State and Local Issues

I love the Austin American Statesman!

Here's the latest in the what's wrong with this equation?

“Wynn proposes new rail project”; Front page 10/26/2007.

“This will be an extremely expensive undertaking, and Cap Metro isn’t in a position to finance it. And I’m not sure anyone else is, either”. Howard Falkenberg, Chairman of the Capital Area Transportation Coalition. page A13 same article as above, 10/26/2007.

“Dell begins cuts in local work force” Front page Business & personal finance section of the same issue, same date.

I am occasionally asked why I write a blog, in my case it is four blogs, often on the same subject matter. Actually it amounts to four as they fall into a somewhat liberal newspaper, the Austin American Statesman, a conservative My Fox Austin, and an independent, http://www.tellmeyouridea.com/.

There is a simple reason for this diversity, the most important being that I do not feel so self important that I tell my readers what to think or vote. I often refer to myself as an on balance independent, and try to see all sides of any given question.

Lets see if I've got this right department; is now in session.

First on the agenda; Andrew Clements leter to the editor bashing Ben Wea's stand on Cap Metro. My comment is, " Thank goodness for guys like Ben having a bully pulpit to help look out for those who don't." Cap Metro acts like they know everything about everything when in reality all they seem to want is more money, and have no idea how much money they really need and for what.

Aspiring writers and English teachers please feel free to criticise my last sentence structure.

In gambling it's called a "stacked deck" when the cards in a poker game have been pre-arrainged so that particular people win and particular people don't have a chance.

For all tax paying Austinites, I recommend reading Ben Ware's column in today's Sept. 24, 2007, Statesman, headlined. "Cap Metro finds 'rail effect' is at work once again"

My only comment is, "thanklully I live in an urban sprawl area that is not facing the unecessary tax burden that faces my Austin neighbors,"

It is ridiculous to watch the majority of panhandlers here in Austin.  I know, I know, some have severe mental health problems, drug issues, treated bad as children, blah, blah, blah.  But just SOME.  Trust me, I have seen them answering cell phones, park cars to get to their spot, and more.  These people have decided that this is their JOB.  Their source of income.  It is embarrassing.  But, it is the fault of the people that stop and hand out cash.  You are encouraging it.  If one car every three lights gives a dollar, that equals $20 an h

I do not dislike Austin, Cap Metro, or TexDot. To the contrary, these enteties furnish me with some very neat grist for my insatiable satire mill, and for this I give thanks.

When I was writing my syndicated column, "39 and Holding", Bill Clinton who hails from Arkansas gave me the fodder for many of my weekly observations.

According to the latest information, Austin, Texas is "not the center of the civilized universe", as wittness the fun and games time they are having by installing unnecssary "stop" lights to discourage "urban sprawl" by making the drive time from the suburbs into Austin longer. We urban sprawlers can figure out ways to beat this system quicker than a cat can blink it's eyes. This also goes for their toll roads. Thanks to TexDot and their infinite wisdom have actually reduced our daily round trip drive time some twenty minutes and we do not use their toll roads.

A few years ago a guy by the name of Bill Clinton gave me many opportunities to use when I was writing a weekly column. Now I get another golden oportunity to use the Austin and Texas road budgets, wow!

The Austin city council has apparently never heard of a balanced budget, so they subscribe to the tax and spend school of thought and if that's not enough of squandering the publics money they have to pump in Cap Metro and a few more "toll roads" to round up the meld.

There's hardly a day goes by that someting happens to make me think of ways I can better serve my readers. It may be of a political nature, or public health issues or something that puts a burr under my saddle. There is an old saw that goes like this; an aged Frenchman was asked on his 85th birthday if he had any regrets, and after careful fhought, he replied, "there are so many women and so little time".

This is the type of dillemma that faces me when I have to make a selection of subject material for my musings.