Republicans For Rick Noriega ?

Seriously? That’s what I saw today in the Rio Grande Guardian (hat tip to Stace at Dos Centavos). Today Houston business leader Massey Villarreal announced that he is forming a “Republicans for Rick Noriega” committee to support Rick Noriega’s campaign for US Senate from Texas. This is a guy who was the national Hispanic vice-chairman of the Bush/Cheney for President Campaign and deputy vice-chairman of the Republican National Convention in 2000. He is supporting Mitt Romney for president, and voted for Kay Bailey Hutchison for Senate.

But for US senate, Villarreal is supporting progressive Democrat Rick Noriega over his own party’s incumbent, John Cornyn.

In my perusal of the RGG’s story, I conclude that there are two reasons why Massey Villarreal is supporting Rick, and organizing a support committee from the Dark Side. It all boils down to a single issue, and Rick’s compelling story.

From the man’s own mouth:

“I have told Senator Cornyn I am disappointed because what his words are, and what his actions on the Senate floor are, are two different things,” Villarreal said.

“It’s disappointing he voted for those [immigration bill] amendments. Those amendments were mean-spirited in nature. I believe he is appealing to the base and I’m sorry, the base will have to come out strong to re-elect him because the Latino community won’t be there for him.”

Not so amazingly, just as the immigration issue has divided the Republican Party, the very same issue is uniting the Latino community across party lines. Politics make strange bedfellows, and when a politician becomes so intimately associated with politics and policies that border on (pun intended) racist, that association begets very strange alliances.

Alliances that are welcome, nonetheless.

The other very revealing thing that sheds light on this endorsement is that Villarreal mentions Rick’s “story”. Told time and time again, it still sounds great, and Massey Villarreal put an interesting spin on it in his version:

“’He’s been elected five times to the Texas Legislature. Rick has a high ranking in the National Guard. He has actually served in Afghanistan. He’s still picking sand out of his bellybutton. He has the experience of being on the ground instead of a politician on this side who cannot even find Iraq on a map,’ Villarreal said.”

Picking sand out of his belly button?

This jives very well with the Bob Perry story I mentioned some time ago on this blog. Perry also admires Rick’s inclination toward public service. Bob Perry has called Rick Noriega a “hero”.

Now I feel very certain that the Watts campaign is going to try to spin this in a very ugly way – that Rick Noriega is actually an elephant in donkey’s clothing, or that he’s going to be beholden to Republicans if he is elected. How can I feel so certain? It’s what I would do if the shoe were on the other foot.

No, Watts just needs to realize, as Massey Villarreal has, as more and more Texans are realizing every day, that Noriega is the better man.

Kinky Friedman Finally Gets It Right

Now those 547,674 Texas voters who wasted their votes for Kinky Friedman last year, and gave him enough material to write himself another book can all take solace in the fact that Kinky finally got it right. Quoted in the Austin American-Statesman:

“Had I run as a Democrat last time, I think (Gov.) Rick Perry would already be (out of office as) a lobbyist for a cigar company.”

Exactimundo.

Had Kinky run as a Democrat in the March 2006 primary his clock would have been supremely cleaned and Chris Bell would now be Governor Bell. Not only that, school buses would not be allowed to sit at idle all day in school parking lots and community college employees would have health insurance.

And who knows what else? Maybe we would not have a right wing religious reactionary as chairman of the state school board. Maybe tens of thousands of school children wouldn’t be subjected to saying the words “under God” twice each weekday morning (does anyone besides me think that “one state and indivisible” or “one nation indivisible” makes far more sense?).

Well, he’s got maybe 2 and a half years to think it over, figure out how much he can make writing a book about his second failed attempt to become governor of Texas. Then, if he decides to run again maybe he can hire Kelly Fero as his consultant as Fero seems to be the only person in sight that thinks it’s a grand idea.

What’s Wrong With America?

The YouTube embed below is the best question asked of any of the candidates at last evening’s AFL-CIO presidential forum in Chicago. And now I see that Chicago Tribune news columnist, Eric Zorn, agrees with me. And this question was asked of my guy, John Edwards. Steve Skvara's story is poignant and the man’s voice broke as he told it. “What’s wrong with America and what will you do to change it,” he finally asked.

