Move over League City. La Marque is taking over the chaos.

May 31, 2025

After former League City Council Member, Justin Hicks, resigned, Seabrook was poised to take over the news concerning the chaos of League City but after 4 of the 5 Save Seabrook candidates lost, the chaos city was left in limbo. Enter the City of La Marque.

On Friday an individual has filed a recall petition concerning City Council Member Joseph Lowry. (pictured) According to the petition Lowry has been harassing council members as well as citizens. There has been a number of discussions about his alleged criminal record in Washington State as well as his legal rights to serve on the Council. All of this was put to rest at the last Council meeting. You can watch the meeting here starting at 2:21:38.

Lowry has had his share of the news. According to ABC News he is being sued for $43,000 in back taxes by the county and others. The Galveston Daily News reported he was censured, twice by City Council, for making derogatory statements about residents.

Those attacks include claims that Clint Yancy Sr. — pastor of New Vision Church, 2311 24th St. in Dickinson — has fathered children out of wedlock, which is false, Kimberley Yancy said.

“I didn’t make allegations of her husband having kids out of wedlock,” Lowry said in a statement. ”Other women have alleged that, not me.”

The GDN continues with an article about an expletive filled video by Lowry. From the GDN:

Some on city council say Councilman Joseph Lowry failed to embody the spirit of his constituents Monday night when he was caught on camera hurling insults, obscene gestures and threatening to fight a man who was recording police at a crash scene.

Lowry has a particular beef with City Council Member Kimberley Yancy as reported by The Defender:

Additionally, the person Yancy and other area elected officials identify as the “ringleader” of the harassment efforts, fellow city council member Joseph Lowry, according to her, has raised the stakes in his “assault.”

A recall election will require gathering signatures to put the recall to a vote. If successful then a special election would have to be held to replace the Council Member. Film at 11.


Trump Burger Review: Lackluster Dishes in Kemah

May 29, 2025

Believe me.

The new Trump Burger place opened in Kemah and the Houston Chronicles Bao Ong, Restaurant critic, wasn’t very impressed. Here are a few clips:

  • If we cut to the chase though, most dishes are unremarkable and far from making the Chronicle’s best burgers guide.
  • The merchandise on sale is made abroad, including in the Dominican Republic and Bangladesh.
  • Fat, salt and heat — all elements I seek in a burger — are lacking.
  • The regular and sweet potato fries arrived hot and crisp on the exterior, but they were either soggy inside or oversalted. 
  • The cheesesteak for which I had traveled nearly 45 minutes made me want to drive right back home.

Maybe he should have tried some other variation of burgers such as:

  • The Stormy Burger. Nice firm buns with little meat.
  • The Tariff Burger. It’s on the menu, it’s off the menu. it’s on the menu. It’s off the menu. TACO?
  • The Immigration Burger. Grilled to perfection by a white guy making minimum wage.
  • The Stock Market Burger. Losing your ass with every bite.
  • The Liar Burger. No one has ever tasted a burger this good. Believe me.
  • The White Power Burger. Raw with a side of white supremacy sauce.

Local Senator kills campaign finance reform bills

May 29, 2025

In 2009 I researched the spending habits of all Senators and House members. The report is called Don’t Mess With Texas Ethics. You can read that here.

According to The Texas Tribune every bill filed to address the unlimited money in Texas elections and the Texas Ethics Commission’s (TEC) ability to enforce the campaign finance laws have failed. Even the bill filed to address the Sunset Commission’s recommendations to improve the TEC failed. So Texas will continue to be the land of the lawless. The Tribune’s article is detailed. Take a moment to read it.

Our Senator “Money” Mayes Middleton was quoted in the article concerning reforming the Ethics Commission:

“It’s about prioritizing real misconduct over technical infractions, ending the weaponization of the complaint process, and shining a light where dark corners have persisted for too long.”

That is a load of crap. Middleton is the king of unlimited money in politics. He personally funded his campaign for his House seat spending millions to beat a sitting Republican in the primary. He has donated millions of his campaign money to various campaigns hidden behind advertising companies. These donations are difficult to find. Middleton did his best to kill the ethics bills.

Since running for office in 2018 Middleton has raised over $6,930,462 Million with 83%, $5,736,392, coming from his own pocket. He spent over $2 Million of his own money to win his House seat in Galveston in a campaign that required only $500,000 if it was competitive. (It wasn’t) He has spent over $7 Million on campaigns across the state including:

Some of his biggest donations include $300,000 to Louie Gohmert who unsuccessfully ran for Texas Attorney General against Ken Paxton in the Republican Primary. He donated over $60,000 to Galveston’s State Representative Terri Wilson. Wilson raised over 87% of her entire campaign donations from out of district PACs and individuals. He donated a few thousand dollars to the leader of conservative values, State Representative Tony Tinderholt, who has been married 5 times. He donated $186,000 to Carrie Isaac of Dripping Springs.

So I find it rich that Middleton would be making any comments concerning money, donations, and ethics. Middleton will be giving up his Senate seat to run for Texas Attorney General…..a race financed by his own money.


Texas House District 129. Why the Bay Area Should Be Concerned

May 27, 2025

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to understand this. Take a minute to read.

Texas is divided into 150 House Districts with about 193,000 citizens in each. The districts are created or modified every ten years after the census. There is one Representative per House District. Texas also has 31 Senate Districts. We can cover that later.

House District 129 (HD129) covers the Bay Area between Friendswood and Seabrook up to the border of Galveston County and extending upwards to almost Beltway 8. HD129 is mostly in Harris County and covers parts of Pearland, League City and Friendswood. Take a look at the map below. You can see the pdf version here and the street by street version here.

HD129 is considered a “gerrymandered” district. It was created in such a way that a Republican candidate will always win by 17 points or more. As an example in 2008 a Democrat raised over $450,000, knocked on over 20,000 doors, and made over 25,000 phone calls and was running against a relatively unknown and unethical incumbent. She still lost by 17 points. Other candidates since then have tried but have also failed. That’s what gerrymandering does. If you think that is bad, wait till I talk about Congressional District 36. It’s a 70/30 district!

Currently the district is represented by Dennis Paul, although I use “represented” loosely. Paul is considered “Furniture” by Texas Monthly. It means he does little except being in the way, like furniture. When you stub your little toe in the dark of night on a piece of furniture your spouse moved, that is Dennis Paul. He is now running for Texas Senate District 11, our district. Former CCISD Trustee, Scott Bowen, after a humiliating loss in his reelection bid, is now running to replace Paul. Bowen has a history of recruiting horrible candidates to run for CCISD. 4 out of 6 failed ending his goal of taking over the CCISD Board.

If you haven’t been concerned about HD129 you might want to start. After over 20 years of complete Republican rule of the Governorship, the House, the Senate, and every State wide race, HD129 is on the verge of losing NASA to Elon Musk. We have the highest homeowner insurance in the State. Our electricity grid is still fragile. Our public schools have been used and abused for decades and both of our elected officials cosponsored the voucher bills.

The Texas House has a super majority with the Republican Party in charge. We, in HD129, can afford to take a stand, make a statement, and lose just one seat. For your wallet, for your schools, and to stick it to the man, you might want to consider doing something different in November of 2026.


Greg Abbott’s Mexican MAGAt runs for San Antonio Mayor

May 24, 2025

I grew up in San Antonio. Thomas Jefferson ’74. I moved to the Bay Area in 1981 but still love my hometown.

Greg Abbott is attempting a takeover of the city of San Antonio by financing his Mexican MAGAt, Rolando Pablos, for Mayor. Pablos is running against Gina Ortiz Jones. This is a non partisan race but it is pretty clear which side Pablos is on. He is firmly embedded in the MAGA side of the Republic Party and as Ortiz has said, will do the bidding of Greg Abbott, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump. Count on it. Pablos served as Secretary of State for just two years before stepping down in 2018.

