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Dallas County to Collin County: “Gimme a Dollar”

April 6, 2009 By Trey Garrison 4 Comments

Over the weekend came this story that has Dallas County officials and lawmakers grousing that Collin County won’t go along with whatever far-fetched scheme they have going.

“I don’t think Collin County plays nice lately,” said state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas. “I don’t think they have a regional concern, but only for provincial Collin County.”

Well, yeah. So what? We’ve seen what, for instance, Dallas County has done to itself, and we don’t want to get dragged down into that mess.

The gripe really comes down — as always — to demands for new taxes. Collin County leaders don’t support a slew of new taxes to expand a regional rail system that few in Collin County want in the first place. According to the story, more than 40 area cities and five counties passed resolutions in support of the measure, but Collin County did not.

Carona, your standard big government, big spending Republican type, was just aghast that Collin County leaders would actually care about the will of the people they were elected by.

The best part of the story came, though, in reference to Dallas’ Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Collin County commissioners snubbed Dallas County’s request to support a bill that would create a new hospital tax in suburban counties to help pay for using the Dallas hospital.

But Ron Anderson, Parkland president and CEO, said Collin and other adjacent counties have an obligation to help fund the tax-supported hospital. Parkland provides more than $20 million in unreimbursed care annually, officials said.

Nowhere does it mention exactly how much they claim comes from Collin County residents. The story throws out the big $20 million number, but it’s a bill that should go to all the surrounding counties — not just Collin.

And I believe we all know that at least three-quarters of the $20 million in unreimbursed care should be sent to Mexico City.

Collin County has prospered precisely because it’s frugal, cautious, and wise. And yet Dallas County expects us to fund their pet projects — a hospital that provides generous care to illegal immigrants and public transportation that almost no one here uses.

Meanwhile, Collin County’s ISD’s lose tens of millions of dollars in Robin Hood taxes to the underperforming schools outside Collin County.

Collin County already provides more in taxes at the state level than it gets back — why should Collin County throw additional money down the money pit to our immediate south?

Filed Under The DFW, Zombies

Um, What the Royal Hell?

April 2, 2009 By Trey Garrison 12 Comments

Why is the person who currently occupies the White House bowing to a foreign king?

(About 50 seconds in.)

W? T? F?

Here’s a screen cap complete with caption before it gets scrubbed from the Internet in the next 24 hours.

picture-1

Filed Under Creepy Guys in the Park, Politics, Zombies

Monday Roundup: Moats, Cuban, Nagin & Huh?

March 30, 2009 By Trey Garrison Leave a Comment

Ryan Moats and his wife will be speaking on Good Morning America today between 7-9 a.m. Meanwhile, in other Officer Powell news.

Not news: Mark Cuban fined $25,000 for talking trash after a game. News: On Twitter.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin may lose his Frisco home (wait, huh?) because he hasn’t paid his homeowner association dues. Thus ends Frisco’s attempt at becoming another Chocolate City?

I mentioned that dash cams exonerate officers more than they condemn them on Friday. Today, it’s a story in at least two Dallas outlets. Have I officially become show prep?

Filed Under Fort Awesome, Zombies

Steve Blow: “Aw Shucks, Political Corruption, Investigative Journalism — What’s The Difference?”

March 8, 2009 By Trey Garrison 33 Comments

Steve Blow — the DMN’s single worst columnist — now draws equivalence between the blatantly corrupt shakedown practices of County Commissioner John Wiley Price, and one of the few journalists in Dallas trying to expose Price’s political thuggery.

Right now, words fail me. Just as they have Steve Blow for the last 20 years straight.

Bonus: Here’s my take on the “need” for a master plan for the Dallas inland port.

Filed Under Creepy Guys in the Park, Media, The DFW, Zombies

Friday Roundup: Rushed Edition*

March 6, 2009 By Trey Garrison Leave a Comment

A couple in Parker County learn that you can’t count on 911 when you’re in trouble, but you can count on something else.

First zombies, now werewolves.

Here’s your Friday morning feel-good.

* (I have a ton of work and I’m trying to go see Watchmen this morning.)

Filed Under Creepy Guys in the Park, Guns, Life, The DFW, Zombies

More Atlas Shrugging? Or at Least, Smirking?

March 5, 2009 By Trey Garrison 4 Comments

This from Megan McArdle.

Doesn’t look good for Mr. Mugabe Obama.

