Thank Goodness For C-SPAN

Being the political nerd and junkie that I am, I naturally tuned in to watch the beginning of the Democratic National Convention at 4:00pm yesterday. In fact, I've taken the whole week off -- I'm not going to let something as mundane as work interfere with my politics. But, I made a mistake right off the bat.

I must have experienced a moment of insanity, because I actually tuned in to MSNBC and then CNN. For some reason, I thought they would be showing the convention. But they weren't showing the convention -- they were "covering" the convention, and those are two vastly different things.

It quickly became apparent they were far more interested in talking about the convention than they were in showing the convention to viewers. Even worse, they seemed to delight in bringing Republicans on to bad-mouth the Democrats. When they put on right-wing nutjob Glen Beck, I had to bail out. It became obvious that "fairness" was not going to be a part of their coverage.

Fortunately, I remembered I have cable, and that means I have C-SPAN. I switched over, and that's where my TV will stay until the convention is over. No talking heads -- just the convention from gavel to gavel. The money allocated to C-SPAN is some of the best spending our government has ever done.

For those of us denied a place at the convention, C-SPAN is definitely the next best thing.

UPDATE - I just finished listening to Michelle Obama's speech. It was wonderful. This is one very special lady. She would make a great First Lady.

The Real Elitist

Political Cartoon is by John Darkow in The Columbia Daily Tribune.

TPA Weekly Review

It's Monday. Do you know what the Texas Progressive Alliance blogs and bloggers have been up to this week? Well, our weekly round-up will tell you. This week's round-up was compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.

refinish69 explains why Travis County and Texas doesn't need another Keel at Doing My Part For The Left.

Two White guys in Houston want each others' jobs. Former Gov. Mark might run for for mayor, and current Mayor Bill may run for governor. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the Frick-and-Frack report.

Prepare yourself for a shock when you visit Bluedaze and see the BILLIONS in handouts given to Big Oil. TXsharon shows how these handouts, paid with our taxes, enable Big Oil to buy influence, work against our best interest, blatantly ignore laws and keep the US dependent on hydrocarbons rather than moving forward.

Mayor McSleaze at McBlogger wonders why, if Washington is broken as McThuselah's campaign says, McThuselah himself hasn't done something to fix it since he's been there more than, you know, 25 years.

The major media outlets may be arguing about whether experience, the war or the economy is the most important issue in this year's presidential election, but jobsanger says there is only one issue that matters , and it's not any of those three.

The Texas Cloverleaf exposes the plan by Congressman Michael Burgess and the Bush DOT to make I-35 from Dallas to Denton a toll road!

BossKitty at TruthHugger is concerned about WATER and what our fearless leaders plan to do about it: "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink."

Justin at AAA-Fund Blog wonders when Houston will find good leadership – in government, in corporations looking for good PR, anywhere – for recycling.

Off the Kuff criticizes State Sen. Dan Patrick and State Rep. Frank Corte for their request for a ruling from AG Greg Abbott that the Lege can require cities to enforce federal immigration laws.

Texas Liberal says that he is not a bridge builder.

Before she took off for the DNC convention in Denver, and the Big Tent, Texas Kaos frontpager SCCS took a look at the state of the Central Texas Congressional races.

The rich get Visas while the poor were asked to self-deport notes CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chimse.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts about Perry, Dewhursts, and Craddick's new toll road plan, Texas GOP Leaders Want To Use Public Pension Funds To Build Corporate Toll Roads.

Vince from Capitol Annex takes a look at Republican State Representative candidate Van Brookshire's stupid press release about immigration and the incorrect facts he based it on.

North Texas Liberal shares a stunning tribute to Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, penned by a great friend of the late congresswoman.

Paying Too Much Tax

The chances are very good that you may have overpaid the sales tax you owe. This is especially true if you don't check the amount of the tax on your receipt, and frankly, most of us don't. We just expect the tax to be figured correctly. After all, the tax is being figured by a computer -- not a human. It turns out that is precisely the problem!

When the sales tax first started, an old-fashioned cash register would ring up the total and a clerk would then do some math, or more likely refer to a sales tax chart to find the appropriate amount of tax. It was a bit of a hassle, but it usually resulted in the correct amount of tax being added to your total.

But cash registers have changed. These days, almost all stores have computer cash registers. The clerk does nothing but scan an item or enter a price -- the computer register will add the total and figure the sales tax. The problem is that because of the way they are programmed, they could well be charging too much tax.

When I first heard about this, I thought it was a devious way for stores to make extra profit. But that is not what is happening. The stores just pay the state of Texas whatever tax their computer tells them was collected. So the extra tax is actually going to the state of Texas.

The over-taxing usually occurs when you purchase discounted items or use coupons. Most of the registers are programmed to enter the full price and then after the total is figured they will subtract the discount or coupon amount. This allows the store to more accurately keep up with its inventory and know how much of that inventory was sold at a discount. The problem is that the computer register has figured the tax on the first total -- not the discounted amount.

