Category: Texas

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Black people Politics Texas United States

Rick Perry Saves One Life In Texas

He was supposed to be executed today, but because of the testimony of a prosecution psychologist during his sentencing, Duane Buck – convicted of murdering two people – will live to see another day. The testimony of the psychologist claimed that black people are more likely to commit crimes.

Luckily, former Texas AG turned senator John Cornyn asked, eleven years ago but still, that Buck’s and five other death penalty sentences be reviewed for racial bias, which gave the Supreme Court enough fodder to halt Buck’s execution early this morning.

Governor Rick Perry, the presidential candidate who loves nothing more than personally executing people with his six-shooter, has so far remained mum about the case, possibly because someone else was already executed in Texas this week, temporarily sating his all-consuming bloodlust.

In recent debates, the Teaparty has  applauded Texas presidential candidate Rick Perry for setting the record for the most executions in Texas. They also called for the government to allow people who cannot afford healthcare to die. The knowledge that Duane Buck is still alive will not go over well with Perry’s Teaparty admirers.

Categories
Politics Republican Texas

Did Rick Perry Kill An Innocent Man?

During the recent Republican Presidential debate, Rick Perry was asked if he struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of the 234 death row inmates the state of Texas kills every year,  might have been innocent. Perry answered that the courts in Texas have a great record for quality convictions, so he had no problem ordering 234 executions over his 11 years as Governor.

“No sir, I’ve never struggled with that at all,” he said. “The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place of which — when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if that’s required.”

“If you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you’re involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice in the State of Texas. And that is you will be executed.”

Exactly how sound is this ‘thoughtful and clear’ process in Texas anyway? Apparently, not so clear. In fact, it’s quite foggy.

Over the last 9 years of Perry’s 11 years in power, DNA evidence has exonerated 41 prisoners convicted in that thoughtful, clear Texas system. That’s 41 people who went to prison, and were later found innocent of a crime they had been convicted of.

And what’s even worse, in 2004,  Perry allowed the execution of a death row inmate named Cameron Todd Willingham. Mr Willingham was accused and convicted – using that thoughtful, clear process – of setting a fire that killed his three daughters. He was put to death, although evidence, scientists and forensics experts doubted the prosecution’s case against him. Rick Perry even went as far as shutting down an official investigation into the case and execution.

The fact that Rick Perry stopped the investigation is proof that valid questions about the execution were being asked, which would also suggest that maybe, just maybe an innocent man was killed under Perry’s watch. But why would Perry lose sleep over that? He is after all, a modern day Republican governor and doesn’t believe in all that scientific mumbo-jumbo, forensic-smorensic nonsense.

Hang ’em high! Yee-hah!!

Categories
job creation Politics Republican Texas

Texas Residents Are Number 2 In The United States… In Hunger

Either Rick Perry is a liar, or he just doesn’t know the residents of his state that well.

The Texas governor recently announced his intention to run for the Republican nomination to take on Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential elections, and he often quotes his “success” in Texas as his main qualification for president. But if this new report is true, the question begs to be asked – why exactly are Texas residents the second hungriest folks in the nation?

Yes, despite Perry’s claims that Texas has the best economy in the nation, and despite his claims that his state produced more jobs than any other state, why are the people wanting for something as basic as food?

From the USDA report;

An estimated 85.5 percent of American households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2010, meaning that they had access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining households (14.5 percent) were food insecure at least some time during the year, including 5.4 percent with very low food security—meaning that the food intake of one or more household members was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food.

So where do Texans  falls? Well in 2010, under the auspicious leadership of Mr. Perry, 18.8% of residents reported not having enough food at some point during the year. That number was only second to Mississippi’s 19.4% who made the same claim.

This report shows the emptiness of Perry’s job creation claim. Although data shows that 4 out of every 10 jobs recently created in the nation came from Texas, something is drastically wrong if the citizens of your state still can’t afford to buy food. But there is no surprise here. Although Perry’s claim is partly correct, the fact remains the same – Texas leads the nation in minimum wage jobs.

Texas has more people earning the federal minimum wage or less than any other state and is tied with Mississippi for the highest percentage of minimum-wage workers. New York follows Texas and Mississippi by three percentage points.

Categories
Barack Obama Politics Texas

Rick Perry Accepts Federal Emergency Help From President Obama

Information released today by the White House suggests that President Obama and Texas Governor Rick Perry recently had a telephone conversation, where the President offered FEMA’s help to the people of Texas affected by the wild fires. According to the news release;

Today the President called Texas Governor Rick Perry to express his concern for citizens of Texas impacted by the unprecedented fires.

