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24 January 2012

Bitter former mayor offers "advice" to Rick Perry

Last week Bill White pictured Rick Perry . . . - Unca Darrell

[Former Mayor Bill] White ... proposes "three simple actions" by which [Gov. Rick] Perry could restore his credibility with Texans. You can read them for yourself, but the three simple actions boil down to one simple principle: Be more like me, the good brother, and less like your perfectly awful self.

Think Bill White is still just a little bitter over those stupid voters re-electing that stupid Aggie when they could have chosen a smart, successful Democratic mayor instead?

Again, click over to read the whole righteous takedown.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/12 09:57 PM | Comments (4)

Chron's Holley gets the BattleSwarm treatment

An Example Of What’s Wrong With Journalism These Days - Lawrence Person's Battleswarm Blog

This Houston Chronicle piece by Joe Holley is an example of why so many people are dissatisfied with the job the legacy media is doing of reporting events.

No argument from us. Be sure to click over and read the whole thing, and check out the BattleSwarm Blog regularly. It's one of the good ones.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/12 09:33 PM | Comments (0)

Harris County assistant attorney pleads for leniency for Eversole

Harris County asst. attorney - 'ethics watchdog for the county' - urged judge to exercise leniency in Jerry Eversole case - Steve Miller, Texas Watchdog

A letter to a federal judge from Harris County’s legal counsel supporting ousted Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole was “inappropriate” and demands a revisiting of the county’s ethics policy, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said in an interview.

The letter from First Assistant Harris County Attorney Terry O’Rourke to U.S. District Judge David Hittner asked for leniency – a sentence of probation in a case where the penalty allows up to five years in prison - for Eversole, who was indicted in 2010 for accepting bribes to steer millions of dollars in contracts to a developer, Michael Surface.

[snip]

“In my professional review of the Murworth properties … I found that the county procedures had been followed and that there was no evidence of undue or improper outside influence on the decision makers," O'Rourke wrote, contradicting the federal indictment.

“As a civil litigator with only the burden of preponderance of the evidence, I would not, and did not, recommend the filing charges of either bribery or unlawful gift to a public servant to the appropriate officials. Based on this, I recommend that you grant probation in the case.”

In other words, one of the branches of Harris County government we count on to keep an eye on OTHER public officials isn't really all that interested in doing so. That would be handy to keep in mind around election time.

This was a nice catch by Texas Watchdog yesterday morning. The Chronicle ran a similar story in today's edition.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/12 07:42 AM | Comments (0)

23 January 2012

Hiking and biking past one of METRO's greatest hits

Swamplot notes that construction of a bikeway north of downtown continues, and there'll be a "highlight" for hikers and bikers once it opens:

One highlight of the journey: a close-up view of the 17.3 acres of swampland Hakeem Olajuwon flipped to Metro back in 2005 for a cool $15 million.

He made a $13 million profit. Quite a fine example of Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson's outstanding leadership, wouldn't you agree?

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/12 06:50 PM | Comments (3)

22 January 2012

City negotiates red-light-camera settlement; Bill White's opt-out removal costs city millions

City of Houston Negotiates End to Red Light Camera Vendor Lawsuit - Office of Mayor Annise Parker

The City of Houston has reached a $4.78 million settlement of the lawsuit filed by American Traffic Solutions (ATS). The agreement brings to an end the legal fight that began when Houston City Council approved ending Houston’s red light camera program. The funds to pay the settlement will come from previously collected fines that are in escrow and the approximately $25 million the City is still owed in outstanding red light camera fines issued when the program was still operational.

[snip]

Under the terms of the agreement, ATS will be paid $2.3 million up front. This represents the amount ATS would have received had the red light cameras remained on from the date they were initially turned off following the voter initiative in November 2010 to December of 2011. ATS will also receive another $2.4 million over the next three years. This additional amount is meant to address the amounts ATS could have received under its contract with the City, based on collection of delinquent red light camera fines.

