Politicker.com -- Texas News

[Bay Area Houston] Bend over, you are in good hands....

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:46:00 -0500

After the 2003 insurance welfare act, rates have skyrocketed, and it only gets better, or worse:
Home insurance rates will jump an average 9.8 percent next month for thousands of Allstate customers.

The increase will start Dec. 17 as policies come up for renewal and affect 143,000 customers of Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance. It's the Allstate unit's second increase this year.

Really...it gets better:

Another 450,000 home insurance policyholders are insured by Texas Allstate Texas Lloyds, which stopped selling new policies in Texas in 2006.

And remember you are in good hands........................

Also in 2006, Allstate Texas Lloyds began to drop wind coverage upon renewal of 65,000 policies along the coast, and stopped renewing coverage on thousands of non-brick homes in Harris County and others that border counties immediately on the Gulf Coast.

As they said in Aliens: Drop your linen and stop your grinnin'.

[Bay Area Houston] If there was any doubt about Gene Locke

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:58:00 -0500

It should be erased with Miya Shay's post:

Just yesterday, Allen Blakemore hosted a lunch time meeting in his office between Christian Archer and Roy Morales. Archer is Locke’s campaign manager, and Morales is the Republican who finished with about 20 percent of the vote during the November election. Blakemore is Hotze’s consultant, but everyone involved says the meeting was not about attack ads.

Blakemore is the Karl Rove of Texas politics. He is one of the reasons I am so through with Locke, along with accepting $2000 from David Wilson who sent out the recent hate mail against Annise Parker. And getting caught playing both sides.

[Bay Area Houston] Locke pulls a Bill Clinton

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:57:00 -0500

Generally comparing yourself to former President Bill Clinton and your wife to Hillary would be a good thing, unless you are talking to a bunch of right wing republicans in a pachyderm club. And that is what Gene Locke did today. From the Chronicle:
If he becomes mayor, Locke told the Republican activists, the city also reaps the services of spouse Aubrey Sampson Locke.
Yep, just what Bill Clinton said when he was running for office in 1992, you get a two-for-one. I am sure that went over well. He continued:
She will get more done - I'm serious now - she will get more done and we will get more done as a team, because we will be able to take care of issues, not from a governmental standpoint, but issues ranging from taking care of our seniors to dealing with literacy with our young people, from the office of the First Lady.

[Bay Area Houston] Republican activist send out fliers opposing divorce

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:45:00 -0500

Longtime republican family values activist, Dave Wilson, who once led a successful effort to amend the city charter to deny benefits to divorced city employees, said he has sent out 35,000 fliers opposing the candidacy of Lt Governor David Dewhurst in part because of his marriage status.

The front of the flier has a 2004 photo of David Dewhurst being sworn into office while his 27th wife looks on, accompanied by the headline: “Is this the image Texas wants to portray?” On the back is written, “Just because David Dewhurst is divorced doesn't make him qualified to be Lt Governor.

[Bay Area Houston] Harris County Attorney doing his job

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:18:00 -0500

Well this is refreshing. Harris County Attorney, Vince Ryan, is coming under attack by Harris County Commissioner's Court for ....uh.... doing his job.
Ryan had already signed a deal with the city to help it prosecute polluters in exchange for use of experts and monitoring equipment with which the county can build cases.
Wow. Our County Attorney is going after polluters by working with the City of Houston and sharing resources. Who can possibly argue with that?
"I think that it's your responsibility to do those things that we, Commissioners Court, ask of you, and I see that you've got the cart in front of the horse," Commissioner Jerry Eversole told Ryan.

[Bay Area Houston] Crispy tacos or menudo?

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:00:00 -0500

This is getting embarrassing.

In an email from the Gene Locke campaign, distributed via Campos Communications, the staff is now claiming they had better Mexican cuisine than their opponent at dueling Hispanic campaign events. From the email:
One of those in attendance disputed Dos Centavos’ report that the “Latino community has more than embraced our next mayor.” Their breakfast included choices of menudo, omelets and pancakes. The Gene Locke lunch included crispy tacos or carne guisada.
Don't get me wrong, I love carne guisada. It is hard to find a good plate down here in Clear Lake, but Durango's on NASA Rd 1 serves a great bowl of menudo! But back to this food fight.

[Bay Area Houston] Twashing TWIA

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:39:00 -0500

What a load of TWIA crap, but what can you expect from an insurer of last resort when TWIA:
is a pool of all property and casualty insurers operating in the state. TWIA is governed by a nine-member board dominated by insurance company representatives.

TWIA is now being sued for not paying claims. Imagine that, an organization run by the insurance industry not paying claims. How can this ever happen in the great State of responsibility where in 2003 the republican party of Texas ushered in massive insurance reforms to lower our rates and allow insurance companies to compete?

The only thing the insurance companies are competing for is the chance to screw the consumers of Texas. With the highest rates in the nation, some right here in Harris County, insurance companies have profited handsomely even after hurricane Ike since 2003.

According to the republican party, insurance reform has worked.

[Bay Area Houston] Team Locke caught playing both sides

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:43:00 -0500

There is nothing worse for a political campaign than attempting to play both sides and getting caught doing it. Team Locke did it. Again.

Team Locke met with the wrong side of the right side of the republican party knowing what they stand for and who they represent. Meeting with Steven Hotze and State Senator Dan Patrick seeking their anti-sinner support isn't for the good for the city especially after claiming he is running on being inclusive. After being caught Team Locke attempted to distance themselves from Team Hotze with a pretty lame press release, but he didn't address the fact he got caught playing both sides.

[Bay Area Houston] How the campaign crumbles.

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:09:00 -0500

Good for Locke for denouncing the hatefest about to be unleashed by Steven Hotze and a bunch of so called "religious" figures.
“As I have previously stated, I reject any association with the style of campaigning that was the subject of an article in the Houston Chronicle today. We have serious issues to deal with in our city that requires us to work together as one Houston and I trust that Houstonians will choose a new mayor based on the issues that effect our lives every day and not to be swayed by divisive rhetoric.”
That was pretty good, but there is a little problem.

[Bay Area Houston] Aggie Bonfire isn't coming back

johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:49:00 -0500

It is worth saying this again. Rick Perry is so out of touch with everything he does lately. His comments about Aggie Bonfire returning to the campus is about as ignorant as it gets. The picture on the right is from 1994, 5 years before the collapse that killed 12 students. Unlike in 1999 this collapse took minutes instead of seconds.

From last year about this time:

Leave it to Governor Rick Perry to state the Aggie Bonfire will return to the campus in 2010. Most understand that this will not happen. Ever.
"I will not be surprised if it happens by 2011, maybe even 2010," he said.