Rich Doing Well, Others Not So Well

The housing market is not doing too well, and foreclosures are at an all-time high in most areas of the country. Although gas prices are down a little, they are still much higher than in past years. Wal-Mart, which depends on working-class families, is reporting weak sales, and will probably have to revise downward their sales estimates for the year.

Add these things to the fact that worker's wages are stagnant, and have been for quite a while now, and it becomes obvious that the working class and much of the middle class are being squeezed nowdays. Almost everything costs more, but wages are not keeping up.

But don't worry, Bush's rich friends are still doing better than ever. The sale of luxery items rose a robust 10.7 % in July over last year's figures. The figures are expected to rise about 9% in August. Some may have thought the rich might slow down their spending after the stock market recently dropped a 1000 points, but it's not happening.

About half of the rich say they could accept losses twice that big before they would cut back on their spending. A quarter of them said they would not cut back until their losses reached three or four times times that much.

That should give you a clue as to just how good the rich have been doing under Republican leadership. While most Americans are hurting, the rich don't even blink at a 7% drop in the stock market.

Ever since Reagan, the Republicans have tried to convince America that economics works in a "trickle down" fashion. They wanted us to believe that if we let the top 5% make obscene profits, enough of it would trickle down to the rest of us so that everyone would be better off. What nonsense!

Republican policies did let the rich become much richer, but none of it trickled down to the working class, and very little made it to the middle class. These groups have less buying power than they did 30-40 years ago.

The truth is that money doesn't trickle down in our society, it moves in an upward direction -- always. The more money that working class people have, the better off everyone will be. That money will be spent and move up to the middle and upper classes.

If you still think that Republicans are good for the economy as a whole, then you're either rich or not very bright. That's why Republicans must be voted out of power in 2008.

Then we can only hope that Democrats can find the courage to begin to redistribute the wealth of the United States. We cannot afford to continue current trends.

Test-Score Based Merit Raises Are Dumb Idea

A small blurb in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram today said more and more "educators" are agreeing with the idea of teacher merit raises being tied to student test scores. I hope this is not true, because this is truly a dumb idea.

On the surface, it sounds great to the general public. People who don't think too deeply about our education problems probably think that the student's who score the best probably had the best teachers. If all classes , all schools and all districts were equal, that might be true. But they are not.

That is why the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers oppose the idea. They know that all classes and schools are not equal. It is much easier to teach in a rich school district in a safe and prosperous area with self-motivated students.

Even a poor teacher can look good (and receive merit raises) under those conditions. While a good teacher can be made to look bad in a school located in a poor and gang-infested area that doesn't even receive the proper books and supplies. The result is that teachers are going to be rewarded or punished for circumstances that are beyond their control.

Distributing merit raises this way will not solve our education problems, it will make them worse. It will draw good teachers away from poor districts and problem classes where they have little chance of receiving a merit raise. And these are the very areas that need the best teachers -- the ones who can motivate students.

Anyone can teach the motivated students in a rich district, but the poor and problem districts need the best and most creative teachers. Instead of rewarding teachers lucky enough to teach self-motivaters, we should be paying the higher wages to those teachers willing to teach in problem schools.

Sadly, those currently in charge of making the rules usually live in the richer districts, and those are the only ones they care about. That's why we get dumb rules like score-based merit raises.

Cowboys Are Looking Good

I must admit, I was a bit nervous about the upcoming season when training camp started. I was still a Parcells guy, and although I respected Wade Wilson, you can never tell how a team is going to react to having a new coach. Even a very good coach can take a year or two to get a team playing like he wants them to play.

But now that they've played a couple of pre-season games, I'm feeling a lot better about the Cowboys' chances this year. The team really seems to have jumped on board with Wilson's brand of football.

The defense is looking better, and is playing much more aggressive than it has the last few years. It looks like we might actually have a good pass rushing team this year, and that's something a pro team must have if they're going to be a good team. The quarterbacks are too good in the NFL to give them time to find their receivers.

The offense is looking awesome. They were very good last year, but they may be even better this year. Romo has looked very good, and so have the receivers and the backs. But the most pleasant surprise has been the offensive line. They are pass-blocking well, and also opening holes for the running backs. And they're doing it without drawing penalties. Jason Garrett has done an excellent job calling the plays also.