During the call the President extended his condolences for the lives that have been lost as a result of these events, and made clear that the federal government, through DHS/FEMA and the U.S. Forest Service, will continue to make federal assistance available to state and local officials as they fight the fires.

The President also assured the Governor that requests for additional assistance, including as recovery begins, would be quickly assessed.

Following the call, the President directed his national security staff to continue to work closely with FEMA, the Forest Service and the State of Texas to ensure we were making all resources available.

Over the last several days, at the request of the Governor, the Administration has granted eight Fire Management Assistance Grants, making federal funds available to reimburse eligible costs associated with efforts to combat the fires.

FEMA is actively working with state and local officials to conduct damage assessments and to identify areas where additional federal assistance may be warranted.

This, after all the times Rick Perry has denounced the very existence of FEMA, and his many times promising to end the Federal Emergency Program. This dude is simply unbelievable.

Categories
Featured Texas

While Texas Burns, Perry Slashed Firefighter Funds By 75%

The fire raging through Texas is not a surprise, it’s something everyone expected, in fact, it happens often. Yet, with that in mind, Rick Perry, the Republican candidate for President in 2012, massively cut funding to the only agency whose job is to fight these fires.

Volunteer departments that were already facing financial strain were slated to have their funding cut from $30 million to $7 million, according to KVUE.

The majority of Texas is protected by volunteer fire departments. There are 879 volunteer fire departments in Texas and only 114 paid fire departments. Another 187 departments are a combination of volunteer and paid.

The raging inferno presently covers over 25,000 acres near Bastrop and has already destroyed nearly 500 homes. At a time like this, all hands should be on deck, but thanks to Perry’s decision making, the burning continues.

This decision by Rick Perry gives a whole new meaning to the term, ‘slash and burn.’

Categories
Abortion Politics Texas

Federal Judge Strikes Down Parts of Rick Perry’s Abortion Law

A key provision of Rick Perry’s abortion law in Texas got struck down by a federal judge on Tuesday. The law – which would have required a sonogram of the fetus to be done, then an explanation of the results to a woman seeking the abortion – will go into effect on Thursday.

According to U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, the sonogram provision of the law could still proceed, but requiring the doctor to give a description of the sonogram “compels physicians to advance an ideological agenda with which they may not agree, regardless of any medical necessity and irrespective of whether the pregnant women wish to listen.”

Sparks wrote;

“(It) is difficult to avoid the troubling conclusion the Texas Legislature either wants to permanently brand women who choose to get abortions, or views these certifications as potential evidence to be used against physicians and women,”

Rick Perry, who made this issue a primary part of his 2011 platform, basically proved the Judge’s point that Republicans are expecting doctors to push their ideological agenda when he said in a statement, “every life lost to abortion is a tragedy and today’s ruling is a great disappointment to all Texans who stand in defense of life.”

The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights sued to get this policy blocked, and expressed their approval with the ruling, calling it a “huge victory for women in Texas and a clear signal to the state Legislature that it went too far when it passed this law.”

Perry and his Republican legislatures already said they will appeal the ruling.

Categories
Abortion Politics Republican Party Texas

Abortion, As Seen Through The Eyes Of Rick Perry

Republicans have used their massive gains in the 2010 midterm elections to implement a lot of bills and legislation against middle class America. And most these bills are directed towards women and against their reproductive rights.

Enter Rick Perry.

What can we look forward to in a Rick Perry America? An article by Amy Bingham of ABC News details some of the more bizarre laws in Perry’s Texas. But one that caught my attention, although I’m really not surprise considering the GOP’s attack on women, is Perry’s abortion law. From Bingham’s article;

[Rick Perry] played an integral role in creating a law that requires women seeking abortions to have a sonogram at least 24 hours prior to the procedure. The bill also requires doctors to describe the fetus, including details about internal organ and limb development. They must also make the image and heart beat available for the woman to see and hear.

Perry, who called the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision a “tragedy,” pushed for the bill to get emergency status so it could be fast-tracked through the state Legislature and not have to wait the requisite 60 days for a vote.

The constitutionality of the bill is currently being reviewed by a federal judge, who is expected to pass down a ruling before Thursday, when the bill is set to take effect.

So much for small government.

Categories
Politics Texas Wall Street

Rick Perry Tried To Gain Benefits From Dead Texans

This is as slime-ball low as slime-ball low goes. A story in the Huffington Post details a scheme by Governor Rick Perry of Texas to make money off the dead.

