Washington, D.C. has a new air defense system stationed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center:

The launcher claims a commanding position on the lawn at the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock facility, a science and engineering center overlooking the Potomac River, the WASHINGTON POST will report on Tuesday.

The six non-nuclear missiles in the launcher could “counter an inbound threat.”

If you are interested in how missile guidance systems work, listen to this explanation from an actual training tape. You have to listen to the whole thing, but it’s only about 90 seconds long.

And yes, folks, it actually makes sense!

Hat tip: Drudge

It’s just amazing to watch Democracy on the march…..

Just this year alone: Iraq, Ukraine, local elections in Saudi, Palestine, now Lebannon.

I would not have predicted even 48 hours ago that the Lebanese Cabinet would have resigned today. Now it looks like Syria is near a tipping point. It seems that Syria will be retreating from Lebanon.  Will Assad be able to hang on power?

We are living in very interesting times……

This is an awesome story!

A little Iraqi girl received a present from a Marine only weeks earlier, stood in the middle of a busy street, preventing a Marine patrol from hitting an imbedded mine.

Our military is making a difference, and the Iraqi people recognize it……..

To see more about how simple toys spread joy and good will, read about Chief Wiggles.

(Rated PG-13)

Laurence Simon has developed some alternative road-signs you might see popping up around Houston soon:

(Hat-tip: BlogHouston’s Anne Linehan)

I wrote earlier today about one of the great things about the Blogsphere is the ability of opposing views debate each other head on.

The other great thing is to invite debate.

 Hugh Hewitt, a great presence in the Blogsphere as well as Law Professor, Author and Talk Radio host, invited Bloggers this weekend to comment on the coming Senate debate on Judicial appointments. (By the way, if you want to know more about Blogging, may I suggest Hewitt’s book, Blog.) The title of this debate: Vox Blogoli 2.2: Does the Senate GOP Go McClellan or Grant if Harry Reid "Goes Gingrich?"

In other words: How should the Senate Republicans confront the threatened  Democrat filibuster either by caving in to it or by changing the rules back to simple majorities winning (as opposed to 60 votes to confirm), also called the “nuclear option”.

 He sums it up this way: respond like McClellan (always preparing for battle, but avoiding it) or Grant (fight, then fight, then fight again in order to win).

 I think it is worth noting that less than 5% of the respondents to this call for opinions believes that the Democrats should be accommodated.

In the interest of full disclosure, I participated in Vox Blogoli 2.2 via my Nome de Blogger, Righmom.

An excellent summary of the responses can be at Molten Thought (scroll down to 2/27/05).

I think you will enjoy this thought provoking debate.

I am constantly amazed at the sheer magnitude and quality of thought that this country holds and blogging taps into.  The Mainstream Media doesn’t believe it at all.

One of the great things about the Blogosphere is the ability to show and openly debate opposing views (especially when it done in a civilized and grown-up manner).

One of the debates that broke out this past week is between Columnist/Blogger Austin Bay (Texan, and Syndicated by the Chronicle) and Columnist/Blogger Mark Steyn (great thinker and unfortunately, not syndicated by the Chronicle). Note: part of the debate is in the comments section of Austin Bay’s post.

The debate is over the future of "Old Europe" as Rumsfield put it.  There is no debate that things are dire in Old Europe because of the stagnant economies and unchecked Muslim immigration.

Steyn is more pessimistic than Bay.

Local Blogger Beldar weighs in on the debate.

Interesting stuff. I invite you to read and decide on your own.

Anne Linehan points out an interesting action taken Metro’s board of directors:

The board authorized spending $250,000 for a survey firm to research why transit ridership has gone down in recent years and what Metro can do to attract more passengers.

Why didn’t they just ask me? I could tell them — transit ridership has been declining nationally since the 1960’s. It’s only seen increases in a handful of cities.

Another problem is that Metro seems to believe that building rail — and not providing cheaper, more efficient bus service — is the means by which to grow its ridership base. However, the fact is that most people who use public transit will always be those who can’t afford to purchase and maintain a car. When you cut bus routes and increase fares, they’re more likely to use transit less or not at all (cutting trips and/or resorting to car-pooling). Metro has shown that it doesn’t care about its actual ridership base, and instead is fishing for yuppies. They’re not getting many bites, and they never will.