Say you bought a $20 item that was half-off. The register rings up $20, figures the tax, and then subtracts $10. On an 8% tax, that means you would pay $11.60 when you actually owe only $10.80. And the clerk (and probably the store) have no idea you've just been overcharged.

It would be a very good idea to start checking your receipts. State law only requires you to pay tax on the discounted price -- not the full price. If the store won't correct their computer program and refund the overcharge, then report it to the Texas Comptroller's office. They'll be happy to see the store collects only the correct amount.

Taxes are high enough already. Don't pay too much.

Take Him - He's Yours !

Political Cartoon is by Bob Englehart in the Hartford Courant.

Obama Chooses Biden

Well, the wait is over to see who Obama would choose as his running mate. He has chosen the senator from Delaware -- Joe Biden. He may not have been the person I would have chosen, but then the choice was Obama's to make and no one else's. Now he has chosen, and it's time to get behind the ticket and see if we can't get them elected in November.

At the very least, Biden is very intelligent and he's a fighter. His personality won't let him take attacks without fighting back. This is a good thing, and if Obama is smart he won't try to curb that. Turn Biden loose and let the senate pit bull go after the Republican candidates.

McCain has shown a propensity for gutter politics in this election, and Biden is a good choice to take him to task over his dirty tactics. He's already started well by accusing McCain of having given "into the right wing of his party and yielded to the very Swift Boat politics he once so deplored."

The Democrats now have a ticket, and it's a good one. Let's get them elected.

UNT Gets A Valuable Gift From Jazz World

The music school at the University of North Texas has an excellent reputation, especially in the jazz world. In fact, the school's student 1 O'Clock Jazz Band is so consistently good that they have been nominated gor several Grammys. Thanks to this reputation for quality, the school has been given a wonderful gift.

Maynard Ferguson was a renowned jazz musician. His music career spanned over 50 years, starting in the mid-fifties and ending with his death in 2006. An anonymous person, along with the Collins-Binkley Foundation, bought his estate for $600,000 after his death.

The school will be receiving the entire music library of the jazz giant. According to James Scott, dean of the school of music, the collection "will include original handwritten parts and scores and complete published sets of music that are no longer in print."

Ferguson's musical memorabilia (horns, wardrobe, awards, etc.) will also be coming to Denton. The Foundation is currently working out the details of where it will be housed.

Ferguson's music library will be housed at the university's music library on the fourth floor of the Willis Library. It will join the music library of band leader Stan Kenton, which the university already has.

Congratulations UNT!

On The "Low Road"

Political Cartoon is by Jim Morin in the Miami Herald.

PDiddie Praises The Cowboys

PDiddie of Brains and Eggs and I had a bet on the Cowboys/Texans game played last night. The loser was to post on the winner's blog praising the winning team. I got lucky, and the Cowboys hung on to win 23-22. Here is PDiddie's post praising my 'Boys:

The Dallas Cowboys, the mightiest team in Texas (and perhaps the nation) prevailed in relatively easy fashion over the Houston Texans-- at least when their starters were playing in the first half -- in the preseason showdown between the two Lone Star NFL clubs Friday night in Texas Stadium, the final meeting for the two teams there.The Cowboys will move from Irving, its home for 37 years and the site of many historic victories, to its gleaming new billion-dollar football palace in Arlington next season.

It took a failed two-point conversion from Sage Rosenfels to JacobyJones with 2:05 left in the game to seal the 23-22 deal for Dallas in a game overshadowed by a serious neck injury to Texan's special teamer Harry Williams. He was taken to the hospital where it was reported --just ahead of Barack Obama's vice-presidential selection -- that he would have surgery to fuse two vertebrae.

The Cowboys looked strong, even overwhelming at times in the first half, with Tony Romo, Marion Barber, and Terrell Owens flashing their skills. Without an overthrow to T.O. and an interception in the endzone by Houston linebacker Zac Diles, Dallas might have salted the game away before halftime. While the Cowboys starters on offense were rested in the second half, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub and other first-string players came out for the third quarter. But Houston,trailing 20-13 when Schaub left, drew close to a win with Rosenfels and the second and third-string playing in the fourth, and gambled on a victory instead of kicking the PAT for the tie and overtime.

Nothing less than a Super Bowl appearance is anticipated for the Cowboys this year, and they played like they will be worthy of the high expectations. Stetsons and backwards-baseball caps off to them, and best of luck to all Cowboys fans for a thrilling season ahead.

PDiddie

Gas Prices -- Don't Be Fooled

Sometimes newspaper headlines can be downright irritating. I know this Fort Worth Star-Telegram headline irritated me:

Gas prices way down from peak

Who are they trying to kid? Are they trying to convince us that we're actually getting a good deal on gas from the giant oil companies? This is just the kind of thinking the oil companies are hoping for. They raise the price a large amount and everyone gets upset. Then they lower it a tiny amount and everyone thinks they're getting a good deal. Well, you're NOT!