Greg Abbott has $60 Million in his campaign account and by law can donated as much money as he wants to a third party that can do what republicans do best, lie. This is what Abbott will do because he knows lying works. Like Trump he can lie and get away with it.

Recently the San Antonio Express endorsed Pablos claiming he would be better for business. Don’t be fooled. Again. Remember many voters believed Trump would be better for business, jobs, and your retirement account. Then just 4 months later they got screwed as did everyone else.

This election is about taking control away from the citizens of San Antonio. Pablos will be Greg Abbott’s bitch. (my apologies to bitches) He will do what Greg and Donald wants. He will bring chaos to the city. This is what they do. As his opponent said “Rolando’s plan is to do whatever Greg Abbott tells him to do.” (short video here)

Don’t fall for it. Again.


Ouch! Local State Representative has billed killed on the House Floor (video)

May 20, 2025

This is our State Representative. He is now running for Senate.

Representative Dennis Paul filed House Bill 1091 which would shorten the time for accepting mail in ballots. State Representative John Bucy who was appointed to the Elections Committee as a freshman legislator asked very specific questions when Paul’s bill was laid out in the Committee. Paul’s answers came back to embarrass him on the House Floor.

As he did in the Committee Paul continued his claim that his bill would actually give voters MORE time to send in a ballot by mail when in fact it actually shortened it. After an embarrassing questioning by Bucy on the House floor, Bucy called for a point of order and requested no further consideration due to the bill analysis being “substantially and materially misleading”. The Chair agreed. The bill died. (You can read the official details here)

This is one of the many reasons why Dennis Paul was listed as “furniture” by Texas Monthly. After 10 years his time in the House is been uneventful. Our district deserves better…..but not Scott Bowen.


Former DA Kim Ogg, It’s Time to Move On

May 19, 2025

I didn’t know the Houston Press still existed. Decades ago, when they were still in print, they ran a front page story on how I became a consumer advocate. It was a very detailed article and focused on my problem with Ryland Homes. (god rest their sorry ass) I really appreciated the article.

Today they focused on former District Attorney Kim Ogg and it makes her seem petty, vindictive, and still irrelevant. In 2024 she was absolutely trampled in the Democratic Primary losing 75/25 in the early vote totals. Her opponent went on to win the DAs race.

Ogg has been criticized for harassing her enemies including Judge Lina Hidalgo and her staff. Her extensive investigation, involving the Texas Rangers, ended in an ill called press conference including someone with a trombone playing WOMP WOMP in the background. (not really)

A number of cases have since been throw out with the DA claiming the cases lacked necessary evidence to convict. Based upon her past experience it’s probably true. A DA wouldn’t throw out a case after so many resources were spent on it. I just don’t see that happening. Now Ogg wants federal intervention and after sucking up to the republican party she just might get it from the weaponized arm of the department of justice.

I was a big supporter of Ogg for her reelection in 2020 and I’ve been critical of Ogg for her petty arguments with Judge Hidalgo. I’ve been critical of Hidalgo for not taking the high road and whining too much. The resolution prior to the primary passed by a handful of far lefties of the Harris County Democratic Party against Ogg was a waste of time and effort and unnecessary. But if made them feel like they did something productive then more power to them.

Take a few minutes to read the story. It is detailed, pointed, and Ogg deserves every fuckin bit of it.


Movie Review: The Amateur

May 17, 2025

Watch it? Rent it? Skip it?

Skip it. That was such a huge waste of a free movie ticket. The Amateur is about a pencil neck, computer geek working for the CIA who becomes an International CIA Agent overnight in order to find and kill those who killed his wife. Sounds stupid? You’re right. It is. It was.

Somehow over a 2 hour period Rami Malek, an academy award winner, is transformed into a bullet proof CIA spy using his skills he learned from Lawrence Fishburne over a period of a few days and the help of YouTube videos (seriously). Jon Berthnal has a couple of very regrettable appearances, seriously, just a couple. Needless to say Rami learns how to hack into every building, access every camera, to evade the highly trained CIA agents sent to find him. He is bulletproof. Literally escaping a Seal team with automatic weapons. Ugh. It is just so cringe worthy.

