Perry has put on his flip flops

The Gov. who as we all know is an ardent supporter of States Rights and has used the 10th Amendment as reasoning in many of his causes, has now done a big flip flop. The Gov. is apparently trying to appeal to the Religious Right as he gets ready to jump into the presidential fray. Just weeks ago The Gov. was making the same argument as one his supposed contenders, Michelle Bachmann, that the Law allowing gays to marry in New York was a perfect example of how states rights should work. Both The Gov. and Bachmann stated positions that the Federal Government should stay out of New York’s affairs and allow New Yorkers to do as they please. Now that the Religious Right has started screaming bloody murder, The Gov. flip flopped quicker than T-Paw in an apparent attempt to appease them.

The Gov. is now calling for a Federal Marriage Amendment. The Gov. recently stated
“The real fear is states like New York will change the definition of marriage for Texas. That is the reason the Federal Marriage Amendment is being offered. It’s a small group of activists judges and really a small handful, if you will, of states and these liberal special interest groups that are intent on a redefinition, if you will, of marriage on the nation for all of us, which I adamantly oppose. Indeed, to not pass the Federal Marriage Amendment would impinge on Texas’ and other states’ right not to have marriage forced upon them by these activist judges and these special interest groups.”

Makes you wonder what else he will flip flop on as he transitions to the national stage.

ACLU requests that Governor Perry disclose use of public resources for “Call to Prayer”

Oh Boy, Oh boy. A few days ago the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a federal lawsuit aiming to block Perry from participating in “The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis” at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.  The ACLU of Texas has requested that The Gov.  disclose the amount of Texas Taxpayer dollars and other state or local government resources used to promote the event.  The event is also being sponsored by the American Family Association.  This fringe conservative Christian group advocates the reform of American culture based on their interpretation of the Bible. Several notables from the group are way out there.  As we reported earlier one of the principals believes the Statue of Liberty is Satanic.

The full story from the ACLU of Texas follows.

Perry’s “The Response” Blurs The Lines Between
Separation Of Church And State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kirsten Bokenkamp, (832) 691-7013 (832) 691-7013 or kbokenkamp@aclutx.org

HOUSTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas today requested that Gov. Rick Perry and other officials disclose the amount of tax-payer dollars and other state or local government resources used to promote the prayer event, The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis, set for Aug. 6 at Reliant Stadium.

“We are concerned that Gov. Perry is using public office to endorse a sectarian religious event and to advance specific Christian beliefs,” said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director of the ACLU of Texas. “We are seeking information on the degree to which state resources have been or will be used for the planning and promotion of this event and for state officials’ participation in it.”

The ACLU of Texas filed open records requests with the governor’s office as well as the Harris County sheriff’s, auditor’s and fire marshal’s offices and the City of Houston.

“The ACLU of Texas values the diversity of belief systems in public life, and each of our beliefs calls us to address problems in different ways. But none of us, especially an elected official, is in the position to say whether believers or non-believers should lead the way in solving our common problems,” said Terri Burke, Executive Director of the ACLU of Texas. “We believe that diversity is protected, society is best served, and the U.S. Constitution is respected when government actions remain separate from religious action, when religion is neither forced upon us, nor prohibited, by government. The Response certainly does not seem to follow that principle.”

One of the cornerstones of the ACLU’s work is to ensure that the First Amendment is upheld and to safeguard against government promotion of, or interference with, religious practice.

Under the state’s open records law, government officials have 10 business days to respond to open records requests. The ACLU of Texas expects a response on or before August 3.

For a copy of the documents filed with state and local government offices, please go to our website.

Cutting Medicaid, The Texas way to stop “ObamaCare”

Yesterday The Gov. along with several of the his Elitist TeaBagger supporters in the Texas Legislature slapped backs and smiled for the camera after the singing by The Gov. on the latest assault on the poor in Texas.  SB7 seeks to save $468 million Medicaid dollars over the next two years by expanding managed care, requiring co-payments and lowering of the earning eligibility to qualify for the program.   The Bill allows Texas to enter into health care compact with other states the stated goal of seeking  flexibility in operating Medicaid and Medicare, but whose real goal is to keep the dreaded Affordable Health Care Act – ObamaCare – out of Texas.

