On Sunday, Decmber 21, 2014 Houston's former Mayor Bob Lanier reportedly passed quietly while napping after a lunch with family. It was a quiet exit for a good man and the last real leader that Houston's had in elected city government since he was term limited out of the job.
What Mayor Lanier did for the City of Houston, revitalizing her at the tail end of the oil bust by focusing on public works and public safety at the expense of trinkets, has not been duplicated by the string of empty shells that have followed. While he was immensely popular with many he did have his detractors, many of which will never forgive him for a perceived litany of sins. An example of this can be found in ChronBlog's rather weak attempts to document his time in power. Now fully immersed in the 'light rail for some' movement they can't help but quote figures like noxious member of the unproductive class David Crossley while editorially taking shots at Lanier (and allowing Bill White some odd historical revisionism) about his opposition to rail.
It's too bad that the New Mrs. White and the rest of the Chron are reduced to this because the lessons Mayor Lanier taught the city as its mayor need to be relearned. Current Mayor Parker went so far as to praise Lanier for his commitment to public works despite the fact that she possesses no similar commitment herself.
And while do-nothings like Crossley take shots at Lanier for his anti-Monorail and Light Rail in Houston stances, the current fiscal mess that Metro is experiencing suggests that he was correct. Certainly he deserves better than petty shots taken by a man who's done nothing to improve the quality of life in Houston outside pontificating and holding workshops about the inner-beauty of bees (or something)?
In fact, I think Lanier deserves a lot better.
Was he perfect? No, no one is. There are real policy areas where disagreements could be had with almost everyone. The important thing to note is this: Whether or not you agreed with Mr. Lanier on the issues, he was undoubtedly a leader.
Houston could use more like him, and less like the current crop of civic loudmouths that are currently trying to steer the ship.
God Bless the Lanier family and comfort them during this time.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
BadMedia: Maybe if the Chron stopped focusing on Austin and Dallas they wouldn't get scooped so much locally?
Grey Matters, the self-indulgent, overwrought "thought blog" currently being championed at every-turn by Houston Chronicle Managing Editor (And Grey Matters Contributor FWIW) Vernan Loeb is indicative of everything wrong about Houston's middling regional daily.
Rather than discuss ideas from a diverse cross-section of Houston thinkers it chooses instead to apply a strict, progressive filter to it's classification of brilliance. This would be OK if it were a personal blog typed out by someone not affiliated with a so-called "news" source but, considering the Chron's self-identification as a media outlet, it reflects poorly on the editorial lean of the publication as a whole.
On top of all this: the newspaper felt the need to create a manifesto. Historically things (or people) with manifestos have not found good ends.
This would be OK if Grey Matters took seriously the job of reporting all things Houston with an open heart and mind. Unfortunately, they don't. What they do provide, at times, is a little bit of insight into the mind-set of the editorial group which has, for years now, led the Chron down a dark tunnel of irrelevance.
To whit:
The Trouble with Austin. Lisa Grey, GreyMatters @ HoustonChronicle.com
It's probable, that when Ms. Grey wrote this she didn't realize just how silly it would look coming from a newspaper in a city that cannot either pave it's roads properly or maintain it's water system. It's also probable that Ms. Grey was under orders (which I'm assuming are running orders) to increase page clicks. As a matter of fact, it feels like most items on both chron.com and houstonchronicle.com($$$) are designed with page clicks, and not actual newsworthiness, in mind. So from that perspective it makes sense that Ms. Grey would pen a story about how Austin needs to grow up. Of course, news outlet KVUE in Austin felt duty bound to respond to the story probably in hopes that Houston v. Austin becomes the new Houston v. Dallas or something.
Let's hope not, because the entire Houston v. anyone right now (save possibly Detroit) is becoming more and more one-sided against the Bayou City in large part to misguided efforts from well-meaning but Houtopian fogged thinking by New-Urbanists whose talent seems to be producing little more than neat graphs maps and reports that they banged out over a coffee session on their new iApples in an effort to impress the brunette across the way.
In the meantime, most of the real reporting on Houston issues is being done elsewhere. Yes, the Chron has some good talent (and, some not so good talent) in the municipal reporting pool right now, but they don't have enough of it.
One wonders how much better the reporting at the Houston Chronicle could be if their increasingly limited resources weren't diverted to thought blogs, cheesy pictorials of scantily clad women, the New Mrs. White and the increasingly noxious Nick Anderson?
I propose to the Chronicle leadership a novel, or even quaint idea:
More news, less thought leadership. And quit worrying about what other cities in Texas are doing.
It would be OK with me as well (and probably many of the feminists that you claim to be in ideological agreement with) if you eliminated side-boob as a thing as well.
Rather than discuss ideas from a diverse cross-section of Houston thinkers it chooses instead to apply a strict, progressive filter to it's classification of brilliance. This would be OK if it were a personal blog typed out by someone not affiliated with a so-called "news" source but, considering the Chron's self-identification as a media outlet, it reflects poorly on the editorial lean of the publication as a whole.
On top of all this: the newspaper felt the need to create a manifesto. Historically things (or people) with manifestos have not found good ends.
This would be OK if Grey Matters took seriously the job of reporting all things Houston with an open heart and mind. Unfortunately, they don't. What they do provide, at times, is a little bit of insight into the mind-set of the editorial group which has, for years now, led the Chron down a dark tunnel of irrelevance.
To whit:
The Trouble with Austin. Lisa Grey, GreyMatters @ HoustonChronicle.com
It's probable, that when Ms. Grey wrote this she didn't realize just how silly it would look coming from a newspaper in a city that cannot either pave it's roads properly or maintain it's water system. It's also probable that Ms. Grey was under orders (which I'm assuming are running orders) to increase page clicks. As a matter of fact, it feels like most items on both chron.com and houstonchronicle.com($$$) are designed with page clicks, and not actual newsworthiness, in mind. So from that perspective it makes sense that Ms. Grey would pen a story about how Austin needs to grow up. Of course, news outlet KVUE in Austin felt duty bound to respond to the story probably in hopes that Houston v. Austin becomes the new Houston v. Dallas or something.
Let's hope not, because the entire Houston v. anyone right now (save possibly Detroit) is becoming more and more one-sided against the Bayou City in large part to misguided efforts from well-meaning but Houtopian fogged thinking by New-Urbanists whose talent seems to be producing little more than neat graphs maps and reports that they banged out over a coffee session on their new iApples in an effort to impress the brunette across the way.
In the meantime, most of the real reporting on Houston issues is being done elsewhere. Yes, the Chron has some good talent (and, some not so good talent) in the municipal reporting pool right now, but they don't have enough of it.
One wonders how much better the reporting at the Houston Chronicle could be if their increasingly limited resources weren't diverted to thought blogs, cheesy pictorials of scantily clad women, the New Mrs. White and the increasingly noxious Nick Anderson?
I propose to the Chronicle leadership a novel, or even quaint idea:
More news, less thought leadership. And quit worrying about what other cities in Texas are doing.
It would be OK with me as well (and probably many of the feminists that you claim to be in ideological agreement with) if you eliminated side-boob as a thing as well.
BadMedia: The Chron Eye for Australia
What's important to the Web-group over at The Houston Chronicle?
While Australia is working through a pretty dire situation the intrepid folks at Chron.com have decided that what we really want to know is.....
How the Australians party during the Winter.
That's not world-class.
Heck, it's even bad for a middling regional newspaper, which undoubtedly the Chron is.
While Australia is working through a pretty dire situation the intrepid folks at Chron.com have decided that what we really want to know is.....
How the Australians party during the Winter.
That's not world-class.
Heck, it's even bad for a middling regional newspaper, which undoubtedly the Chron is.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Texas Politics: Why does the State have a say on the distribution rights of a private company anyway?
Yesterday (or, earlier today at the time I'm writing) the news broke that 3 Texas craft brewers are suing the State of Texas regarding a 2013 law that required them to relinquish their local distribution rights to distribution middlemen for no compensation.
