Tuesday Roundup: Leppert Wants a Hotel Bailout, Russ Martin Off the Air & More
- Mayor Tom Leppert’s hat-in-hand visit to DC was more embarrassing than I thought. According to the folks at “Citizens Against The Taxpayer-Owner Hotel,” Leppert asked for pork to pay for the $550 million convention center hotel project. Anne Raymond, whose heading up the opposition to the hotel project, was at no loss for words. “Following in the footsteps of failed Wall Street banks and automakers, Leppert’s request for federal funds for a hotel bailout illustrates exactly what a money-losing venture this would be.” Saving grace? Leppert’s just one in a long line of city mayors lining up at the trough for a feeding.
- One of the movers behind the brilliant DISD grading policy — the one where you get to retake tests until you pass and homework can’t be counted against you if it would lower your grade — is leaving.
- I’m betting the firing of Russ Martin isn’t going to go over well in the short or long term. His fans are uncommonly committed, and I just don’t see yet another sports radio station making much of a dent in The DFW.
- Yeah, see, that’s pretty much going to have the opposite effect.
Monday Roundup: DISD in a Nutshell, Bush’s Point Man on Corporate Welfare
- Poor management? Check. Sloppy book-keeping? Check. Poor leadership at most every level? Big check. Kent Fischer pretty much covers everything you wanted to know about what created the financial crisis Dallas ISD is facing. Another problem? Good intentions, poor follow-through.
- If you’ve been responsible with your home-buying decisions and conscientious about paying your mortgage, apparently you’re a sucker. And you’re going to bailing out people have been neither. Happy bailout.
- Here’s your go-to guy for corporate welfare.
Friday Roundup: Beggars Want to Be Choosers, DISD Funding & A Friday Feelgood
- So if you’re getting affordable housing subsidized by taxpayers, who are you to complain about where it is? What, exactly, is wrong with locating all the housing for low income people in one general area? Why should you get to demand subsidized housing in a nicer neighborhood that someone else worked hard to move to? Look, it’s not a politically correct fact, but the reality is low income neighborhoods have higher crime rates. That’s not to say low income earners are more criminally motivated — it’s just there are more criminally motivated people in the low income demographic. So centralizing low income housing seems smart on two levels. “The group has argued that most of the local apartment complexes financed with housing tax credits are in urban areas with high concentrations of poverty, crime and blight.” Chicken or the egg?
- DPD gets new uniforms with embroidered badges and plastic buttons. Good in terms of dry cleaning cost savings, but the worry is with the number of cases of people impersonating police to stage robberies, home invasions, and roadside rapes — will this complicate things?
- Given its well-documented troubles, why is DISD helping fund million-dollar parks?
- Dear Leader apparently has a litmus test for appointees that baffles even his supporters, and is a window into his soul on the issue of Second Amendment rights.
- Why am I a shameless cheerleader for free enterprise and big business? That’s why.
Wednesday Roundup: Sex Offender Restrictions, Gay Frats, DISD & More
- So pretty much everyone in criminal justice agrees that the blanket Condition X parole restrictions for low-level offenders neither enhances public safety nor is cost-effective. And they agree it’s unfair, to boot. So naturally reform has little chance of passing the Lege.
- The University of Texas is getting its first gay frat not counting the Sigma Nu house. Prompting one reader to note: “God is no longer going to protect this country.” Which you’d expect. If this were Afghanistan under the Taliban.
- I have a theory where DISD’s missing $84 million went. This guy wrote a computer program that took all those fractions of a cent, and instead of rounding it off, it sent the fractions to his personal account. Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.
- Does the Christmas culture war allow for conscientious objectors? You know, because I just want the presents.
Friday Roundup: City Council Junkets, DISD Audit, Stockpiling Guns & More
- Rod Dreher hit a bulls-eye a few weeks ago when he said that when city council members talk about wanting to make Dallas a “world class city” you better hang on to your wallet.
- DISD warned the audit won’t be positive. Oh, you think so, doctor?
- I’m sorry. I love my fellow gun owners. But any of you just now getting around to stockpiling instead of working on it six months ago — you’re on your own. That’s like buying a stock when it peaks.
- Because I’m usually so hard on how shallow TV news is in The DFW, fairness demands I give props for good watchdog stories. Take a bow, Jack Fink.
Monday Roundup: Boobies, Hinojosa’s Easy Problems, Girls With Guns, Lawyer v. Pitbull & More
- I oppose both McCain’s and Obama’s plans to meddle in the health care industry. But there’s no reason this treatment shouldn’t be supplied to every American woman who wants it.
- You go, Ginger Allen. I certainly know the setbacks I’ve faced in my life have been because I’m just too damn good looking. My Adonis physique makes it a double whammy. (Ginger is quickly becoming must-see TV news in my book. Her gritty journalism and tenacious reporting are bringing us stories that make a real difference.)