Edwards’ answer was a little strange: “You’re a perfect example of exactly what is wrong with America.” I know what he meant, but it came out slightly off, which is what happens sometimes when you are talking extemporaneously. In the end, Edwards answered the man’s question quite well, well better than average. Which is a whole lot better than how Joe Biden dismissed a woman’s equally poignant story, garnering the righteous indignation of the crowd at Soldier Field.

Flop Flipping Texas Style

Isn’t it amazing what a looming election does to your politics? Last week my congressman, Nick Lampson, voted away my 4th amendment rights against unreasonable, warrantless search and seizure because he needs to be viewed, in his home district, the former district of Tom DeLay, as conservative.

It’s a new definition of conservative. Giving up a right that has been guaranteed to Americans since 1791.

At about the same time we had Texas Senator John Cornyn alternately voting for the construction of a border wall and then adamantly voicing his opinion against the self same wall. Waffling on the wall, as State Rep. Rick Noriega put it.

And now we have Mr. Cornyn coming out in favor of the federal version of the DREAM Act. A Texas state version of this idea that Rick Noriega pushed through a six years ago, makes it possible for the children of undocumented immigrants to attend a Texas institution of higher education and not pay the prohibitive out of state tuition.

According to Noriega’s just issued press release:

“In May of 2001, Rick Noriega passed a state version of the federal legislation with overwhelming bi-partisan support. Signed into law by Governor Rick Perry, the DREAM Act allows Texas high school graduates who lack the proper citizenship papers to pay in-state tuition, if they stay out of trouble and have lived in-state for at least three years — three times longer than the requirement for out-of-state students to gain in-state residency. This pastlegislative session, in a wave of anti-immigrant fervor, several Republicans attempted to repeal the DREAM Act, despite its success in taking young teenagers off the streets”

My, my. John Cornyn is now in favor of making it possible for the children of illegal immigrants receive a college education? Isn’t it amazing what some adverse numbers in the polls will do to your politics?

Next thing you know he’ll be coming out in favor of universal health insurance.

Hott4Hill ?

Ain’t America Great?

New Gallup/USA Today Poll: It’ll Be Clinton vs. Giuliani

According to a poll released today, if voters went to the polls today to vote for President of the United States, they would be presented with a choice between Senator from New York Hillary R. Clinton and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The poll was based on telephone interviews of 1,012 adults between August 3rd and 5th.

The top 3 Democratic contenders polled pretty much as they did even six months ago with Clinton at 48% (48% in February), Obama at 26% (23% in February) and Edwards at 12% (14% in February). And the voters were asked, given a choice between Clinton and Obama, who would you vote for in a primary? Voters opted for Clinton by 59% to Obama’s 36%. Voters thought Clinton would do a better job than Obama across the board in security issues.

Republicans opt for Rudy Giuliani by a smaller margin. Guiliani polled at 33% as opposed to 42% in February. That huge drop is probably the result of the unannounced announced candidacy of Fred Thompson whose initial numbers in March stood at 13%, where Giuliani’s numbers dropped to 34% but today polls at 21%. In third place is the floundering candidate John McCain, whose numbers fell from 25% in February to 16% today. If given a choice between two of the top three candidates, Giuliani fares better against McCain (62% to 33%) than he does against Thompson (55% to 38%).

It’s still early though and anything can happen including a Howard Dean-esque meltdown. What I am starting to believe is that there are a significant number of people in this country who will have no choice because neither of the candidates appeals to them. If nothing changes and these two are the contenders next November, I am predicting a huge Republican undervote in the presidential race, and lower Republican turnout figures across the country. After all, the Bushites will be asked to choose between a progressive Democratic woman and a centrist Republican man who likes to dress as a woman from time to time.

Congress Takes A Powder, But Not Before Selling Us Out

First before I begin my rant, I want to point out the heroism of Texas Congressmen Al Green (CD-9), Silvestre Reyes (CD-16), Sheila Jackson-Lee (CD-18), Charles Gonzales (CD-20), Lloyd Doggett (CD-25), Solomon Ortiz (CD-27), Gene Green (CD-29) and Eddie Johnson (TX-30). These people voted not to surrender your 4th amendment rights.

