In last week’s school board election, three incumbents defeated a group of CLOUT members that had formed a conservative slate. In the aftermath of that election, I’ve received several emails claiming that the incumbents resorted to “dirty tricks” in order to stay in office. Here is one example:
Incumbent *** sent out a last minute letter to the remote KISD neighborhood Fleetwood. Incumbent *** claimed the CLOUT members wanted to close and sell the neighborhood elemetary Wolfe. This would inturn destroy the property values. The margin and turn out of this remote box was hugh. It was enough to return the incumbents.
Obviously, the first thought that comes to mind is that these are just losers whining. And in the post covering the election results, I specifically said: NO WHINING! But after thinking about it, none of these emails were from the candidates, just supporters that were passionate and frustrated. What about the candidates? Are they whining?
They sure do not appear to be in their public statements.
Though we did not win, we cannot begin to properly express our gratitude to all of our supporters who helped us in so many ways.
Far from being over, with your help, fiscal conservatives who want to provide the best possible education for our children now have a very strong base to build upon in future elections.
In fact, that’s a pretty positive way to view their defeat. Fact is, they were close to unseating incumbents, which is very hard to do. And although the total number of voters that bothered was less than 5 percent of those registered, the vote totals were 13% higher than the previous election. Something is starting to happen in Katy. Change comes slowly, perhaps the tide will turn for conservatives in the next election.
So I don’t think that the CLOUT candidates can be accused of whining. What about the winners?
He also expressed disappointment in those who choose not to stay informed about district business. The most disturbing part of this election was talking with some of you who were so misinformed about taxation, school funding, teachers’ salaries . . that one really starts to believe that the most dangerous threat to our society is an uninformed or misdirected voter,” he said.
That would be now four term incumbent Duhon. Whiner.
The tactics, she said, slowed her ability to present her philosophies and general values to voters. “I was spending every minute correcting inaccuracies being thrown out there,” she said.
That would be Crockett, the “incumbent” that the board put in place six months prior to the election to give her an advantage. Whiner.
Looks to me like the winners are the whiners.
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119 Responses to “Dirty Tricks In The Katy ISD Board Election?”Search
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Fleetwood may be remote but we still pay Katy ISD taxes. If Wolfe elementary is torn down the property will be sold to bring money to the district. In its place will be either an apartment complex or a strip center, neither of which is very appealing in this neighborhood near Memorial and Hwy 6. You may remember my post from last year in which I described a break in at my home. It was nerve wracking and left me vexed about the location. No, we need to keep Wolfe elementary right where it is. If the CLOUT members had run on a platform which would include not selling the Wolfe elementary property they might have gotten elected.
izzy,
I think you make the point of those crying foul. The CLOUT slate never proposed closing that school or any other.
Big,
We are trying to put together a conservative slate for the CFISD board elections in November. I hope we have your interest (and support!) for that one.
Don
The literature that we got said that the incumbents wanted to keep Wolfe. It said nothing about the CLOUT members. Had the CLOUT members come out for keeping Wolfe I would have voted for them. We were scared. Lordy knows we need tax relief…
Regardless of your feelings on the issue of closing the school, my question would be “Is the school still needed?” There are many schools that are in areas where the surrounding neighborhoods have gone from being primarily young families to being comprised of mostly empty nesters.
This isn’t a criticism of your feelings, I’m just curious if the district has to transport kids in to the school and if the assets tied up in the school could be better used elsewhere in the district.
5 NA
I don’t know the answer to your question. Would it be so bad if the local kids had a smaller teacher/student ratio at Wolfe?
It would indeed be good, but what if it’s at the expense of higher ratios elsewhere in the district?
Maybe they could simply not use some of the classrooms or something.
With Wolfe so far east of the bulk of Katy, I think it’s imperative that it be maintained as it is. The closest junior high to Wolfe already inconveniences Fleetwood parents greatly - they don’t need to lose their elementary as well. Additionally, the cost to reroute all those students can’t easily be recovered in selling the property.
The CLOUT candidates never did have any intention of closing it. This is a boogie man that incumbents seem to bring up when they’re threatened in order to keep their seats. The people of Fleetwood know it if they didn’t before, and I daresay they’ll be holding the incumbents accountable.
Liberals have known for years about the benefits of incrementalism in making change. We’re starting to catch on, and yes, though change is slow, it is coming.
digitaldon,
Looking through the TEA data, that’s a pretty large district.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/snapshot/2007/district.srch.html
What are the issues?
8 acting
All the CLOUT members would have had to do is come out for keeping Wolfe open….and they would have certainly been elected. Katy has the highest school taxes in the state. Methinks they were outsmarted this time, or maybe they really would have closed Wolfe. We went with higher taxes and a safer neighborhood.
This race did prove one thing. The old trick of saying “I am a conservative” and nothing else to get elected is not going to work anymore. After 7 years of the Bush administration, Tom Delay, Larry Craig,David Vitter, etc, etc, etc, people realize now that “conservative” doesn’t automatically stand for fiscal responsibility, or responsible foreign policy, or smaller government or ethics in governnment, or strong family values anymore. I’m not sure what the word means anymore.
gaddy,
I think you’ve got it backwards. This race was close only because they ran as a conservative slate. They would not have had a chance otherwise against entrenched incumbents. And voter turnout increased by 13% because of their efforts. I’d say that they did well.
You can continue to spout liberal talking points all day long - it doesn’t mean a thing. People still know what conservative means.
It has nothing to do with saying “I am a conservative.” It has to do with the lies to the people who got the letter in Wolf Elem. Area. As I hear it this is an old trick. It happened 12 years ago. The people of Wolfe Elem. got snowed again. They were purposely mailed the letter the date before the election so they would think it was legal and the CLOUT members were unable to respond fast enough.
As I also heard One of the clout members tried to talk with people of Wolfe Elm. and the Security would run them off so that no one knew the truth.
You need to check on that.
#10
Was there time to do so? Sounds to me like Fleetwood residents let the incumbent scare them into business as usual.
Gosh, people running for office wouldn’t lie or mislead, would they?
Y’all need to take a look at the just concluded Clear Lake City Water Authority election.
Challengers spat on, cursed (by a former astronaut) and a tree poisoned?
Mr. Dolcefino might find CLCWA a target rich environment.
The CLOUT MEMBERS were run out because the big dogs didn’t want anyone in that subdivision to know the truth. They wanted to scare them to vote for them on election day.
I guess it worked huh?
13 sassy
No you mentioned it so you need to check on that. Sounds bogus. Why didn’t CLOUT members come out for saving Wolfe? Maybe they wanted to sell the property and get money for Katy ISD. Then lower the taxes and offset the tax money with the Wolf elementary money. Then they look good and claim they lowered taxes. All the while some developer is building an Apt complex in our back yard. Truth is a rare commodity, even for “conservatives”.
Not true! The people of Katy need to wake up and check on, as you call it, bogus info.
I beleive the the “conservative” kept on track about what they were going to do. Selling Wolf Elem. was not part of it.
I don’t like the ideas of the apartments where subdivisions are and I do not beleive there should be strip centers were Schools are built.
So it was a LIE!!!
#9 Big,
The CFISD board is the one that unanimously (one was absent) voted for a 13% budget increase over the objections of a standing room only crowd two years ago.
Our group has had more success working directly with the administration than with the board. This is not how it should be; citizens should be able to work through the board. Instead we have a “Team of 8″ that is managed instead of managing.
Don
#12- so you tell me what it means and give me examples of politicians that are actually putting your ideas into play.
gaddy,
That is not the topic of this thread. You know what conservative means and there are many elected conservatives putting their ideas into play everyday.
digitaldon,
Since Nov is coming up pretty fast, I assume that the slate has been formed and is preparing for the election. What are their names and websites?
#22 Big,
We will publish our recommendations on our web site: http://www.cyfaircitizens.org - as we get nearer to the elections. We will have names and websites listed as well. The candidates may/may not be affiliated with our group, but they will share our values and goals.
This is all “work in progress” but I’d be happy to provide more via e-mail. don AT cyfaircitizens.org
You might want them to consider a slate campaign. Shared costs and resources seemed to help in Katy. Even though they lost, they faced an uphill fight from the beginning and did very well.
BigJolly/Gadboy,
I don’t know if it’s coincidence or not, but, I was driving yesterday and listened to Glen Beck for a moment when a caller called in asking Glen what conservatism means today. Glen would not take the bait and answer, but, it seems to me that possibly Gadboy heard the same thing and is trying to engage in the same sport here.
I have commented on this blog for a long time, but, it has been a long time because I got disinterested in getting run off and accused of flaming/trolling, etc. and being tagged with the dreaded “liberal” tag because I wasn’t a proponent of Bush, the war, spending vs tax cuts, and theocracy government.
I used to sign off with a bow to traditional republican values of fiscal control, small government, speak softly and carry a big stick, keep government out of peoples personal lives, etc.
I still consider myself an old school conservative, but, in today’s society, more of an independent.
But, what does it mean to be a conservative today?
That you are for tax cuts that you end up financing and paying back with interest?
Going to wars with no end in sight spending the countries treasure and lives with no real sacrifice from the population?
Getting government involved in situations like Terry Schaivo?
Allowing government the ability to spy on it’s own citizens w/o warrents?
Being so afraid and paranoid that civil liberties are thrown out the window in the name of security?
Choosing to not invest in alternative energy and continuing to line the pockets of the very people that you are afraid of and calling your enemies?
Thinking of short sided policy like drilling in Anwar to solve our energy issues knowing full well that even by doing so, we are just postponing the date when the Arabs will have all of the remaining oil? What about national security concerns for the long term?
So, from my perspective, the idea of conservatism in todays society and politics is a far cry from the conservatism that I grew up with and still love.
And, I think that it is an issue that should be debated. While neocon conservatives are busy defending their policies and actions, the country is moving to the left quickly. Just look at the three recent special elections.
You all can keep your heads in the sand for as long as you want, but, when you take them out, your not going to like what you see.
Heres to traditional republican values.
Mr. Jolly sir,
If I might be allowed to digress momentarily to respond to vic?
Conservative means you are for tax cuts - linked to real reductions in spending, enabled by cutting unneeded programs or improving operating efficiencies in government.
Conservative means you are cognizant of world affairs and work to protect our countries interests around the world. Sometimes that means going to war, sometimes it doesn’t. Common sense dictates that you have an exit strategy before you go in. That being said, an intelligent conservative realizes that the war on terror will take a long time and it’s better to fight it “over there” than over here.
Conservative means knowing what jurisdiction to leave a case like Terry Schaivo’s at. It was a state question. Period.
Conservative means you don’t spy on citizens without a court order. Anyone else is fair game, no matter where they live.
Being conservative mens holding your government accountable so that your civil liberties don’t disappear.
As far as an energy policy goes, being conservative means we try to be energy independent. Which means we drill offshore, in ANWAR, and any place else it makes economic sense to do so. As far as alternative sources of energy go, lets try reducing the regulatory nightmare of building nuclear plants, refineries, wind farms, and hydroelectric facilities. BTW, being conservative means not being silly enough to try to turn food into gas.