Finally, it doesn’t help when Metro is unrepentant about using cost-ineffective programs (remember, former Metro Chair Bob Miller publicly admitted that, dollar for dollar, funding for buses transports people more effectively than light rail). If you aren’t spending your money in the most cost-efficient manner, should you really be shocked when you start losing customers? This is basic economics, people! No need to spend $250,000 to figure this one out…

In response to worldwide pressure, Syria has pledged to reduce "boots on the ground".

Hint: Satire………

People who follow local politics closely will remember that Governor Perry appointed Reece Rondon of Bellaire to the 334th District of Texas back in 2003. Sharon McCally entered the GOP primary in 2004 and beat him. She went on to win the general election.

Judge Rondon e-mailed today to announce that he had been appointed by Governor Perry to the 234th District Court. It wasn’t in the Chronicle, so I guess this is a local story they missed. Here’s the Governor’s press release and here’s an AP story via a Harlingen TV station.

Congratulations to Judge Rondon.

News is breaking so fast in Lebanon that I can’t quite make sense of it, but here are some blogs that looks like they are on top of the situation; if you want to stay up to date from the front-lines, these may be worth a read:

• http://www.publiuspundit.com/
• http://blissstreetjournal.blogspot.com/
• http://beirut2bayside.blogspot.com/

Click here for full story.

Okay, before you send the hate-mail, at least read my Handy Dandy Guide To Satire, then shoot your epistles of fire my way… (more…)

Taking a cue from Houston city leaders, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is going Commie:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday embraced socialism as his ideology of choice in a political statement that sharpened his antagonism against the United States.

Chavez, a firebrand nationalist who has governed the world’s No. 5 oil exporter for six years, has persistently declined to define the precise ideology of his self-styled "revolution."

Chavez, who won a referendum in August ratifying his rule until early 2007, said previous experiences of socialism in the world — an apparent reference to the former Soviet Union — might not be the example to follow.

"We have to invent the socialism of the 21st century," he added.

Ah, the socialism of the future. I can see it now. Gulags with wireless Internet. Government-issued (and monitored) cell phones. Flying cars and gasoline rationing. Let’s just call it Hammer & Sickle 2.0!

So much for that "in sickness and in health" vow:

A judge gave Terri Schiavo’s husband permission to remove the brain-damaged woman’s feeding tube in three weeks, handing him a victory in his effort to carry out what he says were his wife’s wishes not to be kept alive artificially.

The ruling by Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer will allow the husband, Michael Schiavo, to order the tube removed at 1 p.m. on March 18. In the meantime, the woman’s parents, who want her kept alive, are expected to ask another court to block the order from taking effect.

The judge wrote that he was no longer comfortable granting delays in the long-running family feud, which has been going on for nearly seven years and has been waged in every level of Florida’s court system. He said the case must end.

A judge, whose job it is to administer justice, will let this woman slowly starve to death because he’s not comfortable.

I was torn on this issue until recently, because the news accounts portray Terri as a completely brain-dead vegetable, totally unresponsive to the world around her. You get the impression that she has no cognitive function, and that keeping her alive would almost be cruel. Well, watch these videos, then see if you can justify Terri’s death sentence.

More.

(p.s.– "joke")

More.

(p.s.– "joke")

How many times in a reporters’ life do you get to write a lead paragraph like this?

A 90-year-old transvestite flamenco dancer is performing his way across theatre stages in Germany to promote a film about his life as a Jewish resistance fighter who killed Nazis in occupied Poland - and even in the heart of Berlin - during World War II.

Here’s the best part:

Audiences are captivated as (Sylvin Rubinstein) talks of his war-time exploits, which included dressing up in a slinky cocktail dress to gain entry to a Gestapo dinner party in occupied Poland where his "surprise act" consisted of lifting his skirt - to whip out two grenades, which he then hurled at his stunned onlookers.

Suh-weeet. Gives new meaning to the term "got a pair".

(Hat-tip: The Age)

A tribute to Cpl. Jonathan Bowling– the fallen Marine Edd Hendee helped evacuate and prayed over while in Iraq– is now online.

Dial-up                    High-speed

Edd’s journal entry from that day is reproduced below.

Wednesday Jan 26

At 4:14 AM my friend Baraka shook me awake – “We have casualties”  was his grim statement.  

Baraka is a reporter for WABC-7 New York. We met a week ago in Al Asad the first day in the country and had become friends pretty fast.  “I’ll meet you up on level 10” he said as he rushed out of the room.  

I threw on my clothes and grabbed my Bible – and began to pray for these fine men.  

