Voice in the Wilderness

Monday Reads

2009-02-23T11:10:00.009-06:00

You Tell'em, Gov. Perry - Peggy Venable, Americans for Prosperity, Texas
"I remain opposed to using these funds to expand existing government programs, burdening the state with ongoing expenditures long after the funding has dried up."

Gov. Perry Takes Stimulus Money -- on his own terms - The Voice of the Taxpayer
Gov OK on one time expenditures, not ongoing, unfunded mandates.

The top 10 issues of the 81st session, part 2 - Will Lutz, DallasBlog
Property Taxes, Budget, Insurance, K-12 Education, and Eminent Domain should consume a lot of air in the Texas Legislative Echo Chamber.

Is Straus more powerful than Craddick? - Paul Burka, Texas Monthly
Do new House rules make the speaker virtually invulnerable to removal?

Rep. Ron Paul Delivers Constituent Services - Lone Star Times

State Sovereignty Movement Keeps Growing - Dave Nalle, Republic of Dave

Texas electricity: Lower prices, greater consumer choice - Emma Pickering
Maybe deregulation hasn't been so bad afterall?

Pro-Life Lobby Day coming to Lege on Feb. 24 - Jonathan Saenz, Texas Legislative Update
Ultrasound bill and "Choose Life" license plates on tap this session.

Sid Miller wants more hog hunting from helicopters! - Tony McDonald, Texian Online
Suffice it to say that feral pigs in Texas should not expect a bailout.

Plano ISD — Not Too Shabby; They Like Guns - Trey Garrison
Somehow a cartoon picture of a firearm made it past the public ed PC police.

Out of Fear, Mexico Police Chief Resigns - Tom McGregor, DallasBlog
More disorder on the border.

Houston: 4-year Old Child Abducted and Assaulted by Illegal Alien - Robbie Cooper, Urban Grounds
Jorge Gonzales Hernandez — Abducting and sexually assaulting the children that Americans are too lazy to abduct and assault.

Wednesday Reads

2009-02-18T08:36:00.017-06:00

North Texas Officials Beg for Taxpayer Dollars to Lobby for More Taxpayer Dollars - Americans for Prosperity
North Texas pols use taxpayer money to sign up Austin lobbyists to lobby for - you guessed it! - more tax dollars!

North Texas cities ask for money for transportation lobbying - Michelle Samuelson, Blue Dot Blues
In light of the odious Senate Bill 855, the North Texas transportation tax bill, when local pols use tax payer money to beg more tax payer money, it makes you want to say: What. The. *#@!?

Why are the Democrats complaining? - Paul Burka, Texas Monthly
None of the Republican chairman are identified with the hardcore social conservatives, who were shut out of chairmanships. That is the point the Democrats are missing. Straus gave them a House that is run by moderates.

Calamity: Government officials are putting off some purchases! - Kevin Whited, blogHOUSTON
Government in America does not get smaller. If the recession is sharp, some services may suffer in the short term. But beyond the short term -- government in America does not get smaller. So let's not shed too many tears just yet for the woes of government officials.

Sheila! Jackson!! Lee!!! In freakin' INDIA!!!! - Banjo Jones, Brazosport News
Houston Democratic Congressional Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is a force of nature, blessed with an uncanny ability to detect the presence of news cameras, no matter where they are, no matter what the news event, come hell or high water, and then suddenly appear right in their viewfinders.

State Sovereignty Update - Dave Nalle, Republic of Dave
States are starting to stand up to Washington DC's encroachments by appealing to the US Constitution. Will Texas join them?

Open Schools - Michael Quinn Sullivan, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Bills filed in Texas Legislature would require more transparency in public education spending. Since taxpayers get handed the bill, is it too much to ask to be allowed to examine the receipt?

The Freedom Market Foundation in Texas Fighting the Good Fight - Kathleen McKinley, Texas Magazine
Free enterprise, traditional values think tank stands for religious freedom and the rights of the unborn this legislative session.

700+ Scientists Are Skeptical of Darwin’s Evolution; Texas State Senator Says Censor SBOE - Jonathan Saenz, Texas Legislative Update
State Senator Rodney Ellis (D, Houston), wants to hand discussion of science in textbooks to unelected bureaucrats.

Real cheating in pro sports: New stadiums and eminent domain abuse - Chris Robertson, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Although it is a shame that one of the nation’s leading sports figures has admitted to cheating and taking shortcuts, what is more concerning is the extensive eminent domain abuses over the years that sports teams and cities have engaged in to take short cuts in taking private property.

Voter ID bill referred to full Senate - Mike Ward, Austin American Statesman
The controversial Voter ID bill that triggered a nasty Senate fight last month over a rules change today was referred directly to the full Senate for a vote, setting the stage for new unpleasantness. Now that it has been referred, Senate Bill 362 could be brought up for consideration as soon as next week.

Tuesday Reads

2009-02-17T08:08:00.005-06:00

Job Creation in the Private Sector - A Real Economic Stimulus Plan - Tom Pauken, DallasBlog
Unlike liberal states, Texas leads the way in job create and economic development.

Sneaky tax plan filed in TX Senate - Michelle Samuelson, Blue Dot Blues
Senate bill filed with the caption "local options regarding transportation and mobility improvement projects in certain counties." That's code for transportation tax bill.

Bulked Up - Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Steroid testing law nets 1 out of 2500 high school athletes. Is it a great deterrent or a big boondoggle?

Monday Reads

2009-02-16T09:00:00.013-06:00

Straus releases House committee assignments - Will Lutz, DallsBlog
The Democratic leadership fared a bit better than last session but did not get as many concessions as some Republicans feared. Many conservatives are understandably disappointed with these committee assignments. From a conservative perspective, it could have been worse. Republicans and conservatives did retain some key committee posts and will still retain some influence over the course of legislation.

81st Legislature: A Close Look At Speaker Straus’ Committee Assignments - Vince Leibowitz, Capitol Annex
Elections Committee a disaster for Democrats?

