Border Blogs: Expressing our Border Culture

    Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White has inched up in the latest Rasmussen Poll but still trails Gov. Rick Perry by 8 points.

    The poll of 500 likely voters showed Perry dropping two points below 50 percent and White getting 40 percent support.

    That means White has closed the gap since the last Rasmussen poll which had him behind by 13 points.

    Rasmussen noted that Perry's support has remained within a 47 percent to 51 percent range in its polls this year. White's support ranged between 38 percent and 44 percent.

     Five percent of the voters surveyed said they prefer another candidate and 8 percent remain undecided.

    About 53 percent of Texas voters approve of Perry's job performance, while 45 percent disapprove.

Remember this Super Bowl commercial?

Rick Perry's campaign has borrowed from that Google commercial and released a similar video that jabs at his Democratic opponent Bill White.

Speaking of videos...

Burnt Orange Report, a Democratic blog, has released its own video playing off of a Perry press conference in which White supporters chanted "Rick Chicken Perry."

    Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White attempted to give Gov. Rick Perry a new moniker during a press conference Thursday in Austin.

    The moniker: Part-time Perry.

    White's campaign photocopied monthly calendars and handed them out to the media after crossing out all the days he said Perry did not work. The calendars were accompanied by several pages with Perry's official schedule from January through May.

    White said the schedule showed that the governor worked about seven hours a week. He said Perry has skirted his responsibility to tackle a projected $18 billion budget shortfall.

      "No wonder the state was unprepared to deal with this shortfall when we have a part-time governor working a full-time job," White said.

    Perry's schedule does show meetings with state officials that include House Speaker Joe Straus, Comptroller Susan Combs and Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes.

    Perry was seeking the Republican nomination for governor through early March. He faces White in the general election this November. Campaign events are not included in the official schedule.

    White said Perry held a press conference attacking the Texas Environmental Protection Agency but the schedule does not show that he attempted to speak with the agency itself.

    He accused Perry of having time to talk to Arizona's governor over the telephone but not visiting with police chiefs, sheriffs and federal agents on the border. He also said Perry met with the CEO of BP but not with the families who lost loved ones or people in the offshore industry.

    Perry's campaign was not immediately available for comment. We will update the post when we get a response.

      Update:

    Alejandro Garcia, a spokesman for the Perry campaign, said White is trying to distract from his own record in Houston.

    "Bill White left Houston in financial ruin," Garcia said. "He left it in very, very bad shape and now the new mayor of Houston has to deal with that. You really cannot compare."

    Garcia said it is because of Perry that Texas leads the nation in job creation.

    "It is not because Gov. Perry has been sitting down doing nothing," Garcia said. "He has obviously been working."

    He said the $18 billion shortfall is a projection and is not certain. But, he said, Perry dealt with a $10 billion shortfall in 2003 and can do it again.

Have you ever wondered what cities people move to when they leave El Paso? How about where people come from when they move to the city?

Forbes has created an interactive map that shows 2008 migration patterns in the United States.

The map below uses red lines to show which counties El Pasoans moved to in 2008. The black lines show who moved to El Paso during that time.

Click here to see the El Paso interactive map. Use your mouse to scroll over the counties and get exact counts.

    Democrat Bill White accused Gov. Rick Perry today of using a "secretive nonprofit" to fund personal trips and expenses.

    According to the TexasOne website, the nonprofit is a source of economic development marketing funds for the state. White's campaign, though, calls it a slush fund for the governor's personal and campaign travel.

    A statement from the campaign said Doug Pitcock, the CEO of Williams Brothers Construction Company, paid for a plane to fly Perry to Isreal and then reported it as a charitable donation to TexasOne. The statement also claims that the company was later awarded $100 million in highway contracts. 

    "Texans need to see Perry's TexasOne travel records," said Katy Bacon, White's campaign spokeswoman. "What other companies are using 'charitable' contributions to buy influence and fund Perry's expensive personal tastes? Each time Rick Perry's global travel is put under a microscope, we see that the career politician's using corporate and campaign contributions for his personal purposes."

    Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner said White is simply criticizing tools that bring jobs to the state and promote Texas as a place to do business around the world.

    "Bill White is attempting to deflect from the fact that as mayor of Houston he was steering to a business that he had a financial interest in during Hurricane Rita," Miner said. "He is a desperate politician who is attempting to deflect from his ethics problems when he was mayor of Houston."

    Miner reiterated the Perry campaign's call for White to release his tax returns during the years that he served as deputy secretary of energy and as chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.

    The Perry campaign held a press conference at White's campaign headquarters in Austin to criticize White for his ties to a company that provided generators to Houston after Hurricane Rita.

    Campaign staffers were greeted by White supporters who chided the governor for refusing to debate by chanting "Rick Chicken Perry."

    Perry has said that he will not discuss debates until White complies with his request to release all of his tax returns. White has released his tax returns from the time he was Houston's mayor.

    Below is a video of today's press conference courtesy of Elise Hu at Texas Tribune.

     

    

The state's Republican Party is trying to appeal to Latinos with a new Spanish language advertisement.

Latinos in the ad say they are Republican for reasons that include the right to life, a belief in American exceptionalism and less government.

The ad does not mention hot topic issues like immigration reform and voter identification. Some members of the party have already come out in support of the Arizona law and say they will craft similar bills during the next legislative session.

“We created this video to establish bonds and express our common ideals with Texans whose language might be Spanish, and whose hearts and minds align with Republican principles,” said Republican Party of Texas Chairman Steve Munisteri. “Hispanic Texans tend to be conservative and believe in the same things that Republicans believe in – strong families, free enterprise and less government. Those shared values are what this video is all about.”

The ad was the first of its kind to be produced in English and Spanish, according to the state's Republican Party.

    Attorney General Gregg Abbott today continued his battle with the Environmental Protection Agency  by legally challenging its decision to disapprove a 15-year-old state program that regulates air quality.

    Abbott filed a motion for reconsideration with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. He said the state's law, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 1995, was intended to help streamline a cumbersome process.

    The law allows "qualifying facilities" to make physical and operational changes without having to undergo additional regulation as long as they do not increase emissions, he said in a statement. The EPA has argued that the program allows companies to circumvent federal Clean Air Act requirements that include a public review.

    "By rejecting Texas’ qualified facilities program, the EPA has unilaterally declared that program is not in compliance with federal law," Abbott said in a statement. "The EPA’s decision not only imposes significant uncertainty on entities that employ thousands of Texans, but it threatens the livelihood of their employees – who depend upon those facilities for their jobs."

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today released his income tax returns from the time he was mayor of Houston.

White had been the subject of weeks of criticism from Gov. Rick Perry's campaign. The campaign had been issuing regular statements, web videos and emails calling on White to release the forms.

The governor's campaign staff also refused to agree to any gubernatorial debates until White released his income tax returns.

White is now calling on Perry to participate in several public debates, including one in El Paso.

"No more excuses for Rick Perry," said White's campaign spokeswoman Katy Bacon.

White's campaign website provides his tax returns since 2004. The website also has a side by side comparison of the tax returns and personal financial disclosures for both candidates. 

Bacon said White has been forthcoming with the voters by disclosing more financial information than the governor, who keeps his assets in a blind trust.

White's income tax forms show that he made more than $1 million annually between 2004 and 2008.

"Texans can see that Bill White has been successful in the oil and gas industry," Bacon said. "This is in stark contrast to career politician Perry's 25 years on the state payroll."

White has accepted debate invitations from KERA, Belo and the El Paso Times.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today released an ad that features Gov. Rick Perry as a cartoon character.

The ad focuses on the debate over the state's dropout rate.

Perry has said the rate is at about 10 percent, while White and others argue that the rate is closer to 30 percent. 

White said that 3 out of 10 students who start in the ninth grade are not graduating or acquiring a GED four years later.

