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State Rep. Ron Reynolds fined $10k by ethics panel

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Lawmakers make the laws. The question is, do they follow them all to the letter?

State Rep. Ron Reynolds of Missouri City, who last month was named "Freshman of the Year" by his fellow Democrats, puts that question to the test.

A KXAN News investigation shows that as of June 1, Reynolds owed the Texas Ethics Commission nearly $10,260 in fines relating to failure to file the required financial disclosure reports required of candidates for public office and officeholders.

Read the rest of the story at KXAN.

Texas’ budget crisis was no accident

By Lloyd Criss—Galveston County Democratic Party Chairman

For many decades Texas had a tax structure that provided adequate revenue to fund public education and balance the state budget. Occasionally the tax structure produced a surplus. Prior Democratic administrations wisely converted the surpluses into savings and created the Texas Rainy Day Fund for unanticipated circumstances.

In 2006 Gov. Rick Perry passed legislation that contained substantial tax cuts to benefit certain big businesses. This tax cut legislation created a $5 billion dollar shortfall in state revenue. By 2011 this shortfall, combined with a recession driven decline in sales tax revenue, blossomed into the $27 billion budget deficit crisis for the 82nd Texas Legislative Session.

This historic budget crisis was no accident. The shortfall had been forecast by the state comptroller at the time. The state treasury isn’t broke; it was robbed of the funds we need to serve the citizens of this state.

Rep. Ron Reynolds Named "Freshman of the Year"

AUSTIN, Texas (June 1, 2011) -- In the largest freshman class in decades, Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Fort Bend County, District 27) was voted "Freshman of the Year" by the House Democratic Caucus. Rep. Reynolds worked tirelessly on many critical issues facing the state and fought hard to protect the most vulnerable citizens in Texas.Speaker Joe Straus presents Rep. Ron Reynolds with "Freshman of the Year" recognition

This session, Rep. Reynolds played a key leadership role in many debates including the state's budget crisis, funding public education, fighting for teachers and protecting the elderly. "I was proud to announce that Ron was our Freshman of the Year," said Jessica Farrar, House Democratic Leader. "Many members believe that a freshman's job is to be seen, but not heard.  Ron refused to take a back seat during this tough legislative session and his voice was important as we fought for teachers, financial aid for college students, and to keep nursing homes open."

No Room for Hate in Fort Bend Elections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 1, 20114 Stephen Brown

Fort Bend County Democratic Chair Steve Brown issued the following statement regarding hate mail recently sent to Sugar Land voters:

The City of Sugar Land has long been celebrated for its wonderfully diverse communities.  Such diversity is reflected in its schools, churches and local government.  As voters prepare for upcoming city council run-off elections, it's important that we not engage in the type of hate-baiting and fear mongering that will undoubtedly pull us apart.

 "As the Chair of the Fort Bend County Democratic Party, I'm appalled to see that hate has reared its ugly head in Sugar Land's run-off elections."

"We must all denounce the cowardly assertions of an anonymous author to associate a Sugar Land candidate with Al Qaeda."

"Let's hope the voters know better than to select their leaders based on any other criteria than the qualifications and experience that they would bring in serving Sugar Land.  I ask all leaders to join me in advocating for a more civil election."

Hateful Attack on Republican Fahra Ahmed

Shame on the Fort Bend Republican Chairman, Rick Miller, and every other elected official in Sugar Land or Fort Bend…  A scurrilous attack via e-mail and mailed flyer has been put out attacking Farha Ahmed who is in a run off for a seat on the Sugar Land City Council. The e-mail and flyer cleverly insinuates that Ahmed is a Muslim extremist...

...I've known her for many years and became familiar with her mostly through her work with the Fort Bend Republican Party. So the idea being promoted that she is a terrorist is not only laughable, it is unconscionable.

...It is amazing to me that a press release or even a Facebook entry has not been posted denouncing the people behind the hate campaign against Farha Ahmed by not only her political opponent, but her political party, or any other member of the Sugar Land City Council. What’s wrong with you people?

Taxes: No Barrier to Growth in 1990s

Every time Republicans say you can’t reconcile higher taxes and growth, someone should flash this graph:

The causal story off that graph is something like “in the ’90s, bringing down the deficit through a balanced mix of tax increases and spending cuts was a net positive for growth.” The correlation story off that graph is “the ’90s were a good time for the global economy, and Clinton’s economic management was, at best, a small part of the decade’s successes.” The obviously wrong stories are “tax increases are incompatible with growth” and “Bush’s management of the economy was successful.”

Ex-general to run for Senate in Texas

3 Lt Gen Ricardo SanchezFormer Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who oversaw coalition forces in Iraq before retiring in the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, is running for Senate in Texas as a Democrat.

Two Democratic sources with direct knowledge of Sanchez's plans said he will announce his run Wednesday on Facebook, then file campaign paperwork in San Antonio. The sources would speak only on condition of anonymity before the announcement.

Sanchez, 59, was raised in Rio Grande Valley and lives in San Antonio.

10 Worst States To Be a Woman

State Republicans have introduced nearly 1,000 laws restricting women's reproductive health access. Here are 10 of the worst states to be a woman between puberty and menopause.

Texas. Thirty-five percent of women in their childbearing years are uninsured in Texas, making the need for subsidized family planning services especially strong in the state.

The President on Jobs & Gas Prices

2 The Obama Energy Agenda & Gas Prices

 

President Obama's remarks on how we’re going to get gas prices under control: 

But if we can transition to new technologies, that's what’s going to make a difference over the long term.  That's how we’re going to meet the goal that I’ve set of reducing the amount of oil that we import by one-third by the middle of the next decade.  We can hit that target.  We can hit that target.

Republican Party Of Fort Bend Passes Resolution In Support Of Convicted Felon

Jail Bird Tom DeLayThe Republican Party of Fort Bend County Executive Committee has unanimously passed a resolution in support of convicted felon and disgraced former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay expressing "appreciation for his tireless service to our community, the State of Texas and the nation."

What have they been smoking?

voter