With a new election cycle coming around, you won't be surprised to find out that the Texas Lock-Step Political Media is reverting to type. Instead of Wendy! we're getting MJ!
The woman you missed while you were paying attention to Beto. Mimi Swartz, New York Times
Clearly, instead of red sneakers, we're going to get the floral arm tattoo. And Military Service! AND a Purple Heart! And she ONLY LOST BY 3 PERCENTAGE POINTS DAMMIT!!!!!!
At this point there's not much else to say except, bring on the funny. I would argue that it's unwise for the TLSPM to continue to try and build these people up to such extremes. Not only does it have the effect of turning off those who are the closest thing we get to "swing" voters in Texas but it also creates an aura of fatigue.
People grow tired of being told, by a media they really don't like or trust, just how WONDERFUL these people are. Don't believe me? How's Wendy!(?) doing these days, or BETO! The latter is probably still sweating obviously, but what he's not doing is wooing the rest of the progressive world in the same manner as he's got the TLSPM in a swoon.
Every new candidate from the Democrats running for statewide office can rely on these high-school crushes, from Swartz (one of the worst examples of the TLSPM) and others (specifically, the Texas Tribune) before they even have to knock on one door.
Then the problem becomes that they have to start campaigning, and trying to square with the voting public that, in many cases, their priorities run counter to what a (dwindling) majority of Texas voters still find desirable.
Yes, Texas is turning more purple, and it's downright blue in its major urban areas. Areas that, not coincidentally, are increasingly finding themselves in fiscal Hell. But, except for the hard-core non-productive, advocacy class, the left of the Lone Star State is still more conservative than the rest of the country.
Yes, you have the InterLeft, what's left of them, who, when they aren't throwing fits, take a look around and decide that what Texas needs is a complete decimation of its economy but, for the most part, a LOT of those in Texas who identify as Democrats still understand that the industries that Texas economy is built on will need to be around for the good of their personal economic health.
That is why BETO the Sweaty, patron saint of privileged Caucasian Youth couldn't beat the most unpopular Senator in Texas History and it is why Hegar, no matter her credentials, is going to have a problem toppling a Senator who is much more favorably viewed.
Not by the TLSPM obviously, but at this point they really don't like anything. And there's mounting evidence that no one is really paying all that much attention to a former Texan who has decided to move to New York City, possibly the only place she would be considered an expert on Texas politics, to explain us rubes to those urbane New Yorkers.
Of course, none of this is evidence that a Hegar campaign is doomed. She could tack to the center-left and in an anti-Trump wave election topple Cornyn, who could, despite his seeming competence, be knocked out by factors beyond his control.
Any bets the TLSPM takes the wrong lesson away from that?
On another, funnier, note. Perennial (Losing) Candidate Chris Bell is contemplating entering this race. One can only hope.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
How is it that Houston is still debating ads on buses and trains? #HALV
Stick another nail in the "Houston is a World Class City" coffin.
Metro mulling ads in and on buses, train stations. Dug. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
Truly "world class" cities have had these ads for years. London, Paris, New York, Las Vegas. Hell, Vegas has full bus wraps depicting certain shows for goodness' sake.
If Houston ever wants to be viewed as anything more than a regional city with one hell of an industrial driver for it's economy it will need to stop listening to those who want to limit it's scope and stop making issues like this a thing.
Of course, it could be worse....
Metro should go slow in considering advertisements on it's buses. Editorial Board. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
Now, if you're a clear thinking individual you might be wondering on what expertise a newspaper editorial board is standing on when they try to provide advice to any organization on advertisements?
After all, it was newspapers lack of understanding of on-line advertising trends that has all but scuttled their operation and news gathering budgets. They refused to modernize, paid the price, and are now suggesting that Houston Metro follow in their footsteps.
For an agency in desperate need of revenue, I'm far less against ads on busses, trains and train stations than I am taking of said revenue from the general populace through threat of force (taxation). This being the Chron ed-board however, who has never met a municipal tax increase they didn't like, you shouldn't be surprised that they have a problem contemplating advertisements on things they wish other people would ride more often.
Advertising on Metro vehicles, at Metro train stations is a great idea. It allows companies to voluntarily choose to spend their advertising budgets with Metro, and it would certainly make for much more visually appealing vehicles. Imagine a bus with a full Texans wrap, or the Astros, or a Rocket(s) train. A Metro bus decked out in all Dynamo Orange would be a fantastic specimen.
Yes, there are questions which adverts to allow. No one wants to ride on the Viagra Bus for example and political/issue adverts should be right out. Obviously no beer or liquor, but a Museum of Natural Science bus with a wrap that changes quarterly has some spectacular potential.
Nothing lewd, obviously, and no-one, ever, wants to see a giant image of a toilet on a bus, but a gigantic Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo bus would be pretty cool. Mattress Mac might also be out, but if he could keep his smiling visage off of the bus his furniture store's logo is pretty cool.
Rebrand the 9 as "Bernie's Burger Bus" and you have an instant winner.
This should not be this hard.
Metro mulling ads in and on buses, train stations. Dug. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
Truly "world class" cities have had these ads for years. London, Paris, New York, Las Vegas. Hell, Vegas has full bus wraps depicting certain shows for goodness' sake.
If Houston ever wants to be viewed as anything more than a regional city with one hell of an industrial driver for it's economy it will need to stop listening to those who want to limit it's scope and stop making issues like this a thing.
Of course, it could be worse....
Metro should go slow in considering advertisements on it's buses. Editorial Board. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
Now, if you're a clear thinking individual you might be wondering on what expertise a newspaper editorial board is standing on when they try to provide advice to any organization on advertisements?
After all, it was newspapers lack of understanding of on-line advertising trends that has all but scuttled their operation and news gathering budgets. They refused to modernize, paid the price, and are now suggesting that Houston Metro follow in their footsteps.
For an agency in desperate need of revenue, I'm far less against ads on busses, trains and train stations than I am taking of said revenue from the general populace through threat of force (taxation). This being the Chron ed-board however, who has never met a municipal tax increase they didn't like, you shouldn't be surprised that they have a problem contemplating advertisements on things they wish other people would ride more often.
Advertising on Metro vehicles, at Metro train stations is a great idea. It allows companies to voluntarily choose to spend their advertising budgets with Metro, and it would certainly make for much more visually appealing vehicles. Imagine a bus with a full Texans wrap, or the Astros, or a Rocket(s) train. A Metro bus decked out in all Dynamo Orange would be a fantastic specimen.
Yes, there are questions which adverts to allow. No one wants to ride on the Viagra Bus for example and political/issue adverts should be right out. Obviously no beer or liquor, but a Museum of Natural Science bus with a wrap that changes quarterly has some spectacular potential.
Nothing lewd, obviously, and no-one, ever, wants to see a giant image of a toilet on a bus, but a gigantic Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo bus would be pretty cool. Mattress Mac might also be out, but if he could keep his smiling visage off of the bus his furniture store's logo is pretty cool.
Rebrand the 9 as "Bernie's Burger Bus" and you have an instant winner.
This should not be this hard.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
HALV: Sylvester Turner - Dear Leader.
The Mayoral Race is heating up, and so are the charges of shenanigans against Dear Leader (Boss) Sylvester Turner
This is the offending billboard in question:
It's a doozy, and hardly a "safety" message when you consider the main focus is Turner, with the actual "alerthouston.org" site being hidden at the bottom in tiny text.
But that's becoming the norm for Dear Leader, an old-style boss of the machine type ruler who has taken to resorting to threats when challenged and whose communication staff plays out more like a compliance brigade who doesn't want to have to associate with the little people (Too good to fly coach Ms. Benton, seriously?) or a SWAT team out to punch down to citizens on any out of official lock-step statement. When they're not swooning over how great a leader *snicker* they find Turner to be.
Meanwhile, Dear Leader (Boss) Sylvester Turner is crying poor on one hand while gifting $400 Million in unreviewed contracts to his patronage.
Nothing to see here, move along, nothing to see.That's right, pay your taxes, go about your business. And if Dear Leader (Boss) Turner has anything to say about it you'll be paying a LOT more in taxes as the years go forward. After a lifetime in politics, he's got a lot of political patrons who are starting to wonder when they'll get their space in the Houston taxpayer trough.
Here's the thing. He's going to be re-elected, although probably by a slim margin, he will probably even have to go to a run-off against either Bill King or Tony Buzbee, possibly current Council member Dwight Boykins should he decided to run. Given his delusions of grandeur he's going to take that narrow victory and he, and his courtiers, are going to claim a mandate to basically increase taxes on homeowners and business until their eyes start bleeding.
He's not going to do this for public safety (although he'll frame it as such) and he's not going to do it to improve Houston. He's going to do it because he's got a LOT of political chits that need to be paid. He'll then go back to the law firm that he worked for prior to his obtaining the Mayoral seat (You know, the one he's currently paying Millions to in excess of prior Mayors?) and live comfortably for the rest of his life on the largesse that he's provided himself.
His hope will be that the next Mayor is a member of the machine, and that they will continue the status quo that he started. To ensure this he'll engage the media, "activists" and any unions still loyal to him to ensure the "correct" person is elected as his successor.
That's how machine politics work, and we're seeing an example of a new Houston Political Machine rising as we speak. The creepy part about this one is the Dear Leader treatment of the current Boss.
In some ways that could portend worse things to come.
The leadership vacuum grows.
This is the offending billboard in question:
It's a doozy, and hardly a "safety" message when you consider the main focus is Turner, with the actual "alerthouston.org" site being hidden at the bottom in tiny text.
But that's becoming the norm for Dear Leader, an old-style boss of the machine type ruler who has taken to resorting to threats when challenged and whose communication staff plays out more like a compliance brigade who doesn't want to have to associate with the little people (Too good to fly coach Ms. Benton, seriously?) or a SWAT team out to punch down to citizens on any out of official lock-step statement. When they're not swooning over how great a leader *snicker* they find Turner to be.
Meanwhile, Dear Leader (Boss) Sylvester Turner is crying poor on one hand while gifting $400 Million in unreviewed contracts to his patronage.
Nothing to see here, move along, nothing to see.That's right, pay your taxes, go about your business. And if Dear Leader (Boss) Turner has anything to say about it you'll be paying a LOT more in taxes as the years go forward. After a lifetime in politics, he's got a lot of political patrons who are starting to wonder when they'll get their space in the Houston taxpayer trough.
Here's the thing. He's going to be re-elected, although probably by a slim margin, he will probably even have to go to a run-off against either Bill King or Tony Buzbee, possibly current Council member Dwight Boykins should he decided to run. Given his delusions of grandeur he's going to take that narrow victory and he, and his courtiers, are going to claim a mandate to basically increase taxes on homeowners and business until their eyes start bleeding.
He's not going to do this for public safety (although he'll frame it as such) and he's not going to do it to improve Houston. He's going to do it because he's got a LOT of political chits that need to be paid. He'll then go back to the law firm that he worked for prior to his obtaining the Mayoral seat (You know, the one he's currently paying Millions to in excess of prior Mayors?) and live comfortably for the rest of his life on the largesse that he's provided himself.
His hope will be that the next Mayor is a member of the machine, and that they will continue the status quo that he started. To ensure this he'll engage the media, "activists" and any unions still loyal to him to ensure the "correct" person is elected as his successor.
That's how machine politics work, and we're seeing an example of a new Houston Political Machine rising as we speak. The creepy part about this one is the Dear Leader treatment of the current Boss.
In some ways that could portend worse things to come.
The leadership vacuum grows.
Much Ado About Texas: The Wrong Stuff
Lately there's been a lot of chatter, meaningless chatter I should say, about "Texas History" and how to "fix" it. Mainly this is to assuage the guilt of some who are having a difficult time coming to grips with their family's past.
To Whit:
And.
Since this topic is seemingly meaningless, OF COURSE I've got some things to say about this. After all, what is a blog good for outside of meaningless banter?
First off, I'm not a Texan.
Sure, I live here (for now) and I spent a large part of my life here (pretty much from 2nd grade on) but I was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, half of my ancestors originated in California (a place I've only visited once) while the others came from various locations in either Texas or Oklahoma. I've got some roots here, but they're more shallow than Erica Grieder's Twitter feed. (trust me, that's pretty damn shallow. It's top soil)
So, why am I here?
Because I work in the oil and gas industry and this is where the jobs are.
It's not because I have some deep connection with the State. As a matter of fact, I have a closer connection with many other places other than Texas. I live in Houston because of my job. I hold no sense of special Houston pride, nor will I brag about how many generations of a Texan I am. (A childish, silly argument made by childish, silly people)
So now, you know from what perspective I am writing today, what (meaningless) thing do I have to say?
First, I've only ridden a horse two times in my life. I don't own a pair of cowboy boots and I'm not especially fond of modern country music. I consider rodeo season in Houston to be among the worst times to live here.
Yet, I would not want it to go away, because it means a lot to a LOT of people.
To say cowboy culture is "just a small" part of Texas history and to suggest that people should more accurately dress as slave-owners is inflammatory, and wrong. Texas cowboy history is only a sliver from a "white's-only-need-apply" perspective and ignores the great cultural contributions of the Vaqueros. Ignore them at your peril.
Nor is it fair to suggest that the defenders of the Alamo were just "racists who wanted to kill Mexicans". They were flawed people, just like you and I, fighting to defend their way of life, and hoping to keep their lands. That they were not entirely pure in their motivations in no way places them on the same level as General Santa Ana, one of history's all-time bad rulers.
But this is the problem with trying to shove historical figures into modern norms. Ideas, norms and society change over time. Some would call this "progress" and try to benefit from it politically but ultimately the arc of history does not bend to either liberal or conservative social norms. In fact, the arc of history is not an arc at all, it more closely resembles a scribble.
I will admit to always being amazed by the willingness of the victorious Union to allow Confederate statues and symbols to survive after the War Between the States. The Confederacy lost, yet in many cases have been allowed to craft the narrative of the past as if they were the winners.
In Midland, I went to Robert E. Lee High School who proudly proclaims its mascot to be "Rebels". As a teenager this didn't bother me, as an adult it does not bother me to say I went there. It's a fact, it happened, I had no say in the matter.
That a Texas High School should decide to honor a Virginian General, probably the best General in the War Between the States FWIW, seems an odd choice now, but back then it didn't register, even among the minority students in the school. We were all proud Rebels. (To be perfectly honest, I haven't paid attention to the area in quite some time, so I'm not sure if there's a move to change the name of the school today. To be really honest, I don't care.)
Elsewhere in the State: San Antonio is correct to celebrate the history of the Alamo, and the relatively recent movement to bring more diversity into the story is wise as well. But Santa Ana should not be lionized. In fact, Houston should do more to emphasize the San Jacinto monument, and the victory at the Battle of San Jacinto that led to Texas becoming first a near-bankrupt Nation-State which was eventually saved from insolvency by the United States of America.
And before you go off judging the Texas Rangers solely because of an Indian Slaughter (which happened, there's no denying that) go read Empire of the Summer Moon to see just how messy, brutal and barbaric that era was, on both sides. Again, history is a scribble, not some great arc toward societal awareness.
The long and short of it is this: If you cannot come to terms with the fact that the City/State/Country in which you reside has, at one time or another, done some pretty vile shit then you're never going to find a place to be happy and content. If you think the only way for modern society to atone for these past sins is for the ancestors of the ruling class to sit splay-legged on the ground while the ancestors of the cattle class walk by and kick them in the groin you're not going to find satisfaction.
Sins of the parents and all of that.
Wailing, gnashing of teeth and calls for societal apologies are not efforts to solve the issues they're efforts to assuage familial guilt. If only our elected rulers will apologize for things of the past I can go about my life without guilt.....until the next historical atrocity is unearthed by some writer trying to make a quick buck.
The best way to 'make-up' for past atrocities is two-fold. First, work hard to ensure that they never happen again. Second, work hard to ensure that everyone has equal access to the rapidly growing wealth-pie that is (or, more accurately was) the American economy.
Work to ensure that "driving while black" in the wrong neighborhood is no longer a thing, work to end political payola which wall-off certain people from engaging economically, take a deep look not at ensuring everyone pays their "fair-share" (which is a lie we've come to believe) but that everyone gets a "fair shot" at success. Work to ensure immigrant families have a way up from the bottom rung of the economic ladder. In short, try to make present society better.
And stop-trying to paint over history, or (even worse) to white-wash it into things that remove, primarily white folks ideas of what makes them guilty. If our history, warts and all, do not empower and inspire us then they only serve to divide us and bring us down.
Lately we've been listening to the people who try to do the latter more than the former, and we continue to elect to public office narcissists who do nothing but try to obtain power through division.
Maybe it's time we stopped giving our power away to these people? Because if we don't turn this around pretty quickly they're going to have all of it, and then it will be impossible to get it back.
Just a thought.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Bad Media: Why is the Chron blindly accepting the police narrative on the Harding Street disaster?
Reading through this story and something struck me as odd:
Grieving Family members tour Pecan Park home as questions swirl about botched drug raid. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
The offending passage:
Ummm....
