On July 18, 2006, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst met with Hispanic business leaders in San Antonio. A source in the room informs us that Mr. Dewhurst told the group something along the following lines: 'I don’t see why we don’t give all 12,000,000 immigrants worker permits after they step forward. Of course, they have to get registered so we can know who they are.'

The Lt. Governor of Texas is entitled to his own opinions on illegal immigration.

This is what really bothers me:  Can you imagine Lt. Governor Dewhurst giving that same point of view to delegates of the Republican Party of Texas at the recent convention in San Antonio? That would NEVER happen in a 1,000 years. That would be the end of his political career in Texas politics. He would never achieve his dream of becoming Governor of Texas.

What is my point?                                                                                           

Mr. Dewhurst: Why are you PANDERING to Latinos and Hispanics over the immigration issue in private? Why is it necessary to treat us in such a demeaning manner? Why do you believe that all of us are for OPEN BORDERS? I do not think we should give every illegal alien a free pass just because they successfully broke our national laws.

Why do you think we are not also concerned about the avalanche of illegal immigration that is overburdening our hospitals and school systems in South Texas? Why don’t you issue a press release to all newspapers in Texas with this liberal point of view on the immigration issue if you really think this way about illegal aliens?

Message to the world:  Enter our country illegally, break our employment regulations and bypass our system of laws. Don’t worry. The Lt. Governor of Texas thinks we should give you worker passes since you are such a successful lawbreaker.

Hispanics in South TEXAS love this state and their country. Most of us were not in the streets waving Mexican flags and demanding open borders recently. We are PROUD Americans who believe in the Sovereignty of this nation.   

Latinos in uniform are serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea because they believe in the ideals of this amazing country.  We also believe in the sanctity of the law.  Do NOT treat us like we privately want to open our borders so we can enjoy the lawlessness and chaos of Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana. 

Mr. Dewhurst, DO NOT PANDER TO US LATINOS. 

TREAT US LIKE THE PROUD AMERICANS THAT WE ARE. We deserve better than that from a conservative who believes in law and order.
 

Please allow me a few column inches this week to respond to accusations thrown at the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority (Alamo RMA) last week in your newsletter by Ms. Hall and the San Antonio Toll Party.

First, the most serious allegation Ms. Hall shared with your readership concerns the financial state of the Alamo RMA. According to Ms. Hall “…the RMA is flat BROKE!...They’ve blown through at least $10 million in YOUR tax money, mostly loans…in just over two short years.” This statement is patently false and demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the funding sources of our agency.

During our initial months of operation, the Alamo RMA received financing from the City of San Antonio and Bexar County in the form of loans that will be paid back with interest when operating revenues or bond proceeds are available to do so. 

Both of these entities provided initial start up capital, which are the assets and liabilities Ms. Hall mentioned in her column last week. 

At the July 12, 2006 Board meeting, our Comptroller presented the monthly financial statements to the Board of Directors that included a discussion on the un-audited Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2006, which presents total assets of $113,670, total liabilities of $1,623,283, and a fund deficit of $1,509,614. It was also discussed that the liabilities as of June 30 reflected only the loans from the City of San Antonio and Bexar County and do not reflect any draw down from the loans authorized by the Texas Department of Transportation.

What Ms. Hall fails to mention, and what I think is the most important point, is that since January of this year, the Alamo RMA has been authorized by the Texas Department of Transportation to drawn down approximately $8.5 million in loans, which must be paid back, to help evaluate and study potential added capacity toll lane projects within Bexar County. While we have begun to authorize expenditures of some of that money to pursue project study and development, we have come nowhere near expending it all or, in Ms. Hall’s words, “blown through at least $10 million” in loans in two years.

I appreciate the time Ms. Hall takes each month to commute in from Comal County to attend our monthly board meetings. As a regular attendee of our Board of Director meetings, Ms. Hall hears the same information each member of the Board does when it concerns our finances. Unfortunately, in her zeal to undermine the toll road plan for Bexar County and to cast a negative light on those organizations and individuals who are perceived as supporters, she has chosen to misrepresent the information presented. 

I do want to thank you for allowing us the opportunity to correct this misrepresentation and misinformation that was present in last week’s newsletter. Your newsletter provides a good public service for our community and it is unfortunate when contributors do not maintain the same standard for their writing.