He cited a recent report from the U.S. Department of Education to help support his point.

Perry has cited a Texas Education Agency report to support his estimate that about 10 percent are dropping out.

The agency calculates an 89.5 percent completion rate in 2008 by considering the following figures:  79.1 percent graduated, 8.9 percent continued in high school for a fifth year and 1.5 percent received GEDs.

Perry's campaign has also released an internet ad that continues attempts to tie White to any anti-Washington sentiment.

The ad says White supports cap and trade. White's campaign has said the he does not support cap and trade legislation.

    Business tax collections are down and the state may find it difficult to make up a $700 million gap by August.

    Officials with the state Comptroller's Office said about $3.6 billion was collected in the fiscal year that runs from September through May. That number is about $400 million lower than it was during the same period last year.

    The collections are also about $700 million shy of the $4.3 billion expected from the tax this year. Some businesses have filed extensions and have until the end of August to pay the taxes, according to spokesman R.J. DeSilva.

    But that may still leave the state short of its goal. Last year the state collected about $250 million between June and August.

    "We just wouldn't have a projection as to how much would be collected but we do expect collections to be lower than the past few years because of the fact that economic conditions were down last year in Texas," DeSilva said. "These reports would be reflective of the downturn in the economy."

    State budget writers are already predicting a budget deficit of up to $18 billion when they meet again next year.

   

  

    Gov. Rick Perry will have surgery Friday to repair a torn meniscus, or cartilage, on his left knee.

   The hour-long outpatient surgery is fairly routine but Perry's office said in a statement that, as required by the Texas Constitution, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has been notified "so that he may be prepared to assume the duties of governor while Gov. Perry is temporarily unable to serve."

    Perry, a runner, had the same surgery on his right knee in 2001.

    Below is the description of a torn meniscus and arthroscopic debridement surgery from the Mayo Clinic:

     A torn meniscus is an injury to one or more of the two C-shaped pieces of cartilage in each of your knee joints.

    Any activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, especially when putting the pressure of your full weight on it, can lead to a torn meniscus. In older adults, degenerative changes of the knee may contribute to a torn meniscus.

    Conservative treatment — such as rest, ice and medication — is sometimes enough to relieve the pain of a torn meniscus and give the injury time to heal on its own. In other cases, however, a torn meniscus requires surgical repair.

Surgery
    If your knee remains painful, stiff or locked, your doctor may recommend surgery. It's sometimes possible to repair a torn meniscus. In other cases, the meniscus is trimmed. Surgery may be done through an arthroscope.

    During arthroscopic surgery, your doctor inserts an instrument called an arthroscope through a tiny incision near your knee. The arthroscope contains a light and a small camera, which projects an enlarged image of the inside of your knee onto a monitor. Surgical instruments can be inserted through the arthroscope or through additional small incisions in your knee.

    Recovery time following arthroscopic surgery tends to be much faster than it is for open-knee procedures. You can often go home the same day. Full recovery may take weeks or months, however.

 

Gov. Rick Perry, for the second time this year, announced that Texas would forgo federal stimulus dollars for education.

The governor has already accepted billions dollars in other stimulus money from the federal government but is opposed to Race to the Top funding.

He announced in January that the state would not submit an application to compete for millions in federal dollars.

Today he said the state would not apply for the money during the second round either.

Perry said accepting the money would cost more in the long run and could require that Texas adopt national curriculum standards that he believes would be inferior to the state's own standards.

Texas curriculum standards are set by the State Board of Education, which has recently been the focus of public attention after the board's conservative faction wielded its voting power to adopt history standards through a process that some educators and lawmakers considered politically motivated.

"This administration’s attempt to bait states into adopting national standards is an effort to undermine states’ authority to determine how their students are educated, and is clearly aimed at circumventing laws prohibiting national standards," Perry said. "Abandoning state standards and adopting new nationalized standards would cost Texas taxpayers $3 billion, and would likely weaken the rigorous college- and career-ready standards and assessments already in place in our state."