I feel more stupider just writing this. This was crap. Just total crap. A waste of 2 hours and a free movie ticket. Don’t waste your time or money watching this stupidity. Go watch something better like The Substance.

LOL.


Comments Requested in Support of Insurance Bill

May 16, 2025

As I mentioned a few days ago:

Progressive Insurance sent out a message to home owners and insurance agents in the Bay Area urging them to contact elected officials concerning an insurance bill. Just an FYI: Progressive will NOT write policies in the Bay Area.

The agents have responded. You can read their comments in opposition of the bill here. They pretty much reflect the talking points provided by Progressive. So take a few minutes to write to the Committee in support of this bill. Here are my talking points:

  • This bill requires the insurance industry to justify rate increases over 10%. If they can’t justify their increases they should not be able to increase.
  • This bill is the least our elected officials can do for those affected by the rising cost of home insurance. Literally.
  • This bill will NOT address the problem of our out of control insurance premiums
  • Justifying an increase in rates will NOT lower premiums since premiums are calculated based upon the rates and other factors
  • Our issue in the Bay Area is the extreme premiums and deductibles.

Your comments would be appreciated 
On Monday 5/19/25  the House Insurance Committee will hear Senate Bill 1643. This bill will require insurance companies to justify to the Texas Department of Insurance any rate increase above 10%. It DOES NOT regulate the rate, it simply requires a justification.

The Industry has sent out emails to their insurance agents to write comments opposing this bill and they have. You can also send in comments. It is easy. The form is online here. Do the following:

  • Fill out your personal information
  • Select SB 1643 by Schwertner
  • Enter your comments including your support for the bill
  • Submit your comments

Again thank you for your interest in this issue!


Christian Congressman of Galveston Jokes About Killing Immigrants

May 15, 2025

And we wonder why a 21 year old white wing nut killed 23 human beings at an El Paso Walmart?

Randy Weber, the Congressman of Galveston County who has never met a constituent face to face, thought it was real funny to joke about killing immigrants. And it’s on video. This is the kind of talk that gets people killed including 23 shoppers in El Paso, 10 in Santa Fe High School, and 19 children in Uvalde. He thinks it’s funny. He thinks it is cute.

Randy claims to be a Christian, a “republican” Christian. Republican Christians are different kind of Christians. They talk a great game about Christian values, loving thy neighbor, telling the truth, yada yada yada. In real life they tolerate liars, cheaters, racists, sympathizing with NAZIs, and porking porn stars, paying them off and getting indicted and convicted on 34 felony counts. That is Randy Weber.

Randy gives real Christians a bad name. I guess he is a CHINO. Christian In Name Only. May god damn him to hell.


Insurance Company Asks for Help from Bay Area Homeowners (LOL)

May 14, 2025

Progressive Insurance sent out a message to home owners and insurance agents in the Bay Area urging them to contact elected officials concerning an insurance bill. Just an FYI: Progressive will NOT write policies in the Bay Area.

Senate Bill 1643 will require an insurance company to justify their rate increases of more than 10% prior to using the new rates. Back in 2003 the Legislature removed the prior approval of rate increases and implemented a “File and Use” system allowing the insurance industry to raise rates, file them with the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), and immediately use the new rates. The rates could be challenged by TDI but they rarely do.

Needless to say the insurance industry is whining like a two year old, sending out emails to their agents and homeowners doing what they have been doing for the last 20 years, complain about turning into California with rate regulations. If they lived in the Bay Area they would realize that we ARE California! Rates have skyrocketed and deductibles are through the roof. Many companies including Progressive, will NOT write policies in the area. Their great “Free Market” lets them Flee the Market and they have. All the bill requires is justification for raising rates above 10%. If you can’t justify it, you shouldn’t be using it. It’s not regulating squat.

The hearing for the bill was scheduled in the House Insurance Committee has been canceled.


Look who is running for local State Representative

May 12, 2025

We all knew it was coming. The darling of the republic party, Scott Bowen.

