for being our friend.