How long is this going to take?

From the Online Edition of the Brownsville Herald 0 Viewpoints section

Highway Slaughter

We have all heard the expression, "Like a deer in the headlights"

At this time, imagine a deer, a very fat deer. A deer with almost no neck and a round face.
Imagine that the headlights are those on a diesel tractor-trailer that is painted orange with a driver who looks suspiciously like Dr. Juliet Garcia. As the lights grow brighter, you will notice that the deer is looking more and more like our City Commissioner, Edward Camarillo. We all know how this story is going to end.

Camarillo is now excess baggage for the Garcia Dynasty. Juliet did more than put her hand in the Brownsville cookie jar, she stuffed her whole daughter in! It is apparent that since her son is now running, Camarillo is now surplus and will be sold off as scrap, or simply run over.

"Of course I know. It is my business to know." -The Merovingian

Breaking News: Early anouncement for Mayor

Earlier today, on Blogging All Things Brownsville, Robert Sanchez announced in a comment that he will be running for Mayor in 2011. Melissa Zamora verified that he had actually made the comment by asking him directly on his blog, and he affirmed the claim.

But that isn't the news.

The news is that we have a candidate that we can all get behind. A candidate who knows what true loyalty is all about. A candidate who stands firm on simple issues.

I am, of course, speaking of my dog "Scruffy".

Scruffy doesn't drink, smoke, or do drugs. He NEVER HAS! He knows his limitations and has the good sense to come in out of the rain, which he has demonstrated time and time again with unfailing accuracy! Talk about a consistent, proven track record!

Scruffy is all about home and family, and although he doesn't own a gun, his protection of home and castle is nothing short of legendary. He would make any NRA member proud! He minds his own business and wouldn't think of telling someone else what to do in their own territory. One thing you never have to worry about with Scruffy, he is as honest as the day is long. If he likes you, he'll tell you, and not change his mind about it latter. You always know where you stand with Scruffy. He is very quiet at meetings, but trust me, he is paying close attention to everyone in the room. He is quite interested in cats, but that is another story.

When I explained the local political landscape to Scruffy late this afternoon, he simply looked at me. The incomprehension that things could have come to such a state was clear in his face, and believe me, you can see when Scruffy is expressing incomprehension. He will never act like he knows what is going on if he doesn't.

So join me and get behind a candidate that can show all these local clowns what we really think of them! Vote Scruffy in '11

"Of course I know. It is my business to know." -The Merovingian

This election is about progress

It may surprise some to know that The Merovingian avoids television during the time many call “The Silly Season”. In years past, I used to hang on every syllable uttered by the various candidates in print and on TV, and radio. I was enamored by the mortar barrage exchanges between the two major parties, enthralled by the high altitude aerial bombings paid for by the political action committees, entranced with the invasions of the stump as the opponents fought for ground in the battleground swing states.

America has a peaceful revolution every four years with a systematic way of negotiating power sharing between the victors and the defeated. It is like Zimbabwe, without the gunfire in the streets and a body count of the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. This is the way many parts of the world view the American system of government. You may as, “How could this be? It isn’t that way at all! We are simply fine tuning our leadership to deal with the current issues in order that the country progresses.” The rest of the world is left to wonder, ”Progresses to what?”, and we answer, “You know… progress!”, which of course, clarifies everything to both our friends and enemies abroad (sarcasm) . It is this inconsistency which complicates our relations with the other countries of the world. It is this inconsistency of direction and purpose that cools the cooperation of our allies (we really do have some) and entrenches the positions of our enemies (we have some of these, too). How can you make long range plans with a country that systematically changes direction every four years? Why should I soften or abandon my plans when I can simply wait for a blind-eye government to take power in the United States?

America, so much power and so little idea of what to do with it!

As November fast approaches, both sides are preparing for our version of the Tet Offensive, D-Day, Pearl Harbor, the flight of the Enola Gay, or whatever decisive engagement you wish to imagine. The rest of the world looks on with fascination and sometimes horror as we simultaneously defend the presidential compound with loyal troops and assault it from the streets with loyal troops, all in the name of progress, which not one person involved in the fight can define.

“Of course I know. It is my business to know.” -The Merovingian

I would have gone on a bit, but.....