State Sued for "Stifling the Texas Craft Beer Renaissance". Reeve Hamilton, Texas Tribune
For conservatives this should be a no-brainer. However, it should also be taken further to question why the State has laws on the books regulating many private-businesses anyway.
When the bill was passed it was clear that it was a hand-out to the distribution companies, some of whom are owned or are subsidiaries of the large, multi-national brewing companies with whom the craft brewers are taking market share. For Republican legislators who campaign on the so-called "free-market" and other politically hollow terms this was an all-to-usual anti-free-market action. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the large alcohol distribution companies throw law-makers a big "welcome to the session" gala before each legislature convenes.
Of course, real reform would mean looking at a host of silly laws like this. For example: Why must car dealerships only be open on Saturday or Sunday, but not both? Why can't liquor stores be open on Sunday?
When you hear so-called conservative policy makers talk about waste in the Government you rarely hear them mention laws such as these.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you look down at the municipal level you can find many ordinances in cities across the state attempting to regulate something the State has no business regulating.
In an era where the State rushed head-long to supposedly de-regulate utilities and higher education (two areas that are not really free-markets [in reality they're either regulated monopolies or oligopolies]) it's amazing that in Texas, where our politicians constantly beat into our brains that they're more business friendly than anyone else, these types of laws are viewed as solutions.
The best outcome, for consumers, would be for the courts to strike the law down and decimate Texas three-tier system when it comes to alcohol sales. Even better for consumers would be the newly (very) Republican legislature to take a look at all areas where market-stifling restrictions* exist.
Fat chance though because there's a lot of money at play in Texas' legislative system.
*It will be read as thus by people of a progressive bent, but OF COURSE I'm not calling for a relaxation of safety or (in most cases) environmental standards. This is specifically related to the State interfering in legal, commercial enterprise or sales transactions.
State Sued for "Stifling the Texas Craft Beer Renaissance". Reeve Hamilton, Texas Tribune
Three Texas breweries filed a lawsuit against the state on Wednesday seeking to to overturn a 2013 law they say violates the Texas Constitution by forcing them to give away their territorial distribution rights for free.
In their complaint, filed in state district court in Austin, the heads of Live Oak Brewing in Austin, Peticolas Brewing Company in Dallas and Revolver Brewing in Granbury say that were it not for Senate Bill 639, they would be expanding. Instead, their plans to bring their beer to new markets around the state have been put on hold.
For conservatives this should be a no-brainer. However, it should also be taken further to question why the State has laws on the books regulating many private-businesses anyway.
When the bill was passed it was clear that it was a hand-out to the distribution companies, some of whom are owned or are subsidiaries of the large, multi-national brewing companies with whom the craft brewers are taking market share. For Republican legislators who campaign on the so-called "free-market" and other politically hollow terms this was an all-to-usual anti-free-market action. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the large alcohol distribution companies throw law-makers a big "welcome to the session" gala before each legislature convenes.
Of course, real reform would mean looking at a host of silly laws like this. For example: Why must car dealerships only be open on Saturday or Sunday, but not both? Why can't liquor stores be open on Sunday?
When you hear so-called conservative policy makers talk about waste in the Government you rarely hear them mention laws such as these.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you look down at the municipal level you can find many ordinances in cities across the state attempting to regulate something the State has no business regulating.
In an era where the State rushed head-long to supposedly de-regulate utilities and higher education (two areas that are not really free-markets [in reality they're either regulated monopolies or oligopolies]) it's amazing that in Texas, where our politicians constantly beat into our brains that they're more business friendly than anyone else, these types of laws are viewed as solutions.
The best outcome, for consumers, would be for the courts to strike the law down and decimate Texas three-tier system when it comes to alcohol sales. Even better for consumers would be the newly (very) Republican legislature to take a look at all areas where market-stifling restrictions* exist.
Fat chance though because there's a lot of money at play in Texas' legislative system.
