The Texas 18th District Blog

The Gerrymandered shape of our district.  Texas 18th wikipedia

I don’t know what or who is in the donut hole but you can bet they are there for a political reason.  I saw a picture of a district in another state a couple of years ago where a congressional district was in two distinct pieces not even touching.  I think it was Georgia. Gerrymandering goes back over 150 years and probably longer.  Setting districts gets to be a problem because republicans want to be represented by a Republican, democrats want to be represented by a Democrat.  As you get away from populated areas territory has to be apportioned to provide fair representation to its scattered residents yet still within reach so there can be townhall meetings and local issues communicated.  Because it is a complex problem it will always be subject to manipulation.  Reapportioning is done sometimes in a manner to “sqeeze out” a representative from the party not in the majority in a state.  That’s what the big issue was after the last census in 2000.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes):

As I mentioned in a post a while back I was amazed when I went to the Social Security Office to register for my retirement benefits.  Easily of the approximately 100 or so people in there only about 6 were old (like me).  They had a separate line for SSI.  I had no idea what it was until I went home and told my wife.  They had a separate window for old timers.  When they asked how many in the room were there for retirement benefits about 6 of us raised our hands.  In the other line (SSI) people appeared to range in age from early twenties to about 50 years old.

If someone is disabled for whatever reason they should be helped.  If they recover from an injury or illness they should be removed from SSI and sent to the unemployment office for help finding a job. Twice in my life I was laid off and went to the unemployment office for job leads.  I also went to websites, job fairs and “head Hunters”. Work and self-sufficiency provides dignity.  I believe when someone lives off of another’s labors they feel some degree of guilt.  They suspect that others resent supporting them.  Then they resent the others resenting them. It leads to loss of self-respect and attitudinal issues for the recipient. If they want to find the proof of my statement let them go live off a family member for a while.  I’ll bet the family member gets tired of supporting them real quick and let’s them know it.

If someone is old and social security is inadequate then SSI may be necessary.  The amount you receive for social security depends on how much you or your spouse contributed while working.

SSI Eligibility

In order to be eligible to receive SSI benefits, an individual must prove the following:^[7]

• That he/she is age 65 or older, blind, or disabled
• That he/she legally resides in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Northern Mariana Islands or is the child of military parent(s) assigned to permanent duty outside of the US, or is a student (certain restrictions apply) temporarily abroad.
• That he/she has income and resources within certain limits (see subsections)
• The individual must also apply for the benefits.

Furthermore, an individual may find himself or herself ineligible if he/she is a resident of a public institution from the first day of a month through the last day of the same month,^[8] fails to apply for all other benefits for which he/she may be eligible (including Social Security benefits), has an unsatisfied warrant or violates parole conditions, fails to give SSA permission to contact any financial institution for financial records, or is outside the US for 30 consecutive days (with some exclusions).^[9] Numerous restrictions have been placed on who is eligible for the benefit, which is considered a welfare benefit. However, unlike social security benefits (Title II), earned work credits are not a requirement for SSI.^[10]

Democrats Show How To Turn Around The Economy? Start Here!!

Einstien once said,”The definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The following is from an article by Glenn Beck. What do the top ten cities with the highest poverty rate “all” have in common? Answer:Democratic leadership.

Detroit,MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since 1961. 

Buffalo,NY (2nd) has elected a Republican since 1954.

Cincinnati,OH (3rd) ……since 1984

Cleveland,OH (4th) ….since 1989

Miami,Fl (5th) has NEVER had a Republican mayor

St. Louis,MO (6th) …..since 1949

El Paso,TX (7th)….Has NEVER had a Republican mayor

Milwaukee,WI (8th) ….since 1908

Philadelphia,PA (9th) …..since 1952

Newark,NJ (10th) ….since 1907

Is it the disadvantaged who habitually elect Democrats, yet are still disadvantaged….hmmm…makes you wonder?