Committee Communiqué - Michael Quinn Sullivan, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Taxpayers get a mixed bag on House Committee Assignments

The top 10 issues of the 81st session, part 1 - Mark Lavergne, DallasBlog
Tuition de-regulation, Texas Youth Commission reform, ultrasound, voter ID, emissions regulation, gas taxes among the issues sure to make headlines.

Can we have a serious talk about nullification?? - Michelle Samuelson, Blue Dot Blues
Gov. Perry can't refuse the stifling stimulus package? What is this, Moscow?!

More staff reductions at the Chron - Kevin Whited, blogHOUSTON
Another Texas mainstream media organ is feeling the bite of hard economic times and the new media.

Mexico – Closing in on Chaos - Melissa Pehle-Hill, Make-a-Statement.org
Retired US Army General sheds light on the gathering threat of violence south of the border.

Texas universities spend without restraint in tough economy - Michelle Samuelson, Texas Magazine
Executive compensation activists may want to set their sites on a new target: Administrators at Texas public universities

University of Texas: Tuition Up 57%, Administrators' Salaries Up 30% - Phillip Martin, Burnt Orange Report
Texas public university students bearing the burden of bureaucratic largesse.

Texas Employer Parking Lot Bill Has Been Filed - A Keyboard and a .45
Senate Bill 730 should help make it easier for Texans to lawfully keep their firearms and ammo in their cars while at work.

Dallas Bookstore Praises Saint Obama - Texas Rainmaker
Bookstore employees do not seem too concerned about the separation of church and state.

Friday Reads

2009-02-13T08:44:00.004-06:00

More on House Committee Assignments - Michelle Samuelson, Blue Dot Blues
Assignments are generally unfavorable for conservatives and confusing for everybody.

Committees - Winners and Losers - Paul Burka, Texas Monthly
The big winners were the Anyone But Craddicks (ABCs).

Gitmo detainees not welcome in Texas - Merv Benson, Prarie Pundit
Texas pols not inclined to house GWOT prisoners.

Big Pork, Meet Big Spender - Michael Quinn Sullivan, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
House Speaker Strauss is putting the wolf in charge of the fiscal hen house.

"Blueprint for an Effective Budget" press conference - Texas Public Policy Foundation

Thursday Reads

2009-02-12T10:06:00.008-06:00

Blueprint for Preparing the Texas Budget: A Gift from Texas to Congress - Peggy Venable, Americans for Prosperity-Texas
Recently announced Blueprint for an Effective Budget provides the guiding principles to Texas budget writers...and the feds might learn something from it too.

Voter Identification Bill is Picking Up Steam - James Armstrong, Voice of the Taxpayer
You know common sense is riding in the back seat when you’re required to present more identification at your local movie theater than at your polling place.

Ogden goes after taxpayer-funded lobbying at UT - Michelle Samuelson, Blue Dot Blues
Spending tax payer money to spend more tax payer money is another one of government's detestable practices.

Carona's Tax Hikes - Terry Collins, Texas for Fiscal Responsibility
A staggering economy, jobs disappearing and businesses failing. So what's State Sen. John Carona's solution? Tax hikes and tax increases.

Pushing for an Open Carry Law in Texas - Robbie Cooper, Urban Grounds
Texas is one of only six states remaining that do not allow the open carry of firearms. Let Texans vote on whether or not to allow open carry in our state.

Wednesday Reads

2009-02-11T08:56:00.005-06:00

Talking like a conservative....and acting like one - Michelle Samuelson
You not only need to walk the talk, you need to know what the talk is.

What If They Threw A Session... - Michael Quinn Sullivan, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
It's not always such a bad thing that the Lege isn't doing a whole lot.

Texans lead in saying "no" to so-called stimulus bill - Voice of the Taxpayer
Go to www.nostimulus.com and make your voice heard.

Moving on Eminent Domain - Mike Ward, Austin American Statesman
Texas pols move to curb eminent domain abuse. Sen. Estes: "Our ability to own and profit from private property is fundamental to not just our economic liberty, but also our personal liberty."

Tuesday Reads

2009-02-10T06:28:00.007-06:00

The Fighters From Texas - Kathleen McKinley, Texas Magazine
Texas Senators stand against the non-stimulating stimulus bill.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison Puts Politics Ahead of People's Jobs - Phillip Martin, Burnt Orange Report
KBH stumbles, traditional media fumbles.

Carona legislation will raise taxes to build light rail - Michele Samuelson, Blue Dot Blues
DFW State Senator positioning for pet transportation project.

Community Organizing Explained - Phyllis Schlafly, DallasBlog
Want to understand the innerworkings of how the Left operates? Read up on their forefather, Saul Alinsky.

Taking on a “big dog” - Patricia Kilday Hart
More UTIMCO fallout.

Right Economic Stimulus - Michael Quinn Sullivan, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Protect property tax relief, restrain spending, and use the Rainy Day Fund for legitimate rainy days...like Hurricane Ike.

Monday Reads

2009-02-09T07:46:00.004-06:00

Regent resigns in UTIMCO bonus controversy - Mark Lavergne & Will Lutz, DallasBlog
State Senators fume and fulminate over University of Texas Investment Management Corp. (UTIMCO) bonuses.

Perry/Dewhurst UTIMCO letter is about politics - Paul Burka, Texas Monthly
Did UTIMCO official's support of Kay Bailey Hutchison ruffle some feathers at the Governor's office?

Are There Any Conservatives Left in Texas Politics? -Lone Star Times
UTIMCO bonuses were paid for pre-June 30 performance, before the big economic chill. Are we watching former conservatives morph into pure populists?

Cities queuing at the trough - Collin County Observer
North Texas cities attempt to bring home the bacon from the federal "stimulus" package

Report on energy and environment released by House committee - Asher Price, Austin American Statesman
State politicians postulate that all energy sources have trade-offs.

Jerry Patterson on Texas Monthly Talks - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly
Apparently, he was not packing heat.

Tuition cost concerns bridge ideological gap - Michelle Samuelson, Texas Magazine
State taxpayer supported universities are pricing families out of the higher ed market....and why is tuition getting so expensive anyway?