Let me point out a couple of things. While you're celebrating the fact that gas is now only about $3.55 a gallon in Texas, let me remind you that last year at this time gas was selling for around $2.70. And in January of 2007, the price was around $2.00. Do you still think $3.55 is a good price?

And the price of a barrell of oil is creeping up again, so don't expect the "low" price of $3.55 to last very long. The oil companies have a good thing going right now and they're not about to give up their record-breaking profits. We'll probably be looking at $5.00 a gallon gasoline next year.

But I don't expect the prices to rise too much until after the election. These big oil companies know who their friends are -- Republicans. They'll probably temper any price raises until after the election in an attempt to get McCain and as many Republicans as possible elected.

After all, the Republicans have given big oil companies about $33 billion in government handouts over the next five years. Check out the blog Bluedaze for an excellent accounting of the Republican handouts to big oil. It's downright shocking! Republicans can't find the money to help people in this country who are hurting, but they have tons of money to throw at big corporations (who are already making record profits).

Of course, once the election is over and they continue the march toward $5.00 a gallon gasoline, they're going to continue to blame Democrats for not letting them destroy our national preserves and coastlines with new drilling. But they won't tell you about the millions of acres in leases they already have that they're not drilling on. Why don't they drill on the leases they already have before they demand more.

The reason is politics. The "we need new drilling" mantra is just a ploy to try and stave off a Democratic victory in the coming election. The American people would be damn fools to fall for this political ploy. Even if the new drilling was approved, it would be five to ten years before the new oil hit the market.

There's something else they're not going to tell you, also. A huge portion of the oil produced in the United States is SHIPPED TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES by the oil companies. Why should we believe the new oil produced here would stay in this country? If we stopped shipping American oil overseas, we would have plenty of oil. But they're not about to do that, because then the prices would really drop and they're profits would also.

We have to face facts. Big oil has one hand on our throat and the other in our pocket, and they are not about to let go of either.

A Good Idea

Cartoon was done by R.J. Matson in The New York Observer.

Are Guns In Schools Legal ?

A few days, ago I wondered whether it was really a good idea for the tiny country school in Harrold (Texas) to allow their teachers and other staff to carry firearms while school is in session. Now it looks like the Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence agrees that it's a bad idea. In fact, they believe it may actually be illegal.

The Harrold School Board believes it is not only legal, but a good idea. They say they researched the idea for about a year before instituting it. They point to Texas law which prohibits guns on campus "unless pursuant to the written regulations or written authorization of the institution." They point out the fact that the Board has given the written authorization.

But the Brady Center cites a section of the education code that they believe makes it illegal. It says, "If a board of trustees authorizes a person employed as security personnel to carry a weapon, the person must be a commissioned peace officer."

An attorney for the Board counters that this section refers only to security guards hired by the district. They may technically be right. The section does specifically refer to security guards. But doesn't this violate the spirit of that section of the law?

How much sense does it make to require a security guard to be a commissioned peace officer to carry a gun, but apply a much less strict standard to teachers, cooks, janitors , maintenance, etc.? Shouldn't the same rule apply to anyone who wishes to carry a firearm? It seems obvious that when the law was written, the writers did not conceive of anyone but a security guard being allowed to carry a weapon.

When Texas instituted its concealed carry law, it was recognized that it was neither appropriate nor legal to carry a weapon into certain places. It is illegal for anyone to carry a weapon into a government building, a courtroom, an airport or even a bar. I think most people expected schools to also be on that list. How much sense does it make to ban a gun in a bar where only adults are allowed, but to allow them in schools where we must send our children?

It now looks like this may be headed to court, and that's probably a good thing. In fact, this issue should be addressed and clarified by the legislature. Do we really want minimally trained and psychologically unvetted people carrying guns around our children?

This is just a really bad idea, and it should be stopped.

Campaign Medalists

This Cartoon is by David Horsey in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

McCain's Lying About "Victory" In Iraq

I'm getting a little sick of McCain claiming victory in the Iraq war. The fact is that 238 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq this year -- 17 so far this month. To me, that is an unacceptable figure. The total number of U.S. deaths is now 4,144 and is climbing higher each day we stay there.

The truth is that this is not even a war. It is an OCCUPATION of a country that wants us to leave. An occupation is not like a formal war. Occupations are not winnable, especially if you're not willing to submit enough troops to do the job properly. It would take over a half-million troops if we really wanted to pacify Iraq -- maybe more.

But Bush (and McCain) don't really care about Iraq. They just want to make sure their rich oil buddies get the Iraqi oil, and if it costs a few hundred American lives each year, they don't really care.

A real victory in Iraq is not possible, and I don't think that oil is worth a single American life. It's time to really show some support for our brave and loyal troops. It's time to bring them home to their families.

Personally, I think it's also time to impeach the liars that got us into this mess, and then turn them over to the World Court to be tried for their war crimes. It's what they deserve. And yes, I'm talking about Bush and Cheney.