More corporate cash, less transparency

Still wondering what my problem is with money and politics?

Four years ago, President Obama banned corporate and union donations from funding his first Inauguration. Not this time.

This time, the man who railed on how Citizens United would “open the floodgates for special interests” by allowing unlimited contributions from corporations and “America’s most powerful interests” ….is accepting unlimited donations to his inaugural committee from corporations. So far 20 corporations and nine unions have dropped cash on the shindig says The Hill.

Not only are the doors wide open, but the curtains are shut — from transparency, that is. Four years ago, Team Obama listed all its inaugural donors AND the amount they coughed up in a searchable database.

But this year, says the Sunlight Foundation, they only showed WHO gave. Not how much. And it’s not searchable — just a massive list. 

Four years ago, inaugural contributions were capped at $50,000. This time? Oh, don’t stop. Please don’t stop. The Presidential Inaugural Committee was offering packages for between $10,000 and $1 million — check out the invites here. 

So forgive me for not swooning at the president's lofty progressive rhetoric yesterday. A little less conversation and a little more action, please.

This development was revealed on the same weekend that protests in Austin at the Capitol (and around the country) against pesky things like Citizens United and corporate personhood went mostly unreported -- unlike the Gun Appreciation Day festivities, mind you.

Misplaced priorities much?

So as you read other things in other places about money being mother's milk and all that, just remember that only children suckle from teats. We all need to grow up and get real about what kind of politicians we want.

I would be remiss in not noting that my state Senator, Rodney Ellis, and Rep. Senfronia Thompson in the Texas House have taken the initiative in this regard. Encourage your own representatives at every level -- local, state, and federal -- to follow their lead.

Madame Mayor's re-election chances

They're pretty good. It really doesn't have all that much to do with Ben Hall, either.

"Hall is a formidable challenger but is a long shot to unseat the mayor," University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus said in an email.

Rottinghaus noted Hall's funding capability, his vision and his qualifications but suggested that "with Parker's nationalizing profile and perceptions of her doing a good job, it is a more uphill fight."

Rottinghaus added that Parker's most formidable challenge may not be Hall, per se, but a crowded primary field that could squeeze her out of a runoff. "In a runoff, a well-funded candidate like Hall that can put the right coalition together could have a chance," he said. "This may be the model -- almost successful for Gene Locke -- that Hall is looking to create."

Uh, no. Charles is correct. The Chron could not write this story, though, without kissing the ring of the Quitter. Just. Like. Always.

Former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt said he and (HCRP chair Jared) Woodfill discussed the possibility of him running for mayor but said his interest was predicated on the possibility that Parker may leave office early to take a position in the Obama administration, thus necessitating a special election.

"In a special election, I could see what the party chairman is pitching, because that's a low-turnout scenario that would be favorable to Republicans," he said.

Bettencourt also suggested that Hall's candidacy was based, at least initially, on the possibility that the mayor would leave office early.

"The glacier's moving," he said. "The question is, where is it going to stop?"

Quittencourt gets one thing right here: he cannot beat Annise Parker.

In fact, Parker doesn't lose unless she gets a medium-strength challenger from her left. And then a conservative, pro-business, religious African American like Hall has a chance -- but not in a head-to-head runoff against the mayor; her ground game is too strong.

See, Annise Parker is really the moderate Republicans' best choice. The only people who have supported the mayor in her previous two races that will not do so again are whatever exists of a progressive voting bloc. It might be enough of the electorate -- 10 to 15% -- to be a factor in the open primary... but it might not.

Oh, there will be one or two fringe Republican options -- a Christianist and a cut-taxes corporatist -- but neither will be named Bettencourt. It wouldn't be close; she'd whip his ass.

The rumor-mongering about Parker taking a job in the Obama administration is nothing but that. Nobody except a handful of Republicans are saying it, and they don't know what they are talking about.

The early line is on the mayor. But her odds were much better two years ago, and she nearly coughed up a big lead then. Expect there to be some kind of a Green Party/Kubosh brothers alliance as there has been over a few policy disagreements, like with the food-sharing ordinance and Parker's handling of the Occupy Houston ejection.

At this point the mayor's chances are good, but they decrease a little every day.

MLK and Inauguration Day Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes President Obama all the best at the start of his second term as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff looks at the January finance reports for SD06 candidates.

Out of fairness alone, the areas that had to sacrifice during the bad times should be taken care of first, once good times return. But as WCNews at Eye on Williamson points out, that's unlikely to change without a lot of public pressure: The budget, fear, and ideology.  

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that Blake Farenthold and his fellow Congressional Republicans voted against hurricane Sandy relief. Do hurricanes or tornadoes ever hit Texas? Too bad for us.

The Asshats on Parade, sponsored by PDiddie's Brains and Eggs, included Lance Armstrong, Dick Cheney, Manti Te'o, and Ed Emmett.  

BossKitty at TruthHugger almost decided to skip writing an article this week, but the number of exploiters in high places is just too overwhelming: America’s Disappointing Role Models.

Secession fun for everyone this week at McBlogger!

Neil at Texas Liberal posted his 6th annual updated Martin Luther King Reading & Reference List. It is the best such resource on the web.

Viva Houston has the SD-6 candidates on this morning, and more Texas news

-- Be sure and tune in immediately after This Weak with George Snufflelufagus -- or Press the Meat or Facepalm the Nation or whichever panel of Talking Heads you have been listening to. Among the few policy questions that get asked, you'll get to hear Susan Delgado say that she is qualified to serve as a Texas Senator because she slept with Mario Gallegos.

Seriously.



-- Jack Christie goes all Todd Akin on influenza.

An attack on flu vaccinations by a Houston City Council member has drawn fire from medical officials, as patients with influenza symptoms continue to fill emergency rooms across the country.

As the council considered a proposal Wednesday to accept $3.1 million in federal funding for childhood immunizations, Councilman Jack Christie voiced his opposition to the measure, apparently conflating it with flu vaccinations.

"I'm going to vote against this," Christie said before the 15-1 vote. "You don't die from the flu." 

Naturally, the Republican chiropractor made things worse when he tried to explain.

Christie backed down somewhat from his comment on Friday. What he meant to say, he said, was that "People should not die from the flu."

