The Doctor is in.

"An election based on merit?"

Not in Texas.

But a letter writer to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram gets it.  It's good to know someone does.

As a physician in Tarrant County for more than 30 years, I'm embarrassed by the attack on Sen. Wendy Davis by a colleague from my profession. The accusation of corruption against her and the prestigious law firm where she works is absurd. Why now? Must be losing! When are we ever going to have an election based on merit? I am tired of electing go-along, party-line representatives. I will vote for Wendy Davis!

-- Lee S. Anderson, Fort Worth

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When will 820 be complete?

Better yet, what's it going to cost YOU?

Those lanes in the center of the picture above are what the new "managed lanes" will look like.  What is a "managed lane"?  Read it and weep...

Managed lanes are toll lanes in the middle of an existing freeway, unlike traditional turnpikes that are brand new roads where every lane is tolled. Congestion pricing is where the toll rate varies based on the level of traffic using the road. If the speed of traffic slows below 50 MPH, Cintra can hike the toll rates for the purpose of bumping cars out of the lanes in order to guarantee a speed of 50 MPH. So the price of the toll varies based on the time of day.

Since it costs so much to drive in those lanes, people can't afford it.  So what is the Spanish company that owns them doing?  Partnering with people like the NCTCOG to use taxpayer dollars and make commercials.  Not to worry, they say it's "educational". 

Where does Texas rank in schools again?

Pay attention, people. 

See the article on the Cintra commercials here.  And here's a good take on the Terri Hall meeting from last week. 

Notice the names of the players never change. 

TxDOT and the North Texas Council of Governments (NTCOG) and its Regional Transportation Council have been promoting the contest using taxpayer resources. Amanda Wilson, Communications Supervisor for the Transportation Division of the NTCOG said the contest is also “an educational effort, not just naming the lanes.”

Still don't believe it?  Check out the North Tarrant Express site.  Read between the lines.  You'll see it.

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WHO is Eleanor Fairchild?

She's the 78 year old Texas grandma who was arrested, with actress Daryl Hannah, for trying to protect her own land.  In Texas...

We know some Texas grandma's like that. 

Tell us, what would YOU do if they came to take your land?

Better call grandma.  Or Hannah. 

"I was peacefully protesting the unwanted advances of Trans Canada on Eleanor Fairchild's land. She has stated very clearly that she doesn't want them there and they insist on bullying her and taking away her land through eminent domain," Hannah explained to KLTV, adding, "We just sort of stood in front of them and held our hands in a stop motion. I'm holding my wrist because there was this private security guard hired by TransCanada and he injured my wrist."

For the scoop on the pipeline from those in the know, click here.

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A "culture of deviance"

Sound familiar? 

These are the boys up north, in Canada, that are taking land from Texans.  They sound like the ones that are already here...


Occupy Canada

October 1st - A TransCanada pipeline engineer, the man responsible for ensuring that pipelines were constructed safely, has come forward with shocking information about TransCanada’s unscrupulous safety practices. In his own words: "Someone is going die and they just don't know it yet."

"Drawing on examples from the records of Enbridge and Kinder Morgan, Vokes is going public with his concerns about an industry facing unprecedented growth and what even the National Energy Board (NEB) describes as "an increased trend in the number and the severity" of pipeline incidents.

Vokes has stellar company. In particular, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has accused Enbridge, a Canadian company jointly regulated by the NEB and the U.S. Pipeline Hazardous Materials Standard Administration (PHMSA), of nurturing a "culture of deviance" on safety and integrity issues after a dramatic Michigan pipeline rupture in 2010. That debacle caused the largest and most expensive onshore oil spill in U.S. history.

In addition to "multiple findings of non-compliance and non-conformance" with regulations, the NEB also documented that Enbridge didn't have a process for "defining and evaluating the level of qualification and competence of contractors and consultants."

The company also didn't know how valid and effective its assessments of corrosion and cracking were in its pipeline safety program."
 http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/10/01/Cracks-In-Pipeline-System/

-- Kris

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What does PBS stand for?

We thought it was 'public'...

After the exchange in the Dallas Observer between KERA and John Jay Myers, one has to wonder.

John Jay Myers, Texas' Libertarian Senate Hopeful, Barred from KERA's Debate.

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Sooner or later...

All bubbles burst

Special Report: The casualties of Chesapeake's "land grab" across America.

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Fracking Texas

Oh wait, that's North Dakota.

Same story, different state.

The drillers dump their stuff into creeks and waterways, or private land.

Those that oversee are elected or appointed by the industry. 

Therefore, it's YOUR problem. 

"It's happening often enough that we see it as a significant problem," he said. "What's the solution? Catching them. What's the problem? Catching them."

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