The scheme, according to the report, spoke about an arrangement the Perry administration proposed, where Wall Street investors would bet on how long retired teachers would live. Perry’s administration would act as the middle man, introducing the insurance provider USB to the unsuspecting retired teacher. Wall Street would then bet on that teacher’s longevity, and upon their passing, Perry would take the insurance money and reward the winning investor. The state of Texas would get a percentage for introducing USB insurance, The Wall Street investor and the deceased.

The family of the deceased, predictably, will not get anything from this arrangement

According to the notes, which were authenticated by a meeting participant, the Perry administration wanted to help Wall Street investors gamble on how long retired Texas teachers would live. Perry was promising the state big money in exchange for helping Swiss banking giant UBS set up a business of teacher death speculation.

All they had to do was convince retirees to let UBS buy life insurance policies on them. When the retirees died, those policies would pay out benefits to Wall Street speculators, and the state, supposedly, would get paid for arranging the bets. The families of the deceased former teachers would get nothing.

Calling Perry a slime ball is wrong. My apologies to the real slime-balls of the world. You wouldn’t sink this low.

Categories
George Bush Politics Texas

Laugh With Us. Watch Rick Perry Stumbles To Answer A Question

LOL.

Did you know that Texas issued an apology to America for bringing us the likes of Rick Perry and George Bush? Well they did, and the video below is a perfect example of why Texas feels the need to make this apology.

In the video below, Rick Perry is asked a question about one of his policy positions regarding abstinence education programs. The host correctly points out that Texas has the 3rd highest teen pregnancy in the nation, and asked Perry why continue these programs when statistics clearly show they don’t work.

Although the message of abstinence is a sensible one, Perry couldn’t explain why Texas should continue spending money teaching abstinence education. The audience totally enjoyed this one, and you will too.

Laugh with us – and remember, Texas did apologize…

Categories
George Bush Politics Texas United States

Texas Apologizes To America For Bush And Perry

Well it’s about time.

We have been waiting for this apology since Bush first announced his intentions to run for President. And here we are, 10 years later, with an economy in the ditch because Bush took us into two unpaid wars, instituted trillions in tax cuts for the rich, an exploded deficit and spent hundreds of billions in the dumb medicare part D program. And now, another Texan has decided to follow in Bush’s footsteps.

I guess this apology is better late than never!

Categories
Politics Republican Texas unemployment rate United States

Unemployment Claims In Texas Debunked – The Chart

A dose of reality for Rick Perry’s Texas in reference to unemployment. Kevin Drum posts this chart at Mother Jones, and it shows the present unemployment rate of Texas, as it relates to the unemployment rate of the 11 states immediately surrounding Texas. Drum points out that Texas only beat 4 states, while the other 7 have better employment rates.

Seems Rick Perry’s policies aren’t so special after all!

Categories
Politics Texas

Rich Donors To Rick Perry Get Extra, Extra Special Treatment

Large donors to the Rick Perry campaign for governor of Texas are beginning to reap the benefits of their donations, or more appropriately, investments. Reports have shown that numerous individuals and couples who’ve invested in Perry, are getting multi-million dollar contracts and subsidies from the state of Texas, and some even get jobs in the Perry administration.

The LA Times reports that over the last 10 years, Rick Perry received $37 million from just 150 people, and of these “donors,” nearly half have received “hefty business contracts, tax breaks or appointments under Perry, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.” The Times investigation found “donors” like billionaire Harald Simmons, who invested $1.2 million dollars in Perry. Simmons was rewarded with “permission to build a low-level radioactive waste disposal site in Texas, a project that promises to generate hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Other Investors:

Auto magnate B.J. “Red” McCombs, who contributed nearly $400,000 to the governor, is the primary financial backer for a Formula One racetrack to be built near Austin. The state has pledged $25 million a year in subsidies to support the project.

The Houston-based engineering firm of James Dannenbaum, who gave more than $320,000 to Perry, received multiple transportation contracts from the state. In 2007, Perry appointed Dannenbaum to a coveted post on the University of Texas’ board of regents.

A Mississippi-based poultry company run by Joe Sanderson, who gave $165,000 to Perry, received a $500,000 grant from a state business incentive fund championed by Perry to open a chicken hatchery and processing plant in Waco.

With its mix of big-money industries like oil and campaign finance rules that allow unlimited political donations, Texas has a reputation for monied campaigns. And its elected officials have long sought to elevate their political patrons.

Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said donors had benefited more under Perry’s administration than they did under recent governors such as Democrat Ann Richards and Republican George W. Bush, Perry’s predecessor.

Now, Rick Perry is trying to take his investment company called the Rick Perry Presidential Campaign, nationwide, but in order for him to succeed, he must come to the little people to get their votes. Vote for Perry, the millionaires and billionaires need more hand-outs!

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