*It will be read as thus by people of a progressive bent, but OF COURSE I'm not calling for a relaxation of safety or (in most cases) environmental standards. This is specifically related to the State interfering in legal, commercial enterprise or sales transactions.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Happy Belated Thanksgiving.
I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled with family, fun, football and relatively free of the politics that sometimes tends to spoil the day. I hope that you had a chance to reflect on what makes you happy, the blessings you have, and were able to take some time away from the chaos of the real world before plunging into the hectic Christmas shopping season.
And while there were several attempts to preempt the festivities with calls of shame and cries of racism, I hope you were able to block that out for at least one day and spend some time with your family arguing over the things that really matter. Specifically, who gets the last serving of stuffing.
For 364 days of a regular year, I admit that there's a lot of attention paid to politics in my household, but I always try to shut that out during Thanksgiving and just focus on what I'm truly thankful for without being made to feel guilty about it because there are bad things going on in the world. Of course, there are ALWAYS bad things on Earth, even on Thanksgiving. But, if our politicians can take holidays, play golf, and jet-set to various places then we should be able to have a politics free day as well.
For those who insist that we be shamed or reminded that evil things exist and we're bad people for not ripping our garments in mourning? Well, they typically spend Thanksgiving alone and miserable and they should be largely pitied.
As we transition to the Christmas season my wish for you is that you continue to be able to block out the noise and remember what's really important: your family, your friends, and whatever faith (if any) you choose to engage in.
At the end of the day the noise made by the naysayers is nothing more than a pathetic cry for attention. I, for one, will not engage them in their desperation.
With that thought in mind I hope that you and yours had a good Thanksgiving holiday, that you ate too much stuffing and, if you decided to brave the Black Friday crowds, that you at least scored a good deal on something that is useful to someone on your gift list.
Thank you, as always, for reading. I would imagine that blogging will be sparse for a bit as I finish up my Christmas shopping but I'm also sure, as always happens, there will be several things that pique my interest.
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, enjoy the football this weekend.
And while there were several attempts to preempt the festivities with calls of shame and cries of racism, I hope you were able to block that out for at least one day and spend some time with your family arguing over the things that really matter. Specifically, who gets the last serving of stuffing.
For 364 days of a regular year, I admit that there's a lot of attention paid to politics in my household, but I always try to shut that out during Thanksgiving and just focus on what I'm truly thankful for without being made to feel guilty about it because there are bad things going on in the world. Of course, there are ALWAYS bad things on Earth, even on Thanksgiving. But, if our politicians can take holidays, play golf, and jet-set to various places then we should be able to have a politics free day as well.
For those who insist that we be shamed or reminded that evil things exist and we're bad people for not ripping our garments in mourning? Well, they typically spend Thanksgiving alone and miserable and they should be largely pitied.
As we transition to the Christmas season my wish for you is that you continue to be able to block out the noise and remember what's really important: your family, your friends, and whatever faith (if any) you choose to engage in.
At the end of the day the noise made by the naysayers is nothing more than a pathetic cry for attention. I, for one, will not engage them in their desperation.
With that thought in mind I hope that you and yours had a good Thanksgiving holiday, that you ate too much stuffing and, if you decided to brave the Black Friday crowds, that you at least scored a good deal on something that is useful to someone on your gift list.
Thank you, as always, for reading. I would imagine that blogging will be sparse for a bit as I finish up my Christmas shopping but I'm also sure, as always happens, there will be several things that pique my interest.
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, enjoy the football this weekend.
Friday, November 21, 2014
A brief pause: Immigration
I have not written a blog post in regards to a national issue in many years. Certainly not on this blog and looking back in my archives, not on Harris County Almanac, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport or even NoUpgrades. As a matter of fact, the last national issue post that I may have written was probably in either 2004 or 2005 on my old LiveJournal or in the early days of Isolated Desolation. For those of you who have been kind enough to stick through all of the blog changes and continue reading during this time, you realize how much has changed (both in my writing and in the world) since then.