In exchange for the payments, ATS has agreed to end its legal fight with the City and remove all of its cameras from Houston intersections within 60 days of approval of the settlement by Houston City Council.

Red-light camera settlement going to City Council - Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle

It will cost the city of Houston at least $4.8 million to get out of its contract for red-light cameras, according to a lawsuit settlement headed to the City Council on Wednesday.

American Traffic Solutions has agreed to take down the cameras within 60 days in exchange for $2.3 million upfront and a cut of future collections of delinquent fines from red-light runners.

[snip]

If collections don't cover the obligation, the city will pay $2.4 million in installments over the next three years.

[snip]

Beyond that, a future ATS payday depends on the city's success in collecting from the 240,000 delinquent red-light runners. If the city were to collect all $25 million in outstanding fines — highly unlikely since some of them are already 5 years old — ATS's payout could reach $12.3 million.

What's missing from this story?

Any reference to the fact that Bill White's gambit to remove an opt-out provision from the contract with ATS and "outsmart" the state legislature is now going to cost the City of Houston millions.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/12 09:54 PM | Comments (1)

20 January 2012

BH meetup: Saturday, Jan. 21, West Alabama Ice House

To celebrate this lovely 70+ degree January weather, we've decided to have an impromptu BH meetup.

We'll be getting together at the West Alabama Ice House tomorrow (Saturday, January 21, 2pm-??) to hoist a few brews, maybe have a gyro or taco, and chat about stuff. Please feel free to drop by if you're out and about.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/20/12 08:06 AM | Comments (1)

14 January 2012

Danger Train draws blood on Friday the 13th

Woman gets pinned under METRORail in downtown Houston, hospitalized - Jessica Willey, KTRK-13 News

According to METRO, the woman was walking on the tracks near Polk toward the train. The driver sounded the horn, but she never moved. She was struck and pulled under. The train came to an abrupt stop.

"Everybody was just shocked, they were taken aback. Everybody was on their phones, everybody was trying to see what had happened. We couldn't get a good angle but all the police and the ambulance showed up and it was chaos," Dupre said.

The woman ended up under the cab and not the wheels. And on this scene Houston firefighters didn't use hoses, but rather airbags for the rescue.

"To help lift the train just a couple of inches, she wasn't that far under there. It required a couple of inches of life to get her up from under the train," METRO Spokesman Jerome Gray said.

Quote of the year so far from METRO's very expensive TV mouthpiece: "She wasn't that far under there."

That's reassuring.

Meanwhile, METRO continues to build additional, expensive at-grade tram lines down busy streets. Because we wouldn't want this sort of Friday the 13th fun restricted to just one short stretch in Houston!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/14/12 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

03 January 2012

From the gang that can't shoot straight...

Houston Mayor: 'Occupy' protestors need 'end game' - Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News

The “Occupy” movement has cost Houston considerably less than other major cities. As of late November, the city had racked up more than $11,000 in police overtime. No updated numbers were immediately available.

Did the mayor's office supply those numbers to KHOU? Hard to know, since the reporter doesn't say.

However, the newspaper of record in Houston (such as it is) reported back in December that HPD had "racked up $366,734 in additional costs" related to the Occupy Houston squatters. The newspaper story did not report how much Mayor Parker's "free electricity for the Occupy Houston Squatters" policy had cost the city (read: taxpayers).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/03/12 09:57 AM | Comments (6)

20 December 2011

A Happy Holidays news and views roundup

The holidays are upon us, and we've overwhelmed.

So, here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Kwanzaa, or whatever holiday you do or do not celebrate. We'll be taking a little break, but here's a news dump in the meantime to clear out the backlog. May Pancho Claus be good to you this year!

