I'm writing in response to Joe Barton's bizarre recent mailer. I find it discomforting that in this time where the American people have shown overwhelmingly that they want to move beyond partisan bickering and want true bipartisanship that my Representative took time away from fixing the endless problems that face this country to use my tax dollars to write a political hit-piece that would have fit better during the late 90's Gingrich-Delay era. The majority of this country is well past the "us vs. them" rhetoric and, quite frankly, Mr. Barton needs to catch up.

Let's look at some of the actions that Mr. Barton has taken issue with in one day back on the job. One day. Mr. Barton refers to the House of Representatives as the Peoples House because it is the body "closest to the people". Given the canned or non responses I get whenever I try to contact Mr. Barton's office, my representative's office and the decidedly unapologetic pro-corporate anti-consumer policies he's championed, I would submit that Mr. Barton hasn't been close to "the people" in quite some time. Mr. Barton should spare us this 'everyman' act.

Trade deals must protect workers, environment: Obama
By Doug Palmer
Fri Dec 19, 5:10 pm ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081219/pl_nm/us_usa_obama_trade

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will insist on strong protections for workers and the environment in future trade deals, President-elect Barack Obama said on Friday as he introduced his nominee to be chief U.S. trade negotiator.

Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk "will help make sure that any agreement I sign as president protects the rights of all workers, promotes the interests of all Americans, strengthens American businesses, and preserves the planet we all share," Obama said at a news conference in Chicago.

The focus on what Kirk described as a "values-driven" trade agenda is a nod to labor groups who helped elect Obama and have fought many losing battles against trade deals that they believe encourage U.S. companies to move jobs overseas.

Obama has promised one of his first acts as president would be to call the president of Mexico and prime minister of Canada to begin negotiations to "fix NAFTA" by adding stronger labor and environmental provisions.

But Obama's stance could complicate efforts to complete the seven-year-old Doha round of world trade talks if it means the United States will be adding new demands to those already difficult negotiations. ...

Although Kirk is little known in global trade circles, Obama said the 54-year-old lawyer's experience as a big city mayor from 1994 to 2001 prepared him to be U.S. trade representative.

"Ron helped steer one of the largest economies. He's seen the promise of trade, but also its pitfalls, and he knows there is nothing inconsistent about standing up for free trade and standing up for American workers," Obama said. ...

Could Texas Lose Its Solidly Republican Identity?
by Wade Goodwyn
Politics
Day to Day, December 19, 2008
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98388035

Listen Now
5:58
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=98388035

Graphic: GOP Losing Hold on Texas Politics?
http://media.npr.org/design/comps/voters.gif

Day to Day, December 19, 2008 · The Republican Party in Texas holds every statewide elected office, including both U.S. Senate seats, the governor's mansion and majorities in the Texas House and Senate. There's no reason to be worried, right?

Except that Indiana used to be considered safely Republican — as did Iowa, Nevada, Virginia, Colorado and North Carolina, all states won by President-elect Barack Obama last month.

Although Arizona Sen. John McCain carried Texas by a double-digit margin, some Democratic organizers believe that, with enough money and staff, the Lone Star State could be flipped. This imagined realignment would not happen immediately; it would take between two and four election cycles.

But if Democrats could flip Texas, the ramifications for the Republican Party could be traumatic, making GOP politicians vulnerable to a decades-long exile from power at the national level. ..

John Sharp to seek US Senate seat
12/08/2008
By APRIL CASTRO / Associated Press
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D94UO7O00.html

Democratic former Comptroller John Sharp said Monday he'll run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison the next time the seat goes before the voters.

Sharp, 58, said he will file the required paperwork to begin raising money and campaigning on Jan. 1. Hutchison said last week she is forming an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2010, two years before her term ends.

"I will be a candidate whether the election is in 2012 or any time before then," said Sharp, who made two unsuccessful runs for lieutenant governor. "Texans face tough challenges that call for innovative solutions, and that's what our campaign is all about."

Hutchison, whose Senate term expires in 2012, has said she may leave the Senate as early as next year to campaign. If that happens, Republican Gov. Rick Perry would appoint a replacement to the seat until a special election is held.

Other possible Democratic contenders for the seat are Houston Mayor Bill White; former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, who lost a 2002 Senate bid to John Cornyn; state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio; state Rep. Richard Pena Raymond; and Dallas state Rep. Rafael Anchia.

On the GOP side, state Sen. Florence Shapiro is raising money for a possible run while former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Michael Williams, the chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission are thought to be contenders.

Sharp, who was close friends with Perry when they were students at Texas A&M, was widely expected to oppose Perry in the 2006 gubernatorial election. But Perry appointed Sharp to lead the Texas Tax Reform Commission that ultimately wrote the state's new business tax.

As chair of the commission, Sharp was instrumental in crafting the new tax code that had befuddled state officials for decades. While the tax helped get the state out of court trouble that threatened to shut down public schools and cut property taxes by a third, the tax has been a disappointment to small business owners and has not generated the amount of revenue expected. The business tax is expected to be revised during the upcoming legislative session.

At the time the proposal was unveiled, Sharp called it the "the best, fairest, most broad-based, comprehensive system to reduce property taxes that I have ever seen in 20 years that I've been around this process."

Sharp started his political career as a state representative from Victoria. Four years later he became a state senator, serving on the Senate Finance Committee. He was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission in 1986. He was elected state comptroller in 1990 and was re-elected in 1994.

Former Texas AG Jim Mattox dies
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Posted on Thu, Nov. 20, 2008
http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1050057.html

Former Texas congressman and Attorney General Jim Mattox, a powerhouse in Democratic politics through the 1980s, has died, state Democratic Party officials said Thursday. He was 65.

