April 26, 2014

Rick Perry bringing New Hampshire political activists to Texas

Mounting evidence that Gov. Rick Perry is preparing for another presidential run, about a dozen New Hampshire Republicans are scheduled to visit Texas next to meet with the governor.

The New Hampshire Journal is reporting that Perry has engaged GOP strategist Mike Dennehy to organize the meeting. Dennehy is well known in the Granite State, the first state to vote in presidential primaries, where he helped engineer victories for John McCain.

Dennehy, according to the report, is working through Americans for Economic Freedom, a group created by with seed money left over from Perry’s last presidential campaign and organized by his top supporters.

Perry has been using the group to promote his message for economic growth, and to visit Democratic-controlled the states to meet with business owners and run ads featuring the governor.

More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/04/rick-perry-bringing-new-hampshire-political-activists-to-texas.html/ .

[font color=green]But will Perry have time to fit the political activists into his schedule? After all, he still needs to meet with the taxpayer-paid defense attorneys that are trying to keep him out of jail for bribery and extortion because of his efforts to manipulate the Public Integrity Unit in Travis County.[/font]

April 26, 2014

Recently Unemployed

April 26, 2014

Texas nuke weapons plant cited for safety concerns

AMARILLO (AP) — Experts have recommended improving operating and training procedures after inspectors raised concerns about explosives safety at the nation’s only nuclear weapons assembly and dismantling plant.

A letter to Pantex from the U.S. Department of Energy cites six incidents since August 2012 that have heightened concerns, The Amarillo Globe-News reported Thursday.

The incidents include improperly packaging explosives in containers not meant for explosives, improper packaging of special nuclear materials and improper shipping of incompatible explosive materials.

Officials with plant operator B&W Pantex told the newspaper they did not want to comment on the letter from the director of enforcement and oversight in the department’s Office of Health, Safety and Security.

More at http://www.news-journal.com/news/state/texas-nuke-weapons-plant-cited-for-safety-concerns/article_fd95d6db-28bb-587b-854d-a3d57862716d.html .

April 26, 2014

Frisco officials see Exide cleanup costs mount

The smokestacks and most buildings are gone now, but remediation still needs to be done along 1.87 miles of Stewart Creek from Exide’s border to the southern edge of Grand Park. That could cost between $6.3 million and $8.8 million, according to city estimates, depending on whether the waste is disposed of in Exide’s landfill or hauled off.

The city of Frisco has spent more than $3.4 million in public funds since 2009 on legal fees, consultants and other costs related to the now-shuttered Exide Technologies plant.

And that figure will continue to grow since the bulk of the cleanup has yet to begin. The question is how much more. A lot of unknowns still exist about the contamination in Frisco and the level of cleanup needed.

A May 2012 agreement between Frisco and Exide spelled out the terms of the battery recycling plant’s closure and cleanup. But a little more than a year later, Exide filed for bankruptcy. Tests since then have confirmed contamination beyond the Exide plant’s borders. Much of it is on city-owned land.

“We’re going to continue to expend whatever we need to make sure the cleanup is done properly — hopefully — and to make sure the city’s position and citizens are protected adequately,” Frisco City Manager George Purefoy said this week. “It’s difficult to know exactly what it’s going to cost at this time.”

More at http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/frisco/headlines/20140425-frisco-officials-see-exide-cleanup-costs-mount.ece .

April 26, 2014

Divided GOP waits to hear from Rand Paul

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Unity is the theme for the state GOP’s annual convention, but it’s a divided party that waits to hear from U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a potential 2016 presidential candidate trying to bridge divisions between the establishment and tea party wings.

Many view the invitation for Paul, R-Ky., to speak at the gathering Saturday as the party’s attempt to reach out to libertarian-leaning members. They were angered by their treatment in 2012 after they took over the state convention and elected a majority slate of delegates for Paul’s father, Ron, a former GOP congressman from Texas and presidential candidate.

Establishment Republicans challenged that decision and the national committee voted to replace half of Maine’s delegates for Paul with supporters of Mitt Romney, the party’s presidential nominee.

Rand Paul’s White House ambitions for 2016 — and Maine’s Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s re-election prospects — may depend on whether the freshman senator can help mend internal divisions.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2014-04-26/divided-gop-waits-hear-rand-paul#comment-330705 .