Some Health Care experts and Insurance Industry groups worry that the cuts could add to a shortage of physicians and other providers participating in the program.  They also are concerned that cutting the rates paid to doctors which is currently about 72% of what Medicare pays will prompt providers to raise their prices for patients who have private insurance.  Another concern is that employers and families with private insurance will be forced to pay higher rates.

The payment cuts won’t go into effect immediately since the federal government subsidizes Medicaid the cuts will require federal approval.

Perry states Texans will pay for his security

In our last Post we posed the questions of whether or not The Gov. would require Texas taxpayers to cover the cost of security should he enter the Presidential race.   We also posed the question as to whether or not he would resign as the governorship to run.  Well yesterday The Gov signed the Medicaid Reduction Bill or as the Right calls it the Bill to Save Medicaid.  Invited to the signing were several TeaBagger Reps and Senators for the photo op.  After the signing The Gov was asked our first question and he replied he most certainly would require us residents of Texas to pay for his security during a national campaign.  His rational is that him running for President is actually him promoting Texas. WTF?

The Gov. said that he would be promoting Texas. That he would be traveling internationally and to places where the Texas story needs to be told.  What a crock.  He is running for President not the Tourist Bureau of Texas spokesman.  Back in 1999 when GW Bush ran for President and was still Governor, the security tab hit the Two Million Dollar mark, none of which was returned to Texas from his Presidential campaign.

It is our feeling that anytime a Governor runs for national office his campaign should be covering the bills not the Texas taxpayers,   especially in this deficit plagued economic climate when so many programs are being cut.   But this will probably not change as Right Wing TeaBagger philosophy is to dismantle all social programs so that the money can be given to the wealthy.

Perry was also asked if he decided to run for the presidency would he resign the Governorship.  The Gov’s reply was “I’m not dealing with the question.”  So in other words he is saying no I’m gonna keep the paycheck and a fall back job in the case I don’t win.

Governor Perry “Called” to run for Presidency

Over the weekend, while not attending church services, The Gov. received a calling from the almighty to run for the presidency of the very Government he abhors.  Is God really mad at the Republicans?  Is he pitting brother against brother or in this case brother against sister?  Has he called Michelle and The Gov. for his entertainment or something else.  Remember in Matthew he says  “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother”. Ergo Brother against Sister?  Michelle vs. Perry?  Should be interesting to see who the almighty loves more.

But enough of his opponent.  The Gov. promises to be an exciting candidate to watch on the campaign trail.  Having never lost an election in Texas, can The Gov. translate this extraordinary accomplishment to the national stage?  The Gov. will have numerous things to explain to a national audience as he transitions away from his base of Evangelical Christian and TeaBagger support in Red State Texas.

Will he continue to draw a paycheck from Texas while he is not working for us but away campaigning?  Will he use Texas resources such as DPS security that we pay for while in other states campaiging?

Can he let us know what changed him from a Democrat managing the Texas campaign of Al Gore’s first Presidential run?  Will he enlighten us to how he feels his record low Texas poll numbers will cross over to the national stage?

Will he let us all know why he says in book “Fed Up: Our Fight to Save America From Washington,” that he’s too conservative to run for national office. And will he answer the question why he says “The best concrete evidence that I’m really not running for president is this book” as he  told The AP after he was last re-elected as The Gov.

Will he explain to us how he will unite America after he promoted the idea of state’s rights and railed against the federal government, even floating the idea of Texas seceding from the very United States he wishes to lead.

Yes my friends, this should be interesting to follow.  Makes one wonder if the loser of this round will blame God for failing them or will they come out and say God must have favored the other more, or will they both just go away?

Probably not ….

No go for Texas’ Anti TSA Bill for now

The TSA bill which would ban invasive pat-downs by TSA agents officials failed to get final approval by the Republican Texas legislature before lawmakers ended their special session on Wednesday.

Republican Representative David Simpson said on the House floor that this was s not his last effort to stop unreasonable searches and that he is not giving up on passage of the bill.”

Unless The Gov calls a Special Session, which he in the middle of getting a presidential run together most probably will do, the bill will have to wait for the legislature to meet in their next scheduled meeting in roughly a year and a half from now as they only are scheduled to meet every two years.