The Associated Press reported that Mattox died at his Dripping Springs home. His sister, Janice, said her brother died in his sleep but had not been ill "any more than common" and didn't know whether he had heart problems.

They talked on the phone almost every day and talked about "business, kids, the holidays, the dog, politics."

"I think they [Texans] lost an advocate for their interests in the state of Texas," she said.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Waco) said: "Jim Mattox was a tireless fighter for average working families in Texas. His was a voice that will be missed but not forgotten."

Mattox, a longtime Democrat, worked his way up the party ladder. He got involved in hometown Dallas precinct politics, won a seat in the Texas House and then served three terms in the U.S. House.

A former Dallas County prosecutor, Mattox served as attorney general from 1983 to 1990 and developed a reputation as a feisty partisan in his many conflicts with then-Gov. Bill Clements, a Republican.

Voting Information For Hurricane Ike Evacuees [Texas]

----- Original Message -----
From: Sondra Haltom, TDP Political Director
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008

Subject: Voting Information For Hurricane Ike Evacuees

Attention All Democrats:

Many voters have been affected by Hurricane Ike. Some may not be able to return to their homes before Election Day and others may find that their local polling location has been damaged and they will need to vote elsewhere. There are options available to these voters which vary depending on the circumstance. Whether you are in an affected county or your county is sheltering Hurricane Ike evacuees, please be aware of the voting options available to you and help facilitate that information to others.

Queen’s Comments
I moved to Texas four years ago from California.  Imagine my dismay when I have no one but conservative Republicans representing me in Congress.  At least in California I had Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein as my Senators, even if I did have the awful Republican conservative, Dana Rohrabacher, who was my representative.  Sam Johnson has been my  US Representative in the House.  Until yesterday, I honestly don’t think there was one single piece of legislation on which we were in agreement.  Yesterday, however, Sam voted against the financial bailout so I called him today to thank him.  I just tried to send him an email, but because of the number of people writing to the House of Representatives, I got a busy message.  Here is the letter that I will eventually send to Sam:

Bill Clinton and George HW Bush just announced in New York City that they will again partner together, this time for Hurricane Ike relief.

More later today at
http://www.BushClintonCoastalFund.com

IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF "IF" OHIO REPUBLICANS ARE GUILTY OF ILLEGAL MANIPULATION OF THE VOTING PROCESS IN 2004--they did!  On March 13, 2007, 2 election workers got 18 months for rigging presidential recount.   The question remains:  Will they do it again in 2008?

HOW IMPORTANT WAS OHIO IN 2004?

Ohio gave Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the election and hold on to the White House in 2004. Kerry beat Bush in Democratic Cuyahoga County 448,486 to 221,606.

___________________________________________________________

OHIO  DEMOCRATS!   DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLEVELAND (AP) — A judge suspicious of more corruption pressed two former election board workers to tell what they know and then sentenced them today to the maximum 18 months in prison for rigging the 2004 presidential election recount to make their job easier.

“I can’t help but feel there’s more to this story,” said Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Peter Corrigan, who allowed the women to remain free on bond pending appeal. Some of their friends and relatives sobbed as the judge imposed the sentence.

SOURCE:

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070313/NEWS24/70313029

I don't know if this has been resolved or not, but perhaps another Texan like Jim Hart might know.

In the state of Texas, the cut off date for registering to be on the ballot of our General Election this fall was July 26.

William Barr is the only Presidential candidate who was registered on or before that date.

And any Texan can likely straighten them out on that.

From Reuters (now Thomson Reuters as the UK Company and Thomson, a large Canadian media conglomerate joined forces this year) had this to say about Gustav.

 “Gustav's approach had stirred uneasy comparisons to Katrina, the most costly hurricane in U.S. history, which killed some 1,500 people and caused over $80 billion in damage almost exactly three years ago.”

 Interesting, since I don’t know if they are ignorant of US history or if they don’t figure the value of a human life into “costly”, but according to my values they are wrong.  Not too surprising, however, since neocon Rupert Murdoch at one time had at least 15% stock of Reuters. It should come as no surprise that they don't count human life.  

Katrina was not the most costly hurricane in U.S. History.  The hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas September 8, 1900 was the most costly.   More than 6,000 men, women and children lost their lives in that hurricane. Go here for details: 

http://www.1900storm.com/

"A JACKASS CAN KICK A BARN DOWN, BUT IT TAKES A CARPENTER TO BUILD ONE."  Sam Rayburn  [so stop kicking our party, it's the best!]

 I realize that after 8 years of George Bush there may be some of you who think that "honorable Democrat from Texas" is an oxymoron, but really it isn't.  And please remember. George Bush is a Connecticut Yankee, born in New Haven, Connecticut.

Here is a photo of one of the most honorable Democrats from Texas, if not THE most honorable of all Democrats  Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House:

One of our bloggers, Michael DeCoria inspired me by reminding me to remember our local Democrats. It's easy to forget that many of them don't have a lot of money and a few extra hands can literally mean the difference between a win and a loss.

THANK YOU AGAIN MICHAEL FOR SPARKING MY AWARENESS OF WHAT ELSE I NEED TO DO.  I went straight to Tom Daley's site, the Democrat who is running against Sam Johnson in my 3rd US Congressional District.  I signed up for about everything offered to help Tom.

FOLLOWING MICHAELS GOOD INSPIRATION, I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO DO THE SAME.

Tell a Friend

 
Thank you for volunteering. Together, we can create a stonger America with broader prosperity and hope for a better tomorrow!

Sincerely,