POLITICS AS USUAL - NOTHING WILL CHANGE AND OBAMA IS LEADING THE BATTLE CRY OF SAME OLD GARBAGE - AND THE BHA

At every level of politics we see the same thing - lies, deceit, and disinformation. This morning’s article about the BHA’s refusal to release the names of those being considered for the position of director is proof in the pudding that the BHA Board needs to be abolished. It is a complete and total joke. Unfortunately Brownsville does not have a law firm interested in public affairs and advocates for the public. So in the end, the BHA will get away with its corruption.

Anyone interested can call the regional office in San Antonio and express their complaints. I am not saying your complaint will be heard or acted upon, but it may send a message to the regional office that the BHA is up to no good and they need to intervene at least on the hiring of the new director. This will depend on how many calls are received.

http://www.hud.gov/local/tx/working/ph/contacts.cfm

My late post this morning is about waiting for a medicine to kick in which wakes me up. It has hit. I have also been trying to better understand the personnel issue as it relates to the hiring of directors and TOMA. The Texas Supreme Court has found that the people have a significant interest in this area. They went on to say the Executive Session is to be used to discuss qualifications and not to hide the names of those who may be hired. These are separate issues. Based on this I am certain if Brownsville had a law firm interested in public affairs, a lawsuit against the BHA would prevail on this issue. People need to call the San Antonio office and express their anger towards Ms. Mendez and her attempts to cover-up what is happening. Just tell them to read the BH article.

Cox Enterprises v. Board of Trustees AISD 706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986)

It does not end here. I have tried discussing some political ads and web pages in hopes I can get my readers to start making decisions concerning their up and coming vote. A new reader made a comment the other day to which I need to respond. I would find it terribly boring if my readers agree with me. Sometimes I argue positions I oppose just to get people to think. If after anyone reads what I have written and they find themselves thinking, then I have succeeded. Please - agreeing with me is not evidence of thinking - everyone needs to find their own views. The BV is about trying to get people to think, even if it means saying I am wrong. I love reasoned posts which point out I am wrong because then we are having a conversation.

OBAMA

The more this man talks the more I am convinced George W. Bush actually has a higher IQ. It is amazing to me how little he knows about how government works. His State of the Union speech fell flat because it failed to address the reality of what it will take to stop the gridlock in Washington. A leader will do what it takes to stop the gridlock. A politician speaks ad nauseam about the gridlock. Obama is the latter. He has proposed nothing to stop the gridlock. His entire strategy is - “blame the Republicans.” The blame goes to Obama. Obama tells us that earmarks only account for 1% of the budget so they are not a big deal. They are a big deal. They cause the American people to loose confidence in the system. Further, 1% here and 1% there eventually adds up to 20%. Obama clearly has no understanding of how you balance a budget, but to be fair neither do the Republicans.

I favor a 10 million people march on Washington and every major city in the US demanding the resignation of the Supreme Court, the President, and Congress. Washington can clearly handle a million people. The other 9 million can march on every major city in the US. There are to be no sacred cows.

Will such a march result in any resignations? No - but it may send a message. The message of Massachusetts fell on deaf ears. Both the Dems and Reps failed to hear the message and immediately went back to the same old games which are taking this country down.

For me this is what the president needs to do.

Shut down the government by refusing to sign the next appropriations bill unless Congress can find 20% savings in each department. HUD is an area where savings can be had at both the federal and state levels. We need to get rid of all the local Housing Authority Boards. They are a complete and total waste of taxpayer money. The local housing authorities need qualified people to be in charge. On what planet do you hire a director who is not qualified so that you have to hire a consulted who earns more than the director (when additional fees included). Yes, the savings here would be chump change. But again, chump change here and there begins to add up.

I have proposed cutting the VA budget by 20%. This is very doable. The VA can cut the 100's of millions used to subsidized the medical schools while improving the quality of care for veterans. The new model for the delivery of healthcare being used in the LRGV may be the best healthcare veterans are receiving anywhere in the US. We have to rethink these matters and stop this old way of doing things. The use of subsidies to buy votes is as old as time. We can no longer afford this way of doing business.

Obama pulled a stunt yesterday which fell flat on its face. He had a propaganda session with Senate Democrats who may loose in November. It was insulting and evidence Obama will never change and will continue with business as usual.

The next thing Obama has to do is go to court and challenge the constitutionality of the filibuster. The Republican leadership knows that the filibuster as it is currently being used substantively changes the constitution. The Republicans will not chance a ruling. The deadlock will come to a quick end.

These two simple acts: shutting down the government unless Congress cuts the budget by 20%, and challenging the constitutionality of the filibuster will demonstrate leadership. Obama will do neither because he is about the blame game as an excuse for his failures.

I opposed Hillary because I think this country can do better than 4 consecutive presidents from only 2 families. But I do not doubt that if Hillary were in the White House she would be serving up the aguacates of the Republican leadership every night for dinner.

Bill Clinton for everything he was not, had the courage to shut down the government to end the game playing.

All eyes have been on Haiti in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake that has killed at least 150,000 people in the western hemisphere’s poorest nation. As we saw during Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, the tragedy for people is coupled with a tragedy for animals—our fortunes are intertwined as animals are part of our daily lives in so many ways. A team of veterinarians and disaster responders from The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, and Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association has been on the ground in Haiti since Thursday, assisting stray dogs, farm animals, and wildlife. 

A team of veterinarians and disaster responders are on the
ground in Haiti to help animals.

As Wayne Pacelle reports on his blog today, the team also rescued two dogs, Bella and Dieter, who were left behind when an American family was forced to evacuate Port-au-Prince. Bella and Dieter were Katrina survivors, and now miraculously have survived two of the deadliest disasters of the 21st century’s first decade. Their story is one happy ending amidst the larger crisis: Haiti had no animal shelters, animal protection groups, or veterinary schools, and the effort to rebuild the country’s animal welfare infrastructure—like the effort to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Katrina—will go on for some time.

While we watch the drama unfold in Haiti, we also take note of heroic acts by government officials and first responders here at home. As many parts of the South experienced blizzards and record low temperatures this month, lawmakers reminded citizens accustomed to a more temperate climate that the freezing outdoors is no place for their pets. In Brownsville, Texas, Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr. issued a notice alerting pet owners that leaving a dog outside in extreme weather conditions is a violation of the state’s anti-cruelty statute, and he opened an emergency animal shelter where dogs could be housed until the cold weather recedes. After seeing reports of dogs found dead and malnourished and suffering from exposure to cold in other Texas cities, Mayor Ahumada took action to make sure that Brownsville residents would have peace of mind and their dogs would have shelter from the storm.

And as California experienced record rainstorms and flooding last week, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call that a German shepherd was stranded in the swelling Los Angeles River. Firefighter Joe St. Georges splashed down from a helicopter and wrestled the dog to safety, but in the process he was bitten on the thumb by the frightened canine. The hero didn’t have any hard feelings and knew the dog was not to blame; he told the press: “He’s cold, he’s wet, he’s scared, and then here’s this stranger jumping on his back for all intents and purposes, and he did what dogs do.” The rescued dog has been named Vernon, after the city where he was found.

Thanks to the selfless people who come to the aid of animals in their time of crisis, dogs like Vernon, Bella, and Dieter will have a second chance. And thanks to the foresighted planning and emergency preparedness by local officials such as Mayor Ahumada, we can make sure animals are safe during a crisis and never end up in harm’s way. Every act of kindness, grand and small, matters to these creatures.