After a devastating loss in his reelection bid for CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen has decided to run for State Representative. It’s a logical choice. Congressman Brian Babin’s seat is being saved for his son. Current State Representative Dennis Paul is running for State Senator. Current State Senator Money Mayes Middleton is running for Texas Attorney General. This leaves the State Representative seat open for Bowen.

This district was built for a do nothing republican because they don’t have to do anything to win besides put their name on the ballot. It’s so gerrymandered a Democrat can never win. Back in 2008 the State Representative, John Davis, was caught using tens of thousands of his donors money for personal items including a pair of custom made $1500 cowboy boots, gasoline for his roofing company, and other items. His approval rating was in the gutter and few if any voters knew who he was. His opponent raised $400,000, knocked on over 25,000 doors, made over 20,000 phone calls and yet still lost by 12 points.

This is a perfect place for Bowen. He can now officially go after public education funding. He can turn his back on gun violence victims and their families. He can ignore those of us who are being devastated by the rising cost of home insurance and an electricity grid in disarray. Like Dennis Paul, Scott will have a special place on Greg Abbotts ass. He will have money from his billionaire buddies and every special interest in Texas. He will be welcomed in Austin.

Maybe the parents, teachers, and taxpayers in House District 129 will hold him accountable. Again.


DNC Vice Chair David Hogg: “We’re coming after The Squad”

May 12, 2025

I did not see this coming

David Hogg, newly appointed Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, surprised the Committee and progressives across the party when he announced his plan to primary the members of The Squad. The Squad is composed of 7 of the most progressive members of the Democratic Congress. According to NBC News:

Hogg set off a firestorm among Democrats last week when he said his political action committee would fund a $20 million effort to challenge “ineffective” incumbents in primaries

The Washington InCider continues:

“My job as Vice Chair of the DNC is to find and fund candidates to challenge ineffective Democrats in the House and Senate. My targets may include the members of The Squad including my good friend Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. After years in office AOC and The Squad collectively have accomplished little. They can’t make progress. They can’t forge relationships with others in the Party or across the aisle.”

Hogg went on to say that The Squad has have filed a total of 290 bills, passing only 4. 3 of these bills renamed buildings. The Squad has been very effective in getting media attention, appearing on MSNBC claiming to represent the Party, and complaining about the very party they belong to. Yet when it comes to the hard work of actually making progress on progressive issues they have been silent.

“We need young Democrats to file and challenge the members of The Squad. They need to learn the art of being a politician. Anyone can yell and scream about progressive issues we are passionate about but it takes a politician to actually make progress. Independent Bernie Sanders a perfect example of being ineffective. Sanders has yelled and screamed about “Medicare for All” for 40 years with absolutely nothing to show for it.”

Hogg claims his vast experience he gained at Harvard University gives him the skills to reform the DNC much like Bernie Sanders has reformed healthcare. His degrees in International Studies and Theoretical Concepts of Doing Stupid Shit makes him a great candidate for getting nothing accomplished.

Welcome to Satire Sunday a day late.


Rising Home Insurance Costs: Climate Insights at Town Hall May 15.

May 10, 2025

If you are concerned about the rising cost of home insurance you might want to attend and learn what the insurance companies are doing in reference to “frequency and intensity of storms” ie climate change.

Major meeting Extreme Weather & Changing Climate next week, Thursday May 15 6:30 pm at Bay Area Community Ctr. Power panel of experts address key issues of extreme Texas weather and changing climate concerns/actions. Expertise in extreme weather, disasters and resilience, climate change, environment and human health, impacts to Gulf and bays, environmental organizations.

Galveston Bay Foundation – Bob Stokes, Director
Houston Chronicle – Chris Tomlinson columnist
UT Health Science Center – Dr. Yun Hang, extreme weather & natural disasters
Rice U – Dr. Isabelle Bunge, climate change and human health
Rice U – Dr. Daniel Potter, Houston population research
UT Medical Branch – Dr. Lance Hallberg, environmental health and toxicology
UH-Clear Lake – Dr. George Guillen, former director Environmental Institute, our moderator

RSVP is requested but not required at EventBrite QR or https://ExtremeWeatherTownHall.eventbrite.com, or by email to Bounder77062@yahoo.com


Guess Who is Running for the Bay Area Senate Seat?