The hospital is right up on the roof – about 100 yds. from the helo pad.  The area outside the doors was filled with quiet Marines listening to the Navy Corpsmen inside shouting instructions as they prepared the wounded for transport.  One look at their faces told the story – this wasn’t routine.  

I knelt to pray outside the door for these guys and their families.  The thump-thump-thump of the inbound Blackhawk Med Evac helo was a comfort and promise of the best medical support in the world.  But it was also a signal to immediately get ready to transport.

Tuesday had been an amazing day.  We did 3 hours of broadcast beginning with a 6AM Texas time (1500 Iraq) broadcast to KMSR in Dallas and then 2 hours back to Houston. We lined up Marines from their respective cities and hooked up phone calls to their loved ones at home.  Sons talked to moms and dads, husbands to wives and their children.  They were at ease in these responses yet they all stated again and again their conviction to be here and the importance of their mission. They make you so proud to be an American.

The Marines had been planning a night raid, a “snatch and grab” as they call it.  It seemed routine as they talked about it.  My guess is they had intelligence of a bunch of bad guys or a weapons cache’.  The raid would begin at 2300 and wrap up about 0400 Wednesday morning.  One Marine calmly stated, “We going out after some bad guys.”  Even the most routine sounding mission can go terribly wrong in this business. That had happened tonight.

The doorway of the infirmary was cleared for transport so I stepped out of the way to the roof.  There a medic transport vehicle was ready for the stretchers. The first one out was loaded in – breathing on his own with wounds to his shoulder and torso.  The wounded come up for transport in priority order so this guy must be hurt pretty bad. I put my hand on his foot and prayed over him.  

Next one out looked even more serious – much more serious.  His head was bandaged and bleeding, and was being resuscitated with a squeeze bag by a medic.  After he was loaded, I prayed over him in earnest.  A corpsman grabbed me and another Marine and told us to get down by the chopper to help transport.  We ran as fast as we could through the dark night 200 yards toward the roar of the Med Evac chopper with the transport vehicle following.

The Med Evac crew was on the ground working with the Navy Corpsmen to get all the information on the wounded.  I helped Staff Sergeant Watson check the names on the list as he double-checked the names, injuries, and priority order.  

The last name of the Marine with the head wound began with a “B”, but I couldn’t hear the full name in the roar and thump thump of the Blackhawks turning rotor.  

I prayed “Lord you know his name – I lift him up and ask you to spare his life and heal him.  Father, You are the Great Physician – heal and comfort them all and give those who care them and transport them supernatural abilities to Your greater Glory.”  

Now it was time to take Marine “B” to the chopper – but they needed help.  I had the honor of carrying this brave wounded Marine to the Med Evac. We lifted on the count of 3 – and moved smoothly under the terrific roar and beat of the Blackhawk’s rotor.

Twice we stopped to wait for the first guy to be loaded.  The Blackhawk shakes the air under it but no man carrying the wounded cared.  I cannot describe the sense of urgency and purpose that we all felt.

Carefully we set the front two rails of the stretcher in the slots and slid Marine “B” into the chopper.  He was in the back of the cabin where the crew can sustain him and constantly work the breathing bag all the way to Al Asad’s hospital.  

Next came two more Marines on stretchers #3 & #4.  Later the Navy Corpsmen told me that the first two Marines on stretchers were critical with less than a good chance to make it.  Now came the Marines who were wounded but could walk. Nine casualties had been a record for this unit – one they didn’t want to set.  

Their injuries were serious enough for helo Med Evac and the Corpsman and Evac crew led them to the Chopper and we stood back.  A moment later the Blackhawk lifted powerfully
off the pad and roared into the dark night on its way to the stabilization hospital at Al Asad.  These Med Evac guys stand ready to transport 24 hours a day – 7 days a week at the ring of a phone.

The urgency of the moment faded away as the sound of the Blackhawk diminished.  Now we walked back in silence across the top of the dam to the hospital.  

A Sergeant was on VHF radio back to MEU headquarters as they relayed the events of the raid and planned to go clean up the insurgents who had staged this ambush.

Now I heard the worst of it – how the Marines had been given bad intelligence of an insurgent house.  They found nothing there but when they began to leave had been ambushed with several IED’s, RPG’s, small arms fire, and automatic weapon fire.

