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Is the Passing of Tyler’s Jail Bond Good or Bad?

May 17th, 2011

After the weekend’s vote in favor of the new jail bond proposal, I must admit that I’m still unsure what to think. Local politics has certainly made some strange bedfellows. Much to my surprise, many people I know and respect in our area have come out in support of the modest tax increase in order to finally put the prison issue to rest. The new prison will cost thirty- five million, but proponents say that some of those costs can be made up by housing state and federal prisoners from outside our area.

Even Tyler’s budget hawks have been divided on the issue. The “Grassroots America” organization supported the measure, while the Tyler Tea Party opposed it. Personally I certainly recognize the need to ease prison overcrowding, but as a Tylerite, I can’t help but feel somewhat duped. Every time the city has pushed for some new bond or other, citizens have said “no we can’t afford it!” whether it was school bonds or the continually re-emerging issue of a new jail. Well, in the latter case persistence has finally paid off. I wish I could say that I trusted our local bureaucrats to take the most frugal approach with our money, but sorry to say, I just don’t.

At the end of the day the passing of the jail bond may not be entirely bad news. Certainly building the new jail will have positive implications, namely local jobs and fresh outside funds. But I’m concerned that every other local committee is going to employ the same kind of grind us down, tactics the pro-jail people used. My advice is this; keep your hand on your wallet folks! There are always going to be things we need to buy or build. But let’s prioritize. There’s nothing wrong with making do with less, now and again!         

Arizona Shooting Victim James Eric Fuller is Himself Arrested

January 17th, 2011

What a difference a week makes! The news has been surreal of late. We had one nut case finally losing it and opening fire on a crowd of defenseless people killing six, including a federal judge and a nine year old girl. A handful more are wounded, including a sitting U. S. Congresswoman. Following the tragedy, we have certain members of the national press and local officials, including a strangely unprofessional law enforcement officer, attempting to blame the political opposition for inciting the mad man’s actions. Next we have a memorial service for the lost in which the crowd behaves like a bunch of football fans at the Super bowl. And finally, the government of the State of Arizona is forced to move in order to block the protests of another group of crazies from protesting at the funerals of the victims. What is going on in our country?

Well the strange news stories continue. It turns out that Tucson shooting victim has himself been arrested and hospitalized after publicly threatening the life of Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries, over the weekend. Now it sounds like James Eric Fuller may himself be a little unbalanced. He’s definitely had a rough couple of weeks. I hope he gets the help he needs; (it seems like I’ve heard myself saying that a lot lately). But I cannot begin to imagine how this story would have been treated by the press had he been a conservative. Mr. Fuller has recently appeared on numerous leftward leaning programs and websites, including the radical “Media Matters” where he blamed among others, Sarah Palin for the actions of lunatic shooter Jared Lee Loughner. Now I am not suggesting that his actions are typical of those of his political stripe, but I am suggesting that there is an obvious double standard between how the left is depicted in the media versus anyone else. The evidence is mounting that Lougher is merely insane with no political persuasion at all. Yet he was immediately (and unsuccessfully) labeled as a Tea Party member and talk radio listener. What’s more no one comes anywhere near blaming the media for firing up Fuller’s rage against prominent conservatives even though he had been directly impacted by the Tucson tragedy and was certainly very vulnerable to anti- conservative rhetoric.

Ok look I’m not honestly blaming the left for Mr. Fuller’s disorderly behavior. We all have our own issues and hang ups in life. But those are our individual issues. The sooner we all take responsibility for our own actions, insist others do the same and stop pointing the finger at those with no culpability, the better off we will be.

Jared Lee Loughner Is Neither a Liberal nor a Conservative

January 9th, 2011

jared loughnerIn the last twenty four hours or so I have found myself filled with a mix of grief and absolute frustration by the events in Arizona and the subsequent attempts to assign blame.

The events of Saturday were an indefensible tragedy! Everyone from a Federal judge to a nine year old little girl lost their lives. “May light perpetual shine upon them.” But there is no political lesson here.

I have heard commentators and guests on twenty- four hour news networks wax eloquent on how the political discourse is too loud and rancorous for the American people.