This are not made up statistics, just plain facts! The Democrats always promise BIG gains for the low income, poorer parts of our nation when they want to get elected! But, the REALITY is THEY NEVER MAKE IT BETTER!  Somehow, it would turn out to be Bush’s fault. Maybe, he is really a Democrat!!!

Too often they send democrat members to congress who assist with the maintenance of the status quo.

I found many links on this one but I chose Genn Beck here is is link.

More than ever before Americans need to elect members of Congress with strong financial backgrounds instead of lawyers who put us in this situation like Sheila Jackson Lee.

Sheila Jackson Lee believes “Taxpayer Money Grows on Trees” – SJL “Earmarks” for Fiscal Year 2009:

Subcommittee on Agriculture:

• $352,500 for Houston Zoo for Improved Quarantine Management Program
• $500,000 for Texas A&M University for North Harris County flood control
• $2,000,000 for Texas A&M University to reduce the threat of mosquito-borne diseases

Subtotal = $2,852,500

Subcommittee on Commerce, Science, Justice

• $500,000 for Upstart Productions for All Kids Count Program
• $2,000,000 for Texas Medical Center for emergency communications and mobility center
• $4,000,000 for Kids Peace Texas foster care and family services program
• $224,420 for Harris County Constable’s Department, Precinct Seven for gang task force
• $2,000,000 for Thurgood Marshall College Fund for Minority Science Initiative: NASA
• $300,000 for Harris County Constable’s Department, Precinct Seven for tracking sex offenders

Subtotal = $9,024,420

Subcommittee on Defense:

• $1,000,000 for Riverside General Hospital for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder
• $1,000,000 for the Center for Research on Minority Health for Asian American Needs Assessment
• $1,000,000 for the Center for Research on Minority Health for Prostate Cancer Outreach Project
• $5,000,000 for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund for the Defense Leadership and Technology Initiative
• $2,000,000 for the Taylor Foundation for Sickle Cell Research for funding for Sickle Cell research at Texas Children’s Hospital
• $5,000,000 for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund for the Security Clearance Compliant Recruitment Program Initiative

Subtotal = $15,000,000

Subcommittee on Energy and Water:

• $2,000,000 for University of Houston for Center for Clean Fuels and Power Generation
• $750,000 for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Life Flight Operations Center
• $66,700,000 for the Port of Houston for the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channels Project
• $15,000,000 for University of Houston for National Wind Energy Center
• $2,000,000 for The Thurgood Marshall College Fund for the Minority Science Initiative: Department of Energy
• $1,000,000 for Texas AgriLife Extension Service for Trinity Basin Environmental Restoration Reconnaissance Study

Subtotal = $87,450,000

Subcommittee on Homeland Security:

• $500,000 for City of Houston for Houston Emergency Preparedness and Outreach for Special Needs Populations
• $15,000,000 for L.L. Clarkson, Clarkson Aerospace for DHS Minority Leaders Program

Subtotal = $15,500,000

Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment:

• $1,500,000 for Freedman’s Town and Bethel Missionary Baptist Church Restoration
• $2,000,000 for the Julia Ideson Public Library
• $2,500,000 for Texas Medical Center for Mickey Leland National Air Toxics Research Center
• $5,000,000 for City of Houston, Public Utilities Division for Federal Funding of Awwa Research Foundation
• $1,000,000 for Buffalo Soldiers National Museum for Purchase and Renovation of Historic Houston Light Guard Armory

Subtotal = $12,000,000

Subcommittee on Labor/HHS:

• $1,000,000 for Texas Southern University for Special Collections of the Robert James Terry Library
• $484,292 for Harris County Hospital District for Harris County Digital Mammography Units Upgrade
• $700,000 for CHRISTUS Foundation for Healthcare for San Jose Clinic
• $305,000 for University of Houston for Center for Retention of STEM Educators
• $3,000,000 for Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium for Texas Youth in Technology
• $427, 800 for AVANCE Parent Child Education and Family Support
• $1,230,000 for University of Houston for Center for Student Success
• $2,000,000 for Houston Independent School District for College Bound, Beginning at Birth
• $500,000 for Communities In Schools - Houston
• $1,500,000 for Excellent Care Management for Excel-E-Care Workforce Development Center
• $152,451 for Houston Areal Urban League for CI2 Network for Northeast Family YMCA
• $930,000 for Texas A&M Institute for Obesity Research and Program Evaluation for Improving the Nutritional Characteristics and Acceptablity of Whole Grain Foods among Children Participating in the National School Lunch Program
• $500,000 for YMCA of Greater Houston for YMCA Vision
• $200,000 for Project GRAD Houston
• $2,550,000 for The Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH) and Health
• Disparities Education, Awareness, Research & Training (HDEART) Consortium
• $2,000,000 for The Thurgood Marshall College Fund for The National Education, Science and Critical Skills Capacity Building Project
• $500,000 for The Children’s Museum of Houston for TotSpot Exhibit
• $3,000,000 for University of Texas, Harris County, Psychiatric Center for capital improvements

Subtotal = $20,981,543

Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations:

• $2,400,000 for Dikembe Mutumbo Foundation for Foreign Assistance to American Schools and Hospitals Abroad Program

Subtotal = $2,400,000

Subcommittee on Transportation, HUD:

• $90,000,000 for Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County for Advanced Transit Program/ METRO Solutions Bus Expansion
• $125,000,000 for Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County for Advanced
• Transit Program/ METRO Solutions Phase 2
• $4,000,000 for Greater Southeast Management District for Greater Southeast Transit Terminal and Holocaust Museum Diversity Training and Transit Center
• $280,700 for Harris County Hospital District for Houston/Harris County Telephone Nurse Triage Service
• $2,800,000 for Houston Downtown Management District for Clean Fuel Transit Initiative
• $1,584,000 for Texas Medical Center for Intelligent Information System
• $8,000,000 for Texas Medical Center for Intermodal Transit Garage
• $10,000,000 for Texas Dept. of Transportation for Interstate 69
• $1,000,000 for the Veterans Museum in Texas
• $2,000,000 for Port of Houston for Port Road Expansion and Improvements
• $2,000,000 for Texas Medical Center for Transit Circulator System
• $1,000,000 for City of Houston for Urban Corridor Planning & Implementation
• $2,000,000 for City of Houston Public Library for the African American Library at the Gregory School
• $616,000 for the Houston Food Bank for Commodity Supplemental Food Programs

Subtotal = $242,664,700

Total = $407,873,163

That is over 407 million dollars (almost a half billion dollars) Sheila Jackson Lee has “Earmarked” in your taxpayer money for US Fiscal Year 2009!

Look over the list yourself. I believe we can all see where her budget can be trimmed in a down economic year. Some appropriations are too fat and others are too slim.

John Faulk will work to allocate our taxes on a “better spent” more priority basis. There is just no need for our Congress to waste our hard earned tax money on appropriations we do not agree with.

Reviewing this list of Sheila Jackson Lee “Earmarks”, I think we can all agree that the total taxpayer bill can be trimmed down and that re-appropriations need to be made.

Engineer2

You can help us send John Faulk to Congress in November, today.

Ref source: http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2008/04/post_29.html

It is my understanding that many of Sheila Jackson Lee’s constituents are upset with her lack of standing up for them as Metro tears down their homes. I received the following open letter and petition asking SLJ to step down from the subcommittee on Transportation under Homeland Security.

One more example of how this is going to be SJL’s last year in Congress!

I hope we can help with a SJL surprise retirement party come November 5, 2008!!!:

To: The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee

From: Constituents of the 18th District & Other Discontent Voters

Date: June 10, 2008

Subj: Request for Your Recusal from Federal Transportation Committee

We the people, YOUR CONSTITUENTS, of the 18th Congressional District who put our trust  in your political abilities to champion the welfare of those you represent,  have to ask that you recuse yourself from Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security (Subcommittee on Transportation). We are sorely disappointed with your performance at this juncture with respect to transportation. As a woman, a mother and member of (1) Children’s Caucus; (2) Human Rights; (3) Labor & Working Families; (4) Missing & Exploited Children; (5) Urban Caucus; (6) Victim’s Rights; (7) Children & Families Task Force; (8) Faith & Values in Politics, we find it unconscionable that you would support, yet push for funding, which would destroy predominant minority neighborhoods and place children in eminent danger of Light Rail.