Editor:

Among the bad ideas of note: A toll road in Brownsville. We are the poorest county in the nation and some bright chaps want to put in a toll road.

After years of waiting to get the rail track removed, now we will have a new obstacle. Please join me in advising the Texas Department of Transportation, "No, thanks."

Bill Hudson

Brownsville

A rant like this deserves air time

Where was David Lopez, George Ferrish, Fernando Ruiz and everyone else for the last month? Why did they wait until September 15, 2008 to show up and speak their mind?

Why would Bob stand up and say "Former Commissioner" Cisneros' hotel tax question was productive? He has been in office for 7 years. He DIDN'T know that Brownsville was at its max and needed a special legislation to increase it. Why does he get reimbursed for his special trips if he doesn't know this?

"Former Commissioner" Camarillo supports another taxing district. Is he not suspicious of a DRAINAGE district working on a water park? After reading the story, creating another taxing district would be political suicide.

This is how it starts. Shirking their responsibility to another taxing district. Low and behold, the City needs more money for special pet projects. It will not be a net savings, e.g. the drainage district and public works for drainage.

How much financial contributions and support did the public safety unions give to the Mayor during his election campaign? He really wants pay them back with a 3 cent tax increase.

I am happy George Ferrish reads the blog and questioned the Cultural Arts Board and its tardy formation. Rick Romo questioned his presentation when they had held their end of the bargain last year and helped them out. No "Former Commissioner" Longoria you didn't hold up your end of the bargain.

You were supposed to involve the cultural district in the budget process. You dropped the ball. But this is not suprising from a disc jockey pretending to run for mayor. Rick Romo, don't wear a Cowboys jersey at a City Commission meeting. It's appauling!

The next time another public official tells one of the usual suspects to remove their hats, I am going to scream! Why don't they have some decorum? Wearing a jersey to a meeting is showing more disrespect than a hat!

Mero, I'm sorry for this long post. Watching this budget meeting is worse than having my teeth filled. I am changing the channel. I'm ready for some football.

Wes Blackmum

More pinche sneaky crap

Drainage official envisions waterfall park
September 13, 2008 - 8:03PM
By Laura B. Martinez, The Brownsville Herald

.....He's kept the project pretty quiet to prevent the "politics" from getting involved, he said.

"If I would have politicized it, it would have bogged everything down," Gamez said. "There would have been too many personalities."

Gamez and Ayala are still tweaking the plans and the park's cost estimates. They plan to apply for additional grants to help pay for the park's construction. The work on the park will be performed by the drainage district employees.

Near the park area will be a large retention pond that will feed water into the lake so it doesn't go dry. The pond will also have gates that open and close that will prevent any over flowing. Extra water will be pushed back to the Rio Grande.

"Men can do this; women can do this if they sit down and relax. We can leave a nice little legacy here," Gamez said.

D-R-A-I-N-A-G-E
Look at the word.

The next thing will be to add taxi meters to police vehicles because they are out on the streets anyway, and at least it would be revenue producing. Who is paying for all those golf carts ferrying people to and fro? Who controls who gets hired for all the "support staff" for this "jewel"? Why are the drainage district employees doing all this work WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON DRAINAGE?

I thought the SPORTS PARK was supposed to be the next big "water park"? They are sure spending enough on it.

This is another board that needs to go AND NOW!!!

"Of course I know. It is my business to know." -The Merovingian

I know the cause

SoCal train wreck death toll rises to 17
By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON – 27 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Emergency crews found more victims early Saturday in the mangled wreckage of a commuter train that smashed head-on into a freight train, raising the death toll to 17 in the deadliest U.S. passenger train accident in 15 years.

Distraught relatives and friends of passengers awaited word on their loved ones as rescue workers delicately dismantled a crushed Metrolink passenger car in search of victims.

The search was expected to last into Sunday.

"Clearly the injuries are going to mount and so are the fatalities," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

The cause of the Friday afternoon collision in suburban Chatsworth had not been determined.

We have been using rails for how long?

The solution is so simple! MAKE ALL TRACKS ONE WAY.
It does not cost anywhere near twice as much to run two tracks side by side as to run a single track.

I don't care if it was human error, computer error, sunspots, or space aliens.