Rash of improper influence over high-dollar contracts at Houston ISD -- while teachers are cut and schools are closed - Mike Cronin and Jennifer Peebles, Texas Watchdog
The needs of elites and their crony friends outweigh the needs of “the children.” You'd think liberals and conservatives alike would be outraged over this, but chances are pretty good you won't see many links to this on local blogs.
DA's office stalling on BAT van issue - Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle
Harris County ADA testifies "fix is in" in grand jury case over BAT vans - Ted Oberg, KTRK-13 News

Eyewitness News asked the Lykos' office for comment about a DA refusing to testify and for two days in a row now, we haven't received an answer.

Where is DA Pat Lykos? At the risk of scaring children, should we put her mug on a milk carton under "Missing!?"

Seriously, all of this looks terrible for the DA's office, whatever motivations you may think are at play (and anyone who tells you with 100% confidence they know and understand the motivations should be disregarded). Of course, it won't shock anyone that we find it entirely unsurprising that when voters choose someone whose experience and temperament for the office are suspect, you sometimes get the leadership that might have been expected.

If you're not already, be sure to follow posts AND comments on the blogs of Murray Newman, Mark Bennett, and David Jennings. You can get all sorts of theories about what's at play from players and non-players alike!
After seasons of scandal, TSU blooms under new leadership - Monica Rohr, Houston Chronicle

The official tagline for the campaign to reinvent Texas Southern University is lofty, ambitious and, some might say, hyperbolic. The phrase - "A Renaissance of Excellence" - evokes the notion of rebirth, of a battered institution rising from the ashes.

It's also undeniably apt.

Matt Bramanti rightly described this as gushing on twitter, which drew objections from the Chron editor for the story, who nitpicked that "Renaissance" was TSU's word, not the Chron's. Except the Chron described the term as "undeniably apt." Their words. You can't make this stuff up (and because it's the Chron, don't really need to).

No doubt, there has been progress from the dark days in which there was a real possibility the state might consider stepping in and shutting down the institution or removing its independence, but Renaissance of Excellence? Just a bit over the top.

Still, we're not sure why the Chron would be so defensive when called a cheerleader. Honestly, as I've noted before, they do the genre better than anyone else I read. They should embrace this one small bit of excellence.
Officials consider plan for convention center hotel - Nancy Sarnoff, Houston Chronicle

Despite the officials' enthusiasm to boost downtown meeting business, hotel consultant Bruce Walker is not convinced another large convention center hotel can be built in downtown Houston.

In downtown's 77002 ZIP code, he said, occupancy and room revenues are too low to justify such the development of such a large property.

And the cost to build a full-service hotel, which he estimates to be around $400,000 a room, is too high for the proposed project to be profitable.

"Those numbers don't even come close to working," he said.
File this sort of sensible and sober economic analysis under "Things That Don't Matter in Houston When Public Officials Are In Hot Pursuit of the Latest World Class Boondoggle."
Houston airport's customized trucks raise questions - Stephen Dean, KPRC-2 News
Vacar may be gone, but a bizarre, unaccountable culture seems to endure at HAS.
An app for Metro's bus system - Houston Chronicle
See below.
(Still) Waiting For Something We Already Have - Greg's Opinion
This! +1 Ditto x2 or however else we can express complete agreement.
Brenda Stardig pulling a Clinton in transition to Helena Brown? - David Jennings, Big Jolly Politics
More rape kits than thought remain untested at HPD - Zain Shauk, Houston Chronicle

The Houston Police Department's backlog of untested rape kits totals between 6,000 and 7,000 - 50 percent more than what officials previously acknowledged, according to a memo from Chief Charles McClelland.

HPD for years has insisted that the backlog of untested rape kits was around 4,000. The details from the chief's memo confirm a Houston Chronicle report that the backlog likely was far greater.

The backlog also is likely to continue to grow. According to McClelland's memo, HPD receives some 930 new rape kits each year. HPD officials previously have said the department is able to test only 30 to 40 a month.