All that said, I'd like to spend just a minute today to opine on President Obama's executive action on immigration, and his speech last night. Before I start however I will admit that many prominent writers have done a much better job opining on this than will I. Most have done a much better job.
I also realize that those of you on the progressive side of the political spectrum are not gong to believe anything I write here. That's another reason I tend to shy away from National political writing, there's no room left for debate, only shouting across the table and mindless, baseless charges of racism, sexism....all kinds of isms. (Thank you Congress WOMAN! Sheila Jackson-Lee)
Because of all of this, what I'm writing today is not focused primarily on policy, but on delivery, reaction and why I think we're now witnessing the full-on end of the charge to American mediocrity.
I also apologize for going all Lisa Falkenberg (Who I consider to be on of the worst columnists in Houston) and liberally dotting the letter "I" all over this post. I only do so because these issues are some that, on a state-wide and local level, I've taken very personally for some time now.
With all of that navel-gazing out of the way, if you're still with me, let's discuss last night's Presidential diktat on immigration......
The first take-away from Obama's speech is that he genuinely feels that the American people are to dumb to make their own decisions. This is not something that's been foisted on him by his advisors, nor is it a crafted public persona. The Obamas truly feel that the only things America has gotten right over the past 50 years are electing them into office. (I say them because Michelle Obama is as much a part of his public persona as Hillary was to Bill Clinton's)
It is also very clear that President Obama possesses a visceral hatred of those who disagree with him politically. I'm unsure whether this hatred is spawned by an outsized ego or is due to the fact that he's (seemingly) been socially promoted his entire life but it's there. In all of my life I've never had the feeling that our President would rather I be taken out back and shot, but you get the feeling Obama would rather slide down a razor blade into a vat of rubbing alcohol rather than share a beer with someone of opposite political leanings.
It's also very clear that Obama's approved method of dealing with push-back is just about on par with that of a child. His response last night, and his treatment of the Republican controlled Congress was petty ("pass a bill") and arrogant ("congress won't act") it was also highly dismissive of both the Constitution and the Representative Republic that it established.
And, here's the rub. I'm not one of those "deport 'em all" screaming for blood types. In reality, I was in favor of the guest worker plan forwarded by Bush the Younger and I'm in favor of legislation that brings this large sliver of our economy out of the gray market and into the light. This might surprise a lot of progressives, but I believe that it's wrong to separate families and I think there are ways that this can be done without political grandstanding.
I would also like to see it done in another way than executive order, because I truly believe that this sets a dangerous precedent in terms of the Imperial Presidency and could (slippery slope fallacy alert!) lead to greater assertions of the power in the future.
We've already been told, after the Republican landslide a couple of weeks ago, that mid-term elections are not needed so what's to stop the next level of hubris that the electoral system is flawed and isn't needed at all? Certainly, we would still (ostensibly) have local and state elections but our representatives at the federal level could (theoretically) be appointed by those bodies. After all, with the influx of so-called "dark-money" and the general public's utter ignorance of complex federal issues it's not fair to ask them to select a President, Senate and Congressperson of whom they know little about anyway. It will not be lost on the Constitutional scholars of convenience that this was how the Founders intended it in the first place.
What this would do, supporters will note, is sever the august deliberative bodies in Congress from the mob-rule mentality of the proletariat which would allow this group of intellectual betters to enact policy for the greater good, rather than for special interests which currently dominate our elective will. Besides, a very small portion of the populace bothers to vote anyway, and many of them can't name the Vice President.
In the aftermath to the 2014 Mid-Term Republican wave President Obama claimed to have "heard" the voices of the two-thirds of registered voters who had chosen to tune out. This was a convenient ploy because it allowed him to project whatever message he wanted onto the backs of Millions of silent voices. In effect, they became his muse, except that they were created by him and fashioned in his image. This is a huge problem.
Throughout history, all great leaders, artists, heroes have been inspired by something outside, or bigger, than themselves. With Obama it seems that he is only inspired and driven by himself. By his legacy, by his petty political victories over the other party and by is vision of what America is not and what he thinks it needs to be. There is no sense of overriding concern for the bedrock foundations that have made America great. And, contrary to some, these bedrocks are not rooted in policy. They're rooted in freedom and the rule of law.