"First of all, that's $3 million that the federal government doesn't really have," Christie said of the funding proposal. "It's borrowed money we eventually have to pay back. But more important is the media's embellishment of the extreme fear of encouraging flu vaccinations.

"Every year there's going to be a flu," he said, "and vaccines create synthetic immunity, which does not trump natural immunity to disease."

People might have forgotten that Christie was once the chair of the Texas State Board of Education not so long ago. Charles breaks it down, but you should be reminded that Christie is the guy that Bill White endorsed over the incumbent progressive Democrat, Jolanda Jones, in 2011 for this at-large council seat. There were quite a few blog posts around town -- and out of town -- regarding that.

The White/Christie alliance is a nearly perfect microcosm of everything that is wrong with Houston municipal politics (and two-party politics generally).

--- John Cornyn and Ted Cruz listen closely as the architect of three Texas counties' initiative in opting out of Social Security explains how he did it. No excerpt; you need to go read (and listen) to it. And then Google the name Rick Gornto. Or read this.

Let's get clear: Republicans are going to take away your Social Security long before Obama takes away anybody's gun. Or bullets. Or clips or magazines.

Sunday Funnies

Finally... don't shoot the messenger, my Democratic friends...

The East End Leaders sign their letter

So I asked a few questions and, yesterday evening in my inbox, received a response.

The following are East End Civic/Community Leaders responded to Council Member James Rodriguez's January 8, 2013 statement:

Robert Gallegos

Elisa Gonzales

Angie Martinez

Steve Parker

Gloria Moreno

Victor Villarreal

Sylvia Medina

Julio Del Carpio

James Dinkins

We stand on our response. This is a big deal to us because there is a bigger issue here. Thanks again to Mayor Parker’s leadership for approving the underpass and the new Metro, and numerous Council Members who were also instrumental in securing the required funding for the underpass in 2011.   

As active East End Civic/Community Leaders, we are continuously seeking transparency, honesty, and integrity from our elected officials.

Thank you for that, folks. I have, however, some more questions.

-- What is the bigger issue to which you refer?

-- Why is the underpass still a big issue in 2013?

-- Why are you picking old battles to re-fight? You have a transcontinental oil pipeline about to deliver the world's dirtiest oil right to your doorstep, which will poison your children even worse than they are already being poisoned, and you choose instead to quarrel about a highway underpass... that was resolved in 2011?

If the bigger issue is "transparency, honesty, and integrity", then I don't see why that very valid concern isn't being applied to the current challenges facing SD-6, like funding public schools or increasing voter turnout from last in the state among Senate districts. Or perhaps even the vast sums of money being raised and spent by the two front-runners in the open primary -- since that's pretty much the only thing the rest of the media writing about this race seem interested in reporting.

(Since you didn't mention 'jobs' -- as someone barked out at a recent forum when the pipeline topic came up -- I will assume that's not a top concern of yours.)

I must be missing something here. Sorry; still don't get it. Help me out.

Asshats on Parade

No locals. Not even Marc Campos. But plenty of Texans.

Lance Armstrong might be the world's most massive asshat...

This was a glimmer of the true Lance Armstrong coming out. No Nike commercial edits. No press conference sound bites. No glowing magazine profiles. This was the guy who left scores and scores of people cursing that their paths ever crossed.

It's not about the bike, indeed. This was about Lance's sociopathic spectacle.

At one point during the interview, he couldn't recall how many people he'd sued. Really. He not only didn't know the number, he couldn't even be sure when asked about specific individuals that his mighty, powerful legal team relentlessly tried to bury.

It's worth noting that many of the people he's sued through the years in an effort to protect his lies and glory were one-time close friends, roommates, teammates, business partners and associates.

Is there another person in America who has sued so many people he once liked – for telling the truth, mind you – that he can't remember all of them? Anyone?

... were it not for Dick Cheney.

For Cheney’s critics, the (forthcoming biographical) film is unlikely to change their opinions.

From its opening moments, Cheney seems as defiant as ever about criticism that he went too far in the policies he pushed in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

“The ones that spend all their time trying to be loved by everybody probably aren’t doing much. If you aren’t prepared to have critics, to be subject to criticism, you’re in the wrong line of work,” Cheney bluntly declares in the film. “ If you want to be loved, go be a movie star.”

The former vice president ... speaks at length about the controversies that embroiled his vice presidency. He continues to defend the Bush administration’s embrace of enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, which is widely considered a form of torture. President Barack Obama banned the use of waterboarding when he took office in 2009.

"Are you going to trade the lives of other people because you want to preserve your honor?" Cheney replies when asked about waterboarding and other controversial interrogation techniques. "You do what’s required. That’s not a close call for me."

And Cheney continues to deflect criticism that his office exaggerated intelligence findings that claimed Iraq President Saddam Hussein’s was pursuing weapons of mass destruction and ties to al Qaida—claims that later turned out to be false.

There's an important distinction between these sociopaths: while Armstrong merely destroyed other people's lives, Cheney had them killed. In every conceivable fashion -- men, women, children; blown up, shot, tortured, drowned, poisoned. You have to sit in awe of a man so consumed with evil he ruined his own heart... then received another by the grace of America's taxpayers. What a country!

I am being as kind as can be in calling Dick Cheney a sociopath, when in fact he meets all the qualifications of a psychopath.

While it's impossible to top those two men, Manti Te'o is doing his best from his small perch.

Not once but twice after he supposedly discovered his online girlfriend of three years never even existed, Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o perpetuated the heartbreaking story about her death.

An Associated Press review of news coverage found that the Heisman Trophy runner-up talked about his doomed love in a Web interview on Dec. 8 and again in a newspaper interview published Dec. 10. He and the university said Wednesday that he learned on Dec. 6 that it was all a hoax, that not only wasn't she dead, she wasn't real.

Yeah, nobody died except for his imaginary girlfriend, and nobody is actually getting destroyed except for him and a few journalists' reputations. Lance thanks you, Manti, for breaking your news this week. Once again, one has to be awestruck by the fact that the University of Notre Dame made a bigger deal of the nonexistent dead girl than they did the real one who killed herself after being raped by a Notre Dame football player.

Speaking of damaging one's future prospects, Chris Christie seems to be taking himself out of the running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Blunt-speaking New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, thought to be eyeing a 2016 run for the Republican presidential nomination, blasted an NRA ad that mentions President Barack Obama's daughters as "reprehensible" and warned it "demeans" the powerful gun-rights group.

