Patrick/Perry/Shapiro push Iran divestment
by David Benzion · 09/25/2007 4:46 pmJust released from Senator Dan Patrick’s office:
This afternoon, Governor Rick Perry announced the delivery of a letter to the Employees Retirement System of Texas and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas requesting they divest funds from companies who have significant relationships with Iran.
During the 80th Legislative Session, Senator Dan Patrick filed Senate Bill 1330 to require the two retirement systems to divest of investments in international companies that invest $20 million or more in Iran’s energy sector or are owned or operated by Iranian entities. The bill was referred to the Senate Government Organization Committee where it was not given a hearing.
“I am happy to receive the support of Governor Perry and I believe the timing of this poignant announcement could not be better,” said Senator Patrick. “The message to Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is that the State of Texas is not deceived by his rhetoric and we oppose his oppressive regime.”
Although the letter from Governor Perry carries significant weight with the boards of trustees, legislation is still necessary to properly institute a divestment of Iranian related assets.
“I have discussed this issue with Governor Perry and I look forward to working with him and Senator Florence Shapiro to implement this legislation that will improve national security and protect Texas’ retirees from the destabilizing effect of the Iranian government,” stated Senator Patrick.
Senator Patrick will file this legislation in the upcoming legislative session and name it in honor of Senator Shapiro’s father, Martin Donald. Mr. Donald, a Jewish-American holocaust survivor, passed away in February, 2007.
Read Gov. Perry’s letter here.
Kudos to all; faster please.
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19 Responses to “Patrick/Perry/Shapiro push Iran divestment”Search
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Good going! However, why are we allowing up to $20 million. If you have enough companies doing that and the retirement systems support them it doesn’t take to long for the $ to rack up. How about $0!
Well, that’s a positive step, I guess. But why has the ERST been investing in Iran? And why is $19.9M still OK?
I agree with you, DCG.
dcgirl great question! Why is any money ok?
I agree with dcgirl and Dennis, we need to cut it off completely.
More smoke n mirrors from Tricky Ricky - either pull it ALL or don’t even speak Mr Governor goodhair.(better ramp up your tee times while you’re at it too bubba)
I don’t know what I was thinking! There wont be anything done about this til 2009. How many chances will we want to give the guv to change his mind and to break his promise? How many promises has he already broken? They have wasted 3 sessions already to meet some other unkept promises. Something needs to be done now!
More encroachment of the free market by “CONservatives.” Invest where you get the greatest rate of return on your investment. Telling someone not to invest in a place where the democratically-elected leader was being a meanie is petty and weak.
Democratically elected leader??? Are you insane???
Fitty bucks says that ain’t the tune you were singing when local governments were forcing divesting in apartheid South Africa.
#9 hamous
I certainly have disagreed vehemently with houstondem in the past, but I thought he was, at least, a serious person. His comments in #8 go a long way in disproving that misconception. If he wants to make a coherent argument against divestment in Iran then, by all means, he should do so. Otherwise, he’s just being absurd and argumentative.
… or troll-like. Anyone that uses the words “democratically elected” to describe the “president” of Iran has lost any shred of credibility he once possessed.
Are you guys saying he was democratically elected? I lost credibilty for telling the truth? I never said said I liked the guy or supported his views…simply pointed out the truth.
You said it houstondem!
Ah, I see, your criteria for a democratic free and fair election comes from the The Carter Center at Emory University or, of course, that bastion of freedom, The Southern Poverty Law Center. Well, I should have known your perspective for judging legitimate political leaders was based upon the thesis of supporting every quack, tinpot, banana republic dictator who has more thugs and bullets than his opponent.
I don’t subscribe to the prevailing world view of national sovereignty. I happen to strongly believe there are numerous illegitimate regimes operating in the world. I would adopt a new paradigm of re-establishing a more moral definition of sovereignty. If that smacks of a more muscular and bellicose neoconservatism to you, then so be it.
Hey Houstondem: Got a few questions for ya. How many people orginally ran in the last Iranian election? How many, in the end. actually ran? Why?
I won’t even mention Hugo Chavez, etc…
#14: Crap, you stole my thunder, but said it well.
Hugo has the Carter blessing as well. These are the same folks that have whined for seven years that the “Smirking Chimp” stole the 2000 election. If it weren’t so sad that we have people like this involved in our political system it would be funny.
#16 ST & #17 hamous
If you ever get the chance to read P.J. O’Rourke’s recounting of his experience in Nicaragua when Daniel Ortega lost to Violeta Chamorro in 1990, it is absolutely priceless. He was staying in the same hotel with Carter, his entourage and Bianca Jagger when the election results came rolling in. The entire Carter crew was in hysterical tears over the loss. PJ’s encounter, in the hotel lobby, with the grief-stricken Bianca had me on the floor laughing.
#18: No. The only things I get to read are Reader’s Digest or Guidepost. I might ask for that for my birthday. You’ve intrigued me. How many pages is it?