Finally, I doubt seriously that you’ll find anyone here who claims that the current administration is even remotely conservative on many issues. Nor is the current Republican candidate.
I approve that message.
I’m on the far west edge of Katy, and school closures in Katy don’t bother me at all.
maybe not. but if you live closer to katy it would or have children in KISD like the people who live in wolfe elem. area. It does matter to them.
right?
Miss, By far west edge of Katy, Big45 means Hawaii….( shakes head at the big guy)
29 sassy
It matters very much to us. That’s why we voted like we did.
AW, lol, that wasn’t very fair. Not everybody knows that. I just had to throw gas on the fire.
Fat Albert,
It looks like we agree on some and disagree on others. What a surprise.
But, that is where I think the neocon agenda has actually hurt the republicans by veering off of traditional conservative values.
As far as taxing and spending, the administration had a republican congress for 6 years and chose only the tax cuts, not the spending cuts to go along with them. Therefore we have the large debt that we have today. Maybe that is why we are going for a weak dollar policy, so that we can pay back our debts with a devalued currency.
I don’t know about being congnizant of world affairs being a conservative value. That is certainly one of my critiques of commentators (and some of the bloggers) here. Specifically that certain people talk complete nonsense about world affairs because they have no real life experience outside of the US. Secondly, pre-emptive war has never been a conservative policy. It was only this time and was pushed by neocons. While certainly this will be debated here, I don’t think that the Iraq war in any way shape or form has made this country safer. I think of all of the money we have spent over there and think of all of the bone headed policies being put into place here (searching old ladies and children at airports, etc) and I come to the conclusion that we could have pursued the terrorist much better by staying in Afganistan and possibly into parts of Pakistan while better spending our money and efforts here at home to ensure safety here. I also think that a conservative viewpoint on going to war should almost automatically include a draft or some kind of mandatory service. Then people will think long and hard about the decision to go to war and it will force the country as a whole to sacrifice for the effort and not just sit back and watch it on the evening news.
I am all for energy independence, but, we will never be independent in oil. That is just a fact. We simply use too much and there is not enough here to keep us independent. But, once again, I feel it is so shortsided and also somewhat contradictory for conservatives to advocate that we should try to drill ourselves out of this problem. First, shortsided, b/c even if there is ALOT of oil to be had here, if you aggresively go and find it, drill it, and pump it, you are just speeding up the day that you have no more. There will ALWAYS be oil left in the middle east after we have drilled all of ours up unless we make the decision to hoard ours for that rainy day. Why should we be buying oil from terrorist countries and filling our strategic reserves when would could just go up to Anwar, explore and test drill, then leave the oil there as our strategic reserve. That way, a middle east madman would not get one penny of our money. Secondly, contradictory because by having this desire to stay on oil and drive big cars, we are just guaranteeing the middle east relevency. If we could implement policy that invested in a “Manhatten Project” for alternate energy, we could make the middle east completely irrelevant to us, but, it seems to me that conservatives these days let their pride get in the way of their conservative ideals.
As far as the food to gas issue goes, while i’m no real ethanol proponent, i think that the poopooing of it due to the current high prices is ridiculous. At least with making fuel out of food, since supply and demand were out of whack this year, and prices rose; next year, farmers can plant more and the price will come down. You can’t exactly do that with oil exploration. If Brazil can do it with sugarcane, I’m sure that we can do it with whatever biological unit serves us best and I’m sure that the producers of that product can ramp up production in order to bring the cost back down.
Once again, regarding Bush, I was derided on this blob back in 2003, 4, and 5 when I disagreed with some of the policies mentioned above, and was called the “L” word. So, apparently, there was a time when the community here defended Bush as a conservative. Another point on that is that it’s not just about Bush or McCain. The Repubs had majorities in both houses for six years and were unable to get any of the stuff that you say conservatives cherish done. So, it is not just an administration problem, but, a party problem.
izzy
Yeah you voted the way the bullys wanted you to. That is what you beleived and that is what you acted upon. Have you lived in the Wolfe Elem very long?
Next time do not trust them and go with the other person because they have a better intersest in you then they do. it was a trick and everyone fell for it.
33sassy
It worked for me. If CLOUT were smarter they would have won. Why didn’t they campaign on saving Wolf elementary, Hmmmmm? Maybe because they weren’t going to. Thimk about it.
Vic, here in Hawaii I am surrounded by military, many of them recently returned from Iraq, and most of them with multiple tours. I have a nephew in Iraq at this time on his 2nd tour.
My nephew leads a small 12 man mobile training team that goes from village to village, teaching the local militia, educating the police on proper crime scene investigation, and trying to get the local sheiks anything they can to improve the quality of life and security of their people in the village.
What the military is telling me is that there is VAST improvement in what is going on in Iraq compared to just a year ago. This is from everybody….Colonels to PFCs. This is good news and important. But you have to keep this in perspective historically. The war in Iraq started just over 5 years ago. Our own American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1883 - it went on for two more years AFTER the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
It took us 4 more years to ratify our own Constitution. 74 years late we still managed to start a war amongst ourselves in which we killed more Americans than all our other wars combined, right up to today.
Churchill said that democracy is the worst form of government possible, except for all the rest. It’s chalk full of mistakes, missteps, blunders, slow, inept…..and yet it works the best - given time.
Iraqis have no experience at democracy. They are learning. But the Iraqi people themselves are telling our military they hope they stay and never leave. Yes, they are afraid. Who wouldn’t be to go back to a form of tyranny they had under Saddam. And they don’t want to replace a secular tyranny with a non secular tyranny.
Iraq is an important country, economically and strategically. At this time, we have Iran surrounded on four sides with American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Azerbaijan. Iran is a potential nuclear threat, and also an economic threat in the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz. So it is in America’s interest to remain in Iraq.
This war is going to take a long, long time. We have to change an entire culture. But that can be done. Last year Britain pulled their troops out of N. Ireland after having been there for 38 years - since 1969. They lost over 3,000 men during that time in N. Ireland. But 30 years ago, if somebody had told you that someday Protestants and Catholics would stop killing each other there (both Christians), you would have laughed. Well, it has happened. The killing has stopped. Both sides work within Parliment, and Catholics can now own land and vote. It wasn’t easy. It took a long time. Was it worth it?
Our losses in Iraq are difficult - both in lost lives and wounded. I have worked with those who have lost limbs and suffered burns. I have attended funerals. But we have to keep it in perspective. 9 times more Americans are murdered in blue cities every year than we lose in Iraq. We lost 65 times the number of Americans to car wrecks. We average 800 deaths in Iraq every year. Many of these are not combat related. We lose over 550,000 Americans every year to cancer, 30,000 premature heart disease deaths…. I can go on and on.
What is important here is that the men and women who are doing the fighting, the bleeding, and the dying - AND THEIR FAMILIES - tell me personally that we need to stay in Iraq no matter how long it takes - that it’s the right thing to do, that it’s the best thing to do.
That is an opinion that I will value above all others.
Izzy
I DO NOT HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT> YOU DO. I’ts your CONSCIENCE!
You still do not get it. Look at what is wriitn in this blog from me. They couldn’t inform ya’ll because the letter was sent one day before the election. That is the TRICK or FRAUD!
Miss when the next election rolls around, and there will be conservatives running again to try to unseat the spenders, you can bet there will be constant reminders there is no plan to close that school…. unless the board does it before the next election! What a hoot that would be.
Misssassy, to be a liberal, you need to eliminate the concepts of shame, conscience, logic, and common sense from your very being.
Big,
Your points are well taken concerning the outlook of returning vets from Iraq, but we do live in a democracy. This means that everyone’s vote is weighted equally.
Time will tell with regards to which path is taken in Iraq. Right now it appears that the voters are getting weary of the war, but it is foolish to think that those that oppose are all of one mind.
Your comments about the length of the Revolutionary War are also well taken. Indeed, at the onset of the American Revolutionary War only a third could be counted as ardent rebels and an equal third were Tories. A full third just did not care and wanted to be left alone.
I remain very skeptical about the government in Iraq and I are really less than enthusiatic about sending 150 billion US$ per month to a place where I see no benefit that justifies the expense.
Personally, I believe we have been hoodwinked from day one. One cannot trust desert peoples of any kind. A pox on all their houses.
Simple
Big,
That is your information and perspective. I have worked with many soldiers who did time in Iraq while I was working in a certain hotspot in West Africa in the oil patch. And, to a man, they all told me that Iraq would never be fixed and that as soon as we leave, whenever that may be, the entire thing will fall into chaos. These soldiers also did multiple tours, and, when I asked them why they went back for what they saw as a hopeless exercise, to a man, they said, paraphrasing, “we’re soldiers, this is what we chose to do and so we do it. Our brothers are still there and we go back for them.”
Of course I respect these guys. Much moreso than chickenhawks who cheer the war from a barstool with a Heineken in the paws.
But, saying that, I, like you, respect their opinion, and pretty much to a man, their attitude was a dispassionate, “if my leaders want me to head back there and kill some more, I will, I’m a soldier, but, I don’t think that anything good will come of this in the long run”
So, while I respect your opinion and the information you have, I have been exposed to opposite points of view and respect those as well.
I think that 9/11 caused a panic in this country and understandably so. But, I think we rushed into reacting to it in an UNconservative manner w/o thinking it through and where it could possibly lead.
I know that this will spark off the, “HE”S A LIBERAL!!!!” chant here, but, if you go to this link, http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/dean/dean021703sp.html
and read this speech by Howard Dean a month before the invasion, you will see some in depth, realistic thinking about the possible outcomes and risks. When I read this speech, I think that if I didn’t know the author, I would think that it was written by an old school conservative.
That is the basis for my earlier question regarding, “What is consevatism today?”
Vic,
The Republicans did not have control of the Senate for 2001 and 2002 thanks to Jim Jeffords.
So no, the Republicans did not have 6 years. They had 4 years and 2 of those years, the Senate was 50/50 spilt even. That’s hardly an environment for bringing about substantial change.
Now, that’s not to say that the Republicans did not spend like drunken sailors because they certainly did and that’s why there is a Democratic run Congress today.
39 Big
My parents were New Deal Yellow Dog Democrats until the day they died. I think it really hurt my dad when my brothers and sister voted for Reagan in 1980, but I reminded him that Reagan was also once an ardent FDR New Deal Democrat.
There are a lot of folks who have liberal viewpoints. That does not make them less of an American citizen or less patriotic. It certainly does not make them devoid of commonsense. It just means they have a different viewpoint.
I would say the same thing to some of the left leaning persuasion that say similar things about conservatives.
It is ok to strongly support a position, but we are all in the same boat here and like it or not..Divided we fall…United we stand.
United does not mean we ALL have to be of the same mind about everything.
