Ann Johnson Offers A Voice In Tune With Texas House District 134—Focusing On Public Education And Women’s Health

Above you see Texas State Representative District 134 Democratic nominee Ann Johnson.

Here are the boundaries of District 134. I am a resident of District 134 where I live in the Memorial Park area of Houston.

Ms. Johnson is running to unseat first term incumbent Republican Sarah Davis. Ms. Davis defeated then-incumbent Ellen Cohen in the Tea Party wave of 2010.

I spoke with Ms. Johnson at her campaign headquarters last week. The picture here was taken during that conversation.

While I wish Ms. Johnson were more to the left, she represents a clear improvement over the incumbent.

Beyond being an improvement over the incumbent, Ms. Johnson merits consideration on her own accord.

Here are issues that Ms. Johnson cites as important in this race—

* Sufficient funding for public education.

* Making use of available federal funds–despite resistance from Governor Perry and Sarah Davis–for Medicaid in a way that will help Texans get care and protect jobs at the Medical Center.

* Protecting women’s health in Texas from attacks on cancer screenings and family planning services.

Here is an interview with Ms. Johnson conducted by Texas and Houston political blogger Charles Kuffner.

My friend Perry Dorrell has endorsed Ms. Johnson at his blog Brains & Eggs.

I talked to Ms. Johnson for about 45 minutes and I found her to be smart.

Here is how Ms. Johnson is described on her website—

Ann is an attorney who represents children, an adjunct professor of law at South Texas College of Law and a former prosecutor. She took on Texas’ criminal justice system to protect children from exploitation and human trafficking. She fought all the way to the Texas Supreme Court – and won a landmark victory that has become a model for other states.

In private practice, Ann represents child victims of harassment and bullying in schools and is often appointed to represent children, including in two of the newly created alternative courts: the Harris County Mental Health Court and Growing Independence Restoring Lives (GIRLS) Court.

Ann is also a survivor. Ann fought cancer and won – and she’ll stand up to fiscally irresponsible, partisan attacks on health care for women and all Texas families.

In her alliance with Governor Rick Perry’s reckless slashing of public education funds and relentless attacks on women’s health, Sarah Davis has shown herself comfortable with extremist views, and out of touch with the concerns and moderate political leanings of District 134.

I ask my fellow voters in Texas House District 134 to please consider Ms. Johnson in the upcoming election.

Who Can Liberals & Progressives Support In 2011 City Of Houston Elections?—Who Is Running For Houston City Council?

It is time for our Houston municipal elections.

(Above–Houston City Hall.)

Early voting runs October 24-November 4. General Election Day is November 8.

Here is a link to help you find out where to vote.

Who can a liberal or progressive support in these elections?

As is so often the case in Houston, the pickings are slim.

Houston city elections are low-turnout affairs in which an electorate not representative of Houston’s demographics chooses from candidates who discuss a very narrow range of issues. Just how much is it that can we hear about red light cameras?

The credibility of the candidates on the ballot is often judged by how much money they have raised.

Here is my look at the Houston city ballot and, also, some additional links to help you figure out how you’d like to vote.

Houstonians merit liberal and progressive options at the ballot box.

Houston was a 61% Obama city in 2008. If we can’t muster up some decent candidates, then maybe we should use our political energies to support Occupy Houston.

While we should vote in every election, the energy and hope we are seeing from the Occupy Wall Street movement is more positive  and hopeful than anything occurring in our municipal elections.

Here are my endorsements—

Mayor-–I’m leaving my ballot blank for Mayor. I simply don’t believe Mayor Annise Parker has any consistent commitment to progressive values. Good people will disagree, but the Mayor has had two years to offer leadership on pressing issues of poverty and on the lack of broad political participation in Houston. She seems to have little interest in these subjects.

Mayor Parker is likely to win reelection in 2011. The absence of competent and credible opponents, and her campaign war chest of more than $2 million helps make this so. Yet despite her good electoral outlook for 2011, the Mayor is concerned with winning a strong majority of voters in 2011 so as to strengthen her hand with City Council, and to help her fend off challengers in 2013.

