Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Twas a Wild Week in Texas Politics

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Now here’s a guy with his priorities straight—and a sense of humor to boot! In response to questions about the filing extension announced by the Republican Party of Texas, Chuck Meyer, Republican primary candidate for Congress, Texas-36  lampooned the shenanigans. Why will a sense of humor be a breath of fresh air in this race?

If you’ve a hard time counting how many Republicans have filed to run in the March 2014 primary for CD-36, I don’t blame you! According to the Texas Secretary of State website, 12 people have filed since Steve Stockman withdrew from the CD-36 race. The winner  will be up against Democrat Michael K. Cole of Orange, Texas.

With permission from Chuck his parody of the popular Christmas poem is reprinted below for your enjoyment.

Twas a Wild Week in Texas Politics
By Chuck Meyer, with apologies to Clement C. Moore
Twas a wild week in Texas politics,
For a seat in the US House,
When too many candidates went a scurrying,
Not a one of them a mouse.
For a place on the ballot they scampered,
They sought out each county chair,
In their heads were glorious visions
That the voters would soon care.
What caused all this ruckus, you ask?
Well, mainly a very determined elf
Of the impish kind –
Not some Elf on the Shelf.
You see, at the last moment
The elf jumped off the House boat, reducing the crew from four,
Into a murky political morass,
Knocking loudly on the Senate ship’s door.
Back on the House boat,
Cruising ahead were the remaining three,
When like a flash they were boarded
By nine swashbucklers from the political sea.
Said one of the original crew –
One with lotsa pluck,
“Bring it on boys, but let’s fight after Christmas”
Yep, that was what was said by Chuck!
“This is not the political season now
It is a time for faith, for family, for prayer, for peace.
Let’s put away our muskets.
Our political bickering, for now at least, must cease”
So with that wish for the holidays
Chuck hopes for a pause in the fight
As he is heard to wish every voter in CD 36,
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Good Night.
Copyright 2013 Chuck Meyer.  Reproduction and republication is permitted with attribution, but no modification to the content is permitted without approval.

Will Al Green and Kevin Brady change their campaign websites?

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Al Green and Kevin Brady–call your webmaster!

On December 13th I wrote this post after Breitbart reported the budget deal passed by the US House of Representatives  demanded a 1% cut in the COLA of retired military veterans pensions. According to the Washington Free Beacon, the deal also forced  retired military veteran pensioners OFF the current pension plan they liked–yep, if you like your military retiree pension plan– nope, you can’t keep your plan.

Ahead of the Senate vote this past week, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, as reported by Fox News, tried to use a parliamentary tactic to force Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to allow a vote on an amendment that would undo the $6 billion in cuts for the military retirees.

No surprise there—Senate Democrats blocked Sessions’ proposal.

As it stands now, retired military pensioners, including disabled veterans, are stuck bearing a $6 billion whack to their pensions.

So I thought I’d check out the websites of Texas Congressmen who voted to jack with military veterans pensions.

First up—the campaign site of Harris & Fort Bend County area Congressman Al Green.

Hmm, the latest news on Al’s campaign site is news dated —oh good grief—-from November 2011:

Greene

Al’s Congressional District covers significant portions of Missouri City—but I digress.

How about Montgomery & Walker County-area Congressman Kevin Brady’s campaign site?

Kevin Brady

Hmm, Kevin’s supporters claim he’s “fighting for us”–guess the definition of “us” excludes retired military veterans and their families.

Will  Al Green and Kevin Brady change their campaign websites–heck, will Al Green at least update his from over TWO years ago—will they vote to undo these despicable cuts to the strong and the brave of our military or will they stand with the illegal aliens claiming over $4.2 billion in IRS earned income credits?

Kevin Brady has a challenger BTW—Craig McMichael. I’ve not met him but according to the bio on his campaign website he is a former Marine Corps sergeant.

The House of Representatives does not return to session until January 7th, so if you see these guys over Christmas–well, you know what to do.

Budget deal demands decrease in military pensions

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Let me be perfectly clear. I expect Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn plus every single Senate Republican to vote AGAINST this budget agreement. According to Breitbart News, the “bi-partisan” budget compromise that passed the US House of Representatives calls for a 1{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} cut in the cost-of-living adjustment for veterans pensions (emphasis mine):

 “After winning approval in the House, the Ryan-Murray budget deal now          moves to the Senate. Democrats will need support from at least five GOP Senators to pass the deal. While Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D- NV) can normally count on a handful of GOP moderates, as of Friday, no Republican in the Senate has voiced support for the budget deal.

The deal may fall apart over one of its smaller line-items; a 1{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} cut in cost of living adjustments for veteran’s pensions.”

Cutting military retiree pensions to cover spending increases under this bill is simply unconscionable.

But WAIT! There’s more!

From the Washington Free Beacon (emphasis mine):

“Military personnel that enlisted after 1980 currently have the choice between two retirement plans. The majority of the military prefers the “High Three” plan, which offers a full COLA equal to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

An alternative plan, the “Redux,” provides a lump sum of $30,000 upon retirement, but the cost-of-living adjustment is equal to inflation minus 1 percent. If the budget agreement is adopted, all military retirees will be forced into a plan similar to the Redux plan, but they will not receive a lump sum upon retirement.”

