{"id":1271,"date":"2006-07-05T19:33:00","date_gmt":"2006-07-06T01:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/?p=1271"},"modified":"2006-07-05T19:33:00","modified_gmt":"2006-07-06T01:33:00","slug":"campaign-watch-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/campaign-watch-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Campaign Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strayhorn endorsed by Independent Texans<\/strong><\/p>\n

Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Strayhorn received the endorsement of Independent Texans Wednesday.
\nThe group is the only political organization representing independent voters in Texas.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Independent Texans is a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfusion outfit,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Independent Texan founder Linda Curtis said.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We support candidates of any party affiliation that we believe will recognize the state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 4.2 million independent voters and the fastest growing voting block\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nStrayhorn received an overwhelming 87 percent of Independent Texans\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 votes for endorsement.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are with Carole not simply because we like her, but because we like that she is preparing with us for a durable long-term movement to clean up and open up Texas politics,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Curtis said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more, Carole has demonstrated, for several years now that she knows who we are because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of us. We are not just swing voters with no particular overriding concerns. In fact we are united to put an end to the petty partisanship which is killing American democracy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nStrayhorn said she was pleased to receive the groups\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 endorsement.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am honored to receive the endorsement of Independent Texans,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Strayhorn said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I pledge to put principles above politics and people before parties and to help Texans win their most powerful political reform tool — statewide initiative and referendum. In addition, as an independent, I continue to challenge all the candidates running, in all races, to support initiative and referendum along with an independent redistricting commission. Our political leaders need to be independent and to focus on the state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s real critical issues of our children, our elderly, education, health care, and fiscal responsibility rather than partisan power struggles. For too long, Texans have made it clear they want real concerns solved not studied, and they want the opportunity to make them the law of the land.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nInitiative and referendum, the right of the citizenry to override their legislature through petitioning for a vote of the people, has been enjoyed by citizens in 24 mostly western states for over a century.
\nTexans have I&R rights only at the municipal level.
\nAlong with Strayhorn, independent candidate Kinky Friedman received 9 percent of the support of Independent Texans.
\nLibertarian James Werner received 2 percent and the remaining 2 percent abstained in the endorsement vote.
\nAlthough Rick Perry and the Democratic nominee, Chris Bell were on our ballot, neither received any support. <\/p>\n

Kinky to speak at Equity Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman is scheduled to speak at the 6th Annual Seminar on School Finance and Legal Issues on July 21-22 at the Austin Marriott North in Round Rock.
\nAccording to a spokesman for the seminar, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153this seminar has consistently broken the mold for financial and legal conferences by providing attendees with not only captivating and knowledgeable speakers, but solid, personalized, hands-on information that can be utilized immediately upon returning to the district.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Bell criticizes Perry for ignoring Texas veterans<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the 86th Annual State Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars last week, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell criticized Gov. Rick Perry for failing to provide tax relief to more than half a million disabled and elderly veterans and refusing to fund stem cell research while Texas veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from brain and spinal cord injuries.
\nAccording to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are around 1.7 million veterans in Texas, including 558,787 veterans who are senior citizens and therefore ineligible for the property tax relief promised by Perry. This omission disproportionately harms Texas\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 veteran population, since the number of veterans over 65 is expected to double over the next 10 years.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The lobbyists for the oil and gas companies and the utilities got a $400 million tax holiday on top of all their property tax cuts\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut my dad and the other half million or so veterans over 65 didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a lobbyist, so they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get a tax cut,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell said. Bell is the son of a disabled World War II veteran. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m governor, my dad and any one of you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need a high-dollar lobbyist. And you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get the property tax cut you deserve.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nBell has joined State Rep. Elliot Naishtat in calling for a state constitutional amendment providing proportionate tax relief for all Texans and protecting the tax freeze granted to seniors and the disabled.
\nIn his speech, Bell continued his call to end Rick Perry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s embargo on stem cell research in Texas.
\nAccording to Bell, stem cell therapy has emerged as the most promising treatment for the increasing number of brain and spinal cord injuries in soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
\nThe National Naval Medical Center reported that 83 percent of wounded Marines and sailors suffer from some sort of brain damage; the highest incidence was among 21-year-olds.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is not enough save the life of a soldier if we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do everything we can to restore the quality of that life. And stem cell research is offering these brave men and women new hope,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Bell. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When Jesus healed the lepers, he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t call a pollster. I believe that God gives us science and technology to help our fellow man. When it comes to getting a veteran out of a wheelchair, finding a cure for Parkinson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, the disease that took my mother, or discovering new treatments for cancer, which almost took my wife, there is nothing I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do to promote stem cell research right here in Texas.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nBell has also announced plans to make state paid life insurance premiums for members of the Texas National Guard serving in active federal duty in combat zones a top priority of his administration, providing soldiers with $250,000 in federal life insurance benefits.<\/p>\n

Perry announces funding to help crime victims<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gov. Rick Perry announced this week funding $26.7 million to help crime victims.
\nThe grants are awarded under the federal Victims of Crime Act fund (VOCA), which supports programs that address family violence, child abuse and sexual assault, and provide support services to help victims recover from the effects of crime through counseling, advocacy and intervention.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153These funds will support programs that protect victims, administer justice, and provide a safer living environment for all residents of Texas, particularly our most vulnerable citizens and Texas youth,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Perry said.
\nPrograms receiving VOCA funds provide services to crime victims in an effort to restore their mental and physical health.
\nFor example, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs throughout Texas will receive $4.4 million to support efforts to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the foster care system.
\nMothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will receive $1.6 million to provide services to victims of drunk driving across the state, including referrals to support groups, legal advocacy, accompanying victims to the hospital or to court, and providing assistance with crime victims\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 compensation applications.
\nThe grants are administered by the Governor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Criminal Justice Division (CJD).
\nEach year, the Office of the Governor awards more than $113 million in grants for a variety of juvenile justice, criminal justice and victim services programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Strayhorn endorsed by Independent Texans Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Strayhorn received the endorsement of Independent Texans Wednesday. The group is the only political organization representing independent voters in Texas. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Independent Texans is a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfusion outfit,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Independent Texan founder Linda Curtis said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We support candidates of any party affiliation that we believe will recognize the state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s … Continue reading Campaign Watch<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pEnSo-kv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}