End Run Around The Electoral College

If you've lived in Texas for the last thirty years or so, you've probably noticed how your vote in presidential elections didn't mean much. Or maybe you didn't notice because you don't know any different. If you're under fifty or so, it's been this way your entire voting life. The reason is because of our Electoral College system that awards all of a state's electoral votes to the winner of the vote in that state. Texas has been so reliably Republican for decades that presidential candidates pretty much bypass the state during the quadrennial campaign for the White House.

After the jump, why that just might change.

Clash Of Civilizations. Settling Scores.

Two of my favorite commentators (and by favorite I mean least favorite) are Tom Pauken and Rod Dreher. Pauken is a frustrated Goldwater conservative who was sidelined by Bush/Rove in Austin in the 1990s and hasn't gotten over it yet. Dreher's conservatism goes back even farther (medieval Rome, say, or Constantinople). What Pauken and Dreher share is a calling to rally Western Civilization to stand against the expansion of Islam and a belief they know what ails modern conservatism.

After the jump, why they are both worth reading this week.

Finding Out Who John Jay Myers Is

Recently, I blogged about why Pete Sessions will win the November election for US House District 32. One of his opponents, Libertarian Party candidate John Jay Myers, replied to my blog comments. With his permission, I reproduce his reply after the jump.

SBOE Cannot Be Trusted With Money, Either

You might remember that the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has been one of my favorite topics, usually because of its over-the-top thinking regarding school curriculum (e.g., demoting Thomas Jefferson, questioning separation of church and state, balancing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address with Jefferson Davis' speeches, rehabilitating the reputation of Senator Joseph McCarthy, etc.). The Dallas Morning News' Jacquielynn Floyd described the SBOE as a "whacked-out troop of underqualified ideologues ... [who] make us look like a bunch o' goobers in the eyes of the whole nation."

Not content with being goobers regarding school curriculum, now the SBOE insists on being goobers regarding money, too. Last week, the SBOE voted to raid the piggy bank for their pet cause. The SBOE voted to allow tapping into the Permanent School Fund, taxpayers' money that's been entrusted to them for investment, to make loans to charter schools.

After the jump, what others think of this latest move by the SBOE.

Tolerance Is Not A Four-Letter Word

tol·er·ance   /ˈtɒlərəns/   –noun
1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.

Since when did tolerance become something negative? Tolerance doesn't mean agreement with everything. It doesn't mean a lack of principle. It doesn't mean you can't argue about public morals. It doesn't mean you have to surrender the principles on which our nation was founded. To the contrary, it's the tolerance inscribed in the Bill of Rights that lets us have this debate with civility, no matter how whack-job I think your opinions are. And this novel attitude that tolerance is a dirty word is pretty whack-job, with all due respect.

Arrest For Marijuana Possession: News?

A teenager in Richardson is arrested for marijuana possession. I'm imagining the tweet already:

"Having breakfast with the kiddo at Richardson city jail. Love this venue. All hail the Ganja Deluxe."

Seriously, marijuana possession is only a Class B misdemeanor (an offense nonetheless and something to avoid), but it's an offense that an enlightened society rightly wouldn't have on the books at all. It should be treated like having a six pack of beer in your possession. The country tried outlawing that once. In case you don't remember, it didn't go so well. Neither is the country's current policy of outlawing the possession of marijuana. Reader response to The Dallas Morning News' story is overwhelmingly dismissive of the charge and of the News for even running the story. They say it's "no big deal." Are they right? Is it news?

The teenager charged is the son of a member of the city council, which hires the city manager, who hires the police chief, who oversees the police department that sets the priorities for enforcing the laws. So, there's some irony in the story, which is an angle that makes it at least a small news story. Besides, if you think our current drug laws are counter-productive, the more stories like this, the better. Here's a nineteen year old who faces jail time and a criminal record for "no big deal". If the offense isn't news, the serious consequences should be. Shine a light on enough stories like this one and just maybe society will eventually see fit to try another way to deal with drug and alcohol use.

Still, I can't help thinking that the public doesn't have the full story yet. Reportedly, the officer detected a suspicious odor in a car after a traffic stop. If (and it's only an "if") the driver was under the influence (it doesn't matter whether from alcohol or marijuana), my sympathy disappears entirely. Throw the book at him, not for possession, but for driving under the influence. That's a crime I can fully get behind prosecution of.

Help The Ramblers Get To New York City

From 2010 07 Berkner Ramblers

The Berkner Ramblers, the country/western precision dance team from Berkner High School, has been invited to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. There'll be need for a lot of fundraising between now and then! Be on the lookout for car washes, cookie sales and performances like Friday night's show at Eastside in Richardson. When you see that "golden boot" being passed around, give generously.

For more photos, click here.

Our Wonderland Legal System

'Consider your verdict,' the King said to the jury, in a low, trembling voice.
'There's more evidence to come yet, please your Majesty,' said the White Rabbit.
...
'Let the jury consider their verdict,' the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.
'No, no!' said the Queen. 'Sentence first - verdict afterwards.'
'Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. 'The idea of having the sentence first!'
'Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.
'I won't!' said Alice.
'Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice.

-- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

Two legal cases in the news this week caught my attention. Both show our legal system in a bad light, where strict adherence to law is at least unwise and at worst, outrageous.

After the jump, our own adventures in Wonderland.

Tax Exemption Versus Tax Freeze

Which is better? In the 2009 Richardson City Council race, Amir Omar ran on a platform that included a property tax freeze for seniors:

"Although the City has insituted [sic] Senior property tax exemptions, home values increase almost every year. These exemptions are not permanent and risk being outpaced by property value increases. If the budget tightens, the City Council has the option of rolling back the exemptions. This would be a way to raise taxes without publicly 'raising taxes'. Our Seniors deserve better. They live on a fixed income and should not have to worry year over year about the Council's whims. That is why a permanent freeze in property tax is important. A freeze will remove the temptation of turning to exemptions during a budget shortfall while giving the final assurance to our Seniors that they deserve."

That platform won for Omar a seat on the City Council. After the jump, how Omar is trying to make good on that campaign promise.

Paying Salaries With Bonds

Ian McCann, in the The Dallas Morning News Richardson blog, reports that the City Council of Richardson plans that "Spending on 14 employees whose salaries are covered by bond debt will be moved to the general fund. The actual source of the funds will transition to the general fund over several years."

McCann doesn't say what reasoning was behind that decision. Because the city didn't telecast this council work session (unlike all other work sessions -- more about that here), and I didn't attend in person, I can only speculate on what's going on. It sounds like an implicit admission by the city that its critics were right. During the bond election campaign, opponents made a big deal of the fact that the bond package included salaries for city employees who would be managing the bond projects in some way. Supporters of the bond largely ignored the charge, voters did too, and the bond package passed. This week's decision to move those salaries out of the bond debt suggests that someone at city hall did notice the critics, after all.