School Vouchers

This is an interesting blog that has a piece on school vouchers.

The Yin Blog

The blog counters the argument that supply and demand will somehow result in more good schools if school vouchers were given to poor parents. In theory, the vouchers would allow the parents to send their children to a good school. It may be that creating more good schools would take more resources than the tuitions that the schools could charge in the market place. There may be an irreducible cost of hiring and retaining good teachers, and, the vouchers would not provide enough for the necessary tuition.

Providing Public Education...A Modest Proposal. -Tung Yin.

Providing good public education was once seen as a public good and a necessity.

In the market place it is competition that drives down the cost of services, such as education. But, education is not really what one would call a commodity, such as oil. It takes more to provide something as sophisticated as an education than simply pumping oil out of the ground, or trucking in a haul of lumber.

In the services industry, corporations strive to differentiate themselves from their competitors with excellence. They do this so that they can charge a premium for their services.

Good schools are usually institutions that have been around for decades, if not centuries. They have hired and retained people of considerable talent over a long time period. Often, they were founded for some mission other than making a profit. The supply of good educations is limited, and, the demand for it is high.

Deadline for Registering to Vote

Presidential Election, Tuesday, November 4, 2008

• Deadline for Registering to Vote in this Election:
  Monday, October 6, 2008
• Submit Applications to Vote by Mail in this Election:
  Friday, September 5, 2008 through Tuesday, October 28, 2008
• Early Voting in Person for this Election:
  Monday, October 20, 2008 through Friday, October 31, 2008

Endorsements

The Caucus

The Houston GLBT Political Caucus PAC is pleased to announce a special early slate of endorsed candidates for the November 4, 2008 election.

• United States President
  Barack Obama

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• US Senate
  Rick Noriega
• US Congressional District 7
  Michael Skelly
• US Congressional District 10
  Larry Joe Doherty
• US Congressional District 18
  Sheila Jackson-Lee

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• Texas Supreme Court Pl. 7
  Sam Houston
• Texas Supreme Court Pl. 8
  Linda Yañez

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• Texas State Senator District 11
  Joe Jaworski
• Texas State Senator District 17
  Chris Bell

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• State Representative District 127
  Joe Montemayor
• State Representative District 129
  Sherrie Matula
• State Representative District 133
  Kristi Thibaut
• State Representative District 134
  Ellen Cohen
• State Representative District 135
  Trey Fleming
• State Representative District 138
  Ginny McDavid
• State Representative District 140
  Armando Walle
• State Representative District 145
  Carol Alvarado
• State Representative District 147
  Garnet Coleman
• State Representative District 148
  Jessica Farrar
• State Representative District 149
  Hubert Vo

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• Chief Justice, 14th Court of Appeals
  Joe Beverly
• 1st Court of Appeals, Pl. 3
  Jim Sharp
• 1st Court of Appeals, Pl. 5
  Leslie Taylor
• 14th Court of Appeals, Pl. 4
  Bert Moser
• 14th Court of Appeals, Pl. 7
  Martin Siegel
• District Judge, 11th (Civil)
  Mike Miller
• District Judge, 55th (Civil)
  Dion Ramos
• District Judge, 61st (Civil)
  Al Bennett
• District Judge, 80th (Civil)
  Larry Weiman
• District Judge, 125th (Civil)
  Kyle Carter
• District Judge, 127th (Civil)
  R.K. Sandill
• District Judge, 129th (Civil)
  Michael Gomez
• District Judge, 151st (Civil)
  Mike Engelhart
• District Judge, 152th (Civil)
  Robert Schaffer
• District Judge, 164th (Civil)
  Alexandra Smoots-Hogan
• District Judge, 174th (Criminal)
  Ruben Guerrero
• District Judge, 176th (Criminal)
  Shawna Reagin
• District Judge, 178th (Criminal)
  David Mendoza
• District Judge, 179th (Criminal)
  Randy Roll
• District Judge, 190th (Civil)
  Andres Pereira
• District Judge, 215th (Civil)
  Steve Kirkland
• District Judge, 312th (Family)
  Robert Hinojosa
• District Judge, 333th (Civil)
  Goodwille Pierre
• District Judge, 334th (Civil)
  Ashish Mahendru
• District Judge, 337th (Criminal)
  Herb Ritchie
• District Judge, 338th (Criminal)
  Hazel Jones
• District Judge, 339th (Criminal)
  Maria T. Jackson
• District Judge, 351st (Criminal)
  Mekisha Murray

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• District Attorney
  Brad Bradford
• County Judge
  David Mincberg
• County Attorney
  Vince Ryan
• District Clerk
  Loren Jackson
• County Sheriff
  Adrian Garcia
• County Tax Assessor-Collector
  Diane Trautman

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• County School Trustee, Pos. 5
  Debra Kerner

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• County Commissioner, Pct. 3
  Dexter Handy
• Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 Pl. 1
  Dale Gorczynski
• Justice of the Peace, Pct. 6 Pl. 1
  Richard Vara
• Justice of the Peace, Pct. 7 Pl. 1
  Hilary Green
• Constable, Pct. 1
  Jack Abercia
• Constable, Pct. 7
  May Walker

Volunteering for the Chris Bell Campaign

I volunteered phone banking for the Chris Bell campaing for Special Election for District 17 today. Pictured near the water cooler is me, Jim. To the left is Justin Brown of HRC. He is also pictured by himself. The campaign headquarters are at: 4019 S. Braeswood

Peak Oil

This image is from Wikipedia.

