Republican Congressional 3-Way: Paul Haring, actually seemed a bit older than his 75 years when I met him at the Republican Candidate Forum at VICC. The soft-spoken man handed me a black and white printout detailing his platform. His memorable line from the forum was: "If you're against abortion, I'm your man." Haring is from the historical city of Goliad, near Victoria. Under previous occupation, he lists: President, Catholic Truth Society of America and Executive Director, Americans United for Life, obviously two anti-abortion organizations.Also indicative that Haring is not a serious candidate, he has raised no funds requiring an FEC report of campaign expenditures or contributions according to the Brownsville Herald. Perhaps Haring feels that getting his anti-abortion message out justifies the filing fee and travel expenses.
Unlike Haring, 38 year old Jessica Puente Bradshaw, is neither reticent nor soft-spoken. Born in Matamoros, raised in Brownsville, but with a residence in Austin at the time of filing, Bradshaw is in her element at a candidate forum or with the give-and-take of viewpoint questions.
It's somewhat shocking that this otherwise bright young lady has been less than careful filling out campaign documents, leaving her candidacy open to serious challenge. Such a disqualification, simply because of not double or triple-checking campaign forms for accuracy would be a hard lesson for someone who has worked so hard, traveled so many miles and, according to The Herald contributed $16,000 of her own money to her campaign, but it's all part of the process. Perhaps, it's simply the result of being a one woman band, without a confidante or adviser as a safety net.
Adela Garza, on the other hand, has a legal adviser in Art Martinez de Vara, meticulous enough to go over Bradshaw's filing documents with a fine tooth comb, seemingly locating dozens of problematic areas. Garza, while not as well-spoken as her younger opponent, may be more seasoned politically. Whatever Garza does or does not accomplish in the balance of her life, many in Brownsville will remember her as part a group of four courageous trustees who rescued $200,000,000 worth of taxpayer purchased assets from the gluttonous consumption of the University of Texas system.
Ruminations on SpaceX: Did it not raise a red flag when Mayor Tony Martinez proclaimed giddily at the ITEC Forum on SpaceX that he had "done his due diligence" on the project? Has Martinez done his own personal Environmental Impact Study? Of course not. Does he already know exactly what funding assistance Elon Musk will ask for from Brownsville and Cameron County? Don't assume that because Musk is a billionaire, he will self-fund. With his problematic Fisker Electric Car Company, he received 465 million in loan guarantees from the U.S. government.
Another billionaire, Jerry Jones, played the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington against each other before finally settling on the best package of incentives from Arlington to build the new Cowboy Stadium. Musk is likely doing the exact same thing with Florida, Puerto Rico and South Texas, to squeeze out the best deal for himself. This is not altruism at work here guys and gals!
The saddest and frankly, most embarrassingly aspect of the SpaceX fervor is the seeming disregard many of our politicos have for Cameron County's most valuable asset; Boca Chica Beach. The undeveloped 8 mile long beach and adjacent wetlands represent an ecosystem and natural wildlife area worth BILLIONS, if you can only measure in dollars and cents.
If you think citizens near Mount Rainier, Yosemite, or Yellowstone would EVER tolerate this kind of industrial development near their sacred, natural area, THINK AGAIN!
Brownsville and Cameron County must look for an alternative to Boca Chica for SpaceX. Certainly, the latitude and proximity to water can be found somewhere else in the region.
Veteran's Administration Voucher System: It sounds good on paper. We have no VA hospital, but the VA issues vouchers for hospital and medical care at existing facilities. The problem is that the VA isn't paying its bills. Some doctors are holding unpaid vouchers over a year old. Nena and I have some personal experience with this. Eight years ago as we were driving home from the VA Outpatient Clinic in McAllen, we were stopped by the police. Nena's blood glucose test had come back indicating she was on the verge of diabetic shock and her doctor, unable to reach us by phone had called the police. We were told, commanded to go immediately to the emergency room by the VA doctor. To make a long story short, the VA rejected the bill. Several letters back and forth at least a year later, the VA finally paid.
Jimmy Boy, this is what keeps you occupied? Why I bet there is life elsewhere of the sort that would keep you from mixing with these infidels. How do you keep writing about Nobodies? Brownsville isn't even part of Texas? It's impulse always is to be bad, sick, corrupt or negligent. Life doesn't move from one day to the next here. It's the same day over and over and over - a Bad one. I suspect your brain will be mush soon. There are examples of what writing about Losers does to the mind. Look at the far-gone McHale, a man who has done what you're doing for 30 years and shows it. There is no reward. There is no return. There is only a population that will tell you they can do without you, that they all got along before you came along, that to have you or not have is not the question. The question is: Why does he publish?