I’ve no desire in helping the Mayor accomplish these goals. No matter what percentage of votes cast in 2011 Annise Parker ends up  winning, it will be done with an overall turnout of somewhere between 10% and 15%. There is no way the Mayor will have a credible mandate from an involved public. Why should Mayor Parker be given the illusion of a mandate when she has never engaged in serious grassroots efforts to expand voter turnout in Houston, and when she does not pursue policies that are inclusive of Houstonians of every economic status?

(Update 10/31–Mayor Parker has received a grade of A- for fiscal conservatism from the Texas Conservative Review. I say again that Mayor Parker does not warrant the support of liberals and progressives.)

(Below–Recent picture of ongoing drought in Houston as seen in Memorial Park. The grassroots have dried up. Photo copyright 2011 Neil Aquino)

Council At-Large #1–Incumbent Stephen Costello plays all sides of the political aisle while Green Don Cook does not work hard in his campaigns. Mr. Costello’s Renew Houston plan addresses the serious issue of flooding in Houston, but is also regressive in how it is funded and makes little effort to include green solutions in the plan. I’m leaving my ballot blank in this race.

Council At Large #2–I’m supporting Jennifer Rene Pool in this 10 candidate race.  She will occasionally say liberal and progressive things. Maybe she means some of them.

Council At-Large #3–Incumbent Melissa Noriega is a thoughtful person and has my support.

Council At-Large #4–Green Amy Price is an energetic and upbeat. She works hard to learn the issues and will be a councilmember who seeks solutions and who listens. Incumbent Democrat C.O. Bradford has on his balance sheet his terrible administration of the crime lab when he was Houston’s police chief, and his calls for austerity-type budgeting for Houston.

Council At-Large #5–Only you know if you want to support Jolanda Jones for one last term. She is always involved in some type of fuss. Sometimes it seems to be her fault, while other times it is not her fault. In any case, you wish that Ms.Jones was a more disciplined and effective advocate for the poor and disenfranchised in Houston. Her story on Council seems in good part to be of an opportunity missed. After some thought, I’ve decided I’m going to vote for Ms. Jones.  Ms. Jones made a recent visit to Occupy Houston and I appreciate that fact. I’m not aware of any other incumbent city official who has done the same.

Council District C-–I live in this district. Karen Derr is a more progressive option than Ellen Cohen. I’m going to be voting Ms. Derr. Ms. Cohen is a fund-raising machine who in the recent past has accepted campaign funds from gay marriage opponent Bob Perry. I’d rather have a fresh voice in City Hall rather  than a candidate who seems to have the advantage in part due to her friendship with Mayor Parker, and in part due to her ability to raise a lot of money from big donors. Ms. Cohen gives the impression of being an incumbent even before she is elected.

Council District H–I don’t live in this district. However, incumbent Ed Gonzalez merits mention as a decent person and as someone open to hearing voices on all sides of a debate.

There are also 10 amendments to the Texas Constitution on the ballot. Here is my in-depth analysis of these propositions.

There are 2 resources that stand out when considering our city elections. These resources cover all the Houston district council seats up for election in 2011.

Houston blogger Charles Kuffner has a page at his blog Off The Kuff with his interviews of many of the candidates. This page also has links to the websites of the candidates and listings of selections by the various interest groups that endorse in city elections.

The League of Women Voters of the Houston Area offers a voter’s guide that profiles and asks questions of all the Houston candidates.

Fellow blogger Perry Dorrell at Brains And Eggs has made a series of excellent posts endorsing candidates in Houston for 2011.

Greg Wythe at Greg’s Opinion has also made some well thought-out endorsements.

Houston city elections often seem to be a taxpayer-financed subsidy for a political class of consultants, city contract seekers, and all-purpose opportunists who all have little do with everyday life in Houston.

That said, you should still go and vote. I don’t have the heart to tell you otherwise.

