I heard on the radio this morning that three unnamed Republicans voted with the Democrats in the Senate to end a filibuster on the Defense Appropriations bill which had 1,719 earmarks worth $7.6 billion. I automatically assumed that the two ‘Republican’ Senators from Maine, Snowe and Collins, voted to end the filibuster, but I was curious as to who the third one was.
James McClure
TTC Proposes VMT (Drive More and Don’t Buy a Hybrid pt.2)
Get ready for Big Brother to ride with you wherever you go in your car. According to the Waco Tribune Herald, the Texas Transportation Commission is tasking the Highway User Fee Exploratory Commette to examine the possibility of taxing us Texans not by how much gas we use, but by how many miles we drive.
Drive More and Don’t Buy a Hybrid
A hot topic of discussion on Empower Texans lately has been the potential threat of rising state gasoline taxes. Clearly there have been revenue shortfalls due to the recession, but is this the only reason?
Conservative Democrats Join the Republican Party in Texas
As Republicans are taking over the State governments of Virginia and New Jersey, many Texas Democrats are leaving their party and joining the Republican Party.
Revenue Projections in Arlington “Too Conservative”
According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, the City of Arlington is facing a $13 million budget shortfall due to falling property and sales tax revenue caused by the recession. The City, however, is expected to balance its budget this year by withdrawing $1.5 million from its reserves and maintaining $3 million in job vacancies.
Another Chance to Question Congressman Doggett
Congressman Lloyd Doggett will be holding an event on Saturday morning August 8th at the Rundberg Health Center, 825 E. Rundberg Lane at 11:15 AM to talk about Obamacare. Maybe this time the event will actually be organized. Hopefully he’ll have a microphone so he can’t accuse his constituents (the mob) of shouting him down.
Perry and Hutchison Weigh in on Cash for Clunkers
The Austin American Statesman is reporting today that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will vote against providing more funds for the “cash for clunkers” program. Senator Hutchison said that, “we don’t even have a report on how much has been spent on this program, nor reliable estimates of future requirements.