Middle Class Thrown To Lions

Cartoon by Pat Bagley -- Salt Lake Tribune

Texas Is Fastest Growing State

It looks like Texas is growing faster than any other state in the United States. According to the Texas State Data Center, Texas grew by more than 3,000,000 people between 2000 and 2007. Even California and Florida were unable to match that kind of growth. Texas current population was 23,904,380 in 2007. It is expected that by 2040 the Texas population will be 43,581,928. That's an additional 19,000,000!

In fact, according to U.S. Census data, Texas had four cities in the top ten cities with the most actual growth. These cities are Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. Texas also had three cities in the top 11 in largest growth percentage. They were McKinney, Denton and Fort Worth, with Fort Worth being the largest city to crack the top twenty (usually percentage growth goes down as a city grows larger). Here are the top 11 cities in growth percentage:

1. New Orleans (13.8 percent)
2. Victorville, Calif. (9.5 percent)
3. McKinney (8 percent)
4. North Las Vegas, Nev. (7.4 percent)
5. Cary, N.C. (7.3 percent)
6. Killeen (6.5 percent)
7. Port St. Lucie, Fla. (6.3 percent)
8. Gilbert, Ariz., (5.8 percent)
9. Clarksville, Tenn. (4.8 percent)
10. Denton (4.7 percent)
11. Fort Worth (4.5 percent)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007

I suppose that is something to be proud of, but frankly I'm a bit worried. With it's current population, Texas is already starting to experience some water problems. How on earth are we going to have enough water to sustain the enormous predicted growth?

With most of the growth going to the urban centers, are we going to turn West Texas and the Panhandle into uninhabitable deserts by shipping their water to the large cities? There is already talk of piping water from the Ogallala Aquifer to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, in spite of the fact that the aquifer has already shown a 10% depletion just from agriculture irrigation.

The year 2040 is only 32 years away. It is time for the Texas Legislature to seriously address our future water needs. Any delay could have serious reprecussions.

Columbia Rider Takes Yellow Jersey

Thursday's 6th leg was probably the hardest leg of the Tour de France so far this year. There were two fairly nasty catagory 2 climbs in the last half of the race, with one of them right at the finish. It was looking like Schumacher was going to keep his yellow jersey, until he took a spill about one kilometer from the finish line.

Schumacher was not hurt in the crash, but it cost him enough time to drop him to third place overall. The new leader of the race (and wearer of the yellow jersey) is a rider from America's Team Columbia -- Kim Kirchen. Tomorrow's leg will mark the first time a Team Columbia rider will wear the yellow jersey.

The other American team (Garmin Chipotle) is still in first place in the team competition. Columbia has dropped into third place behind CSC. Here are the current standings:

Yellow Jersey (overall)
1. Kirchen (Columbia)
2. Evans (Lotto)..........00' 06"
3. Schumacher (Gerolsteiner).....00' 16"
4. Vandevelde (Gar. Chipotle).....00' 44"
5. Millar (Gar. Chipotle)..........00' 47"
6. Lovkvist (Columbia)..........00' 54"
7. Menchov (Rabobank)..........01' 03"
8. Valverde (Caisse)..........01' 12"
9. Devolder (Quick Step)..........01' 21"
10. Pereiro (Caisse)..........01' 21"
15. Hincapie (Columbia)..........01' 45"

Green Jersey (sprinters)
1. Kirchen (Columbia).....97 pts
2. Hushovd (Agricole).....88
3. Freire (Rabobank).....85
4. Zabel (Milram).....72
5. Valverde (Caisse).....71

Polka Dot Jersey (climbers)
1. Chavanel (Cofidis).....27 pts
2. Voeckler (Bouygues).....27
3. Ricco (Saunier).....20
4. Valverde (Caisse).....18
5. Evans (Lotto).....16

Team Standings
1. Garmin Chipotle
2. CSC..........00' 19"
3. Columbia..........00' 20"
4. Caisse..........03' 54"
5. Liquigas..........04' 09"

Matula Headquarters Grand Opening

Please Join Us On Saturday, July 12th, For Our Headquarters Grand Opening!

What: Sherrie Matula for HD 129

Headquarters Grand Opening

Lots of fun for the whole family! Get a tour of our HQ, meet Democratic candidates and office holders, and visit with like minded voters. Refreshments for everyone and face painting for the kids!

