King Of The Big Spenders

If there was an award for biggest spender in state government, it would have to go to Midland's ex-speaker Tom Craddick. Just in his last week as Speaker of the Texas House, he spent $169,400 on the apartment he was being forced to vacate behind the House Chamber in the Capitol Building. And he was still spending just hours before giving up the speakership.

Here's what he bought just in the last week he was speaker:

$75,000 for a crystal chandelier

$22,500 for a second chandelier

$26,500 for a walnut breakfront

$45,400 for two oil paintings

The renovations to the 1804 square foot apartment were paid for by private donations. Over $1.3 million dollars were raised for the fund. It makes me wonder just how much access the rich donors were buying when they forked over the big checks. But don't worry, Craddick didn't spend all of the money. He left $18.55 in the account.

I'd hate to think how much he would have needed to renovate a whole house, if it took that much just for an apartment!

Burnam Will Support Straus For Speaker

There are now 74 Democrats in the 150 seat Texas House of Representatives, and I'm sure most of them are reps that all Democrats can be proud of. But there is one who has long been my favorite -- Rep. Lon Burnam of Fort Worth. Rep. Burnam, who has been in the Texas House since 1997, is not just a Democrat, but a true progressive who has never been afraid to speak the truth about our corporate Republican power structure.

To his credit, Rep. Burnam has never voted for current Speaker Bob Craddick. In fact, he has never supported any Republican for the speaker's position. But it looks like that is fixing to change. Burnam has just announced that he is supporting, and will be voting for, San Antonio Republican Rep. Joe Straus (pictured) to be the next Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

Rep. Burnam said Rep. Straus "is a really nice guy", and that he has worked closely with him on energy conservation and alternative energy. He said, "He understands that issue better than any other Republican in the House. He's one of the nicest Republicans I've ever met."

Tarrant County Democratic Representatives Marc Veasey and Paula Pierson are also throwing their support behind Rep. Straus. They say he is a conservative, but is always willing to listen to the other side. Pierson believes Straus now has the support of 64 of the 74 Democrats in the House, and possibly more.

Personally, I would like to see a Democrat as speaker. But until they are the majority, that isn't going to happen. So the next best thing is to get Craddick replaced with a Republican who will be fair.

If Lon Burnam says that person is Rep. Straus, that's good enough for me. The important thing is to defeat Craddick.

Repubs Getting Desperate About HD 129

Things are certainly getting interesting in House District 129. There was a time when this was considered a safe district for the Republicans -- but no more. Democrat Sherrie Matula is proving to be a much more formidible candidate than the Republicans expected.

Matula has outraised her opponent in campaign funds, and currently has a few dollars more on hand than does her opponent. Her campaign workers have also hit the ground and knocked on over 5,000 doors in the district, with more being done each weekend. It's now looking like Matula has a very good chance of beating the Republican incumbent.

It looks like the Republicans think so, too. So much so that House Speaker Craddick has decided to step in and give the Republican a hand. According to Capitol Annex, Craddick has decided to give a fundraiser for Republican John Davis, and the guest of honor is someone from the Bush administration -- Karl Rove.

Yes, Craddick has reached into the gutter and invited the dirtiest Republican campaigner of all. A man who would expose our covert CIA agents, pervert the purpose of the Justice Department, ignore subpoenas from the U.S. Congress and lie to the American people.

With people like Craddick and Rove on his side, it becomes even more important to defeat John Davis in HD 129. It is time for honesty and competence in that district, and that can only be provided in this coming election by Sherrie Matula.

She's going to need more funds to match what Craddick and Rove will provide for her opponent. If you can, give her a small (or large) donation. Or volunteer to her her campaign. With your help, we can send one more ethically-challenged Republican home to stay.

Burnam Says Craddick Guilty Of Political Attacks

Recently, we've been hearing about "ghost workers" working for members of the Texas House of Representatives. These workers are on the payroll and receive the benefits (such as insurance) of full-time state employees, even though they do little or no actual work for the state.

State Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) is accusing House Speaker Craddick of using a non-governmental entity (the Quorum Report) to investigate his political enemies, and then leaking the information to the Austin American-Statesman. He finds it odd that the only people named are opponents of Craddick's retaining his speakership.

Burnam has written a letter to the chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics, Rep. Larry Phillips, asking the committee to be fair and thorough in its investigation. He wants the committee to make sure Craddick and his cronies are also investigated, and not just his political enemies. Click here to see Burnam's full letter.

This just once again points up the importance in electing Democrats this Fall, on the state level as well as the national level. The Texas House has been held captive to the dictatorial rule of Speaker Craddick, who seems much more interested in his own holding of power, than what is good for the citizens of Texas. Those who oppose Craddick find they can't get a fair hearing on their bills.

The easiest way to replace Craddick is to vote Democratic in November. It is time to remove this autocrat from his position of power in Austin.