Allegedly the pit bull lunged at officers "immediately" (which is highly unlikely as I've explained before) and allegedly there was an exchange of gunfire. None of this has been proven and, to date, there have been no details released to the public as part of HPD'sattempt to sweep under the rug investigation of the matter.
In fact, it's seeming more and more likely that the police did most, if not all, of the shooting here, including the developing theory that they injured officers were allegedly wounded by "friendly fire".
To report the police version of the story as fact is foolish, premature and irresponsible. It's also unfair to the family, and the poor dog that might have been needlessly slaughtered by a HPD drug unit that has run off the rails.
The Chron has clearly chosen to focus on Goines, choosing to believe that a "rouge actor" was at work within HPD and refusing to contemplate that the department has rotted from the head down. That's fine if they want to take that tack, but at this point reporting anything that Goines and shock-troops have communicated as truth is irresponsible journalism.
On a related note: I've noticed that the head of the police union has been kept out of the limelight for a while now.
I wonder why?
Grieving Family members tour Pecan Park home as questions swirl about botched drug raid. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
The offending passage:
When undercover narcotics officers burst in the front door on Jan. 28, they shot dead a pit bull that lunged at them, setting off an exchange of gunfire. Tuttle and Nicholas were killed.
Ummm....
Allegedly the pit bull lunged at officers "immediately" (which is highly unlikely as I've explained before) and allegedly there was an exchange of gunfire. None of this has been proven and, to date, there have been no details released to the public as part of HPD's
In fact, it's seeming more and more likely that the police did most, if not all, of the shooting here, including the developing theory that they injured officers were allegedly wounded by "friendly fire".
To report the police version of the story as fact is foolish, premature and irresponsible. It's also unfair to the family, and the poor dog that might have been needlessly slaughtered by a HPD drug unit that has run off the rails.
The Chron has clearly chosen to focus on Goines, choosing to believe that a "rouge actor" was at work within HPD and refusing to contemplate that the department has rotted from the head down. That's fine if they want to take that tack, but at this point reporting anything that Goines and shock-troops have communicated as truth is irresponsible journalism.
On a related note: I've noticed that the head of the police union has been kept out of the limelight for a while now.
I wonder why?
HALV: Wow, just wow.
Interesting dispatch from the Bill King Campaign:
Turner: It will cost you $2.8 Million to find out how I spent $400 Million of your tax dollars. Bill King Blog
Under City rules, the mayor can sign contracts up to $50,000 without Council approval. In January, we got a tip from a City employee that Turner was aggressively using this rule to benefit some of his cronies and that if we were to file an Open Records request for those contracts, we would find some very “interesting” expenditures. So, we filed a request for all contracts the City had entered into since Turner took office but had not been approved by Council.
Under the Texas Public Information Act (“TPIA”), the City is entitled to recover its costs in producing any documents. Last week we received a letter from the City Attorney stating that the cost of copying the contracts would be $2.8 million and if we would send over a check for 50% of that amount, they would begin copying the contracts.
The cost estimate stated that it would take 155,000 hours to assemble the documents. That is 75 people working full-time for a year.
The only possible reaction to this, if you're not a hopeless partisan or someone who's profiteering off the public trough, is "Wow"
Just Wow.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: There is no greater criminal enterprise in modern America than big city politics. It enables and entire courtier class of hangers-on and leeches who serve no public good and whose only job is to seemingly heap praise on the current emperor, provided said emperor is willing to swear fealty to the existing ruling structure.
It is quite literally the greatest scam in American history, it has run our cities into the ground, possibly damaged our cities beyond repair and has done more to devalue the existing American system than almost any other institution in the US.
And it's entirely legal.
Our cities are debt-ridden cess-pools, and our leaders are giving away money like it's so many carnival baubles.
And we have done this to ourselves by continuing to listen to local media and other bad-actors who are so tied into the system that their opinions are nothing more than press-releases for the status quo.
We have done this to ourselves. The only way to undo it is to elect leaders who won't partake in this type of behavior. The problem is almost EVERY candidate runs for election as a reformer. Almost none turn out to truly be.
A lot of money and power are difficult things to resist. Especially when changing things would require changing the laws that allow you to do it. It's much like Congress at the State and Federal levels. Licenses to steal.
If you read this and think "Wait a minute, he's calling the entire American political system corrupt here"
You're right. I am.
Thursday, February 07, 2019
BadBlogging: Break Time
I am taking a short break.
Not a long hiatus, but a short break for a bit as I deal with real life issues such as health, family and work. Nothing major, so don't celebrate, I'm not stopping, just stuff that will make it impossible for me to grind out a post in the evenings for publishing the next morning.
I want to take this chance to bring your attention to BlogHouston which is back and posting some pretty salty weekly updates on the goings on in Houston and Harris County.
Be back soon.
Not a long hiatus, but a short break for a bit as I deal with real life issues such as health, family and work. Nothing major, so don't celebrate, I'm not stopping, just stuff that will make it impossible for me to grind out a post in the evenings for publishing the next morning.
I want to take this chance to bring your attention to BlogHouston which is back and posting some pretty salty weekly updates on the goings on in Houston and Harris County.
Be back soon.
Tuesday, February 05, 2019
HALV: Two News Items that lay out the Vacuum in stark detail.
First:
"A Step Below Hell" Video gives inside look at HISD Dysfunction. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
The old saying "this mess is a place" seems to be very salient here. This is also a good job by the Chronicle of watchdog reporting, good use of FOIA requests and good reporting on a school board that has clearly run off the rails.
It is also the strongest case for TEA control that anyone has ever made.
Second:
The Trouble with the Midtown Innovation District. Sophie Asakura, HoustonChronicle.com
I'm not questioning Ms. Asakura's intentions, or her motivations. It appears that what she is advocating for is pure and focused. That she is concerned about the homeless and working poor in the area is admirable.
However, it's also painfully clear that her solutions to the problem are patently wrong. In fact, it could be argued that Ms. Asakura doesn't even really understand what she should be arguing for.
At it's root, the problem of chronic homelessness is a gigantic mental health issue that Houston, Harris County and the State of Texas are currently wholly unable to address. That Rice is purchasing parcels of land that acted as a homeless encampment is not a negative, neighborhood improvement is good. What is bad is that there are several people living in homeless encampments for one reason or another whose core needs are not being addressed.
Finally, for all of her concern about the people living in and around the Ion, and the problems that occur because of rising property values what she is really advocating for is property tax reform. If you have control of property tax then you have a situation where rising property values become a good thing due to increased equity minus the burden of excessive tax increases.
I doubt that Ms. Asakura would view it this way, but reforming property taxes in Texas would assuage most of her concerns and would actually help the home-owners in the area should property values rise.
Both of these stories show the flaws in both the operation of Harris County's elected leaders and the short-sightedness of our "thought leaders".
The HISD board is a dysfunctional mess, lacking both good intentions and a basic understanding of acting like an adult, while Ms. Askaura injects in a debate without understanding the issues for which she's advocating, or possible fixes for them.
All of this fuels the Houston Area Leadership Vacuum which is saddening, but not unexpected.
I will say this: I've respect for Ms. Asakura because her intentions are pure. I have no respect for the HISD Board because theirs are not. Honestly we need more people like Ms. Asakura who at least are approaching the issue concerned about others, if only their ideologies allowed them to view things through a wider lens.
"A Step Below Hell" Video gives inside look at HISD Dysfunction. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
The old saying "this mess is a place" seems to be very salient here. This is also a good job by the Chronicle of watchdog reporting, good use of FOIA requests and good reporting on a school board that has clearly run off the rails.
It is also the strongest case for TEA control that anyone has ever made.
Second:
The Trouble with the Midtown Innovation District. Sophie Asakura, HoustonChronicle.com
I'm not questioning Ms. Asakura's intentions, or her motivations. It appears that what she is advocating for is pure and focused. That she is concerned about the homeless and working poor in the area is admirable.
However, it's also painfully clear that her solutions to the problem are patently wrong. In fact, it could be argued that Ms. Asakura doesn't even really understand what she should be arguing for.
At it's root, the problem of chronic homelessness is a gigantic mental health issue that Houston, Harris County and the State of Texas are currently wholly unable to address. That Rice is purchasing parcels of land that acted as a homeless encampment is not a negative, neighborhood improvement is good. What is bad is that there are several people living in homeless encampments for one reason or another whose core needs are not being addressed.
Finally, for all of her concern about the people living in and around the Ion, and the problems that occur because of rising property values what she is really advocating for is property tax reform. If you have control of property tax then you have a situation where rising property values become a good thing due to increased equity minus the burden of excessive tax increases.