- Not to pile on, Dr. Hinojosa, but when you say, “If I had to choose between solving academic or financial problems, I would choose the latter, because financial problems are easy to solve, academic achievement is not,” then how did we get to this $84 million financial problem? I’m sorry, but this doesn’t fill me with confidence in you being the man to execute the rather worthy Dallas Achieves initiative.
- More women are hunting, especially in Texas. Giggity.
- A pit bull did not give Ken Molberg due professional courtesy. (I kid, I kid. I’ve met Ken, he’s a great guy, and I wish him a speedy recovery.)
- Dig deep if you can. Don’t forget the animal charities. They’re the ones who can’t take care of themselves. [/soapbox]
- “No political motives.” Riiiiight.
- And lastly, Betty Culbreath, a longtime Southern sector leader, weighs in on my previous post about why the idea for a multi-jurisdictional government master plan for the Inland Port is a Bad IdeaTM.
The Allen Group came to Texas with their idea. Every time someone came with an idea for the Area it got knocked down by Dallas Politics, remember the Texas Speedway, now in Fort Worth, the cargo Airport now called Alliance and on and on we go.
The new Master Plan was about control of the development, the water. It’s all about the power over the Allen Group. If you have a new plan in control of the water and other essentials needed for development, the Allen Group will be at their mercy.
Friday Roundup: Confidence Men, CPS Abuse, Colt’s Obligatory Human Interest Feature & More
- You know, when a board calls for a vote of confidence in you, wise money says they pretty much don’t have any.
- Speaking of confidence and votes, this vote by the DISD board isn’t going to inspire any, either.
- Great job, CPS. Reducing children to trembling, fearful emotionally scarred messes, with some regressing to bed-wetting. That’s some fine police work there, Lou.
- You know that godawful trend where every Olympic hopeful has to have a telegenic, heart-wrenching human interest story during the games or they get disqualified? It’s infecting the race for the Heisman Trophy now. Colt McCoy is the latest victim.
Monday Roundup: Anti-Swinger Jihad Continues, Another “Isolated Incident”, DISD Hiring? & More
- It’s real obvious these people are just swingers, and neither organized criminal masterminds nor promoters of prostitution. More obvious that the city is overreaching big time, and sticking its nose into the affairs of consenting adults who aren’t harming anyone else. But since when is it against the law to have “large amounts of liquor” in your home? This isn’t Russia, Danny. Is this Russia?
- Are there ATF raids where innocent people aren’t shot? Just wondering. (One more in the epidemic of “isolated incidents.”)
- Speaking of, is it getting ridiculous when just touching a cop is an arresting offense? And this wasn’t some street thug being threatening. It was a Dallas Fire Rescue Department captain berating a cop who was too slow in responding to the call. At least that’s what it looks like. The story is pretty badly written.
- Would the people at DISD please make up their mind?
- And speaking of incompetent federal agents at work, here’s your Monday morning Moment of Zen, courtesy the DEA:
Wednesday Roundup: Grading Hinojosa?, The DFW in Good Shape, Socialism is the New Black & More
- I wonder if Dr. Michael Hinojosa will be graded on the exciting new DISD grading scale.
- DISD layoffs: On the bright side, service at coffee houses, bars, and restaurants is about to improve in the DFW. On the down side, pole dancing quality will likely decline regardless of Van Halen wisdom.
- The DFW’s commercial real estate market is in good shape compared to most of the rest of the country.
- Color Paint me surprised. Now “socialist” — which describes both McCain and Obama’s economic plans — is apparently racist code. Oh brother. It’s like they’re not even trying anymore. This bodes so well for the next four years under Obama
- Your Wednesday Matrimonial Moment of Zen:
Thursday Roundup: Felonious Jack Russells, Boycotting DISD, The Failout, “Calm & Cock?”
Lookout, he's armed.
- A Haltom City cop just got cleared for shooting a Jack Russell Terrier during a follow-up search warrant serve. This was not a dynamic entry serve, where adrenaline is high. This was not a marauding Pit Bull. This was a Jack Russell, which generally weigh no more than 12 pounds. I have to ask, Sgt. Chris Reed, what kind of man you are that an ankle dog scared you that much? Disgraceful. More on the habit cops have of shooting dogs here.
- This is going to help improve Dallas ISD. Great thinking.
- Here’s why the $850 billion bailout is a bad idea, and even banks know it.
- Dirty tricks, bad. But anyone fooled by this email circulating in The DFW probably isn’t smart enough to find their polling place anyway.
- “(Dallas) Police say this robber is as calm and cock as he is bold.” I don’t know what that means. But here’s the screen grab in case they change it:
