Why are our home insurance policies so damn high in the Bay Area?

May 16, 2023

Glad you asked. Take a seat and read about the history of insurance reform in Texas.

Many years ago I was a consumer activist advocating for consumers with a construction defect in their new homes. I volunteered my time and money beginning in the mid 1990’s up until 2011. During that time I saw the Texas Legislature usher in home insurance reform with promises of lower rates and fair marketing practices. At the time Governor Rick Perry issued this statement:

“This comprehensive reform measure will stabilize the home and auto insurance market, rid the insurance industry of fraudulent practices and ensure Texans have access to fair rates offered in a competitive market,” Perry said during thesigning ceremony at a home construction site in Temple. “For some Texans that will mean significant rate discounts. For all Texans it will mean rate practices that are transparent and fair.”

That was 20 years ago. So how did that work fer ya cowboy?

In the beginning, or about in 2002.
In 2002 insurance rates was a huge campaign issue. Rick Perry won reelection promising to reform insurance, releasing the power of the free market to do their thing. Prior to 2003 insurance companies had to justify rate increases prior to raising rates. They also had to provide all inclusive policies covering fire, water, wind, storm etc. For consumers it made it easy to compare rates.

Then 2003 happened
The state decided to change to a file and use system where companies filed their new rates and started using the new rates immediately. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) could, after the fact, challenge the rate increases. TDI challenged few if any. They also let insurance companies offer just the basic policies that cover only wind, storm, and water events. Some how they let them adjust the cost to rebuild the home which in my case increased by 50% in one year causing the premium to skyrocket. They let the companies remove coverage such as foundation, water, and sewer damage but they didn’t have to adjust the premiums to account for the lost coverage. In my case I had to actually buy it back.

20 Years later
Just look at your policy. We are getting royally screwed. Premiums have skyrocketed. Companies have left the area. Deductables are so high you wonder why you have insurance in the first place! Again in my situation I eventually left USAA after they raised my premiums from $4000 to $5000. The cost to rebuild is over $440,000 making my deductible $8800!!!! I have documented most of the years from 2000 to just a few years ago. You can see that information below.

Politically speaking
Our State Representative Dennis Paul is on the insurance committee. You might want to ask what in the living hell he has bee focusing on besides insurance rates in his district. Maybe he is too busy protecting guns, praising god, and limiting the rights of gays.

My Premiums Before and After Insurance Reform of 2003:

2000: $783\year $500 deductible HOB policy all inclusive.

2014: $3800\year $4800 deductible HOA with foundation, water, and sewer optional

Historic Increases of my Premiums Since 2000:

YearPremiumDeductibleIncreaseNotes
2000$783.00$500.00 0.00%Before insurance became an issue
2001$862.00$500.00 10.00%Removed mold coverage but did not decrease premium
2002$1,060.00$500.00 22.90%Became an election issue
***2003$1,375.00$500.00 29.70%Includes a 7% reduction and use of HO-A Policies
2004$1,589.00$500.00 15.40%Insurance reform in 2003. Had to add back water, foundation and sewer coverage
2005$1,352.00$500.00 -14.90%No change in policy
2006$1,363.00$2,400 <1%Deductible increased
**2007$1,600.00$2,400 15.10%Rebuild cost 50% higher
*2008$1,900.00$2,400 18.00%Tier II classification
2009$2,300.00$2,400 21.00%No change in policy
2010$2,800.00$4,800 24.00%Doubled deductible.
2011 $4,800 No change in policy
2012 $4,800 No change in policy
2013$3,300.00$4800 No change in policy
2014$3,800.00$4,80015.00%No change in policy

*Reclassifying your home in a “tier zone”. This resulted in an 18% increase to my rates in 2008. The TDI had no comment when this was brought to their attention. Next year USAA could create yet another type of tier zone and the TDI will do nothing.

**Using a different system to determine the cost to rebuild a home. This resulted in an increase of 50% in the cost to rebuild my home, and a 15% increase in premiums. This new cost to rebuild the home was based upon a “new” method created by USAA. 

***Removing protection. USAA changed to an HO-A type of policy making sewer, water, and foundation damage optional to save money for those who do not want or can’t afford the coverage. Unfortunately, when they removed the coverage, they did not reduce the rates. When I added the coverage back into the policy it resulted in an 29% increase.