To draw a parallel with the highway system lets look at the old 3 lane highway. For the past few decades it has been policy to dismantle the system where the middle lane was for left turns and passing. So many needless head-on fatalities showed TxDOT that this was a bad idea (with a capital "B") and they have been altered as soon as practical.

Running multiple trains in different directions on the same track is now, and always has been a tragedy waiting to happen. I wish the wait times between these tragedies were much longer, but they will continue to happen.

NKorea's Kim suffers stroke: official

SEOUL (AFP) — South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak has ordered ministers to be prepared for any abrupt changes in North Korea after its leader Kim Jong-Il suffered a stroke, officials said Thursday.

Lee gave the instructions at an unscheduled meeting Wednesday night with security-related ministers and senior aides, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-Kwan said.

"At the meeting, Lee was given a report that the North Korean leader is recovering from a stroke and not in critical condition. The cabinet ministers also reported to Lee that the North Korean military has not shown any unusual moves," the spokesman said.

He quoted Lee as saying that "thorough preparations should be made to minimise confusion over changes in North Korea's political circumstances."

South Korean legislator Won Hye-Young quoted intelligence officials as telling a closed session that Kim had suffered a stroke or cerebral haemorrhage but is in "recoverable condition."

The 66-year-old is not fit enough for public activities but can speak without difficulty, Won quoted the National Intelligence Service (NIS) officials as saying.



Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

"Of course I know. It is my business to know." -The Merovingian

This shouldn't have been necessary

Bob, you do it again at your peril.

I don't care if your friends fall under the paint of my brush. It is entirely their own fault that they do.

Don't you EVER EVER delete a post of mine that does nothing more than express a different point of view than your own.

M.

Shamelessly ripped off from BATB

Is there any Harlingen coverage on here?

There's a major story at TSTC brewing with one of its own board members (Cesar Maldonado) vying for the President post after Leal's recent retirement.

It is rather amazing that the TSTC administration does not see any conflict of interest with a Board of Regents member applying for the position of the president of one of the college campuses the Board was appointed by the Governor to oversee.

At a minimum Mr. Maldonado should have stepped down from his position as a Board member prior to applying for the position of president. The TSTC administration is naïve to think that requiring Mr. Maldonado to excuse himself from the room during discussion effectively eliminates his influence over the decision of the board. Or perhaps they believe the people of the RGV are unaware of the back room discussions and negotiations that are the foundations for most decisions.

The Harlingen TSTC community was well aware of the fact that Dr. Leal intended to retire in August of 2009. That is until returning from an event this past July, where TSTC administration was also present, when Dr. Leal returned he suddenly and unexpectedly announced his intent to retire in short order. Then at the board meeting the next month Dr. Leal was made President Emeritus, of course this assures Dr. Leal that he continues to get his salary for another year, effectively providing him with his paycheck until August 2009, his originally announced retirement date.

If Mr. Maldonado is not appointed the next president of TSTC does TSTC administration seriously believe his relationship with the other Board members or his oversight of the campus and judgment won’t be affected. As a Board member he will continue to have oversight of the person who would have gotten the job he desired and he will have to continue a working relationship with other Board members who did not approve his appointment. You have to wonder, what is going through the mind of Dr. Segura? He appoints the person to the position of president. Put yourself in his shoes, How you not appoint a board member?, when the board who has oversight of your job and has the power to terminate your contract.

Perhaps TSTC Administration is not worried about that scenario and perhaps the decision to appoint Mr. Maldonado to the position of president was made before Dr Leal announced his retirement. After all the sudden change of retirement plans for Dr. Leal occurred shortly after a change in the board membership, when Connie De La Garza’s appointment ended and Mr. Maldonado’s appointment begin.

Then Mr. Maldonado is no stranger to riding the razor’s edge of conflict of interest, as a Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District’s Board of Trustee Member with oversight of the Harlingen public school system, where his wife is the newly appointed principal of the soon to open Lee H. Means Elementary school, just down the road from the TSTC campus.

One also wonders how Mr. Maldonado’s and Mr. Javier De Leon’s relationship will be affected as Mr. Javier De Leon is not only a member of the HCISD Board of Trustee’s with Mr. Maldonado but Mr. De Leon is also an Associate Vice President at TSTC.