Second, Ms. Hall continues to maintain that the Alamo RMA is disregarding public input and opinion in our actions. Yet, Ms. Hall refuses to accept that a feasibility study, which is referenced in her columns a number of times, is not a final determination by the Alamo RMA Board of Directors.  In fact, it is an important part of the process by which alternatives are considered and analyzed to assure that decisions are made with the best available information. 

We are at the start of a study process on Bandera Road that will evaluate and explore a number of options. We want input from the public, from neighborhood associations, from business owners, from commuters and from every person with an opinion on how we can address the congestion needs of our community.

We encourage everyone to attend our first public meeting on the Bandera Road Corridor on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 7 p.m. at Marshall High School, 8000 Lobo Lane.

We need real solutions to these real concerns, not a continual litany of negative misinformation from those who offer no solutions, only criticism and personal attacks.                  

The Alamo RMA is committed to being a proactive partner in our community by finding innovative ways to address congestion.

If your readers would like more information about the Alamo RMA and what we are doing to help address congestion, our public meeting schedule, and our community workshop schedule, I would strongly encourage everyone to visit www.AlamoRMA.org

Thank you for the time to address this misrepresentation by the San Antonio Toll Party and I look forward to future, well-balanced newsletters from you and your organization.

Sincerely,

Dr. William E. Thornton

Chair, Board of Directors

Alamo Regional Mobility Authority
 

* A contract was signed with a foreign company to build a super corridor called the Trans-Texas Corridor, despite a Texas company's name added to press statements to appease critics,

* The primary purpose of the new road is to facilitate trade between Mexico and Canada, and Mexico and the U.S., rather than for Texans,

* The new road will require between $11.7 and $30 billion dollars in Texas land acquisition according to the Texas Department of Transportation,

* Texas' new super corridor is to link with a new international super corridor at both the Mexico and Oklahoma borders, but authorities don't want to discuss that fact,

* Texas' U.S. Senator John Cornyn filed S. 3622 on June 29, 2006 to force Americans to pay "to construct roads in Mexico."

I hope that elected officials at every level are listening in hopes of avoiding a head-on collision at the polls in November.
 

Bonilla under siege

Gary Martin: Could ruling grant DeLay another shot?

Web Posted: 07/14/2006 06:00 PM CDT, San Antonio Express-News

Original source:  Greg Martin Article

As a federal three-judge panel pondered a redrawing of Texas Congressional District 23, Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, found himself under siege this week from enemies in both parties.

Lining up against Bonilla is Democratic challenger Rick Bolaños of El Paso, who said he would file an ethics complaint against Bonilla for his role in the unconstitutional redrawing with the ethics committee.

Only members of Congress can file a complaint with the Standards of Official Conduct.

Still, the campaign stunt gave Bolaños a platform to rail against Bonilla and raise ethical questions of potential misconduct in matters of campaign finance.

Bonilla, in a statement released by his campaign, called the claims "baseless" and said he is "currently focused on the issues relevant to my constituents."

Meanwhile, Bonilla found himself under attack in San Antonio from Joe Solis, a Republican who lost a past bid for party chairman in Bexar County.  

Solis urged President Bush to make Bonilla an ambassador after 14 years of "failure" as a South Texas representative.

"President Bush, please take Congressman Bonilla off our hands," Solis pleaded in his South Texas Republicans weekly newsletter that accused the congressman of pork barreling funds for the University of the Incarnate Word and failing to fight for border security.

A Bonilla spokeswoman, Brittany Eck, said Bonilla has been a leader on border security in Congress and declined to comment on other remarks made by Solis.

Asked about Solis' motivation in the attacks against Bonilla, Eck said: "No clue. You would have to ask him that."

End of article:

Commentary by Joe Solis addressed to Bonilla spokeswoman, Brittany Eck.

“Asked about Solis' motivation in the attacks against Bonilla, Eck said: "No clue. You would have to ask him that."

Dear Ms. Eck-

Please take a look at the lines below. This SA Today’s Catholic transcript segment is from the ceremony in which the Science Building at the University of the Incarnate Word was named after Congressman Bonilla. 

“Sister Kathleen introduced Congressman Henry Bonilla, a UIW alumnus and honorary doctorate recipient, as having “done more for higher education in South Texas than any other member of Congress in the history of our wonderful city and state.” She noted, “We honor Henry today for his assistance with federal funding for these facilities.””

“It is a great legacy that is going to be left behind,” Bonilla added, “not about me and not about the people up here on the podium, but it’s about the kids. It’s about the students who are coming and following us through the system. All we want is for them to have the same opportunity that we all had as young people growing up in this country.””

Commentary by Joe Solis:

Let me be very clear since you have “no clue” in Washington, D.C.

These are my main points:

1. I do not expect my fiscally conservative Republican Congressman to send $1,000,000 to a private Catholic university for a parking garage when our country is running massive deficits.
2. I certainly do not want my Congressman to have a building (close to a high traffic street) named after him after he secures “federal funding for these facilities.”
3. Conservatives have been railing against cronyism in South Texas for years.  How does this look when one of our own is partaking in this pork spending at his alma mater? 
4. Did he really have to accept an honorary doctorate for having “done more for higher education in South Texas than any other member of Congress in the history of our wonderful city and state?”

• This is my favorite part. According to your web page:
• “The State of Texas is 261,797.12 square miles. Congressman Bonilla represents 25 counties, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of the total square miles in Texas. The 23rd District is the largest district in the State. The 23rd district is larger than 24 states including Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Tennessee, Ohio and Virginia.”
• The University of the Incarnate Word is NOT in the 23rd Congressional District!  It is hard to believe that Dr. Bonilla could not find one public college or university in my district that could have used these valuable resources.
• “Bonilla added, “not about me…” 

Get a clue… it is all about Henry.
 

This event will feature national speakers like Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family; Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center; Reverend Don Wildmon of the American Family Association; Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council; Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation and many more! As part of the entertainment, “Mr. President” Steve Bridges will be on hand doing his impersonation of President George W. Bush.

My goals for this trip are 4-fold:

1. Recruit nationally recognized speakers for our Rough Riders of Bexar County Educational Series

2. Build new relationships with national conservative organizations and individuals for South Texas Republicans, P.A.C.

3. Utilize these contacts to gain support in terms of resources and finances for the P.A.C., and our South Texas Candidates at the state and federal levels

4. Demonstrate the strength of the Republican Party in South Texas at the grassroots level

As a result of my most recent trip to D.C. in May for the Jesse Helms Communications in Foreign Policy School, I developed a relationship with Peter Brookes, Senior Fellow of National Security Affairs with the Heritage Foundation. Because of that relationship, South Texas Republicans is in talks with Peter about speaking to grassroots activists here in San Antonio in the fall!

The costs to attend the ‘Washington Briefing’ in D.C. will be about $1,800. The package to attend all 3 conference days and gain admittance to the exhibit halls/book signings will cost $550. The hotel room on location (Omni Shoreham in D.C.) will cost $550 for 3 nights (needed by August 15th!!). Roundtrip airfare is expected to run about $400-600 (plus tax).

All work I do for South Texas Republicans, P.A.C. is as a volunteer. I live strictly on my disability income, which only amounts to $500 a month.

Ideally, to get whatever price breaks I can for travel, and the conference, I need the funds available by August 30, 2006. This would allow for plenty of time planning arrival and transportation while in our nation’s capitol.

Checks/Money Orders can be made out to me, and mailed to:

Schuylar Crist

9570 Autumn Shade

San Antonio, Texas

78254

You may also reach me by phone at (210) 663-6093 or via e-mail at skyskyrider@hotmail.com

You can also check out conference information at www.frcaction.org

Thank you in advance for your prayerful and thoughtful consideration.
 

Web Posted: 07/16/2006 02:06 AM CDT

Greg Jefferson, San Antonio Express-News Staff Writer

Original Source:  Greg Jefferson Article

The headline read like a jab from a Democrat out for a laugh.

"Congressman Henry Bonilla RETIREMENT Party!! You're invited!"

It came in an e-mail newsletter last week. But many of its readers — San Antonio-area Republicans — weren't likely to appreciate the joke, and a Democrat didn't write it.

The writer was Joe Solis, a 37-year-old conservative activist who has become one of the party's loudest local gadflies. He's the head of a largely memberless organization called the South Texas Republicans, but his megaphone is its weekly newsletter.

Bonilla, R-San Antonio, has been a favorite target of Solis. But he also has taken on the new business tax recently signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry and last year criticized U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for not putting in enough appearances in the region.

Some of his commentaries — and Solis himself — draw strong reactions in local GOP circles. "When his name comes up, you can tell immediately who likes him and who doesn't like him," said Jim Lunz, a longtime Republican activist.

Solis' broadsides have angered many Republicans. Some simply disagree with his opinions while others contend he's breaking Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment — thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican.