The rest of the Texas delegation to the US Congress did.

Before I begin my rant I want to share with you the righteous anger of a friend of mine. Here is, with his permission, a copy of the email that he sent to Congressman Nick Lampson on the occasion of his vote for passage of S 1927, the so-called “Protect America Act” that Bush signed into law yesterday:

“Nick, This vote is the worst vote cast by a Democrat ever. You put your political gain ahead of preserving and protecting the Constitution. You put our civil liberties in the hands of Albert Gonzales and the CIA. Shame on you. You don't have the courage to tell the voters that the Terrorists have already won by destroying our Bill of Rights. You think you can pander to the far right and figure that we have no other choice than to work for your reelection. Such a strategy shows a lack of any political courage and a cynical political view. I guess one of your DC consultants developed the plan. All I can say is thank God you were not one of our founding fathers- we would not have a Bill of Rights.”

So you see, I’m not the only one that’s hacked off.

So now we have a congress on vacation while we have soldiers in the field in two hostile countries. While our congressmen and senators are kicking back and sipping a mint julep on the verandah, soldiers in Iraq are on patrol, and in harm’s way, with 100 pound packs in 130 degree weather. I was thinking about that this morning as I read Don’s email message again, and thought this: maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all considering what congress just did to us in handing over our 4th amendment rights to Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzales and the NSA.

Maybe they should stay home until they get some guts to stand up to the Bush Regime. That’s what we sent them there to do but apparently they’re ascared. Bush has got his bullying sword honed to a fine edge. He and his national security advisor tell congress that we are vulnerable and that they can’t go home until they pass a bill that gives the NSA the power to listen in on any telephone conversation that takes place between a US citizen, in this country, with anyone else who does not live in this country – without a warrant. And if they don’t, THEY will be responsible for the next terrorist attack.

The Bush Regime is very good at shifting the blame. But make no mistake. The blame for any future terrorist attack lies squarely on Bush, Cheney and Rove and no one else. When will Congress get with that simple fact? When will Congress declare themselves immune from being blamed, and get about the business of getting us out of this endless war, restoring our rights and liberties, and then, if there’s time left impeaching Cheney and Bush?

In the meantime someone has to challenge this law. Call a cousin in Canada to give them standing and then file suit challenging the constitutionality of this law, because “fixing it”, as they tried to do with HR 3356 isn’t enough, we have to do away with it completely.

So senators and congressmen, relax and enjoy your vacation. And while you are having that second glass of iced tea, think about these words: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated”. Think about that and what you just did to us, take some blame, and go back to DC only when you have finally convinced yourselves that we meant what we said last November.

Be not afraid. Fight for truth against the liars. Fight for justice against the corrupt. Fight for patriotism against the traitors.

Fight for us.

Sick of the Presidential Debates? I’m Not Either

Coming off of a weekend of a Democrat panel at the Yearly Kos convention (to be expanded next year to “Netroots Nation Convention”), the Democratic candidates will convene again, same city, Chicago, but hosted this time by the AFL-CIO, and in a different venue. This time it will be held at Soldier Field. This ought to be interesting. First outdoors venue. In Chicago. In August. They forecast a high of 92° F (33° C, 306 K) and a low of 74° F (23° C, 296 K) with about a 65% humidity and thunderstorms possible. Last I looked Soldier Field, while new and revamped, has yet to have a lid.

This should give new meaning to “getting put on the grill”.

Oh, you can hope against hope that we’ll get to see which candidate outputs the most perspiration and start laying down bets, but I am characteristically pessimistic. I suspect that someone in Chicago has some huge chillers that they will use to send cold blasts of dry air at the candidates.

But you can hope.

I can’t get enough of these debates. It’s like getting addicted to a soap opera, or more to the point, to a reality TV show. Not only do you get to watch the debate itself, but then you get to follow the buzz and spin doctoring that goes on up to days later.

And I think the more we see of these people, the more we might learn about them. No, not which 6-point plan they have, but who gets rankled the most. Who is calm in a storm. Ideologically these people are all so close on the issues that it’s not the issues that concern me. It’s which of these people will make a great president, because what we really need right now is greatness in our leaders.