Simple
vic:
In hindsight, it is possible that we made a mistake by going into Iraq (not saying we did, or didn’t, just that it’s possible). But, we’re there now! Unless you’ve invented a time machine that will let us go back, we have to go forward from where we are today. And as a conservative I would say that the worst thing we could possibly do is to bail on the whole thing and simply desert the people of Iraq.
As far as the energy thing goes, I don’t think oil is the sole answer to the current problem, but it’s sure part of the mix. As a conservative I’m a big fan of letting the marketplace sort out the options and the balance. The marketplace generally gets it right. Government almost always gets it wrong.
I hear the term “Manhattan Project” bandied about all the time with reference to the need for alternative energy sources. Here’s the problem. The Manhattan Project knew exactly what it wanted. It was simply a matter of doing the engineering and then producing the raw materials to get us there. The energy problem is very different. We don’t currently have ANY usable technology that can replace the petroleum industry. So, we need to invest in research, yes. In both the public and private sectors. But a combined effort isn’t the way to go right now.
How much land would we have to plant in corn to make an appreciable dent in our oil usage? The estimates that I have heard place the figure at 1/2 to 2/3 of all of our current farmland. Sure Brazil is doing it with sugarcane, but they’re burning down the rain forests to get the land to do it. Is that what you want? And, I’ve seen some estimates that seem to indicate that the net gain is at best about 10%. And, what about the water shortage in the midwest? Producing Ethanol from grain takes enormous amounts of water that’s in increasingly short supply.
Is the Republican party conservative? Increasingly it appears not. So conservatives will have to look around for another place to hang our hat. Given the current field it sure won’t be with the Democrats!
Big you are so true. I need a simple vocab. to deal with her.
Thanks for the suggestion.
fat albert,
I agree that there are all kinds of issues with the current energy situation. My problem with most current conservatives is that they jump on the drill in ANWR bandwagon as if it is the ONLY solution and that nothing else is possible.
To me, that is simply not the American way. ANYTHING is possible if we decide to do it!
It is also another (supposedly) conservative mantra that “… the markets will sort out the best solution”. By all means I’m a capitalist, but, I don’t beleive that the markets sort out both the energy issue and our national security issues at the same time.
I fully understand that you are not going to switch away from petroleum until something else becomes viable. That is simple ecomomics. But, that is exactly why the market needs to be guided at times. We know we want energy independence or at least more independence than we currently have now, but, if you leave it up the the market, we will continue to use oil until the very last day that it is cheaper than some alternative. Then, when that day comes, we will switch to the alternative.
Well, why not enact policies that secure our supply of oil, but, bring the day that oil is not the cheapest alternative forward in time? How do you to that? You tax oil harder and invest in alternatives to actually bring them forward faster than they otherwise would come to market w/o any policy action?
I can’t understand why people calling themselves conservatives wish to continue to finance terrorist countries while stubornly refusing to change policy.
The few I know who had tours in Iraq report mixed things, already covered by others here.
There is no comparison between the Former Colonialists and today’s Iraqis. The Colonialists had many years of experience in self-government and were the ones who initialized and completed the fighting, with some external assistance. There were no outsiders occupying and teaching them how to govern themselves after hostilities ended. Furthermore, the Colonialists did not setup a centralized government but fought for the independence of their former Colony.
vic -
Exactly!!! Somebody who has done the research and development and has an alternative will put it on the market and we will switch - because it makes good sense to do so. The alternative is to force the market to switch when it doesn’t make economic sense - an unwarranted arbitrary use of government power - what we normally call “Liberal”.
Ah, the heart of the matter, raise taxes, this time on “oil”. Who pays? The consumer, as always. Why not just let the oil companies continue to invest in research, and cut out the inefficient government middleman?
“Furthermore, the Colonialists did not setup a centralized government but fought for the independence of their former Colony”
Make that:
Furthermore, the Colonialists did not setup a centralized government but fought for the independence of their former Colonies.
#47
To piggy-back a little/expand on what I think you mean: The former colonies were not even a country until 1789 when the Constitution was ratified and adopted. Until then, the were a confederation of independent states under the Articles of Confederation.
I would dearly love for the states to have the power they had in the beginning. It would solve many of the ills we see today.
Vic,
Do you honestly believe that no one is trying to find the magical replacement for oil? Everyone knows that whomever accomplishes the task of finding a more energy efficient fuel source than oil will become richer than Trump, Buffet, Gates, Kennedy, and Rockefeller combined almost immediately.
Simply put, there isn’t a viable alternative to oil. If there were, the market would change as quickly as it did for records to cassettes to CD’s and VHS to DVD to Blue-Ray.
Which was pretty damn fast.
So why do you want the government to increase taxes on oil?
You are supposedly the conservative here. You have to be. You keep telling us that in each post. Why is government intervention to the point of hampering the supply of best energy resource currently in the world the key?
Simple, as you say, all votes are weighted equally. But the on site and lengthy observations of those in the field are not getting through from the reporters in the green zone who are painting the picture for American citizens. It is important that our citizens have an accurate accounting of what is happening in the war to make an informed decision. So far they are not getting that. Those Americans with a liberal viewpoint are at a particular disadvantage since so few of them have any contact with the military and get their views from media sources who are painting a less than truthful picture of what is happening in Iraq.
Simple, if we had had the cooperation of the people in the villes as to NVA and VC movements that we are getting out of the citizens in Iraq now, it would have been alot easier to target them and cost us far fewer casualties. We did learn something from Vietnam and we are applying it in Iraq.
All that being said, we still can’t ignore the strategic, tactical, and economic ramifications of our failure to be there, and our failure to take action. We don’t live in an isolated world anymore. We can’t inspect every container and box coming into this country from 50 miles off shore. That would strangle our economy. And it’s not just a nuclear device we have to worry about. Enough bio agents can be held in a test tube to kill millions, and that would be virtually undetectable unless we exrayed every little nook and crannie of every item we bring in. We have to be there in Iraq. If we’re going to kill the bad guys, let it be there, not here. Is there any doubt that without our going into Iraq and Afghanistan, that we would have had more attacks here? Is there any doubt that if we had not, Khadafy would have nuclear weapons now instead of voluntarily giving up his program?
The GAO estimated the total costs of 9/11 to be around $83 billion. They changed the entire way we live and travel world wide, our means of shipping material, what we can ship, and who knows what other things. I for one don’t want the actions of terrorists further affecting my life compared to what it already has. Further, I want to return to the less restrictive life we had prior to global terrorism. It’s better for America, and it’s better for the world.
You are all right about our beginnings. And as I pointed out, with all those advantages, we still managed to start a war amongst ourselves more than 70 years into being a constitutional republic that killed more Americans than all our other wars combined. Again, democracy isn’t easy. If we don’t give Iraq a long term, good chance, what is your next plan? Turn the Islamic world into a glass slab? I don’t really see any other solution.
Simple, 50 years ago you couldn’t fit a hair between the basic values of Republicans and Democrats. It’s definitely not the same world. The views I have in what is basic morality and common sense is not what today’s liberals espouse.
If liberalism worked, you would not have the disparity in the economy and crime in blue versus red metropolitan areas.
Big,
Iraq does not have nukes. Iran may be well on their way and Pakistan does (with help from us).
I see nothing the conflict in Iraq has done to make us any less vulnerable to a small group of dedicated individuals from smuggling a small yield device into our country. Wanna stop that? Start inspecting more than 5% of the containers coming into our ports.
I really don’t see the terrorists putting their nuke experts on the front lines in Iraq just to plant IEDs. I also don’t see them using any of their folks who are experts in the shipping business planting IEDs or sniping at US Soldiers.
The nuclear genie is out of the bottle. It has been for quite a while. NEVER in the history has a technological secret remained a secret forever. It always gets out. It always will.
The perpertrators of 911 were all Saudi and one Yemeni. The shotcallers were in Afganistan. I believe we did the right thing in invading Afganistan, but I believe we erred in staying. We should have knocked the place to the ground and given all of its neighbors pause to think about granting safe have to Al Quadi. Look at Afganistan today. AlQuadi and the talaban are coming back and fueled by the profits from the opium crop that GWB and his assistants failed to erradicate.
The world has never been a safe place and I like it that way. A hard life keeps one strong. It is an easy life that makes one complacent and weak.
Simple
54 Big,
I don’t think anyone can clearly define what a conservative or liberal is today. Both parties are in a state of flux, but that is nothing new.
I do believe that the general American public is conservative on many things, but there is a heck of a lot of variation. That probably is a good thing.
I know this is a certainty…no good will ever come from either side getting a lock on the government. The Republic will survive as long as this tug of war continues.
Cream rises to the top and good ideas survive just like good music. Detris sinks to the bottom.
Simple
Big45Iron,
I just got back from a 4 day weekend in Waikiki. Very nice out there!
Don
Boy, how we stray. From dirty tricks in Katy to our nations obvious lack of eneergy policy.
Yes, let’s have a Manhattan Project for energy. My idea for a MP is very similar to the original one. Let’s have a Manhatttan Project to build nuclear power plants. How much fossil fuel goes into generating electricity in this country? Use nuclear and then maybe we can generate enough energy to make electric cars more practical (www.teslamotors.com).
In the mean time, drill the snot out of oil in this country so we can stop funding terrorism. Anwar, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic coast Pacific coast. All fair game. we got at least 25 - 30 years worth. Should be plenty of time to make oil obsolete as an energy source.
Simple, come on now, you’re stretching things there. I never insintuated Iran would put their nuke people on the front line in Iraq. Not sure why you even printed that. The danger is their turning over a small, easily transportable nuclear device to a terrorist group. I think it’s fairly clear that Imadinnerjacket doesn’t have all his marbles fully contained. He has clearly stated he is for the destruction of Israel and the USA. Hitler said exactly what he was going to do. Nobody grasped he was serious.
Your point about smashing Afghanistan is well taken in that it would have been about a terror threat to those who would harbor AQ. But that culture doesn’t quite look at things like we do.
#58
The best way to have the MP you talk about is to clear the red tape. It’s lots worse for nukes than for oil refineries (discussed ad nauseum a couple days ago).
If we can start getting new nukes on line more quickly, we will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and retain our oils to use as raw material to make plastics, etc. later on when everyone else has run out.
In the end, with enough energy, you can pretty much make anything. You can take water (hydrogen & oxygen) and air (nitrogen, carbon {from CO2), & oxygen) and make just about anything you want that you’d use oil for now.
I have a question - was the situation of Wolfe Elementary mentioned during this campaign. Were the CLOUT members asked about it - were they aware that this might be an issue? If they had no intention of closing the school, why would they think that they needed to defend an idea they didn’t have? Did any Fleetwood property owners question the challengers on this or did they just fall prey to the scare tactics once again?
This would be like having an incumbent accuse the challenger the day before the election of planning to “kill all the puppies in the district.” Why would the challenger have come out and said “by the way, I have no plans to kill puppies” if this was not even on their mind? It is nearly impossible to foresee all the lies that might happen to be told about you hours before an election so that you can print up an “I will not…” brochure to head the lies off at the pass.
dcgirl, as a slate campaign volunteer, I can say I missed that closing Wolfe issue completely, though it was brought up a couple of years ago in another election and we knew it. Speaking for myself, I didn’t think they’d try it again.