The gunfire came from houses and a Mosque.  It was a well planned and sizeable ambush – the enemy knew they were coming. The Marines had sustained two KIA’s (killed in action)– one had died on the battlefield – the other at this facility on the table.  They would be transported later.  The young Marines I spoke to described the battle like a scene from Star Wars – bullets, RPG’s, return fire – a huge fire fight.  They got the bad guys – but it came with a price.

The Marines had recovered their dead, transported their wounded, and began to plan their counter action. A group of guys came up to the roof – one of them a Captain I had interviewed the night before.  

We got 5 guys together and prayed for the families who lost sons, asked the Lord to welcome them into an eternity with Him in heaven, prayed for the families who would receive a visit tonight back home, prayed for the loved ones who would deal with the grief of loss and the fear for their wounded family member.  We prayed for them all in Jesus’ name.

It’s 0630 and chow is open.  The Marines file in and begin another day of doing what Marines do – fighting to protect their buddies, their nation, and their families.  We owe these brave men a debt I cannot describe.

10:00 at the Dam:  Communications have been locked down – all phones, email, sat phones – pending the notification of next of kin.  This is a very serious policy – the Marines will make a home visit no matter how long it takes to notify the family.  

One Battalion had a communication lockdown for more than a week while the Marine Command at home struggled to find a family who had left on vacation.  I had been told the radio show could go on – they wanted the families to have a sense of normalcy as so many were ready at home for the broadcast – but no mention of the raid or the losses until it was absolutely certain the notifications were accomplished.

As I entered the office – Staff Sgt. Watson came up to me.   It had been just a few hours ago that he and I had loaded the wounded Marine into the Blackhawk.  He took me aside and told me that both the wounded Marines didn’t make it.  Lt. Commander Levitt – the Navy surgeon who worked on these guys stopped by.  He was worn down from the loss.  

Both wounded Marines had severe injuries but he thought he had them stabilized.  The Blackhawk did its job but the Marines didn’t survive. This is the worst day of loss for the 1/23 Marines on this deployment.  Yet there aren’t any guys with glazed over eyes – they go back to work because what they do is important, and it’s their job.

The WABC-7 guys had been on the raid and they have film of the attack.  They offered Marine Intelligence a copy – the CO wants to see it.  

We watched the video over and over with the Marine Officers. The firefight had been vicious – a planned ambush with fire coming from many places.  The haji had laid out weapons and they sprinted from station to station to continue the attack.  

The Marines defended themselves well – 50 cals spewing out streams of tracers in the black night.  RPG’s missing their mark over the top of the Marine convoy.  Now came the report of the 25mm guns on the LAR’s lighting up the Mosque that had given the terrorists cover.  After the meeting was over – the Marines had analyzed the entire raid – the targets – tactics – and planned their counter assault.  

A handsome young Marine came up to me – Brett – a friend of our daughter Lisa’s from TAMU.  He said he had been watching for me – and we chatted about his wife and family and plans to come home.  Then he gathered his maps and notes and went back to plan the next move. No glazed eyes – no stunned spirits – just a job to do and do it well.

Now more bad news – a CH53-E Super Stallion Helicopter with 30 Marines and 1 Sailor onboard going to Korean Village – a FOB (Forward Operating Base) for the Task Force Naha has crashed in the desert.  There are no survivors.  

These guys were from the 1st Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment from Hawaii.  They had been in Al Asad coming back from Fallujah just a few days ago, and were tasked to add support to the Task Force Naha at Korean Village and the 1/23 at town of Hit (pronounced “heat”).  

Cpl. Brad Thomas is in that group and I had walked through their tents looking for Brad just a few days before.  When I found him it was a great reunion. We had an hour or so together and grabbed lunch in the Mess Hall at Al Asad. Outside I grabbed my Sat Phone so Brad could call his mom and his wife Diana. I am praying Brad was not on the Helo, but I won’t find out for a few hours.  He was supposed to go to Hit  - not Korean Village – but orders can change.  

The Marines take it all in stride.  We watch a video made by a Marine from Austin with great music and photos highlighting the brotherhood these men have.  At the end of the video are the words: “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

2100 Wed Evening:  The Marines held an award ceremony for the Combat Engineer Company who lost those 4 brave Marines. 

When the CO and Sgt. Major came out – they said “Well it started out pretty rough – but it turned out to be a good day.”

It seems the #1 bad guy in Haditha had been killed by the Marines the night before.  They all said they hoped he was scattered far and wide when it happened.  In addition, there were 10 funerals in the city – the dead must be buried before
sundown the next day – so you can attribute this to the Marine counterfire.  