The event is open only to AFL-CIO union members so if you’re in the Chicago area, keep that in mind. Non AFL-CIO union members, and all of you sad sacks that don’t belong to a union, will have to watch it on TV. They suggest organizing “watch parties”. God love ‘em, the union even provides a watch party tool kit to download.

So to see this debate, tune in to your local MSNBC channel on Tuesday, August 7th from 7:00 to 8:30 EDT or 6:00 to 7:30 CDT.

See you there.

John Edwards and Hillary Clinton at Yearly Kos Democratic Presidential Debate

The clip embedded below is from John Edwards’ campaign, uploaded on YouTube. It shows Edwards issuing a challenge to fellow presidential office seekers to refuse to take money from Washington DC lobbyists.



Since he allows that Senator Barack Obama has vowed not to take campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists, this is an out in the open shot across the bow at Hillary Clinton.

She responded to his challenge by saying, first, that in her 35 years of public life she has not been influenced by financial contributions. Here is where she got booed by her lefty audience. I found a CNN clip of just that on YouTube but I swear it has been pulled. That’s OK though, I’m glad I didn’t embed that one if it’s going to be pulled so quickly. If you want to watch the whole exchange on an 8 minute clip go here.

But then she recovered from the boos and came back with a point that I mentioned yesterday, that not all lobbyists are evildoers like Big PHARMA.



She didn’t get a huge ovation but she seemed to have earned their respect on that point.

And on a related, but then again, unrelated matter, here is Keith Olberman’s Worst Person in the World countdown (Dubya only made 1st runner up this time).

So Did You Watch the Debate?

The presidential debate? The one they had in Chicago at Yearly Kos? I did. I was one of the over 2300 viewers on Burnt Orange Report who suffered through the herky jerky webcam and the sound that cut out from time to time.

But beggars can’t be choosers.

Imagine a roomful of bloggers, a roomful of lefy political bloggers with very few grey hairs. Yep, it was pretty raucous. Not something you would see normally. But the thing I liked about it the most was the casual attention paid to the rules of the moderator, rules which were casual themselves. It caused the moderator to comment toward the end that he was losing control of the debate.

It was clear to me that the ones running the debate were in awe of the star power that surrounded them, and unused to the attention of mainstream media and the candidates themselves. Nearly everyone showed. I counted only Joe Biden as missing on the panel.

The candidates were effusive in their praise of bloggers, and more than one made uncomplimentary mention of Bill O’Reilly who has a vendetta against Daily Kos, and Markos himself.

Who won? How the H-E-double hockey sticks do I know? It was a melee. At one point my guy Edwards scored again on leading the conversation vis-à-vis taking money from lobbyists, but you have to hand it to Senator Clinton, she was ready this time. She dished it right back. Some of the lobbyists represent social workers. People who work in big corporations. Bill Richardson, I think, drew the most boos when he revealed some actions that he would take that seemed pretty centrist and conventional. This crowd was unique in that it was lefty and mostly lefty activists so his message didn’t always play well.

Who do I think the bloggers supported? My guy. John Edwards. How do I know this? The candidates were introduced one at a time as they came on the stage. Edwards came on 3rd to last and by my read of the Half Empty Applause-O-Meter, Edwards’ entrance got the loudest ovation.

Or maybe it could have just been my imagination.

Naaahhh.

The Cost of Education: You Get What You Pay For

What is it with these neocon Republicans? Why is it that on the one hand they decry the low performance of students in our schools, but on the other they attack a school bond proposal with box cutters.

Case in point. Fort Bend ISD is arguably one of the fastest growing school districts in Texas if not in the entire nation. Over the past few years master planned communities have sprung up where cotton fields once stood. In Fort Bend County, if you should go down a road that you haven’t been on in awhile you are bound to say at some point in your travel “when did this get built?”

The district estimates that it will need 20 new schools built within the next nine years to accommodate an additional 29,000 new students. With a current enrollment of just over 69,000 students district-wide, this represents a staggering 42% growth rate in under 10 years.