Of course. And we're getting further behind. Think that unanticipated $366k police bill for the Occupy Houston squatters might have been put to some better use?
Houston VA cemetery director transfers after fallout from alleged attempt to ban use of 'God' and 'Jesus Christ' from ceremonies - Erik Barajas, KTRK-13 News
A firing would have been better, but of course bureaucrats can never be fired.
Climategate (Part II) - Steven F. Hayward, The Weekly Standard
Reading that you'll never find on the blog of the Chron in-house global warmist, SciGuy Eric Berger.
Another scalp for Dolcefino's wall - Harris County Almanac
Yep, even though those caught in questionable behavior are trying to spin it otherwise. Meanwhile, Undercover Man is after a few more scalps elsewhere. See below.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/20/11 11:03 AM | Comments (2)

14 December 2011

Occupy Houston squatters have cost HPD (read: taxpayers) an extra $366k so far

No clarity on why tent was used to cover arrests of Occupy activists - James Pinkerton and Safiya Ravat, Houston Chronicle

So far, Houston police have racked up $366,734 in additional costs to deal with the Occupy Houston protesters, who set up camp in Tranquility Park across from City Hall on Oct. 6., HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva said.

The amount includes $10,789 in overtime paid to officers, but does not include costs associated with Monday's protest at the port.

Those were the last two grafs of the story. Talk about burying the lede!

For a followup, it would be nice to know how much Mayor Parker's decision to give away electricity (safely!) to the Occupy Houston squatters is costing taxpayers.

Interestingly, TIME just named this drain on productive society, generally speaking, its Man of the Year. Neat, huh?!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/14/11 08:03 PM | Comments (0)

METRO spreads holiday cheer to local hospital

Ho, Ho, Ho...METRO Blue Santa Cheers Young Patients - Write on METRO

METRO Blue Santa arrived by a custom-decorated Polar Express METRORail to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital on Dec. 10, bringing bears, coloring books and cookies to young patients - along with X-boxes and Play Stations.

Siblings also received bears and coloring books.

This was the second annual Blue Santa visit to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital - an event made possible by the hundreds of METRO employees who donated time, money, and bought barbeque, hot dogs and raffle tickets to raise funds.

Well, good for METRO for giving a little something back to the community. We do question the wisdom of letting disgraced CEO George Greanias (who was caught surfing apparent adolescent gay porn sites at work earlier this year) anywhere near children, however.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/14/11 07:48 PM | Comments (0)

13 December 2011

McGuff: Parker Administration campaigns for KPRC reporter

Houston City Hall campaigns for KPRC 2's Mary Benton - Mike McGuff

Tweets started going out from Houston City Hall staffers Wednesday morning promoting a new campaign. This was not a campaign about getting out the vote for Saturday's runoff elections or a new city council proposal, it was to get some TV coverage:

jessicamichan Jessica Michan
Starting a #Twitter campaign for @KPRCLocal2 to send @MaryBenton to cover City Hall. We need her here! She gets it!! #Mary2CityHall

This is just the latest amateur move from the Parker Administration, which shouldn't be naming reporters they'd like to come cover them. However innocuous it seems, it looks bad (like the Parker Administration is playing favorites) and puts the reporter in a tough spot (to avoid the appearance of being a City Hall fav, the reporter might well feel the need to be more critical than is warranted).

Mayor Annise Parker is working on her second decade of elected service in Houston municipal government. Given her experience, it's really surprising that her mayoral administration so regularly stumbles and bumbles like it does.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/13/11 09:39 PM | Comments (3)

12 December 2011

Runoff voters reject candidates favored by local lefty groups (or, what you don't really learn from the Chron's tired partisan "observers")

Houston runoff shows voters want change - Zain Shauk, Houston Chronicle

The results illustrate a continuation of a national trend of anger and frustration toward government during the worst economic stretch since the Great Depression, political observers said.

