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Better late than never - after ignoring advice from friends and key conservatives for months Michael Berry, that first term at large councilman, got the message and withdrew from the Mayors race and switched to a At-Large City Council Position 5.
This is a positive development as it appeared all Berry would accomplish in November was to be a spoiler. The big question now is did it occur in time? We will see.
In the mean time, the big switch moved two GOP'ers into the Controller Race - TCR's concerns in the Mayor's Race got transferred there and caused a few other candidates to bounce around.
The TCR questions for City Candidates are out and in this issue we will start publishing the results with Mayor, City Council District F and City Council District G.
The Questions With TCR's Position In ( )
- Do you support a 5% cap per year on the increase in appraised value for real property as the state house passed in the last session of the legislature? (Yes)
- Do you favor the requirement of a super majority prior to raising tax rates? (Yes)
- Do you support the modification of the affirmative action program so it will be need-based and have graduation features? (Yes)
- Do you support ending term limits for elected officials? (No)
- Do you believe in coordination of government functions where practical between the city and county? (Yes)
- Do you favor outsourcing of city functions that don't pass the yellow pages test (if someone in the private sector does a city function more efficiently and at a lower cost) in order to control overall city spending? (Yes)
- Most agreed, the top two priorities for city spending are public safety and roads (infrastructure), what is your third priority?
- Do you support the current Metro Rail referendum? (No)
- Should the total City budget grow faster than the combined increase of inflation and population? (No)
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TCR CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES |
|
OFFICE |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
TCR SCORE |
|
|
MAYOR |
|
|
Orlando Sanchez |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
- Neighborhood Drainage
|
N |
Gen. should not |
100% |
|
Sylvester Turner |
Y |
N |
N/Y |
N |
Y |
Y/N |
- Infrastructure in add. to roads
|
Y |
Gen. should not |
70% |
|
Bill White |
Y |
N |
N/Y |
N/Y |
Y |
Y/N |
- Neighborhood Srvs.
|
Y |
Y/N |
65% |
|
|
CITY COUNCIL DIST. F |
|
|
M. J. Khan |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N/Y |
Y |
Y |
- Increased CIP funding for Dist. F
|
N |
N |
95% |
|
John R. Shike |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
- Public Safety roads and balance City of Houston budget
|
NR |
NR |
Inc. |
|
Terrence McConn |
NR |
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Derrick Wesley |
NR |
|
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CITY COUNCIL DIST. G |
|
|
Jeff Daily |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
- Drainage and development
|
N |
N |
100% |
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Mike Howard |
NR |
|
Pam Holm |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y/N |
Y |
Y |
- Strong capable leadership-etc…
|
Y/N |
N |
90% |
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Greg Meyers |
NR |
|
Jim Murphy |
NR |
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Tim Shen |
NR |
|
Mills Worsham |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
- Drainage
|
N |
N |
100% |
In the Mayor's race, I think there is only one choice, Orlando Sanchez. Lets finish what we started.
In City Council District F - based on what I've read and observed from hosting the debate of the candidates. I think M.J. Khan is the choice - he is a long time community and conservative leader who will do a good job.
In City Council District G - I know four of the candidates personally and Jeff Daily, experienced businessman and a leader in controlling city spending and taxes is exactly what we could use on City Council in 2004.
Motor Voter Fraud License Bill Passed
in California and the Recall
Thank goodness Governor Gray Davis is out in California. Governor Schwarzenegger will be a positive improvement. He can start by repealing SB 60 which grants drivers licenses to illegal aliens. As you may recall the motor voter law requires states to allow people to register to vote when they get a license. So now in California illegals can register when they get a license.
But don't you have to "prove" citizenship? Nope - all you have to do is provide a California drivers license! Of course you say they (the government) will stop voter fraud -wrong- the California Secretary of State's office said "somebody would have to file a complaint."
For those who suggest Texas do what California has done, TCR says forget it.
Iraq Nation Building - It's Half Full
Don't believe the democratic presidential candidates and left-wing media, their constant harping about post-war Iraq is growing tiresome.
Yes, it will take a while to complete the process of creating a true democracy. Yes, it will cost money and unfortunately more lives will be lost. As President Bush said at the U.N. recently, Iraq can become a beacon of "freedom, equality and material progress". The terrorists fearing this have made Iraq the main front in their terror campaigns (better there than here).
Finally, Representative Ike Skelton (D) Missouri stated after his recent tour of Iraqi "the media stresses the wounds, the injuries, and the deaths, as they should …but…good stuff isn't reported."
Call your local newspaper and ask where is the report on good things happening in Iraq. Let TCR know what they tell you.
Book Review
Coercing Virtue: The Worldwide Rule of Judges
By Robert Bork (AEI $25)
Once again Judge Robert Bork has done it, in his intelligent and lucid prowse details how our courts have made serious inroads against our freedom and our traditional American culture.
Judge Bork's book reminds us of valuable and important truths like - "Democracy" is rule of the people and its representatives, not judges.
For the assault on our culture the judicial activists courts have circumvented the will of the people by and through judges who do apply the law, but bend it to further a left-wing social and moral agenda.
The courts are increasingly looking to international sources for precedent or simply redefining the meaning of words like "emergency".
Two recent cases come to mind, Lawrence vs. Texas where a panel of the 14th Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court redefined traditional relationships and struck down legislatively enacted laws based on specious reasoning simply because it was the politically correct thing to do, or the Texas Supreme Court in Miller vs. HCA wherein the court created a new meaning for the word "Emergency" to wipe away years of Texas Law and precedent related to court intervention for emergency medical purposes and essentially letting doctors do as they please while overriding parents rights in regard to their children. In both cases, the "end" seemed to justify the means, be it to advance gay rights or to allow no large verdicts to be sustained, regardless of merit. This judicial disease has invaded even some of the GOP judiciary.
Judge Bork fears it will be hard to stop the "unceasing replacement of government by elected officials with government by…Judges". Lets hope for America's and Texas' sake he will be ultimately proven incorrect.
About Your Editor
Gary Polland
is a long time Republican spokesman, fund-raiser and leader who
recently completed three terms as the Harris County Republican
Chair. During his time as Chairman, Gary was described as the
most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events.
For six years, Gary put out a bi-weekly newsletter which he has
continued due to requests from many Republican activists.
Tune in Thursday
Nights - Houston Warner Cable channel 17 for Texas Politics-The Real Deal
with co-hosts David Jones and Gary Polland, awarded Cable T.V. personalities of the year by the Houston Press.
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