| In Monday's edition of the political writer Clay Roberson writes:
http://www.chron.com/disp/stor...
Money can do more than talk in the legislative arena. Sometimes, it screams.
So if consumer advocates are wary as the next chapter in the Texas Residential Construction Commission saga unfolds today before a House committee, who can blame them?
A lot of Bob Perry's money will again be represented around the table.
Ok, so it is like this, Texas homebuilder and fat cat political donor Bob Perry is said to have been "instrumental" in creating the Texas Residential Construction Commission in an attempt to mitigate lawsuits from customers who found themselves stuck with cheaply and shoddily constructed homes. Perry's TRCC is supposed to have served as a so-called oversight board to monitor and ensure professional workmanship and standards of homebuilders.
But the TRCC never did concern itself about professional ethics and home building standards. Its creation is a mere shell game to fool and/or placate the innocent homebuyer. The bare bones truth of the matter is TRCC serves as mere protectors of and lap dogs for the fat cat homebuilders whose only desire is to make a boatload of money by building lots of houses on the cheap.
Let the screwed buyers be damned.
Ten of the 11 members on the panel have received a collective $324,500 from Perry during their legislative careers. Leading the pack are Reps. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, $115,000; Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, $91,500; Kirk England, D-Grand Prairie, $47,500; and Wayne Christian, R-Center, $31,500.
You may recall that the staff of the Sunset Advisory Commission recommended last year that the Legislature abolish the TRCC.
But the commission, most of whose members are legislators, voted to keep the TRCC in business while making it more consumer friendly.
The 10 lawmakers on the Sunset Commission (a separate group from today's committee) had received $486,000 in political donations from Perry.
"We're supportive of the intent of the TRCC, which is to improve regulation of home builders and protect consumers," Perry spokesman Anthony Holm said.
Sure, dude, and there is also a luxury hotel on ocean front property in the Mojave Desert for sale for a thousand bucks.
There are more fat cat shenanigans taking place with regard to federal stimulus money as well. In Houston there's big talk about extending the Grand Parkway in an outpost region approximately 20-25 miles outside of Houston. Yesterday in the Houston Chronicle Rosanna Ruiz reveals:
http://www.chron.com/disp/stor...
Meanwhile, county leaders are wasting no time on the Grand Parkway as the clock continues to tick on the $181 million in stimulus funding allocated for the project.
The 185-mile proposed outer loop around Houston that has been under consideration for more than two decades. Now that it has an infusion of stimulus funds, planners are in frenzy mode to meet pressing deadlines. Seventeen design and engineering contracts related to the Grand Parkway are on this week's Commissioner's Court agenda.
But the Grand Parkway project might not be shovel ready because:
The county still must acquire about 30 properties totaling about 650 acres of land for Segment E of the toll project, which would connect the Katy Freeway and U.S. 290.
Here we go again, another land heist will take place.
County leaders are keenly aware that a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club potentially could delay the project and preclude use of the stimulus funds. The lawsuit argues that prairie land should not be disturbed.
All of which may make the project sound a little less than "shovel-ready," one of the primary criteria for stimulus funding.
Why is it that I smell a rat here? Why does the devil make me think Bob Perry wants to build a boatload of homes in this Grand Parkway outpost region? Why do I think land developers want to build crappy strip malls all in an attempt to take every penny they can from federal stimulus money? How many jobs will be created through these schemes?
Not nearly enough as far as I am concerned.
There are so many other more compelling and worthy projects in the Houston area and all around the state. Hell, hand me a shovel and I'll start digging up some streets within Houston myself. Most are in horrible shape.
For the record, I have reported my concerns for the Grand Parkway project to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Oversight folks. I also let my House Rep. John Culberson know that I reported it, not that he will care.
Now, what is this BS about Governor Perry's turning down federal stimulus money? Oh, I forgot. He'll take what the fat cats want, but won't take what the unemployed people need.
Concerning the forthcoming gubernatorial election, conservative, Libertarian leaning Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison suddenly turns into a liberal advocate for the unemployed.
http://www.chron.com/disp/stor...
Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said on Monday that Gov. Rick Perry should look for ways to accept $550 million in unemployment fund stimulus money without committing the state to future federal mandates.
Hutchison told reporters at a Texas Daily Newspaper Association meeting there may be a way to use the stimulus money to bolster the struggling fund and keep employers from facing steep unemployment taxes next year. Hutchison questioned Perry's recent decision to reject the unemployment money "out of hand."
If elected I wonder if Senator Hutchison will give the money back.
Speaking of evil doing fat cat business owners I just came across an interesting article about persecuted lobbyists over at Daily Kos today.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/...
They don't like President's new rules about the influence special interest groups have on our lawmaking process.
Hot damn! This is long overdue.
Irate over the demonization of their profession, lobbyists say they will push back against a new White House directive aimed at limiting lobbyists' influence on how the government doles out $787 billion in stimulus funds.
The Obama administration memo released Friday says lobbyists cannot meet or speak with executive branch officials regarding specific stimulus projects or applications.
Instead, lobbyists are relegated to submitting written comments about stimulus funding, which will be posted publicly within three business days.
Lobbyists may talk with administration officials as long as the conversation is about "general Recovery Act policy issues," according to the memo.
However, executive branch and agency staff must still document the date of those meetings, who was at the meetings and what was discussed for the public to review within three business days.
Several lobbyists e-mailed back and forth furiously over the weekend, expressing their outrage over the new rules and the possibility that the Obama administration might expand the provisions beyond the stimulus package.
"It's setting up a behavior of discrimination of law-abiding citizens," American League of Lobbyists President David Wenhold said about the new rules.
Wenhold, who has been fielding e-mails and calls from upset members, said ALL is in discussions with its board over what action it should take.
While the ALL board has made no decisions yet, Wenhold said it is keeping all options open, including litigation.
"This smacks of segregation, discrimination, and I honestly feel it is unconstitutional," Wenhold said.
Some lobbyists, such as Golin Harris' Michael Fulton, said the new policy is not only upsetting but will also end up hurting Obama's goal of jump-starting the economy.
"I am personally offended, and so are many of our clients," Fulton said. "The White House and the president need to understand that the lobbying community is part of the solution, not the problem."
The poor little persecuted lobbyists. Tom Delay must be throwing his body across Washington.
OK, Austin, when do we get fat cat reform here at home? Just asking. |