In the immediate future, it needs 7 new schools: 1 high school, 2 middle schools, and four elementary schools. Cost of construction of these is going to run about $280 million, and an additional $170 million will be needed to renovate existing structures. Throw in a few more millions for technology, vehicles and security upgrades, and it comes out to a cool $490 million, which is what the board of trustees is proposing for the November school bond initiative.

To make everything transparent, the board solicited citizen volunteers to serve on a bond steering committee. Some on the steering committee came to meetings armed with box cutters and Sears catalogs. These individuals’ interpretation of their purview was not to make sure that the community’s education interests are served, but instead some on the committee considered their principal goal was to cut costs.

One committee member triumphantly displayed her shopping skills by pointing out that the $3000 water cooler units proposed in bond package were way overblown and showed how she found an “ADA compliant” unit for $500. That victory was short-lived, however, when it was pointed out that the $3000 estimate included installation, wiring and necessary wall restructuring, and that this was an average cost for all schools.

Others in the citizenry at large complain about the “marble floors”, the marble being actually terrazzo, a common floor material found in public buildings everywhere. Terrazzo is cheap, durable and when you fall on it, it doesn’t scrape your skin raw.

Neocons on the steering committee are turning a good thing – public participation in a process to ensure that their children are getting the education that they need – into a bad thing – slashing at a proposal that they assume from the outset is wasteful and bloated.

I get tired of hearing about it. By the standard of dollars spent per student, all things being considered (including construction costs), Texas ranks 41st in the nation. Other standards have the state ranked even lower. By contrast, Vermont, which ranks #1 in the nation in terms of 21 educational factors that include test performance (Texas ranks 24th in the same list) spends over $4300 more per student than does Texas.

The message is clear: you get what you pay for.

So next time you hear someone piss and moan about their high taxes and the costs of servicing school bond issues, and at the same time complain about students’ low test performance numbers, ask them which do they prefer, driving that gas guzzling SUV to work or having their child get into a good university?

Department of Injustice Takes Another Hit

You just have to wonder when it is all going to end, and the answer comes back every time, January 20th 2009. A 3 judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has found that the FBI violated Congressman William Jefferson’s constitutional rights in their unlawful search and seizure of his congressional office. The AP article has been published in the Chron and can be found here.

Jefferson claims vindication, but no one is saying that he is pure as driven snow because there’s still that 90 large that they found in his refrigerator freezer. The ultimate in frozen assets.

But what we all can say now is that the FBI, in completing this heinous act, was clearly out of bounds. Everyone knew it. The Constitution prohibits the Executive Branch from using its law enforcement powers to interfere with the Legislative Branch. It’s called the Speech and Debate Clause (Article 1 Section 6 Clause 1) which is there to protect the integrity of the legislative process by insuring the independence of individual legislators.

The search was OK, the justices said, but the FBI erred in seizing Jefferson’s congressional documents which could then be examined by the Executive Branch. A clear breach.

But it’s just the times, isn’t it? Everywhere you look in the Bush Regime you see excesses and abuse of power. It’s not just here and there, it’s institutional. Trampling on rights, abuse of power, lying to the people, it’s all part of a culture that has flourished and grown for the past 6 years. I think it has gotten to the point that they really are not aware any more of what is legal and what is illegal, incapable of knowing the difference between right and wrong. And isn’t the latter a common criterion in deciding whether a person is insane?

OK, rant over.

Makeup of the court panel.

Curiously, the court panel consisted of justices who have all served in some capacity in the Injustice Department, and not at any time in the Legislative branch. Chief Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, one of the judges on the panel, is best remembered as a Reagan nominee to the Supreme Court until they dug up the dirt that Ginsburg smoked Mary Jane while at university and even when he was a professor at Harvard Law. Likewise, Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson was a 1986 Reagan appointee. However, Judge Judith W. Rogers was a Clinton appointee.

All three agreed that the FBI overstepped its purview and needed to let Congressman Jefferson filter which documents pertained to business of the legislature.

While not exonerating Jefferson, as Jefferson had hoped, the court’s opinion goes a long way toward restoring the government we had before the Bush Regime took over. I doubt we will ever see this happen again.

But then, I could be wrong.

Rick Noriega’s Extensive Interview on Valley Newsline

I was looking to see if anyone had put Texas State Rep. Rick Noriega’s 1 minute campaign ad on YouTube yet (it’s there) but in so doing, ran across an interview that Rick sat through this past week in the Rio Grande Valley. It’s a monster in terms of YouTube standards, running 22 and a half minutes long.