Another pleasant surprise has been the place-kickers. Both Gramatica and Folk are doing great. I'd hate to have to be the one who has to choose between the two of them. Folk may have a slightly stronger leg for kickoffs, but I'd be happy to enter the season with either of them.

Next week, the Cowboys go to Houston. This is usually a little more serious pre-season game. It's not only for the mythical "championship of Texas", but the Texans usually play very well against the Cowboys. It should be fun.

I realize we're only halfway through the pre-season, but I'm starting to get exicited about the upcoming season. I think the Cowboys have a chance to do very well this year.

Corporate/Big Business Campaign Donations

The other day, Hillary Clinton got into a bit of trouble with some people when she refused to promise not to take campaign donations from lobbyists. That got me to thinking -- just who is corporate America supporting in the 2008 race for the presidency?

I went to the Center for Responsive Politics website. On that site, they break down some of the major businesses in America, and show just how much they are giving to each of the candidates. The figures below show the giving from the following major businesses: Hedge Funds, Casinos/Gambling, Commercial Banks, Computers/Internet, Health Professionals, Insurance, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Securities & Investments, Telephone Utilities and Tobacco.

I fully expected the Republicans to be dominating in campaign giving from these corporate interests -- they usually do. But this is not a normal campaign season, and it looks like even corporate America can sense the political winds are blowing in favor of the Democrats. In fact, it is a Democrat that is leading in donations from these industries. Here are the figures for the top ten candidates receiving these donations (Democrats are in blue and Republicans are in red):

Clinton...............$9,047,271

Romney..............$8,966,172

Guiliani..............$8,742,120

Obama................$7,891,780

Dodd...................$4,858,899

McCain................$4,494,406

Edwards.............$2,034,586

Richardson.........$1,541,208

Biden..................$947,659

Paul.....................$236,212

A Democrat not only leads the pack, but Democrats hold six of the top 10 spots in corporate/business giving. The donations by party break down this way:

Democrats...........$26,321,403

Republicans.........$22,438,910

When we see this breakdown of corporate giving, it is easy to see how Democrats are outraising Republicans for the first time in many years. Business interests can see the Democratic backlash forming, after the terrible job Republicans have done for the last few years, and they don't want to be left out in the cold.

But while it's good to see the Democrats outraising the Republicans, I'm not entirely comfortable with the huge amounts some of the Democratic candidates are receiving from business interests.

When they pour that much money into a candidate's coffers, you know they are going to want something in return.

Hutchison Tours The Panhandle

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is currently touring the Texas Panhandle spreading the common Republican lies. She has made stops in Borger, Dumas and Canyon. Of course, fewer areas of Texas are redder than the Panhandle, so she has been drawing some pretty good crowds.

She told the crowds that she still supports Bush on Iraq. She said it would be a mistake to withdraw from Iraq, because it would then become a terrorist-supporting state. She didn't have any facts to back up that assumption, but then Republicans seldom see the need for factual information to back up their propaganda. It's enough for Hutchison that Bush says it is true.

She also said it would be hard to keep taxes and government spending down now that the Democrats control Congress. I guess it just slipped her mind that no Democratic president has spent as much money as Bush, even while Republicans controlled the Congress.

She also spoke out of both sides of her mouth on immigration. She said we needed to find new ways to allow immigrants to enter the country, but quickly dismissed any notion of an amnesty for those already here. I guess the immigrants already here are just a little too brown for Republican tastes.

Amarillo's Channel 7 TV News got to ride on Hutchison's tour bus and interview her. They promptly embarrassed Panhandle residents with the silly questions they asked. The high points of their interview were that Sen. Hutchison doesn't get car sick on her bus, and she's taking her family to see the musical "Texas" at Palo Duro Canyon.

How's that for hard-hitting political reporting?

Panhandle To Get Coal-Fired Power Plant

It looks like the Texas Panhandle will be getting a coal-powered energy plant. The Celanese Corporation has sold its Pampa plant to the Australian investment firm of Babcock & Brown. The plant currently produces various chemicals, but the investment firm plans to convert it into a power plant using coal as its source of energy.

Celanese said the plant, which has been operating since 1952, was outdated and had much higher operating costs than their other more modern plants. The 225 employees can hire on at the future power facility, or transfer to other Celanese plants. Chemical production at the plant should cease in early 2009.

After chemical production ceases, the plant will be converted to a coal-burning power plant capable of producing about 800 megawatts (one megawatt can provide electricity for 250-300 homes). The company also plans to use wind energy to produce another 1000 megawatts.

Nothing was said in the news release about using the most modern technology to minimize the amount of pollution normally produced in a coal-burning power plant. I hope the company doesn't believe such precautions are not needed in the wide-open spaces of the Panhandle.

We currently enjoy clean, healthy and breathable air here in the Panhandle, but it wouldn't take very many coal-powered plants with yesterday's technology to destroy that.

Bush Tortures His White House Staff

Either George Bush is several bricks shy of a load (a distinct possibility), or he just enjoys torturing his White House staffers. That's all I can figure that would account for his actions on Wednesday.

The nutty president arranged for 40 of his staffers to do a three-mile run in the 104 degree temperature (which felt like 109 with the humidity) of Crawford, Texas. The rule was that you must run three miles -- any walking would get you disqualified. The prize was a T-shirt and honorary membership in the president's 100 degree club.

Before the run, the president exhorted his staffers with a nonsensical statement. He told them not to push it too hard, but to give it their all. How can you do both?

Of course, Bush was not crazy enough to do the run himself. He cheered them on at the halfway mark, and then rode to the finish line in a pickup to shake hands with the finishers.

Now any true Texan knows it is insane to do a three-mile run in the 104 degree heat of an August day in Texas. Even though Bush was born in Connecticut, I would have thought he'd lived in Texas long enough to know better. But evidently to him, this kind of life-threatening behavior is a show of manliness.

If any other employer tried this, both OSHA and the Labor Dept. would show up to levy huge fines. But the Great Decider once again shows that he is above both rules and common sense.

Either that, or he hates his staff and enjoys torturing them.

Justice Hecht Violates Judicial Code

The problems just keep piling up for Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht. First he abuses his office by promoting an ex-girlfriend (Harriet Miers) for a position on the U.S. Supreme Court. Then he compounds the wrongdoing by accepting a huge discount on his legal defense fees.

The law says a judge can solicit funds for his defense fees, but those donations cannot exceed $5,000 from an individual or $30,000 from a PAC or firm. His discount in legal fees was over $100,000. Texas Watch filed a complaint with the Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Travis County D.A.'s office and the Texas Ethics Commission, claiming the discount violated the law.

But as unethical and possibly illegal as the discount was, Justice Hecht did something else that could cast a dark shadow on the entire Texas Supreme Court and any decisions they might make.

Unbelievably, he solicited funds for his defense from attorneys and firms that regularly practice law before the Texas Supreme Court. What the hell was he thinking? This action taints any decision the Court might make when any of these attorneys or firms appear before them. Whether there is wrongdoing or not, there will always be a perception that Justice Hecht's vote was bought.

There is already a perception that the Republican court has been bought and paid for by the huge corporations. The court simply cannot stand to add Justice Hecht's wrongdoing to this already tainted perception.

On Tuesday, Texas Watch filed another complaint against Hecht with the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct. This time they are charging him with violating the Code of Judicial Conduct by soliciting funds from attorneys who appear before the court.

There is a precedent for the charge. In 1987, the commission admonished Justice William Kilgarlin for doing the same thing exactly. How could they find differently in Hecht's case?

Once again, I call for the resignation of Justice Nathan Hecht from the Texas Supreme Court. Whether he is found guilty or not, his unethical actions have put a black mark on the court which can only be erased by his removal.

Pathologist Smears His Own Reputation

Dr. Michael Baden has a superb reputation as a pathologist in this country. He has also become known nationwide because of his HBO show Autopsy. So it looked like a real coup for the defense team of music producer Phil Spector when the pathologist came up with last minute evidence in the case. Spector is accused of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

Frankly, it was beginning to look like Spector was about to be found guilty of murder, at least until the famous pathologist decided at the last minute that he had new evidence. Baden now claims that Clarkson may not have died instantly. He says she could have coughed on Spector while he was trying to help her. This would explain blood spatter on Spector's clothing.