Where: 17300 Saturn (Suite 105), Houston, TX 77058 (map ).

Look for the Sherrie Matula signs. When: Saturday, July 12th, 1 PM to 5 PM Face painting from 2 PM to 4 PM. At 4:30 PM we will make candidate and elected official introductions.

Blockwalk With Us Immediately Afterwards

At 5:30 PM, we will blockwalk the precinct directly across the street from our headquarters. If you have never blockwalked before, this is the perfect time to learn how to talk to voters about this race. It's fun and it's great exercise! Plus, other Harris County candidates are bringing their literature to walk with us. It's going to be a great day for Democrats.

Our headquarters opening is the perfect event to show off what we are all doing together to take back House District 129! I look forward to seeing you on Saturday! Call our headquarters at 281-282-1351, if you have any questions.

Thank you for all you are doing,

Sherrie

A Portrait In Courage

It was just a couple of months ago that Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer. Since then, he has undergone brain surgery, and is currently receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatments. These treatments can be very debilitating, but they didn't stop the irrepressible senator from returning to the Senate today to help his colleagues kill a Republican filibuster.

The Republicans were trying to kill a bill that would restore the 10% cuts in Medicare payments that became effective on July 1st. Before the holiday break, Democrats had fallen short by one vote to end the filibuster. Kennedy determined that he would not allow that to happen again.

As he returned, his comrades in the Senate gave Senator Kennedy a standing ovation. Kennedy said, "I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens -- and that's to protect Medicare. Win, lose or draw, I wanted to be here. I wasn't going to take the chance that my vote could make the difference."

It turned out that his vote wasn't needed. The filibuster was ended and the bill was passed on a 69 to 30 vote. But needed or not, Kennedy was there to stand up and be counted. We could use a few more Democrats with his courage and stature.

Dance With The One Who Brought You

Senate Dems (And Obama) Wuss Out Again

Yesterday's vote in the Senate was a perfect example of why the popularity of Congress is now in single digits (9%). Senators had a chance to stand up for the right of Americans not to be spyed upon without a legally issued search warrant, and to hold Bush and the telecoms responsible for breaking the law and ignoring the Constitution. But all they did was knuckle under again to the most unpopular (and worst) president in history.

The Senate passed the obnoxious FISA bill by a lop-sided vote of 69 to 28, giving the telecoms immunity for their past illegal actions. The one-sided vote meant that lots of Democrats caved in and voted with the Republicans to give Bush what he wanted.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the vote was the fact that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama voted with the majority in favor of the terrible bill. I had hoped that Obama would have the courage to stand against the bill, but that was not to be.

I am an Obama supporter, and I will campaign for him and vote for him in spite of the vote. But that vote does not make me happy. He is still the best choice in November, but he is not perfect. But then, there were no "perfect" candidates running this year (or any other year).

This has shown me that immediately after we get Obama elected, progressives are going to have to start the process of holding his feet to the fire. Over at Newshoggers the other day, they were discussing what would the progressive bloggers do once a Democrat entered the White House. Would they become administration apologists as the conservative blogs did for Bush?

I think yesterday's vote answers that question. Even with Obama in the White House and Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, there will be a lot of "opposition" blogging for progressives to do. We're going to have to hold the Democrats responsible for the position of power we helped them to achieve.

But that is for the future. Right now we still must work hard for Obama and other Democrats. As disappointing as they were yesterday, it would still be a disaster for Sidney McCain to be elected president.

American Team Rider Wins 5th Stage

Yesterday's stage of the Tour de France was 144 miles long, but it came down to a dash for the finish line by some of the world's best sprinters. That sprint was won by Mark Cavendish, a member of America's Team Columbia. It was the first time the British citizen had ever won a leg of the Tour de France, and he had to out-sprint some of the world's best to do it -- Thor Hushovd, Oscar Freire and Erik Zabel.

Cavendish (pictured above) has won 8 other bike races this year, but had never won in the Tour. He was asked if he thought he was the best sprinter in the world and replied, "When you have a team like I have, it is impossible not to be the best." This was also the first stage win for either of the American teams this year, although they remain in first and second place in the team standings.

Since the race was won by sprinters and most riders got the same time for finishing in the peloton, the overall standings remain as they were yesterday. Schumacher will wear the yellow jersey again in tomorrows race, while members of the two American teams are still in second and third place (Kirchen of Columbia and Millar of Garmin Chipotle).