The interviewer was a local radio and TV newscaster, a guy named Ron Whitlock. I found it interesting that he had Rick sit through 2 long pieces done when John Cornyn was in the Valley recently, one on his announcement that he was submitting companion legislation in the Senate to fund the construction of a VA hospital in South Texas, the other a short hallway interview with the junior senator.

Then he started grilling Rick on his reaction to what Cornyn’s answers were, particularly on the border wall. Apparently when Cornyn is in South Texas he’s against the wall, and when he is in East Texas (or DC) he’s for it. “Waffling on the wall” Rick calls it.

The overall impression I got was that Whitlock is a Republican, and that he was trying to turn up the heat under Rick. This was most obvious in his reaction to Rick’s answer to his question about whether he will vote along party lines or not. Rick’s answer was that he would vote “for Texas”. “That’s your answer,” Whitlock said, “For Texas.”

Anyway I embedded the clip below. Before you click on it, get comfortable. Go get a beer, maybe some chips, and put your feet up.

Watts Running Scared Attempting to Recruit a Decoy

A little bird told me that this is a confirmed rumor: Mikal Watt$ is trying to drum up another Hispanic opponent to run against him in the March primary for US Senator from Texas.

Why another opponent? Why recruit opposition? Obviously this is a cynical attempt to split the Hispanic vote. And obviously, Watt$ is terrified that a people-powered progressive candidate like Rick Noriega will bowl him over in the primary. So to marginalize Noriega, Watts needs to marginalize an important voting bloc in Texas.

Now I ask you, is this the kind of guy Texas needs? The kind of guy who is trying to divide a huge voting bloc in Texas so that white people can elect their candidate?

The concern that I have is that we have a cynical, disingenuous opportunist trying to buy a seat in the Senate. That’s bad at a time when Democrats are in resurgence.

Are you tired of all these cynical machinations? Well I certainly am. I just made another contribution to Rick Noriega’s ActBlue online campaign contribution website. If you feel the same way, then exercise your righteous wrath and click on over to ActBlue. We’ve still got a way to go until we reach our 800 donors in a quarter goal. If you haven’t contributed yet, why not make this the occasion.

If you have, thank you, and how about another?

Rick Noriega Liveblogs From Yearly Kos on Daily Kos

Did that make sense at all?

Yearly Kos is a convention of bloggers and blogger groupies. This year it is being held in Chicago. The Noriega Exploration Committee is very plugged in to the blogosphere, and reserved an entire day in the life of their exploration effort to be there. Markos, likes Rick Noriega’s story and definitely sees how his race for the Democratic nomination is very much a people powered grassroots effort, in bold contrast to the self-funded Mikal Watts camp which seems to be run by a “consultantocracy”.

Daily Kos is the national blog that Rick entered his liveblog. Go look. Then come back here and drop a dead president in the ActBlue online contribution web page. Click on the Join Team Noriega on the left side of this page.

New Orleans, It Was Nice Knowin’ Ya

Say goodbye to the Big Easy. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ironically is physically located in New Orleans, just sided with the insurance industry in overturning a case, Vanderbrook et al. v. Unitrin Preferred Insurance Company et al.

The 5th Circuit Court overturned a ruling by U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr., who last November sided with policyholders who argued that language in the policies that excluded water damage from their insurance policies was ambiguous.

The plaintiffs argued that while the word “flood” was an ambiguous term in that it is generally meant to include rise in water due to rain, tide or overflowing of a levee. This was not the case in the events that came in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Water invaded the homes and businesses of 80% of New Orleans because of breaches in man-made levees. Breaches caused by human error, not an act of God.

The Appeals Court, however, sided with the insurers, who can all sigh a collective $1 billion sigh of relief. This decision is most certainly going to weigh in on those who were thinking of rebuilding in the flooded areas. There is no money coming from the insurance companies, and there is, in all likelihood, a grand chance that no money will ever come in the future should New Orleans face another hurricane.

Whatever you think about this decision, whether the plaintiffs had a case or not, this decision is going to have a huge impact on development of coastal areas along the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard.