The Lege versus the BCS - Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff
It's always heartwarming to see the Lege pay attention to the really important stuff.

Defeating Socialism with Social Media

2009-02-03T17:43:00.003-06:00

The Austin American Statesman is holding it's first ever Texas Social Media Awards, where movers and shakers in the online social networking world are showcased.

Two prominent conservatives are on the list of finalists and deserve your comments and support.

First, is the indomitable Michael Williams, Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. Commissioner Williams was ahead of his time with social media, have a blog at least as early as 2005. His combination of conservative vision, articulate advocacy, and social media engagement will make him a force to be reckoned with in the US Senate.

Second is Dave Guenthner, Director of Media and Government Relations for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Mr. Guenthner is very proactive in engaging policymakers, journalists, bloggers, and activists using social media and is staking a conservative claim to the new media territory of social networking. His work in this area will no doubt point the way for other, like-minded activists to move into the social media sphere and advocate for limited government, individual freedom, free market policies, and traditional values.

Comments on nominees will help push them over the top when it comes to name the top 25. To comment, follow the links above.

Bow Hunting: The New Triathalon

2009-01-07T12:07:00.005-06:00

Recent Bow Hunt Expedition Proves Instructive

Back in November, I made my annual deer hunting sojourn to Castroville, TX. My best friend's grandparents have a farm just north of town. We do some maintenance around the place and they let us hunt it during the season. There are two feeders on the property, one north and one south, with a rifle stand at each plus a bow hunting stand on the north feeder.

One Sunday eve, my friend and I agreed he would take the south feeder and I'd take the north, but which stand, the rifle or bow set up? I had gone bowhunting a couple of times earlier in the season, which featured several missed shots and lost arrows. However, with the wind 15-20 mph from the southeast, I surmised that it would behoove me to give bow hunting another try since the bow stand is northwest of the feeder, a perfect place given the wind. Furthermore, the north stand is about 150 yards from the feeder, a makeable shot with my flat-shooting Remington 700 .270 rifle, but the previous weeks' archery practice made me confident that it would be easier to make a bow kill shot at under 30 yards, which is about the distance of the bow stand from the feeder. Plus, there's the additional challenge and thrill of being extra stealthy, getting close to deer, and observing these beautiful creatures in their natural environment.

So I gathered up my still somewhat unfamiliar bow gear and tromped out to the north bow stand. To avoid spooking any deer near the south feeder where Robb was going, I circumnavigated the field along the east, north, and west sides to get to the north bow stand, about 3/4 mile in all. The last 1/2 mile of that is over uneven, plowed, soft farmland, making for a tiring hike with my unfamiliar bow gear. While a rifle can get heavy, it can at least by slung or put in different resting positions. Not so with a bow. It must be carried in my hand over the unyieldingly uneven and soft ground. Whew!

And that's only the beginning...I also need to tromp through some brush to get to the bow stand. After spreading some additional corn on the vehicle path directly in front of the stand, I need to ascend to the top of the 12 foot stand, no easy feat with bow in hand and the arrows swaying perilously in my cheap Academy quiver. I finally get to the top and find that the 4'x4' wire platform is not near as big as it looks from the ground. The sight of me waddling up the ladder, placing the bow and quiver somewhere without knocking the target sights out of whack, negotiating the final steps, contorting around the seat, all without stepping on something or stepping off the platform must have looked like a perverse ballet. But, at last, I was seated. Add in 5 more minutes for final preparations (putting on cammie gloves, face net, grunt caller, placing the water bottle, nocking the first arrow), and I was set, save for one last, critical operation. Robb lent me his laser range finder, to accurately ascertain the range. I placed the cross hairs on the ground beneath the feeder and, to my surprise, learn that the feeder is only 20 yards from the stand. I had eyeballed it at 25-30 yards out, a potentially disasterous miscalculation in the low-margin-for-error world of bow hunting. Now I know for sure to use the 20 yard sight pin. It was 4:15 pm, 2 1/2 hours before sundown, with plenty of time to rest from my ingress odessey.

Canine Company

About 4:30, I heard some rapid rustling in the brush to the right of the feeder. I peered over and saw a flash of black fur, then black and white fur. "Hogs", I thought. An unexpected daylight visit from feral pigs could make for a nice addition to the Fell family freezer. However, it was not hogs I spied but...dogs.

Dogs?

Apparently, free ranging dogs from a neighboring farm like to cruise around in a poor man's wolf pack. A big black lab, a bigger brown mutt, and a smaller black-&-white beagle/corgy mix moved through the feeding area. At first, I was afraid they were going to scare off the deer, but they moved purposefully through the area...looks like they were on the trail of something. Hopefully, we were not hunting the same quarry.

At 4:45, an hour before sundown, the continuous chime of crickets began in earnest. The time would soon be nigh.

Bow Hunting Fall

At 5:30, a small doe began her approach to the feeding area. Coming in from the right behind the gate, she made an arc through the brush to the feeder, instead of taking the more direct route of the smooth vehicle path. Interesting that she did not go straight for the food, though the gusting winds no doubt made her cautious. After this smallish doe finally emerged under the feeder, I spied a much larger doe just behind the fence to the right of the feeder. For 5 minutes, this larger doe watched the smaller doe and scanned the surroundings. Surmising that no predators where near, the bigger doe plopped herself under the feeder. Judging from the size of previous kills, I estimated the larger doe would dress out at 70-75 lbs. Given the fact that the large doe did not seem to have any fawns with her, she seemed like a good candidate for my first bow kill. "This is great," I thought. "I could have a good size doe relatively early in the evening."

However, as often happens, the deer don't quite cooperate with our grand designs. The big doe seemed to settle herself with her vitals area right behind the pole for the feeder. With a rifle, maybe I could still hit the vitals. With a bow, a big wind and unfamiliar elevated shooting position, I was not so sure. Maybe I shoulda' took the rifle stand after all? So I sat and waited for the deer to move. And waited. And waited. At one point, the smaller doe seemed to move closer to the big one, making me think she would finally move. But no such luck. The big one kicked out one front leg in the direction of the small one to kinda' swat it away so she wouldn't have to move. While interesting to see how deer establish social heirarchy, it was frustrating to sit and wait for a decent shot.