Marian Stanko, executive director of the Bexar County Republican Party, sees a sharp divide between the local party's approach and that of Solis.

"We believe in uniting the party to elect Republicans to office," Stanko said. "He's taking turns jabbing at several of our elected officials."

But Solis, who runs an insurance business and in 2004 lost a race for chairman of Bexar County Republican Party, is unapologetic.

"This feeling that one can't be critical of their elected officials is nonsense," he said. "What is a true conservative to do? Sit down and act like a potted plant?"

The satirical retirement notice took aim at what Solis deemed pork: funding secured by Bonilla for the University of the Incarnate Word, a private, Catholic institution. In past newsletters, he blasted Bonilla for what he called a lack of leadership on immigration reform.

"This is not Connecticut — this is Texas," Solis said in an interview. "How much time has he devoted to border security?"

"He certainly stirs up the establishment," Lunz said. "But, as with everything coming over the Internet, you have to ask: What's the audience? We don't have any feel for who his audience is."

Some of his columns wind up on the conservative San Antonio Lightning's Web site and they occasionally pique the interest of talk radio hosts, landing guest spots for Solis. Gabe Quintanilla, a former chairman of the Bexar Democratic Party, said he has come to admire Solis' skill at getting his message out.

"He has the potential to be the Democrats' worst nightmare," Quintanilla said. "He's able to get his message out to a fairly wide audience. ... He's somebody they need to watch."
 

Cathy Cockrell – Newton is a working lady professional who commutes daily to work in heavy traffic.  She agrees with many concerned citizens that doing nothing will get us into a real future transportation mess. 

If the South Texas Republican’s comments are continually laced with “Jerry Springer” type antics/ insults, disparaging accusations, and malicious intent to discredit the reputations of readers or public servants, the readership will diminish to about zero. 

No one will receive the message!  Differences of opinion in our community must be dealt with tolerance and courtesy, and on the matter of toll roads, let’s start taking the “high road.”

We can all police our messages to eliminate the personal attacks and stick to the issues. Sometimes “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” but if the wheel becomes whiny, accusing, bullying, & disrespectful, it is viewed as an exasperating nuisance and is emphatically rejected and left behind on the road to forward progress. Respectful, positive and constructive ideas are always welcome. 

Please check out this website: http://www.bettertexasroads.org

 I salute Joe Krier on his recent message on the toll road issues.  

Cathy Cockrell - Newton

Vice President - Community Relations

First American Title Insurance Company
 

By John Merrifield,
Professor of Economics
Director, Entrepreneurial Conservatism Institute (This is the new think tank established by South Texas Republicans.)
June 28, 2006

Decades of experience demonstrates that changing the K-12 system’s central commands or the people empowered to implement them, changes very little for the better. Indeed, additional rules generally make things even worse. Political control of schooling policies yields disappointing results because of: 1.) Unintended Consequences (May 22 Newsletter); 2.) The Lawmaking Process (July 3 Newsletter); 3.) Resistance to Change; 4.) Debilitating Uniformity; and 5.) Information and Incentive Deficiencies. Resistance to change is the subject of this piece.

Academic gains have been poor because a diverse student population needs what politics has never produced: relentless, customized renewal. We need a constantly improving menu of school choices that differ as much as our children.

But all organizations resist change. It is hope triumphing over experience to expect entrenched organizations to drastically change themselves. Private sector firms are no exception, but when they resist change they succumb to replacement by entrepreneurial newcomers. Indeed, despite business firms’ greater flexibility in responding to change, more often than not, most eventually fail to adapt to external pressures and give way to newcomers. So, it is incredibly naive to expect greater responsiveness from taxpayer-funded, public sector producers better able to resist change (as individuals, they are largely unaccountable for their effect on student learning), and less able to respond (schools have little autonomy).

Collective decision-making (the political process) does not favor the entrepreneurial renewal common to the world’s cutting edge, high growth industries. Absent energetic, entrepreneurial leadership, special interests can thwart political transformation and force the government to discriminate against private sector alternatives that would work better for many children. Inertia, combined with the reform resistance of the present system, is why strategies like more money, higher standards, and better teacher training, that seem like they can’t fail, do just that.They just yield disappointment, higher taxes, and lost opportunity for millions of under-educated young adults. Reform resistance takes a heavy toll on our prosperity and political cohesion.