[snip]

"A lot of people are angry at virtually all institutions and the government is high on their list," said Richard Murray, a political science professor at the University of Houston. "And these are the people in a low-turnout election that are most likely to show up because they are angry. They're agitated."

[snip]

The results show clear opposition to the status quo, particularly following a general election in which Mayor Annise Parker and several council members narrowly avoided runoff elections, said Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University.

"It's a strong repudiation of this administration - not just the mayor, but the council," Stein said.

Where to start with this?

First and foremost, the "national trend" has not been one of anger and frustration toward government (read: incumbents), but rather anger and frustration toward liberal Democratic government. We thought most media had given up on the unsupportable "anti-incumbent" meme, but apparently Zain Shauk hasn't been paying attention.

Of course, it doesn't help that the "experts" he talked to are two professors who are also Democratic partisans/activists (though Shauk does continue the Chron tradition of not identifying these two properly). Unsurprisingly, Professor Murray wants this to be generally about dissatisfaction with institutions and government and NOT liberal Democratic government (of the sort he favors). Stein at least gets closer to an insight, which is that in the runoff, a cadre of motivated voters expressed dissatisfaction with the Parker Administration and some members of Council (either seen as enablers or buffoons). It's also worth nothing that candidates endorsed by liberal groups (and the Chron) fared poorly in the runoff, whereas the candidates favored by conservative groups fared well (see Campos for more -- one can always tell when a liberal is unhappy with voters by the number of times vulgarities are used in a post).

Perhaps Zain Shauk and other Chron metro reporters will find some new sources for their reporting on Houston politics one of these days. Cory Crow has more on this ongoing problem.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/12/11 09:46 PM | Comments (4)

04 December 2011

More on Houston's deserts (food, mobility, and journalism)

Survey: Some areas in Houston lack grocery stores - Andy Cerota, KTRK-13 News

Fresh, healthy affordable food is not something Acres Homes residents take for granted.

"We have to go all the way out to I-45 and West Road to get to Walmart," resident Julie Hobley said.

They live in what's called a "food desert," a section of the city without enough access to grocery stores. What's more is that this area is not alone.

"In Houston, food deserts are a big problem. We have more food deserts than other metropolitan cities in the US," said Laura Spanjian with the city of Houston.

What is KTRK's deal with this press release reporting on "food deserts?"

As was the case with Ted Oberg's horrible reporting on this topic, "food desert" is not defined in any meaningful sense (what is "enough access to grocery stores?" Beats me. KTRK apparently isn't sharing, other than one bureaucrat's view whose job appears to involve figuring out ways to squander taxpayer dollars on remedying this "problem").

And here's a fun stat, repeated authoritatively:

It's a big deal when you consider some 440,000 Houston-area residents don't have access to good, quality nutritious food at low prices.

Did Cerota just pull that out of his posterior, or did that number come from some big-government bureaucrat? Again, beats me. KTRK doesn't say.

Once more, there's not one voice in the story asking why in the world this is a problem for the city to solve (read: squander taxpayer dollars). Just cheerleading. And there is certainly nobody raising the "Mobility Desert" question we did in our last blog post on this topic, which brings us to this:

Metro hearing will mull route changes - Caroline Evans, YourHoustonNews.com

Commuters who ride the bus might have to find a different route to work by January.

On Dec. 5, Metro will hold a public hearing on a proposal that would eliminate several bus routes, including the 49 Chimney Rock Crosstown, the 313 Allen Parkway Special and the 35 Fairview, which goes through River Oaks on San Felipe.

The 2003 referendum promised a 50% increase in bus service. Instead, it is cut, year after year after year, so METRO can funnel more money to a tram buildout that will serve few people.

Poor people who live in "food deserts" could probably use reliable bus service to address their shopping needs. METRO instead tells them their declining bus service is a "service enhancement" and big-government pols at City Hall try to figure out ways to squander taxpayer dollars by bribing grocery stores to build in neighborhoods that otherwise don't appeal to them (with cheerleading from KTRK and the Chron). Neat!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/04/11 08:47 PM | Comments (3)

30 November 2011

Texas Watchdog meetup Saturday

Texas Watchdog is hosting a meetup on Saturday at the Stag's Head Pub.

