Texas Republicans: Birds of a Feather & Hubris !

Jan. 16, 2006, 10:47PM

Lobbyist for state tied to Abramoff
Boulanger is the second hire linked with controversy

By R.G. RATCLIFFE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - Todd Boulanger, who once worked closely with confessed
influence peddler Jack Abramoff, now heads a group lobbying Congress
for Texas under a $330,000 state contract.

Boulanger and his firm, Cassidy & Associates, were hired by the Texas
Office of State-Federal Relations under a contract approved by Gov.
Rick Perry, House Speaker Tom Craddick and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

This is the second time the state has hired as a congressional lobbyist
someone with connections to the lobbying controversies surrounding
former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land.

to read the entire article please visit: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3591440
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Opinion | 1/18/06
Viewpoint: Texas pride or is it hubris?
Article Tools: Page 1 of 1

Gov. Rick Perry has been governor for six years now and he wants the job for a full decade.

And what key issue does Perry believe he needs to be reelected - again - to accomplish? If you consult his advertising campaign, the answer is clear - nothing. Texas is perfect as is.

If you surf over to one of Perry's campaign Web sites, www.proudoftexas.com, you'll find him smirking - cross-armed and hair moussed - and explaining the reason he deserves to spend a decade as governor.

"I have never been more proud to call myself a Texan. When you consider all the great contributions Texans make every day - in the classroom, in research labs, on the athletic field or on the battlefield - what's not to be proud of?"

Certainly individual Texans engage in selfless acts of courage, win awards and participate in noble and honorable activities every day. Unfortunately the state government, the part of Texas Perry actually has (some) control over, has quite a bit "not to be proud of."

The state's school finance system has been declared unconstitutional and hasn't been becoming any less unconstitutional since Perry released his glorious plan to fix it in the spring of 2004.

But the list of things we shouldn't be proud of doesn't stop there.

Texas ranked eighth in primary and secondary syphilis rates in 2004. It ranked fifth in teenage pregnancies. It ranked first in teenage births.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 30.7 percent of Texan adults are uninsured, the highest rate in the nation in 2005. Additionally, 22.6 percent of Texas children are uninsured, again that's the highest rate in the nation.

According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, Texas was given a 'C' on its Emergency Care Report Card. In the same study, Texas received a 'D' for its emergency medicine system. Texas also ranked 44th (out of 50) in its number of board certified emergency physicians.

But it's not all bad.

Texas no longer has the poorest county in the nation. Starr County has moved from being the poorest county to the third poorest county. Congrats, Rick!

These statistics may paint an overly pessimistic view of Texas, but politics should be about finding problems and solving them. One would think that with problems this numerous, Perry would be talking about how to make Texas better instead of gloating that it's the best. Maybe instead of pretending all things in the Lone Star State are rosy, Perry should roll up his finely starched sleeves and propose solutions to this state's growing problems.

source: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/media/paper410/news/2006/01/18/Opinion/Viewpoint.Texas.Pride.Or.Is.It.Hubris-1434509.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.dailytexanonline.com
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Texas Dems Criticize Contract With Lobbyist

By APRIL CASTRO
Associated Press Writer
January 18, 2006, 11:59 PM EST

AUSTIN, Texas -- Democrats in the Texas Legislature called on the governor Wednesday to cancel a contract with a lobbyist that they contend was used to funnel taxpayer money into Republican campaigns.
The office of Gov. Rick Perry called the allegations a "baseless, partisan move" and defended the lobbying program as nonpartisan.
Drew Maloney, a former chief of staff to embattled Rep. Tom DeLay, was one of two lobbyists hired by the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations in 2003 to represent the state's interests in the nation's capital.
Once awarded his $180,000-a-year contract, Maloney made more than $75,000 in contributions to Republican campaigns, both nationally and in Texas, according to campaign finance documents culled by Democrats.
Maloney could not be reached for comment.
The Republican-led Legislature approved spending $1.1 million on the contracts. The contracts expire next year.
"It's unbelievable to find, in effect, laundering taxpayer money to put in the coffers of Republican politicians in the state of Texas. It's an outrage, and it's unbelievable," said state Rep. Jim Dunnam, a Democrat. "Why do we spend 1.1 million state tax dollars on lobbyists when Texas is home to 32 congressmen and women, two senators and the president of the United States?"
Perry spokeswoman Rachel Novier credited the lobbyists with a $5 billion increase in federal funds in state coffers.
Maloney was a key figure in 2002 fundraising that has led to criminal charges against DeLay and two of his associates, who are accused of improperly using corporate money in Texas campaigns.
By law, corporate money can be used only for administrative expenses in political campaigns in the state.
source: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-texas-lobbyist,0,1681517.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines