independentsforkerry.org

ThinkProgress: Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), a potential presidential candidate, has been quietly pushing initiatives that would transform the state’s public university system into a business-style model driven by “efficiency and profitability,” The Washington Post reported today.

The reforms Perry is seeking to implement are favored by one of his top campaign donors and the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), an affiliate of the American Legislative Exchange Council.

ALEC is a conservative public policy organization that often drafts model legislation for use in state legislatures across the country, and Republicans in several states have used its model legislation directly.

Perry’s push to turn the university system into profit-driven business centers began in 2008 with a higher-education summit led by oilman Jeff Sandefer — a long-time Perry family friend, a consistent top contributor to his campaigns and a TPPF board member. The proposals, based on “Seven Breakthrough Solutions” offered by TPPF, including measuring professors as “profit or loss centers,” separating research and teachers budgets to avoid wasting time on “esoteric, unproductive research” and basing professor pay, in part, on anonymous student evaluations. Perry’s alma mater, in fact, has already begun implementing some of these policies, the Post reports:

The initiative stayed pretty much under the radar until last fall, when it became public that Perry’s alma mater, Texas A&M University, had compiled a spreadsheet ranking faculty members according to whether they were earning their keep or costing the school money. The university already had rankled professors with a program that paid bonuses based on anonymous student evaluations.

Both ALEC and TPPF have established a close working relationship with Perry, donating around million and .5 million, respectively, to his campaigns. Perry, who accepted ALEC’s highest award last August and spoke at its December conference, has benefited “far and away the most of any candidate” from its corporate donations. In turn, he donates the proceeds from his latest book to TPPF, which he describes as “a quality outlet.” Since becoming governor, Perry has appointed three TPPF board members to high-profile positions and can count on TPPF’s president as his former Deputy General Counsel and Policy Director.

But while Perry follows the legislative outline provided for him by ALEC and TPPF, higher education leaders have criticized the policies roundly. Distinguished Texas A&M alumni, the American Association of Universities (AAU), the chair of the state Senate Higher Education Committee, and other higher education groups urged Texas A&M and Perry to resist the “ill-conceived reforms,” and AAU president Robert Berdahl, a former president of the University of Texas-Austin, called the reforms “a crazy set of proposals.” Upon receiving a letter from Berdahl asking him to reconsider the policies, Texas A&M Chancellor Michael D. McKinney — Perry’s former chief of staff — threw it in the trash.

The perils of running higher education like a business, meanwhile, are well-known. The nation’s for-profit college system — which targets efficiency and profits the way Perry hopes Texas’ universities will — is rife with fraud and abuse of students, promising quick degrees and quality job opportunities at low prices. In reality, they more often leave students with “crushing debt and bleak job prospects,” hardly the situation one finds in the current Texas university system, which is regarded as one of the nation’s top statewide university systems.

Related:

• American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC’s) connection to Texas law making
• Gov. Perry’s Legislative Agenda Bears Strong Resemblance To ALEC’s Corporate-Backed Model Bills
• Wisconsin Dem State Rep. Kicked Out Of ALEC Conference
• EXPOSED: The Corporations Funding The Annual Meeting Of The Powerful Right-Wing Front Group ALEC
• VIDEO: Security Guards At American Legislative Exchange Council Conference Physically Attack ThinkProgress Reporters

Democratic Blog – News

Posted originally at Free Patriot Press

Memorial Day has become the unofficial start of Summer, a time for businesses to hold sales and a time for family barbecues. It has also lost a lot of meaning in recent years, as people say “Memorial Day is a time to remember our men & women in uniform.” Memorial Day was first celebrated as “Decoration Day” when friends and family would decorate the graves of soldiers killed during the American Civil War. In 1971, Memorial Day became an official federal holiday and became a holiday to remember all victims of war.

Most people only think of soldiers, their families and civilian casualties as being “victims of war.” And most people think only of war as a military campaign using weapons. However, there are many more victims of war.

Millions of non-violent men and women are being held captive by federal, State and municipal governments as prisoners of the “drug war.” Aside from the 1/2 million inmates across the country at any given time and the 1.7 million people arrested for drug offenses (over 80% for simple possession), there are many more victims of the drug war. Victims such as 28 years old Rev. Jonathan Ayers who was killed by undercover officers in September, 2009 after meeting with a member of his congregation who happened to be under surveillance by drug cops. Baptist missionary Veronica Bowers and her 7 month old daughter Charity Bowers, who were killed by drug the Peruvian Air Force after the CIA gave Peru bad information. Many other victims of the drug war have been killed by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or because the police performed a “no knock” raid on the wrong house and the home owner was attempting to defend himself (or herself) from who they perceived to be intruders.

There are millions of families that are “trapped” in housing developments and neighborhoods they have little or no way to escape as prisoners of the “war on poverty.” The war on poverty has created a catch-22, or what Mary Ruwart calls “the poverty trap” – people can’t find jobs due to living in a poor neighborhood, and can’t leave the poor neighborhood because they have no job. The Urban Institute writes, “Place reinforces poverty. High-poverty neighborhoods can weigh down families trying to earn a living and raise kids. High crime, low-performing schools, and scarce job opportunities often plague poor communities—undermining families’ struggles to improve their lives.” Is it any wonder that people in these bad neighborhoods turn to black-market activities? Mary Ruwart writes, “Many individuals are capable of creating wealth but are excluded from the job market by minimum wage and licensing laws. Much poverty can be alleviated by allowing people to create wealth at whatever level they can and ‘work their way up.’”