I doubt that Ms. Asakura would view it this way, but reforming property taxes in Texas would assuage most of her concerns and would actually help the home-owners in the area should property values rise.
Both of these stories show the flaws in both the operation of Harris County's elected leaders and the short-sightedness of our "thought leaders".
The HISD board is a dysfunctional mess, lacking both good intentions and a basic understanding of acting like an adult, while Ms. Askaura injects in a debate without understanding the issues for which she's advocating, or possible fixes for them.
All of this fuels the Houston Area Leadership Vacuum which is saddening, but not unexpected.
I will say this: I've respect for Ms. Asakura because her intentions are pure. I have no respect for the HISD Board because theirs are not. Honestly we need more people like Ms. Asakura who at least are approaching the issue concerned about others, if only their ideologies allowed them to view things through a wider lens.
Monday, February 04, 2019
HALV: "Trust me, because....some votes or something"
"Trust me"
That's the crux of Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia's argument when approached on the subject of "pay to play" in the Harris County Court....
Harris County Relies on Contractors, Commissioners Rely on their Cash. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
Uh huh.
This is an issue that seems to pop its head out of the mud occasionally and it's certainly not just limited to Garcia, or Democrats. The prevalence of pay to play deals is part and parcel of a governmental authority with non-existent ethics rules and little to no oversight. We're asking the wolves to guard the chicken coop, with nothing more than a vague promise from the wolves that they've actually sworn-off chicken, just ignore the feathers around their mouth.
Despite her office having no direct say on spending of the type mentioned in this story, it was hoped that Lina Hidalgo's commendable step of refusing campaign money from firms with county contracts would prod the other commissioners to up their game and end what is clearly a bad-governance practice.
So much for hopes and dreams.
Of course, an easy fix to all of this would be to change the rules and force all of these awarded contracts to go through a bid process, but that might prove detrimental to the people currently rigging the game, and they're the ones that would have to enact those changes, so it's doubtful it would ever happen.
Yes, the Texas Legislature could act, but the County spends tens of thousands (if not more) every session for lobbyists to descend on Austin and lobby against the taxpayers, and there's never much, if any, push for real reform from a State Lege that NEEDS County support to handle their unfunded mandates.
They say the closer you get in government to where you live the greater the corruption really is. Cities are by nature more corrupt than counties and counties more corrupt than State government and the States are more corrupt than the Federal Government. Judging by what we're seeing at the Federal level it's a miracle green slime isn't spewing out of some of our electeds mouths on a day to day basis.
But hey, trust them. Because at one time in the distant past they may have cast a vote on an issue that goes against the wishes of their campaign donors. Given the make-up of the donor's list that's highly possible.
It's also likely that the votes Garcia would use as an example go against every day citizens who donated or was a case where one donor won and another lost.
Oh well, give more money to me next time and we'll see if we can't have a make-good session later on. There are always more projects in the kitty.
Which, ironically, is why these offices are so coveted. They control a lot of money and provide Commissioners with a LOT of unchecked power.
It's GOOD to be in the ruling class.
That's the crux of Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia's argument when approached on the subject of "pay to play" in the Harris County Court....
Harris County Relies on Contractors, Commissioners Rely on their Cash. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
“If you look at my voting history over the years, I’ve made decisions and taken votes that worked against some of the interests of people that contributed to me,” said Garcia, who previously served as a Houston city councilman and Harris County sheriff.
Uh huh.
This is an issue that seems to pop its head out of the mud occasionally and it's certainly not just limited to Garcia, or Democrats. The prevalence of pay to play deals is part and parcel of a governmental authority with non-existent ethics rules and little to no oversight. We're asking the wolves to guard the chicken coop, with nothing more than a vague promise from the wolves that they've actually sworn-off chicken, just ignore the feathers around their mouth.
Despite her office having no direct say on spending of the type mentioned in this story, it was hoped that Lina Hidalgo's commendable step of refusing campaign money from firms with county contracts would prod the other commissioners to up their game and end what is clearly a bad-governance practice.
So much for hopes and dreams.
Of course, an easy fix to all of this would be to change the rules and force all of these awarded contracts to go through a bid process, but that might prove detrimental to the people currently rigging the game, and they're the ones that would have to enact those changes, so it's doubtful it would ever happen.
Yes, the Texas Legislature could act, but the County spends tens of thousands (if not more) every session for lobbyists to descend on Austin and lobby against the taxpayers, and there's never much, if any, push for real reform from a State Lege that NEEDS County support to handle their unfunded mandates.
They say the closer you get in government to where you live the greater the corruption really is. Cities are by nature more corrupt than counties and counties more corrupt than State government and the States are more corrupt than the Federal Government. Judging by what we're seeing at the Federal level it's a miracle green slime isn't spewing out of some of our electeds mouths on a day to day basis.
But hey, trust them. Because at one time in the distant past they may have cast a vote on an issue that goes against the wishes of their campaign donors. Given the make-up of the donor's list that's highly possible.
It's also likely that the votes Garcia would use as an example go against every day citizens who donated or was a case where one donor won and another lost.
Oh well, give more money to me next time and we'll see if we can't have a make-good session later on. There are always more projects in the kitty.
Which, ironically, is why these offices are so coveted. They control a lot of money and provide Commissioners with a LOT of unchecked power.
It's GOOD to be in the ruling class.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
ChronBlog: I think we might have an answer to Mike Snyder's Question.
A few weeks back Mike Snyder took a look at Houston Media's shameful silence during the Civil Rights era battle to integrate Houston lunch counters.
Why the Media Stayed Quiet as Houston Integrated its Lunch Counters. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
It's an interesting read that mainly outlines the Chronicle's ties to the city's leadership and institutions and their historical proclivity to report along official lines. Not quite Pravda, but not quite an independent watchdog either.
Snyder goes on to outline the role of newspapers in cities and ultimately gets around to asking the question "Could this happen today?"
Based on what we're seeing reported surrounding the incidents that led to the unfortunate shooting of four police officers and the deaths of two suspects and their dog, I think we're starting to see that the answer is "yes, it could".
To whit:
Wounded Houston Officers Present opportunity for Unity, no division with HPD. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
They then go on to say this:
Not that it's going to matter, but let me preface all of this by saying that I have a healthy respect for the job the police do each day. I always try to treat them with respect, I always encourage them to "stay safe" when I meat them and generally I believe that a large majority of police officers, Sheriff's Deputies, Constables and Highway Patrol officers go into work each and every day with the intent of upholding their motto to "Protect and Serve". I really believe this. I also believe that the officers in this raid were doing what they thought was correct and that they felt they were targeting the head of a heroin ring. I believe that. If Joe Gamaldi thinks that my questioning some of the facts coming out of this case there's nothing I can do about that. Criticism is NOT targeting, I don't care what some spokespeople, or the Chron Editorial Board chooses to say.
The problem here is that it's not entirely clear the officers had the correct people, or the right house. This is not anti-police rhetoric, it's not putting a "target" on the backs of HPD, it's a logical question to ask based on the facts that are coming out in this case.
First off, after the raid no black tar heroin was found in a house that was reportedly the center of a black tar heroin ring That's odd.
Also, the official account of the event states that the couple's Pit Bull immediately "lunged" at the first officer entering the house, forcing him to shoot. If you own a dog you realize that this type of behavior is out of character for any dog. The first canine reaction would have been to sit back on his haunches and bark, not to lunge.
So we have a "no-knock" warrant, with a police busting down the door and immediately shooting the family pet, in an alleged heroin den where no heroin was found. What the police did find was some guns (obviously) some marijuana and an as-yet unidentified white powder, which sounds more consistent with drug use than drug sales.
Where are the scales? Why haven't we been told about cash found in the house?
There are a lot of things in the official account that are not adding up.
Granted, it's true that at this point we have not been given all of the facts, as police might be shielding some things from public consumption as the investigation is ongoing, but it's also true that the police MIGHT have been going into the wrong house.
At this point there are too many questions to just say that the cops were 100% correct on all of their decisions in this raid. There's too much unknown to cast the two dead as 100% in the wrong.
I'm truly sorry that the four officers got shot and the fifth injured his knee. I do have respect for the police but I'm also not naive enough to believe that they always get everything correct.
Cops are people, and subject to making errors. If someone busted down my door, and shot my dog, I would probably fight back too, especially since I have no reason for them to be there. I'm sure that some will read this and say "He's just bashing the cops" but that's not true. Nor am I saying they were wrong and attacked a bunch of innocents minding their own business. Were the suspects drug dealers? We don't know. Does this mean the suspects were good people? No, it doesn't.
