Fourth Of July Break

We here at Capitol Annex will be away from the blog from today through either July 5 or July 6.

We have a few posts set to automatically display during this time (just like this one did) and may be able to gain some internet access on Monday or Tuesday for some current posting. (We’ll be in a location the remainder of the time that doesn’t even have a local dial-up ISP…that’s how rural it is…).

In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves and consider this an Open Thread.  No shouting, punching, drunken rambling, screaming, or physical abuse shall be permitted, but feel free to use the occasional profanity.

Texas’ Public Pensions: Underfunded Or The Latest Object Of Political Gamesmanship?

This week, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced that 82 of the state’s public pension plans have underfunded liabilities totaling $23 billion. To boot, he recommended a series of “reforms” to protect “taxpayer interest” and, of course, the retirees who depend upon the pensions.
Does all of that sound odd to anyone else? And I mean, odd on all levels.

First and foremost, aren’t such fiscal analysis the job of the Comptroller of Public Accounts? As poor as many may think Carole Keeton Strayhorn did her job as Texas Comptroller, I can’t fathom that she’d have completely missed a $23 billion pension deficiency.  For one thing, it would have been a dynamite campaign issue for her last fall, i.e., something she could claim she’d “fix” as Governor.

Check this out on part of Abbott’s study of the pensions, though:

Read more

Congressman Gohmert A ‘Chickenshit Thief?’

This Raw Story article about Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Tyler) is too amusing to pass up:

A Republican House member (pictured) was slammed by a Democratic colleague as a “chickenshit thief” after borrowing one of his signs, a Capitol Hill newspaper reports.

“On Thursday, during House votes, a very angry Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) had some distinctly non-collegial words for Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas),” Emily Heil reports for Roll Call’s “Heard on the Hill.” “The words ‘gutless,’ ‘chickens–t’ and ‘thief’ were flung.”

Gohmert’s response? Try this:

…I am still trying to discern if he might be right about my being chicken excrement…

Well, there’s more, but that’s the most amusing part. Check it out here.

What Did Rick Perry Do At The Bilderberg Conference?

Somehow, we missed this interesting post from the DMN’s Capitol Letters discussing Governor Perry’s recent trip to the Bilderberg Conference:

NOW we know who Gov. Rick Perry was hobnobbing with at this month’s top-secret international meeting of the corporate and political elite known as the Bilderberg Conference. The event was held in Istanbul, Turkey. And the Texas governor was among the invitees this year.

His fellow conference-goers included Henry Kravis, who heads the leading investor group in the $32 billion purchase of TXU. So while the Legislature was debating the deal back home, the governor apparently was with the New York billionaire leading the buyout. TXU is seeking federal approval for the deal. It made headlines during the legislative session, in part because of TXU’s attempt to build more coal-fired generating plants – an effort backed by Mr. Perry.

This is very interesting and deserves more attention than it has thus far received. (And, you can bet there are no photos of the Conference on Governor Perry’s Flickr).

A list of 2007 Bilderberg attendees confirms that both Perry and Kravis were in attendance.

Something very interesting about all of this is that the conspiracy theorists on the blogs seem to be paying special attention to all of this Bilderberg stuff in light of Perry’s attendance and the current insider trading scandal involving the TXU scandal and Credit Suisse Group, which has evidently been involved in Bilderberg events in the past and is involved in the insider trading scandal.  Texas Congressman and GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Surfside) is even claiming Perry should be prosecuted for violations of the Logan Act.

Interesting.

The story is, no doubt, a convoluted one prone to tin-foil-hat theories, but also an interesting one. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open.

Another Reason We Need To Reregulate College Tuition

It seems that, no matter what we do, Texas’ low-income and middle class families can’t catch a break when it comes to higher education:

Gov. Rick Perry has signed a new law that allows Texas families to prepay college tuition costs for the first time since 2003 — and with greater flexibility in purchases.

But if it catches on, the Texas Tomorrow Fund II, which will open in 2008, could wind up pushing prices higher for future low-income students, according to some experts.

Under the new program, families will be able to prepay undergraduate tuition and fees by purchasing tuition units. A full year’s tuition, or 30 hours of class, will require 100 units. Prices will vary based on whether the buyer chooses to purchase units for a community college, the average four-year university or the highest-priced four-year institution in Texas.

Each year, the Texas Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board will set the new prices for tuition units according to what Texas colleges are charging that year.

Just as tuition deregulation screwed up the Texas Tomorrow Fund, it’s going to cause problems with the new plan as well:
Read more

Lottery Commission Official At Center Of Kickback Probe

From KLBJ:

Did someone at the Texas Lottery Commission accept kickbacks from a financial planning firm in exchange for steering lotto winners their way? That’s what prosecutors want to find out.

The allegation came during a May Lottery Commission meeting by a longtime lotto critic and after learning of the accusations, Lottery Commission Chairman C. Thomas Clowe instructed officials to get to the bottom of it and call in the D.A.if necessary. Commission spokesman Bobby Heith says the allegations are being taken seriously but nothing has been proven.

What the hey? It was only a few days ago that sagging ticket sales were making news and now this. The Lottery Commission can’t seem to catch a break.

Education Commissioner Neely To “Step Down,” Grusendorf Possible Replacement

Somehow, we must have missed that Rick Perry had declined to reappoint Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley to another term. At any rate, she announced her resignation Wednesday and will step down on July 1.