Surely you are not blind to the adult statistics of Light Rail in Houston, therefore how can you look in the mirror as a woman who gave birth to children of your own, yet care nothing for the lives of other young children? How can you so willingly wish to see the destruction of neighborhoods of those who voted you into office and entrusted you with our welfare? How can you represent “Faith & Values in Politics” when your current behavior (pushing for funding of corridors running on streets) that were not in the contract/referendum of 2003?

What does this teach our young political hopefuls? It speaks loudly stating that contracts mean nothing, they are to be broken when it is to serve the well-off. After your October ‘07 Town Hall Meeting, we actually BELIEVED you were going to “champion” saving our children, homes, neighborhoods, businesses and that you were, as you stated, “going to stay in contact with us”. We believed in you so much so, that we began a “Thank You Letter” campaign, which was circulating, and being readied for mailing to you. We no longer feel this way about you.

We then were disappointed with your statements made at the groundbreaking ceremony on Beekman @ Griggs where you stated, “some will just have to sacrifice”. You and our Mayor White seem to be reading from the same script as you have both “echoed” this same sentiment when it relates to the children, homes, neighborhoods, businesses of: MacGregor Place, MacGregor Trails (both bordered/threatened by MLK SE alignment; (2) University (Wheeler, parts of which are not now, nor ever have been supported by bus service, yet is being touted as “will improve riders hip”—all threatened by destruction as witnessed by Downtown Houston which has yet to recover to an economic engine.  How is this possible when none has been needed there to date? (3) Richmond (placing all homeowners/businesses out as witnessed by what happened on Main; (4) Northside — more schools, ergo more children at risk; (5) Harrisburg (the most Historical Hispanic area within the city) putting children, homes and businesses in peril.

Why is it the ‘03 Referendum (streets named thereupon in the contract) is not being honored? It is what was presented to the VOTERS, and IT is what passed. METRO is supposed to be about smart, rapid transit, not the destruction of neighborhoods nor redevelopment of it to a dense, younger tax base of residents that are yet to be discovered. Why don’t  you concentrate on METRO moving working people in from the outlying areas such as Spring, Katy, Pearland, Conroe, Kingwood—actual commuter rail; i.e. Dallas? This is a worthy goal to ease traffic off Houston freeways, outlying highways and stop focusing on displacing (”by sacrifice”, to use your words) homeowners, businesses and the inevitable injury of life lost of a child and/or parent.

Our faith in your political abilities is rapidly declining. We no longer respect your actions at this time, therefore; have no need for your representation of us since you are not listening to your constituency. Our support of you, our current Mayor, and any other elected officials in future political actions will no longer be available to you if you don’t exercise your influence to STOP LIGHT RAIL FROM DECIMATING HOME OWNERS, NEIGHBORHOODS, BUSINESSES along all current proposed routes (which were NOT on the ‘03 “CONTRACT WITH THE CITIZENS).

Sincerely,18th District Constituents* & Other Discontent Voters

  cc:
  Mary Peters, Secretary of Transportation
  Sherry Little, FTA Administrator/DC HQ
  Amber Ontiveros, FTA Civil Rights Officer/DC HQ
  Representative Daniel Lungren, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Eleanor Norton, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Gus Bilirakis, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Paul Broun, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Virginia Brown-Waite, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Yvette Clarke, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Peter DeFazio, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Peter King, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Edward Markey, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Ed Perlmutter, Transportation Committee Member
  Representative Bennie Thompson, Transportation Committee Member
  State Senator Rodney Ellis
  Representative Al Green
  Representative Sylvester Turner
  Representative Harold Dutton
  Representative Garnet Coleman
  Mayor Bill White