"To talk about the president’s children, or any public officer’s children, who have—not by their own choice, but by requirement—to have protection, and to use that somehow to try to make a political point is reprehensible," Christie said.

Christie is far from being an asshat in this regard. But his political future in the GOP seems extremely limited at this point. The GOTeaP just will not tolerate this kind of dissension in the ranks. What is he thinking?!

And from the "if-you-can't-win-playing-by-the-rules-then-change-the-rules" department:

From Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, GOP officials who control legislatures in states that supported President Barack Obama are considering changing state laws that give the winner of a state's popular vote all of its Electoral College votes, too. Instead, these officials want Electoral College votes to be divided proportionally, a move that could transform the way the country elects its president.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus endorsed the idea this week, and other Republican leaders support it, too, suggesting that the effort may be gaining momentum. There are other signs that Republican state legislators, governors and veteran political strategists are seriously considering making the shift as the GOP looks to rebound from presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Electoral College shellacking and the demographic changes that threaten the party's long-term political prospects.

Expect this to happen. But not in Texas; they don't need the help.

Finally... I lied; one local asshat.

New freeways are few and far between in Harris County – and may one day be a thing of the past, according to Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.

“No one likes to pay a toll but many would rather pay a toll to get a road than not have anything to drive on,” he said. “What’s interesting is that people love to talk about free roads and toll roads, when never there was such a thing as a free road. It was all built with tax dollars. It just so happens you can drive on it for free.”

This is what passes for moderate conservative logic these days. That's not to say that a blind hog can't occasionally find an acorn.

The county is also working to decentralize hospitals, bringing more clinics throughout unincorporated areas to meet demand, said Emmett.

“People got used to the idea that poor people and indigents lived in certain areas,” he said. “Well they don’t. They live all over the county. One of the arguments we’re having with the hospital district is we’re trying to get them out of brick and mortar and into neighborhood clinics because we’ve got to do a better job of providing for the many indigents.”

Having clinics throughout the area would give lower income people better access to preventative care. The health care crisis has forced many of the uninsured to seek the most expensive, least effective form of health care— in emergency rooms.

“The bottom line is the counties need to define how to best provide preventative health services,” said Emmett.

Deinstitutionalization has also shifted the mentally ill population from asylums to jails, said Emmett. “It’s amazing the Harris County jail is one of the largest mental health facilities in Texas,” said Emmett. “That’s fundamentally wrong. We've got to do better at delivering mental health services.”

This is surprisingly thoughtful and empathetic, two qualities in short supply -- and in danger of being rejected -- by Republicans local, statewide, and nationwide. Like Christie in the previous, this isn't conducive to long-term political viability.

Nowhere, however, does Emmett mention the real solution: raising taxes. That's the asshat part. Let's wrap this up, Ed...

Harris County’s non-attainment designation by the EPA, which is given to areas that persistently exceed federal air quality standards, has threatened industry, said Emmett. The Environmental Protection Agency reports vehicles using natural gas emit 25 percent less greenhouse gases than diesel-powered vehicles.

“If an industry wants to build a new facility they’re going to be restricted unless they find a way to come under EPA guidelines,” he said.

According to Emmett, local trucking companies were some of the first to switch to natural gas for its economic benefits, paying $1.50 to $2 less per gallon than gasoline. Now, he hopes other car manufacturers and companies will get on board.

It should be noted -- not by the county judge, of course -- that Harris County has not attained the EPA ozone emission guidelines established during the Carter administration. And here comes Keystone XL down the pipeline.

But that ain't the moneyshot. This is.

“The most important thing is to switch many vehicles to natural gas,” said Emmett. "Natural gas we have in abundance. The most important thing is it’s non-polluting.”

So in Hunker-Down World, "25 percent less" = "non-polluting".

I knew you wouldn't let me down, Judge.

Dear Abby, dear Abby

Dear Abby, dear Abby:

My feet are too long
My hair's falling out and my rights are all wrong
My friends they all tell me that I've no friends at all
Won't you write me a letter, won't you give me a call
Signed... Bewildered

Bewildered, bewildered:

You have no complaint
You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

Dear Abby, dear Abby:

My fountain pen leaks
My wife hollers at me and my kids are all freaks
Every side I get up on is the wrong side of bed
If it weren't so expensive I'd wish I were dead
Signed ...Unhappy

Unhappy, unhappy:

You have no complaint
You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

Dear Abby, dear Abby:

You won't believe this
But my stomach makes noises whenever I kiss
My girlfriend tells me it's all in my head
But my stomach tells me to write you instead
Signed ...Noisemaker

Noisemaker, noisemaker:

You have no complaint
You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

 Dear Abby, dear Abby:

Well I never thought
That me and my girlfriend would ever get caught
We were sitting in the back seat just shooting the breeze
With her hair up in curlers and her pants to her knees
Signed... Just Married

Just Married, just married:

You have no complaint
You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

Signed... Dear Abby.

RIP, Pauline/Abigail.

The Texas crazy got a little worse this week.

Juanita's been documenting the contagion, so I'm just gravy-training.

Let's open with the AG.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has a message for New Yorkers who don’t like their state’s new gun-control measures. Move to Texas.

On Wednesday, New Yorkers in Manhattan and Albany began seeing two web ads, paid for with Abbott campaign funds, and designed to tug on their holster strings. According to The Austin American-Statesman, the text of one ad reads: “Is Gov. Cuomo looking to take your guns? Sick of the media outing law abiding gun owners? Are you a lawful NY gun owner seeking lower taxes?” The second ad reads: “Wanted: Law abiding New York gun owners looking for lower taxes and greater opportunity.”

His gubernatorial campaign is under way, ladies and gentlemen. Hey, he's gotta spend that $18 million on something, and I can think of a lot worse things than online advertising.

Let's double down with the governor.

Gov. Rick Perry recommended prayer rather than changes in gun laws to combat violence in society, following President Obama’s call for increased gun control and enforcement.

“There is evil prowling in the world – it shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations, and finds its way into vulnerable hearts and minds,” Perry said in a statement issued after the president’s Washington, D.C., news conference on gun violence. “As a free people, let us choose what kind of people we will be. Laws, the only redoubt of secularism, will not suffice. Let us all return to our places of worship and pray for help. Above all, let us pray for our children.”