Filed Under Capitalist Superheroes, Zombies

Wednesday Roundup: Late Edition

March 4, 2009 By Trey Garrison 5 Comments
  • By now everyone’s read the brief in the DMN about the cars found in Lake Cliff, but it’s the comments that make it worth the read.
  • If you live in Fort Worth, now would be a good time to stock up your zombie shelter. (Does no one study their Romero these days?)
  • James Ragland surprises: Tough column on the gun buyback. Ironic, considering Dwaine Caraway used the same tortured logic — don’t show me the stats, if it happens just once — that Ragland did in complaining about beer sales at Six Flags. Still, well done, James.

Filed Under Creepy Guys in the Park, Guns, Media, Politics, The DFW, Zombies

Tuesday Roundup: JWP Shakes His Groove Thing, DPD Reforms Policy, Ron Kirk’s Tax Problems & More

March 3, 2009 By Trey Garrison Leave a Comment
  • The aftermath of the tragic death of a DPD officer in January has resulted in a change to how felony warrants are served. Among the best changes, and underplayed in the story, is that police will knock and announce that they are, indeed, police. Good for the police, good for the public. Fewer no-knock warrants = fewer mistakes.
  • EPIC FAIL: When you snatch a purse from a 65-year-old grandma and she chases you down and sits on you until cops arrive, you definitely ought to consider another line of work.
  • EPIC FAIL 2: Cop puts another gun — a fully automatic M-16 — back out on the street. Possibly literally. That’s some fine police work there, Lou.

Filed Under Creepy Guys in the Park, Police, Politics, The DFW, Zombies

Friday Roundup: Captain Obvious Edition

February 27, 2009 By Trey Garrison 6 Comments
  • Twenty-one Dallas police officers got disciplined for violating the city’s no-chase police back in September. The policy says police can only pursue suspects who are dangerous felons. The idea is to reduce the risk of accidental injury and death for both police and innocent bystanders. Who wants to get run over or in a crash because an officer is chasing someone who shoplifted sunglasses, right? One of the officers in the September chase crashed out and was seriously injured. Here comes the irony: “There’s also criticism that two officers suspended provided life saving assistance to one of their own.” An officer who, ironically, wouldn’t have been injured if he has just obeyed the no-chase policy.
  • We live in a state where two of every three households has a gun. We live in a world where knowledge = power. We live in a reality where ignorance is dangerous. And yet this woman in Garland lives in a world where a safety program designed to protect children has no place. Too. Much. Stupid.

  • Who could foresee any public hand-wringing over the fact a Spanish company (Spain is in Europe, where Spaniards come from, not South America, where Mexicans come from) won the bid to do the work on LBJ Freeway? Who? Captain Ob… you get the idea. (I suppose those angry about this would rather pay more in taxes so an American company would do the construction? And wouldn’t that be a form of affirmative action?)

Filed Under Guns, Police, The DFW, Zombies

Thursday Roundup: Harshing Drug Warriors’ Mellow, It’s Dead Jim, Twitter Twaddle & More

February 26, 2009 By Trey Garrison Leave a Comment
  • A rare moment of near sanity in the War on Certain Drugs: a Fort Worth guy whose brother hid drugs in his house was sentenced to just probation. Now, this is a guy who wasn’t a dealer, has no criminal record, and passed drug tests for two years. Sure, he knew they were there, but who narcs out family? Naturally, narcotics officers are livid. They should probably smoke a fattie and chill out.
  • Angela Hunt declares the Trinity Tollway dead. Given the levees a-gone break and the city’s a-gone broke, hard to disagree with her diagnosis.
  • Magic Eight Ball sez: Unlikely. (You just know the real winner is going to get hunted after a secret online auction in Hostel II.)
  • Here’s at least one thing Rep. Joe Barton of Texas shouldn’t apologize for: tweeting “Aggie basketball game is about to start on espn2 for those of you that aren’t going to bother watching pelosi smirk for the next hour.” We need more of this, not less.
  • Want two reasons the Democrats are going to lose control of the House in 2010? There’s the first. And there’s the second. (Smells so much like 1993, don’t it? Thank you, Mr. Obama — you are generous. Oh, and Mr. Holder — Molon Labe. We were ready for it, this time.

Filed Under City Owned Boondoggle, Culture, Guns, Liberty, Life, Police, Politics, The DFW, Zombies
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