May 9, 2025

I had heard rumors he was retiring. Unfortunately I was wrong.

After spending 12 years in the Texas House, accomplishing little if anything substantial, State Representative Dennis Paul will be running for the Senate seat being vacated by Money Mayes Middleton.

For the politically ignorant, Texas has 31 Senate districts. Senate District 11 (SD11) is composed of most of Galveston County, and parts of Brazoria and Harris County. The Texas House has 150 House Districts. Dennis Paul represents House District 129 (HD129) covering the area from Seabrook to Friendswood.

Dennis Paul has served for 10 part time years as a House Member and will run for Money Mayes Middleton’s seat. Middleton has decided to run for Texas Attorney General using $20 million of his own money. Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging Senator John Cornyn and is expected to kiss Trump’s ass better than John.

Paul is leaving the House District in shambles. He has sat on the House Insurance Committee for 10 years yet property insurance is out the roof. Our electricity grid is still unstable. He voted in favor of passing the cost of upgrades to his constituents. NASA is poised to be gutted in 2026 leaving many without jobs. Paul has never publicly addressed his constituents. His local office is closed most of the time. He never responds to his constituents or even answers the phone. He has been invited to discuss the rising cost of insurance and has refused. He supported gutting our public schools with vouchers. He supported easy access to guns even after one of his own members of the State Republican Executive Committee was senselessly gunned down and 19 children were gunned down in Uvalde. Paul can’t raise money. After 12 years he still has an outstanding balance of $25,000 on a $150,000 personal loan that he used to initially win the seat. He has just $49,000 Cash on Hand.

In 2023 Paul was listed as “Furniture” by Texas Monthly, accomplishing little if anything and just getting in the way. In his comment to The Texas Tribune Paul ignored the very people he is suppose to represent, his constituents:

If elected to the Senate, Paul said, “I will faithfully represent those values which make Texas the greatest state to live, work and raise a family: faith in God; love for family and liberty.”

With Paul running for SD11 his buddy, CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen, will probably run for his seat. Like Paul, Scott can’t raise money. In his latest run for re-election Scott spent $20,000 of his own money. He lost. Like Paul, Bowen supported vouchers, cuts to public education, and unlimited access to guns.

HD129 is a safe gerrymandered district for any republican candidate. An opposing, well qualified, candidate could raise $500,000, knock on over 25,000 doors, make over 20,000 phone calls and they will still lose.

I know. It happened in 2008.


What’s Next for CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen?

May 8, 2025

The darling of the Texas Republic Party needs an elected position.

After his crushing defeat in the CCISD election Scott Bowen will be looking for another office to run for. Hopefully this time he will run for a partisan position, one that allows him to run as a Republican because that is what he is, a MAGAt Republican. He has a couple of options and I expect him to continue his political career that started at Texas A&M where he served on the Senate along with a couple of extreme right wingers. You can read about them here. From a previous post:

  • He has personal relationships (Served on the Texas A&M Senate) with the Director of Texans for Strong Borders who was seen chauffeuring [Nick] Fuentes
  • He has personal relationship with Cary Cheshire, (Served on the Texas A&M Senate) the executive director of Texans For Strong Borders and a longtime employee of Defend Texas Liberty

Defend Texas Liberty was eventually disbanded after The Texas Tribune caught their leadership meeting with a known white supremacist, Nick Fuentes. But I digress. Bowen needs a position. Here are his possibilities. According to his voter registration he has some options:

For Congress
This might be a good place for him. Congressional District 36 is one of the most gerrymandered district in the United States. A republican can win this seat by 40 points just by putting their name on the ballot. A republican could be caught with a goat in the back of a 57 Chevy and still win. Our current congressman, Brian Babin, has been missing in action for the last 10 years. He has never communicated with his constituents because he doesn’t need to. Babin is old, frail, is worthless to the community, and should resign. Bowen would be free to run for his seat if he does.

