The Texas 18th District Blog

Unfortunately my son (23) comes from a broken home, as I did and many of us do.

Not long ago he announced plans to marry his long time sweetheart (a sweet angel).  They also had their eyes on an expensive townhouse just before the mortgage collapse. Fortunately, both myself and his future father-in-law worked separately and convinced them not to cast themselves into that mire.

On top of that, this will be an expensive formal “storybook” wedding in difficult financial times where an old crusty codger like me might prefer they spend any and all affluence toward a starter home like they might do back in the times of “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best”.

And more on top of that, the rehersal dinner is now planned for 60 or so, well exceeding immediate family, encroaching on what a rehersal dinner aught to be; an intimate and private ceremony for immediate family only.

When expressing my concerns there to my son’s biological grandmother (my mother), wisdom prevailed when she convinced me that although it may not weigh in heavily on the practical side, it will be a beautiful ceremony extolling the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman in a time when that union is under attact from some factions. She went on noting that especially for a couple to make those expenditures in difficult economic times further extends their individual and cohesive commitment to express their vows to each other publicly in an unforgettable manner, honoring that sacred union with their best.

I suppose I have good material for the “Father of the Groom” toast now come May 17th, 2008.

Ken 

Charlton Heston passed away this last weekend at the age of 84, survived by his wife Lydia of 64 years and their children.

Most people remember him for his epic roles in a number of movies, but he was also a lifelong champian of both Civil Rights and 2nd Amendment Rights. He was a staunch supporter of Civil Rights, the humanities, freedom of speech and the right to own and bear arms.

He is fairly well known for his latter role as President of the NRA (National Rifle Association). Just below Charlton Heston is seen in that role making an acceptance speech after being presented a commemorative rifle and exclaiming; “From my cold dead hands”.

Charlton Heston acted on his civil rights convictions, marching along with Martin Luther King in a number of rallies including the famous 1963 civil rights march on Washington D.C. as pictured below with Marlon Brando, James Baldwin, and Harry Belafonte:

Again and again, he proved himself a knowledeable and effective speaker and leader, but rejected suggestions that he run for political office. “I’d rather play a senator than be one,” he said.

Citing growing differences with the Democratic party he became a Republican in 1987.

Mr. Heston frequently spoke out against what he saw as evidence of the decline and debasement of American culture. In 1992, appalled by the lyrics in “Cop Killer” a recording by the rap artist Ice T, he blasted the album at a Time Warner stockholders meeting and was a prominent force in having it withdrawn from the marketplace.

In December of 1997, as the keynote speaker at the 20th anniversary gala of the Free Congress Foundation, Mr. Heston described “a cultural war” raging across America, “storming our values, assaulting our freedoms, killing our self-confidence in who we are and what we believe.”

In my opinion Charlton Heston was a true American hero, fighting for freedom and justice with every chance he had, waging war against oppression of any kind. He always stood up for what was right at any cost, well before it was fashionable.

I believe that his acting career simply financed his main objectives in life. He was definitely a man you can ”footnote” with the keywords; “Personal Integrity”.

Ken

Ref - Wikipedia; “Charlton Heston” for a more complete history, bio and links. 

It was interesting this week watching Bernanke’s testimony. I don’t believe the general public knows how close our economy came to a potential disaster of epic proportions of which could have rivaled the Great Depression or worse.

Bear Stearns was one of the top 5 Investment Banking entities in the U.S. Even as a young company formed in 1923, they weathered the Great Depression, yet they were taken down almost overnight. It’s a scarey scenario when there’s a liquidity run on a major investment bank. That could have easily transferred to other investment banks and imploded into the “street”. Without the FDIC increasing depository guarantee levels for decades, an implosion could have ignited fast and furious on the “street”.

In my opinion a great deal of what Bernanke’s administration is dealing with was inherited from the Greenspan regime. They went way overboard with their last sequential rate hike inquisition while not being tapped into some of the more “Real Time” tools that have become more available in the digital arena, while not seeming to fully comprehend or anticipate the depth of the inevitable time delay associated with their economic policy actions.

At first glance Bernanke seemed “green behind the ears” to many, but on the other hand Greenspan was never faced with as critical an issue that had to be acted upon in such a short time, especially one that had such dire potential.

“Fed Head” Bernanke seems to have passed the test. I was impressed in several  ways this week while watching the testimony:

• Bernanke seems to have settled into a comfortable position and conveys a demeanor of control even in difficult financial times.
• Bernanke conveys a decisive character as a man of action.
• He seems to be drawing on more “real time” input than Greenspan did, including those provided by the business community.
• The Bernanke regime pulled many entities together including all the actors that need to play out in this scenario, seemingly overnight.

The list goes on, but I was particularly impressed by what seemed to be a stronger allignment, a continuum of governing bodies including the FED, the SEC and various Banking entities. I don’t recall another scenario where I have seen such a confluence of diverse governing agencies come together with agreement and difinitive action in my lifetime.

I believe the credit goes primarily to Bernanke’s organization there. This was a monumental test and I believe he passed with flying colors, above and beyond expectations.

The economy has some tough issues to face and there are many unanswered questions yet, but it should be reassuring for investors and Americans on the “street” seeing how these governing entities have come together to avert financial disaster within the last 2 weeks.

Engineer2

The 18th Congressional District has been a growing diaster of neglect for 13 years now and the current employee who heads that position must be terminated this November. In speaking to practically every neighborhood in the said District, the responses reflect outrage and disgust with Sheila Jackson-Lee. She does absolutely nothing to address the concerns/issues of her constituency; be they elderly, veterans, small businesses, the poor, public housing, etc., they will not get any help from Jackson-Lee. When I reviewed her Congressional record for the 13 years she has held the said job, I found that she has introduced 206 bills. Only one has become law and it is to allow a bust of Sojourner Truth he stationed in the hall or foyer of the Congress. But as I researched more I realized 92 of those bills did not have one co-signer. That’s nearly half of her bills that she could not find another Congress member to support her on. Further research uncovered that Jackson-Lee re-introduced the same 4-5 bills year after year, so actually, she had fewer bills as the surface indicates. Bills introduced really do not appear to help the 18th Congressional District. In conclusion, if Jackson-Lee is not working for the best interests of the constituency of the 18th Congressional District, who hired her, then where is she? Who is she really employed by? When in Houston you may find Jackson-Lee on TV or radio being covered by the sheeple media. Jackson-Lee talks much but won’t squeeze cotton to help her constituency. Her office staff are inaffective and unprofessional while no clue to what follow up means–unless it is working on the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton. Spread the word that applicants are being interviewed for the job of Congress for the 18th District. Jonn Faulk is the finalist for the said job and it is up to the disgruntled employer, the constituency of the 18th District, to hire him this November.

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