In addition to their crew, they'll be featuring media blogger extraordinaire Mike McGuff.

By 2pm, the Cougars surely will have this CUSA Championship/BCS thing locked up, right?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/30/11 09:06 PM | Comments (2)

27 November 2011

Occupy Houston vignettes

Occupy protester to commissioners: Invite the 99% to Houston - Mike Morris, Houston Politics/Chron.com

That was the case today as Joe Roche of the Occupy Houston movement’s Political Action Volunteer Work Group appeared to ask for “diplomacy.” He wanted the court to show a little down-home hospitality and invite Occupy protesters nationwide to balmy Harris County.

“As colder months now approach, keep in mind there are other Occupy movements in all 50 states. As elected officials, be diplomats and invite the other Occupy movements down here to Harris County,” Roche said.

Though Roche made sure to note the group’s broad concerns (“gross inequality of wealth in our society, in our country, and corporate corruption in our democracy”) his pitch to the commissioners focused on economic development...

Hey, if Mayor Annise Parker is going to allow vagrants to crowd out the taxpaying public in a park they pay for AND provide the vagrants free electricity, why the heck not? That's a pretty good deal.

Here's an amusing snippet from the Occupy Houston's first newsletter that a friend passed along:

Where are all those folks? They are probably out hard at work trying to create their own breaks in our city of opportunity!

Revisiting Occupy Houston - David Jennings, Big Jolly Politics

Next up was a report on finances. The person giving the report stated that the financial picture was not good – they had $22 left in their cash fund and that cash donations keep disappearing. She proposed that if someone missed three consecutive finance meetings that their access to keys for the cashbox be removed.

Petty theft is an improvement on the sort of violent crime that has occurred within other Occupy encampments, so give yourself a pat on the back Houston.

Do be sure to read all of David Jennings' post. It's compelling citizen-journalism. This political scientist was entertained by the group's unknowing embrace of John C. Calhoun's concurrent majority!

Occupy Houston movement members protest for 54th day - Ted Oberg, KTRK-13 News

Just as there is no list of demands, there is no typical protestor either -- just a shared sense of frustration that dreams are just out of reach.

In a promo for this piece, Oberg tweeted that YOU likely have more in common than you realize with the Occupy Houston vagrants; commenters on Oberg's story mostly disagreed (maybe it would have been worthwhile to talk to a least ONE person like that for the story, hmm?). What say you, blogHOUSTON readers?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/27/11 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

Chron: Salaries soar at Harris County Housing Authority

Salaries soar at Harris County Housing Authority: Increases nearly triple some officials' pay - Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle

Harris County Housing Authority leaders have received steep salary increases and staggering bonuses in recent years, nearly tripling some executives' pay since 2004.

As CEO, Guy Rankin's salary has gone from $99,507 when he took over in July 2004 to $263,965 three years ago. That included a $60,000 bonus, dubbed "equalization pay" in authority records. This year, while not scheduled to receive a bonus, he stands to make $242,008.

The authority's second-in-command, David Gunter, was making $74,256 as a senior accountant when Rankin became CEO. He since has been promoted three times, to chief administrative officer, and will receive $220,001 this year. That includes a $55,000 bonus. His pay exceeds that of all housing authority CEOs in Texas, as well as those of some of the nation's largest housing authorities.

Executive bonuses at the county agency ranged up to $84,000, sometimes approaching and, in one case, exceeding an employee's annual salary. Most lower-level workers also consistently got bonuses, from $1,000 to more than $10,000.

Why should anyone be surprised that when there is big government, unaccountable quasi-governmental bureaucrats want (and usually take) their turn at the trough too? It doesn't much matter whether the program in question is aimed at helping the poor, or the elderly, the children, or whatever group.