Finally, the big one moved a little further to the right affording an acceptable shot, but not quite as clear as I would like and I still had to lean forward to help clear the pole. While not an optimal shot, with the wind gust ing 20+ mph, I sensed the deer would spook any minute, as I have often witnessed in the past. It was now or never.

I drew the bow and put the 20 yard pin on the vitals. At that moment, she looked up and in my general direction, creating a quartering toward shot, which is not a good angle for a bow. So, I have to sit there, awkwardly leaning forward, holding the draw until she gets back to eating. I'm thankful that the excitement, awkward position, and holding the draw for those many minutes did not cause me to pass out and fall out of the stand! Alas, when she went back to eating, she took a step backwards, behind the pole. Blast it all!

A minute later, she steps forward. It is now 5:45, the owls hoot in full force with the final plunge of the setting sun and the creeping shadows make the shot more challenging. I awkwardly lean forward again, draw, put the 20 yard pin on the vitals, hold my breath to steady my aim, and pull the caliper release. And then I saw something I thought I'd never see deer hunting.....

Sparks.

Yes, sparks. Accompanied by a metallic screech. As best as I can surmise, I did not compensate for the higher impact point of an elevated shot and my ungainly position. I not only missed the deer high, but also grazed the feeder pole, causing the unnatural sight and sound that sends arrows careening into the unrecoverable brush and white flags a-flyin'. Ugh....more bow hunting futility. Maybe I'm not cut out for this sport afterall?

Bow Hunting Redemption

Yet, bowhunting has within it a redeeming power seldom known to rifle hunting: the relative quiet of a bow miss often affords a second chance for persistent hunters that miss the mark.

15 minutes later, at about 6:00, at least four large does approach the feeder from the right. While the evening light was quickly fading, I could clearly make out the outline of a good sized doe under the feeder presenting a perfect broadside shot. I drew again, this time from a more natural upright position, put the pin lower on the vitals, prayed "into Your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit", and pulled the caliper release. The 60 lb draw weight of the compound bow sent forth the arrow on its deadly errand.

Twang, whoosh, and THWAPPP! Something soft is impacted hard downrange. That has to be a hit, though the encroaching darkness shrouds the results in mystery.

As legal hours conclude, I make the precarious journey to the ground and begin the toilsome necessity of tracking. Under the feeder is the arrow with blood from tip to nock and lots of blood on the ground. (BTW: For you aspiring bow hunters, take note that it's generally easier to find your arrows when you hit your target). I follow the blood trail out to the field and back toward the fence and the brush. Then, there it is in the long grass next to the fence, the day's quarry has lost its grip on life: a successful bow kill at last!

The shot entered and exited just above the hind quarters, just below the spine. At 300 feet/second, the arrow arrives just after the sound of the bow string zinging out its tension, causing deer to instinctively crouch before dashing off, which may partially account for the higher than expected impact point. Also the gusting wind could have caused the arrow to drift further back on the animal than I intended. Or maybe I just need more practice at the bow range. But in any event, this deer, which dressed out at a modest 63 pounds, it was as quick and decisive kill as any I've made with a rifle.

Lessons Learned From The Bow Stand

Bow hunting has been instructive in many ways.

First, it is very easy to miss the mark with your shot. You can miss by aiming to high or low. By misjudging the distance. By taking shots beyond your effective range. By flinching at the last instant. In the Bible, the word "sin" literally means "miss the mark". Indeed, it can be easy to miss the mark in many ways.

Diligent forethought and preparation are required, yet the ultimate results are ultimately in out of your control. One must spend copious time on the practice range, nailing the fundamentals of archery, but also mastering range finding and shooting in odd positions. You need to think through the topography, wind, temperature, shooting position, ingress routes, cover, concealment, equipment needed, sunrise/sunset, deer trails and behavior etc. All those things don't mean anything unless the deer don't show up. Yet, if the deer do make an appearance and you haven't put in the requisite forethought and preparation, you might has well stay home. In one way, you could say the results are in God's hands.

Something dies so that you can live. When you actually see an animal bleed and die, it brings new life to those Old Testament stories about blood sacrifice for the remission of sin. Deer often bleed a lot when shot. It brings home the reality that the food that sustains us from animals doesn't just come in a container from the store; something has died to sustain my life.

Until the next bow hunt expedition....

Halloween's Over, But The Scares Keep Coming

2008-11-06T23:02:00.008-06:00

Are Our 401k's Going to Be Nationalized?

Nothing like reading about next session's Congress to create a reverse Chris Matthews effect (a chill running down your leg).

Thursday morning's Wall Street Journal reviewed the likely Congressional leaders during Pres. Elect Obama's first two years. The following passage was particularly haunting:

Some Democrats are starting to target the tax subsidies for 401(k)s and other private retirement options. [George] Miller, who heads the House Education and Labor Committee, calls them "a big failure" and recently held a hearing to ponder alternatives, including nationalizing pensions and replacing them with special bonds administered by Social Security.

"Nationalizing" is a frightfully antiseptic way of saying "the government seizing and promising to give you something else later on". Unfortunately, other countries are pondering nationalizing pensions. President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina recently proposed nationalizing the nation's private retirement account system. Said Pres. de Kirchner "While the U.S. and other countries are stepping in to rescue their banks, Argentina must protect our retirees."

"...Argentina must protect our retirees." You see how it's like Halloween: the politicians dress up like knights in white shining armor, knock on your, and say trick or treat, where the "trick" is the threat of losing your retirement and the "treat" is your current retirement savings. Then, like the normal trick-or-treater, once they have your treat they saunter off, not to be seen again until next year.