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Posted by johncoby

Raising Campaign Cash: Galveston County Connects PAC

May 12, 2023

Michael Smith of the Galveston Daily News had a great editorial concerning outside PAC money infiltrating local elections. He wrote an interesting tidbit that caught my attention:

Political operative Joseph Lowry, who has run toxic campaigns against elected officials in La Marque, paid for a billboard urging voters to reject Skipworth.

Lowry, of course, has been supported by the Galveston County Connects political action committee, which has a habit of suggesting elected officials are criminals, but won’t follow the state’s campaign finance laws itself.

So I thought I would look up GCC’s financial reports and it is interesting. GCC was created in early 2021 with Sarah Dougherty of La Marque appointed as Treasurer. They have an address in Austin. Initially they started with a couple of small donations totaling over $800 from Joseph Lowery, Vice CEO of Six Brothers Concrete Pumping in La Marque. Sarah Dougherty is an assistant at this company.

In 2022 they raised $10,725 from two big donations of $5000 each, MSW Investments Group and Robert Michetich of La Marque. The treasurer listed MSW Investments Group with an address in Winnie Texas. I couldn’t find a MSW Investments Group with a Winnie Tx address. There are a number of MSW Investments listed with one being listed in Stowell, Texas just a mile from Winnie Texas. This organization has a registering agent of Matt Wooten of Dickinson at 7011 S South Oak Avenue. According to OpenCorporates.com MSW Investments Group is an inactive organization.

Robert Michetich is a former La Marque City Council Member.

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Posted by johncoby

We beat back the billionaires meddling in local elections!

May 11, 2023

Michael Smith, Editor of the Galveston Daily News nailed it in his editorial, “Toxic campaigning won’t end unless voters demand it“.

“Our hope is voters are rejecting the incursion of hate-mongering, covert money, outside money, partisan ideology and partisan agendas of all sorts in their decisions about electing local people to volunteer posts.”

He references the CCISD election as well as other local races fueled by the likes of Wayne Dolcefino and outside PACs. It is well worth the read.

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Posted by johncoby

What the f*ck is wrong with you? Texas.

May 9, 2023

It’s time we start asking the obvious question. What the fuck is wrong with us?

It’s no longer a time to ask our elected officials “What the fuck is wrong with you?” as I did when I met State Representative Dennis Paul on the greenbelt after the Uvalde massacre. We all know they will not address gun violence. They have refused to sponsor or pass common sense gun safety reforms that are massively supportive by their constituents. We know what the fuck is wrong with them.

They are immoral. They are fake christians. They are truly fucked up human beings. They love guns over girls, bullets over boys. No matter how many children killed in school, christians killed in church, shoppers killed in malls, immigrants killed at home, they just do not care. They are mentally ill for doing nothing while 5 year olds are torn apart with weapons of war. They are truly sick fucks.

And so are we. We know they will do nothing but all we do is demand they do something while we do nothing. We have organizations working hard to advocate for gun safety and we should thank them but we are WE doing? Are we calling our elected officials on a daily basis to demand gun safety? Are we demanding a town hall meeting to discuss our families safety at schools, parades, Walmarts, churches, etc? Are we protesting at our elected officials offices?

What the fuck are we waiting for? What are YOU waiting for? This gun violence needs to stop before it reaches our own families.

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Posted by johncoby

Public complaint filed against CCISD Trustee

May 8, 2023

A formal complaint has been filed against CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen after his epic loss in yet another election.

The complaint concerns his testimony in Austin in support of a bill against public education. In this testimony he identifies himself as a CCISD Board member and claims to be speaking on behalf of his constituents as an At Large member. Testimony on bills by a specific individual or organization is extremely hard to find. The video of his 3 minutes of fame was accidentally found with an unrelated google search which led to an anti public education YouTube channel hosted by Texas Education 911. This non profit is supported by extreme far right organizations such as Moms for Liberty. The complaint states:

Bowen cannot speak on my behalf or on behalf of the district. He can identify himself as a individual and speak for himself but not for the Board unless he was specifically asked to by the board. This is the second time Mr. Bowen has testified identifying himself as a Trustee of the Board and speaking on behalf of the board. The first was at a hearing in League City concerning the banning of LGBTQ books from the public library. Bowen doesn’t even live in League City. Bowen states he is there on his “own time and own dime” but then continues to address the Committee as if he is speaking on behalf of the Board. He also specifically claims he is representing his constituents. Bowen, in his last election, did not receive over 50% of the vote and it is hard to understand how he could speak on my behalf.

As the complaint states, this is the second time Bowen has used his title in testimony on issues concerning the community. The hearing is in a couple of weeks. I’m not sure what could come of this complaint but the author requests the following:

Because this is the second offense, Mr. Bowen should be sanctioned, reprimanded, or asked to resign. In the future if he testifies on my behalf again please have him ask for my permission otherwise he should keep his mouth shut or testify as a citizen and nothing else.

BTW. I filed the complaint.

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Posted by johncoby

Bay Area Community meeting to address gun violence

May 8, 2023

After 3 mass shootings taking the lives of 34 Texans including 19 children at Ross Elementary it is clear our elected officials will not take action to curb this violence. It is time to take this issue into our own hands.

They have done nothing but pour billions of dollars on school safety, still leaving our schools wide open to an assault. They have done nothing to secure our safety in churches, Walmarts, shopping malls, 4th of July parades, dance clubs, concerts and other public places. We are not even safe in our own homes and yet they are silent.

As are we. It is time to have a discussion about gun violence. A frank, face to face, uncomfortable discussion to address this violence before we become victims ourselves. So I have a question for you:

Would you attend? Would you take a couple of hours to have a frank discussion with our elected officials on gun violence? The ground rules would be simple:

  • Non partisan. Leave your politics at the door or leave through the door
  • All elected officials would be invited to attend or to send a represenative
  • Media would also be invited
  • Presentations on gun violence would be provided by invited speakers
  • Elected officials will be asked to provide comments and participate in the discussion

Our elected officials are sitting on their ass while Texas is #1 in mass shootings. Something has to happen. Would you be interested in attending? Would you be interested in volunteering?

Or will you just sit on your ass and do nothing?

email me or add a comment below. johncoby@sbcglobal.net

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Posted by johncoby

Another crushing defeat for CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen

May 7, 2023

Three is a charm.

Well another one of Bowen’s Buddies, Peter Lauzon, lost last night in his race for CCISD Trustee. Bowen’s Buddies haven’t had much success lately. The parents of CCISD have rejected Bowen’s Buddies, Christine Parizo with a 25 point defeat, Misty Dawson lost by a slim margin of 40 votes, and now Peter Lauzon has lost by a whopping 20 points. Bowen himself failed to get 50% of the vote for his re-election in 2022.

Extreme partisan political PACs spent over $10,000 on Lauzon’s campaign, not including the cost of texting and mass emails, in another losing effort. Maybe the parents of CCISD are telling partisan organizations something. School districts are NOT partisan playgrounds. They are non-partisan races with candidates running that are interested in the well being of the district, the parents, the kids, and the teachers of the district. Partisan politics are not welcomed at CCISD. Be a Republican or Democrat but leave that at the door as most Trustees have done until recently.

Ever since Bowen Buddies won seats on the board, beating honorable Trustees who were excellent at their jobs, there has been chaos in the Board and at Board meetings. Bowen and his buddies brought their hate for the gay community and racist, divisive, issues such as the mythical CRT issue. Their intentions have been caught on camera and have been defined in their party platform. It isn’t any secret why they are running.

And losing, thanks to the parents of CCISD. Let’s continue to keep politics out of our school districts by electing candidates who will run honorable campaigns, raise money from the district, and run for the right reasons.

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Posted by johncoby

Houston Chronicle punts on CCISD coverage

May 5, 2023

Thanks to the Galveston Daily News for covering the CCISD Trustee election.

The GDN did a great job reporting on the outside PACs infiltrating our local elections in support of one candidate, Peter Lauzon. Lauzon is running in District 3, in Harris County. Although I appreciate the coverage I wish the Chronicle had reported on it since it is in their area.

The Chronicle has covered other districts like Katy and HISD but posted only one CCISD article allowing the candidates to introduce themselves. The Clear Lake area has become a media desert on issues such as the CCISD elections and local politics.

GCN’s article was brutally truthful. Lauzon is the only candidate being funded solely by outside extreme PACs. Here are a couple of tidbits:

The political action committee, which has donated the bulk of Lauzon’s total campaign dollars, has expended more than $10 million in donations toward conservative Republican organizations, home-school coalitions and Republican Party state representatives and senators.

When asked whether he would feel comfortable with other candidates accepting monetary donations from political action committees, Lauzon declined to comment.