No conflict of interest! In legal systems the rule is, if it walks like a duck, quack s like a duck, and looks like a duck, it is a duck…there seems to be a lot of quacking going on at TSTC administration that is drowning out good judgment.

...And yet again

Money in the Bank: City officials advocate tax rate increase despite budget surplusSeptember 6, 2008 - 8:35PM
By Emma Perez-Trevino, The Brownsville Herald

....
The debt service fund alone has been generating surpluses since 2003 to the present with a fund balance of $3.2 million in the account. The balance shows that the tax rate applied for the yearly debt payment not only generates enough to pay the debt, but also creates a surplus.....

Then service some more debt! What kind of idiots would keep depositing money in their checking account while interest keeps accruing on their credit cards?

Paying down the silly debt ratio that Brownsville has is the ONLY way that the City property tax rate can be under local control. As has been stated time and time again, a HUGE percentage of property taxes go to pay on debt. This amount is not discretionary, so the bunch of baboons can throw up their hands and say "That part is beyond our control."

If these morons would simply lower the debt level where possible, there would be LOWER PROPERTY TAXES.

"Of course I know. It is my business to know."-The Merovingian

I am gonna be a little busy the next couple of weeks

My daughter fell in love with a car.
A used car.
An old used car.
An old used beat up car.
An old used beat up car with lots of things wrong with it.

"It's ok, my daddy can fix anything." -daughter, age 4 in pre-K class (repeated often through age 17)

Sigh.....

There is no need of religion for fathers, they simply have to live up to their daughters expectations of them.

Oh well! Now where did I leave those welding gloves?

"Of course I know. It is my business to know." -The soon to be very sore and tired Merovingian

What Palin says about McCain

If selecting a running mate is a real test of a presidential candidate's judgment, then John McCain's decision to name Sarah Palin as his choice reveals a poor sense of astuteness and serves to underline his desperate political expediency.

Beyond the much taunted image of a maverick, his critics argue McCain's decision has once again exposed his opportunistic tendencies.

They draw an unflattering profile of a spoiled son of a Navy admiral who misused the good name of his political guru and predecessor in the Senate, the late Barry Goldwater, and who callously left his first wife and children to marry into a $100 million fortune.

And this time, by choosing Palin, he betrayed all of that which he preached over the last 18 months - even 18 years.

"Barack Obama can start writing his inauguration speech," wrote me an informed friend the night McCain held his first appearance with Governor Palin.

I am not sure I would go that far.

But I am no longer sceptical about an Obama victory in light of McCain's decision to offer the vice presidency to the unknown and inexperienced governor of Alaska merely because she is a conservative woman.

If the McCain-Palin list survives the next two months with no dramatic surprises, the Republican nominee will suffer in the polls because of his hasty decision.

Transparent cynicism

The politics behind the decision is so "transparent" and "cynical", that it left most female commentators around the country dismayed, bitter, an even insulted.

Calling Palin his "soul mate" has only added insult to injury.

Women might pay attention to the nomination, one commentator wrote, but they won’t give her the vote.

Palin who ran the Miss Alaska beauty contest has been ridiculed as a lucky bimbo.

She is seen as the "Miss Congeniality" governor who held her hair up and put on reading glasses to look serious.

Her anti-choice position on abortion will end up distancing most women who supported Hillary Clinton.

So why did McCain choose the young governor?

Well, she reflects will for fresh change on the part of the old McCain; she is popular in her state of Alaska especially after taking on corrupted officials - some from within her own Republican party.

She is an ardent supporter of offshore oil drilling which appears to be supported by three out of every four Americans in a year when energy has become an important election issue.

And unlike the other proposed choices, Palin is a Christian social conservative that appeals to most of the hardcore evangelical base of the Republican Party.

However, each and every one of those pluses is marginal compared to the downside of her candidacy.

By Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's Senior Political Analyst, in Washington

Ok, you can stop smiling now. No, I mean it! M.

Rumors printed as if they were news

I was gonna say it, with a little less tact, but Bobby beat me to it. It is a small wonder that the print media and even the hairspray crowd look down their noses at bloggers. In many cases it is rightly deserved.

Wanting a story to be true has never made a story true. I would rather be right than be first. Getting paid to write lies is even worse.

M.