McCain Ad Is Full Of Lies

John Sidney McCain has released a new radio ad in Florida. The ad is in Spanish and is aimed at Florida's Hispanic community. There is just one problem with the ad -- it's full of lies. Here is an English translation of the advertisement:

This is Tony Villamil speaking, ex-director of Tourism, Commerce and Economic Affairs of Florida.

When it comes to a strong economy for our state, commercial trade with Latin America is crucial. Three-quarters of Florida's exports are with Latin America, and the Colombian Free Trade Agreement would create even more opportunity.

In this election, there are some that talk about revising the Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada and oppose the Agreement with Colombia. This would hurt our economic future.

Last year Florida's exports to Latin America reached almost $45 billion dollars. Colombia is Florida's third most important export market and this trade agreement would create almost 5,000 new jobs.

John McCain supports the Colombian Agreement, knows about our alliances with our hemisphere and understands our economy grows thanks to trade.Remember who stands for prosperity in Florida, our country and our hemisphere. His name is John McCain.

John McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

Let's examine this ad. First, it claims that three-quarters of Florida's trade is with Latin America. The real figure is 53% (if you include the Caribbean), much closer to half than three-quarters. But that's not the only "mistake" the ad makes.

Then the ad claims that Florida's exports to Latin America was nearly $45 billion. Another falsehood. Florida's total international exports were $45 billion. The exports to Latin America and the Caribbean only totaled about $24 billion.

The ad goes on to claim that Columbia is Florida's third most important export market. The truth is that Columbia is only fifth in Florida exports -- not third.

It's obvious that McCain is in favor of the Columbian Free-Trade Agreement, and he thinks that position will be popular with Florida Hispanics. But lying about it's importance just makes him look foolish.

This is just one more example of how a McCain administration would be just like a Bush administration. Bush never minded telling a lie to get what he wanted, and it looks like McCain is continuing that Republican tradition.

McCain's "straight-talk" has become "straight-up lying".

Russia Threatens Military Action

The Bush administration is still trying to push the "missle defense shield" Bush wants to place in Europe. Bush claims it is to protect Europe from Iranian missles. On Tuesday, Condi Rice signed a deal with the Czech Republic to put part of the defense shield in that country. Another part is to be placed in Poland.

But Russia is not buying Bush's argument. They have told him in the past that they would consider putting this missle shield near their border to be a provacation. They believe the system is aimed at them instead of Iran.

It's easy to see why the Russians would be upset. If the shield was really aimed at Iran, then it would only make sense that it's placement should be in southern Europe. Placing it in Poland and the Czech Republic makes no sense to defend against Iran. However, it would be perfectly placed to defend against Russia.

Add to this the fact that Bush is well-known for lying. The Russians know he lied to the United Nations to get a mandate for military action against Iraq. They believe he is lying now about the defense shield, and they believe this would upset the delicate balance of power in the region.

Russia was very upset at the agreement signed Tuesday with the Czech Republic. Because of it, they upped their rhetoric and for the first time threatened military action. Their foreign ministry said, "If a US strategic anti-missile shield starts to be deployed near our borders, we will be forced to react not in a diplomatic fashion but with military-technical means."

It is not known exactly what they meant by that statement. It could mean they would redeploy their own missles on the border, or it could mean military action against Poland or the Czech Republic or both.

It is time for Bush to stop playing this deadly game. It is senseless to provoke Russia unnecessarily, especially since our own forces are so depleted from fighting an unecessary war against Iraq.

The missle shield should be moved to a more appropriate location, or abandoned altogether.

Repubs' Bumper Sticker Contest Winner

In an effort to try and drum up some excitement among their faithful, the Texas Republican Party just held a contest to come up with a bumper sticker for the presidential campaign. It was obvious even to the contestants that putting a positive message about either McCain or Bush was not going to be effective. So, true to their party's values, they decided to go negative (no surprise there).

They claim to have had an overwhelming response to the contest, but if so, then I'd have to say there was a remarkable lack of originality. They've decided to go with a version of the tired old idea about Democrats and taxes. The winning bumper sticker is pictured above. Is that really the best they could come up with?