This is actually a typical response from Lauzon. If he doesnt like your questions on his Campaign site, he blocks you. When he is caught lying on his website he limits comments. GCN reported on another CCISD candidate:

Glencora Rodgers, a candidate running for Position 2 on the board, was given $5,000 from the political action committee but returned the money, according to reports.

Rodgers, who said she doesn’t have a specific opinion on other candidates accepting PAC money, was a little skeptical after receiving a check in the mail for $5,000.

“I learned that the PAC doesn’t completely align with my values,” she said. “I want my race to be about school issues. I want people in the community to know that my only loyalty is to them.”

Kudos to Glencora. Three out of the four candidates running for the CCISD Board have run honorable campaigns, raising money from the district, with no allegiance to anyone but our parents, teachers, and students.

Maybe if CCISD voters vote against the billionaires who are funding Lauzon the Houston Chronicle would be interested.

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Posted by johncoby

Fact checking the lies of CCISD Trustee Candidate Peter Lauzon

May 5, 2023

Donald Trump taught the Republican Party how to lie and they do it. Every. Damn. Day.

Far right on queue Peter Lauzon sent out a mailer, paid for by the Republican Party, that attacked his opponent with lies and misinformation. Former Trustee Laura Dupont took the time to explain the facts and debunk Lauzon’s attack:

I am sickened by the misleading statements and absolute lies that are plastered on texts and flyers against Arturo Sanchez in the CCISD District 3 School Board race. Please reach out to a credible source and learn the facts before you cast your vote on Saturday.

Here are a few facts to start with:

* The CCISD Board of Trustees has not held a vote on changing or eliminating the homestead exemption in over 10 years. In fact, it has been a board assumption each year to maintain the exemption.

* The entire board has been unanimous in voting for a tax rate CUT every year since 2018.

* The amount of school taxes we pay has been increasing because of rising property values – this is not controlled by the school board. In fact, the state uses this to their own advantage such that the state contribution to school funding has decreased every year since 2019.

* Every action the board takes is based on a vote of 7 people. One trustee cannot raise – or lower – taxes on their own.

* Every school district in this state, including CCISD, is anticipating a funding crisis next year if our legislature continues down the path of not using a cash surplus to increase the basic allotment (which has not changed since 2019!) and adequately fund public education, at least correcting for inflation. Texas is currently ranked 48th in the country for per-student funding of public education.

The Republican Party has become nothing more than a pack of damn liars much like George Santos, Donald Trump, and Peter Lauzon. It is sad.

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Posted by johncoby

Texas Secretary of State, Jane Nelson. An ethical scandal

May 4, 2023

Senator Jane Nelson was appointed by Greg Abbott to the Secretary of State responsible for elections in the State. In a recent bill, if passed, she will be able to overturn an election in Harris County if she believes (even with no evidence) there is fraud. She has a bit of baggage to discuss.

Stay with me on this. It’s good. I promise.

Prior to 2009 there was an issue of using campaign donations to buy a condo or house, then selling it and keeping the profits. At the time Senator Nelson had been paying $2000 a month to an entity called “Twin Star” for a “lease”. At the time I actually thought Twin Star was a plane company and she was renting a plane to travel from Dallas to Austin on official business. But…

On her campaign finance reports she reported the address of the company called “Twin Star” as PO Box 603 Lewisville, TX 75067 which caught my attention. I began to research and could not find a company called Twin Star. After a search of the PO Box I came across a document filed with the Environment Protection Agency with the PO Box associated with Mayday Manufacturing, making aerospace parts.

Mayday Manufacturing is located in Denton, Texas. Mayday was owned by James Nelson, her husband.

I believe there was enough evidence that showed Senator Nelson was paying her husband from $1500-$2000/month for a lease on a condo/house that he bought, so I filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging that over $160,000 of her campaign money was used to indirectly purchase real property againts the rules of the Ethics Commission. First she was paying her husband for services. TEC does not allow you to spend your campaign money on services from your immediate family. And you cannot convert campaign donations to personal use such as buying a condo.

The TEC accepted the complaint, investigated it for almost two years. It was eventually settled, but, the results of the investigation was kept secret. Why? I don’t know and they have refused to say. We will never know. We will never know who Twin Star is/was or who she actually paid the money to, or what services were actually purchases.

Payments to Twin Star stopped in Febuary of 2007 after 7 years of payments totally $163,500.

Good huh?