For State Senate
Our Senator Money Mayes Middleton is running for Texas Attorney General. Bowen can’t run for that office because he does not live in his district but he could run in Senate District 6 and get his ass handed to him by Senator Carol Alvarado. This is a no go for Scott.

For State Representative
Rumor has it State Representative Dennis Paul is going to retire after 10 years with little, if any, accomplishments to his name. Paul will leave with a $25,000 pension and state provided healthcare for him and his wife for the rest of his life. This would be a good step for Bowen since the district is gerrymandered enough to give any goat loving republican an easy win but unlike Congress it pays little.

For Commissioner
He could challenge Commissioner Adrian Garcia but like Alvarado he would get his ass kicked. Again. The Precinct respects Garcia. He has performed well and other challengers have been unsuccessful in ousting him.

If Brian Babin steps down look to Scott to follow in his footsteps and continue kissing Donald Trump’s big ass.


Extremist PAC Pulls Endorsement of Local CCISD Trustee

May 8, 2025

This happened just days after a crushing defeat of two highly partisan candidates for the CCISD School Board, Trustee Bowen and Joe Machol.

According to the Houston Chronicle article “Far-right school board candidates rejected right-wing school board candidates” the far-right extremist 1776 PAC from New York got it’s ass kicked in last weeks elections. It’s a good read and maybe shows that parents, teachers, and tax payers have had enough of partisan politicians infecting our schools. According to the article:

Major political action committees, including the 1776 PAC, True Texas, Patriot Mobile and Mom’s for Liberty, saw their preferred candidates lose even in conservative areas of Texas. 

I’ve written about the 1776 PAC back in 2024 when they endorsed CCISD Trustee Jeff Larson. This is an extreme far right organization supported by Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro. CCISD Trustee Jeff Larson is/was on their list of endorsements. The PAC has since removed any mention of their endorsement of Larson on their website. In 2024 many received texts paid for by the PAC proudly endorsing Larson. They posted their endorsement on their Facebook page. He won. How much they spent helping Larson win is hard to determine but you can peruse the data at Open Secrets. Most of their funding came from areas outside CCISD.

This PAC did not meddle in the 2025 CCISD election, in fact, besides the Harris County Republic Party no outside partisan organizations tried to sway voters in our last election. Besides Trustee Bowen spending $20,000 of his own money in his losing effort it was a pretty clean election.

As it should be.


Response from Congressman Babin on NASA Cuts

May 7, 2025

Crickets.

If you call your local Congressman, Brian Babin, and ask “Has the Congressman made a statement on the massive cuts to NASA?” you will get the response “I haven’t talked with the Congressman on the issue but will pass your comments on to him”. That’s the canned answer to every question on every subject on every day. I’ve called daily asking for a response and they still haven’t talked with the Congressman. Go ahead and try it. I’ll wait. Phone: (202) 225-1555

The proposed cuts to NASA and the shift of money to Elon Musk and SpaceX has the administration considering renaming NASA to the National Administration for Zodiology Investments. (NAZI). But seriously, I am almost being serious. Trump is proposing to gut the Space Agency with a massive 24% cut including cancelling major programs at JSC. Gateway, the space station around the Moon, has had its first module delivered to NASA. It’s being cancelled. The vehicles that will send astronauts to the Moon and Mars are being cancelled. Both the Orion vehicle and the heavy lift rocket (SLS) have already been built and flown. They are both gone along with the jobs.

These programs are serious cuts to the local economy and yet Senator Cornyn, Cruz, Congressmen Weber and Babin (all republicans by the way) have been unable to take their lips off Trumps ass to make a statement. All of them are happy to have proposed moving a Shuttle from Washington DC to Space Center Houston. That might give the engineers losing their jobs an opportunity to become tour guides.

At least Elon Musk is happy. The cuts to NASA are going straight to SpaceX, the guys who like to blow up vehicles.