We need genuine leadership to recognize the inherent limitations of the political process. To break our costly cycle of frustration, our leaders need to limit the government role to referee, information provider, and unbiased subsidizer. Unbiased means that a child’s tuition subsidy (e.g., direct payment, scholarship, voucher, tax credit) would not depend on who owns the school the parents choose.
 

PREDICTION FROM THE GIPPER RINGS TRUE:

“Now it doesn’t require expropriation or confiscation of private property or business to impose socialism upon a people. What does it mean whether you hold the deed or the title to your business or property if the government holds the power of life and death over that business or property?…Somewhere a perversion has taken place. Our natural, inalienable rights are now considered to be a dispensation from government, and freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment.” —Ronald Reagan

Associated Press Headline: Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges

This article states that there has largely been no “resistance” to the selling/leasing of our highways to foreign companies. Nothing could be further from the truth! We’re building a statewide coalition of more than a dozen GRASSROOTS groups opposed to the Governor’s plans to toll and privatize our public freeways, not to mention the tens of thousands of Texans this growing coalition represents. What’s interesting to note is that this article states “few people” know about a foreign company getting the tolls for a U.S. tunnel that connects to Canada and a bridge in Alabama, yet later on the article claims there is no opposition. Perhaps because people aren’t aware of what’s happening under their noses? When they find out, there’s almost universal opposition!

Purpose of privatizing roads: “depoliticize tolling decision”

Then, Mr. Poole of yet another conservative think tank, the Reason Foundation, on the toll bandwagon thinking monopolies are somehow “free market,” actually admits privatization is good because they have the motivation to raise tolls and “de-politicize” TAXATION! Since when is it OK to de-politicize TAXATION? Toll taxes are quintessentially political because it involves the government’s power to forcibly take citizens’ money through taxation and, in this case, they’re handing that power to levy taxes to foreign companies! TAXATION should always be tied to TAXPAYERS, not private companies whose primary purpose is to make a profit rather than serve the public good. Poole also states: “Private investors can raise more money than politicians to build new roads because these kind of owners are willing to raise tolls.” Privatizing and tolling public highways automatically translates into the HIGHEST TOLLS POSSIBLE! This is the ideology that’s pushing our country headlong down the road of virtually unlimited taxation and foreign control of our public infrastructure!

OPPOSITION ALIVE AND WELL: Texas & Indiana citizens took the government to court over this firestorm!

People for Efficient Transportation (PET, legal arm of Texas Toll Party) took the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to court to stop the tolling of US 281 , which did stop it temporarily. Also, Indiana citizens tried to block the sale of the Indiana Toll Road in court. A poll before the sale showed an overwhelming number of Indianans opposed the sale.

So to say there is no opposition like there was over the port deal, just isn’t true. Rather, the media either isn’t covering it or is failing to connect the dots! However, there is growing national opposition (see Jerome Corsi’s series on World Net Daily as well as a series in the Denver Post). If the public truly knew even half of what’s going on, there’d be another political firestorm like the Dubai flap, only tenfold!

“Toller” talking points

Much of what was in the article are familiar “talking points” that we’ve heard from the pro-tollers. However, when you start to scrutinize what they claim, their reasons for widespread privatization and tolling breakdown. For instance, the article mentions driving (or usage) of highways went up 94% but that new capacity only rose 6%. Well, that 94% increase in driving also translates into more gas tax revenue.

In Texas, our state gas tax revenue has outpaced inflation and population growth by more than three times in the last 20 years! It’s hard for the federal government to have a shred of credibility in saying they’re out of money for roads when last year’s federal highway bill had over 6,000 earmarks including a bridge to nowhere in Alaska. The same can be said of our state government that had an $8.2 billion surplus (and that figure is growing).

In San Antonio, we added more lane miles of freeway between 1990 and 2000, but commute times went up. There is not necessarily a correlation between building more roads and congestion relief. Planning is a key element. A former City Planner for San Antonio blasted TxDOT’s toll plans saying it’s a lack of planning, not lack of funds that led to congestion. San Antonio ranks number 5 in lane miles per person in the country, and yet the highway lobby would have us believe there is a transportation crisis requiring another $16 billion (that’s $10,000 from every man, woman, and child) in additional taxes in San Antonio alone over the next 20 years to build more roads or else!

We have congestion in isolated areas, but when you look at the national average commute time for the last several decades, it remains around 25 minutes. There’s a host of misleading figures that both the government and the highway lobby put out that make it appear as though the sky is falling. With people now driving less due to the steady rise in transportation costs, the tollers’ arguments become less relevant and more empty every day!