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Posted by johncoby

More partisan political money infiltrating CCISD elections

May 4, 2023
From Peter Lauzon’s mailer

There is nothing worse than lying, whining, hypocrisy, and partisan politics invading CCISD elections.

We knew this was coming. One of the candidates running for CCISD Trustee, funded by 2 billionaires out of the Dallas area and the Harris County Republican Party, has released a mailer not only attacking his opponent (which is against the agreement he signed) but dripping with hypocrisy and right wing talking points.

The only person running, funded by a political party, is Peter Lauzon. He is a former Executive Committee member of the state Republican Party. His wife is the VP of a republican club. He has been caught on tape praising his buddy Trustee Scott Bowen on CRT issues and taking over school boards by his party. He has been caught on paper with disturbing views on our Gay community and public schools. His party has cut education funding. He supports vouchers, as state in his party’s platform. He is an election denier.

AND YET HE WANTS TO “KEEP POLITICAL AGENDAS OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS”? Are you kidding? Lauzon’s mailer and campaign is funded by the Republican Party and Defend Texas Liberty a right wing PAC funded by two billionaires featured on CNN. They are funding extreme right wing candidates across the state in an attempt to take over school districts. The cost of the mailer has not been reported by Lauzon or his party but it is probably in the $6000 range. He has raised only $503 from the district. And yet he wants to keep political agendas out of our schools?

Lauzon’s mailer also attacks his opponent against the Code Of Fair Campaign Practices which he signed and filed with CCISD. No other candidate running for the CCISD Board is being funded by outside money. No other candidate has attacked their opponent. No other candidate is bringing their party politics into our schools. Only one. Just one. Peter Lauzon.

Filthy partisan politics does not belong in our schools. Hopefully voters will see through this incredible hypocrisy. Read more about Lauzon in Keep Partisan Politics out of CCISD.

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Posted by johncoby

Vouchers. Subsidizing rich kids with your tax dollars.

May 3, 2023
Photo by Abilene Reporter News

If you pay $2300 in school taxes, why should you get $8000 in school vouchers?

And who do you think is going to make up that $5700 difference? LOL. You know the answer to that. Vouchers is just another step towards privatizing our public school system, guaranteed by the Texas Constitution. There are no good reasons for school vouchers. None. It is nothing but a give away to the rich who can afford a private education.

What bothers the crap out of me is that according to Abbott someone can take their kid(s) out of public school and put them into a private school with the help from tax payers. Using my taxes as an example, I only pay $2300 a year in school taxes, but could now get a hand out from tax payers, an extra $5700 handout to send my kids to a private school. These private schools include Muslim schools, Catholic schools, any religious school or a charter school.

If you are not wealthy you probably do not know how much a private school costs. Even with a handout of $5700 there is no way I could afford a private school. In fact the vast majority of parents could not afford a private school. This voucher scheme is nothing but a tax payer funded give away to the rich who want to send their kids a private school and you are going to pay for it.

It just doesn’t make cents. Literally.

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You’ve got to be kidding. Eric Dick running again.

May 2, 2023

Are you serious?

Former Harris County Dept of Education Trustee, Eric Dick, is running for the Board again. Dick served on the Board then he decided to run for Houston City Council in 2019. He lost that race but not before generating a boat load of controversy. The headline from the Houston Chronicle says it all: “Houston Republican fined $30K for mailers suggesting Black Democrats endorsed him“

Dick sent out about 100,000 mailers during that election. That mailer can be viewed below and it looked like he was endorsed by many African American officials. (he wasn’t) I filed a complaint against him for funding the mailer and not having the required disclaimer “Political Ad Paid For By…..”. I truly expected a small fine, a slap on the wrist, and a promise from Dick to not do it again. Instead Dick was fined $30,000, the 2nd highest fine in the Ethics Commission’s history, and a referral to the Texas Bar. His cohort in this little scheme, Paul Bryant, was fined $6000 for his part. You can read all the details about the fine at: “The Texas Ethics Commission issues final order on Harris County Dept of Education Trustee, Eric Dick“. It was much, much, more than just the lack of a disclaimer. Much, much, more such as:

Dick had claimed, under oath, that he had nothing to do with the mailer, yet the data provided by the printer showed that he paid over $20,000 for over 100,000 mailers and was directing the printer on every aspect of the job.