Apparently, if you like your military pension plan, Paul Ryan and Patty Murray don’t want you to keep your military pension plan.

I’d like to publicly commend and report the names of the Texas Congressmen in the US House of Representatives who did not vote to cut military retiree pensions and refused to support forcing military retirees off the military pension plan they liked:

Joe Barton, Michael Burgess, Louis Gohmert, Ralph Hall, Sam Johnson, Kenny Marchant, Randy Neugebauer, Pete Olson, Ted Poe, Steve Stockman and Randy Weber.

Be sure to call these guys and thank them for their vote.

As for the rest of the Texas Congressional delegation who thought cutting military retiree pensions would be a great idea going into a re-election and arrogantly thought no one would notice or call them out; maybe you guys should have read the bill before you passed it.

From the Inbox: A Fort Bend County GOP Christmas

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Fort Bend County GOP Chair Mike Gibson extends a warm “Merry Christmas” to everyone in Fort Bend County! Come join Mike, Tina, Pat, Danielle and so many others too numerous to mention tomorrow to celebrate Christmas and the success of everyone’s work in Fort Bend.

FBGOP 2

 

2014 is shaping up to be an interesting year in Fort Bend County.

Change is coming.

 

 

Fourteenth court of appeals to hear James Jenkins vs State of Texas

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The Texas Governor’s race just got a bit more interesting. The Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston has provided notice to the Texas Attorney General’s office that the constitutionality of a statute of this state has been challenged by appellant James Alan Jenkins. In representing James Alan Jenkins, the first of The Woodlands Road Utility District defendants to be convicted, George McCall Secrest outlines the two points of error.

Point of error number one (emphasis mine):

“The trial court reversibly erred by refusing to include in its charge to the jury an instruction on the defense of mistake of law which was raised by both the evidence and specifically requested by defense counsel”

Point of error number two:

“Section 1.015 of the Election Code is unconstitutionally vague as applied to the defendant herein because the definition of residence is fatally ambiguous and encourages arbitrary enforcement of the penal law in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution”.

As explained in the appellant brief, Jenkins made the decision to change his residence to the Residence Inn only after consultation with legal counsel and ironically, after careful review and reliance on the opinions & documents suggested by some of the very legal  authorities who testified against him. Admitted into evidence was Texas Secretary of State Election Law Advisory Opinion GSC-1 which set forth the legal definition of residence. Based on the seminal case on residency, Mills v Bartlett, it was the very case David Jennings wrote about in his article on the TRO filed by Roy Morales against Michael Kubosh. Don Hooper also wrote about the defense of mistake of law  in the article about the case against Clyde Bryan & Eric Dick (here).

Opinion of Attorney General – Opinion No.- GA 0141 was also entered into evidence by the defense during the trial. That opinion of the Texas Attorney General, also in reliance on Mills v Bartlett explains (emphasis mine):

“The intention of the voter registration applicant is crucial to a proper determination of residence and every person is strongly presumed to have the ‘right and privilege of fixing his residence according to his own desires’”

The brief makes clear the Secretary of State advisory opinion and the Mills v Bartlett opinions were issued by the very same authorities Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant suggested Jenkins consult in a letter Grant sent to Jenkins (and others) prior to the May 2010 RUD election.

Read the notice here and the entire brief here. The State brief is due December 23, 2013.

Yep, the Republican nomination for Governor of the State of Texas just got a bit more interesting.

Fort Bend County continues march toward single-payer

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Yvonne Larsen
Yvonne Larsen

If you like your garbage provider, you can keep your garbage provider…..not!

 

 

 

“Effective Feb. 1, Missouri City Council Members authorized Republic Services to be the exclusive solid waste provider for all commercial customers located within City limits (Ordinance No. O-12-47). The franchise will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2015.”

According to the Missouri City website, the march to single-payer residential and commercial trash service followed:

“city-voter approval of a consolidated city-wide Municipal Trash Program in the May 2010 General Election” after which City Council ” passed Ordinance O-10-31 and Ordinance O-10-38 that amend rules and regulations for the collection of residential solid waste in Missouri City.”

So back in May 2010 Missouri City residents voted for government interference in an individual’s right to contract with the service provider of their choice and grant near- monopoly status to one trash collection service. Three years later the force of the ordinances is almost complete:

Republic has converted most commercial businesses to date and is working toward securing a full conversion by Dec. 31.”

Sounds like Missouri City is following the Massachusetts…err…Sugar Land model.

Government-sanctioned interference with the individual’s right to privately contract? Check!

Businesses who liked their garbage provider forced to give up their garbage provider? Check!

This all sounds vaguely similar to “ If you like your private garbage provider, no one is talking about taking that away from you…..Bwwwaaaa!“

* Hmm, I wonder what will a search of campaign finance reports will yield.