The government taking ownership of citizens retirement money sure is an odd method of protection. It's more likely a ghoulish masquerade to help prop up government revenue, that has recently fallen short because of an economic slowdown. Can you think of any other governments who are facing their own fiscal scares that are likely to come trick or treating at your retirement account door?

Want a Mortgage? Get a Burqa.

2008-11-05T22:55:00.005-06:00

Bailout Opens Door to Shariah Compliant Finance

Amid the post election euphoria, it is helpful to keep in mind that we still have Islamofascist enemies determined to do us harm and overthrow our way of life. Their latest stragem is Shariah-Compliant Finance, which is now a much greater threat due to the recent $700B US Government bailout of the US financial industry.

This article by Frank Gaffney Jr. does a good job at spelling out the chilling details. Money quotes:

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt set the stage with his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Persian Gulf states. His stated purpose was to promote the recycling of petrodollars in the form of foreign investment here.

Evidently, the price demanded by his hosts is that the U.S. government get with the Islamist financial program. While in Riyadh, Mr. Kimmitt announced: "The U.S. government is currently studying the salient features of Islamic banking to ascertain how far it could be useful in fighting the ongoing world economic crisis."

Well I can see why the Treasury Dept. is going around with their hat in their hand: with the economy slowing down and tax receipts decreasing, they need to come up with the $700B from somewhere. But,correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Saudi Arabia one of the leading exporters of Wahhabi Islam, the animating spiritual force of Al-Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists? Surely, a US government agency would never allow the nation to become financially dependent on such a malevolent force.

"Islamic banking" is a euphemism for a practice better known as "Shariah-Compliant Finance (SFC)." And it turns out that this week the Treasury will be taking officials from various federal agencies literally to school on SFC. The department is hosting a half-day course entitled "Islamic Finance 101" on Thursday at its headquarters building.

Opps, I guess I gave them too much credit. Sadly, the danger won't be confined to the Dept. of Treasury.

Thanks to the extraordinary authority conferred on Treasury since September, backed by the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the department is now in a position to impose its embrace of Shariah on the U.S. financial sector. The nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Treasury's purchase of - at last count - 17 banks and the ability to provide, or withhold, funds from its new slush-fund can translate into unprecedented coercive power.

The Islamofascist financiers will be dicating lending terms to the Dept. of Treasury, who will then dictate terms to lending institutions, who will then dictate terms to individual and corporate borrowers. What could this mean for average, everyday, Joe Sixpack trying to get a mortgage or small business loan?

Could it mean that mortgage loans would be made on the condition that women in the house ascribe to certain shariah codes on women's role in the family and society?

Could it mean small business owners would be limited or sanctioned for doing business with Jewish-owned businesses or selling to Jews?

And, by the way, a certain percentage of the profits would go to Islamic "charities" that fund Islamic terrorist groups seeking to kill US soldiers abroad and US citizens at home.

One can only hope that the President Elect will change this sad state of affairs.

Texas Early Voting and the "Operation Chaos" Effect

2008-11-03T09:14:00.014-06:00

Do Texas Early Vote Totals Belie Low Republican Enthusiasm Meme?

One of the popular themes in the Austin local media last week was the high early vote turnout in Travis County, the academic, uberliberal county of Texas. Thunders Saturday's Austin American Statesman:

"Almost half of Travis County's 609,224 registered voters had cast their ballots by the time early voting ended Friday, easily shattering previous records. "

So how are the early votes breaking?

"When a list of general-election voters is released, political analysts, such as [Leland] Beatty, match the names to the roster of Democratic and Republican primary voters, thereby predicting how many votes will fall to one party or the other.

In Travis County, Democratic primary voters outnumbered Republicans nearly 4-to-1 in early voting as of Wednesday, when the most recent statistics were available, Beatty said....

"We've never seen anything like this election," Beatty said, adding that he thinks Democrats will make gains throughout the state. "

Combine this story with a recent hilarious AP pyschoanalysis claiming Obama supporters are "enthusiastic" and McCain supporters "glum", you might think that Texas Republican voters are just going through the motions in anticipation of an Dem landslide.

But what do the statewide early vote turnout numbers really show?

According to the Texas Secretary of State 2008 early voting page, and 2004 Presidential election page, of the 15 largest counties in Texas, four of the top five in terms of early voting percentage went big for Bush/Cheney in 2004. On the other hand, the bottom five on that list went for Kerry/Edwards or only moderately for Bush/Cheney in 2004. Below is a full list of how the numbers break down:

Remarkably, the leader in Texas early voting turnout at 45.5%, Collin County, went huge for Bush in 2004 (71% to 28%). Assuming that the 2004 election is a reasonable predictor of county voting behavior and assuming that early voting turnout is a proxy measure for voter enthusiasm, it appears that Texas Republican voters are actually more enthusiastic than Democrats.

But wait, a Democratic consultant might point out, traditionally Republican counties showed a big increase in Democratic primary voters this year, followed by the normal, dreary Dem talking points about the people being fed up with the last 8 years of Bush policies yadda yadda yadda.

But what this point of view does not take into account is Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos, whereby Republican voters purposely voted for Hilary Clinton in the Texas primary to prolong the internicine bloodletting on the Democrat side. Since McCain all but had the Republican nomination sewn up by the Texas primary, it is reasonable to assume that a significant number of Republican primary voter heeded the call to stick it to Obama. Perhaps those same voters are sticking it to him now.

I won't go as far as saying that all this big Texas turnout means McCain and the Republicans are going to blow out the Dems nationwide, but I think this is a data point that shows the results may be closer than the polls lead us to believe.

Vote Tuesday!

Texans Show The Way on Financial Rescue

2008-09-30T21:01:00.010-05:00

The most important word in the phrase 'free markets' is not the word 'markets'

President George W. Bush from Texas seems content to simply throw money at the financial crisis. Thankfully, other Texans are illuminating a different path.

Texas Public Policy Foundation board member Jeff Sandefer recently penned a short missive on the Fed bailout and how we should proceed from here.

Money quotes:

Many people have played into the hands of big-government apologists by arguing that free markets are "better" because "they work," rather than defending freedom as a fundamental, God-given right for everyone.