Dick lost that race. He also lost his bid for County Treasurer in 2022. His wife ran for his seat on the HCDE Board and lost also. I thought for sure that would be the end of Dick, but according to the Harris County Ethics System, Dick has filed an Appointment of Treasurer for his run for the HCDE Board. Of note, his former treasurer, Joe Synoradzki, is no longer his treasurer for this race. Synoradzki is listed as an associate in the Dick Law Firm. According to his filing Dick has appointed Marcus Coward who is associated with the white wing wag Texas Conservative Review.

I really thought that a $30,000 fine and a referral to the Texas Bar would have been the end of Dick’s political career. Once again, I am wrong.

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Posted by johncoby

Let’s just admit it. Greg Abbott is a Texas sized racist asshole.

May 2, 2023

This is who he is. Admit it.

What an asshole. What a truly crippled, Texas sized, rotten asshole of a human being. It’s bad enough Texas Governor Greg Abbott loves guns more than our families. It’s bad enough that he enjoys owning the libs by posing with guns so big it would topple him off his wheelchair if he actually shot it. It’s bad enough that he signed a gun sanctuary bill after the killings at Santa Fe. It’s bad enough that he can’t even offer thoughts and prayers after mass shootings for fear of being ridiculed.

And now after another 5 human beings, including another 9 year old kid, were killed with a gun Abbott gave to the shooter, he had to reach down into his bag of racist dog whistles to post a heartless tweet :

I’ve announced a $50K reward for info on the criminal who killed 5 illegal immigrants Friday. Also directed #OperationLoneStar to be on the lookout.

Abbott is still mad about that tree that put him in a wheelchair many years ago and he has taken that anger out on Texans ever since. Our families are not safe at schools, Walmarts, churches, dance clubs, concerts, parades, etc, etc. Our home insurance, electricity, college tuition, taxes, and the cost of living in this shit hole state has skyrocketed making Texas the 7th worst state to retire in. We lead the nation in mass shootings and yet he does nothing but sit on his ass.

Unfortunately over half of Texans have no problem with him. It doesn’t seem to matter that under his watch 19 children, 9 year old children, were slaughtered at school. It doesn’t matter to them that 27 Christians were slaughtered at church in Sutherland Springs, or 5 police officers were killed in Dallas by a shooter with an AR15. It doesn’t matter to them that they froze their asses off when the grid failed. They don’t care. They put him back in office.

So fuck Greg Abbott and everyone who voted for him.

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Posted by johncoby

Senator Mayes Middleton bill will require CCISD to allow time for reading of the Quran

May 1, 2023

At times I like to make stuff up. Unfortunately this is not one of those times.

Bay Area’s own Senator Money Mayes Middleton has filed Senate Bill 1396 to allow prayer in school and time set aside for reading the Bible. According to the bill analysis:

S.B. 1396 would address these concerns by allowing the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter school not operated by or affiliated with a religious organization to, by record vote, adopt a policy requiring every campus or school to provide a period of prayer and readings from the Bible.

This, of course, means providing a time for prayer for all including Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and even atheists who will instead spend their time reading or studying math or science. Implementation would be difficult since Muslims pray at various times of the day while Christians just pray whenever they can rub it into other students faces or when being shot at by an 18 year old with an assault weapon that Middleton gave easy access to.

School Boards across the state are struggling just to keep kids safe in school and teachers and support staff employed as Middleton continues to cut their budgets. If this bill would pass they would need to understand all the various religions and their prayer habits and bibles. Maybe they need to create a religious committee where members of the community of all different religions could come together in peace and make recommendations on how to implement this policy.

Or maybe they could just go to school to learn math and science and go to their churches to learn about their own religion.

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Posted by johncoby

Texas cowards fail to advance the “Raise the age” bill

April 28, 2023

We do things bigger in Texas. We have some of the biggest cowards in the country.

Texas House Bill 2744 which would raise the age of purchasing an assault weapon from 18 to 21 has stalled because the Committee Chair, Representative Ryan Guillen, has refused to allow a vote to send it to the House.

HB2744 was filed by Representative Phil King as a result of the massacre in Uvalde taking the lives of 19 children and 2 teachers. Needless to say the parents of those kids showed up in Austin, waiting for 13 hours to testify on the bill. Yet Guillen will not allow a vote to get it out of committee. Why? Glad you asked.

Guillen claims it would never get put on the calendar for debate on the floor. If this bill would get to the House floor representatives,like Dennis Paul shown here wearing a stupid looking NRA hat at the polls, would have to publicly vote against it. They would have to vote against the parents of the kids who were shot and killed by an 18 year old with a weapon that they gave easy access to. They would have to take responsibility for giving that law abiding citizen the opportunity to be a mass killer of kids.