What is the hoopla about Peak Oil?

Books like The Long Emergency, by James Howard Kunstler, describe a bleak future after we have reached Global Peak Oil. This is the point at which we, on planet Earth extract oil at the highest rate we ever will. By definition, at no point after that will we extract it at a higher rate. In fact, the rate will decline rapidly.

In The Long Emergency, Malthus is mentioned. His essay proposed that human populations grow exponentially in an environment of plentiful food. After that, we have the Malthusian Catastrophe if and when the food production fails to keep pace with the population growth.

I remember my high school biology teacher asking the class, if a bacteria is growing in a petri dish, and it only takes it an hour to fill the dish, and it's population doubles every minute, then, at what minute will the dish be half full? (Answer: minute 59.)

As the rate of oil extraction declines it is believed that life will become more difficult due to a reversal in the Green Revolution which is based on the availability of cheap fossil fuels such as methane. This is one of the points Kunstler makes in his book.

I see the wisdom of the current trend of people buying more organic food. They may be unwitting visionaries. This trend is in anticipation of cheap pesticides no longer being available, and, an old way of farming, hopefully benefiting from our new wisdom, coming back into vogue.

Humanity will have to be smarter and more efficient in how the energy that planet Earth provides is utilized. Food that you eat will be grown locally. Transporting consumer goods across the globe will be a thing of the past. Suburbia will fade into the mist of picturesque memory.

And, I think, there will be quite a few more windmills in West Texas, cranking out electricity. Our economic system will no longer be based on cheap oil which was really subsidized by bloated military adventures anyway.

Perhaps, in the near future, people's skills will be utilized maintaining a sustainable electrical grid and repairing windmills. For this, Texas has a unique geographical advantage. We are at the wind corridor. We have plenty of sunlight for solar generation. And, there is still the long coastline and harbors.

Perhaps Galveston will once again become a charming Victorian city sustained by the commerce brought on ships. What is old may become new again. Perhaps.

Interesting Sites for Further Reading:
Student Magazine of Otaga University

Terms:
Global Peak Oil: When half the oil that has ever existed in the world is gone.

Volunteering for The Caucus

I volunteer for, and am a member of The Caucus. It is the oldest organization of its kind in the south. The purpose of The Caucus a.k.a HGLBT PAC is to promote the civil rights of the GLBT community (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans-gender.)

The Caucus

There are many things that The Caucus does to promote the civil rights of the GLBT community. We screen candidates using a questionnaire, endorse candidates that are sympathetic to our rights, work to ensure that voters are registered. And, finally, we work on behalf of candidates to help them get elected.

Our Rights

Our rights, in the GLBT community, and the rights of everyone really are under siege. As two examples I will use Habeas Corpus, and FISA. These relate to the right to not be imprisoned without due process, and, be secure in our letters and effects. While FISA was an existing law in the US that provided some compromises to our right to privacy, Habeas Corpus dates back to the 13th century, and, an English king.

Habeas Corpus became part of Common law which is a tradition upon which our nation's laws are based. FISA dates to the 1970s, and, provided that the President could spy on us only under certain circumstances. He had to get the permission of a judge, sometimes after the fact. Habeas established a very broad right. FISA compromised the right to privacy, but, maintained that the President could not spy on anyone and everyone at will.

Both Habeas Corpus and our right to privacy have been severely infringed upon under the Bush Administration. Although, there has been a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding Habeas Corpus that may have re-established it. The fact that the Bush Administration has been spending seven years skating on the edge should bring comfort to no one.

The authors of the U.S. Constitution recognized that the powerful tended to aggrandize power unto themselves and provided for a separation of powers, checks and balances, to counteract this fact.

GLBT Rights

If the government can take away the rights of a certain group, for example the GLBT communities' rights, can they take away the rights of anyone? What about the right to marry someone of a different race? Did we always have that right?

If we do not stand up for each others rights, soon, we will have no rights of our own. Help organizations like The Caucus and strengthen all our rights. We are in the same boat. If we crash upon the rocks we are all sunk.

Terms:

Habeas Corpus: Can be thought of as "Show me the body." It keeps the powerful from locking people away indefinitely without legal proceedings. Dating from the 13th century, this is how you challenge your own imprisonment.

The Caucus address for volunteering: 1915 Commonwealth at Welch, Suite 104

FISA: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Outlines under what circumstances our phones may be tapped.

Flag Image: From Wikipedia.

GPO Access -An annotated text of the US Constitution

http://www.motherjones.com/toc/2008/09/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_carta

Wind Energy

Anyone who doubts the power of wind energy should go on a sail-boat race on a beautiful sunny day in the ocean. It is an exhilarating sensation being propelled on the water merely by a sail suspended from a mast and positioned by ropes by a skilled sailor.

Wind energy has been used by human-kind, quite possibly, since 5,000 B.C. through the invention of sails for boats on the Nile. This skill has been passed on from one society to another during the course of human history.

Have you notice that plants located near a swimming pool are less likely to freeze during a frost than ones located further away? Water is a more efficient heat-sink than land. Land heats up faster from the sunlight than water, and, loses it's heat more quickly at night. Wind is produced by the differential heating during the day, and, cooling at night.

Just as the prevailing winds had been a strong influence on history and trade, these winds over land will shape our future and commerce. More to the point, there are good locations for wind farms in West Texas.

"...Texas has been given preliminary approval for a $4.9 billion plan to build transmission lines to carry wind power from West Texas to urban areas such as Dallas." -Clean Technica.com

Vestas Wind Systems will open a research facility in Houston. -Off the Kuff

Wind power is simply the product of solar energy as it heats the earth's surface in an uneven manner due to the differing properties of the water of the Oceans and land. Earth's geographical features are relatively fixed, changing over eons, so, there are predictable, prevailing winds.

Just as good sailors know the locations of the trade winds, and guide their boats by the stars, we can rely on the new application of a reliable energy source, through a refined technology, to safely arrive at the future of commerce in Texas.

Interesting Links

The Pickens Plan

Helium.com: wind-energy

cleantechnica.com: wind-power-superhighway/

Tom Delay's Redistricting Juggernaut

Texas is a minority majority state. As of August 11, 2005, racial and ethnic minorities are in the majority.

I read in the Texas Observer that after the 2000 census, judges drew the redistricting boundaries for Texas. Soon afterward, a Republican majority was elected to the State House and they forced a partisan redistricting plan through.

The redistricting marginalized minority voters. They were effectively scuttled into a few districts, or districts with large Republican leaning majorities.

Tom Delay was the master-mind behind the redistricting, according to A Lesson in Self-Destruction, by Arnold Hamilton.

The Voting Rights Act:

In 2006 the Supreme Court of the United States upheld most of the redistricting. The case was League of United Latin American Ciizens et al. v. Perry, Governor of Texas, et al. It was decided June 28th, 2006. Some adjustments had to be made to the redistricting because of the ruling. But, the plan still marginalized the Hispanic vote.

In 1990, Republicans had received 47% of the statewide vote, the Democrats 51%. The 1990 census resulted in a 3-seat increase over the 27 seats previously allotted Texas. The Legislature drew a congressional redistricting plan favoring the Democrats. It was challenged as unconstitutional without success.

The 2000 census allowed for two additional congressional seats for Texas. The legislature, controlled by Democrats, was unable to pass a redistricting scheme. The plan would have to comply with the 1-person 1-vote requirement by the U.S. constitution. The Federal District Court tried to apply a neutral plan, 1151C. It would have resulted in a 17-15 Democratic majority.

In 2003 Republicans gained control of both houses. The Legislature enacted 1374C, which was challenged in court due to constitutional and statutory violations. The case was partially successful.

In Houston, the Hispanic population has been expanding relative to that of Anglo's. According to Wikipedia, 37 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latin.



Links of Interest:

Texas on the Potomac

Texas Observer

Demographic of Houston: Wikipedia

The New York Times

Election Law Blog

Help Michael Skelly -Donate Now!

Help Michael Skelly by making a Donation Today!

Donate!

Michael Skelly is the Democratic Candidate for US Congress for Texas's 7th District. He came to the U.S. with his family from Ireland when he was 2 years old. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and, Harvard Business School.

Michael Skelly transformed Horizon Wind Energy into a multi-billion dollar leader in wind energy generation. It is the third largest wind energy-generation company in the country, and, will be generating enough energy for one million American homes. Horizon Wind Energy has a significant presence in Texas, and, generates valuable jobs as well has powering our electric grid and increasing our power security.

Help provide new energy for Congress. Elect Michael Skelly!

HB 3678 School Prayer

HB 3678

HB 3678 Relates to School Prayer in Public Schools. It amends the Education Code.

HB 3678 has been enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas. This Act is called the "Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act," or, the "Schoolchildren's Religious Liberties Act."

HB 3678 was authored by Rep. Charlie Howard, and, it was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry August of 2007.

The American Atheists of Texas are having a Texas Freethought Convention. It will be in Austin, Sunday, October 26.

David and Shannon Wallace Croft are suing to have the mandatory moment of silence law in the Texas State Education Code removed. Their attorney, Dean Cook, filed the petition on March 10th, 2006. This petition seeks to have the law ruled unconstitutional. They lost this suit, but, appealed on May 27th, 2008.

A link to David and Shannon Wallace's informative website is below. It mentions Wallace v. Jaffree, 1985, a lawsuit setting a precedent that will hopefully help their case. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that this Alabama law, similar to the one we now have in Texas, was unconstitutional.

Interesting Web Sites:

American Atheists

Moment of Silence: David Wallace Croft

About.com Atheism Story