sept texas constitutional amendment vote

[MAC]

several of us are in texas
this sept we have a vote for 22 constitutional amendments

22

note cards may be in order. there's a local radio talk show trying to cover 3 or 4 a day so we get a chance to hear whats up with each one.

but man what a job.
for example:
one deals with the recovery of your mineral rights and land rights when the county sells your home for non-payment of taxes.....they spent an hour discussing mineral rights, property taxes, and tax on used minerals so ppl would understand why this amendment was needed to change a bad law they had passed 2 years ago....oi

news story
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/06/13/3ee96bd2325df

condensed analysis
http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/research/pdf/analyses-sept13-condensed.pdf

[Koliedrus]

If the amendments pass, the Texas Constitution will have been amended more than 400 times, making it one of the nation's oldest but most-changed state constitutions.



This doesn't sit well in my mind when associated with low voter turnout.

[MAC]

if you'd like another example of that very thing, mr kol

consider that our governor insisted during the normal session (when the house democrats ran off Oklahoma to stop redistricting) that he couldn't get school money allocated because they weren't there for a quorum. They came back, finished all kinds of legislation and still some of the money wasn't allocated (the schools had been told to expect this and to make plans to do without a bunch of money) Then he calls a special session. In a special session the governor calls it and lays out the issues he wants dealt with (in this case #1 was redistricting). They passed all kinds of laws while fighting about redistricting and finally the senate democrats run off to new mexico to stop redistricting again. Naturally, there's abig chunk of money that still hasn't been allocated to the schools because the senate does not have a quorum to vote on it.........

guess what? (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1994&dept_id=226369&newsid=9963877&PAG=461&rfi=9)

"Republican Gov. Rick Perry, again chastising Senate Democrats for fleeing to New Mexico amid a congressional redistricting battle, on Wednesday ordered that $700 million be paid to Texas schools this month.

Perry issued an executive order preventing Foundation School Program payments from being delayed until September, thus eliminating uncertainty for districts, he said.

"It's a big chunk of change," Perry said.

Lawmakers were to have addressed the payments - clarifying a discrepancy between two bills passed in this spring - but 11 Democratic senators left the Capitol, Perry said.

It was the second straight day Perry has announced he is taking care of spending issues on his own without going through the Legislature. Tuesday, Perry said that he'd gotten legal approval for $167 million in federal money to be used for Medicaid reimbursement rates. "

so he's handed out $867 million with out legislative process?

I guess its better than taxation without representation...except that I consider taxation to be both collection and allocation...of course MY representative is IN austin...hmmmm

well the senators could be in austin doing their jobs
of course then the majority party would be forcing their districts into law which actually costs me MY congressman and is being done in an "unconstitutional" manner...and as leverage in getting MY congressman thrown out they are holding up MY sister's school funding

...to make sure that their party agenda is met...

I have a .45 caliber amendment I'd like to add.

[Lady Sianna]

i really like this columnist and his take on re-districting:

Kelso (http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/kelso/0803/080103.html)

it's been interesting - to say the least - to be in the city where this is actually going down.

my Senator is in New Mexico, and i feel that he is doing exactly what he was elected to do; represent the wishes of his constituents.

[Mudflap]

Gerry Mander is smiling.