The fact is WE JUST DON'T KNOW YET.
But the Chron Ed Board knows, and they've gone to lecturing on behalf of their institutional sources, which is their default position, as it has always been and as it will always be until the newspaper does the right thing and shutters the Editorial Board and then redirecting the resources toward Watchdog Journalism.
Could the same thing happen today in the pages of the Houston Chronicle as happened in the past?
You bet your ass it could.
Why the Media Stayed Quiet as Houston Integrated its Lunch Counters. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
It's an interesting read that mainly outlines the Chronicle's ties to the city's leadership and institutions and their historical proclivity to report along official lines. Not quite Pravda, but not quite an independent watchdog either.
Snyder goes on to outline the role of newspapers in cities and ultimately gets around to asking the question "Could this happen today?"
Based on what we're seeing reported surrounding the incidents that led to the unfortunate shooting of four police officers and the deaths of two suspects and their dog, I think we're starting to see that the answer is "yes, it could".
To whit:
Wounded Houston Officers Present opportunity for Unity, no division with HPD. HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
So, it was understandable but regrettable when Houston Police Officers’ Union President Joe Gamaldi suggested the officers’ shooting was grounds for some type of vendetta.“We are sick and tired of having targets on our back,” Gamaldi said. “We are sick and tired of dirt bags trying to take our lives when all we’re trying to do is protect this community and our families. Enough is enough. If you’re the ones out there spreading the rhetoric that police officers are the enemy, well just know we’ve all got your number now. We’re going to be keeping track on all of y’all, and we’re going to make sure to hold you accountable every time you stir the pot on our police officers.”Gamaldi started his career as a cop in New York 14 years ago, so he doesn’t need to be lectured about the job.
They then go on to say this:
What this city needs now is solidarity in support of the good guys trying to keep us safe.
Not that it's going to matter, but let me preface all of this by saying that I have a healthy respect for the job the police do each day. I always try to treat them with respect, I always encourage them to "stay safe" when I meat them and generally I believe that a large majority of police officers, Sheriff's Deputies, Constables and Highway Patrol officers go into work each and every day with the intent of upholding their motto to "Protect and Serve". I really believe this. I also believe that the officers in this raid were doing what they thought was correct and that they felt they were targeting the head of a heroin ring. I believe that. If Joe Gamaldi thinks that my questioning some of the facts coming out of this case there's nothing I can do about that. Criticism is NOT targeting, I don't care what some spokespeople, or the Chron Editorial Board chooses to say.
The problem here is that it's not entirely clear the officers had the correct people, or the right house. This is not anti-police rhetoric, it's not putting a "target" on the backs of HPD, it's a logical question to ask based on the facts that are coming out in this case.
First off, after the raid no black tar heroin was found in a house that was reportedly the center of a black tar heroin ring That's odd.
Also, the official account of the event states that the couple's Pit Bull immediately "lunged" at the first officer entering the house, forcing him to shoot. If you own a dog you realize that this type of behavior is out of character for any dog. The first canine reaction would have been to sit back on his haunches and bark, not to lunge.
So we have a "no-knock" warrant, with a police busting down the door and immediately shooting the family pet, in an alleged heroin den where no heroin was found. What the police did find was some guns (obviously) some marijuana and an as-yet unidentified white powder, which sounds more consistent with drug use than drug sales.
Where are the scales? Why haven't we been told about cash found in the house?
There are a lot of things in the official account that are not adding up.
Granted, it's true that at this point we have not been given all of the facts, as police might be shielding some things from public consumption as the investigation is ongoing, but it's also true that the police MIGHT have been going into the wrong house.
At this point there are too many questions to just say that the cops were 100% correct on all of their decisions in this raid. There's too much unknown to cast the two dead as 100% in the wrong.
I'm truly sorry that the four officers got shot and the fifth injured his knee. I do have respect for the police but I'm also not naive enough to believe that they always get everything correct.
Cops are people, and subject to making errors. If someone busted down my door, and shot my dog, I would probably fight back too, especially since I have no reason for them to be there. I'm sure that some will read this and say "He's just bashing the cops" but that's not true. Nor am I saying they were wrong and attacked a bunch of innocents minding their own business. Were the suspects drug dealers? We don't know. Does this mean the suspects were good people? No, it doesn't.
The fact is WE JUST DON'T KNOW YET.
But the Chron Ed Board knows, and they've gone to lecturing on behalf of their institutional sources, which is their default position, as it has always been and as it will always be until the newspaper does the right thing and shutters the Editorial Board and then redirecting the resources toward Watchdog Journalism.
Could the same thing happen today in the pages of the Houston Chronicle as happened in the past?
You bet your ass it could.
TXLV: Texas Craft Beer Industry is screwed
Some of the items in this Texas Tribune story about new Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen are amazing.
Despite Beer and Banking ties, New House Speaker Dennis Bonnen sees no need for recusals or new disclosures. Texas Tribune
His wife is the co-owner of a liquor distributor, and he himself is the CEO of a bank, yet he "sees no conflicts of interest".
That statement alone should make you question the political integrity of Texas new Speaker.
He's also got many lobbyists in his corner, invested in his bank to boot, people with whom he does business and their financial success is linked to his financial success and they're lobbying for issues in the very House of Representatives that Bonnen oversees.
Yet he sees "no conflict of interest".
At least Straus had the decency to recuse himself from matters relating to horse racing, it appears Bonnen is going to place no such restrictions on his ability to push laws and regulations that benefit him and his. Outstanding news for the liquor distributors, not so much for Texas craft beer and liquor industry, who have already had efforts at reform go awry in past sessions due, in large part, to the power of the liquor distributor industry.
It gets even funnier later down in the article, where Bonnen tries to assure us that "It's good", he's instructed his staff to remain "neutral" on liquor and banking issues. All we have to do is trust him because, you know, he's got a reputation for being a good guy.
Of course, part of the issues with weak disclosure laws is that it's impossible to tell if someone is a "good guy" or no. If it's not clear who they're doing business with then it's not clear whether or not they're doing them a solid.
This is no different than Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gifting is former business partner a multi-Million dollar contract and then saying "all is well" because he's his "former" partner and there's no longer a relationship there.
I first saw this story on BlogHouston publisher Kevin Whited's Shaarli feed and I about spat out my coffee.
The corruption in Texas Politics has hit a high point, and the only people who could change this are the politicians themselves, you know, the ones benefiting from our current system.
These leadership vacuums in Houston, Austin and Washington D.C. are going to matter to normal people eventually, I just hope by the time they do it's not too late to do anything about it.
Although I'm afraid it may already be.
Despite Beer and Banking ties, New House Speaker Dennis Bonnen sees no need for recusals or new disclosures. Texas Tribune
Bonnen told The Texas Tribune he sees no conflicts of interest, no reason to take any formal steps to distance himself from beer or banking issues
His wife is the co-owner of a liquor distributor, and he himself is the CEO of a bank, yet he "sees no conflicts of interest".
That statement alone should make you question the political integrity of Texas new Speaker.
He's also got many lobbyists in his corner, invested in his bank to boot, people with whom he does business and their financial success is linked to his financial success and they're lobbying for issues in the very House of Representatives that Bonnen oversees.
Yet he sees "no conflict of interest".
At least Straus had the decency to recuse himself from matters relating to horse racing, it appears Bonnen is going to place no such restrictions on his ability to push laws and regulations that benefit him and his. Outstanding news for the liquor distributors, not so much for Texas craft beer and liquor industry, who have already had efforts at reform go awry in past sessions due, in large part, to the power of the liquor distributor industry.
It gets even funnier later down in the article, where Bonnen tries to assure us that "It's good", he's instructed his staff to remain "neutral" on liquor and banking issues. All we have to do is trust him because, you know, he's got a reputation for being a good guy.
Of course, part of the issues with weak disclosure laws is that it's impossible to tell if someone is a "good guy" or no. If it's not clear who they're doing business with then it's not clear whether or not they're doing them a solid.
This is no different than Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gifting is former business partner a multi-Million dollar contract and then saying "all is well" because he's his "former" partner and there's no longer a relationship there.
I first saw this story on BlogHouston publisher Kevin Whited's Shaarli feed and I about spat out my coffee.
The corruption in Texas Politics has hit a high point, and the only people who could change this are the politicians themselves, you know, the ones benefiting from our current system.
These leadership vacuums in Houston, Austin and Washington D.C. are going to matter to normal people eventually, I just hope by the time they do it's not too late to do anything about it.
Although I'm afraid it may already be.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
HALV: The (Expensive) Education of Lina Hidalgo
Ignorance is bliss.
UNLESS you've just been elected County Judge for the largest County in Texas and have a laundry list of campaign promises you want to enact lest you become a one-term flash in the pan.
Then, Ignorance is a problem.
For Lina Hidalgo the solution appears to be to throw a bunch of money at the problem in hopes that it goes away....
Lina Hidalgo, Eager to Improve Harris County Government, Defends Consultant Costs. Zach Despart, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
One can imagine that morale is not at its high-tide in the Harris County offices right now, after being told by Hidalgo that all of their experience counts for naught, one could forgive long-time employees if they're feeling overlooked by Harris County's Neophyte media superstar.
The Chron piece on this, as Chron profiles of politicians with which they share policy goals typically are, is glowing. She's sitting in a spartan office with laser-like focus on the issues plaguing the county, issues, it is left unsaid, she hasn't the foggiest about how to actually fix.
Or if they're actually issues.
She tends to focus on ideology, instead of practicality, ignoring the bread for circuses. She's also against outside hiring of specialists for things she doesn't like (the Harris County Bail Lawsuit) but is just fine doing the same for things she does like. As is always the case, the trough of local politics stays the same, just the faces you find feeding out of it change.
From that perspective Ms. Hidalgo is no different than her predecessors, minus the veil of experience and actual knowledge. She's being painted as a single-minded ideologue with grand designs of "fairness" and "equity" but little in the way of actual "need".
Because she has no place in her reformer's heart for "need", what the county needs, what flood projects are needed, or would best work. She's more concerned with ensuring that crumbs of bread are given to her key constituent groups than she is actually solving the county's problems.
And spending money. Judge Hidalgo seems to be very good, early, at doing that. It's the other things, the things on which she was elected, that there's currently scant evidence to indicate she's up to the job.
Not for nothing, the consultants she hired were the same that worked for Bill de Blasio's transition.
How's that been working out so far?
Even his ideological fellow travelers are admitting it's a disaster.
Hold on to your butts Harris County Residents, four years is a long damn time. And you can blow through a ton of taxpayer cash in far less than that. It appears Judge Hidalgo is dead-set on doing just that. Results be damned.
UNLESS you've just been elected County Judge for the largest County in Texas and have a laundry list of campaign promises you want to enact lest you become a one-term flash in the pan.
Then, Ignorance is a problem.
For Lina Hidalgo the solution appears to be to throw a bunch of money at the problem in hopes that it goes away....
Lina Hidalgo, Eager to Improve Harris County Government, Defends Consultant Costs. Zach Despart, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
“I’m not going to sit here and come up with the best ideas by myself,” Hidalgo said. “And the folks that have been here 10, 20, 30 years aren’t going to either.”
One can imagine that morale is not at its high-tide in the Harris County offices right now, after being told by Hidalgo that all of their experience counts for naught, one could forgive long-time employees if they're feeling overlooked by Harris County's Neophyte media superstar.
The Chron piece on this, as Chron profiles of politicians with which they share policy goals typically are, is glowing. She's sitting in a spartan office with laser-like focus on the issues plaguing the county, issues, it is left unsaid, she hasn't the foggiest about how to actually fix.
Or if they're actually issues.
She tends to focus on ideology, instead of practicality, ignoring the bread for circuses. She's also against outside hiring of specialists for things she doesn't like (the Harris County Bail Lawsuit) but is just fine doing the same for things she does like. As is always the case, the trough of local politics stays the same, just the faces you find feeding out of it change.
From that perspective Ms. Hidalgo is no different than her predecessors, minus the veil of experience and actual knowledge. She's being painted as a single-minded ideologue with grand designs of "fairness" and "equity" but little in the way of actual "need".
Because she has no place in her reformer's heart for "need", what the county needs, what flood projects are needed, or would best work. She's more concerned with ensuring that crumbs of bread are given to her key constituent groups than she is actually solving the county's problems.
And spending money. Judge Hidalgo seems to be very good, early, at doing that. It's the other things, the things on which she was elected, that there's currently scant evidence to indicate she's up to the job.
Not for nothing, the consultants she hired were the same that worked for Bill de Blasio's transition.
How's that been working out so far?
Even his ideological fellow travelers are admitting it's a disaster.
Hold on to your butts Harris County Residents, four years is a long damn time. And you can blow through a ton of taxpayer cash in far less than that. It appears Judge Hidalgo is dead-set on doing just that. Results be damned.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
HALV: Cry Poor on Services, be rich on entertaining yourself.
Houston, as our elected (and unelected) ruling class likes to constantly remind us, is out of money.
It cannot afford to properly pave the roads. It cannot afford to pay firefighters on a level equitable with police after voters wished it so, without laying a bunch of them off of course. It cannot collect trash, recycling or perform a host of other basic services for constituents because......the money is just not there folks.
What can it do?
Well....
It can spend gobs of money trying, unsuccessfully, to bring movie productions to town and it can throw a party for the media hosted by Boss Turner, It can hire hire Mayoral staffers to troll people on Twitter who suggest no taxpayer money is being spent by an organization, wholly funded by Houston Taxes (from the General fund, hotel occupancy taxes and "other" funds as authorized by City Council) who then refuse to provide any details as to where the money originates. It can also sign on in support of what will assuredly be a multi-Million dollar plan to bring the FIFA World Cup to Houston including Millions that will be spent, some private, some undoubtedly public, even IF Houston doesn't win the bid.
Meanwhile Houston's roads are deteriorating to the point that developing Nations look at them and snicker, Houston's Fifth Ward is being buried under an increasingly large pile of trash and there doesn't seem to be much of a plan to dig out of it.
Word is that Boss Turner's staff (and their salary) are the only thing in Houston growing faster than the piles of trash. A Tweet I saw recently placed his direct staff headcount at 102, with many of them making in excess of $100,000 per year.
Clearly, it's good to be the Boss, and it's even better to be the Boss's friend. That's just about the only thing being done in the Turner administration these days, rewarding patrons.
Which is what we predicted would happen once he became Mayor, his career has an awful lot of debts to pay off. And it's only going to get worse as we go forward.
This is one area where I wish I was wrong. And that the Houston Areal Leadership Vacuum wasn't growing as fast as it is. This is not sustainable, nor is it very effective governance.
Nor is there much hope, given the slate of Mayoral candidates so far, that the sucking of the HALV will end anytime soon.
Trash origami, the NEXT big thing in urban design.
It cannot afford to properly pave the roads. It cannot afford to pay firefighters on a level equitable with police after voters wished it so, without laying a bunch of them off of course. It cannot collect trash, recycling or perform a host of other basic services for constituents because......the money is just not there folks.
What can it do?
Well....
It can spend gobs of money trying, unsuccessfully, to bring movie productions to town and it can throw a party for the media hosted by Boss Turner, It can hire hire Mayoral staffers to troll people on Twitter who suggest no taxpayer money is being spent by an organization, wholly funded by Houston Taxes (from the General fund, hotel occupancy taxes and "other" funds as authorized by City Council) who then refuse to provide any details as to where the money originates. It can also sign on in support of what will assuredly be a multi-Million dollar plan to bring the FIFA World Cup to Houston including Millions that will be spent, some private, some undoubtedly public, even IF Houston doesn't win the bid.
Meanwhile Houston's roads are deteriorating to the point that developing Nations look at them and snicker, Houston's Fifth Ward is being buried under an increasingly large pile of trash and there doesn't seem to be much of a plan to dig out of it.
Word is that Boss Turner's staff (and their salary) are the only thing in Houston growing faster than the piles of trash. A Tweet I saw recently placed his direct staff headcount at 102, with many of them making in excess of $100,000 per year.
Clearly, it's good to be the Boss, and it's even better to be the Boss's friend. That's just about the only thing being done in the Turner administration these days, rewarding patrons.
Which is what we predicted would happen once he became Mayor, his career has an awful lot of debts to pay off. And it's only going to get worse as we go forward.
This is one area where I wish I was wrong. And that the Houston Areal Leadership Vacuum wasn't growing as fast as it is. This is not sustainable, nor is it very effective governance.
Nor is there much hope, given the slate of Mayoral candidates so far, that the sucking of the HALV will end anytime soon.
Trash origami, the NEXT big thing in urban design.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
HALV: It's Election 2019 time already.
In 2019 the race for Houston Mayor should be the big story, and while it's been brewing for a while, yesterday's political announcements pretty much kicked things off proper:
Buzbee, King, call for donor limits at City Hall. Houston Chronicle.
If you're thinking you've heard similar sentiments recently, you're correct. Lina Hidalgo announced something similar just the day before. Suddenly everyone in Houston is trying to get on the "good governance" train.
Bill King, has basically been running for Mayor since he narrowly lost in 2015,publishing missive after missive against Turner in his blog and on Twitter. Some of his jabs, including pointing out that Turner's staff has ballooned to 102 since he took office and that many of them make over $100,000 per year, seem to be something that might gain some traction, were he able to get any traction in local media.
It's odd then that this is the issue that does, because this is an issue that media will fawn over, but which I don't see moving the electoral needle all that much. Houston is basically DC at this point, through an electoral lens. Turner could shoot someone down on Smith Street and still receive enough votes to get into a run-off. Houston is a one-party town, minus the effective machine that exists in Chicago. A machine that Turner would give his political eye-teeth to develop and maintain.
King is saddled with the baggage of losing previously, and now he's faced with the fact that his signature issue, pension reform, has been effectively kicked far enough down the road that people are willing to suspend disbelief and call it "fixed" despite it being no such thing.
Buzbee is a wild-card, more of a bomb-thrower than a serious candidate at this point with very little evidence suggesting that will change.
So far, no one else legitimate has thrown their hat in the ring but, should they, you would have to think the challenge would come from the right, further diluting the opposition pool. I just can't see any serious Democrat wanting to challenge Turner. Stephen Costello is smart enough to keep his powder dry, be content to be named the czar of pretty much everything and then take that crown and attempt to parlay it to City Hall in 2023 with Turner's blessing.
Mayor Costello, THAT's a sobering thought.
Given the current state of things here are my very early odds on the race and where I see the candidates place in it: (Odds are to make the run-off)
Sylvester Turner (-2000) The prohibitive favorite who has both the power of incumbency and the largest natural voting base in the election. It would take the presence of a strong, Democratic candidate entering the race to change these odds and I just don't see that happening.
Tony Buzbee (+500) I make his odds this long because it's highly possible he flames out. But I put him in second place for reasons that I'll elaborate more on in just a minute. He's going to be loud, he's going to be flashy, he might even provide some amusement. Will he win? Doubtful. He's got little in the way of message and no natural base.
Bill King (+800) I've met Bill King, he's a decent man. Certainly a politician though and that's the problem. He's going to have to overcome the perception that he's a perpetual candidate after losing against Turner in 2015 and now having to reinvent himself but he does at least have a base of voter support in Houston, something Buzbee is lacking. Where I think he's going to struggle is that he has a lot of entrenched opposition as well, something Buzbee does not have at the moment.
A bigger challenge for both Buzbee and King is that, even if they are to find an issue that could be damaging to Turner, it probably is not going to matter. You'd have to have it resonate with a large portion of Turner's voters to the level that they would be willing to rethink their support for him.
Good luck with that.
Buzbee, King, call for donor limits at City Hall. Houston Chronicle.
If you're thinking you've heard similar sentiments recently, you're correct. Lina Hidalgo announced something similar just the day before. Suddenly everyone in Houston is trying to get on the "good governance" train.
Bill King, has basically been running for Mayor since he narrowly lost in 2015,publishing missive after missive against Turner in his blog and on Twitter. Some of his jabs, including pointing out that Turner's staff has ballooned to 102 since he took office and that many of them make over $100,000 per year, seem to be something that might gain some traction, were he able to get any traction in local media.
It's odd then that this is the issue that does, because this is an issue that media will fawn over, but which I don't see moving the electoral needle all that much. Houston is basically DC at this point, through an electoral lens. Turner could shoot someone down on Smith Street and still receive enough votes to get into a run-off. Houston is a one-party town, minus the effective machine that exists in Chicago. A machine that Turner would give his political eye-teeth to develop and maintain.
King is saddled with the baggage of losing previously, and now he's faced with the fact that his signature issue, pension reform, has been effectively kicked far enough down the road that people are willing to suspend disbelief and call it "fixed" despite it being no such thing.
Buzbee is a wild-card, more of a bomb-thrower than a serious candidate at this point with very little evidence suggesting that will change.
So far, no one else legitimate has thrown their hat in the ring but, should they, you would have to think the challenge would come from the right, further diluting the opposition pool. I just can't see any serious Democrat wanting to challenge Turner. Stephen Costello is smart enough to keep his powder dry, be content to be named the czar of pretty much everything and then take that crown and attempt to parlay it to City Hall in 2023 with Turner's blessing.
Mayor Costello, THAT's a sobering thought.
Given the current state of things here are my very early odds on the race and where I see the candidates place in it: (Odds are to make the run-off)
Sylvester Turner (-2000) The prohibitive favorite who has both the power of incumbency and the largest natural voting base in the election. It would take the presence of a strong, Democratic candidate entering the race to change these odds and I just don't see that happening.
Tony Buzbee (+500) I make his odds this long because it's highly possible he flames out. But I put him in second place for reasons that I'll elaborate more on in just a minute. He's going to be loud, he's going to be flashy, he might even provide some amusement. Will he win? Doubtful. He's got little in the way of message and no natural base.
Bill King (+800) I've met Bill King, he's a decent man. Certainly a politician though and that's the problem. He's going to have to overcome the perception that he's a perpetual candidate after losing against Turner in 2015 and now having to reinvent himself but he does at least have a base of voter support in Houston, something Buzbee is lacking. Where I think he's going to struggle is that he has a lot of entrenched opposition as well, something Buzbee does not have at the moment.
A bigger challenge for both Buzbee and King is that, even if they are to find an issue that could be damaging to Turner, it probably is not going to matter. You'd have to have it resonate with a large portion of Turner's voters to the level that they would be willing to rethink their support for him.
Good luck with that.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
The State of the HALV: January 10, 2019
Some quick thoughts on a few things that I currently don't have time to give full-treatment to.
Prop B will be fought over in the media. - It seems pretty clear that Turner is still operating under the assumption that by continuing to make the case that Prop B is punching a gigantic hole in the budget, he will win this issue in the public mind. Given that we're dealing with the Houston electorate, he could be correct.
The answer is ALWAYS more money. - Of course, there's already a gigantic hole in the Houston budget. Harvey et al. is usually blamed for this but the real reason is that what passes for leadership in Houston hasn't focused on Public Works at all for at least a decade now.
Even when money is coming, they don't know what to do with it. - It's amazing that, this long after the disaster, we're still not at a place where people can have access to needed funds. Are you surprised that many have totally given up on the process?
Give Credit to Acevedo, he knows to toe the party line - He might not be the best police chief, but he's a savvy politician who hasn't found an issue he can't try to exploit, or a TV camera he's shy to get in front of. He's also not shown an aversion to changing tack for partisan reasons. He's going to find an elected office to run for soon. This is all groundwork.
On another note: It's time to retire "iconic" and "beloved" when speaking of shuttered businesses. - The example here is a Burger King for chrissakes.
Beware: It's almost rodeo season. - I'm planning on being out of town, a lot, during this time.
Lina Hidalgo's solution is probably NOT to hire Ed Emmett - Hidalgo hasn't done anything really wrong yet, but hiring Emmett is not some magic bullet that's going to save the county. If we cannot survive without the services of one political figure then the Houston region is in bigger trouble than we've been saying on here. Also, Hidalgo seems to have put "equitable" on auto-repeat for pretty much every issue. I would substitute "need".
Politics as perpetual election machine is #BadPolitics - There's precious little "public service" going on, more and more "patronage payback" and way too much "running for office". On the bright side, the more they're focused on getting re-elected the less stuff they can mess up. Still, elections should only be a small part of the political process.
Lina Hidalgo promising not to take money from county contractors is a good start. - Which needs to be tempered with the realization that there are many other campaign donors who could push her to equally bad policy. It's like the "climate" politicians who propose not to take money from "Big Oil". That's OK on it's surface, but still leaves them open to accepting donations from groups that don't have the public's interest at heart. How do you stop this? You don't. What's needed is tougher and more public disclosure rules around campaign finance. I don't mind people having biases, just be open and honest about them. (See: Fletcher et al)
In the matter of the State of Texas vs. the Houston Region. - We're to the point that HPD Chief Acevedo says Houston is fighting a "gang war" on day and then poo-poohs the same after Abbott suggests expanding the Gang Task Force because "lines on a map" or something? It's sad to see the Jazmine Barnes tragedy exploited this way by politicians who are just looking for their moment in the media spotlight.
And finally....
Sadly, illegal tire dumping in poor neighborhoods is an issue again. - It seems that the poor neighborhoods are only issues when politicians want their votes for political office, and then they go away under a flood of world-classiness and other initiatives designed to create plaques and naming rights for prosperity. Meanwhile, how long will it be before voters start to question exactly WHAT and who they're voting for? Or, more sanely, to realize that voting is a lazy-man's way to participate in democracy and start taking alternative action? (And no, I don't mean vigilantism, I'm referring to civic engagement and the actual work of doing things, something our politicians have forgotten of late)
2019 is off to a heckuva start.