Republican Pandering In Texas

It looks like the Republicans in Texas are starting to feel the heat in this election year. Two separate polls have now shown that Democratic senate candidate Rick Noriega is only 4 point behind the incumbent, "Box Turtle" John Cornyn (and Cornyn is polling less than 50% in both polls). In addition, the polls show that John McCain is not doing much better, and may actually be beatable in this reddest of states.

Couple this with the huge turnout in the Democratic primary in Texas this year, and you have Republican candidates all over the state running scared. It's no longer a matter of whether Democrats will make gains in this year's election, but only of how big those gains will be. Will Texas go from red to purple, or will it go all the way to blue?

The favorite Republican tactic of fearmongering doesn't seem to be working this year -- guess they've gone to that well once too often. So now they're falling back on an old stand-by -- pandering to voter greed.

State Comptroller Combs announced earlier this week that it looks like Texas will have about a $10.7 billion surplus. Speaker Craddick believes it may be $3 or $4 billion larger than that. So the Republicans, led by our inept governor Rick Perry, are now starting to talk about further tax cuts (for the rich probably) or even cash rebates.

What they won't tell you is that the surplus exists because they have been unwilling to fully fund the things that are desperately needed in Texas. We have a surplus because they refuse to:

- fully fund and extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

- give our schools all the money they need (especially in poor areas).

- allot enough money to repair our roads and bridges and build new ones (they'd rather build toll roads and give them away to foreign companies).

- pay our state employees a decent wage (with the possible exception of Mississippi and Oklahoma, our employees are among the lowest paid in the nation).

- create treatment and diversion programs for drug and alcohol abusers, so we can get them out of our overcrowded prisons.

- give our colleges and universities enough money to keep the cost to students low enough so everyone who wants to can get a college education.

These are just a few of the problem areas where that money is needed. But don't expect Republicans to act to solve any of these problems. They're far too busy pandering to voters to stay in power.

The funny part is, if they had acted earlier to solve these problems, they wouldn't have to be pandering now.

Craddick Claims Victory He Didn't Really Get

During the last legislative session here in Texas, there was a movement among house members to remove Speaker Craddick from office. Many believed the votes were there to get it done. Craddick took no chances. To protect his position in the final days of the session, he refused to recognize any representative he believed might introduce such a resolution.

Several representatives thought this was an abuse of the Speaker's position, and asked the Attorney General for a ruling on the legality of the speaker's actions. Last Friday, the Attorney General issued a muddled opinion that really didn't settle anything.

Craddick immediately claimed victory -- obviously a public relations effort aimed at trying to convince voters that he was in the right. But the Attorney General's ruling really didn't say Craddick was right.

The Attorney General stated that the Speaker was a statewide official (a dubious position), but then said he respected the division of powers and the House could make it's own rules regarding the matter. He did not rule at all on whether the Speaker had the right to not recognize his opponents.

The House has the right to remove the Speaker whenever it desires to do so. But if the Speaker still believes he has the power to recognize only his supporters, then the House would be unable to enforce it's own rules. That makes it more important than ever to remove the despotic current Speaker.

The ball is currently in the voter's court. They could settle this matter by refusing to elect or re-elect those who support giving the Speaker such broad powers as Craddick claims to have. Find out if your representative is a Craddick supporter. If he is, then vote for his opponent.

While most Democrats oppose Craddick, this is not strictly a party-line thing. Several Republicans oppose Craddick and some Democrats support him. Instead, this is a matter of trying to restrict the very broad powers claimed by the Speaker.

It is undemocratic for a Speaker to refuse to recognize those with whom he disagrees. That gives the Speaker the power to defeat any measure he doesn't like, even though a majority of representatives might support the measure. That's just not right. Even opponents of the Speaker should have the right to have their measures debated and voted upon.

Vote for democracy in 2008. Vote against Craddick.

Craddick Actually Does Something Right !

I have never been a supporter of Speaker Craddick. In fact, I've often called for his removal from his position as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and I still think that would be best for the citizens of Texas. But I'll have to give the devil his due.

I definitely approve of Craddick's latest move. Last week, Craddick told the House Committee on Land and Resource Management that it needs to "examine the authority of the General Land Office, the School Land Board, and similar state agencies to engage in various types of real estate transactions, and determine the appropriateness of this authority."

This examination is badly needed. The current Land Commissioner, Jerry Patterson, seems determined to sell off land owned by the state to private interests -- even when the sale is not in the best interests of the citizens of Texas.

Last year, he tried to sell land at Eagle Mountain Lake in Tarrant County to developers. The land had been designated for a public park, and only a public outcry from the people of Texas kept the sale from going through.

This year he is trying to sell land in the Christmas Mountains near Big Bend National Park, even though the land had been donated with the stipulation that it not be sold to private interests. The land was a gift to the people of Texas and was donated for public use -- not sale to a private buyer.

