The educrats fight the transparency movement

Katy ISD Strives for Less Transparency in Government

Katy ISD wants less transparency and public scrutiny. Watchdogs, beware. This from the Houston Chronicle and our friends in Katy: The Katy school board on Monday backed off a plan to propose a law requiring those who want access to public records to first explain why the information's release would benefit the community. Katy officials say they're trying to stymie a flood of what they consider frivolous requests for open records. To that end, the school board intended to ask the Texas Association of School Boards to push for a new law to make information requesters justify themselves.

Is this not one of the most power grabbing schemes you have ever heard of with regards to local government. The Katy ISD actually thinks it owns the public information! Guess these school officials have persuaded the school board that the local taxpayer is a problem and is not entitled to the information they paid for with their tax dollars. Frivolous requests - the people only want to know what is going on with regards to the business they own and continue to pay for on a yearly basis. They pay for this through state taxes and local property taxes. NO TAXPAYER SHOULD HAVE TO JUSTIFY THEMSELVES FOR INFORMATION THEY ALREADY OWN!

School boards need to quit listening to the hired hands and start listening to the people who voted to put them in the seat they occupy on the board. The only thing frivolous is the wasteful spending by school districts across this state.

Smith County CAD Chief Appraiser part 2

The chief appraiser for Smith County admits on video that there is political pressure from the taxing entities..................................

http://www.cbs19.tv/video/newplayer.php?id=3816

They said we could not do it

Get those letters into your state representatives and senators. We have their attention now it is time to keep the heat on in the kitchen.

http://www.texasinsider.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3995

Problems with the Smith County CAD as reported on 19

It seems a gentleman in Whitehouse, Texas had some concerns about his property appraised value increasing by 43%. He took a tape recorder into his meeting with an appraiser and you might be shocked at the responses given by the appraiser.

http://www.cbs19.tv/video/newplayer.php?id=3877

This is a 2 part series. Part 2 will be posted when available.

Using state budget surpluses to lower property taxes

See the plan on how the state legislature can use our budget surplus to lower property taxes more with regards to school funding.


http://www.americansforprosperity.org/index.php?id=5883&state=tx

Let Austin here your voice

The link provides three petitions with regards to property taxes and spending. Sign the petitions and they will be forwarded to your representative on your behalf. For something to be done the HEAT has to stay on in the Kitchen!

http://www.texastaxpayers.com

Petition 1 - Abolish Property Tax for School Funding

Petition 2 - Abolish the New Business Franchise Tax

Petition 3 - Enact Strong Spending Limits

Property tax special committee

Additional information on dates and locations of hearings.

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/index.php?id=5759&state=tx

PISD bond election on AFP blog

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/index.php?id=5682

Property tax problems

House Committee on Property Tax Relief and Appraisal Reform, Select

Here is your chance to weigh-in on the property tax problem in Texas. Chairman Craddick has appointed a special study commission to address and take testimony from Texans on the issue of property taxes.

If you are unable to attend a hearing you may submit written testimony direct to the committee. Now is your chance to HAVE YOUR SAY in the matter on property taxes and appraisal reform.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Committees/MembershipCmte.aspx?LegSess=80R&CmteCode=C398

Interesting solution

Received this solution at least 15 times via email so I thought a post here was in order:

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this Country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida . . .

Not me!!!
I concentrate on solutions for the problems.
It's a WIN-WIN situation.

1. Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.
2. Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.
3. Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today? ? ?

Thomas Jefferson once said

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." -- Thomas Jefferson

HOUSTON - We have a problem

Pittsburg - We have a problem!

It appears from reading the latest issue of the local paper and making the rounds at the local coffee shop round tables the problem is a dysfunctional PISD board of trustees and lack of 'hired gun' leadership. This board and the 'hired gun' superintendent put all their eggs in one basket and the basket broke and spilled and cracked all the eggs. Not to mention we have 'twilight dee' and 'twilight dum' as members of the PISD board of trustees and they know not how to get out of the rain - much less how to run a multi-million dollar operation.

Upon further investigation it has been determined that it is TIME the 'hired gun' superintendent move back into retirement and exit the PISD system to prevent further damage to the spacecraft. After a public review of citizens from her previous job assignment it is best this spaceship be assigned a new commander. The current superintendent of the PISD has been identified as a P. T. Barnum type. Great showman and caters to the crowd of whom she is in the company of at the time. One individual did not have kind words to say about the job performance of their former superintendent who is now the PISD 'hired gun'. He even went on to say "I bet she told your board she only wanted to stay two years, but she really wants to stay 20. Don't let her are you school district will be in the same shape we are right now." Where there is smoke there is fire and I think we see the smoke and it is thick!

A 'hired gun' should have had at a minimum two options in hand if the bond failed. The PISD 'hired gun' had not a single option! This clearly demonstrates her lack of planning abilities and should be duly noted in her personnel file. The commander of the ship had no idea how much additional overhead expenses she would have incurred with new school infrastructure on the ground. No operation is going to be successful without proper planning and the abilities to carryout alternative options. There are other signs that the current 'hired gun' superintendent needs to move back into retirement, but you will have to do your own homework. Conduct a survey of the folks in her former school district to get a real perspective on her capabilities. This writer was somewhat shocked at some of the things being said by the folks in her old stomping grounds. What is amazing - it is reported that some of the same behavior patterns are starting to resurface here in her new assignment.

If PISD is to move forward it is time to remove the retread and put on a new tire!

World - Overflowing growth of population

Insight from Mr. Ropke on things presented as interesting in regards to the world population growth.

"Even the dramatic episodes of existence - birth, sickness, and death - take place in collectivized institutions. Our hospitals are medical factories, with divisions of labor between all sorts of health mechanics and technicians dealing with the body. People live in mass quarters, superimposed upon each other vertically and extending horizontally as far as the eye can see; they work in mass factories or offices in hierarchical subordination; they spend their Sundays and vacations in masses, read books and newspapers printed in millions and of a level that usually corresponds to these mass sales............flock in hundreds of thousands as thrilled spectators to the same sports stadiums. Only the churches are empty, almost a refuge of solitude."

Thought provoking take on how we exist today. Think about it and I think you can relate somewhat - especially if you have visited Six Flags! Watching the news last week and they reported on the crane that fell in New York City I thought about people living in vertical mass while watching the video footage. The part on the churches brings it home as well. Approximately 12,000 people call Camp County home and most believe in a 'higher authority' known to many as GOD. However, many of the churches in Camp County are empty on Sunday mornings. Out of the 12,000, most likely only about 3,000 make it to a church service on Sunday mornings to fellowship with other believers. Is this a population issue?

It is becoming harder to escape the rising flood of people. Some say this drags us down and makes us creatures of the herd. Guess this is where the term 'herd mentality' arrived. Is there such a thing as a human compound? Does spiritual and moral existence play apart in the herd? Is this the answer to why we have some many corrupt leaders today? Is this the reason for so many non-thinkers in our society today?