A little reported, and even less understood, facet of the current crisis is that freedom is again in the cross hairs of big government apparatchiks. With Federal mandarins pulling the levers of home mortgage and finance, they will be in better position to determine economic outcomes....according to their politically correct notions of "fairness".

I was fortunate to be with Margaret Thatcher once in England when she reminded a group of Americans fretting about a temporary dip in the stock market: "The most important word in the phrase 'free markets' is not the word 'markets.' You cannot justify your freedom based on today's Dow Jones Industrial Average." Her words ring true, as Bush appointees scramble to stoke the engine of our economy by tossing in ever-larger quantities of our tax dollars and freedom.

We need a Thatcher to step up and compellingly proclaim the truth described above, as well as outline easy to understand principles for how to move into the storm and through the storm.

Fortuitously, another Texan, the Twittering Rep. John Culberson, is making a run at neo-Thatcherism with his statement on the principles that a rescue package should include:

I will not vote to bankrupt future generations to protect Wall Street investment banks from their own mistakes. The best solution to this crisis is to

Suspend mark-to-market accounting rules
Establish a mandatory insurance/guarantee program to cover the banks' losses at no expense to taxpayers
Cut the capital gains rate to zero
Cut taxes for offshore dollars repatriated back into the U. S.
Cut corporate tax rates dramatically to encourage investment and lending
Changing the mark to market accounting rule alone will allow banks to keep non-performing assets on their books until they recover their value, and solve a huge part of the problem.

Finally, personal finance radio show host Dave Ramsey, who's from Tennessee but sounds like he could be from Texas, created a three step action plan reflecting the principles above that all of us can follow:

Pray for our leaders: If there's ever a time when the nation's leaders need the wisdom of Solomon, that time is now.
Send them the The Common Sense Fix to your Senators and representatives . The Common Sense Fix involves creating an investment insurance agency, temporarily suspend mark-to-market rules on subprime loans, and totally remove the capital gains tax to spur investment and liquidity.
Tell others about it. If you're pressed for time, send a link to this blog post.

Introducing RedCounty.com/Texas

2008-09-09T17:02:00.004-05:00

Your Humble Blogger is the Texas Editor

A few weeks ago, a Texas page was launched for RedCounty.com, a community portal for state and local politics from a conservative point of view. I was honored to be asked to be the Editor for the RedCounty.com Texas page.

The revolution in web 2.0 technologies like blogs, texting, Twitter, and streaming digital video are providing regular citizens not only additional news sources but unprecedented channels for providing news content and commentary.

Building on the aforementioned tools, RedCounty.com/Texas is meant to be a common rallying point for Texas citizens interested in state and local politics who believe in from the point of view of limited government, individual freedom and responsibility, free market policies, traditional values, strong national defense and borders. Our goal is to build an alternative media forum that brings forward compelling content on state and local candidates, races, and issues and provide everyday Texas citizens the opportunity to learn what they need to know about the state/local races that affect them and make their voice heard.

Join the conversation at RedCounty.com/Texas.

BREAKING: RNC Bomb Plot Connected to Texas Gov Mansion Fire?

2008-09-09T12:06:00.005-05:00

Local Anarchist Group Has Affinity for Violence

590 am KLBJ reports this afternoon that the Molotov cocktail plot involving two Austin men at last week's Republican National Convention may be connected to the recent fire at the Texas Governor's Mansion.

Two members of an Austin based anarchist group called "The Austin Affinity Group" are locked up accused in a plot to use Molotov cocktails to disrupt the Republican Convention. Now investigators are trying to determine if the pair are connected to the fire that destroyed the Governors Mansion. News Radio 590-KLBJ'Security Analyst, Fred Burton from Stratfor.com says the "Austin Affinity" may have worked with some other groups.

Stay tuned....

Austinites Attempt to Redefine "Cocktail Hour" at RNC

2008-09-09T09:09:00.011-05:00

Some Protests Generate More Heat than Light, But This is Ridiculous

This morning's Austin American Statesman reports that two fine, young citizens of the Capital City had planned to bring a little more...uh, "excitement" to last week's Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN than the convention organizers had planned on:

Austinites David McKay, 22, and Bradley Crowder, 23, were arrested last week on charges that they constructed Molotov cocktails to throw at police during the convention in St. Paul.

Nothing like some wood alcohol, glass bottles, and burning wicks to support the free expression of ideas and and show your tolerance for dissenting political views.

Is this tolerant?

But if you happen to get caught just have some community organizer explain it all away...

An Austin activist who said she met McKay and Crowder in St. Paul said she did not get the impression they were prone to that kind of violence. Lisa Fithian said they were "young men concerned with this country and the direction the Republicans are taking it."

Lisa Fithian, of course, is a long time professional protester, most noted for pulling Cindy Sheehan's strings during the latter's 2005 potemkin "mourning" tour.

What would cause two young men with an otherwise promising future to stray from the true path? Could it be that the University of Texas at Austin does not foster an environment of tolerance, that allows for divergent political views to be respected and peaceably expressed? Perhaps, though AAS commenter monty c has another theory:

they have spent too much time watching MSNBC, this is one sick bunch.

Olberman and Matthews made them do it....Classic.

Palin: The New Thatcher

2008-09-06T10:16:00.010-05:00

"It is the cock the crows, but the hen that lays the eggs."

Friday's Wall Street Journal carried a story highlighting the parallels between the new Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, and erstwhile British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In the Iron Lady, it seems there is ample precedent for conservative women to face down the unique opposition they face from both the Left and the Right.

Money quotes, on feminists:

The metaphorical hair stood up on the back of every licensed member of the feminist movement who could immediately see she was a monster out of a nightmare landscape by Hieronymus Bosch. ...