The work of freedom and democracy is up to each of us.

Vote in Houston in 2011 and then commit yourselves to making our local democracy better.

(Below–Houston skyline in 1971. Photo by YixilTesiphon. Here is a link to a history of Houston.) 

Houston City Elections—Vote Even If You Are Not Enthused

I’m overdue to blog extensively about the upcoming Houston municipal elections. Early voting starts on October 24 and Election Day is November 8.

I’m embarrassed to claim these elections are relevant. The energy and optimism of the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Houston movements in recent weeks has made our Houston city elections seem even more irrelevant.

The narrow ideological range of the issues discussed in city elections—and of the candidates themselves—helps explain and perpetuate the chronically low turnout in Houston.

I don’t care about red light cameras. I am so tired of hearing about the red light cameras.

However, there are reasons for hope and ways to make your views known even within the paltry options provided on the 2011 Houston municipal ballot.

Karen Derr and Josh Verde are progressive options to the Ellen Cohen money machine is Council district C. I live in Distrct C.

Amy Price is a great new voice for At-Large #4.

And while Democratic Mayor Annise Parker is the only credible candidate for Mayor—Progressives and liberals have the option to leave the ballot blank for Mayor.

You don’t have to reward Mayor Parker for attending Republican fundraisers, or for raising a $2.3 million campaign warchest while doing nothing to register voters or strengthen the Democratic Party for the fights ahead in 2012.

The near 50% child poverty rate in Houston? It’ll be a cold day in July in Houston before you hear Mayor Annise Parker address that topic with any intensity.

Houston city elections often seem to be little more a taxpayer-financed subsidy for a political class of consultants, city contract seekers, and all-purpose opportunists who all have little do with everyday life in Houston.

We’ll have to make the best of this election, and then work with Occupy movement to bring real hope and change to our politics.

I’ll be blogging more on our Houston elections over the next couple of weeks.

The League of Women Voters of the Houston Area has a voter’s guide online in pdf form to help voters learn more about Houston city candidates. 

Ellen Cohen Set To Return In Texas House District 134—Picture Of My Bookshelves

(Blogger’s Note–Brilliant Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate and Burnt Orange Report blogger Phillip Martin has teamed up with Annie’s List to report on some of the most competitive  races for the Texas House of Representatives in 2010. Phillip has been nice enough to allow me to share this analysis with Texas Liberal readers. Today’s profile is on Texas House District 134 here in Houston. I live in this district. Above you see a picture of my bookshelves. These books are part of  District 134. Below it says that 134 is one of the most well-educated in the state and I want to show you that this is indeed the case with a picture of books.  Also, as if blogging itself was not a sufficient act of vanity, it suits my ego to show folks that I have a lot books. )

Candidate Pages: Rep. Ellen Cohen website, on Facebook, on Twitter

Candidate Pages: Sarah Davis website, on Facebook, on Twitter

District Overview: The Numbers, The Issues, and the Candidates

• House District Map: District 134
  
• District History: 2008 Election Results

Rep. Donna Howard and Rep. Cohen share similar circumstances although their districts are very different: they have run and held districts that were previously held by Republicans by appealing to a relatively well-informed electorate. And they have won support from independent voters by serving as intelligent, common sense Democrats in districts where they have deep personal roots. They remain subject to targeting by Republicans because their districts were held by Republicans just five years ago, but their outstanding representation gives their oppponents little chance of winning. District 134 is home to Rice University and is one of the most affluent and well-educated in the entire state. It is also home to the highest concentration of ticket-splitting voters in the state, and one of the most closely divided in terms of partisanship. The 2008 Presidential election split 49.8% to 49.1% in favor of John McCain. Rep. Cohen, however, won with 55.5% of the vote, and polls from insider her district have shown that she is expected to win re-election handily.