And yes, as sassy says, one of the candidates DID go there and try to reassure the people of Fleetwood. They were indeed run out of the place by security. I don’t know for sure (and I’ve tried to find out,) but I believe one of the incumbents lives in that neighborhood. If true, people can make what they will of security showing up at such an “opportune” time for the incumbents.
Doesn’t this make one ask the question, “What is in it for them?” What is the reward, that someone would pull a really dirty trick to win? It’s a school board position! I’m guessing there might be power and advantages, if not money envolved.
I understand the attempt to cheat for a house or senate seat…. no one leaves those positions poor, but a school board position?
51 Basara,
You ask, “Why is government intervention to the point of hampering the supply of best energy resource currently in the world the key?”
My answer lies in what we would IDEALLY like to happen. I think there would not be much argument that, IDEALLY, we would like to end not only our own, but, the entire world’s, dependence on Middle Eastern oil and therefore send those people back to the stoneages and to irrelevency. Possibly there are some here who don’t have that desire, but, from my historical reading here I would imagine that not too many people would have a problem with that.
So, if you go with simply market forces and do not change the status quo in any other way than to open up areas within the US to exploration and drilling, then, the only thing you are doing is delaying the inevitable. Which is that the middle east will have the “rest” of the oil because our reserves will never match theirs either in quantity or price of extraction.
Therefore, in order to get us off of oil more quickly than we would naturally in the “free” market, something needs to be done. Tax advantages and government funding of alternatives is one option. Tax increases on petroleum products themselves to make them less desireable and reduce demand is another option.
I’m sure there are variations on this theme of how to somehow reduce demand for petroleum product and pumping public money into R and D for alternatives.
So, I know that someone said earlier that any intervention in the “free” market is somehow “liberal”, I just don’t see this situaton being that way. I see it in our national interest to attempt to transform the market to a situation more desireable to us through public policy, whatever form that policy might take.
In reality, I think that position is a traditional “conservative” position. Long Range thinking with regards to the national security of this country. I don’t see how waiting until supply and demand finally force a change, then trying to react, all while linin the pockets of arab terrorist supporters, as being prudent, forward looking policy that is in the best interest of this country.
Would love to discuss
actingunderwater and all,
Interestingly enough, the last group to use the Wolfe closure gambit was your own Katy Citizen Watchdog$ in the 2006 board elections. This is how Tom Law, a Watchdog$ partisan, got elected in the first place. I am told that he and another Watchdog$ board candidate (Fred Honk) sent a flyer to Wolfe parents promising not to close down Wolfe. I am almost certain that Mr. A.D. Muller, another Watchdog$ partisan who has advocated cutting spending for many many years, had something to do with these shenanigans. If you do not believe me ask AD, Fred or Tom and see what they tell you. Better yet, ask someone who lives in Fleetwood and might have received that flyer two years ago. Of course, there was no overt evidence at the time that anyone had ever considered closing down Wolfe.
I hate to be the one to break this to you, but any group that says in their KSEV radio ads that they want to reduce bureaucracy, lower taxes and reduce government (notice that there is not a word about education here) while promising to raise academic achievement, reduce crime to virtually zero (implied) and lower the dropout rate HAS to consider selling Wolfe Elementary as a way to make good on all their promises. Wolfe probably has 100 neighborhood students while over 400 are bussed in from across I-10 (think of those transport costs)!!! The financial costs (though not necessarily the political costs) of rerouting the Fleetwood students would probably be recovered within the first week of the opening of the new school. The property is apparently quite valuable and it would probably make quite a bit of sense to sell it and use the proceeds to build a new school in a more propitious location.
Aren’t you glad that the re-elected incumbents understand that money is not everything?
dcgirl
Did you or did you not hear of this brought up in public at any time until now? The CLOUT members didn’t know about it until the day before when one of the Members went to knock on doors and one of the ladies that answered the door was holding the letter and read it to the CLOUT member. So the answer to your first question is no!
The answer to your second question is the CLOUT members had no intention of closing Wolfe Elem. It was only used as a scare tactic to get you to vote for the incumbents.
The answer to you last question is no none of them challenged the CLOUT members regarding this tactic. The Fleetwood members thought it was the truth and voted the way the incumbents wanted them to do. That is how the school board bullies succeeded.
YES the CLOUT members feel prey to the incumbents.
Here’s a thought for the Fleetwood people. Why would the CLOUT members and Tom Law close an elem. school that is needed anyway. The only other school that is out there near Memorial and hwy 6 is Wolfe high school. So you see it was a fraud a scheme anyway you look at it.
NOT YOU AGAIN POGO,
You are right about the letters that were sent to the Fleetwood area When Tom Law was running only because it was used 12 years ago. I guess you might say it was nipped in the bud before it happened.
Have you seen the letter from AD and Tom? HUH? How do you know anything about it. Huh?
You also talk to hear your self talk. All you say is BS. and you know it. You lie for the incumbents just like they do. You must be one of there hound dogs aren’t you. You snitch that is what you are.
By the way no one likes that the incumbents are back in. The People of Fleetwood should have known it was a lie from the start, but they didn’t want to upset the Apple cart. They are scared of the incumbents.
THE INCUMBENTS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING, IF THEY DID WE WOULD NOT BE IN DEBT!!!
#67
Wolfe High School ?
So my kids have been bussed along I10 from Fleetwood first to MPJH and then to Taylor all these years when they could have been going to a High School on Memorial and Highway 6 ?
Maaaan do I feel cheated. . . . Where exactly is this High School then?.
The C.L.O.U.T candidates from KISD tried to put out over 1000 door hangers in support of Wolfe Elementary. But incumbent Synder who lives in neighborhood, had her minions run the workers out. KISD Board Presisent’s (Eric Duon)letter to the area the day before the election, paid for by the incumbents falsely accused the CLOUT candidates of wanting to close the neighborhood school. The hugh turnout in the remote voting box made the difference in two of the races. CLOUT Board member Tom Law and myself tried to work that box on election day to tell the truth, however KISD incumbent Judy Synder called the campus police.
Vic,
So you’re advocating using the government to blackmail and potentially bankrupt entire industries? All for the possibility that there might be a better solution than oil?
I get it Vic. Clean fuel from crystals that can power star ships worked great for Star Trek. It can work for us too if we only use the power of the US government to lean heavily on those oil companies that are stopping all research into alternative sources.
The simple truth is that your solution to the problem will send us to the dark ages while ignoring the fact that no other nation in the world will follow us there.
That is, unless we somehow stumble into that magical cure miraculously in the nick of time before we regulate ourselves into ruin.
Or we can back government off of business and let the natural course of development take place. There is a yearning desire from the public to find a better solution to oil. Every business knows this and is scrambling to find it. These are your Manhattan Projects, financed by business looking for this better way as we speak.
An alternative fuel source is the new better mousetrap. Whomever finds it will be rich beyond all belief.
That is what will break the Middle East, not government blackmail in its own citizenry.
#66 Mr. Pogo Stick SHAME ON YOU
There you go again.
Twelve years ago Ms. Snyder’s campaign claimed her opponent wanted to shut down and sell Wolfe’s Elementary’s property. Two years ago, CLOUT candiate Tom law signed pledge that he would not shut down Wolfe.
WOLFE WILL NOT CLOSE ON OUR WATCH
Copy of pledge
The undersigned candidates pledge to support community efforts to keep Wolfe Elementary open and to ensure future rezoning will not affect a change in current school alignment within this community. We feel closing Wolfe would hurt property values in the community that Wolfe Elementary serves, and will never support an initiative to close the school nor move students from Memorial Parkway Junior High and Taylor High School.
It was signed by Tom Law and Fred Hink.
The otherside cried FOUL. Tom won the race.
Big, if the killing of nearly 3,000 innocents is justification to launch 2 wars what will the turning the Islamic world into a glass slab justify, with attendant death of hundered of thousands of innocents, justify?
Native, the States in Union under the Constitution of 1787 did not create a “country” and they did not give up their authority to leave the union. That is how they preserved their soverignty.
Basara,
I just completely disagree with your perspective here. I’ve got nothing against oil companies or the oil industry as I have worked in it for 23 years and expect to continue in it for 23 more.
I don’t understand where you are talking about blackmail and bankruptcy. The government adding a tax to your product is not blackmail. Products and services are taxed all the time. And while, yes, I would prefer not to pay taxes on anything, we all know that is not possible. There are government services (infrastructure/military to name a few) that need to be paid for and they will be paid for through taxation.
As far as bankrupting industries, I don’t see this either. The oil companies have been doing just fine without exploring in ANWAR to date and I don’t see them going bankrupt any time soon. Additionally, any tax put onto their product will simply be passed through, so, yes, once again it is you and I taxpayer who would be the final payors of the tax that would be used to increase investment in R and D in alternative energy and transportation technology (thus propping up a NEW business with it’s jobs and productive capabilities.)
You state that, “The simple truth is that your solution to the problem will send us to the dark ages while ignoring the fact that no other nation in the world will follow us there.”
How would this send us to the dark ages? Would putting a tax on a gallon of gas stop oil companies from exploring world wide and supplying crude oil? And, I don’t really care if other nations follow us. We lead and it is up to others to choose to follow or not. If other countries make the choice to get their energy from Middle East thugs, that is their choice. I am recommending that we don’t make that choice.
Finally, you state, “There is a yearning desire from the public to find a better solution to oil. Every business knows this and is scrambling to find it. These are your Manhattan Projects, financed by business looking for this better way as we speak.”
Well, if the “public” wants a better solution, and “business” is looking for a better way…”, then how can giving those business tax breaks or R and D grants be a bad thing? We do that all the time in order to help business be better for us. It is done with Tax policy on the local level trying to attract business. It is done on national levels. I don’t know why it shouldn’t be done now.
I realize now that you are a “free markets or be damned” type of capitalist. I just think that when our national security is at stake, leaving it to the profit motives of corporations is simply not the best way to go. Thank goodness that FDR didn’t sit around and say in the 1940’s, “it sure would be nice if the market worked by itself to give us some kind of bomb that we could use to end this war for good. I sure hope that business creates it for us, but, I don’t want to give them any incentive to do so, but, would rather wait until the free market creates one for me”
Basara,
The below link is to a story about T. Boone Pickens’ company entering into a wind power venture. Obviously market conditions lead him to this, but, at the end, you will notice that there are tax credits issued by the government spurring this along.
If it’s good enough for an old oilman like Boone Pickens, it’s good enough for this old oilman.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080515/mesa_power_ge.html
Vic,
It’s blackmail because its a matter of the government telling business (who are making less than 10% profit now) that they must play ball or face severe tax increases.
This will do the following:
1) Cut into profits.
2) Cause consumers to buy less as the price increases.
Either way, business and the economy suffers. We already are an overtaxed citizenry. We do not need more taxes. Period. More taxes will limit the supply of oil, which we need.
