Monthly Archives: February 2010
HOUSTONIANS PROMISED HELP MY NOT GET IT RIGHT NOW!
FOX 26 NEWS AND THE INSITE HAVE LEARNED THE CITY OF HOUSTON’S DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS ESSENTIALLY BROKE WITH POTENTIALLY DOZENS OF PEOPLE LEFT HOLDING WORTHLESS IOU’S…SOURCES TELL FOX 26 AND THE INSITE THE CITY CONTROLLER ‘WAS FORCED’ TO ESSENTIALLY SHUT DOWN THE PROGRAM YESTERDAY WHEN AUDITORS LEARNED THE FUND SET UP TO HELP WITH DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE WAS MORE THAN $9 MILLION DOLLARS IN THE HOLE – THE RED. THIS AFFECTS A LONG LIST OF PEOPLE WHO WERE PROMISED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BY THE CITY’S HOUSING DEPARTMENT. THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO HELP THOSE WHO TOOK PART IN A CITY MANDATED CREDIT EDUCATION COURSE TO BUY A HOME. WE’RE TOLD ON THURSDAY CITY CONTROLLER RONALD GREEN WAS NOT ABLE TO CERTIFY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT HAD FUNDS IN ITS ACCOUNT TO CONTINUE THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM. WE’RE WORKING TO GET YOU MORE DETAILS AND JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE THIS WILL AFFECT.
IS IT A PRACTICE THAT SHOULD CONTINUE?
The Insite put in a request to the city of Houston’s Finance department. I wanted to know just how much the city was spending annually to allow civilian (not police) employees to take home city owned vehicles. I was surprised to learn taxpayers dropped a cool $4 million for 2009 alone. It’s an issue Houston City Council members C.O. Braford and Jolanda Jones want to address as members of the city’s Public Safety committee. The information provided to the Insite indicates there are 902 take home vehicles. The number of miles driven by city workers in these cars come in at 10.6 million. Fuel cost is at $1.5 million, maintenance is another $1.4 million and the depreciation amount is at $1.2 million. Those records disclosed by the city also show the city vehicles swallowed 489,000 gallons of gas last year. At $4.2 million annually do you think the city should continue the practice of allowing employees to take cars home when city leaders are looking for ways to save money? The Insite also contacted Mayor Annise Parker’s office to get a response on these numbers. Her communications director Janice Evans released this statement:
“The departments with the most take home vehicles are those departments with large numbers of employees with inspection duties, requiring travel to numerous locations each work day. That said, however, we are continuously looking for savings and opportunities for eliminating abuse. Currently, the city is exploring GPS monitoring and so-called geo fences as ways to ensure we know where the vehicles are at all times. We are also looking at strategic assignment as a way to reduce the use of these vehicles and in the process cut costs.”
Mayor Annise Parker
City of Houston
(The city employee pictured is not necessarily a worker who takes home a car)
BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
A 4-month-old is on life support after a frustrated woman allegedly tried to drown the crying baby into a bucket of water.
Zin Zhang, 34, appeared before a judge Thursday on a charge of injury to a child.
She is accused of placing an infant into a 5-gallon bucket of water while she and her father were trying to care for the ill child Monday, officials said.
Zhang and her father had taken the child to a doctor and went to a pharmacy store to pick up a prescription, officials said.
Zhang had tried to feed the baby, but the child kept crying, so her father took over, officials sad.
Her father fed the baby and put the child to sleep before taking a nap himself, officials said.
But during the dad’s nap, the baby woke up screaming, officials said.
Zhang tried to walk the baby, but it wouldn’t calm the child down, officials said.
That’s when Zhang allegedly picked the baby up from the bedroom and put it in the bucket of water, officials said.
The child was transported to Texas Children’s Hospital and is on life support.
HE BLAMES HIS OPPONENT FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING HIS SIGNS AND CALLS THE ACTIVITY GANGSTA!
City Councilman Jarvis Johnson sent out at a text at 7:30 am Thursday morning saying he woke up to find all of his campaign signs missing in his neighborhood. Johnson writes, “they can steal my signs but not my spirit.” Johnson levels the allegation against his opponent in the text saying, “SJL camp took every sign from MY hood including my house leaving SJL signs only. Damn that’s gangsta!!”
As many of you know Johnson is challenging Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for her seat in the 18th Congressional District. Sean Roberts is also vying for the position.
The question is: Was it really gangsta or a criminal act. Theft of political sign? The Insite would like to hear your opinion!
HERE’S A COOL JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU!
For the first time in its 75-year-history, the Department of Public Safety will hold an advanced 8-week school for current Texas and eligible out-of-state law enforcement officers who are interested in becoming Highway Patrol Troopers.
The first advanced recruit school will begin May 16, 2010, in Austin. The application deadline is March 31, 2010.