By throwing aside the rule of law and continuing to make moves to reduce the freedom of the American people Obama's desire to "fundamentally transform the country" is coming to fruition. I'm not sure if this type of transformation is what those who voted for him had in mind.
Sadly, even if it wasn't, I'm not sure the results would change had they known at the time.
This should worry you.
All that said, I'd like to spend just a minute today to opine on President Obama's executive action on immigration, and his speech last night. Before I start however I will admit that many prominent writers have done a much better job opining on this than will I. Most have done a much better job.
I also realize that those of you on the progressive side of the political spectrum are not gong to believe anything I write here. That's another reason I tend to shy away from National political writing, there's no room left for debate, only shouting across the table and mindless, baseless charges of racism, sexism....all kinds of isms. (Thank you Congress WOMAN! Sheila Jackson-Lee)
Because of all of this, what I'm writing today is not focused primarily on policy, but on delivery, reaction and why I think we're now witnessing the full-on end of the charge to American mediocrity.
I also apologize for going all Lisa Falkenberg (Who I consider to be on of the worst columnists in Houston) and liberally dotting the letter "I" all over this post. I only do so because these issues are some that, on a state-wide and local level, I've taken very personally for some time now.
With all of that navel-gazing out of the way, if you're still with me, let's discuss last night's Presidential diktat on immigration......
The first take-away from Obama's speech is that he genuinely feels that the American people are to dumb to make their own decisions. This is not something that's been foisted on him by his advisors, nor is it a crafted public persona. The Obamas truly feel that the only things America has gotten right over the past 50 years are electing them into office. (I say them because Michelle Obama is as much a part of his public persona as Hillary was to Bill Clinton's)
It is also very clear that President Obama possesses a visceral hatred of those who disagree with him politically. I'm unsure whether this hatred is spawned by an outsized ego or is due to the fact that he's (seemingly) been socially promoted his entire life but it's there. In all of my life I've never had the feeling that our President would rather I be taken out back and shot, but you get the feeling Obama would rather slide down a razor blade into a vat of rubbing alcohol rather than share a beer with someone of opposite political leanings.
It's also very clear that Obama's approved method of dealing with push-back is just about on par with that of a child. His response last night, and his treatment of the Republican controlled Congress was petty ("pass a bill") and arrogant ("congress won't act") it was also highly dismissive of both the Constitution and the Representative Republic that it established.
And, here's the rub. I'm not one of those "deport 'em all" screaming for blood types. In reality, I was in favor of the guest worker plan forwarded by Bush the Younger and I'm in favor of legislation that brings this large sliver of our economy out of the gray market and into the light. This might surprise a lot of progressives, but I believe that it's wrong to separate families and I think there are ways that this can be done without political grandstanding.
I would also like to see it done in another way than executive order, because I truly believe that this sets a dangerous precedent in terms of the Imperial Presidency and could (slippery slope fallacy alert!) lead to greater assertions of the power in the future.
We've already been told, after the Republican landslide a couple of weeks ago, that mid-term elections are not needed so what's to stop the next level of hubris that the electoral system is flawed and isn't needed at all? Certainly, we would still (ostensibly) have local and state elections but our representatives at the federal level could (theoretically) be appointed by those bodies. After all, with the influx of so-called "dark-money" and the general public's utter ignorance of complex federal issues it's not fair to ask them to select a President, Senate and Congressperson of whom they know little about anyway. It will not be lost on the Constitutional scholars of convenience that this was how the Founders intended it in the first place.
What this would do, supporters will note, is sever the august deliberative bodies in Congress from the mob-rule mentality of the proletariat which would allow this group of intellectual betters to enact policy for the greater good, rather than for special interests which currently dominate our elective will. Besides, a very small portion of the populace bothers to vote anyway, and many of them can't name the Vice President.