Have you forgotten that we do not have the magical cure for oil? It drives our current economy. Limit it with tax increases and you limit us while the rest of the world speeds by while we are stalled.
Finally, thank you proving my point with your story. Here is an entrepreneur endeveavoring to find a solution. The government has gotten out of its way to give him this chance.
If a solution is to be found, it is with less government interference, not more.
Bottom line: Give all the tax breaks you want. I’m with you there. However tax increases are not part of the solution.
Btw, nice attempt at a straw man analogy with the A-Bomb that had nothing to do with the discussion at hand. The A-Bomb was a military project. This is not.
Fortunately, I’m not stupid.
Mr. Muller and Miss Sassy:
Please try to calm down. As Chris Cottrell so wisely observed, the course of Western civilization will not be changed by the outcome of a board election in little old Katy ISD.
Poster #4 (Izzy) wrote that the mailer that Fleetwood received only said that the incumbents did not plan to close Wolfe. This contradicts what you are saying Mr. Muller when you accuse the incumbents of saying that the CLOUT members wanted to shut down Wolfe. In fact, it seems like the incumbents did something very similar to what Tom Law did two years ago based on the pledge that you posted. We might even be able to say that they were trying to “nip” a bud. Do you have a copy of the 2008 incumbents’ mailer? Can you post it on your website? Why have you suggested that it might be time for Mr. Duhon to step down? I do not remember anyone suggesting that Mr. Law step down when he won his race two years ago thanks to a flurry of misinformation about KISD. Who is whining Big Jolly?
I would find it almost incredible if Mr. Muller and Mr. Law were electioneering within the marker at Wolfe as I know that Mr. Muller has a full knowledge election law.
This election campaign featured such a load of misinformation from the slate and their supporters that it required terribly long posts to dispel. Mr. Duhon was simply stating a fact when he voiced his concern about misinformed and misguided voters. Ms. Crockett had such a difficult time getting her message out and talking about education because the slate and their Watchdog$ supporters kept dishing out misinformation that had to be corrected time and time again. Here is a partial listing of the facts that were misused by the slate in this election campaign: TAKS accountability ratings, the tax rate, the crime rate, the ADA law and KISD’s need to abide by it to avoid costly lawsuits (the slate tried with some success to dupe the parents of Houston Youth Football League players into believing that the incumbents had planned to shut down their access to the fields while carefully leaving out the details of the situation), misleading comparisons between KISD and Plano ISD, and many others. When challenged on their misapprehension of the truth, they deftly changed the subject.
I honestly believe everything that I post here. If you think any of it is “BS”, then I hope you will feel free to challenge my posts with facts rather than transparent put downs. I believe that the wise readers of LST deserve that courtesy.
Maybe it is true that I like to “hear myself talk”, but that fact would do nothing to further your case and you would still have your whole argument ahead of you.
I apologize if you are bored by the facts and I can’t help it if the facts disturb you, but I want you to have them in the hopes that you might carefully consider them.
The election is over. This is no time for whining or sour grapes.
Let’s try to come together as a community to work for the best interests of the students and taxpayers of KISD.
Pogo
You are a very dishonest person!
Your facts do not disturb me. If the facts were right I would be okay. but You are misleading the public with your words.
The community will indeed come together, but not with your help or the incumbents. The people of Katy dislike dishonest whiners as yourself.
You always seem to get the last word in no matter what is right or wrong.
Why don’t we agree to disagree on everything you say. Fair enough.
Miss Sassy
#67 & # 78
Still waiting for you to tell me where this High School is on Memorial and Hwy 6
It’s not called Hogwarts is it ??
Mr. Stick
#77
You still whine after the election was stolen in your favor. Here are the facts.
#1. We did not electioneer within the marker. Flat lie. The election judge will back me up.
#2. Duhon believes in Term limits. Just ask him he said it publicly many times. Not true, he had to come back a save the world. He said “God help us if they (CLOUT group) are elected.”
#3. Ms. Crockett whiner in chief took an ethics pledge just to violate it. She whined about whisper campaigns, threaten the youth league with loss of their tax exemption status. Saw ghost campaigns and political machines that did not exist.
#4. No candidate ever said the incumbents wanted to shut down the practice fields. The youth groups just wanted an open forum to disscuss the issue. More hype by Crockett to claim she was a victim. Intimidation by the district and school board members caused this situation. Our Superintendent, Mr. Frailey had to send an E-blast to thousands reminding them to vote. Electioneering?
#5 Our Academic rating is down. Look it up.
#6 Crime is up in Katy, and KISD. Are you blind?
#7. KISD has the highest tax rate of any large district in Texas. We used to be capped at $2.00. This is a simple fact.
#8. KISD claims the drop out rate is 1%. Yes, the drop out rate between 7th and 8th grade. However, look for the truth in grades 10th and 12th. Some schools in Houston are said to be 40%.
Mr. PO Stick
If you want to see the truth, Duhon’s letter, paid for by Duhon, Synder, and Crockett, will be posted today at http://www.katycitizens.org/
I approve the message from AD MULLER
Miss Sassy, why are you so mad and angry?
You say the Mr. Pogo is “a very dishonest” person. Could you please point to specific examples of his dishonesty as it relates to Katy ISD. I would be very curious to see your spin on this. I think his research is incredible and very detailed to discover the details behind some very complex issues. I for one am glad there is someone out there who can correctly inform the public vs. taking what the dogs say as “fact”.
By the way, in post #67 you state “THE INCUMBENTS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING, IF THEY DID WE WOULD NOT BE IN DEBT!!!” You have got to be kidding. If you believe this, you are either incompetent or just plain ignorant. Sorry to be so harsh, but to believe this you would have to living in a fantasy world. Maybe you can pay cash for your house, but most of us can’t and require a mortgage (i.e. debt) in order to live in a house. Go ahead, fire away at this one.
Also, talk about dishonest “#67 By the way no one likes that the incumbents are back in.” I think the incumbents won the election so there must be some people that are glad. Face it; you were in the minority, not the majority in this election – and for the last 3 I might add. All the support of CLOUT, radio ads and hosts and with the “conservative” slate and you still couldn’t pull off a win in truly conservative Katy. Why might that be? Face it, many of your conservative friends (and even some of your fellow CLOUT believers) voted for the incumbents instead of the “conservative” slate.
Mr. Muller - It’s been 6 hours since your last post. What is taking so long to get that letter posted on that website? You’ve had it for several days now. Please show us the letter; we are all waiting to see it.
Miss Sassy
As it appears to be beat up on you day . . . .
I am still waiting for directions on one gets to “Hogwarts” High School that you claim is at Memorial and Highway 6.
Pleas enlighten me so that your credibility can be restored . . .at least to this reader
#83 should of course read as
I am still waiting for directions on - how - one gets to “Hogwarts” High School that you claim is at Memorial and Highway 6.
Sorry for typo
Imagrad #82
What did you think Of the Duhon letter?
The Wolfe box vote was as follows: CLOUT Candidate Searle 76, Incumbent Slate Crockett 252.
CLOUT Candidate Blackman 74, Incumbent Slate Duhon 239.
CLOUT Candidate Sanders 77, Incumbent Slate Snyder 250.
This is an abnormal large vote for such a small box. Clout candidates lost by less than 150 votes out of 5000. Duhon’s Crockett’s and Synder’s dirty trick worked. Duhon suggested falsely that CLOUT candidates wanted to close down neighborhood school Wolfe. Imagrad
smg - let me help misssassy out with your question. You see, Houston ISD has a high school on Briar Forest drive that has a wolf as a mascot. She probably thinks this is somehow relative to the discussion. However, since this is an HISD school and not a Katy school any discussions about “Wolf” High School are moot. This also helps prove some points in my previous post regarding reasoning ability.
Keep up the good work – I’ll like your posts.
Mr. Muller: I haven’t seen the letter as of yet. I’m still looking for it to be posted, so until I see it I cannot comment on the letter. Maybe you do not understand; I actually like to research an issue and be informed about the matter before making judgment about something. You’ve had 10 hours now (plus a few days) to post it, but I have yet to see it posted on that site. Can you please get it posted so we can have an open and honest debate about this letter? You have less than 5 hours left before today is over. Please get that letter posted on there for all of us to debate.
OK, time to comment on your numbers. First, I would like to see vote counts from last year’s election before I determine if this is “abnormal” turnout. Better yet, we might have to go back 3 years to when Ms. Snyder last ran. Given that she lives in this precinct the fact that the majority went for her is not that unusual. Look how your own candidate drove slate/clout votes to the ballot box in one of their own neighborhoods and with an impressive margin I might add. I think these 2 precincts were some of the very few that had wide margins of victory for either party.
Let’s also get some other facts straight while we are at it. The total votes were less than 4,900 (4830, 4893, 4865 to be specific vs. your quoted 5,000). I know I’m splitting hairs, but I like to be accurate with my numbers and my facts. In addition, only 2 of your candidates lost by less than 150, not all three. The other one lost by much more; 512 votes or by about 10%. I’d be interested in your analysis on this particular race as to why the margin of victory (or defeat in your case) was so great as compared to the others.
Imagrad
Thanks for post #86 helping misssassy out on that one
I can easily see how those with tainted (thats not a typo) glasses can make the mistake that a school costing that much, built about the same time as CRHS but with less capacity and more amenities (three stages; a bigger PAC; a Natotorium; a food court no less) as well as falling TAKS scores can easily be thought of as being a prime example of KISD frivolity.
But you are of course correct - it is in a DIFFERENT School District. In fact at the time Westside High School was built it was supposed to be the Jewel in the HISD Crown.
Not so much now . . .
And it does of course have something else missing from KISD High Schools - - - Metal Detectors.
I would have hoped that someone as vociferous and adamant about her position as she would at least be more knowledgeable about which schools are in the District before letting a torrent of abuse on other users. Oh well **sighs** some people are never satisfied !!!
Mr. Imgradungreatful
You are right only two of our candidates would have won. Without Frailey’s last minute E-Mail blitz, I am not sure of the third race. Why can’t you people admit Duhon’s fraudulent letter even exist. There are calls for Duhon, Snyder, and Crockett, to resign. I am an election judge, and unnamed cowards have accused me of violating election laws. I know the laws and I knew the election judge at Wolfe. The question is what do you think of the Snyder, Crockett’s, letter accusing the conservative CLOUT candidates of wanting to shut down a school. When in fact they wanted more resources. Now you quivel over the total votes.
AD Muller
It’s now past your own self imposed deadline for you to provide the proof you say you have of yet another alleged infraction of someone running KISD.
I have just visited the link you provided earlier and trolled on the Katy Watchdogs Web site and I cannot find your claimed evidence.
It seems to me that you and the rest of the Watchdogs have a regular habit of claiming all sorts of outlandish irregularities that only you have evidence of and yet you are never are able to deliver proof.
Perhaps this is the reason why a majority - that would be ANY number over 50% - of the voters at the recent election rejected the platform of the candidates you promoted. Those same candidates similarly were unable to convince the electorate that they had the answers to problems that many believed existed only in your candidates minds.