This afternoon they had captured  two of the region’s bad guys, the #2 guy and he had confirmed that #1 was dead.  This evening the Marines struck again and the mission was very successful.  This is the Marines’ job.  It’s our job to support them and welcome them home in late March.

This is no good:

At least three people were shot when a man with a high-powered rifle opened fire in the town square near the courthouse Thursday, a U.S. Marshal said.

It was unclear how many people were killed.

"He had a rifle, and he was shooting at the back of the courthouse and he shot some glass out, shot a deputy sheriff there and two other civilians," said Deputy U.S. Marshal John Walker.

One report indicated that the gunman was shot after fleeing in his pickup truck. Let’s hope he’s not on the loose.

UPDATE– Got’em.

As I’ve said before, His Holiness is one tough hombre, but he’s not doing so hot:

Pope John Paul II was expected to undergo a tracheotomy today to help his breathing, according to Italian news agencies.

The news agencies ANSA and Apcom said doctors would perform a tracheotomy — a procedure in which a hole is made in the throat and a tube is inserted, Associated Press reported.

All we can do is pray.

UPDATE: Some medical experts are saying the pope may have bacterial pneumonia:

"It appears the pope is suffering from pneumonia, likely a bacterial pneumonia, a serious problem for a man of his age with Parkinson’s," said Dr Barbara Paris, chairwoman of geriatrics and vice-chairwoman of Medicine at Maimonides Medical Centre in New York.

UPDATE: The half-hour surgery has been completed:

AGI said surgeons at Rome’s Gemelli hospital had performed a tracheotomy on the Pontiff, cutting a small opening into his neck and windpipe to allow air to flow directly into the lungs.

It said the operation lasted 30 minutes, without citing any sources. There was no immediate comment from the Vatican but Church officials said a statement was due shortly.

UPDATE: The pope’s surgery was successful:

The Vatican issued a statement saying doctors at the Gemelli Polyclinic operated successfully on the pope after he gave his consent and that he will spend the night in his own room and not in intensive care.

The procedure, in which a hole is made in the throat and a tube is inserted, was performed to help the pontiff with his breathing. It is not seen as threatening and usually is left in for two or three days. The Vatican said the pope’s tracheotomy took 30 minutes and was finished "in a positive way."

Trouble brewing…

President Bush would be wise to "pick up the phone" and consult with Democrats before choosing a new Supreme Court justice. "The advice clause in the Constitution has been largely ignored." If there is a vacancy on the high court, "the far right is going to come hard at a nominee if it is not a nominee of their choosing. But I think there’s a much broader base in America than the far right."

…

[H]e reserved his toughest words for the extremists of his own party, pressed for accommodations from his own side and made clear that his cooperation with the administration would have its limits. All he had promised the president, Specter said, was a "prompt airing" for his nominees and a vote out of committee. "Those are the extent of my commitments," he said flatly.

First of all, there’s a certain degree of impropriety involved when the Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman decides to issue advice to the president via the Washington Post. It’s utterly tactless.

But beyond that, it’s difficult not to resent the idea that Bush is obligated to get pre-approval from Democrats before he puts up a Supreme Court nominee. Democrats are going to want another left-winger, or at least an enigmatic moderate that will probably turn out to be liberal (i.e. pro-abortion). They’re going to fight anything else. We know this. What "advice" can come from ringing up the Dems on the phone?

The bottom line is that Specter is of the social left, and he wants like-minded people on the Supreme Court. He also doesn’t seem to have a great deal of respect for this president. That makes him dangerous; a man who shouldn’t be in the Senate, much less chair of the judiciary committee.

[Hat tip: The Corner]

LST reader "George" sent us a comment that we thought deserved a full, front-page response:

Is it fair for Ed Hendee’s property value to increase at a rate less than his Harris county peers?

Let’s pick a growth rate for Harris county just like Dan Patrick did for Friendswood - 32% sounds good to me. I will be honest with you guys - I can’t back that up - just like Patrick can’t back up his numbers.

Actually George, Edd and Dan’s numbers come from official government records of the Galveston County Appraisal District. Just like the numbers that you are about to quote come from the Harris County Appraisal District.

THE FACTS

Edd Hendee’s property value did not show growth for three of the past four years. In 2004 it jumped a whopping $100,000 - that sounds like a lot, but my calculator computed it to be a 7% increase on his 2003 property value of $1,452,000. Wow!