And quite an impact on whether New Orleans will be able to survive as a viable city.

SCHIP Passes House 225-204

Now I swear to all the gods that I fully intended to write something on SCHIP today because I knew it was up for a vote. But I have been a buys, busy blogger these past couple of days and now I find that Nick Lampson’s press staff have done all the work for me today. So like yesterday I am pasting his press release below. Why reinvent the wheel? I have added links as appropriate.

LAMPSON: WE MUST NOT DENY HEALTH CARE FOR MILLIONS OF CHILDREN AND ELDERLY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Nick Lampson (D-Stafford) today voted for landmark legislation to provide America's seniors and children with timely and affordable access to quality medical care. H.R. 3162, the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 ("CHAMP" Act), passed in the House by 225 to 204. This legislation provides critical protections to seniors receiving Medicare benefits, reauthorizes the State Children's Health Insurance Program ("SCHIP") which expires on September 30, and halts cuts to physician reimbursement that would reduce access to health care for millions of Americans. Six million children, including 585,500 in Texas, have health care benefits under the SCHIP program, which helps the children of working families that either cannot afford insurance or have jobs that lack health benefits. The CHAMP Act will now provide health coverage to an estimated five million additional children who are currently uninsured but eligible for SCHIP, including 998,000 in Texas.

Congressman Lampson stated, "I am proud to have voted for the CHAMP Act. This is a vote of conscience, a victory for our nation's families, their children and our seniors. Additionally, this legislation also saves taxpayers from picking up the tab for indigent care at emergency rooms - the most expensive way to care for a child's health. It costs less than $3.50 a day, about the cost of a Starbucks coffee, to cover a child through SCHIP."

The bill protects Medicare from privatization and promotes fiscal responsibility by phasing out, over four years, overpayments to private insurance companies, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. Private insurance companies are paid on average 12 percent more than traditional Medicare - and overpayments to certain plans exceed 50 percent. The CHAMP Act ensures that seniors and people with disabilities can continue to see doctors of their choice by stopping a 10 percent payment cut to doctors in January 2008, and a 5 percent cut in January 2009. Additionally, the bill includes a $3 billion rural package that sustains rural health care, and extends for two years important add-on payments for hospitals, doctors, and other rural providers who care for Medicare beneficiaries. The CHAMP Act will reduce long-term health costs by focusing on preventive check-ups, tests, screenings, and vaccines to reduce long-term health complications and costs.

CHAMP Act Highlights:

-Provides health care to 11 million children - 5 million who currently lack health insurance and 6 million who are currently covered by SCHIP.

- Extends solvency of Medicare Trust Fund and protects seniors from premium increases.

- Ensures patient access to doctors of their choice.

- Encourages seniors to seek preventive services.

- Ensures seniors' access to rural health care.

###

Nick Lampson Named Conferee to Lead Science, Academic, and Industry Legislation

You have to hand it to my congressman. He knows how to get on committees, and as a former science teacher and a committee member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, he is a good fit. That’s a good thing for us in Texas CD 22.

Based on two related bills recently passed in the House (HR 2272) and the Senate (S. 761) (Summary of S 761 here), COMPETES was enacted to promote science education in America and to put this country back in the lead in the fields of science and technology. While not yet signed by Bush, he would be a fool not to sign this bill as it 1) would make him look like a bigger idiot than he already looks and, 2) a veto in this case can be easily overridden. So this is going to happen.

The text of the press release appears below.

LAMPSON NAMED CONFEREE TO LEAD SCIENCE, ACADEMIC, AND INDUSTRY LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Congressman Nick Lampson (D-Stafford) was named as a conferee to the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act ("COMPETES") conference committee. This legislative effort culminates work that began in the 109th Congress, and now is receiving a final push from the House Committee on Science and Technology, on which Congressman Lampson sits.

"I am honored to be a conferee on such important legislation that assists students, teachers, businesses, and hard-working Americans in so many academic and professional sectors," said Congressman Lampson. "This ground-breaking competitiveness and innovation initiative will greatly assist the southeast Texas economy, prepare our students for the future in the sciences, and continue to move our nation forward."