After three successive election defeats of the Watchdog manifesto each time with the same opaque criticisms and vague, undecipherable solutions, rather than accuse incumbents of unproven malfeasance as the reasons why your platform was defeated, how about coming clean with an understandable message whereby voters can comprehend what you want to do, specifically how you will do it, specifically how that will make things better, and what specific impact your plans will have in the classroom.
After three times of trying, it’s no good saying the voters are stupid if they don’t get your unchanged message - change the message - maybe they will understand it better without Watchdog style obfuscation!!!
You state that you are an election judge, and that you know the law. I have no reason to doubt you, but being an election judge with direct and real knowledge/evidence of a law being broken, with all respect, I do have to ask you if your duty to resolve this issue lies at a venue other than a public blog? And if indeed this is so, then why all the skulduggery with claiming you have evidence that you will not or cannot provide ? - just say so . . . . or is the skulduggery really what the Watchdogs is really all about?
Please provide this evidence, point me specifically to it if I have missed it, in which case I apologize, failing which as my poker buddies say “Put Up or Shut up.”
SMug and imgrateful
The “Watchdogs” expose faults and tell the truth that you do not want to hear. Voters are not stupid, but were told a untruth. There were no whisper campaigns,no political machines,no thefts of campaign literature. Yes, there is a drop in KISD academic rating. KISD dropout rate is more than 1%. Crime is up. The Wolfe box is a very small voting box unless they are told a lie.
http://www.radiofreekaty.com/files/Wolfe_Elementary.html
http://www.radiofreekaty.com/files/Votinginfo/Duhon_Wolf_Letter.pdf
Mr. Muller
Thanks for posting the link.
As an side note - making snide word plays on peoples names or ids may seem funny or smart to you, but in this context you demonstrate neither wit nor intellect - rather it makes you look shallow and petty. This reader at least is left the impression that your argument is running out of steam and needs to be deflected by personal attacks not connected with the substance of the discussion at hand.
Kind of a low bar for someone advocating they and their ilk should be responsible for guiding our children’s education
Smudge
I am sorry your feelings are hurt by my lowbrow humor. I have little respect for those who are cowards and attack me without using their real names. Makes one wonder what you are hiding.
Mr. Muller
#93
Very classy. Thank you. Just the caliber of person we do not need in charge of education in our community.
My feelings, nor your warped sense of KISD’s priorities does not change the experience of most - which is that its not all bad, quite good actually.
As with any evaluation of a large organization we all agree improvements can be made, and I have never suggested otherwise, but wholesale unspecified change just because a few - possessed with little other than a large megaphone and non-mainstream views - say so evidently requires more substance to be embraced by the huddled masses you claim to represent.
Your organization, its platform and your endorsed candidates’ messages and public demeanor do not represent the views of this Conservative family and we view your attmepts to infiltrate our School board as willful destruction, not constructive attempts at improvement. I may of course be wrong, but absent any specific programs from the Watchdogs (collective name) and our ability to make substantive assessments of how your as yet unspecified changes will effect education in our community, most have declared either through apathy or rejection that they do not want to trust (you) them with the task and responsibility of guiding our children’s education.
As for using real names, I admit to be being a new contributor to discussions on LST, however I have quickly noted that most contributors use monikers of some sort - and I doubt they consider your allegation that their message or worth is diminished because they do so carries any validity. If you think those who do not use their real names are beneath you - don’t bother replying. I use smg - so what ?
Mr. Muller: Please do not put words in my mouth. I said only 2 of your candidates lost by that narrow margin, but I never said nor conceded they would have won in any circumstances.
Since you ignored my question about the wide margin of victory in the other race let me offer my analysis for you and others. Ms. Crockett, while an “incumbent” in the technical term she was still a new face and new blood on the board having only been on the board for a few months. However, she delivered the same message as the other 2 incumbents and judging by your criticism of her you think no differently of her then the rest of the incumbents.
Many people do have opinions, as you do, with respect to term limits. Given the longevity of both Mr. Duhon and Ms. Snyder on the board there are some in this community who would like to see some new faces on the board. My opinion is that those few voters who narrowed the margin in these 2 particular races were merely casting an anti long term incumbent votes instead of listening to and agreeing with you and your candidates view on the state of the district and the need for change. If the voters whole heartedly believed in your message, all 3 races should have been as tight as those 2, but they were not, plain and simple. I’m open to other ideas and suggestions as to the reasoning behind the disparity of margins in these races, but until someone presents an alternative theory; this is what I am basing my opinions on.
Thanks for FINALLY talking the time to post the letter, when I get a spare minute I’ll go check it out. I was confused though as why you kept asking me about it beforehand as I do not live in that neighborhood so I would not have received or seen it. However, I did receive your mailer that personally cost you $1,000 and your friends another $2,000. Now that was a negative and nasty piece of mail of I ever saw one. Based on your mailer you would think we live in a crime ridden and failing school district, something that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Please post this mailer on your website as well for all to see so voters may see the communication styles from both sides and make their own independent judgments of the facts. Based on the last 3 elections, it seems when the voters have the facts they make good decisions when casting their votes.
By the way, regarding the total votes, I was just merely giving people an actual report of the events that occurred and thus correcting your misrepresentative of information, something that is a common occurrence. With the votes so close, an accurate representation of the counts is that much more important. I know you know how important even 5 votes can be in a close race. Why are you harping on this narrow margin of victory (or from your perspective a loss)? When your own Mr. Law was elected back in 2006, he was elected by a mere 70 votes and there were 6,085 votes cast at that time due to the bond. He received 42.9% of the vote in a 3 way race, hardly a mandate for your slate. Mr. Duhon received 46.6% of the votes in a 4 way race this year. While not a majority, still a higher percentage than what Mr. Law received in 2006. You can slice and dice these numbers all you want, the results are sill the same - the incumbents won and your slate lost - plain and simple.
With respect to Mr. Frailey’s emails. It was you and your constant campaign of misinformation that forced his hand on this one. He was not going to set back and just let you so blatantly misrepresent the facts about this school district. While he is new to this district and this community he has shown his leadership style and I think it is one we can all be proud of. I applaud the leadership he has shown as I’m sure many others in this community do. Thank you Mr. Frailey!
Mr. Muller: I realize this lost has to be painful for you. After all, as a professional political consultant you have suffered 3 losses in a row to the great citizens of Katy ISD. You keep turning up the rhetoric and sound bytes (really loud this time I might add with those radio ads and the big backing from CLOUT), but yet the voters of Katy ISD have spoken louder than your rhetoric each and every time. There is no question that your message is being delivered and heard throughout the community and you have helped drive record turn out to the polls in these elections, which is a good thing. You have driven your supporters to the polls, but you have also helped drive the supporters of this district and this community to the polls, just in greater numbers than your own supporters. We do appreciate your help it getting people who care about their community to get out and vote.
Is CLOUT not a political machine? Is the Texas GOP PAC not a political machine? I’m sure a certain radio station and Mr. ToT have no political reach either. Maybe if Mr. Duhon hadn’t had his campaign material “mistakenly” taken he would not have had to generate some last minute campaign material.
You are correct in least one fact. Katy ISD’s state raking did drop from Recognized to Acceptable, but what you always fail to tell the voters is that the average TAKS scores actually went up a few points (2 or 3 I believe), but the state raised the bar 5 points to be considered Recognized. This rating system is flawed and you know it, you just try and use it to your advantage whenever possible. The same rating agency rates HISD as Acceptable. How many parents are going to rush and move their children into HISD if is just as “Acceptable” as Katy ISD - cheaper tax rate to boot? Average TAKS were up in Katy last year - plain and simple.
One last question for you. Is there any chance you are a contributing editor on a book? I’ve come across a book that I think fits your style. If you’re curious, please go look up ISBN 0-393-31072-8.
“Gratefully” enjoying my day in this community we all call home - Katy and Katy ISD - have a nice day.
Ingrate and smudge
I have no desire to be in charge of education. We do want the stop of the oligarchy corrupt system in KISD. Why do we spend money on bricks and mortar and forget the teachers. I just received a refusal by KISD to give me an audit of the district salaries. They claim it is draft form and should not be available to the public. While you have time to blogg, you don’t have time to see the truth. The teachers of this district have been ignored, while the KISD admin, and contractors have filled their trough. I bet you the report will show our teachers are underpaid and the admin is over paid. Mr. Frailey held back this report during the election. Look at those who contributed to the incumbent slate. Look at those who were sanctioned by the Texas Ethic commission that were pro bond. Look at the fine levied against pro bond groups. Are there more to come?
The Eric, Synder, Crockett, letter suggesting the closure of Wolfe was a lie. You and I agree that Frailey was electioneering. Explain what you perceive as a negative campaign? The truth must hurt. Crime is up, Taxes are up, ratings are down.. Brother, it is going to get worse. When teachers see the report, morale will slide more than you can imagine. The cover-up is always worse than the crime.
Ingrate 95
Please post the mailer I wish you would. It says crime is up. Academics down. Dropouts are at record high,
It also, says we believe in equal rights, dignity, and opportunity for all. We believe that government has to be fiscally responsible. It said that government should be accountable to the people. Real negative?
Mr. Muller
There is no point in your electioneering now for the May 10th election - your opportunity has past and your slate lost. I have every expectation you will continue your efforts to flannel the voters for the next time around, when who knows - you may end up with two reps on the board . . . . or none !!
So rather than we get involved in a pointless “no-it-isn’t-yes-it-is” discussion, which really isn’t going to change your mind or mine, perhaps we could try to find a common ground by redrawing the boundaries of the conversation into how each of us define the core mission of KISD.
From the Watchdogs website, it is not evident that the business of educating the children of the district appears as high a priority on your agenda as your political goals.
Personally I find the concept of determining the suitability of a Trustee of a School Board based on their political goals having a higher priority than their educational goals rather offensive, possibly even unethical. The Trustees are appointed (elected) to manage the Trust (our tax dollars) for the Beneficiaries of that Trust (the students). Ones personal political agenda should not be on the table . . . .and if it is move to Austin.
I believe that the core mission of the School District is to do whatever it takes, (and by that I also mean bear whatever cost the taxpayers are prepared to pay) to ensure that our kids are ducted and prepared to be better than their peers in their preparation for society. So far we are not doing too bad a job - and as I said - always room for improvement - but for goodness sakes lets get our priorities straight.
what do you say ?
Smudge
The problem is corruption, elitisms and arrogance. We all want what is best for the children. SMG, there are people stealing your kids future. Explain the Audit. Please call me any time, my number is listed. I know you worms hide.
Plus, what do you and think of Duhon’s Letter?
Mr. Muller
Smudge ? You worms ?
If the only ammunition in your toolbox is disdain, contempt and disrespect in addressing those that hold differing opinions to you, then I will just have to accept that civil, respectful and logical conversation with you is impossible.
