Thoughts on Viernes…06212013

Chinga’o Spurs!

Oh well. Great season for Los Espurs. Congrats to Coack Erik Estrada and the Heat. Now, on to Texas State Bobcats Football!

The Dome Experience

Well, $200 Million of fixes and Houston will continue to have a Dome–if the voters approve. A huge convention/exhibit space will come in handy, no doubt. Kuff has the story and links to stuff about the next Dome. I must ask, though, what is up with County agencies who call for proposals, interviews, consulting meetings, and then decide, “oh, we’ll just use our idea; thanks, anyway.”?

Tax Increase for Pre-K

I was catching up with this county tax increase to fund a pre-K program; however, I didn’t realize the increase would be in what we pay for the Harris County Department of Education. The 1 cent tax increase would fund early childhood programs. The catch, though, seems to be that a separate non-profit entity would manage the funds and programming.

Sounds too “chartery” for my tastes. If I’m voting for a tax increase, I want political leadership to be there to point fingers at, not a separate entity that will get paid based on a contract that may or may not have an “out” clause. The guy representing the non-profit points to the political and partisan issues that may occur if it is managed by the Board and the administration. What irked me was the non-profit guy’s contention that HCDE is just a stepping stone for higher office–what political office that handles tax money ISN’T?

I don’t know where I would fall on this one. There’s no doubt that the Board lacks effective leadership, as we witnessed with their appointment process after a member resigned. So, maybe the non-profit guy has a point. At least it’s a non-profit and not some ineffective for-profit company run by a friend of a board member, right? Let’s see where this goes.

MUSIC BREAK ~ Jimmy Gonzalez and Mazz f/ Jay Perez – Calla