You know, because praying worked so well with ending the statewide drought a couple of summers ago. And finally, let's push all in with Steve Stockman...

U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, said in a statement today that he would “thwart” any executive action by Obama “by any means necessary including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House and even filing articles of impeachment.”

Stockman has a history of fighting gun control. He ran for Congress in 1994 and defeated veteran Rep. Jack Brooks, D-Beaumont, who had sponsored legislation to ban the sale of automatic assault  weapons.

... and Ted Poe:

Gun control measures discussed in Washington, D.C. are ‘hypocrisy at its highest,” claimed Rep. Ted Poe, recently in speech on the floor of the House. The Texas Republican argued that it’s easy for lawmakers to advocate gun control when they are surrounded by armed officers of the Capitol Police.

The Republican from Humble said:

“As I speak on the House floor, there are guns by the doors, to the North, to the South, to the East, to the West. On the roof, on all of the entrances and by the steps. The excellent armed guards of the excellent Capitol police protecting us. But most of the citizens don’t have government guards protecting them twenty-four/seven. Many people feel defenseless. Some people of this Chamber want protection for themselves, while advocating more restrictions on guns for the people of America. Hypocrisy at its highest.”

According to Poe, some of his colleagues want to keep special protection for themselves while “red-lining Second Amendment.”

“They say protection for me, but not for thee,” Poe said.

You don't have to be batshit insane to live in Texas. But you certainly are if you voted for any of these wads.

Update: Jon Stewart, as he usually does, speaks for me.

Update II: I'm also going to work a little harder at taking Rachel's advice and stop feeding the trolls.

Garcia surrogates push back against Rodriguez, Alvarado

From the inbox this morning (the address is eastendleaders@gmail.com, which is meant to camouflage the real source). If you're scoring, it's in response to CM James Rodriguez last week.

As East End Community Leaders, we have come together to show that we have always been opposed to an overpass during the leadership of the old METRO in 2008.

The documents linked to this statement show evidence that Council Member Rodriguez is misleading voters in his recent January 8, 2013 statement trying to defend State Representative’s Carol Alvarado’s conflict of interest as a paid consultant (attached) to the old METRO leadership. State Representative Alvarado was being paid by the old METRO leadership to advocate for an overpass at Harrisburg while her constituents in the east end opposed it.

 In January of 2009, METRO sent a letter to CM Rodriguez stating that a commitment was made by Council Member Rodriguez to build an overpass.

We have 8 different letters from East End civic groups and business leaders written in December 2008 and January of 2009 showing that the residents and businesses of the east end support an underpass rather than an overpass. While Council Member Rodriguez was committed to an overpass, State Representative Alvarado was employed by METRO as a consultant; therefore disappointing her constituents for not advocating an underpass.

Commissioner Sylvia Garcia has stood with the merchants and civic leaders in the east end saying she would join our rallying shout “it’s not over, until it is under.”

We want to acknowledge Mayor Annise Parker’s leadership for approving the underpass and the new METRO, and numerous council members who were also instrumental in securing the required funding for the underpass in 2011.

As active East End Community Leaders, we are continuously seeking transparency, honesty, and integrity from our elected officials. 

Emphasis on the words "underpass" and "overpass" in the above is theirs. No 'East End Leader' signed this letter, so unless someone(s) claims it, I'll call it as belonging to the Garcia campaign.

Is this a big deal to the residents of SD-6? I will admit that I just don't see how pivotal this spat is in the grand scheme. Bu then I'm not a resident of the district.

Anyone want to weigh in on this? Anyone not connected to a campaign, that is; just a voter in SD-6 with some knowledge of the issue. Help me understand why this disagreement is so pivotal now.

Stace had a report earlier today on the financials -- who's got it and how they spent it. The most interesting development in that disclosure is how Alvarado seems to be attracting the Republican money. Stace also has the vote total at about 3,400 (mail and in-person) as of yesterday. That's about 12% or so of Mark Jones' projection.

There have been reasonably good turnouts at the various community fora that have been held, but I have to be candid; I simply don't have any idea what to think about how this race will go at this point. If Garcia and Alvarado emerge as the top two (as both Kuffner and Jones have forecast), are they going to keep quarreling about underpass/overpass in the runoff?

Like there aren't more pressing issues to talk about?

One thing seems clear: the race certainly is on target for the most expensive dollar-per-vote tally witnessed in recent times.

Update: More on the money from Joe Holley. Because, you know, that's all that matters. Far be it from Charles to let anybody outdo him in this regard, however.

It's as if they don't really understand what the problem is. Truthfully... I think they do; they just don't want to address it. Thank goodness some people do.

The Weekly Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance is digging in for another long legislative session as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff has interviews with SD06 special election candidates Sylvia Garcia and Carol Alvarado.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is just appalled that the whole story isn't addressed: Of Course It’s Not Just Guns. Cut taxes, create a structural deficit, cut education and the safety net which results in a surplus. Rinse and repeat.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson wants to make sure everyone hasn't forgotten the past. Do you remember how we got here?

As early voting began, Brains and Eggs had the most comprehensive coverage of the special election to replace the late Mario Gallegos in the Texas Senate. A post on the protest at TransCanada, two posts on Sylvia Garcia's aggressive campaign against Carol Alvarado, a post on the candidate who boycotted one of the debates, and a post critical of the exceptionally lame media coverage of the election highlighted a busy week.

Over at Texas Kaos, lightseeker gives you the skivvy on the educational funding issue, including the latest lamebrain schemes from our Republican leaders. Check it out: Texas Education - The Same Old Fools In Charge Part 2.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted that a grave with a view of traffic would be a fitting end to an urban Houston life.  

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that Rick Perry has doubled down on corporate greed and Tea Party crazy.

Garcia hits Alvarado again and more SD-6

From the Sylvia Garcia campaign, and in my e-mail inbox yesterday morning, with much of the campaign promotion verbiage edited...

One of our opponents in this race, Carol Alvarado, is proudly touting the endorsement and support of Stand for Children, an education advocacy group that supports school voucher programs. This group has earned a reputation for working against the interests of public school teachers across the nation.

Republicans like Sen. Dan Patrick and Gov. Rick Perry have made it clear that they will work to push through school voucher legislation during Session. Sylvia Garcia strongly believes in fully funding our public schools, not using those dollars to help wealthy private schools take money away from our children. 