My fervent wish is that those that conduct themselves in the manner displayed by you, your organization and the candidates endorsed by you or the Watchdogs NEVER are able to have the controlling influence on education of this district’s children.
I am sure that we will bump into each other in future conversations, in the meantime it has been enlightening sharing thoughts with you.
Regards
I’m glad that I posted this. Very eye-opening.
smg - Beautiful and eloquent responses. Your concept of the trust, trustee and the beneficiaries was terrific. “The Trustees are appointed (elected) to manage the Trust (our tax dollars) for the Beneficiaries of that Trust (the students).” Too often the dogs like to remind the board that they work for us (the taxpayers). In doing do they often forget about ultimate beneficiary who are the children of our community. Thanks for reminding us what it’s ultimately all about.
You can have rational and reasonable discussions only when rational and reasonable people are involved. I, like you, agree Katy is doing a great job but do realize there are some things that could be done better or at least different and would be very open to discussing those with reasonable people who have open minds and understand the complexity of some of these issues. One of Mr. Muller and company’s arguments is that teachers should be paid more. I think we could all agree we would like to achieve this. Oh by the way, he also wants to cut our taxes at the same time. Now, let’s see how we could go about this.
When school starts in the fall, there will probably be about to 4,500 teachers in the district. There were 4,091 for the 06-07 year and with 2 new elementary and 2 junior highs opening in the fall of 08 the 4,500 is more than reasonable. For argument’s sake, let’s give them all a $2,000 raise. I know this is probably not enough but it is a starting point. We could increase taxes by 6 cents to fund this or we have to cut $9,000,000 from the budget. Since we really don’t want to raise taxes, let’s look for some cuts. One area Mr. Muller likes to focus on is central administration. Let’s whack this by an aggressive 25%. This only gets you $2,000,000 - still need $7,000,000 more. Let’s see, there are other things like Instructional-Related Services, Instructional Leadership, School Leadership, and Support Services-Student. If we whack all of these 15%, we can then cover the raise. I am not advocating for any of this, just merely stating what it would take to find the funds to do this.
While we are at it let’s cuts taxes a mere 5 cents. For this, we can whack another 10% from things like Student Transportation, Food Services, Cocurricular Activities, Plant Maintenance and Operations, Security and Monitoring Services, and Data Processing Services. This will net you the $7,000,000 or so you need to achieve this.
OK, I have now given the teachers a small raise (along with less support and assistance across all functions throughout the entire district) and by the way, we now want them to increase test scores and state accountability rating with this decrease in support. Oh, and I almost forgot, I just saved the average tax payer in Katy ISD less than $100 a year in trying to achieve all of this. I’m sure Mr. Muller will agree with most all of these cuts as it is the only way to achieve his goal of paying teachers more and cutting our taxes at the same time.
I think we need a forum/blog where we can focus on the positives in Katy and at the same time look to improve it to even higher standards then the high standard it has already achieved. I think your glass and mine are half-full whereas Mr. Muller’s is half-empty.
BigJolly
Thanks for posting this as well. As you have seen, these posts on Katy ISD can generate some good discussions. While many of your discussion threads on this site can be a lot of preaching to the choir, I think you will agree this is not one of them. There are many conservatives in Katy like myself who do believe in and support some of the principles of CLOUT, but when it comes to our schools, we are very passionate about them. None of us moved here because of low taxes as we all knew that going in, even back when they were 2% (now only 1.52% or so) are taxes were higher than others, but we also knew our schools performed better than others and thus gave our children the best opportunity we could afford for them. Mr. Muller may take exception to what I have just written, but then again, I’m not sure I would expect anything else.
Keep following Katy ISD and I’m sure you can have more exciting discussions such as this one.
Smg and imagrad
While you live in the shadows others have great concern to what is happening in our community. What is your response to the Duhon letter? What is your response to the KISD audit? Just like you, the district hides the facts from the taxpayer. The CLOUT members and Watchdogs do not want power. I know it is hard for liberals to understand. We want transparency and openness in government. We will force the issue with the district to open the audit to the public. While you hide under your sheets, there are those who wont back down.
imagrad
thanks your support and messages of encouragement.
I knew it was always gonna be a tough discussion with a Watchdog - especially on this board.
Like you, I have no idea IF the concepts you raised about tax cutting, expense cutting and teacher raises in post 103 have any traction . . . . .you at least explored the subject in greater detail than any of the Watchdogs!!!
I too have done some rough math and came to the same conclusion as you - - - if its all about saving less than $10 a month from my tax bill - thats not enough to risk jumping into the abyss of the type of uncertainty Watchdogs will present.
It continues to mystify me why the Watchdogs continue to underestimate and to an extent also insult he average voter’s intelligence in claiming the Watchdogs manifesto is continually defeated because otherwise ordinary, intelligent and successful people are being deceived by not buying into an undeclared and untried fix to syatem that many do not feel is broken
Thanks again and keep up the good work !!!
smg – I think maybe you got to Mr. Muller as he didn’t resort to name calling in post #105. Maybe he will attempt to be civil and have an open an honest dialogue from here on out so I think we should give it one more try here on this blog. Oh wait, I just went back to reread his post and saw that nasty L word again. I just don’t understand why he calls everyone who does not agree with him a Liberal. I guess if you believe in limited government intervention in our lives, free market solutions to economic issues and minimal taxation and regulation you some how cannot be Conservative if you also believe in and support your local public school system.
By the way, I hope those “cuts” don’t gain any traction as the results might not be to the liking of many with kids in this district.
Hope you had a good weekend!
Mr. Muller: You have failed to really answer any of my questions I have posed to you as well as those of others, so why should I waste my time answering any of yours. I am interested in a dialogue, but not a monologue. Tell you what I’m going to do because I really do want to have an open and honest dialogue for the betterment of our community. I’ll go ahead and answer your nagging question about that letter and then I’ll pose one back to you. If you answer my question, which will be a fairly simple one, then I will know that you are truly interested in having an open and honest dialogue.
Here’s my response to Mr. Duhon’s letter. Without a doubt, there is a discrepancy between what each party is saying. Without additional evidence there is no way to find out who is telling the truth. It’s a case of He said, He said. This isn’t as simple as reviewing some security tapes that would easily and clearly show right from wrong. So, based on that let’s look at possible supporting facts and circumstantial evidence at best.
Mr. Law, like yourself, is part of the Watchdogs and I believe on many occasions you have referred to yourselves as “fiscal conservatives”. If we can agree that Mr. Law and company are “fiscal conservatives” then please read on. From a fiscal conservative standpoint, it is easy to see why one would “support the sale” of the property in question. According the Harris County records the land is worth at least $10,000,000; probably more once all the roadway construction is completed in the next 12 months. At a $1 Million /Acre that land could fetch $20,000,000 on the open market. This is enough to pay for a brand new elementary with twice the capacity of the current one.
So, from the purely fiscal conservative point of view, which I believe you, Mr. Law and your fellow Watchdogs proudly proclaim you are; one could easily conclude that it is a very strong and distinct possibility that Mr. Law did in fact make a statement regarding supporting the sale of this property. As a fiscal conservative it would be the right thing to do. There is no way to determine fact from fiction here so all I have to look at is the circumstantial evidence surrounding this matter. I know you will not support my analysis of this situation much as you have ignored my analysis regarding the wide margin of victory in position 3.
OK, I have answered your question as to what I thought of the letter. Whether or not you agree with my assessment of the situation is irrelevant. I have done as you asked and answered your question, so now all I ask is that you extend me the same courteous.
Here’s my simple and straight forward little question that has published facts that can be used to answer it. Will you please agree with and acknowledge back to me that TAKS scores in Katy ISD actually increased last year. Yes, we know the ranking dropped, but will you please publicly state and agree that the overall average TAKS score in Katy ISD increased last year. Ranking aside, one might consider this an improvement in education and it would be gracious of you to acknowledge this improvement that was accomplished in the district last year.
I’m patiently awaiting your reply and maybe question #2 as well so we can continue to have a dialogue and not a monologue.
I understand that there are breached with the eSlate machines, JBCs and other issues that totally throw this election into doubt. I will move this to the District court to settle this on Monday.
With so few votes, all should have been completed by 8:00pm and in the HQ no later than 9:00pm and a few were not in until 11:30pm…. just enought to throw this into doubt and question…..
WATCH the election was tainted…. It does not matter which side… it will be invalidated.
Come November we can go at it again…. and then get more than just the employees and contractors to vote!
imagrad
totally agree with your last para in 107
As to the “Duhon” letter . . . .
My spin on this is that it is a totally and utterly legitimate letter to present to voters.
Mr Duhon and the other incumbents were in an election campaign where their challengers were continually claiming that they would cut costs identified by them as wastage but refused to share information as to what the cuts would be, or what impact those cuts would have.
Despite being requested in print, in public, in person and by the media what specific costs would be reduced, or what cuts their plan entailed, the CLOUT Slate continued to treat their plan as some sort of elitist inside secret and chose to keep voters in the dark as to their plans. (I still believe this is precisely why they were defeated at the polls, but I digress)
The public, to whom the Slate of Three relied on to vote them in were left with no concrete or measurable criteria on how to evaluate the challengers programs. Anything and everything was therefore presumed to be in line for the chop.
Anything and everything could be shutting the Merrell Center down (to save costs), could be paving over the Tennis Courts of State Champions Taylor and charging students to park there (costs savings on maintenance plus raises revenue), could be same for Rhodes Stadium and forcing everyone to play at Tiger Stadium (costs savings for less ‘fitted-out’ stadium), could be charging students clubs to use school premises for after hours meetings (revenue satisfies maintenance /janitorial costs), could be selling all of KISD buses and outsourcing same function to van-pools (massive savings on liability insurance, fuel, labor), could be making three-day weekends the norm and initiating year-round schooling, could be increasing thermostat settings in May/Aug/Sept to 75deg (oops a sensible one slipped in there - sorry) . . . . and yes even selling Wolfe - who was to know ??
You are correct in stating “It’s a case of He said, He said” Perhaps Mr. Law did say what was claimed, perhaps he didn’t. Without corroborating evidence we go nowhere
BUT
I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the CLOUT Slate, as the direct consequence of purposely vague and intentionally misleading election claims
As far as I’m concerned, if Mr. Duhon was guilty of anything it was for falling into the trap craftily and purposely set by the CLOUT Three, which was for one of the incumbents to make a public guess as to what these miscreants were going to cut.
Conspiratorially yours,
smg
foolme
You understand nothing and are just spouting empty rhetoric like the rest. I believe there was a delay in reporting results and I believe if you actually research the facts (I know that is something hard for those aligned with the slate/dogs to do at times) you will discover that everything was done by the book and there are no tainted results as you state so fallaciously. Quit wasting people’s time with baseless and misleading statements. Oh wait, I forgot, that is just the dogs SOP.
smg
Shall we start a countdown clock as to when Mr. Muller will respond in kind? Two of us have now answered his question as to what our take on the letter was. Excellent analysis on both our parts I might add. If he fails to honestly answer my simple question, then we know we are dealing with an unreasonable person who is not interested in an open and honest dialogue about how best to continue and continually improve the excellence of education in Katy ISD.
imagrad
112
Quite frankly Mr. Muller’s response has no interest to me. He has made himself irrelevant to this discussion as a result of his continuing inability to restrain himself from personal attacks feebly excused by him as low brow humor. I responded to the “Duhon Letter” because, like you I made it an issue in previous posts, therefore it warranted the respect a reply. The politeness of that protocol was probably lost on the likes of he.
