Monday, September 10, 2007

Remembering Aaron Pena and The Craddick 15

Every time a child gets kicked off CHIP, remember the Craddick 15.
When your public schools are once again under-funded, remember the Craddick 15.

When teachers are denied a real pay raise, and their health insurance once again fails to get restored, remember the Craddick 15.

When Jim Leininger forces the Texas House to endure a bloody floor fight on his risky private school voucher scheme, remember the Craddick 15.

When a Craddick lieutenant kills the ethics bill, remember the Craddick 15.

Every time you read an article about Craddick's corruption, self-dealing, being in business with a lobbyist, or collecting rent from a state contractor, remember the Craddick 15.

When Hartnett tries to outlaw a woman's right to choose, remember the Craddick 15.

When Chisum uses the $14 billion "surplus" to buy down the property taxes of Bob Perry, Louis Beecherl, and Exxon Mobil, instead of restoring health care benefits for kids, or teachers, or the elderly, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see Jim Leininger, Bob Perry, Louis Beecherl, Dick Weekly, and the other right-wing "owners" sitting in the owners box, remember the Craddick 15.

When the sales tax gets raised to pay for property and business tax cuts for Republican contributors, remember the Craddick 15.

When Branch changes a school finance formula to take money from poor school districts so Highland Park can build a new natatorium, remember the Craddick 15.

When Phil King tries to outlaw stem cell research, remember the Craddick 15.

When kids can't afford to go to a state college because of the skyrocketing price of tuition, remember the Craddick 15.

When homeowner insurance rates continue to skyrocket, remember the Craddick 15.

When a coal plant gets built in your back yard, remember the Craddick 15.

Every time Craddick makes a mockery of the House Rules, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see Denise Davis overrule a valid point of order, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see Nancy Fisher berate a member, remember the Craddick 15.

When machines malfunction and arms are broken in public after close votes, remember the Craddick 15.

When the open meetings law is ignored, and Craddick lieutenants cut deals in the back halls in secret, remember the Craddick 15.

When tolls roads are built through minority neighborhoods, remember the Craddick 15.

When farmers lose their land through imminent domain so those toll roads can be built, remember the Craddick 15.

When the El Paso Medical School fails to get funded, remember the Craddick 15.

When promises made to the Valley don't get funded, remember the Craddick 15.

When appraisal caps are imposed on local governments, remember the Craddick 15.

When utility rates fail to get reduced and the poor and elderly in Houston and Dallas start dying from the heat this summer because they can't afford to pay double the national average for electricity, remember the Craddick 15.

When the lobbyist that Tom Craddick is in business with lands a new lobby client, remember the Craddick 15.

When another state contractor moves into a building owned by Craddick, remember the Craddick 15.

When the Office of State Federal Relations hires another former staffer of Tom DeLay, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see any nutty bill on the floor authored by Frank Corte, Bill Zedler, or Sid Miller, remember the Craddick 15.

When Leo Berman causes racial unrest on the House floor with his "round `em up and throw `em out" solution to immigration, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see Beverly Wooley at the front microphone (with her designer blouse and her Dooney Burke purse) bumble her way through every calendars committee announcement, remember the Craddick 15.

When you watch the comic attempts by Norma and Kino to run a committee, remember the Craddick 15.

When you watch Midland get a multi-million dollar appropriation added to the budget around the end of May, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see a high school basketball team from a minority school represented by a Democrat denied access to the House floor, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see a story about a kid dying at CPS because they are still under-funded, remember the Craddick 15.

When you see the Enterprise Fund invest in some Midland deal, remember the Craddick 15.

When you have to endure a self-serving, pseudo-intellectual history lesson from Aaron Pena, remember the Craddick 15.

Every time you see a Republican lobbyist kissing Patrick Rose's ass, and calling him "Mr. Chairman", remember the Craddick 15.

When you see Bill Ceverha, a bankrupt lobbyist who ran Tom DeLay's TRMPAC, get re-appointed to manage a state fund worth $21 billion dollars, remember the Craddick 15.

Every time you're sitting on your toilet, think about Craddick sitting on his $1000 toilet that was paid for by special interest money and remember the Craddick 15.

Votes have consequences, and none more so than the vote for Speaker. I don't know how any real Democrat can sleep at night having supported Tom Craddick. To the Craddick 15, I say you failed your constituents, you failed your party, you failed yourselves, and you failed the test of leadership. Texans will suffer the consequences of your selfishness.