I should think this charge would be a legitimate concern for SD-6 voters, especially those who are teachers and parents of public school students. Follow the links in the above and you will see why.  I have to say I am surprised that Alvarado -- or any Democrat, for that matter -- would align herself with the allies of Dan Patrick and vouchers.

(And I can't help but think about how nasty a possible runoff between Garcia and Alvarado is going to get.)

I waited until now to post this, thinking the Alvarado campaign would have a reaction. So far, nothing I can find. Marc Campos -- no update since Friday morning -- is exercising a significant amount of caution, limiting much of his babble to the Baseball Hall of Fame developments at the end of the business week. Campaigns obviously don't go dark on the weekends in the middle of early voting, so perhaps they're formulating a response.

If one shows up, I'll amend this post with it. Update (1/14): This morning's post has this...

Carol Alvarado’s opponent sent out another negative mailer Saturday.  That’s three negative mailers in six days.  We expect more.

And that's it.

Elsewhere, Stace's Dos Centavos has a good report on the NHPO candidate forum, also yesterday morning. No mention of the issue by any of the candidates, though. I received the p.r. referenced above about 10 a.m., so the absence of topic discussion may have more to do with that timing than anything else.

And Charles Kuffner has a few very good questions for Maria Selva.

Sunday Funnies

"No one's taking away all the guns. But now I get it... now I see what's happening. So this is what it is: their paranoid fear of a 'possible' dystopic future prevents us from addressing our actual dystopic present. We can't even begin to address 30,000 gun deaths that are actually, in reality, happening in this country every year because a few of us must remain vigilant against the rise of Imaginary Hitler." 

-- Jon Stewart

"Chuck Hagel is the new Secretary of Defense nominee. They're saying that he may be reluctant to send troops into a war zone needlessly. What kind of a nutjob is this guy?"

--David Letterman

"Folks, once Jack Lew becomes Secretary of the Treasury, this pubic hair masquerading as an autograph will appear on all our money, making our currency a laughingstock! Our money should have nothing ridiculous on it… just old men in wigs and pyramids with eyes." 

-- Stephen Colbert

"Chris Christie lashed out at Congress for doing nothing for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. But in their defense Congress says, 'Hey, we don't do anything for anybody.'" 

-- Jay Leno

Local media goes to work reporting on SD-6

A surprisingly good update on the latest here, from Joe Holley:

Three days into early voting, the race to replace the late state Sen. Mario Gallegos continues to heat up, as does the balloting.

The first large batch of mail-in ballots was returned Friday, outpacing voters who visited the polls in person. Since early voting began, 1,561 ballots have been cast, two thirds of them in person. More votes were recorded Friday, 805, than in the two preceding days, 756.

I'll be helping the county clerk count those mail ballots as soon as the early voting period concludes on January 22. Even Mark Jones at Rice has stepped up his game...

Rice University political scientist Mark Jones describes the relatively late date as "a strategic delay" on the part of Gov. Rick Perry and his fellow Republicans, who realize that the likely winner will be one of the Democratic candidates.

"Under the Senate's two-thirds rule, until the new SD-6 senator arrives, the Republicans need to convince only one Democrat to vote with them to pass legislation, whereas once Alvarado or Garcia arrives in Austin, they will need two," he said in an email.

On most legislation the difference is irrelevant, Jones said, but not on such controversial issues as the fetal pain bill, for example.

"With only 30 senators, the Republicans will need to tailor the final legislation to obtain the backing of only one of the handful of pro-life Democrats, not two of them," he said. "The result will, quite possibly, be legislation that is closer to the Republican ideal than would have been the case if the support of both was required."

For their part,  ABC-13 had this.



Reporter Tom Abrahams mentions "six candidates" at yesterday's EECoC luncheon forum, so he just concentrated on the ones who were in the room. I don't know where Susan Delgado was, but I do know where Maria Selva was.

This is stereotypical corporate media coverage. Ignore the Green candidates (unless they get arrested, that is.) All of the local media reported essentially the same thing -- nothing -- when presidential candidate Jill Stein came to Houston last October.

Sadly, this weak effort at journalism by KTRK soundly defeated all of their electronic competition: KHOU, which last covered the race on November 12; KPRC, televising a general overview at the start of early voting, and Fox 26, whose most recent report was a month ago.

This is nothing more than the politicians and the media -- and the corporations and the environment -- that we have earned, by our actions or lack thereof. Unless we are willing to change the way we do things. Which includes how and what we think, of course.

That's going to be a long, hard slog at the rate we're going. Doesn't mean we shouldn't make the effort, though.

Update: Here's the two-hour "Conversations with the Candidates" video interviews conducted by the League of Women Voters (which includes every one except Delgado).

SD-6 candidate boycotts TransCanada-sponsored debate

The press release, this afternoon:

Candidate boycotts debate sponsored by TransCanada

Inappropriate influence by international firm hazardous to Houston


January 11, 2013, Houston, TX

Maria Selva, the Green Party candidate in the special election for TX Senate District 6, will boycott the debate held by the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce today because it was sponsored by TransCanada, the company constructing the Keystone XL pipeline. The controversial pipeline will, upon completion, transport tar sands oil from Canada for refining at Gulf Coast refineries.

"Tar sands refining will increase toxic air pollution along the Houston Ship Channel, negatively impacting the health of the people in District 6. The whole tar sands operation from mining to refining drastically increases carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming and climate change, and is at odds with the push for clean, safe energy that is one of the principal goals of my campaign," Selva said.

"This controversial firm [TransCanada] that Houstonians and Texans have been fighting to keep out of the state should not have inappropriate influence over the candidates by sponsoring a debate among candidates who would make decisions affecting it," said Selva.

"Candidates who seek to represent the citizens of Texas Senate district 6 should not be attending events sponsored by corporations that will poison the air of the people they claim to want to represent. We need to keep money out of politics, and that starts with removing money and inappropriate influence from the decision-making process of citizens."


Maria Selva
TX Senate 6 Candidate

http://MariaSelva4TXSenate.NationBuilder.com
facebook.com/vote4maria
twitter.com/vote4MariaSelva
vote.4.maria.selva@hotmail.com

It's a great place to begin the process, at the local level, of getting the corporations and their money out of our political system. When every evaluation of a political candidate's viability starts and ends with how much money they have raised, you know the system is broken.