The hypocrisy was breathtaking. Only nanoseconds before the choice of Mrs. Palin as VP put her a geriatric heartbeat away from the presidency, a woman's right to have a career and children was a shibboleth of feminism. One always knew that women with views that opposed those of official feminism were to be treated as nonwomen

On how to stand her ground:

Mrs. Thatcher would have recognized the guns aimed at Sarah Palin as the weapons of the left with feminist trigger-pullers. She also would have known that Mrs. Palin has less to fear from East-Coast intellectual snobs in egalitarian America than she had to fear from her own Tory base in class-prejudiced Britain. She would have told her to stand her ground and do her homework. Read your briefs, choose advisers with care, and, as she once said to me, my arm in her grip and her eyes fixed firmly on mine, "Just be yourself, don't ever give in and they can't harm you."

And finally, on the former, self-appointed masters of the female political world:

And that family of hers: Next to the Clintons with their dysfunctional marriage, her fertility and sexually robust life could only emphasize the shriveled nature of the one-child family of the former Queen Bee of political female accomplishment.

Shriveled nature?!? Zing!

Mrs. Palin's ascendancy has also revealed the impotency of feminism as a political movement. Purporting to speak for "women's issues", modern feminism does nothing but dress up identity politics and Marxist economic theory in power skirts and high heals. How appropropriate that, at the hand of the moosehunter Palin, that this old beast, that has tormented western society for two generations, can at last be slain.

I Knew It Was Too Good To Be True

2008-09-04T09:48:00.011-05:00

Despite Decline in Actual Market Values, Austin Suburb Appraisals Increase and Eat Up Property Tax Rate Cut

In a recent post, I lauded the Austin suburb of Leander for reducing their property tax rates. Yet, we learn today from the Hill Country News that local tax bills are actually going up because the appraisals on property are increasing.

In a thriving community where homes, businesses and schools are sprouting
like Texas bluebonnets in the spring, appraisal values continue to soar.

I knew there had to be a catch. Since property taxes equal appraised valuation times tax rate (for each taxing jurisdiction to which a property owner belongs), there are two variables that can be tinkered with to get to the final tax owed. With the tax man, if the left hand doesn't get you, then the right one will.

But what makes this increase a harder to swallow is market values for the area are actually decreasing.

According to the HCN story, the average tax bills in Cedar Park look like this over the last four years:

2005-06: $4,114.80
2006-07: $4,112.10
2007-08: $4,209.81
2008-09: $4,618.17

The change from last year is a 9.7% increase. Since the taxing rates for most jurisdictions have gone down or not changed, the increase comes from valuation increases. Again, according to the story, the average home value in Cedar Park went from $173,521 to $189,900, an increase of 9.4%.

However, according to City-Data.com, the median home sales price dropped from approximately $240K in the second quarter of 2007 to around $200,000 in the second quarter of 2008, nearly a 17% decrease. Home sales also decreased over the same time from approximately 600 to 350, a 41% decrease.

To be fair, the local pols are grappling with how to serve the needs of a booming community and are, perhaps, to be given credit for not heaping a larger rate onto the increased appraisals.

But in any event, the information above should prove that there is no true linkage between property appraisals done by the local appraisal district and actual market data. Perhaps citizens protesting their property tax increases now have new ammunition?

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch....

2008-09-02T11:30:00.011-05:00

While Prez Election Cranks Up, Texas State Bureaucracies Grind On

Obiden! McCain! Palin! Bristol!

The airwaves and blogosphere is fairly crackling with talk on the upcoming presidential election. With the conventions just half over and a little over 60 days left, the moment is certainly ripe to start schooling up on the who will be the US Chief Executive over the next four years.

Yet, there are other concerns, more close to home, that should also pique taxpayers' interest: Now is the time when Texas state agencies start issuing their legislative budget requests. In other words, now is the time we're going to get our first idea on how much Texas taxpayers are going to pony up to run the government the next two years.

The incomparable Will Lutz of the Lone Star Report recently provided some simple guidelines on how taxpayers can assess the state's proposed spending:

What kind of surplus/shortage will we have? Compare the Texas Legislative Budget Board's (LBB) estimates to the Comptroller's estimate of revenue.
How do we know what is happening with entitlement spending? Entitlements are government financial obligations, mainly public welfare programs, that taxpayers are on the hook for supporting no matter what. Generally linked to caseloads, entitlement spending is a very large and hard to reduce item in the state budget.
What are going to be the big-ticket budget debates in the upcoming session? Check out exceptional spending items from agencies as clues. See below....
How can interested parties and the public follow these debates? The Internet affords many opportunities for additional citizen insight into the budget process.

On the last point, I recommend having a look see at the Texas Legislative Budget Board's website, especially:

The Texas Budget Source: This is basically a window into the actual numbers fed into the state budget process by state agencies. Come here to get the base numbers.
Texas Fiscal Size Up: More detail than you'd ever want on how the trends in Texas government revenue and spending trends. This document is a good resource for examining revenue by source (including federal source), spending by function, and how those two trends compare to population and personal income.
Budget 101: While not exactly light reading, this 74 page document is a good overview of how the Texas state budget process works. However, it does not show the "process behind the process", that is the method by which lobbyists put forward the interests of their clients in hopes of driving business from the state.

Happy analyzing and remember, sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Dems Show Sexism with Palin Experience Knock?

2008-08-30T10:07:00.016-05:00

Why is it OK for the man to be inexperienced, but not the woman?

As further evidence that they are reading this blog, the McCain campaign's selection of Sarah Palin for Vice President again shows that they are starting to track with the themes that resonate with grassroots conservatives.

Predictably, the Obiden campaign and their media handmaidens immediately called the kettle black by pouncing on the experience them.

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency."

huffed Adrianne Marsh, a spokeswoman for Democrat Barack Obama. Continuing the high-tech harassment, Jonathan Alter leered,

"[McCain's] campaign against Barack Obama is based on the simple idea that he is unready to be president. So you've picked a running mate who a year and a half ago was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska a town of 8,500 people. You've selected a potential leader of the free world who knows little or nothing about the major issues of the day beyond energy."