ReplyDelete2Empinate
Thanks for the kind words. . . . . Jerry is, of course, a different animal, a professional blogger, while I'm an unranked amateur. For Mchale, blogging is a sideline, a change of pace to his more vital role of plugging a huge educational gap in our community.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I didn't choose blogging without some forethought. With perhaps 3,500 days still to waste on this planet before decomposition, I tried both Bingo Night and the Country Music Night at the rec hall. Both were yawners for me, for us. Nena was not excited either about my hot dog stand idea. So, we blog. She takes the pictures and I write the garbage next to the pictures. Obviously, there is no editing, only deletion. If you think what gets published is unworthy, you should see the stories Nena strongly suggested I discard.
Jim
Bloggers sometimes do find their way. A recently dormant blogger from Austinburg has now committed himself to the politics of the local property association. He has found fulfillment in unclogging drains, picking locks and checking the level on the freshly pruned hedges. We wish him well.
hmm sounds like an anonymous failed blogger is jealous that Jim, a newcomer, has built a successful brownsville blog! without chasing the coattails of McHale. A new voice and one of my favorites to read
DeleteI'm a little taken aback, Jim, with your new attitude regarding DP/M. When he was actively blogging in the valley and criticized some of your writing, I was impressed by the fact that you responded rationally and objectively, seemingly not personalizing the criticism or lashing back. I thought that was very professional of you.
DeleteNow that he is no longer around, and probably not even reading the local blogs, you seem to be cyber-stalking him and doing everything you can to denigrate and disparage his writing. I think you need to let it go and move on.
totally not true
DeleteHow you know this was written by DPM: DPM always turns the conversation to make it about DPM. Very obvious, because no one else knows or cares who he is
Delete/DP-M is an interesting guy. Nothing he writes hurts. Anyway, why stifle creativity? His gentle criticism of my writing is well-received because he's usually off the mark. That's not a crime since I usually aim just over the head of my readership.
DeleteAnyway, the blogosphere is sort of a brotherhood. Many try it, but only a few maintain the 2,000 pageviews per day necessary to sustain the fragile psyche.
Jim
2enoubate,
ReplyDeleteYou are reading him....are you not? U negative ASS!
You are unemployed, R U not?
Delete2TacosToGo
Of course he is!
Delete2Big2Fail
Has the BEDC ever lied to us?
ReplyDeleteIs that a joke?
DeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteHas anyone done an evironmnental study at the Port of Brownsville where we have an ever increasing presence of "salvage" businesses. With so many "salvage" buinesses at the Port, why are you so critical of SpaceX???
Why are we so willing to accept foreign "waste product" companies, but question new technology and job opportunities. Jim, you are talking like the closed minded citizens of Brownsville who want want no progress.....just menories of days gone by.
How can Boca Chica Beach be our most valuable resouse when it has been ignored for years. The County approved oil esploration (not an enviromentally friendly job) and now we have an abve ground launch site for future space exploration and, still, Jim, you oppose it. Jim, get with the program, progress is good.
ReplyDeleteThe community's traditional short-sightedness and nonchalance with respect to Boca Chica is not a good argument for its destruction. At least wait until the Environmental Impact Study before committing. Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone.
DeleteLooking fifty years ahead, which will be more valuable: an 8 mile long undeveloped beach with hundreds of adjacent acres of wetlands, bird nesting and feeding, flora and fauna essentially untouched for hundreds of years OR an industrial grade rocket launch pad for cellular and other communication style satellites?
Jim
Jim,
ReplyDeleteWe cannot wait to comment about Boca Chica! It is our most important natural resource. The ancient palm forest already got mucked up thanks to the border wall so we must speak up for Boca Chica. By the way, according to the Texas Open Beaches Act, the public is never supposed to be kept from a public, state-owned beach by a private landowner. So if it's Sunday and you want to go play at the beach or fish, if you don't speak up, very soon you might need to check with SpaceX to see if it's ok to use our own beach. By the way, most of the jobs will be filled by people from outside the area. That's not only my opinion (although I share it) but an entire department at UTB thinks that is true.
If any of us oppose SpaceX there (and I do) the time to speak is NOW! I have done some research and anyone who expresses concern by the May 30 deadline will have their concerns addressed in the Draft EIS. After that will be too late. Speak now or forever hold your peace!