The system needs fixing.

More Austin/Washington transit

As is often the case during the first week of the legislative session, there's too much going on for me to cover in any depth, so I'll just dump the links that I've been collecting and let you draw your own conclusions. (Well, mostly.)

Hutchison mentioned for vacant Transportation Secretary position: Ludicrous at face value. Kay Bailey resigned from the Senate in order to return to Texas, be with her children, and earn speaking fees while she decides what to do next. She is NOT going to turn around and go back to DC and work in the Obama administration. FWIW I think that job is likely to go to Jennifer Granholm, who has some time on her hands now that Current has been sold to al-Jazeera.

Ron Kirk is also leaving the Obama administration. I just hope he has a Senate seat -- or perhaps the top job in Austin -- in his 2014 sights.

Greg Abbott is telling donors he's running for governor. This I believe. Even if "run" is the wrong verb to use. Update: Via Kuff, Paul Burka has some deep thoughts on this.

Folks, if we don't stop this guy, he'll wind up in the White House not so many years from now.

Twenty state parks may have to close next year due to funding cuts. Abominable.

Worse than abominable: Rick Perry’s Refusal to Expand Texas’ Medicaid Program Could Result In Thousands of Deaths.

Strong opposition stands in front of Dan Patrick's school vouchers legislative effort: I don't think the opposition is all that strong. The Republicans have the numbers in both chambers. This is probably going to happen. However...

Senate keeps two-thirds rule and eliminates exceptions.

Following a closed-door meeting, senators with little debate agreed 27-0 to leave in place the so-called “two-thirds rule” that allows 11 of the 31 senators to block a bill from coming up for debate. But they voted to remove a provision added four years ago that allows for “special exceptions” — a change made by Republicans that allowed them to debate a voter-identification bill that Democrats had been blocking.

State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, a leading proponent of dropping the rule, said it “cuts off our ability to have debate” on issues that are important to Texas — sometimes because senators don’t want to have to cast a public vote that some constituents or interest groups might not like.

He suggested that a more robust and open debate of state issues would result from dropping the rule, which has been in effect for decades. Most senators have said privately they believe the rule gives them more clout — that one vote can make a difference in whether a bill can be considered by the full Senate.

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, championed the rule as “a long tradition that has served this body well” in requiring consensus-building before bills come up for a vote. “It distinguishes us from other bodies,” he said.

Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, the author of Wednesday’s resolution and chairman of the Senate Administration Committee, said most senators for months have not supported dropping the rule, even though a behind-the-scenes drumbeat for the change has continued in recent weeks.

“It’s now back to the way it read before 2009. There are no special exceptions,” Eltife said.

Since I mucked up that post with bad math, this development makes me very happy despite the strengthening of Dewhurst's hand, mostly because it weakens Patrick's.

That's why they call it the lesser of two evils.

Update: EOW has a good collection of things I did not mention above, including this.

We might research some cancer treatments while we get rich

The scandal that is CPRIT just gets worse every day.

In an interview this week, Perry said the embattled Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas must regain public trust so it can carry out its dual mission of cure discovery and commercialization.

“The way that the Legislature intended it was to get cures into the public's arena as soon as possible and at the same time create economic avenues (from) which wealth can be created,” Perry said. “Basic research takes a long time and may or may not ever create wealth.”

Perry made the remark in response to questions about the scrutiny CPRIT is facing as a result of two grants, totaling more than $30 million, that were awarded without proper review. The problems, both involving grants to commercialize discoveries, have prompted numerous investigations. 

I just grimaced and moved on when I read this at an early hour this morning, because I am so worn out on Rick Perry that it's just not funny any more. It's his unique blend of insensitivity, piety, and crony capitalism that makes me nauseous at this stage.

Some people understand how crass he is, though.

Legislators and activists contacted Wednesday disagreed with Perry's characterization.

“We're trying to get drugs to the marketplace to help people fight the disease,” said Rep. James Keffer, R-Eastland, who co-authored a 2009 bill establishing the agency after voters authorized it two years earlier. “Our goal is not to make pharmaceutical companies any more wealthy.”

Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, who questioned the need for commercialization grants at a hearing last month, said “the market should handle the rest” if CPRIT money attracts the best cancer minds to Texas and their research proves promising.

“I believe that the purpose of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas was to research and develop cures and treatments for cancer, not act as an investment bank or hedge fund to 'create wealth,'” Eiland said. “The state has the Emerging Technology Fund and the Enterprise Fund as business development tools.”  

I can't add anything to what Burka and EOW have already said. How much more of this embarrassment can a state as big as Texas take?

An H-Town Roundup

-- The Chron put their endorsement in the SD-6 special election behind their new paywall. (Psst: it's "pick one of Garcia or Alvarado".) No, I am not willing to pay to read that.

-- Get your flu shot.

This influenza season is shaping up to be one of the earliest and worst in years, with the flu-sick and those with respiratory illnesses that masquerade as influenza clogging Houston-area clinics, emergency rooms and doctor's offices.

According to local health officials, most of those who have become ill did not get the flu vaccine.

Get your flu shot. Don't be all Alex Jones about it, either.

-- Gasoline prices will be back up to four bucks a gallon sooner than you think.

The fuel price forecasting website says Houston area gas should crest between $3.85 and $4.15 a gallon sometime this spring. Patrick DeHaan is a senior petroleum analyst with Gas Buddy.

“Prices generally will start a bit sluggish this year, prices moving up in January and February just slightly, and then the accelerator gets hit in March, and that lasts for about a month or so.”

DeHaan says the wild card will be refinery performance.

“In the past year, a major refinery in Houston, the Motiva refinery, opened a 300,000 barrel a day expansion. That expansion had to be closed down again, and that certainly resulted in some upward pressure at the pump.”

The Motiva refinery — located 90 miles east of Houston in Port Arthur — was forced to shut down in June due to severe chemical corrosion, just weeks after the completion of a five year expansion project.

I have a second cousin working at that refinery as a contractor, and they have had him onsite seven days a week for twelve hours a day for the past few months. Motiva -- a joint venture with Shell and Saudi Aramco -- has been furiously trying to get online for six months now. Just this past weekend they tried and failed once more. This refinery -- along with at least two others in Port Arthur -- is scheduled to receive and process some of what gets delivered via Keystone XL.