Patterson is not interested in keeping promises made by the state, or in being a good steward over lands owned by the state. He seems to only be interested in making real estate deals and selling off state land. Someone needs to rein him in.

That's why I applaud this move by Craddick. Hopefully, the House Committee will curb Patterson's ability to sell off state land, at least without the approval of the legislature. But there's no guarantee the legislature will do this. Speaker Craddick has surprisingly taken the first step. Now the legislature must follow through.

This is another reason why the 2008 elections are important. We must elect some representatives that will protect Texas' land and environment. The easiest way to do that is to vote Democratic.

Craddick Plays Politics With Texas State Railroad

Few people use politics as a tool to punish their opponents better than Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, and it looks like the Republican lawmaker is at it again.

He is now blocking funds necessary for the survival of one of Texas' historical treasures -- the Texas State Railroad, which runs between Rusk and Palestine in East Texas. A Craddick spokesman says there is trouble with the contract worked out with the private company that is going to run the railroad, but that is doubtful. The state legislature didn't see any problems when they approved it in the last session.

It is far more likely that Craddick is withholding the money as payback to an opponent and a warning to other legislators. The railroad just happens to lay mostly in the district of a vocal Craddick opponent -- Rep. Byron Cook.

Cook says, "This doesn't pass the fairness test. If this railroad was in Midland, they probably would have added another 100 miles of track right now. There is no question that is a subversion of the will of the House and Senate. There is no question that what is being done is not being done in the best interest of Texas."

I would have preferred that the railroad continue to be run by the state, but that is a moot point now. The legislature in the last session turned over it's operation to a private company, and promised that company $2 million dollars for repairs and improvements. Now Craddick has refused to release the $2 million.

It is bad enough that Craddick regularly uses his position to punish his political enemies, but now he is playing politics with a valuable piece of Texas history. His petty political manuever could endanger the future of the railroad and cause Texas to lose another peice of its history.

It is time for this power-hungry madman to go. It would be in the best interests of all Texans for legislators to remove him from his speakership in the next session.

Rep. Turner Wants To Become Speaker

Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) has tossed his hat in the ring for consideration to become the next Speaker of the House in Texas. He's joins a half dozen or so Republicans that have announced their plans to seek the office.

Now I'm starting to believe that Speaker Craddick may really be in trouble. Turner is a true Craddick loyalist, and has been so for several sessions now. He even helped to author the bill that ensured the last election for speaker would be by roll call vote, and not by secret ballot.

When loyalists like Turner seek to become speaker, then there is an excellent chance that Craddick's reign is over. His candidacy is a good omen for the people of Texas.

But I cannot bring myself to support Turner's candidacy. He has been too close to and supportive of the dictator Craddick. In fact, if it weren't for a few Democrats like Turner throwing their support behind Craddick, we could have already been rid of him. What the heck was Turner thinking?

I really can't see good House Democrats voting for Turner. He's just too closely tied to Craddick, and Craddick has never treated the Democrats fairly in his long tenure as speaker.

However, I do believe the Democrats should solidly support a representative from Houston, and there is one who's declared her candidacy. Of course, I'm talking about Rep. Senfronia Thompson. She has had the courage to stand tall and oppose the Craddicks of the world, and she has the intelligence, passion and experience for the job. She has earned the support of all true Democrats.

I urge House Democrats to vote for a terrific Democrat, and turn their backs on all the members of the Craddick cabal. Vote for Rep. Senfronia Thompson!

Is The Texas House Speaker's Race Still Open ?

Right after the election, most people thought Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick [R-Midland] was a shoo-in for re-election to his post in the House. Speaker Craddick bragged of having over 100 signed pledge cards of support from members of the Texas House. Only one House member, Rep. Sefronia Thompson [D-Houston], has made it known publicly that she is running against Craddick, and most people think she has no chance to unseat him.

But now the dynamic of the Speaker's race seems to be changing a bit. Many members are not saying who they will vote for, and those pledge cards are not binding on the House members. It looks like many members want to wait and see if enough support comes together for a candidate that could unseat Craddick.

It's understandable that members would not want to make their opposition public yet. Craddick is known for punishing House members who oppose him. A member who votes against him could lose a choice committee seat, or find that a bill he introduced has no chance of coming up for a vote. That is how he got the signed pledge cards in the first place.

But there are now murmurs of opposition, and some names of other possible contenders are coming out -- names such as Rep. Robert Talton [R-Pasadena] or Rep. Brian McCall [R-Plano].

Perhaps most interesting is a proposal by Rep. Tommy Merritt [R-Longview]. Merritt wants to change the rules, and allow House members to choose a Speaker by secret ballot. This is an excellent idea and should be done.

If the Speaker was chosen by secret ballot, then members could vote for the best candidate instead of the one they fear. But Craddick will fight the secret ballot -- he knows he would be defeated in a heartbeat if he could no longer threaten the other House members.

I still think Craddick is the probable winner, especially with the system that is in place. But I hope for a better outcome.