What came of the novel idea of cutting expenses

The novel idea of cutting expenses rather than raising fees has disappered from the minds of the educated and those that chose to govern. A story from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram was forwarded to me, and the first thing that came to mine was cut expenses first. However, to those chosen to govern raising fees is the answer.

Expect a higher water bill later this year
By BILL HANNA
billhanna@star-telegram.com
Posted on Wed, Mar. 11, 2009

Your water bill is likely to go up later this year as higher fees charged to local water providers are passed along to customers.
Area cities like Fort Worth and Arlington could face sharp increases after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality decided to raise fees last month.
The three fees — the consolidated water quality fee, the public health service fee and the water use assessment fee — are being increased to overcome a possible $30 million shortfall in agency operations.
Under the worst-case scenario, Fort Worth could see its fees for drinking water jump from $50,000 to $517,000 in 2010; Arlington officials say fees could jump from $24,000 to $220,000.
But the increases may not turn out to be that substantial.
At the Feb. 25 meeting, commission board member Larry Soward noted that an appropriations rider is circulating through the House and Senate that would provide $28.9 million over two years, cutting the projected shortfall nearly in half.
Water rates would still go up but not as much.
"We will need some sort of fee increase," Chris Hayden, financial analyst with the commission’s Chief Financial Officer Division, said at the Feb. 25 meeting.
The commission has scheduled a public hearing April 7 in Austin. A public comment period runs until April 13. Final rules are expected to be adopted July 22.

http://www.star-telegram.com/state_news/story/1250781.html

The waiting is over now back to work

The stimulus package has finally passed. I am not happy because I am not a big supporter of bigger government and more federal spending. However, I am hoping this will now allow us all to get back to work and stop holding our breath waiting for it to happen.

Many have been almost obsessive about reading all the bad economic news in print and on-line, and at times I find myself thinking the world has fallen over the edge and is in free-fall toward oblivion. However, in my many trips of traveling the many areas of this great country I look around and see a world and country that looks the same today as it did yesterday and the day before.

Regardless of the 'free-fall' life goes on. When driving the country side I continue to see active construction sites where they're building new businesses. One's a car dealership and several hotel sites. When I take the wife out to dinner on Friday or Saturday night, the restaurants are always busy. If I go to the store, I still have to stand in line at the checkout.

It is true the high flying credit markets took a nose dive, and we have experienced some great con artists like a Madoff which has resulted in some monetary loss for individuals. Let us not forget the housing market has imploded in some areas of the country. Some state and local governments are struggling with huge deficits. People are losing their jobs. We are continually reminded that the country is in crisis. These same events have caused Congress to 'two step' and decide they needed to play the role of hero with Super Hero Obama leading the charge.

The greatest danger is fear itself. The greatest danger to our country is our own fear and uncertainty. It seems like for the past several months we have been holding our breath: Waiting for election day, waiting for the bank bailout, waiting for the economic stimulus, waiting for salvation.

Fear is constant and promoted 24 hours a day in this day and age via CNN, FOX, Internet news sources, etc. If you have been holding your breath waiting for this fear to subside then if you hold your breath and wait maybe things will get better - or maybe you'll run out of breath while the world moves on without you.

and more from the land of taxpayer absurdity

While Americans are losing jobs and seeing life savings evaporate this Obama/Pelosi/Reid $410 billion Omnibus funds earmarks like:

$2.1 million for a Center for Grape Research in NY
$1.7 million for pig odor research in Iowa
$951,500 for Sustainable Las Vegas (I'm not making this up)
$2 million for "the promotion of astronomy" in Hawaii
$200,000 for a tattoo removal program

Is it possible to remove the odor from a pig?

If we have to eliminate the wealth in the US I guess we might as well make the poor pigs miserable by removing their odor. Let the folks keep their wealth and you want have to worry about $1 million in government money to sustain Las Vegas.

More from the land of taxpayer funded absurdity

As property taxes grow, school superintendent salaries grow faster.................

Even in these hard times, one school board voted to give the superintendent a raise of $ 7,292.00 per year, bringing him to $250,000 a year. That’s right. The superintendent is making a quarter million dollars, and your property taxes continue to increase.

Here is the info on Round Rock ISD Superintendent's salary and benefits. This information was taken from board minutes and the superintendent contract and amendments.

Here's background info taken from the board minutes:

1/11/06 Initial Hiring --Salary $204,600.00

2/20/07 + Salary Increase =New salary $221,991.00 (8.5% increase)

2/12/08 + Salary Increase =New salary $243,080.00

2/26/09 Salary Increase =New salary $250,372


Total increases since initial hire:$45,772.00 – an astounding 22.3% increase in 2 years!


Has your salary increased over 20% in two years? No, but your taxes may have.