Since the tars sands oil's refined petroleum products will mostly be sold on the global market, it's no wonder we won't see any gas price relief locally. But we will get to breathe all of that pollution.

What a bargain!

-- Here's your guide to the Houston Marathon this weekend. The sponsors are Chevron and Aramco. Don't breathe too deeply, runners. Update: it is possible that the weather might cancel the event for the first time in its history.

Today's opening of the legislative session in Austin

That's three posts in a row on SD-6, so let's talk about something else.

Before today's inaugural session, there was good news...

... State Comptroller Susan Combs (told) lawmakers they've got billions of additional dollars at their disposal.

"Robust revenue collections driven forward by a recovering Texas economy led by sales taxes will result in a budget surplus," Combs said, projecting new revenue of $96.2 billion.

And not-so-good news...

But after paying leftover bills from the current biennium and stuffing $3.6 billion in the "Rainy Day" fund, the balance left for distribution is likely to leave many disappointed, especially advocates for Texas public schools.

"We are not going to see the restoration of the $4 billion to $5 billion cut during the 2011 session," Rice University Political Science chair Mark Jones said.

Indeed, Charles made this salient point this morning about the Comptroller of Public Accounts' underestimate.

This is all well and good, but the bottom line of Combs’ misfire is that the Lege cut billions of dollars from the budget that ultimately didn’t need to be cut. We may be able to do something good with this extra money now, but we can’t go back two years and un-fire all those people who lost their jobs as a result of the Republicans’ budgetary chainsaw massacre. We can’t go back and un-shortchange all the school districts and students that took those cuts right where it hurts. It’s all so much bloodstained water beneath the bridge.

And sure enough, the governor followed through on a tax cut mantra in his welcome to newly-sworn-in legislators later in the day.

Rick Perry was defiant as ever this afternoon at the Capitol. The governor sketched out his priorities for the legislative session in a brief speech to the Texas Senate on the Legislature’s opening day and made clear his approach this session will look very familiar. If you were hoping that the state’s improved budget outlook might lead to a slight increase in spending on items like schools and health care, Perry intimated this afternoon that those items aren’t high on his priority list.

After welcoming special guest Rick Santorum—who was sitting among the senators’ family and friends in the back of the chamber—Perry said the state’s budget surplus, announced yesterday by Comptroller Susan Combs, is proof that “we put Texas on the right path.” And lawmakers need to resist the urge to spend. “There are interest groups in the state who view Monday’s revenue estimate as ringing the dinner bell.”

At that, a young woman lost consciousness, as Dave Mann at the Texas Observer observed.

Moments before Perry said those words, a young Senate staffer standing in the back of the chamber—standing right behind me, actually—fainted. She collapsed on to me and Reuters correspondent Corrie MacLaggan. The young woman’s head hit the floor hard, and she lay motionless for what seemed an eternity, though it was probably only 15-20 seconds. It was a scary moment.

The commotion stopped Perry’s speech, and Sens. Bob Deuell and Donna Campbell, both of whom are doctors, rushed to the woman’s aid. She soon regained consciousness and was helped into a side room. She appeared OK. I hope she is OK. Perry, after seeing the woman helped shakily off the floor, quipped, “I haven’t had that effect on someone in a long time.” Then he added that talk of higher taxes can literally cause “people to swoon.”

Ha. Ha. Ha. What a douchebag we have as governor.

We can console ourselves with the hope that since the calendar reads January of 2013, he's not -- at this time -- capable of being as large a douchebag as the Attorney General of Texas (or whoever writes his legal briefs). Or even, for that matter, as masterful at douchebaggery as the new US Senator from Texas.

Update: Utter dumbass, though? Hell to the yes.

"I will suggest to you that you can ride into infamy with the decisions that you will make." -- Gov. Rick Perry, comparing lawmakers of the 83rd Legislature to the doomed defenders of the Alamo at a speech (Tuesday morning) to the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Webster's defines infamy as "an extreme and publicly known criminal or evil act." The word is best connected with FDR's description of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. And now it's a good summing up of what at least a few Texans might expect from their elected representatives over the next few months.

But dumbass over douchebag is small consolation. Tiny, actually. Miniscule, in fact.

At least we can hope that the Lege isn't capable of as much damage as two years ago. After reading this about the Republicans, though, I have to be skeptical. Thank goodness for Wendy Davis and Abel Herrero and Gene Wu and Harold Dutton and Senfronia Thompson and most of the other Dems. They'll make the next five months tolerable.

Hopefully.

Update: Eye on Williamson has the short and sweet summary. 

Sylvia Garcia punching down

Sylvia Garcia recently sent out this mail piece to SD-6 residents and voters, and earlier today Houston city councilman James Rodriguez -- a supporter of Carol Alvarado's campaign -- responded to it.

I am disappointed that Sylvia Garcia has decided to take her campaign in a negative direction by questioning Carol Alvarado’s support for an underpass at Harrisburg Boulevard...

At last night’s Senate District 6 Candidates Forum, Ms. Garcia went on to say that “some of the local representatives did not have the guts to stand” with the community in supporting an underpass.

Let me set the record straight.  In a letter dated July 30, 2008 to then-Metro CEO Frank Wilson, Ms. Garcia said “I support the concept of a bridge or underpass at the Union Pacific grade crossing,” on Harrisburg Boulevard. 

Let me further set the record straight.  Several elected officials including myself, Mayor Annise Parker, and Council Members Melissa Noriega and Ed Gonzalez worked with the community to find  the funding to pay for the underpass.  Ms. Garcia never attended any of the meetings on seeking a solution.  In fact, at a community forum in February of 2009, Ms. Garcia was asked if she would contribute to the funding of the underpass from her Precinct 2 Commissioner’s Road and Bridge Fund.  She declined.

Thanks to the Mayor’s leadership and the leadership of my colleagues, we were able to secure funding for the underpass including $10 million in Capital Improvement Plan dollars from District I.

Carol Alvarado worked with the community and made sure Metro heard their concerns.  Ms. Garcia supported the concept of a bridge, was a no-show during this entire process and for her to make this a campaign issue is a disservice to the voters of Senate District 6.

Most of my blogging compadres are trying to avoid even looking at this sort of thing, much less write about it, and truthfully I don't blame them for taking that course.