April 26, 2014

On Yahoo Now: Socialists glorify abortion with Wire Coat Hanger display on college lawn

The Socialist Student Union at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. set a new low for gauche and tasteless behavior this week by covering the green lawn outside the campus center with wire coat hangers to mock a prior event at the school sponsored by students opposed to abortion.

Back in January, on National Sanctity of Human Life Day, Winthrop’s College Republicans had covered the same plot of land with a vast multitude of flags representing abortions, reports Campus Reform.

Naturally, a bunch of those flags representing aborted babies were either stolen or crushed under unidentified feet.

The Socialist Student Union’s display of wire hangers was designed to promote an event called Abortion 360, which occurred on Tuesday at Winthrop. The Abortion 360 event was so named in response to an anti-abortion film shown by College Republicans named “Abortion 180.”

More at http://news.yahoo.com/socialists-glorify-abortion-wire-coat-hanger-display-college-154822382.html .

Moved to the South Carolina Group and deleted from the Texas Group. I actually intended to put it General Discussion, but I apparently wasn't paying attention.

April 26, 2014

The Heritage Foundation Needs a Senior Data Analyst. Should I Apply?

Here is the job description:

http://www.heritage.org/about/jobs/fulltime/senior-data-analyst

I can't wait to tell Karl Rove that the GOP is going to take over the Senate in 2014 and the Presidency in 2016!

April 26, 2014

Texas Renaissance Festival needs your help ramping up for 40th year with weekend auditions

MAGNOLIA -- The Texas Renaissance Festival is holding auditions next weekend to find the performers that will bring life to the festival's 40th year in business.

Entertainment producer Jeff Baldwin is inviting actors to the sprawling park in Todd Mission to try out on May 3 and May 10. Character actors come in all ages and every position is paid, Baldwin said. Most spend the weekends camping with other performers too.

"We're holding auditions for specialty acts, which are what you would see on a gazebo or a stage and we're also looking for street actors that will interact and improvise with patrons throughout the park," Baldwin said Friday. He said he will see as many as 200 auditions, depending on the year.

Baldwin said acts from around the country specifically pursue the Texas festival, so it's not so hard to find them.

More at http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/Texas-RenFest-ramping-up-for-40th-year-with-5429407.php .

April 26, 2014

Please help me respond to some conservative dribble

Hello DUers,

Sometimes I find that it is both fun and necessary to respond to some the conservative ideologues out there. The latest one that I found is a site called http://marcuslockardonline.blogspot.com/ . I would love to get some feedback from you as to responding to this particular meme:



This should be fun since it is a picture of Hong Kong.

Thanks!

April 26, 2014

Van de Putte releases tax returns -- loses thousands gambling in Vegas

AUSTIN — Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Leticia Van de Putte released three years of tax returns Friday, showing that she and her husband, Pete, earned combined total incomes ranging from $143,000 to $184,000 between 2010 and 2012.

The federal filings demonstrate that the San Antonio state senator and her husband's income is largely dependent on cash generated by the family's flag business, Dixie Flag Manufacturing Company, which made up about 72 percent of the couple's income in 2012.

As a state senator, Van de Putte is slated to be paid $7,200 annually for the job, but in her filings she reported earning less than that nominal sum in each of the three years: $5,733 in 2010, $4,600 in 2011 and $5,976 in 2012. She also reported earning $15,925 of annual income in 2010 from San Antonio's Davila Pharmacy and an average of $16,000 a year during 2010 and 2011 for work with ADP TotalSource, a provider of business outsourcing tools.

Van de Putte, a pharmacist for the last 30 years, has filed an extension on her taxes from last year.

According to tax returns released Friday, Van de Putte and her husband lost a total of $10,000 gambling in Las Vegas in 2011 and 2012.

They also reported about $42,500 in royalties from XTO Energy, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corp. that specializes in fracking, for the three-year period.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/article/Van-de-Putte-releases-tax-returns-5430872.php

[font color=green]While gambling is legal most Texans do not want to read about their elected officials being involved with gambling. Most likely those losses went to fund right-wingers like Adelson and Steve Wynn.

The rest of the financial disclosure about royalties from XTO is also far from ideal.[/font]