“This is an excellent opportunity for current law enforcement officers who want to be Highway Patrol Troopers,” said Steven C. McCraw, director of the DPS.
Qualified applicants will have an opportunity to select their duty station before starting the advanced course.
Texas peace officers must have an active state peace officer license and pass the physical readiness test. Out-of-state peace officers must have passed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education licensing examination and provide proof of successful completion of a state approved basic police officer training academy. All applicants must meet other eligibility requirements, including being a U.S. citizen and be at least 21 years of age. Candidates must also pass a background investigation and submit to a polygraph examination and psychological examination.
After gaining experience, troopers can compete for a variety of assignments including criminal investigative agents involved in organized criminal investigations, intelligence and counter terrorism, protective services; and Texas Rangers.
While attending the advance school, officers will earn $2,982.25 per month. Upon graduation, they will receive $3,258.08 per month, and that salary increases to $3,935.08 per month after one year with DPS. Troopers, who speak Spanish, have college degrees and higher law enforcement certifications beyond basic are eligible for additional incentive pay.
Additional information is accessible on the DPS Web site, www.joindps.com, and application packets can be picked up at any DPS office. Potential applicants can call a toll-free number, 1-866-TXTROOP (898-7667), that rings directly into the recruiting office at DPS Headquarters in Austin. DPS is an equal opportunity employer.
IS IT REASONABLE OR JUST POLITICAL GAMES?
Did you see Republican Congressman John Boehner’s press conference – He complained the latest health care plan from President Obama was way too short – he says the 11 page summary was the length of a comic book – now rewind just a few months ago and he said that first health care plan from Congress was way too long at 1990 pages – what do you want man? Short or long or like the little girl in the three little bears – “it’s just right.”
I want to thank you for all you’ve done for the HCRP and the conservative movement.
Like you, I am concerned about a government that wants to expand to all areas of our lives: our banks, our corporations, our car dealerships, our hospitals, and our schools.
Enough is enough. Government in Washington is too big, too controlling, too inefficient and too wasteful.
Just turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper or get on the internet and it becomes clear that our values, principles, and culture are under attack from the radical left.
Over the past several months, America has begun to wake up to the true Democratic Party, led by Barack Obama.
We now know what Hope and Change means:
· A $787 billion dollar stimulus package that has allowed unemployment to go over 10%
· Cap and tax legislation that would cripple our economy
· A budget with over 9000 earmarks
· Billions in governmental bailouts
· Government run healthcare
· Cap and tax legislation that would cripple our economy
· A budget with over 9000 earmarks
· Billions in governmental bailouts
· Government run healthcare
The result-our country is having buyer’s remorse. Recent victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and Scott Brown’s historic win in Massachusetts, demonstrate that the conservative movement is coming out of the proverbial political wilderness.
In just over a year, President Obama and his big government liberal agenda for this country has resulted in a conservative backlash. Voters expressed what we have been hearing from Republicans, conservative independents and seen expressed in the Tea Party movement: big government is not the solution.
As conservative Republicans in Harris County, 2010 will be the year we take our country and the Republican Party back to the Reaganesque principles that brought us to the majority. We need to be an active part of the grass roots, conservative movement seen in Town Hall meetings across the country. We need to embrace the energy, strength, and passion of the Tea Party patriots.
Whether you are a conservative Republican activist, a Tea Party patriot, or a person who is just plain sick and tired of the direction our country is going-we need to be united in our mission, confident in our cause, unwavering in our beliefs, and unified in the fight to take this country back from the liberal left.
We in the Harris County Republican Party believe in limited government, a strong military, lower government spending, a secure border, a free market economy, and a culture that is pro family and pro life. We will continue to fight for these principles.
I welcome everyone who wants to join our conservative cause at the HCRP, and, as we head toward the critical November elections, we must have innovation, planning, hard work and a commitment to our core conservative principles in order to be successful.
Continue to send a message to the liberals by voting in the Republican Party Primary. Early voting runs Feb. 16-26th and election day is March 2nd.
Thank you for voting and together we will take this country back.
Congressional Candidate Jarvis Johnson says he can’t seem to get Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to debate him. Johnson says it appears the incumbent in the 18th Congressional district is running scared. A spokesperson for Lee says she’s busy running a race and serving as an active member of Congress. Sue Davis says Lee never committed to a debate on Monday at Rice University. Davis says it was always tentative.
GOOD OR BAD IDEA FOR THE HOUSTON FOOTBALL TEAM?
NFL sources told FOX 26 Sports on Wednesday that the Houston Texans have decided not to place the franchise tag on cornerback Dunta Robinson, which means he will become an unrestricted free agent and will sign elsewhere.
Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/nfl/100224-dunta-robinson-houston-texans