I don't know why Garcia -- with a million bucks to spend and hundreds of volunteers who have already canvassed the senate district's neighborhoods several times -- feels the need to punch below her weight class like this. It's the second time she has done so (that I am aware of) and both times the Alvarado campaign punched her back, hard.

If Garcia ultimately wins the seat, Alvarado is going to be both her constituent and colleague in the Texas House. They'll have to work together on a variety of issues for the district. Ad hominem attacks between two Democrats in a special election like this are unseemly and unnecessary... unless there's something personal between the two women that hasn't been aired publicly. And frankly, I don't think anybody wants to hear them air their grievances.

I think this is one instance where attacks ads aren't going to help the attacker. I'd like to believe that, anyway. I'd also like to see a cleaner race from here on. There are plenty of issues that need attacking, so I hope the two front-runners for SD-6 focus on those, and not some petty personal dispute.

Update: Stace Medellin, better-connected than me, expands and clarifies.

SD-6 developments (that mention Keystone XL)

The Chron catches up with the SD-6 special, just in time for early voting (beginning tomorrow).

With eight candidates in the race in an overwhelmingly Democratic district that includes Houston's East End, the race is likely to come down to a battle between two prominent Democrats, state Rep. Carol Alvarado, whose House district overlaps much of the Senate district, and former Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia.

Also running are R.W. Bray, the Republican candidate who lost to Gallegos last fall; Democrats Susan Delgado, Joaquin Martinez and Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes; Republican Dorothy Olmos; and Green Party candidate Maria Selva.

If a runoff is needed - and with so many candidates, one is likely - it will be held between Feb. 23 and March 9, with Gov. Rick Perry scheduling the exact date. 

Apparently Reyes is a Democrat after all, despite keeping that a secret on both his filing application and his website. The Chron's teaser headline on their home page prominently notes Delgado's former occupation. That really is cheesy of the newspaper of record. And judging by the posts from the Khronically Konservative Komment brigade, they took the bait the Chronic was chumming.

Mark Jones at Rice weighed in with his usual nothing.

The race features "a modest activist-versus-establishment dynamic, with activists leaning toward Garcia and the establishment toward Alvarado," said Rice University political scientist Mark Jones. "The pattern is not, however, clear-cut, with many establishment Democrats supporting Garcia and many activists backing Alvarado." 

Thanks for clearing that up. The only real news in this entire article is this:

Among the state's 31 senate districts, this predominantly Hispanic district ranks last in the number of registered voters (284,000) and in 2012 voter turnout (138,000). Jones estimates that fewer than 1 in 10 registered voters and 1 in 25 district residents will cast a ballot.

So if Jones is correct, 28,400 +/- votes in total will decide the primary. Garcia, the presumptive front-runner, declared early on her intention to avoid a runoff; she said as much at the bloggers' luncheon she hosted a few weeks ago. So, by extrapolating... she needs 14,201 votes to accomplish that. (See, I can do math.)

She has certainly put a lot of feet in the street since this all started in early December, so that could happen. I just don't think it will. The other four Dems, the Green, and the two Republicans -- one of which got 29% two months ago against Gallegos -- only need to get the same 50% +1 to deny Garcia the outright victory. Twenty-nine percent has been the conservative base vote in the district for the past two cycles in which Gallegos stood for re-election. 2008 and 2012 were both high Democratic turnout years. Again, using Jones' projection... that works out to 8,236 Republican votes.

These SWAGs mean that Garcia needs to earn 14,201 of the remaining 20,164 (28,400 - 8,236) or 70.42%. In competition with five other Democrats/liberals/progressives.

I'm still betting the runoff is going to be between Garcia and Bray.

Selva, for her part, will make Keystone XL a campaign issue. From yesterday's press release...

The Keystone XL Pipeline public-relations campaign is sheer misinformation. Keystone XL proponents claim it will lower gasoline prices. In fact, its economic model will hike Canadian oil prices at the expense of American gasoline consumers. Anthony Swift, author of the Natural Resources Defense Council report (http://www.nrdc.org/energy/files/kxlsecurity.pdf), states that when TransCanada proposed the Keystone pipeline, they set it up to increase oil prices in the United States, thereby increasing profit for Canadian producers when they send their product to the USA. The pipeline would take Canadian oil normally destined for Midwest refineries—which produce gasoline for US use—and instead send it to Gulf Coast refineries for eventual export since it yields more profits abroad.

 I support energy independence for the USA. We will not achieve it by building pipelines that offer us nothing but risk while we route North American oil to overseas markets. There is no employment benefit for Houston in the Keystone pipeline. Supporters refer the the pipeline as a potential ‘job creator.’ The glowing job projections for the pipeline are overblown. The Cornell University Global Labor Institute studied the issue, and they concluded, “…the job estimates put forward by TransCanada are unsubstantiated and the project will not only create fewer jobs than industry states, but that the project could actually kill more jobs than it creates.” 

About the same time that was hitting inboxes, the Tar Sands Blockade protest at the Houston offices of TransCanada was under way.

Here's the live blogging from yesterday, including video and pictures from other direct actions around the country.

You probably won't see much corporate media coverage of the protests against KXL. The HouChron can barely be bothered to cover the special election, so don't expect their corporate overlords to do much more than this. This report from the NYT was the welcome and notable exception.

The development of Alberta’s oil sands has increased levels of cancer-causing compounds in surrounding lakes well beyond natural levels, Canadian researchers reported in a study released on Monday. And they said the contamination covered a wider area than had previously been believed.

For the study, financed by the Canadian government, the researchers set out to develop a historical record of the contamination, analyzing sediment dating back about 50 years from six small and shallow lakes north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, the center of the oil sands industry. Layers of the sediment were tested for deposits of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, groups of chemicals associated with oil that in many cases have been found to cause cancer in humans after long-term exposure.

We will just have to wait and see if the issue resonates with the voters in SD-6.

Previous posts on the special election:

Alvarado declares for SD-6

Sylvia Garcia jumps in 

No Noriega(s) for SD-6 *with updates

Governor finally calls SD-6 special election 

Eight for SD-6 

Update: Kuffner adds some depth.

Update (1/13): "While solidarity actions were happening at the offices of TransCanada and its investors and contractors around the country, over a hundred blockaders took over the lobbies of two different TransCanada offices in Houston."