But the prosecution doesn't believe his testimony passes the smell test, and neither do I. Baden was present at the initial autopsy performed on Clarkson. How is it that he missed these findings until the defense was almost ready to rest its case?

But perhaps most damning is the fact that Baden is married to one of Spector's defense attorney's. It certainly looks like he's coming in at the last minute to save the case for his wife, when ethically he shouldn't even be involved in the case.

You can bet the defense would be screaming to high heaven if a prosecutor brought in his own spouse as an expert witness. Yet they don't seem to see the ethical quandry when they do it themselves.

I used to have a lot of respect for Dr. Michael Baden, but his involvement and behavior in this trial has destroyed that. He is old enough and experienced enough to know better.

Takes More Than Duct Tape To Be A Criminal

I think criminals may be getting stupider. Last month we had a guy disguised as a tree try to rob a bank in the Northeast. Now we have the "duct tape bandit".

A 24-year-old man in Kentucky wrapped his head in duct tape and tried to rob a liquor store. The man quickly learned that it takes more than duct tape to be a successful criminal. The store owner grabbed a wooden club he kept behind the counter and proceeded to do some serious "career counseling" with the hapless bandit.

A store employee and a customer then chased the bandit into the parking lot, tackled him and kept him in a choke hold until police arrived.

I hope the young would-be criminal was paying attention during the "career counseling" session. He seems to be a spectacular failure in his current chosen profession. Maybe he ought to try something else.

15-Month Rotations To Continue For Another Year

We are just one month away from the progress report on Iraq that the Bush administration promised to give Congress. The report is supposed to be delivered in September.

But Tuesday, we were reminded that the Bush administration has no plans to reduce the number of troops in Iraq for at least another year. Army Vice Chief of Staff General Richard Cody said that the 15-month rotation of soldiers will continue at least through next June so the army can maintain its full complement of 158,000 troops there (the current number).

He even went further and said this was a "best case" scenario. In other words, the full 158,000 troops could be kept in Iraq much longer than just another year.

Since the situation in Iraq has not been showing any improvement, I think we can count on Bush keeping the soldiers there even longer. Not only has the Iraqi parliament taken the month of August off while American soldiers and innocent Iraqi citizens continue to die, but all the Sunni ministers have left the puppet government. This puts the Iraqi government in serious danger of not surviving much longer. Meanwhile, the civil war rages on.

Bush has made it obvious that he's going to keep all the soldiers in Iraq regardless of the assessment given in September by his generals. So why must Congress wait until September to act?

The people put the Democrats back in control of Congress to get something done about ending our involvement in the Iraqi civil war. It is time for the Democrats to deliver. They have wussed out on every opportunity until now, but that must change.

The troops need to be withdrawn now.

Parker County Is Making A Mistake

Parker county commissioners voted on Monday to let a private company take over the operation of their county jail. They then awarded the contract to the second largest prison management company in the country -- CiviGenics.

Commissioners said it cost them $56 dollars a day per prisoner to currently run the county jail. They have contracted to pay CiviGenics only $39 a day per prisoner. The sheriff and the commissioners are not only celebrating the money they will save, but say it will allow them to put more deputies on the street, because jailers will no longer be employees of the sheriff's department. The jailers will now be private guards working for CiviGenics.

On the surface, it looks like a good deal for the city. But I have to wonder if they've really thought this thing through. They may well be opening themselves up to very expensive future problems.

How exactly is CiviGenics going to operate the jail on $17 dollars per day per prisoner less than the county was able to do, and MAKE A PROFIT? They certainly wouldn't be taking the contract if they didn't expect to make a profit.

I know some conservatives believe that a private company will just be more efficient. But there is absolutely no reason to believe that the county government could not be just as efficient as a private company. The same jail standards must be met whether run by the county or not. If the current sheriff couldn't run the jail efficiently, then the voters should replace him with someone who could.

Where is the $17 savings per prisoner (plus the profit) going to come from?