Bush to defy Congress and push for foreign ownership of U.S. airlines:

Who’s using hyperbole?

Joe Krier’s unsubstantiated name-calling

“Much of the recent transportation debate has been dominated by anti-road, anti-growth, and anti-commuter activists working to misinform, mislead and scare people,” said TSRT Chairman Joe Krier. “Texans for Safe Reliable Transportation aims to bring greater reason and rationality to the debate, and highlight the disaster response, job creation, and quality of life benefits of better transportation.”

There you have it, when citizens redress their government for grievances, when citizens band together to stop DOUBLE TAXATION, highway robbery, and the giving of our public infrastructure to foreign companies in 50 year monopolies, we’re hysterical, irrational, and misleading. On the contrary, Mr. Krier, we not only can document your false and misleading statements, you won’t find anything on our web site or in our public discourse that can support such outlandish, baseless accusations. We’re EDUCATING and INFORMING the public with the TRUTH and with FACTS!

Join the revolution at http://www.SATollParty.com.
 

This is a series by an anonymous political insider in Bexar County. The views of this author do not represent the views of South Texas Republicans. 

Editor Joe Solis is apparently setting the political world on fire in Bexar County. His rock star status is rising as we speak. Now the Express-News is taking him very seriously and writing long dissertations on his gadfly status.

We hear him on the talk shows with Carl Wiglesworth and he is establishing himself as the new alternative voice for the conservative Republicans.

He even has Henry Bonilla on the defensive, not to mention a former Bexar County Democratic Chairman, who extols his virtues as well. Congratulations, Joe, on your high profile.

Even the Democrats are beginning to say nice things about you. A word of caution. Be careful if the Democrats are saying good things about you. The hard-core Republicans might accuse you of being a Democrat or even worse, a Liberal!

The local Democrats enjoy the newsletter because you take on Bonilla, who is considered by Democrats as the worst Congressman in Bexar County. He makes Lamar Smith look like a choirboy.

I was told recently that the newsletter travels around the courthouse among the elected officials as well, and they talk.

The newsletter does seem to generate dialogue on both sides. My Republican sources tell me that they cannot control you.

I have just one question, though. NO mention of the Republicrat in the news story? I am crushed. And here I thought it was the inclusion of the Republicrat that increased your circulation with women that put you over the top with readers. What was I thinking? Was it something I wrote?

Seriously, congratulations on your success. If the newsletter becomes even more popular that it is now, hopefully readers will scroll down and read the Republicrat, even if it is at the tail end of the newsletter.

It seems lately that Democrats and Republicans in the River City are secretly, quietly, and not so secretly and quietly blurring the lines between the two parties. We have Republicans backing Democrats and Democrats crossing over to vote for Republicans.

What is this world coming to, anyway? Is there no party purity? No party loyalty? Have the two sides been fraternizing in the closet so to speak?

Let me re-phrase that, since the use of the word “closet” conjures up something different to each side. For the Republicans we will put the adjective “prayer” before the word and leave it off for the Democrats. Now is everybody happy?

We don’t want to travel down a slippery slope, just when we are getting along so well. But the scenario begs the question, “What is going on?”

Are we all becoming Republicrats? Or worse still, Democans? It is just an idle thought. Too many questions and not enough answers. I can hardly wait to see what prominent Republican or Democrat will step up and cross the line. I predict it will happen when we least expect it. 

Turning to real news, it seems we are now anxiously waiting to see if the DA, Susan Reed, will ever charge Judge Tom Rickhoff’s sons with street racing. Who would have ever imagined that that we would hear no more on the pending case?

Again I would point out as a Southsider, that if the incident happened on Southwest Military Drive, the street racers would have appeared before a judge by now and either been sentenced or doing community service. It must be nice to be related to a sitting judge.

Hold on Barbie Scharf-Zeldes. With a conservative Republican as your treasurer, you may see the promised land of a judgeship when all is said and done. You go girl!

And lastly, it appears that Republican George Antuna has amassed a bigger war chest than Democrat Joe Farias in the 118^th State Rep. race on the Southside. What a surprise. I read where Republican big bucks are being funneled into Antuna’s campaign coffers by major donors. That is to be expected.

Democrats are really worried that Farias is not up to the task. Some say he is too laid back in his campaigning and his campaign staff is too inexperienced. Only time will tell.

That is the moderate viewpoint. I AM the "Republicrat"!