Prop B will be fought over in the media. - It seems pretty clear that Turner is still operating under the assumption that by continuing to make the case that Prop B is punching a gigantic hole in the budget, he will win this issue in the public mind. Given that we're dealing with the Houston electorate, he could be correct.
The answer is ALWAYS more money. - Of course, there's already a gigantic hole in the Houston budget. Harvey et al. is usually blamed for this but the real reason is that what passes for leadership in Houston hasn't focused on Public Works at all for at least a decade now.
Even when money is coming, they don't know what to do with it. - It's amazing that, this long after the disaster, we're still not at a place where people can have access to needed funds. Are you surprised that many have totally given up on the process?
Give Credit to Acevedo, he knows to toe the party line - He might not be the best police chief, but he's a savvy politician who hasn't found an issue he can't try to exploit, or a TV camera he's shy to get in front of. He's also not shown an aversion to changing tack for partisan reasons. He's going to find an elected office to run for soon. This is all groundwork.
On another note: It's time to retire "iconic" and "beloved" when speaking of shuttered businesses. - The example here is a Burger King for chrissakes.
Beware: It's almost rodeo season. - I'm planning on being out of town, a lot, during this time.
Lina Hidalgo's solution is probably NOT to hire Ed Emmett - Hidalgo hasn't done anything really wrong yet, but hiring Emmett is not some magic bullet that's going to save the county. If we cannot survive without the services of one political figure then the Houston region is in bigger trouble than we've been saying on here. Also, Hidalgo seems to have put "equitable" on auto-repeat for pretty much every issue. I would substitute "need".
Politics as perpetual election machine is #BadPolitics - There's precious little "public service" going on, more and more "patronage payback" and way too much "running for office". On the bright side, the more they're focused on getting re-elected the less stuff they can mess up. Still, elections should only be a small part of the political process.
Lina Hidalgo promising not to take money from county contractors is a good start. - Which needs to be tempered with the realization that there are many other campaign donors who could push her to equally bad policy. It's like the "climate" politicians who propose not to take money from "Big Oil". That's OK on it's surface, but still leaves them open to accepting donations from groups that don't have the public's interest at heart. How do you stop this? You don't. What's needed is tougher and more public disclosure rules around campaign finance. I don't mind people having biases, just be open and honest about them. (See: Fletcher et al)
In the matter of the State of Texas vs. the Houston Region. - We're to the point that HPD Chief Acevedo says Houston is fighting a "gang war" on day and then poo-poohs the same after Abbott suggests expanding the Gang Task Force because "lines on a map" or something? It's sad to see the Jazmine Barnes tragedy exploited this way by politicians who are just looking for their moment in the media spotlight.
And finally....
Sadly, illegal tire dumping in poor neighborhoods is an issue again. - It seems that the poor neighborhoods are only issues when politicians want their votes for political office, and then they go away under a flood of world-classiness and other initiatives designed to create plaques and naming rights for prosperity. Meanwhile, how long will it be before voters start to question exactly WHAT and who they're voting for? Or, more sanely, to realize that voting is a lazy-man's way to participate in democracy and start taking alternative action? (And no, I don't mean vigilantism, I'm referring to civic engagement and the actual work of doing things, something our politicians have forgotten of late)
2019 is off to a heckuva start.
Tuesday, January 08, 2019
BadMedia: Houston Chronicle - Last week's news, today.
Curious what's going on locally in politics in America's 4th largest city?
Believe it or not you're not likely to find it on the Politics and policy page on the website for the former newspaper of record.
As of now, 7:48 AM, January 8th, 2019 the most recent story showing up on the page is dated....
12/29/2018 (note: I wrote this story last night but verified this morning.)
Want a story from August about local leaders pushing for the $2.5 Billion dollar bond election? You can read that, it passed in November with over 60% of the vote mind you so you're probably a little late.
Want to know that Harvey victims were still struggling back in April 2018? Covered.
How about a December 19th, 2018 about Houston struggling to expand it's sidewalk program? You're in luck.
All of the stories I linked to were penned by Mike Morris, who has either been on vacation for just over a week or who honestly can't find anything in local Houston politics and policy to write about. Even on the front page of HoustonChronicle.com the most recent story I can find relating to Houston Politics and Policy is this December 12th story on the delay of the vote for the Houston Airport System renovation contracts. Surely something has happened with those right? Or there's more to the story on these right?
For all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding the downfall of newspaper media, and their self-prescribed "critical role" in the function of democracy the fact is you're more likely to get Twitter take-downs of the CFPI Halftime show or (from time to time) soft-core porn pictorials on Chron.com than you are actual hard news and that's too bad.
Because there are a lot of messes to try and sort out in Houston but the Chronicle has clearly chosen to feature click-bait and (erratic) editorial content over actual hard news. You know, the stuff that is ACTUALLY critical to public interaction with democracy?
Houston doesn't need more j-school grads combing Twitter, and it sure as hell doesn't need the unhinged ramblings of Chris Tomlinson, Erica Grieder or Lisa Falkenberg.
Tomlinson is a business reporter who hates actual business, Falkenberg is just special and Grieder is just....well...erratic? Oversold on her own brilliance which is really not a thing? A public meltdown waiting to happen? (again)
Judging by the stories featured it's clear that the Chron has it's priorities all out of whack, and that Houston civic engagement is suffering because of it. Their subscription rate continues to decline, as does their relevance within the City. We're started a new year, but we're saddled with the same old crap-fest of a newspaper.
The Dallas Morning News is currently suffering the same fate, and they just sadly laid-off 43 of their staff. Reportedly shrinking their news staff to 20 people. Twenty people to cover all of the Dallas Metroplex.
How long before the Chron does the same? Turning itself into nothing more than a gossip rag with a couple of political opinion writers?
Not that anyone will notice. You'll still (presumably) be able to log onto HoustonChronicle.com and view reporting that's almost a year old.
Sad.
Believe it or not you're not likely to find it on the Politics and policy page on the website for the former newspaper of record.
As of now, 7:48 AM, January 8th, 2019 the most recent story showing up on the page is dated....
12/29/2018 (note: I wrote this story last night but verified this morning.)
Want a story from August about local leaders pushing for the $2.5 Billion dollar bond election? You can read that, it passed in November with over 60% of the vote mind you so you're probably a little late.
Want to know that Harvey victims were still struggling back in April 2018? Covered.
How about a December 19th, 2018 about Houston struggling to expand it's sidewalk program? You're in luck.
All of the stories I linked to were penned by Mike Morris, who has either been on vacation for just over a week or who honestly can't find anything in local Houston politics and policy to write about. Even on the front page of HoustonChronicle.com the most recent story I can find relating to Houston Politics and Policy is this December 12th story on the delay of the vote for the Houston Airport System renovation contracts. Surely something has happened with those right? Or there's more to the story on these right?
For all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding the downfall of newspaper media, and their self-prescribed "critical role" in the function of democracy the fact is you're more likely to get Twitter take-downs of the CFPI Halftime show or (from time to time) soft-core porn pictorials on Chron.com than you are actual hard news and that's too bad.
Because there are a lot of messes to try and sort out in Houston but the Chronicle has clearly chosen to feature click-bait and (erratic) editorial content over actual hard news. You know, the stuff that is ACTUALLY critical to public interaction with democracy?
Houston doesn't need more j-school grads combing Twitter, and it sure as hell doesn't need the unhinged ramblings of Chris Tomlinson, Erica Grieder or Lisa Falkenberg.
Tomlinson is a business reporter who hates actual business, Falkenberg is just special and Grieder is just....well...erratic? Oversold on her own brilliance which is really not a thing? A public meltdown waiting to happen? (again)
Judging by the stories featured it's clear that the Chron has it's priorities all out of whack, and that Houston civic engagement is suffering because of it. Their subscription rate continues to decline, as does their relevance within the City. We're started a new year, but we're saddled with the same old crap-fest of a newspaper.
The Dallas Morning News is currently suffering the same fate, and they just sadly laid-off 43 of their staff. Reportedly shrinking their news staff to 20 people. Twenty people to cover all of the Dallas Metroplex.
How long before the Chron does the same? Turning itself into nothing more than a gossip rag with a couple of political opinion writers?
Not that anyone will notice. You'll still (presumably) be able to log onto HoustonChronicle.com and view reporting that's almost a year old.
Sad.
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