This is particularly interesting. Neeley’s term expired in January. I don’t seem to remember hearing much about it at the time. And, in Neeley’s departure letter, she calls her departure “sudden.” It is worth noting that Neeley recently underwent surgery for melanoma, although it appears she has recovered well and it has nothing to do with her resignation.  Quorum Report and other blogs are reporting that Governor Perry asked for Neeley’s resignation, and she delivered it. A quick GoogleBlog search shows that political blogs haven’t really tracked any major stories about any specific Perry dissatisfaction with Neeley recently. However, in 2005, Perry did send her a somewhat strongly worded directive on a textbook matter.

Given that Neeley’s term expired in January, Governor Perry really should have made an appointment earlier this year, while the Legislature was in session. Of course, he didn’t do that. Here’s a theory on why:

Perry probably saw what happened with his reappointment of HHS’s Albert Hawkins (it nearly came to a bloodbath in the Senate) and realized that the climate of the senate of the 80th Legislature was no place to try and do anything with controversial appointments. It’s likely, with the issue of vouchers always paramount, TAKS cheating a major issue, and education funding always contentious, Perry simply didn’t want to risk a mid-session replacement as the likely fallout therefrom would have taken more of his 39-percent luster.

Most interesting in this saga is one of Neeley’s possible replacements: former State Rep. Kent Grusendorf (R-Arlington). That, obviously, would be a highly controversial appointment (one, obviously, made in the recess and best to simmer for two years prior to actual confirmation).

Rick Perry’s Veto Pen Did Plenty Of Dirty Work

Texas Governor Rick Perry’s veto pen did plenty of dirty work this session.

Aside from his line-item vetos on the budget (veto message) cutting everything from special funding for universities to Medicaid funding and community college employee insurance, his veto of Rep. Norma Chavez’s bill on the Skills Development Fund (veto message), and his veto of the school bus idling measure (veto message), many of the other vetos really haven’t made much news.

In all, Perry vetoed 49 bills (complete list).

Here is one that caught our attention:

HB No. 770 (Dutton, Lucio), relating to requiring the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to provide notice to certain persons of the right to vote. (veto message). Here is why Perry claims he vetoed:

Their role is to incarcerate and rehabilitate offenders, and we should not divert resources away from this difficult task by mandating that TDCJ register inmates that are leaving the system or track down each convict when their parole or probation is over to encourage them to vote…

Second, the state does not currently provide this service to law-abiding citizens, such as high school graduates who are new to voting. I find it unseemly that the state would make a greater effort to register former inmates to vote than we would any other group of citizens in this state. Third, when an individual is released from prison and their rights are restored, it is imperative that they take personal responsibility for all aspects of their life, including their right to vote.

There are a couple of flaws in his logic. First, the state does provide this “service” to high school graduates. Every high school principal is, pursuant to Texas Election Code  §13.06, every high school principal is a deputy voter registrar. Furthermore, graduation has nothing to do with requirements to vote; it’s when the students reach age 18 which may or may not happen while they are in high school.

Second, the need for this service for former felons is because they may not be aware of the fact their voting rights have been restored. Personal responsibility aside, they simply may not be aware. Third, for those who are aware, and call their county clerk or voter registrar, they may be told they are, in fact, not eligible to register because of confusion about the law.

There are more. We’ll take a look at them throughout the week.

Celebrate Juneteenth!

Formerly a uniquely Texas celebration, Junteenth is now celebrated nationwide.

Th holiday commemorates the day official word of the Emancipation Proclamation first reached Texas—in June of 1865—well after the war had ended.

AG Opinion Request On Craddick Power Likely Won’t Amount To Much

For those of you who will be sitting around on pins and needles for the next few weeks eagerly awaiting Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s opinion on whether House Speker Tom Craddick’s end-of-session power grab was a constitutional use of his power, you can exhale now.

We mean it: stop holding your breath.

The opinion request filed by  House Ways and Means Chairman Jim Keffer (R-Eastland), and Civil Practices Chairman Byron Cook, (R-Corsicana) will likely amount to nothing. But, for the record, here’s what they are asking:

Question 1: “Are the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate ‘legislative officers’ as recently held by the Texas Supreme Court, officers who serve at the pleasure of the membership … or are they ’state officers’ subject to removal only as provided in … of the Texas Constitution?”

Question 2: “If you conclude that, contrary to the holdings of the Texas Supreme Court and this Office, the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate are subject to removal only by impeachment or other trial and removal proceeding under … the Texas Constitution, what is the effect of the impeachment of either of these officers? That is, does impeachment only remove them from the legislative office of Speaker or President Pro Tempore, or does it expel them from membership in the House/Senate in a manner different from, and inconsistent with … the Texas Constitution?”

Question 3: “If, after the regular legislative session has commenced, a Speaker chosen by the members of the House is removed from that office by any legal means, does the House then have the power to select a new Speaker, or is it required to continue its operations in the absence of a Speaker, in apparent conflict with … the Texas Constitution?

Question 4: If the rules adopted by the Texas House of Representatives give the Speaker of the House unlimited discretion to refuse to recognize members for purposes of presenting any motion whatsoever … do those rules effectively give the Speaker unlimited ability to prevent his removal (by simply refusing to recognize members for the required motions)?”

The first three questions would be hard for Abbott not to answer, as they are pretty straightforward, even for a member of the Federalist Society. However, the last one, the real and genuine doozie, will likely go unanswered. Why? Abbott will probably inform the House members that it isn’t his job to interpret their rules or simply state that the power to recognize is, in fact, as absolute as the vodka of the same name.

Next Page »