Are fewer guards going to be guarding the same amount of prisoners, thus creating a dangerous situation for guards and prisoners?

Are these guards going to be paid less and given less benefits, resulting in less competent guards being hired and creating a dangerous situation?

Are the guards going to be given less training, resulting in less competence and a more dangerous situation?

Are the prisoners going to be given substandard food and medical care?

The cuts have to come somewhere, and all of the above would set the county up for huge lawsuits in the future. After all, whether the jail is run by a private company or the county government, state law says the county is ultimately responsible. They will be legally liable for all the private company's shortcomings ( and there will have to be shortcomings).

Whether conservatives want to admit it or not, some things are better done by the government. Guarding and caring for those incarcerated by the government is one of those things.

Richardson's Health Plan Is Disappointing

Readers of this blog will know that I am an avid supporter of Bill Richardson's candidacy for president. I have no doubt that with his vast and varied experience in all aspects of government, he is easily the most qualified candidate. I have supported him on this blog and I have donated to his campaign.

As Badtux the Snarky Penguin says, we've tried the attractive candidates with good hair and that hasn't worked out. Maybe we should try the competent fat guy with bad hair.

But I've promised myself that I'm going to be honest on this blog. And if I'm going to be honest I have to admit that the "universal health care" plan that Richardson is proposing is disappointing at the very least. He has accepted the same mistaken notion of the other major candidates -- that the only thing wrong with our system is that it doesn't cover everyone.

Richardson has promised to cover everyone with health insurance. If you can afford it, he's going to guarantee you the same insurance that our congressmen get. But if you're not lucky enough to be able to afford that, then you get something less. Our veterans will be covered with a "heroes" card and improved veteran's hospitals. The elderly and the poor will be left with Medicare and Medicaid. Still seems like the best care will be given to those with the most money.

But as unfair as that is, that is not the major flaw in his plan. Like all the other major candidates, he wants to leave the insurance companies in charge of our health care. Instead of getting the care a doctor recommends, you will get the care that the insurance company will pay for.

Of course, these insurance companies are in business to make as large a profit as possible. The more care they deny to their customers (victims?), the larger profits they make. They have a built-in incentive to deny the newest and most effective treatments, because these will cut into their precious profits.

Our health care problems will never be solved until we remove the profit motive from health care coverage. We also need to put doctors back in charge of making medical decisions. It is ridiculous to let insurance executives decide what treatment we will receive.

We need a government-run single-payer system, but sadly, not a single major candidate is brave enough to support it. Kucinich does support it, but he will probably be out of the race by the time Texas holds its primary.

FEMA Determined To Do The Wrong Thing

It's not bad enough that FEMA totally bungled the Hurricane Katrina and Rita disasters, and then put many of the survivors into life-threatening trailers reeking of formaldehyde. They now seem determined to make a mess of the recent flood disasters.

A reasonable person would think that after their recent humiliating screw-ups, FEMA would want to redouble their efforts to help those in need and salvage what's left of their reputation. But I guess that's just wishful thinking on my part. They seem determined to continue screwing up.

Two non-profit organizations, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRGLA) and ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), have filed suit against FEMA for denying disaster victims easy access to legal help.

For the last 10 years, TRGLA has had access to FEMA disaster recovery centers. They don't approach anyone, but simply set up a booth and answer questions about legal rights for anyone who approaches them with an inquiry. But FEMA has decided to deny access to the centers to TRGLA recently.

In a way, I don't blame FEMA for denying victims easy access to legal help. If I was as incompetent as FEMA seems to be, I don't think I would want my victims knowing they have legal rights either.

But FEMA is not set up to harm disaster victims. They are supposed to be helping them. They seem to have forgotten that part of their job.

If FEMA would just concentrate on helping victims, they wouldn't have to be afraid of non-profit attorneys informing people of their legal rights. But instead of correcting their mistakes and doing a better job, FEMA seems to be far more interested in hiding their shortcomings.

This not just another Republican mess we can shake our heads at, and wait for a Democrat to get into office and fix. Disasters don't wait for anyone, and when they strike we need a competent and open organization that can respond quickly and appropriately.

America needs FEMA to care more about helping victims than covering up its mistakes. Is there any chance of that happening soon?