Bueracracy Fails Again

There are many flaws in the way our State and our Nation does business on a daily basis. Recently Marty Toohey wrote an article, City Misses Deadline to Receive $400,000 in Low-Income Assistance, that demonstrates the flaws of bureaucracy and big government.  The city of Austin was in line to receive $600,000 for weatherizing Low-income homes. However, due to a complex and drawn out checks and balances process, the lack of a quick response doctrine to act on matters of urgency and significant miscommunication and lack of integration between the cities different departments the money was lost.

It is about time for the State and the cities inside the State start behaving as they promised. All government organizations should be streamlined and have in place a quick response doctrine for both emergencies such as natural disasters and fiscal concerns that are on a short time line. So that emergencies  can be addressed efficiently and effectively in the quickest amount of time possible. I also propose that each department hires a liaison, whose sole job is to facilitate communication between the departments so that issues like those addressed in “City Misses Deadline to Receive $400,000 in Low-income Assistance” will not occur again.

Critique of "need for changes"

While I understand that you believe the majority of the problems in Texas is the result of a poorly written constitution there is a definitive lack of supporting facts for your argument in your article, a need for changes. It appears to me that you felt like insulting the State and the people in it rather than providing ways to motivate people to empathize with your belief that the constitution must be streamlined and updated for our times.

 I do agree that there are flaws in the Texas Constitution, but can not agree with your choice of approach to the topic. If I were a Texan I would likely have stopped listening to your statement that there are flaws in the Constitution and would have focused solely on the insults that you chose to fling instead.

It is highly advisable to stay way from name calling and all forms of insults in general when trying to persuade people of your position whether it be on the constitution or what movie to see tonight. One of my favorite Southern sayings seems to fit well here. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Editorial on Education

Education... is arguably the single most important asset that a human being gains from being a member of a civilized society is again being sabotaged. On November 8, 2011 Hutto school district residents chose to reject the proposed property tax increase of 6 cents or 50 cents for every $100 dollars of property value. The increase would have raised $1.2 million dollars to offset future State level cuts in education spending. The voters made this decision based on a belief that the school finance system is unfair and unconstitutional. The Hutto school district is one member of a coalition of Texas school districts that sued the state last month on that basis. That being the case, I can understand that passing the increase would weaken their stance in court. However, it seems to me that the residents of the school district and the State both are forgetting about the most important part of the equation in education, the children. The ability to provide a quality education to them directly corresponds to their ability to thrive and develop skills that will allow them to be a productive part of society. This unless I am mistaken is the purpose of the schools and the monies allotted to them. Not providing the children of the district, the state and the nation with quality education is in the end a severe detriment to all of our well being. It will produce citizens that are unable to compete in the global market, this in turn means more jobs going offshore and a further collapse in the economy. Education is the key to success and must be a top priority. Unfortunately, when it comes to the value of education Texas really needs to get its act together. We are ranked ranked 44^th in spending per student per school year at $9,143 and according to the most recent study by the US Census Bureau as of 2009 Texas was ranked 50^th out of the 50 states in number of citizens over the age of 25 that have graduated high school or have earned a General Education Diploma. I do understand money is tight, my question is where is it going and who is doing the math? We are one of the wealthiest States in the Union after all.

In response to "Sensible bond package merits 'yes' vote."

In Sensible bond package merits 'yes' vote by the Austin Statesman Editorial board, They discuss Proposition 1 and Proposition 2, two bonds that are designed to develop infrastructure and parks that were on the Travis County ballot yesterday. Proposition 1 provides $132.8 million over two dozen transportation projects by the county. It will build six roads, widen seven from two lanes to four, rehabilitate three bridges, and raise the level of several other roads and low-water crossings to decrease the chances of flooding on those roadways. Proposition 2 provides $82.1 million for the purchase of land to be utilized for parks, the improvement of existing parks and green-ways, as well as to preserve natural spaces. The article argues that purchasing the land now is more financially sensible because land prices are continuing to climb. Of the proposed projects the most expensive would require $22.2 million to purchase approximately 800 acres on the county's southwestern edges for recreational use along the Pedernales River. If voters approve both propositions, it is expected to add $10.47 to the 2013 tax bill for an average home valued at $272,931. That would increase to $42.75 in 2019.

While they do sate their opinion, the reader is provided with plenty of information to form their own opinion, they seem to be even tempered and are writing professionally. As for my opinion on the matter, I believe that the measures would provide great value to Travis county citizens, specifically the road expansions. But as with any great expenditure of taxpayers money I am hesitant to fully support a project unless the cost of the said project has been audited by an outside source. On November 8, 2011 Travis County citizens voted yes to both propositions.

Proposition 2 is not the right answer.

In response to Use Common Sense, not lobby sense, on Prop 2, by Brailyn. I whole heartily agree with her that giving a metaphorical blank check to the water industry without voter oversight is a bad idea. In doing so we would be allowing the water industry to build whatever they choose, when ever they choose. Granted they would have to contend with zoning laws and land use restrictions, but is that really enough? I think not. The corporate world has a bad record of taking government monies for granted and inflating the costs of conducting business to a ridiculous number. For instance in my industry, the average mark up on body armor sold to the US military is 4 times a 100% profit on each piece of armor. That while good for the business involved, drains our government coffers of money that could be put to use in other areas of concern, like education. Again like Brailyn, I do see the need to invest in our water supply infrastructure. However, Proposition 2 is not the correct answer in my opinion. I would be behind a one time credit of 6 billion dollars, assuming that every penny spent is accounted for and that the cost of each project is audited to ensure that we, the citizens of Texas, are not paying 400% of what it costs for the companies to build their projects and still receive a reasonable return. Unfortunately, 51% of the voters yesterday are either more trusting than I am or did not fully consider the risk involved in passing this proposition and it has been approved.

A review of Occupy Austin - Free Speech and Protest in the Public Forum

In his blog Burnt Orange Report, Edward Garris wrote in response to the Occupy Austin protest and similar protests that have been popping up across the country after the Occupy Wall Street movement began in New York City. He asks the question “Why have these protests that are being held on public streets and land being allowed to occur and for the most part are being undisturbed?” He quoted a list of legal doctrine and precedents that lead to a person being able to protest on a street, in a park or most public venues and that guaranteed that there will be a significant degree of First Amendment protection for those protests. Also, the precedents and legal doctrine that has been developed over time has ensured that if there are regulations in place that limit the ability to protest then the regulations are required to be objective, narrow, and definite. The objectivity, narrowness and definitiveness of the regulations will vary by degree in correspondence with the regulations purpose, whether it seeks to prevent all speech or just speech that addresses certain issues. The majority of Mr Garris's blog consists of him quoting the legal doctrine and precedents that have led to the American people's right to assemble and the legal protection that comes along with it. His blog lacks any real depth or original thought and feels like he cut and pasted his way to an article. On the positive side the blog is factually correct and he did correctly cite each of his quotes.

The Re-education of Historic Tax Breaks

Texas is ranked in the bottom 15 percent in education in the country. This is a sad fact that must be addressed for the future of the State and her citizens. The Re-education of Historic Tax Breaks by Richard Whittaker tells us about the dual spending on homes that claim to have historic value, but in many cases do nothing to improve the culture or education of our city. The tax breaks are actually taking away tax money from our schools. Since it is both the City of Austin and the Austin Independent School District that foots the bill in the form of tax breaks for the people that claim their property is of historic importance it is, to me, imperative that there is both a cultural and educational pay off.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-09-09/the-re-education-of-historic-tax-breaks/