One local AZ official went so far as to call for voices on the radio to soften their tone! So let’s get a couple of things straight right now: First off this was not a political act. The assailant was not a tea party member or a ditto head. Nor was he a move on.org contributor or an acorn worker.

He was just a delusional head case who read things like Mien Kampf and the Communist Manifesto before drifting off to sleep at night. He hated this country, as well as religious faith, and his YouTube vids are full of incoherent rambling that would have confused Friedrich Nietzsche.

Secondly The American people are not the impressionable dolts that many in government and the media seem to think we are.

To listen to the self- righteous officials on television one would think that the electorate was filled with voices and individuals who are so tenuously balanced that they could simply erupt at any time. I guess I just think more of the American people than that!

We can distinguish what is often heated (and even necessary) debate, from the senseless ravings of a madman. I for one am not that easily manipulated thank you very much!

At the end of the day I reaffirm my position that Jared Lee Loughner was / is neither a liberal nor a conservative; that would require at least an ounce of humanity, something that clearly must be lacking in anyone who would deliberately kill a ten year old at point blank range.

So a parting word to all those who are waiting in the wings to assign political blame for this travesty, and believe me, they are out there: let the politics rest! Don’t try to use this terrible event as a “teachable moment!” There’s nothing to learn from this stupidity. There’s only sadness. Just let the people grieve.

Rick Perry Returns to Tyler

November 12th, 2010

Fresh from his most recent election victory nearly two weeks ago, Governor Perry visited Tyler again today. He wasn’t stumping this time however. Instead, Mr. Perry held a book signing in coordination with the Grassroots America group. The book is entitled: “Fed Up — Our Fight to Save America from Washington.”The book highlights the importance of state and local authority, and the need for citizen action to oppose a growing Federal government. All proceeds for the book go to “Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Tenth Amendment Studies.”

Over the past couple of years, particularly since the election of President Obama, we’ve seen the governor being politically born again. Tenth amendment or state’s rights issues have been central to Governor Perry’s administration of late and he has spent a great deal of time traveling the state and country making a case for smaller government. While I like him well enough, I’ve been a sort of tacit supporter of Mr. Perry’s over the years; mostly because he has never been considered a rock solid conservative. Indeed it seems that he tends to become more conservative around election time. But In light of our current political situation, Mr. Perry has come to resemble Ronald Reagan… ok not even close, but you get my point. His pro- business and generally low tax policies have kept our state fiscally sound, or more so than many or our sister states, in tough financial times. He has also been an advocate for citizen groups like Grassroots America and the Tea Party since their inception. The governor’s participation in events like the one in Tyler today, have been frequently chalked up to election year politics, but with November second behind us, and the county in a decidedly anti- government mood, he may see an opportunity to move toward the right on a more permanent basis. Of course, only time will tell if he’s actually had something of a political epiphany. In the meantime you’re welcome in Tyler Governor, come back anytime!

For more information on Grassroots America and what they’re doing in our community, go to the following web sites: http://gawtp.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grassroots-America-We-The-People/157828612919.

Governor Rick Perry Lonestar Event Center Book Signing

November 12th, 2010
Rick Perry Book Signing in Tyler Texas

Tyler Texas Governor Perry Book Signing

Governor Rick Perry will be at a Grass Roots of America We the People luncheon. He will also be at a book signing at the Lonestar Event Center in Tyler Texas at 11:30 a.m. this morning.

Rick Perry won the Texas governors race by a very large margin. The race was against Bill White who had never lost an election even while having big ears which he often pointed out in his radio ads.

Many in the Tea Party movement see Rick Perry as the lesser of two evils and someone who has given up on several conservative principals.

You can expect governor Perry to be held accountable this term by the Tea Party if he deviates from fiscal conservatice principles.

Also many understand that it just isn’t good to stay in political office as long as many politicians have. Texans no longer trust “career politicians” but dometimes there is simply no other choice.

So although not everyone is joyous that Rick Perry is once again the Texas governor they understand he has the potential to do many positive things this time around.

You can count on Grass Roots America to be there to hold him accountable if he goes against fiscal conservative principles that has kept Texas safe from economic destruction. This means smaller government, fighting for states rights, and listening to Texas tax payers.