After the actions of the so-called "conservative" currently occupying the White House, I can't believe the people will be accepting that worn-out argument this time. Bush has spent more than any other president ever and cut taxes only for the rich. In addition, he has destroyed the economy. The price of gas and food has gone through the roof, the housing market is in a shambles and over 500,000 jobs have been lost just in the last six months.

I seriously doubt that bumper sticker will convince anyone of the sanity of Republican economic policies.

Tour De France After 4 Stages

Four stages have now been completed in the 2008 Tour de France, and the field is starting to spread out a bit. Yesterday's stage was a time trial. That means each rider rode alone against the clock. There was no peloton to hide in or teammates to help, so we're starting to get a feel for who the strong riders are this year.

So far, the two American teams (Columbia and Garmin Chipotle) are doing well. Between the two of them, they have five riders in the top ten in the overall standings. They also have a team member leading in points for the sprinters green jersey (Kirchen). In addition, they are in first and second place in the team standings. Here are the standings so far:

Yellow Jersey (overall)
1. Schumacher
2. Kirchen (Columbia).....00' 12"
3. Millar (Garmin Chipotle).....00' 12"
4. Evans..........00' 21"
5. Cancellara..........00' 33"
6. Vandevelde (Garmin Chipotle).....00' 37"
7. Hincapie (Columbia).....00' 41"
8. Lovkvist (Columbia).....00' 47"
9. Nibali..........00' 58"
10. Gutierrez..........01' 01"

Green Jersey (sprinters)
1. Kirchen (Columbia).....81 pts.
2. Hushovd...........64
3. Freire..........55
4. Valverde..........49
5. Zabel..........46

Polka Dot Jersey (climbers)
1. Voeckler..........19 pts.
2. Chavanel...........11
3. Schroder..........9
4. De La Fuente..........4
5. Jegou..........3

Team Standings
1. Garmin Chipotle
2. Columbia..........01' 44"
3. CSC..........02' 35"
4. Cofidis..........03' 20"
5. Gerolsteiner..........03' 31"

Iraq Wants A Withdrawal Timetable

It's been obvious for quite a while now that almost everyone would like for the United States to withdraw their troops from Iraq. Nearly 70% of the American people want it. An even larger percentage of the Iraqi people want it. And it goes without saying that the rest of the world would like to see it.

In fact, the only people who don't want U.S. troops to leave Iraq are members of the Bush administration and, of course, the puppet government Bush has installed in Iraq. Now, even that is changing.

The U.N. mandate that gives the United States some legal ground (although shaky) to be in Iraq will expire at the end of December. Bush doesn't want to have to go back to the United Nations, especially now that they know the Bush administration lied to them to get the original mandate. It's very unlikely Bush could get another one.

So instead, Bush has been trying to negotiate an agreement with the puppet government that would allow U.S. troops to stay in Iraq. Until now, the sticking point in the agreement has been Bush's demand that "contractors" in Iraq (such as Blackwater) receive full immunity for their actions. Last week, in an effort to get the agreement, Bush dropped the immunity demand.

But now the government of Nouri al-Maliki (pictured above) has come up with a demand of their own. They are asking for the United States government to set a timetable for withdrawal of all troops. It looks like al-Maliki is starting to think his government could survive without Bush's support (I think he's wrong).

This is a slap in the face for Bush (and McCain). Both had hopes of leaving permanent military bases in Iraq so they could control access to Iraqi oil. Now even the government they installed and have been protecting want the troops out.

Doesn't look like Sidney McCain will get those "100-year" military bases now. This can't be good for his presidential campaign either.

Torres Inspires Us Oldies

This story is truly inspiring for those of us who left our teenage years behind many moons ago. It's a reminder that life doesn't end when youth goes away.

Her name is Dara Torres. Dara is a swimmer who was only 14 when she made it to her first Olympics. But that's not the inspiring part. Today she is a 41 year-old mother who was last in the Olympics in 2000.

World-class swimming is a young person's sport. Most of the world's best swimmers are in their teens or twenties. But evidently Dara does not subscribe to that viewpoint. In the last few days, she won the 50 meter and 100 meter freestyle races, and qualified for her fifth Olympics.

Yesterday, she decided to concentrate on the 50 meter race in China, along with a couple of relay races. She has dropped out of the 100, saying it might be too hard on her body. That may be true, but I think it's simply amazing that a 41 year-old is the fastest 50 and 100 meter freestyle swimmer in America.

She's just made the swimming events in China a must-see for this fan.