7/17/07: Performance Bonus paid: $6,558.46 (to retirement plan of the Superintendent’s choice)


7/17/08: Performance Bonus paid: $7,539.00


In addition, the superintendent receives the following benefits (these amounts are from the original 2006 contract):

1) additional benefits for a yearly allowance of $3,500 to cover his immediate family;
2) life insurance premiums not to exceed $6,000 per year to the companies selected by the Superintendent for life insurance;
3) membership fees of the Superintendent for professional organizations;
4) contributions of up to $10,000 per District fiscal year (commencing in fiscal year 2006-2007) to a qualified retirement plan (annuity or other retirement benefits) of the Superintendent’s choice, for the benefit of the Superintendent, for each year of employment under this contract;
5) monthly expense allowance now at $5,800 per year (as of 2008) (not required to submit itemized receipts)
6) vacation days to accrue (at daily rate) at two days per month effective March 1, 2007 with maximum accrual of 48 days In addition, he gets Christmas break, spring break and a one week summer break during July 4th week just like all teachers and administrators.

Plus, under the contract, if he’s fired and there is an appeal:

“The District shall provide legal counsel to represent the Superintendent in any litigation, including administrative processes, arising out of or alleged to arise out of the Superintendent’s duties with the District, without regard to whether the allegations are made against the Superintendent in his official or individual capacity. The District's obligations shall survive the termination of this Contract.”

Most school district Superintendent salaries are similar – see what your Superintendent is making (base pay) and ask your ISD for their contract, to see just what else they are receiving in addition to their base pay.

If you are pleased with the job your school district is doing and you think the salary is justified, lucky you! But you might want to first check to see what the average teacher salary is in your district. Check by clicking here.

It appears the taxpayers of the Round Rock ISD are the goose that laid the golden egg!

By pvenable
Created 03/03/2009
Published on Americans for Prosperity (http://www.americansforprosperity.org)

From the land of taxpayer funded absurdity

HARRIS DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HIRES LOBBYIST

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6292221.html
Harris district attorney's office hires lobbyist
By BRIAN ROGERSCopyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
March 3, 2009, 8:38PM

Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos has contracted a lobbyist for $17,000 for the rest of the Texas legislative session to ensure lawmakers have a Houston prosecutor’s perspective on possible changes to the penal code and other criminal justice laws.
DA general counsel John Barnhill said the money to pay Hank Mitchell came from discretionary funds from the office’s hot check division.
“This isn’t tax money, this is money from offenders,” Barnhill said.
Barnhill said Mitchell will aid Assistant District Attorney Kevin Petroff, the prosecutor assigned to review bills pending in Austin.

You can't get representation in government without paying for it!

and for even more absurdity we have.......................................

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6292479.html

County may not be safer, but top officials likely are......................................

Guess our county judge and sheriff will be adding such perks to our county budget in coming years.

Brainless mouthpiece Obama

The shock therapy being administered by the brainless mouthpiece due to his reading a book on the causes of the Great Depression demonstrates how brainless he currently is with regards to financial matters. The financial team he has assembled appears to be just as brainless.

The Great Depression was caused by too much government intervention in the economy, rather than too little regulation. Regulations are in place and the brainless mouthpiece and his brainless trust need to get the career bureaucrats to do their jobs.

As Will Rogers said "I'm not nearly so concerned about the return on my capital, as i am the return OF my capital".

The right to keep and bear arms

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." (Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.)

"The great object is that every man be armed . . . Everyone who is able may have a gun." (Patrick Henry, in the Virginia Convention on the ratification of the Constitution.)

"The advantage of being armed . . . the Americans possess over the people of all other nations . . . Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several Kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." (James Madison, author of the Bill of Rights, in his Federalist Paper No. 46.)

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." (Second Amendment to the Constitution.)

Thomas Jefferson, who kept an armory of pistols, rifles and shotguns at Monticello, and advised his nephew to forsake other sports in favor of hunting, would be astounded to hear supposed civil libertarians claim firearm ownership should be restricted.

My good friends your 2nd Amendment Rights are now under attack once again by your federal government headed by the likes of Reid and Pelosi. Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009 has been introduced in the House of Representatives and given number HR 45. HR 45 basically would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:

A) It is registered
B) You are fingerprinted
C) You supply a current Driver's License
D) You supply your Social Security #
E) You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing
F) Each update - change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported and costs $25 - Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail.
G) There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access provision. Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18.
H) They would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.

Is the goal complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense? You will have to decide for yourself after researching HR 45. If you take my gun, only the criminals will have one to use against me. Could the criminals be the federal government? They seem to be wanting to limit my individual rights in more ways than one these days.

So you have to apply to the new Obama anti-gun Attorney General to get permission to keep your gun.

Full Text of HR 45 is here http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.45.