House and Senate conferees will meet in committee today to resolve differences between the America Competes Act (S. 761) and the 21st Century Competitiveness Act (H.R. 2272). The eventual conference report for the COMPETES Act will include several key pieces of legislation, including House-passed proposals authorizing a total of $23.6 billion over FY 2008 to 2010, including $21 billion for research and education programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), $2.5 billion for the research labs, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and other activities at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), and $96 million for early career awards and teacher professional development programs at the Department of Energy (DOE). An additional $70 million is authorized for these programs at DOE for FY 2011 to 2012.

"Congress has neglected such key science-related funding for too long, and now our great nation stands in jeopardy of being surpassed by other countries in leading our global scientific efforts and innovation," added Congressman Lampson. "I will continue to work hard to ensure we fully fund these initiatives, as this is not a Republican or Democrat issue - this is about the future of American academics and industries, and a better and stronger economy for future generations."

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Analysis: Why Does AG Gonzales Stay?

I signed a digital petition demanding that AG Alberto Gonzales resign. I have no expectations that he will, although I have no idea why he stays.

Even Newt Gingrich says that he should resign, that AG Gonzales has issues with saying the truth, and that it is “a liability for the president”. On the same piece an APB was sent out for White House officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend Gonzales on the show: “we had no takers”.

But I have to ask myself, if Gonzales is so obviously a “liability for the president” why then does Bush tolerate his continued presence? Is he stupid? Is he stubborn? Why won’t he listen to anyone? Gonzales is completely marginalized.

There are those who say that Gonzales is staying put because Bush is waiting for Congress to go on vacation. Or that he is staying because Bush doesn't think he can get another one confirmed by the Senate. Indeed, I have said that he is waiting until next year when he can move Texas Senator John Cornyn into the job so that he can replace Cornyn with a stronger candidate - and add to that, that this would be done after the March primary.

All of these are possible.

Having seen Gonzales face questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, Gonzales very much looked like someone who would rather be doing just about anything else. Very clearly he is being asked to stay in the job.

Bear with me, I’m just looking for a pattern. The only pattern that emerges is one in which the Bush Regime will do just about anything to upset as many people as they possibly can: friends and foe alike. This is strange to us because we haven’t seen anything like this in almost a century and a half.

The last time we had a president who bent over backwards to piss everybody off was when we had a man named Andrew Johnson in the White House. History is very kind to Johnson, and he is usually painted as the guy in the right battling a radical congress. In truth, Andrew Johnson had a sour disposition and went out of his way to offend everyone.

They even impeached him.

So for whatever reason, for the time being Gonzales is staying. But mark my words if and when he goes the last thing you will see is a Bush Regime that appears to be backing down.

That's just not their style.

Breaking News: Hillary Clinton Has Breasts and John McCain Looks Gay

I actually saw this news piece on my television this morning.



The Post article is here and here is the campaign’s formal response to it in a fundraiser email sent to supporters. Posted below:

“’Frankly, focusing on women’s bodies instead of their ideas is insulting,’ Ann Lewis, a senior adviser to Clinton, wrote in the e-mail. ‘It’s insulting to every woman who has ever tried to be taken seriously in a business meeting. It’s insulting to our daughters — and our sons — who are constantly pressured by the media to grow up too fast.’”

“‘Take a stand against this kind of coarseness and pettiness in American culture,’ Lewis adds, with a link to make a contribution to the campaign. ‘And take a stand for Hillary, the most experienced, most qualified candidate running for president.’”

“Coarseness and pettiness in American culture.” I think Ms. Lewis was being polite.

It is amazing to me how there is such an utter lack of respect these days. American culture is slowly evolving to a culture where anything goes. Things that were politely left unsaid a mere five years ago are now banner headlines.

And it’s not limited to the press. It’s everywhere. Now we hear that John McCain thinks you can dress up to look gay. Well I guess you can in an extreme case, if you are Rudy Giuliani (who, by the way, is the front runner). But a V-neck sweater over a T-shirt does not suggest to me gayness. It is a slap in the face to gays to suggest that his campaign is hitting the skids because he’s starting to “look gay”. To think I used to admire this guy for his integrity.

Aretha Franklin had it just right. All we need is a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.