Rep. Cohen, as a cancer survivor, a widow and mother of two  understands that Texas families must be able to afford their property taxes, health insurance and have access to quality public education, and those are the issues she will focus on this election. Sarah Davis, however, is a muddled mess in terms of policy and politics. A comparison of screen shots from (1) her website taken earlier this spring, and (2) the website content this fall indiciate a sudden lurcing to the right — she’s gone from a moderate Republican to turning almost Tea Party. What’s even more puzzling is that Sarah Davis signed in and voted for Hilary Clinton in 2008. Who is the real Sarah Davis? No idea, but it probably won’t matter after November

Why Rep. Ellen Cohen Will Return Next Year

Rep. Cohen took House District 134 by storm in 2006, and she has earned greater support ever since. She serves on the Higher Education Committee as well as the powerful Appropriations Committee, and has been able to pass legislation that directly improves quality of life in her district. With more cash, a solid record, a top-notch team and proven leadership, Rep. Cohen would be tough for even the best GOP candidate to beat. Davis, however, can’t seem to stay firm on major policy points and even voted Democratic in the last election. Her campaign isn’t saying anything, so voters are left wondering who the real Sarah Davis actually is. Rep. Cohen should win the race.

June 30 Campaign Finance Report:

HD 134: Cohen vs.Davis	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on Hand	Loans
Rep. Ellen Cohen (D)	$230,181	$175,331	$265,536	–
Sarah Davis (R)	$54,130	$35,685	$103,073	$114,200
Cohen’s Advantage	$80,014	–	$202,026	–

Are The People Who Run Texas Human Beings?

Are the people who run the State of Texas human beings in the sense that we associate humanity with the possession of basic morality and regard for life? In the ten years I’ve lived in Texas I’ve wondered about this more than once. A recent Houston Chronicle story about the debate over expansion of children’s health insurance, taking place in that malignancy known as the Texas Legislature, made me ponder this question again. 

One in five children in Texas lack health insurance. It’s another way we hate children for not having the ability to pay their own way.  Children are in this regard as despicable as old people and wounded veterans. Drains on society. Is their any more certain death sentence in our society than the widespread expression of care and sentiment?  

From the Chronicle article—

The debate over children’s health care this year will be as arduous as ever, but so is the ante: More than 160,000 Texas children whose cash-strapped parents can’t get state help to pay medical expenses for maladies as common as chronic ear infections or as daunting as cancer treatment. The argument among legislators will be whether to raise income-eligibility levels so that those children can join the 451,000 now covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Supporters say reducing the number of uninsured youngsters — now one in five — would benefit not only the children’s physical health but the fiscal health of Texas taxpayers. The federal government picks up 72 percent of the cost and providing health care in doctors’ offices is almost always cheaper than treating children in public hospital emergency rooms.

Critics worry about undermining employer-sponsored health coverage and point to the growing costs for the state. CHIP enrollment increases over the past two years have driven the state’s tab from $102 million to $267.5 million. There are no monthly premiums but families pay an annual enrollment fee of $50 and most co-payments for doctor visits or prescription drugs range from $3 to $10. A pending federal bill that renews CHIP is expected to allow Texas to increase income limits so more can enroll. The current limit for a mother and two children of $35,200 could be increased to $52,800. Rep. Ellen Cohen, D-Houston…Cohen this week plans to introduce a bill that would expand CHIP and take advantage of anticipated new federal funds. “Since 2003, Texas has turned away almost $1 billion of federal matching funds by failing to invest in CHIP,” Cohen said. “As a result, we are left with the highest uninsured population of children in the nation.” Gov. Rick Perry’s spokeswoman, Allison Castle, said the governor does not support expanding CHIP’s eligibility standards because of the higher income families who would be covered. She said Congress is trying to lure the state into expanding programs in tough times and doing so would put the state on a “slippery slope to socialized medicine.”

Children living in middle-income families are increasingly joining the ranks of the uninsured. That is largely because employer-based health insurance premiums have more than doubled since 2000. The average annual cost to employees is $3,355 and the cost to employers is $9,325, for a total cost of $12,680, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Only half of Texas private-sector employers offer insurance, and among small businesses, the percentage drops to 34, the federal government reports.