Wanna bet they wait that long?

Hmm another sign Perry may run

Several news reports have The Gov attending a private fund raising event in Vail Colorado.  The affair put on by the right wing political financiers, the Koch Brothers, was an opportunity for The Gov to let the brothers know how good he was doing for them in Texas or according to his spokesman Mark Miner, it was “an opportunity to talk about the economic success in Texas. Mr Miner also denied that the trip had anything to do with fundraising for a presidential run.

On another note, The Gov made the secret trip in a private plane owned by Goldsmith Team LLC.  The Goldsmith Team LLC has been a contributor to The Gov’s past campaigns. In the last governors race alone they donated more than $25 thousand to The Gov.

Texas voters not too happy with Governor Perry according to new poll

A recent poll by Public Policy Polling doesn’t sound like good news to The Gov’s portended presidential campaign.  According to the poll only 33% of voters in Texas think he should jump into a Presidential campaign. 59% are against him taking a shot at the office. What’s worse is that he trails President Obama in his own state.  Ouchh.

More bad news for The Gov in this poll is that only 42% of Texas voters think he’s doing a good job while 55% think his is sucking at it. Some more bad news that stands out is that while only 21% of Republicans don’t like him 62% of independents, the vote he must get, think he sucks.

Unless something changes drastically it doesn’t sound too swell for poor ol’ Rick.

Texas considers allowing Confederate flag on state license plates

KHOU TV Channel 12 in Houston is reportingthat

Texas is considering a specialty license plate that would feature the Confederate flag. The idea is to honor Texans who fought in the Civil War, but some people say they are offended by the idea.

“It brings back the anger from which it stands for — the Civil War — and I don’t think it should be allowed, said Donald Dunaway.

But Russel Evans, another driver, disagreed.

“Everybody wants to say something is wrong with one thing after another. I mean where do you draw the line? he asked.

The idea was rejected by the state legislature a few years ago due to the issue of being offensive and bringing back up the memory of the Civil War, or The War of Northern Aggression as we in the South know it. Few other states are pushing the idea as well.  The Sons of Confederate Veterans in Florida say the South will rise again thru the visibility of the baseball sized flags on license plates.

It may be offensive to some, but so are some of the crap we have to look at on some other license plates. Although we neither endorse or reject the issue, it would be interesting to see what kind of support and how many motorists would use the plates, especially in this climate of a $27 billion state budget deficit.

What do you think?

Rick Perry, a modern day Prophet among us

As we have been writing about for the past couple of months, the speculation that The Gov., aka Rick Perry, is dying to get his shot at running to be President of the very United States he thinks Texas should secede from.

You can see from just about any national poll that the Republicans as about as happy as wino with no wine. With all this good news The Gov sees his chance for being begged to save the Grand Ol Party from the evil Nazi, Fascist, Communist Obama regime.

Following the footsteps of his competitors, er losers, The Gov visited the mouthpiece of the Grand Ol Party to be interviewed, er , lobbed softball questions, from none other than the Fox’s Neil Cavuto. Cavuto posed a question as to why Perry was unpopular in his home state. Could it be that Texas after ten years of Perry’s incompetence has a record budget deficit, the highest percentage of uninsured residents in the country, a school system on the verge of collapse, and the highest percentage of uninsured residents in the country? No! No! No!

Mr Cauto asked Perry “You have kind of like the Chris Christie phenomenon: very popular outside your state, still popular but not nearly as popular within your state. There are even Tea Party groups within your state who like you but don’t love you. What do you say?

Perry answered “I say that a prophet is generally not loved in their hometown. That’s both Biblical and practical.”

The Gov has long used religion as a crutch to his political career, calling, as we noted earlier, for prayer for rain to stop the wildfires after he gutted the emergency responders funding. Perry even recently had a day of prayer, slated for August, asking the nation’s Governors to join him in prayer to solve the nation’s problems. Funny tho that The Gov does not tithe to any church let alone attend church. While enjoying living at a Lake Travis Mansion on Ten Thousand dollars a month rent at tax payers expense, his tax returns show he has never giving more than one half of one percent of his income to charity.

A Prophet though? if Perry were to somehow become President he would surely be a PROPHET of DOOM to our fragile democracy.