As for foolme’s comments - didnt understand them - too disjointed to make sense of.
Smug and ingrate
My names for you are terms of affections for those who live in the shadows and throw stones. This district is not about you and your feelings. I am very much interested in honest dialogue. The problem is that you hide and behind names like pogo, smg, imagrad. For all we know, you are the same person that grew up with major insecurities, and pain derived from a very lonely and miserable high school, college and professional career. The best dialogue is to be open and meet with those who have different ideas. The district now admits the day after the election we are in financial crisis. If you really wanted dialogue, the Incumbent Slates Campaign would disgust you. (They had the same signs, past out the same literature, same mailers, and made false accusations about the conservatives)
The first thing you could do is call for a town hall meeting and disscuss the new audit. (2) Ask the district to release the real drop out rate. (3) Discuss the real financial crisis and not blame the state. (Denounce the Incumbent Slate and censor their political actions. (4) Remind Mr. Frailey to stay out of the election process and pledge not to hamper open records. (5) Meet in the open with the press and other that may disagree with the direction of this district. Ms. Imagrad., and Ms. Smg this is not a Watchdog issue, they were hardly involved. Nearly fifty percent of the community is fed up with the corruption of the system. We are within 150 votes of honest change. Tell me more about the ballot box that was bad.
Mr. Muller
Please go back and read post #108. I had a simple straightforward question you were supposed to answer as part of this DIALOGUE, but as we have seen you are only continually interested in a monologue.
I have answered your question and still await a reply to my question. Until I receive a reply I am not interested in your monologue.
Also, sorry to disappoint you once again as I was very secure in my successful high school and college years that has also carried over to my professional career. Maybe it is you who is lonely and miserable with 3 defeats in a row (+1 more) under your belt, especially considering your line of work. Strike Three - You’re OUT!
Ms. Imagrad
The TAKS test should not be a tool to determine how well our district does. This is test of minimum standards that 30% of our kids cannot pass? You may not like the accountability system, but the district has bragged about it for years. Developers proudly sell property bragging about the rating. Some had realtor’s signs read KISD was exemplary. Wait till you see the results this years TAKS. Wait till you see the audit Frailey refuses to make public. Do you really believe that 92% of the KISD grads go to college? Do you really believe we have a 1% drop out rate? Do you really believe crime and drugs are down in KISD?
Liberals like yourself seem to take offense when people disagree with them. Now I know why you believed Duhon’s Snyder’s and Crockett’s false accusation of the conservative’s desire to shut down Wolfe.
The next bond will fail if the district does not become more truthful to the teachers and taxpayers. The May election will result in having two trustee’s elected that are responsible to the citizens.
Mr. Muller
You still haven’t answered my question from post #108. I will repeat it one more time just for you.
Here’s my simple and straight forward little question that has published facts that can be used to answer it. Will you please agree with and acknowledge back to me that TAKS scores in Katy ISD actually increased last year. Yes, we know the ranking dropped, but will you please publicly state and agree that the overall average TAKS score in Katy ISD increased last year. Ranking aside, one might consider this an improvement in education and it would be gracious of you to acknowledge this improvement that was accomplished in the district last year.
I am not interest in a monologue; I truly am interested in a dialogue, but with a reasonable person who will respond to reasonable questions. Also, even while you carry on this monologue I will continue to correct your blatant lies.
By the way, how do you sleep at night with your outright lies? Your statement of “This is test of minimum standards that 30% of our kids cannot pass?” is outright false, just like many of the claims made by you and the dogs. How do you expect people to believe anything you say when you make outlandish statements such as this. Please show me on the state website (http://www.tea.state.tx.us) where 30% of “our kids cannot pass”. There are a couple of subgroups that fall into this range but the passing rates for all students “our kids” in Katy ISD are as follows: Reading 95%, Writing 97%, Social Studies 95%, Mathematics 88% and Science 84%. Don’t you just hate it when the facts make you a liar?
By the way, drop the conservative vs. liberal crap. Most people in Katy are conservatives and I count myself among them. You just can’t stand it when your fellow conservatives don’t walk in step right behind you. You’ve been playing that same dumb card these last 2 years and keep coming up with nothing but jokers in your hand.
The next bond will pass (and it will be huge) and come next May you are correct, two will be elected who are responsible to ALL citizens as your lone special interest board member will not be re-elected.
I have to say, after reading through the posts about KISD, I’m glad I vote the way I do. I chose to vote for for the incumbents - not because they were the best option, but because I felt voting for the two candidates I wanted to see win would have assured positions to ’slate’ candidates. I never got the feeling the slate members had a platform. They offered soundbites, but never a solution. I don’t think they gave as much thought to their campaign as the posters of posts #103 and #110 did above. You may want to start a pot of coffee, this one might get long….
The one thing I wanted more than anything throughout the election was specifics. I have lived in Katy since the early 80’s. I grew up here and returned here to raise my family. I feel it is a great place and will remain so for many years to come.
I’ve followed local politics for all of my adult life. There are people in our community (some post on this message board and others) who are not happy and have not been happy for 15 years. They are entitled to their opinions - I just wish they would simply state facts rather than foam at the mouth with opinions. Most statements I’ve read from Watchdogs, “Conservative” slate members, Mr. Muller, and many others simply use smoke and mirrors. I think they are genuinely unhappy with the state of our schools and they are genuine in wanting to affect change but they can’t find real ways to make that happen. Thus, they would rather complain about trivial issues such as plasma TV’s, tractors, school zoning, etc.
I would like any of the district naysayers to list 10 specific things they do not like, what they would change about them, and how they would go about doing it.
Some people claim the acheivement of our students is lower than what it has been in the past. There are only a few standards to go by. One is the TAKS test. I don’t like the test as a parent, but at least everyone in the state takes the same thing. It’s a pretty good measuring stick as a result. The TEA post the district scores online. My humble U of H education tells me that based on what I see, the numbers are going up overall. To me, 88% passing is not bad. It’s like getting a B+ on your report card growing up: your parents always told you that you did a good job, but you still have room for improvement. One of the other measuring sticks is the SAT. The average SAT score of KISD students is a 1088. Not bad, but could probably improve somewhat. I’d love to see where that ranks among other districts in the state. I’d bet someone on this board a lunch at Double Daves that it’s in the 80th percentile or better.
The accountability ratings are a farce statewide. Naysayers point to the fact that it lowered from the previous year. Take a good hard look at how the rating is derived. We have schools where 99% of kids pass the TAKS test, yet the school is simply ‘acceptable’ based on the performance of a small group of kids. There could be 8-10 kids in a “subpop” and if 3 or 4 of them fail the TAKS, the school’s rating drops. That’s like a football team playing an entire game and, regardless of the final score, they win or lose the game based on how they did on a 2nd down in the middle of the 3rd quarter.
Many still say we have the highest tax rate in the state and that it is at $2. I think everyone who has not been living in a cave knows the state lowered the tax rate across the board a couple of years ago in an attempt to ease the burden on property owners. We’re at $1.52 and again, the TEA website shows we’re not the highest. We’re close - but to me it’s worth it for the product my kids and your kids are receiving.
I read posts like those from Mr. Muller that state the crime rate in KISD is up. Yet everything posted by KISD, TEA, and local media show that it is down. Mr. Muller, you seem to be a highly educated individual. I know you understand the value of providing a source for your statistics.
Mr. Muller claims the current superintendant was somehow involved in “electioneering” prior to the election based on an email that was sent out. My wife received that email and I read it. Mr. Frailey encouraged everyone to educate themselves as to the facts of the race and to exercise their right to vote (I’m paraphrasing). I took this at face value. Neither my wife nor I took the email as any type of persuasion to vote for incumbents. Anyone who did either didn’t read the email or is simply looking for reasons to discredit the sender and the district. If you feel Mr. Frailey was in violation of any laws, as an election official, you should pursue having charges pressed. As Mr. Frailey is still walking the streets a free man, I can only assume in your heart you know he did nothing wrong.
I’m sorry to run this for so long. I guess I just wish some people would either put up or shut up. If things in our district are so bad - do something about it. Become a substitute teacher, mentor at risk kids, read to elementary classes, volunteer in a workroom …… do something. Get off the computer and DO SOMETHING.
KISD Parent
That was a good pot of coffee, I enjoyed it. However, I believe it is wishful thinking to have the naysayers of the district list 10 specific things they do not like ALONG with WHAT they would change and HOW they would go about doing it, supported by facts of course. We know they can list 10(if not 100) things they do not like about the district, but we also know they can never backup their dislikes with fact based solutions to the issues are hand. If they actually could, then some people might actually start to listen to them and believe them. When they blatantly lie as Mr. Muller did in his last post about 30% failure rate on TAKS how can they ever expect to be believed. What’s that childhood story – oh yeah, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. After you tell so many lies, people will refuse to believe you not matter what you say and how loud you say it.
The reason Mr. Muller complained of Mr. Frailey “electioneering” is that Mr. Frailey put the facts before the voters and asked the voters to check the facts themselves. You see, whenever anyone takes the time to discover the facts they soon realize that the dogs and their slate are full of nothing but hot air and meaningless 30 second sound bites. Since Mr. Frailey was encouraging people to look at the facts it was viewed by Mr. Muller to be an endorsement of the incumbents as the facts clearly refuted most of what many of slate members could muster up. The citizens of Katy are smart people who were not easily fooled by the slight-of-hand by the watchdogs and company.
As you acknowledged, our taxes, while not the highest, are high, but we feel we get a good bang for our buck. Most people moving here in the last several years did their homework and could have moved to cheaper taxing districts (all of our surrounding district neighbors for example), yet chose Katy and Katy ISD. Those drastic cuts I theorized in my earlier post (#103) is not something I’m willing to consider in order to save me $100 a year, less than $10/Month. Heck, in order to pay the teachers more I’d be willing to give the district another $100 a year to accomplish that goal - in the hopes of course that it would continue to bring the brightest and most energetic teaching minds to our district in order to enrich the lives of our children.
I also concur with your closing comments about put up or shut up. Quite frankly I’d prefer they just shut up as I would not want people with that kind if negative attitude involved with our children and our teachers. A spoiled rotten apple can stink up and then ruin the whole bushel. A negative team member is never good for the overall team as it has the potential to bring the whole team down. The watchdogs have done more to divide this community then help it in any way, shape or form. Their contempt for this district really makes you wonder why they choose to live here. Why would anyone live in a place that makes them so mean and miserable?
Keep up the positive influence here and in the community and in our schools!