The “slippery slope to socialized medicine.” Sure. We can’t have that. We”ll just have all these kids without health insurance.

I Early Voted In Harris County—Some Democrats I Enjoyed Voting For And Two That Failed To Impress

Yestrerday I early voted at the Harris County Administration building (above) located at 1001 Preston Avenue in Downtown Houston, Texas. 

The electronic voting gizmo, which I feel is programmed to flip all my votes to the Republican Party, allowed me to vote in Vietnamese—

(Sunset in a Vietnamese fishing village called Mui Ne) 

   

…And in Spanish as well.

( Below is Valparaiso, Chile.)

If English is the official language of the United States, how come I can vote in Vietnamese and Spanish in a right wing place like Texas? We’ve even been at war with Vietnam and Spain in the past.

I’m glad we have the ability to make peace with former enemies. We are all brothers and sisters.

I’m very glad I got the chance to vote for a black man named Barack H. Obama for President of the United States. That is what I call progress.

( Below–Blacks voting in 1867. Here is a history of Reconstruction. )

I voted for each Democrat on the ballot. Though I did not use the straight party ticket button. I enjoy voting and I went down and selected the name of each candidate.   

I’ve written before, and still assert, that the straight ticket voter is possibly the most rational voter of all. Party identification serves as a kind of shorthand for voters to be able to navigate the large number of issues we confront in our complex society.

However, we do retain the right not to support all the candidates of our favored political party. Inevitably, some will be hard to take.

I paused over the names of Michael Skelly for the 7th U.S. House district from Texas and David Mincberg for the office of Harris County Judge Executive.

Mr. Skelly has campaigned in large part on the false issues of earmark reform and a balanced budget. These are irresponsible postions at a time when swift and decisive action from government is needed to bring our economy back to health.

Here is what Nobel Prize winning New York Times columnist recently said about government’s role in our economic recovery—

….there’s a lot the federal government can do for the economy. It can provide extended benefits to the unemployed, which will both help distressed families cope…It can provide emergency aid to state and local governments, so that they aren’t forced into steep spending cuts that both degrade public services and destroy jobs. It can buy up mortgages (but not at face value, as John McCain has proposed) and restructure the terms to help families stay in their homes. And this is also a good time to engage in some serious infrastructure spending, which the country badly needs in any case. The usual argument against public works as economic stimulus is that they take too long: by the time you get around to repairing that bridge and upgrading that rail line, the slump is over and the stimulus isn’t needed. Well, that argument has no force now, since the chances that this slump will be over anytime soon are virtually nil. Will the next administration do what’s needed to deal with the economic slump? Not if Mr. McCain pulls off an upset. What we need right now is more government spending — but when Mr. McCain was asked in one of the debates how he would deal with the economic crisis, he answered: “Well, the first thing we have to do is get spending under control.”

If Mr. Skelly’s opponent has been bringing earmarks to this district, that is one way we would be better served by keeping the incumbent. Regretfully, the incumbent is quite far to the right.   

David Mincberg has been running a tone deaf negative campaign against the Republican incumbent. After so many years of Republican rule in Harris County, there are so many unmet needs and things to to be done. Why don’t we hear about some of that? Instead, what we are getting are attacks against incumbent that are simply not going to resonate with the public after his very visible role during Hurricane Ike.

Also, Mr. Mincberg has a campaign sign—one so big that it needs to be propped up from behind with rods—located on the right of way on a 610 feeder road near the Galleria. I’d like to take that sign and nail it to the side of Mr. Mincberg’s house. (I won’t though. And don’t you either.) 

I did in the end vote for Mr. Skelly and Mr. Mincberg. Though I’m not sure that was the right course. There is little doubt these men would be better than the incumbents. But from my view, as a liberal who has lived in a city all his life and had my vote taken for granted by Democrats who deliver little, both Mr.Skelly and Mr. Mincberg send up warning flags.