The Silence on CCISD Elections: How Our Local Media Failed Us

May 7, 2025

In the words of Hank Hill: “Where you at?”

BTW. I have contact with a number of journalists and greatly appreciate what they do but their outlet needs to do better. The CCISD area has a couple of local media outlets including Community Impact, The Houston Chronicle, The Galveston Daily News, and the The Southbelt Leader. None of these media outlets have ever dug deep into the candidates for CCISD trustees. I can give a pass to Community Impact because that isn’t what they do although maybe they should reconsider. The 2025 election was a great example of our local media being missing in action.

No media outlet dug deep into the candidates past, abilities, or fundraising for the position. Trustee Scott Bowen has a history (documented by videos) of supporting school vouchers and advocating against public schools in Austin. He has a history of associating with extreme organizations and people. There is enough background on him to fill up a post titled “A Threat to CCISD Education” and yet no local media reported on it. Joe Machol, Bowen’s recruit, was probably the worst candidate in CCISD history to run for the Board and yet the media was silent. He had no money, no background in education, no campaign, and no business running for Trustee.

These positions are important to the community especially parents of school kids. The information about these candidates should be researched and provided to the community so they can make informed decisions. They should know their past, their qualifications, and their source of funding no matter how disturbing it may be. Over the last few years school districts across the country have been infested with extremists funded by white wing organizations like Patriot Mobile and Defend Texas Liberty and yet there was little if any coverage of this.

It’s disappointing that my small blog, Bay Area Houston, has to do the heavy lifting. All the information is public or available via a google search but I don’t have the coverage of the media in the Bay Area. I don’t have the audience to make an impact. I’m not an educated journalist. I’m just a loud mouth blogger. The community needs this information. They need our media outlets.

Do better. We need you.


Texas Insurance Legislation: A Disappointment for Bay Area Property Owners

May 6, 2025

We are on our own until November 2026.

Side Sour Note: 
Since my visit to Austin I have been overly busy and have neglected to keep you informed of the progress of any bills that may help us with the rising cost of insurance. I left Austin extremely disappointed in the lack of attention to our situation. Let me be blunt about where we stand. No one is coming to help us. The bills being debated are nothing but minor changes that will NOT help reduce our premiums. There are some Legislators who understand our situation and are trying but they are overwhelmed by the opposition in Austin. Where do we go from here? I do not know.

Bills being debated:
Megan Kimble of the Houston Chronicle just wrote an excellent article, “Texas plan to rein in home insurers doesn’t go far enough”  concerning a number of bills making their way through Austin. Take some time to read it to understand where we stand.

Our State Representative and Senator
HB2067/SB1006. State Representative Dennis Paul and Senator Mayes Middleton filed HB2067 and SB1006 which are “companion” bills. Companions make it easier to fast track. Both are on their way to passing but will have no effect on our situation. The bills require an insurance company to write a letter when they cancel or deny service to you. That’s all it does. Expect them to boast about this accomplishment soon after the session is over.

Senator Mayes is stepping away from his seat to run for Texas Attorney General and Dennis Paul is rumored to be retiring. Maybe we can find two candidates who will champion our cause in 2026.

HB2741 will prohibit the use of credit scoring in setting premiums. It was left pending in the Insurance Committee in early April. SB1644 Will require an insurance company to write a letter if your credit score negatively affects your premiums. It seems ready to pass. Once again pretty useless.

SB1643 will require insurance companies to justify an increase in a rate over 10%. It passed the Senate. This bill does NOT apply to increases in premiums. It is for rate increases. Your rate may not change but your premium might double. This bill does absolutely nothing for us. 

HB1576/SB2924 will create a “Fortify” program similar to Alabama. In Alabama the state helps you fortify your home from weather events in exchange for lower premiums. The Texas bill does not guarantee lower premiums. Why anyone would go through the expense of fortifying a home without an incentive is beyond me. The House bill has passed the house. The Senate bill is coming up for a hearing.

No bills were filed to address the cost of repairs or price gouging after a weather event.


Bay Area Houston

Hard hitting political commentary always full of wit in Houston Texas.

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