The governor, who is seeking an unprecedented third term in office, ramped up his criticism of the federal government during the primary campaign against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Critics have said that Perry is playing politics and that the governor should not turn down money when the state faces a budget deficit of about $18 billion.

        

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Tuesday that President Barack Obama's plan to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S./Mexico border does not go far enough.

“While I appreciate the President’s acknowledgment that his Administration has done too little to secure our border, his proposal still comes up short," Cornyn said in a statement. "Temporary fixes are no solution to long-term challenges."

Obama also plans to request $500 million for border protection and law enforcement activities, according to the Associated Press.

Cornyn, though, touted his proposed amendment to a supplemental appropriations bill as a better approach for the border.

“My amendment reflects the real needs of federal, state, and local law enforcement," he said. "With the right equipment, more personnel, and better infrastructure, these agencies can be much more effective in keeping our communities safe. I urge the President to support my amendment, which would demonstrate a real presidential commitment to border security.”

Below are some of the priorities Cornyn mentions in his amendment:

Border Security Equipment and Technology
· Provides $144 million for expanded unmanned aerial vehicle operations, including the purchase of six additional Predator B unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), ground control stations, and funding for UAV pilots and support staff
· Provides $49.4 million for 10 additional helicopters for border enforcement
· Provides $360 million for border surveillance and monitoring equipment, vehicles and mobile technology
 
State and Local Law Enforcement

· Provides $300 million for State and local law enforcement entities, operating within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, to purchase equipment, hire personnel, including investigators and detectives, and cover salaries and expenses associated with border enforcement
 
Southwest Border Taskforces
· Provides $140 million in funding for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Programs in Southwest border states
· Provides $44.7 million in funding for National Guard Counterdrug Programs in Southwest border states to support drug interdiction and anti-drug activities
 
Border Enforcement Personnel
· Provides Federal agencies (DEA, ATF, ICE and CBP) with over $340 million to hire and support criminal investigators, special agents, intelligence analysts, and other personnel for drug enforcement and illicit firearms trafficking
 
Detention and Removal Activities
· Increases detention capacity an additional 3,300 beds annually over a two-year period at a cost of $151 million
· Provides $125 million to hire 500 additional detention and removal officers
· Provides $89 million to expand repatriation programs that return illegal aliens to their home countries
 
Ports of Entry
· Provides $200 million to hire 500 CBP officers to staff southwest border ports of entry and for infrastructure improvements at high-volume ports of entry

    Nearly 60 percent of Texas voters polled in a recent Rasmussen Reports survey said they support legalizing casino gambling to reduce the state's looming budget deficit.

    The deficit could be upwards of $18 billion by the time lawmakers meet to write the budget next year.

    Some lawmakers, who include Jim Pitts the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, have suggested that gambling should be a consideration for drawing additional revenue to the state.

    Still, others, such as Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Gov. Rick Perry and former Houston mayor Bill White have not expressed support for the expansion of gambling in Texas.

    The Rasmussen telephone poll of 500 likely voters shows that 57 percent of likely voters in the state are in favor of legalizing casino gambling, while 33 percent opposed such a measure. Ten percent remained undecided in the poll.

    The same poll asked voters if they would support new taxes. About 68 percent said no, while 21 percent said they would pay additional taxes to reduce the deficit.

Gov. Rick Perry has a nine-point lead over his Democratic opponent Bill White in a University of Texas at Austin/Texas Tribune poll released today. Perry had 44 percent support from 800 voters polled in the survey. White had 35 percent...

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White has released a new television commercial that continues to point to his Texas background. White's new 60-second ad — titled "Texas Roots, Texas Values" – may be an effort to avoid a repeat of the...

State Rep. Norma Chavez has asked the State Board of Education to consider including Texas' Ysleta del Sur Pueblo/Tigua Indians, the Alabama-Coushatta and the Kickapoo tribes in proposed history standards. She wants the board to make learning about the tribes...