It’s not about ideological differences. There are only two main political parties for 300 million people and a big tent is required. It’s about the issues you choose to focus on and how you campaign. There is plenty of room for political creativity and correct behavior in even the most Republican of constituencies. 

In contrast to Mr. Skelly and Mr. Mincberg, there were votes I was glad to cast—

Rick Noriega for the United States Senate—Mr. Noriega will be quite a contrast to the far right incumbent. He has served his country in war and is now ready to serve in Washington.  Also, his wife has been known to visit this blog.

Ellen Cohen for the Texas House District 134—It is good that Ms. Cohen appears to have an easy race after banishing the lousy Martha Wong in 2006.

Loren Jackson for Harris County District Clerk—Mr. Jackson is very honest, never puts a campaign sign in the public space, and once gave me a campaign tee-shirt. Below is a picture of Mr. Jackson. If you see him be certain to shake his hand and to tell him you share his commitment to freedom.  

Adrian Garcia for Harris County Sheriff—Mr. Garcia is going to bring some real justice to our county. Everybody is going to be treated the same and that treatment will be just and decent.   

It was fun to vote. I encourage all who share my views to go out and vote. As for those who do not share my views—I can’t offer as much encouragement. You might want to think about staying at home. I’m sure there is some dusting or laundry you could catch up on. 

( Below—The young women below wanted citizens to vote “no” on the showing of movies on Sunday in the town of La Grange, Illinois. This was in 1929. I don’t know how the vote turned out.)  

 

A Response To State Representative Ellen Cohen

I got a newsletter in the mail last week from State Representative Ellen Cohen.  Ms. Cohen represents me in Austin. Ms. Cohen did Houston and the world a favor last year by defeating Republican incumbent Martha Wong.

Ms. Cohen’s newsletter has a kind of poll. She wants my views.

Ms. Cohen makes a statement on the newsletter and you decide the extent to which you agree or disagree.

First is ” With the highest uninsured population in the country, Texas should invest more to expand health care coverage through fully funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).”

Here I’ll choose “Strongly Agree.” Good for Ms. Cohen for making this the first question.

Next is “The ” Top 10 Percent Rule” has made admission to some state universities too burdensome for students from highly competitive high schools and should be amended”   

This is pandering by Ms. Cohen. I support pandering. I pander to the blog reading world quite often.    

However as to the actual statement I must reply—Isn’t Texas unfair enough to the poor and to working and middle class folks? The 10% rule is about the only fair thing going on in Texas.

I say “Strongly Disagree” on criticizing the excellent 10% rule.

Then we have ” More environmental regulations are needed to address Houston’s air quality problems”   

 I “Strongly Agree.” As a general principle, I always favor more regulation in Texas. I’m glad to have a State Representative who will openly call for more regulation.  

Also—The Texas Legislature should not involve itself in pushing religious agendas in our schools.

I’m not sure how I feel about this matter. 

In his sermon On Being A Good Neighbor Martin Luther King says—True altruism is more than the capacity to pity; it is the capacity to sympathize. Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul. Pity may rise from interest in an abstraction called humanity, but sympathy grows out of a concern for a particular human being who lies at life’s roadside.

I favor any agenda that matches what I believe and I oppose any agenda against what I believe. If I were in charge of the schools I would have Martin Luther King sermons taught to all the kids.

There were some other questions that did not interest me.

Ms. Cohen also provides a comment space. Here is my comment—

Representative Cohen–

Thank you for defeating Martha Wong. I would like to see reform of how the Texas House is organized. The Speaker and Committee Chairs should be elected by straight party-line vote instead of the sneaky behind-the-scenes deal cutting that now defines the process. I believe the majority party in the legislature, regardless of what party is in the majority, has won the mandate of the people. Party-line organization of the House keeps parties accountable and is most consistent with our Democracy as normally practiced in the United States.

Thank you.

Neil Aquino

Supporter, Constituent, Voter & Citizen