TCEQ Meeting in Midlothian

TCEQ Air Quality Meeting in Midlothian

Special thanks to MidlothianTexas.net for this:

Now is the time to let your voices be heard by the state environmental agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), about their failures to clean up our air. Their current draft plan gets us only “close enough” to the goal of clean air. They are taking official comments for the record this week.

Thurs, Feb. 1, 2007 at 6:00 pm, Midlothian Civic Center, 1 Community Circle, Midlothian, TX

If you would like to receive talking points, please e-mail us at info@downwindersatrisk.org.

If you are unable to attend the hearings, please send your comments by Feb. 12th, 2007 to:

Joyce Spencer
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
P. O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-3087
Project number 2006-034-117-EN

For more information, www.dfwairplan.org or www.downwindersatrisk.org.

Slaughtering Plant Coming to Midlothian?

Slaughtering Plant Coming to Midlothian?
The Waxahachie Daily Light carries the story in their Sunday issue. Commissioner Ron Brown, Pct. 4, is on record opposing the location (in the middle of a housing subdivision) of the proposed plant, which is reportedly for sheep, goats and chickens, but not opposed to the facility as a whole. Thankfully, it won’t be one of those horse-slaughtering plants. Horse meat, by the way, is definitely not kosher. Commissioners take up the matter Monday evening.

The agenda for tomorrow’s meeting is available here. County officials say they don’t know much about the company wanting to put the plant in, but back when The Ellis County Observer was writing for The Ellis County Press, an investment group from Nigeria looked into putting in a slaughtering plant for horses in eastern Ellis County.

Protest @ Midlothian Wal-Mart

Protest in Midlothian Tomorrow @ 6 p.m.
Anti-annexation activists are planning a protest at the Midlothian Wal-Mart tomorrow at 6 p.m. I’m not sure why the Rural Citizens Against Annexation have picked the Wal-Mart, located at Highway 67 and Highway 287, but for more information, contact David Lister at 972-723-3425.

Citizens File Complaint Against Grubbs
Speaking of the RCAA, the group has filed a series of complaints against County Attorney Joe Grubbs on issues relating to Midlothian’s annexation attempts. Stay glued to The Ellis County Observer for an interview with RCAA representatives. Rumor has it that the RCAA is putting forth a challenger to Grubbs in 2008’s GOP primary.

Joe Barton’s Recent Votes

Joe Barton’s Voting Record as of Jan. 9 – 15 (‘07)
Congressman Joe Barton, R-Ennis, has been in office since 1984. I doubt the people of District 6 would appreciate his votes on such matters as the USA Patriot Act (if they really knew what was in that Act, Barton would be in the private sector today), or the REAL ID act (national ID card), so it’s strange to see that he voted against the 9/11 Commission recommendations. It’s not consistent with his votes against other Bigger Government legislation mentioned previously.

Anyway, here’s the latest voting record from Congress.org. You can sign up to receive Barton’s voting records via e-mail. It’s free, but the information (ammunition) is priceless.

Recent House Votes
Implementing the 9/11Commission Recommendations Act – Vote Passed (299-128, 8 Not Voting)
This House bill is intended to implement the remaining 9/11 Commission homeland security recommendations.
Rep. Joe Barton voted NO……

Fair Minimum Wage Act – Vote Passed (315-116, 4 Not Voting)
This House bill would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 over the next two years.
Rep. Joe Barton voted NO……

Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act – Vote Passed (253-174, 8 Not Voting)
This House bill would expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
Rep. Joe Barton voted YES……

Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act – Vote Passed (255-170, 10 Not Voting)
This House bill would require the government to negotiate Medicare prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.
Rep. Joe Barton voted NO……

Barton voted once again for embryonic stem cell research. So much for his pro-life record. Then he votes against the minimum wage, which is good (bad for business). At most Barton is a moderate who needs to be replaced. County Judge Chad Adams would be a better replacement…

Crawford, Texas Paper Covers Phil Smart Update
There’s a lot to be said about a local daily that refuses to inform the people of what’s going on. Too bad it takes a paper an hour away to do it for them.

Pro-Life President is Pregnant
Congratulations go to Dana Rausch, the Ellis County Right to Life president. She’s pregnant. I guess this means I’ll have to officially take her out of the Rumor Mill for the county attorney’s race in 2008.

Navarro Property Tax Opposition
There will be a strategy meeting sometime in February regarding the Navarro College property tax election, and the topics will center on how to inform the public of the need to defeat a new property tax. For more information, contact elliscountyobserver@hotmail.com or 972-891-2135. You can also send donations – officially – to the:

No NAV Tax PAC
1200 Sycamore #8354
Waxahachie, TX 75165

(No NAV Tax is registered with the Ellis County Elections Department)

Letter to the Editor – Dallas Morning News

Too bad I waited until after my school board campaigns to say what I really felt…

Let’s be honest on deregulation, school choice debate

I’ve read for weeks in The Dallas Morning News regarding deregulation and school choice; now it’s time to throw in some truth to the debate.Reporters and readers alike rail against deregulation, yet if our electricity market was truly deregulated, TXU would not have ultimate control of the lines like they do now; it’s easy to blame the free market when companies are jacking up prices, but at the same time, if we had 35 different companies able to put in their own lines instead of renting space from TXU, we would have true deregulation and lower rates. Somehow this is lost in your reporters’ minds when writing articles.

As for school choice, this issue is largely lacking in intellectual honesty.

I attend a private university in Waxahachie, and utilize taxpayer funds to attend classes here. Is this not “school choice?” I didn’t have to attend this school because I am from Ellis County. I chose it because I had the option to choose. We call this higher education, yet teachers and local school district administrators call this system a “voucher” system. We can have choices on where to attend college – on the taxpayer’s dime – but when it comes to local schools, we can’t.

That’s hypocrisy, and something that needs to change, because I can assure you, those local school districts chiding conservatives for advocating school choice are the very ones encouraging graduating high school seniors to attend the college of their choice – using taxpayer funds.

Joey Dauben
Southwestern Assemblies of God University,
Waxahachie, Texas

Waxahachie-Midlothian Mid-Way Airport Unlawful Contract Video

External Speakers Required