Property values by year:

2001 - $1,452,000
2002 - $1,452,000
2003 - $1,452,000
2004 - $1,550,000

I am calling out Edd to answer to all of the folks of Harris county. Why hasn’t your property experienced the 32% growth like the rest of us?

Before my father died 20 years ago, he taught me an important lesson - “Don’t believe everything you hear - always ask questions to discover the truth.”

With this said, let’s all put a smile on our face and have a fantastic week!!

God bless the people of Friendswood.

Here is Edd’s response:

CLOUT’s position has always been that the appraisal system puts an undue burden on homeowners by escalating their home appraisals at up to 10% per year compounded. Less than 1 in 10 homeowners appeal these appraisals and that puts young parents, single moms, the poor, and the elderly, who don’t have the time or resources to protest, at a distinct disadvantage.

I have protested my taxes every year and sued the appraisal district one year to get it reduced. Therefore, we are very consistent in our personal finances and our stated position in CLOUT.

Contrast that with the elected officials who support the 10% cap yet fight to keep their own appraisals and taxes down. Now consider the local elected officials who perhaps get "help" from the appraisal board or who claim agricultural exemptions but don’t help their constituents and neighbors. I’ll stand my ground on this issue all day long.

Edd Hendee, Executive Director, CLOUT

BENZION ADDS– Let’s even say that Edd’s or Dan Patrick’s or my appraisals haven’t increased a single percentage point over the past four years (and they have more than done so, for all of us).

We aren’t going to Austin arguing that other people should keep getting whacked with 10% increases every year. Ron Cox, Mel Measels, Kim Brizendine, and others are.

That is what is unfair. The TML "Shut-up and Pay" crowd argues that the world will fall off its axis if they don’t have the power to keep whacking you with an appraisal increase that they themselves are not being hit with. That is the hypocrisy.

Folks, this is why you don’t vote for "moderate" northern Republicans. They’re disgusting liars:

After years of refusing to label his views on abortion rights, Gov. Mitt Romney has begun touting himself as "pro-life” as he courts conservatives in key presidential primary states.

The chairman of South Carolina’s Spartanburg County Republican Committee, which the governor addressed Monday night, said Romney told him that he is "pro-life.”

"I had a meeting with him one-on-one and he told me he is definitely pro-life,” Rick Beltram said. "He said he is personally against abortion but isn’t going out to change the rules - that’s a pro-life position.”

No, that is not a pro-life position. Almost everyone but a few fringe extremists "personally" oppose abortion. Hillary Clinton professes to "personally" oppose abortion, but that doesn’t keep self-proclaimed pro-choice groups such as NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA from endorsing her.

I know why Romney is doing this — political expediency. He hopes that people won’t investigate further into his butchering of the English language ("pro-life" is always defined in terms of advocating legal restrictions on abortion). He wants to trick social conservatives into thinking that he’s one of them. I hope it doesn’t work — this little weasel should never become the Republican nominee. If he does, I won’t vote for him under any circumstances.

As Rob notes below, the Texas Association of Realtors has a bizarre position against lowering the property tax appraisal cap. They claim that the only affect lowering the cap will have is to shift the tax burden from the wealthy to the poor.

This makes no sense. It assumes that only the homes of wealthy people appreciate in value. I’m sure there are hundreds — if not thousands — of homeowners in the Houston Heights, uptown, and Montrose that would disagree. Heck, in the Heights alone average home appraisals have more than doubled over the past decade.

And in Friendswood, we have pointed out, the appraisal board has actually taken to telling people that they should move if they can’t afford to pay taxes based on their new appraised value. That’s supposed to be pro-rich? The rich can afford this. It’s a bump in the road if you’re wealthy. If you’re of moderate means, it can cost you your house. TAR has the situation completely backwards.

I have no idea what the motive of the TAR was in drafting this nonsensical policy paper. Any letters from somebody who knows the reason would be appreciated.

TAR: Shifting the tax burden off the wealthy

Some Texas lawmakers favor lowering the current cap of a maximum annual 10% increase in the appraised value of your home to 3%. However, the Texas Association of REALTORS® realizes that appraisal caps don’t reduce the total amount of taxes you pay – they only shift the tax burden from homeowners who benefit from the cap to those who don’t.

Actually, appraisal caps do reduce the total amount of taxes individual homeowners pay. I don’t quite understand the argument they’re making.