This is who they are. A bunch of Texas sized, rotten, cowards.

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Posted by johncoby

8 Day out campaign finance reports for CCISD

April 27, 2023

UPDATED: I’ve added the totals for the other candidates.

Peter Lauzon
Lauson has raised only $503 from inside CCISD. He has accepted $7070 from two candidates/PACs. Alexandra Mealer who lost her election in 2022 and has sued, like trump, claiming fraud (there was none) has donated $2070 for texting services. Another $5000 was donated by an extreme far right PAC from Dallas funded by two billionaires. He donated another $1000 of his own money to the campaign for a total of $3000. He has spent a total of $8100 with $6060 going towards mailers. He has $294 cash on hand.

It is sad that he has to depend on money from outside the district. He is in this race for the far right reasons.

CandidateRaisedExpendituresCOHLoans
District 2
Jamieson Mackay434639633820
Glencora Rodgers6501036821369400
District 3
Arturo Sanchez301038501526950
Peter Lauzon3295813629451350

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Posted by johncoby

In Texas calling a woman the C word gets you reelected. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller

April 27, 2023

Texas has their own unique Texas sized family values.

Case in point. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid “The C*nt” Miller. Unlike Tucker Carlson who was fired from Fox News for calling a woman the C word, Sid Miller was reelected to serve the woman of Texas. Twice. Maybe Texas Republican women have lower self esteem and don’t mind an elected official referring to anyone as a C*nt.

Usually anyone referring to a woman as a C*nt would be fired, slapped, or would get a well deserved ass kicking but here in Texas it’s just a part of Republican Christian family values and will end with a reelection. Texas Republican women aren’t snowflakes. They don’t mind the abuse just as long as they are owning the libs.

Miller isn’t the only one who has problems with women. State Representative Bryan Slaton is being accused of porking an intern and is currently under investigation. And there is Senator Charles Schwertner who sent dick pics to a student at Texas University. And there was former Congressman Joe Barton who resigned after sending dick pics to a woman. And Congressman Blake Farenthold was accused of sexual harassment.

All of them are republicans.

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Posted by johncoby

Can CCISD voters beat back billionaires?

April 26, 2023

Can we do it again?

CCISD voters have rejected UFOs (Unqualified For Office) candidates in the past. The CCISD’s version of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Christine Parizo, lost by 25% but she demanded recounts and opinions from the Texas Attorney General leading to her being escorted out of a CCISD Board meeting.

Misty Dawson, one of the biggest UFOs to ever run for school board lost but only by 40 votes. She literally was unable to answer questions at an education forum. She lost and after a recount pulled a republican trick and sued like the whiny little witches of the Harris County Republican Party. She was recruited by Trustee Scott Bowen and funded in part by the party.

This election is different. Trustee Bowen reached out to his buddies at Defend Texas Liberty PAC, to fund Peter Lauzon’s campaign. This group is funded by two billionaires, featured on CNN, with the sole purpose of flooding school districts with partisan money in order to take over the boards. Lauzon is also lacking in education experience and common decency. His many faults should be enough for him to be disqualified from running for any office but when you have billionaires funding your campaign anything can happen.

We are waiting for that anything to happen. CCISD voters have seen the chaos brought to the board by partisan hacks like Scott Bowen pushing the CRT unicorn and the attacks on our gay family members, parents, teachers, students, and CCISD workers. Hopefully they will see through their bullshit even after being flooded with mailers from the billionaires. Our kids, teachers, parents, and the community deserve better.

BTW. Campaign finance reports are due this Friday. We will see if anyone is hiding donations.

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Posted by johncoby

Keep partisan politics out of CCISD! Go vote!

April 24, 2023

There is only one race we need to be concerned about concerning the upcoming CCISD election.

Trustee Candidate, Peter Lauzon, does not need to be close to schools, parents, teachers, or children. There are just so many reasons to reject him including:

Why he is running if he has no interest in public education? It is clear Trustee Bowen recruited him so he could get a second on divisive issues and resolutions on the Board. He would be nothing but a mouthpiece for Scott. He is funded by one extreme organization from the Dallas area who gave him $5000. He is simply a partisan hack.

There is a better choice. If you want to keep partisan politics off the CCISD School Board, then take a moment to vote.

4 Comments | Political | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by johncoby

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