Stories like this one (and the upcoming federal grant for METRO to continue building its trams and cutting bus service) suggest that the D.C. conversation about federal budget "cutting" is really more political theater for those not paying much attention than anything.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/27/11 11:22 AM | Comments (1)

24 November 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a great Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading blogHOUSTON!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/24/11 09:52 AM | Comments (2)

23 November 2011

Empower Texans takes aim at Harris County Department of Education

Conservative Texas advocacy group Empower Texans recently concluded a four-part series on the Harris County Department of Education, which is obsolete yet continues to suck up taxpayer dollars. Here are the links and brief excerpts. Be sure to click over.

Part One: Duplicating Government in Harris County - Empower Texans

Harris County taxpayers have been unwittingly paying for the same service from different governmental entities for years. On top of paying taxes for their local school district, they’ve been funding $16 million in taxes to the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) for nothing more than a duplication of services already provided by other entities.

Part Two: The Obsolete Operations of the HCDE - Empower Texans

The Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) represents exactly the kind of obsolete and financially inefficient government entity that has plagued our public education system for years. It’s one of only two departments of its kind left in Texas, providing only redundant services our current system of independent school districts are already set up to handle.

Just how long will a government entity last after it’s outlived it’s usefulness? The HCDE has been obsolete for decades, and will continue to leech off Harris County taxpayers indefinitely if something isn’t done about it.

Part Three: HCDE So Inefficient, It Should Be Unconstitutional - Empower Texans

How much did you spend on food and drinks in a four-month span? The Harris County Department of Education spent about $72,000 in taxpayer funded “Restaurant/Refreshment” purchases from August to December last year, a microcosm of waste so bad that many would consider it unconstitutional.

Part Four: Venturing Capital With Taxpayer Money - Empower Texans

Since the Harris County Department of Education hasn’t been in charge of managing public schools for over 90 years, it’s had to find another way to spend its taxpayer funds: investing in for-profit businesses. Apparently, venture capitalism is one of the many all-important duties a department of education is meant to tackle.

It's well past time to shutter this wasteful, obsolete quasi-governmental agency.

PREVIOUSLY: Activists narrowly head off HCDE stealth tax increase effort

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/23/11 10:42 PM | Comments (1)

HISD tries again to set the stage for future tax increases

Houston ISD faces $44M deficit as budget planning begins for next fiscal year - Mike Cronin, Texas Watchdog

“There’s not a lot of fat left on the bone around here,” observed Superintendent Terry Grier near the meeting’s conclusion.

What a disappointing piece from the usually excellent Texas Watchdog crew.

We're accustomed to establishment-oriented journalism in Texas, which usually reflects the reliable complaint from the reporter's institutional sources (read: mostly well-compensated bureaucrats) that voters and/or pols aren't giving them enough money. Rarely if ever is the taxpayer/voter perspective represented fairly in this sort of journalism.

Texas Watchdog has been refreshing because their focus on fraud, waste, and accountability frequently is of interest to the folks footing the bills of "public" services (read: taxpayers). Yet there's no such taxpayer voice in this story challenging Terry Grier's assertion that there's no fat left on the HISD bone. There's no reference to previous stories Texas Watchdog has done that suggest taxpayers may not be getting full value from, say, HISD's buddy-buddy bidding procedures. There's no followup on Matt Bramanti's occasional looks at the HISD check register (which shows large outlays for catering with regularity, apparently an ESSENTIAL function of educating the children in a cut-to-the-bone school district).

Let's hope this piece was just an anomaly. There's enough bad reporting reflecting the views of Texas education bureaucrats out there already.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/23/11 10:37 PM | Comments (15)

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Bitter former mayor offers "advice" to Rick Perry

City negotiates red-light-camera settlement; Bill White's opt-out removal costs city millions

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