AUSTIN, Texas - Before the House voted Speaker Tom Craddick out of his powerful job, state officials wiped his computers clean and deleted scores of electronic files, raising concerns that important public records may have been destroyed.
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The computers were removed from the speaker's office to be wiped clean at 5 p.m. on Jan. 12, said Anne Billingsley, spokeswoman for the Texas Legislative Council. Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, was sworn in as speaker at noon the following day.
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"Everything that Speaker Craddick had on his computers as far as data and records, he was allowed to take with him into his (state representative's) office," Billingsley said. "As far as the computers go, they took all the computers for the speaker's office and they got wiped."
Forget the fact that Craddick is a card carrying arrogant crook in my book. He was part of the state government. He does not get to decide , unilaterally what belongs to him, and what belongs to the people of Texas as a record of how their government was conducted.
Donna Keel is running for TX-HD 47. Does Travis County really need another keel in the legislature or any elected office? The last name alone is enough to make any thinking person in the Austin area cringe. Let's not forget that Donna would be under her father-in-law's thump, actually Tom Craddick's from the get go. Her family name and politics have been so tied to the worst extreme in Texas Republican Politics that there is no doubt where she would stand on any issue or who she would support for speaker of the house.
Answer: Perry and the Republican legislative majority knew. But "get my ass re-elected and damn the consequences tax cuts" were always more important than serving the well being of Texas school children.
I have blogged on this again and again. On this issue, it hurts to be right, over and over again. It really is about the children and how a cabal of useless drones and greedy time servers served themselves at the expense of our future.
(Thousand dollar crappers and freeloading on your tax dollars-that's the Craddick way. - promoted by boadicea)
Embattled Speaker of the Texas House, Tom Craddick recently attacked three opponents for extending state health insurance for employees who only work part time.
I could find no analysis of this claim, outside of Craddick's proclamation, but let me be the first to deflate the claim that this demonstrates "good management" on the part of Czar Craddick or of the Texas Republican majority in the legislature. Sour grapes you say? No, I sadly know where the bodies are buried, so it is cynicism based on past performance.
Texas has so far escaped the worst of the economic national down turn , so the claim of surplus probably has some merit. Even a blind pig finds an acorn eventually. So, they can claim no credit for this part of their "surplus".
Yesterday, January 12, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party and the majority of the SDEC disenfranchised me. Yesterday the Texas Democratic Party embraced heavy-handed procedural tactics worthy of Tom Craddick.
I guess I am a podcasting fool. LOL Sorry it took so long to get this episode done. Remember to have your candidates and libreal activist contact me if they would like to be interviewed for a future podcast.
Has anyone ever heard of being "recognized for the purpose of..." as a proper limit of members' floor rights? I've done this a bit, and I don't remember this ever appearing in Mason's (or Robert's, for that matter), and indeed seems to violate the principle of Mason's Sec. 578 No. 2, where "the presiding officer may not refuse to put any motion that is in order."
Is there some part of the House Rules that I have missed that makes this a legitimate action of the speaker? Or has Craddick fabricated yet another parliamentary rule that never existed?
(Anybody But Craddick - I like it! - promoted by krazypuppy)
If you aren't familiar, the term "ABC" stands for Anybody But Craddick.
These are the Democratic TX House Representatives who have signed pledge cards supporting Craddick for Speaker.
How's about we send them a few messages asking them (nicely) to reconsider?
Remember, they are not obligated by anything but their own words to actually vote for Mr. Craddick. It may be CYA, but I think it's worth calling them on it.