Why is it they hector the female Palin about her alleged inexperienced when the male Obama gets a pass? What are dissaffected, independent leaning Hillary Clinton voters to make of this double standard? Gov. Palin has fought and won against the corrupt GOP power structure in Alaska while fighting her way to the top of the state government. All the while, she's raising a family of five, the most recent with Down's Syndrome. Her path to power has been much more challenging, largely because of the challenges she's chosen.

There are those who might say that the Republicans are acting on racism by hitting black Obama on inexperience, but not the white Palin. Yet there is a different dynamic at play with the Republican method.

By raw numbers, Obama may have been in public life longer, but what has he done? As the WSJ Editorial Page pointed out this morning, he's always kinda' gone along to get along in Southside Chicago politics, never doing anything to upset the grievance industry's applecart. By contrast, as Ed Morrisey recently pointed out, Palin has demonstrably different and more challenging experience. In addition to many more years of executive experience than Obiden, Palin has taken on corruption within her own state party and steered it back to core principle. Reform, return to principle, and the executive chops to make it happen are what Washington DC needs now, especially the beltway GOP. That would be change you wouldn't have to believe in, you would be able to see it with your own eyes.

Michael Williams Shines in Obiden Attack

2008-08-28T11:51:00.012-05:00

Texas Railroad Commissioner Leads the Charge on the Energy Front; A Stealth Energy Secretary Audition?

The indomitable Michael Williams, Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, appeared today in the RNC's daily press conference along side national Republican luminaries cranking up the latest attack on the Democratic presidential ticket.

Viewable at Not Ready 08, the streaming video press conference with VP fave Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, and former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, developed the themes of experience, strength, courage, substance true bi-partisanship, and energy security.

On the last topic, Comm. Williams, the Texas version of the Secretary of Energy, brought into sharp relief the contrasts between Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain. In short, "Senator McCain believes in an all of the above policy, and Senator Obama does not."

According to Comm. Williams, sound energy policy should strive to do all things right, which includes increased oil and natural gas exploration, be wise with energy conservation, increase utilization of nuclear power (yes!!!). The energy company tax increases, floated by the Democratic ticket, ultimately increases prices for the America family.

"After the rhetoric is over and Americans think about energy costs, Senator McCain has a plan that's good for American families, American workers, and creation of jobs, because it's 'all of the above'."

Comm. Williams also deftly parried the most loaded question of the QA session. When asked if the Republicans had a problem criticizing Sen. Obama on the anniversary of the MLK "I have a dream speech". (translation: aren't you all really just a bunch of big racists for daring the criticize the post-racial Obamessiah?)

After paying due respect to Sen. Obama's accomplishments, Comm. Williams noted that "We [all African-Americans] share that dream" and noted that Martin Luther King Jr. himself once said to black school children that they must always be prepared and must be ready to excel. And, has the other speakers noted in the conference, Sen. Obama did not seem to be prepared.

MLK implies that Obama's not prepared? A brilliant answer to an unfair question!!!

At the end of the conference, Comm. Williams left beaming and chuckling: he expertly made the energy case against Obiden and knocked that loaded question out of the park!

If I were him, I'd be chuckling too. Combine this appearance with his thought leadership on energy issues and scheduled speaking spot at the RNC next Thursday just before John McCain accepts the nomination for president, you have to wonder if Comm. Williams might be a regular on the national campaign trail this fall and a candidate for the Secretary of Energy in a McCain administration.

Where the Sun Doesn't Shine

2008-08-25T15:17:00.011-05:00

Patterson and Bullock tell Ma Richards What to do With Her Opposition to the CHL Bill

At a recent Travis County Young Republicans meeting, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson revealed the inside story on the genesis of the Texas Concealed Carry Handgun law, including a choice exchange with former Lt. Gov Bob Bullock on how to work around then Gov. Ann Richards' anti-concealed carry stance.

Here's hoping that Comm. Patterson runs for a higher statewide office when the time is right.

The Texas Education Market Speaks. Is The Legislature Listening?

2008-08-25T11:50:00.004-05:00

Nearly 17,000 Texas School Children Denied Education Opportunity

A recent study by the Texas Public Policy Foundation found that the the 215 operators of Texas charter school, state-funded public schools with fewer regulatory restrictions than normal public schools, can only serve 87% of the demand for charter schools. There are currently 113,760 students enrolled in charter schools and at least 16,810 on wait lists.

Furthermore, Texas charter schools serve a disproportionately minority and poorer population. According to the report:

Eighty-one percent of students in Texas charter schools are minorities compared to 60 percent of students in traditional Texas public schools. In addition, more than 60 percent of students in Texas charter schools are economically-disadvantaged compared to 56 percent in traditional Texas public schools.

The Texas legislature has set a cap on the number of open-enrollment charters that can operate in the state at 215 (currently there are 196 operating charter schools and 210 active charters), up from only 20 charter schools allowed when the program first started 13 years ago.

This cap could be a deterrent to other companies in the business of running charter schools from entering the Texas education market. Given the fact that charter schools cost the taxpayers, on average, $1500 less per student than normal public schools, why wouldn't the state legislature be more interested in eliminating the cap and allowing more robust competition?

Perhaps the opposition is misinformed about charter schools' purpose and efficacy. According to a Time Magazine article on Texas charter schools,

"The first charters were similar to magnet schools — the school served a specific purpose in a specific location," says Garnet Coleman, a state legislator from Houston. "In my opinion, charters were started as election tools for the 2002 gubernatorial election."

This is a curious assertion by Rep. Coleman, given that the Texas charter school program began in 1995. The Time article continues,

Coleman argues that allocating facility monies for charter schools will take state funding away from neglected neighborhood campuses. Rather than pump funds into the charters, he says, pump money back into the community. "The charter system is a threat to the standard public education system," he says. "It causes districts, politicians and others to ignore the local school's quality."

According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Rep. Coleman has received nearly $10,000 since 2000 from the Texas State Teachers Association, an organization that has expressed antipathy towards charter schools in the past. Perhaps he is being influenced by his patrons on this issue.

Actually, what seems to be happening is that minority and economically disadvantaged parents know all too well the local school's quality and are voting with their feet.