In the aftermath to the 2014 Mid-Term Republican wave President Obama claimed to have "heard" the voices of the two-thirds of registered voters who had chosen to tune out. This was a convenient ploy because it allowed him to project whatever message he wanted onto the backs of Millions of silent voices. In effect, they became his muse, except that they were created by him and fashioned in his image. This is a huge problem.
Throughout history, all great leaders, artists, heroes have been inspired by something outside, or bigger, than themselves. With Obama it seems that he is only inspired and driven by himself. By his legacy, by his petty political victories over the other party and by is vision of what America is not and what he thinks it needs to be. There is no sense of overriding concern for the bedrock foundations that have made America great. And, contrary to some, these bedrocks are not rooted in policy. They're rooted in freedom and the rule of law.
By throwing aside the rule of law and continuing to make moves to reduce the freedom of the American people Obama's desire to "fundamentally transform the country" is coming to fruition. I'm not sure if this type of transformation is what those who voted for him had in mind.
Sadly, even if it wasn't, I'm not sure the results would change had they known at the time.
This should worry you.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Looking toward (next) November: Already
Just when you think it's safe to pay attention, the campaigns for next year's Houston municipal elections are already starting to heat up. This is despite the fact that (officially) candidates cannot raise money (yet).
The early front-runner for most ridiculous campaign ads goes to Mayoral candidate Ben Hall's "The Harrison's" ads. More bitter than insightful they seem to suggest that, instead of just losing to a popular incumbent, Hall really is that inept of a campaigner.
Perhaps the most critical race in 2015 for Houston is going to be the race for City Controller. I've got pretty strong feelings about who the best candidate is in this race and I think, if Houston votes the wrong way, there are going to be fairly large repercussions in the near future.
Looking outside of Houston for a minute. Leticia Van de Putte proves that success in politics is largely dependent on your ability to lie and then pivot without a hint of remorse or irony. It also helps to have a doting group of unquestioning supporters who don't care that you said "under no circumstances" would you run for San Antonio Mayor as recently as July.
Speaking of politics, Paul Bettencourt has been elected as the State Senator for my home district. When we last saw Mr. Bettencourt in the public sector he was resigning less than halfway through his term as Harris County Tax Assessor/Collector to start a private business which took advantage of the tax appraisal creep issue that he, and current Lt. Gov elect Dan Patrick railed against for years. Once Mr. Bettencourt started his business most of that angry rhetoric against appraisal tax creep went away.
I can't help but wonder if Mr. Bettencourt has promised to not resign again should there be an opportunity to make some money on whatever his pet issues are this time?
Unfortunately he had no opposition to speak of, and his campaign was barely covered by the local media, so these questions were never asked.
The early front-runner for most ridiculous campaign ads goes to Mayoral candidate Ben Hall's "The Harrison's" ads. More bitter than insightful they seem to suggest that, instead of just losing to a popular incumbent, Hall really is that inept of a campaigner.
Perhaps the most critical race in 2015 for Houston is going to be the race for City Controller. I've got pretty strong feelings about who the best candidate is in this race and I think, if Houston votes the wrong way, there are going to be fairly large repercussions in the near future.
Looking outside of Houston for a minute. Leticia Van de Putte proves that success in politics is largely dependent on your ability to lie and then pivot without a hint of remorse or irony. It also helps to have a doting group of unquestioning supporters who don't care that you said "under no circumstances" would you run for San Antonio Mayor as recently as July.
Speaking of politics, Paul Bettencourt has been elected as the State Senator for my home district. When we last saw Mr. Bettencourt in the public sector he was resigning less than halfway through his term as Harris County Tax Assessor/Collector to start a private business which took advantage of the tax appraisal creep issue that he, and current Lt. Gov elect Dan Patrick railed against for years. Once Mr. Bettencourt started his business most of that angry rhetoric against appraisal tax creep went away.
I can't help but wonder if Mr. Bettencourt has promised to not resign again should there be an opportunity to make some money on whatever his pet issues are this time?
Unfortunately he had no opposition to speak of, and his campaign was barely covered by the local media, so these questions were never asked.
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