In addition to the “drug war” and “war on poverty” countless men and women that are being watched, tracked and databased for being a “potential threat” as part of the “war on terror” according to one or more government agencies, for such things as: displaying certain bumper stickers, opposing the IRS & Federal Reserve, or simply believing that the government isn’t wonderful. We have lost our “right” to travel, our “right” to not be subjected to warrantless searches, our “right” to live without government interference.

This Memorial Day, remember not only the men, women & children that have been killed during war; I ask that you also remember the other victims of the governments wars on freedom & family.

In Peace, Freedom, Love & Liberty,
Darryl W. Perry
Chair Boston Tea Party National Committee
BostonTeaUS

Independent Political Report

From Darryl Perry:

I have posted parts of this article in the past and it seems every time I mention Martin Luther King, someone always points out his “faults” (eg. his name wasn’t really Martin, he plagiarized speeches, he supported big government, etc). People get so caught up in attacking the person, they lose sight of the meaning of the words he said.

In 1968 a man stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

King did not say, he dreamed of world where people were given special treatment because of their dark complexion and because their ancestors may have been mistreated. He did not say he dreamed of a world where a government used force to make people live, work & go to school together. Instead King said, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Nothing in that statement implies or endorses government force.

During the 2008 election the media spent a lot of time talking about Barack Obama’s skin color. You may recall hearing the media ask “Is America ready for a black President?” (A Google search of the phrase shows 171,000 results) Even after the election when people started protesting government spending (actually the protest began during the Bush administration, though picked up steam after Obama’s election) the media tried to say the protest were about Obama’s skin color.

Looking back at the words of Dr. King, I wonder when people will ever be judged based on the content of their character instead of the color of their skin. What would Dr. King think about this nation 4 decades later? It seems we live in a world similar to Animal Farm where “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

We should also remember that King practiced nonviolent civil disobedience and while sitting in the Birmingham Jail in 1963 wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere… Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly… In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action… One may want to ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all’.”

–
In Peace, Freedom, Love & Liberty,
Darryl W. Perry
Chair Boston Tea Party National Committee
http://BostonTea.us

Owner/Managing Editor Free Patriot Press
http://FreePatriot-Press.com

2016 candidate for President of the United States of America
http://dwp2016.org

Darryl W. Perry is an Activist, Author, Poet & Statesman. Darryl writes a weekly article for the Mountaineer Jeffersonian and has appeared on various alternative media talking about his books, political career and goals. Darryl is the Chairman of the Boston Tea Party National Committee and Owner/Managing Editor of Free Patriot Press.

To schedule an interview with Darryl please send an email to editor@freepatriot-press.com or call 202 709 4377

Independent Political Report

“Saddle bags” by Nick Anderson – Houston Chronicle

Dallas Morning News:

New assessments, obtained by The Dallas Morning News after a recent huddle of senior legislative staff members, show that even if lawmakers decide to spend all billion in the state’s rainy day fund, they still would need to come up with almost billion more to close the gap - through some combination of spending cuts, accounting tricks and new taxes or fees.

The figures, prepared by staff at the Legislative Budget Board and then tweaked by House leadership, show the situation has deteriorated since spring.

In May, Pitts, the House’s chief budget writer, drew derision from some GOP leaders when he said the shortfall could be between billion and billion. Perry said someone had “reached up in the air and grabbed” the figure.

The latest figures, though, show the gap as high as .6 billion.

Revenue is not rebounding quickly from the economic downturn, as Comptroller Susan Combs predicted it would. Population is expected to keep growing rapidly, which swells demand for education and social services, already high because of the recession.

You can watch a video clip here where Rick Perry say that “I’ve got a lot of confidence in this comptroller.” [Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Republican Susan Combs] He goes on to say, “I don’t necessarily think it’s a particularly good use of the comptrollers time to do a budget estimate every time someone pokes their head up out of a hole and says ‘let’s do a budget estimate.” It’s quite obvious Rick Perry does not want his controller to release a budget report that shows a billion budget deficit any time before the election, as the truth about Texas’ fiscal health is clearly detrimental to Governor Perry’s re-election bid.

Politifact verifies claims from Democratic opponent Bill White that our state’s debt has doubled under Rick Perry. When he assumed office in December 2000, Texas held .7 billion in debt. Adjusting for inflation, that’s today’s equivalent of .6 billion. As of August 2009, we held .08 billion in debt. Rick Perry has more than doubled our state’s debt, even after you adjust for inflation.

Perry also claims he’s cut state spending as well, but it’s actually increased 45%.

He’s claimed to have vetoed billion worth of spending, when, in truth, .5 billion of that never was passed into law anyway and would not have been spent, regardless of his ‘veto’.

Despite all of the above proof that our Governor has failed miserably as a steward of our state’s fiscal matters, he’s running ads claiming

that, “the economic success Texas is experiencing because of the leadership and pro-growth policies put into place by Governor Rick Perry. The keys to success? Don’t spend all the money. Keep taxes low. Keep regulations fair and predictable. Tort reform to prevent frivolous and junk lawsuits. Fund an accountable education system. Then get out of the way and let entrepreneurs and the private sector do what the private sector does best– create jobs. Since 2005, Texas has created far more private-sector jobs than all over states combined.”

We Texans here in Collin County know Perry’s political ad claims are half-truths, slanted estimates, and flat out lies.

No wonder Gov Perry is too chicken to debate Bill White. He’s tanked our state’s fiscal health with one hand and written a book about what a great fiscal conservative he is with the other. In one breath he claims there is no budget crisis in Texas and then he claims Texas’ has a financial crisis caused by the Obama administration.

Houstonians, who re-elected Bill White as mayor with 91% and then later, 86% of the vote, were proud to call him our mayor. It’s time for Collin County to elect a Texas Governor in which we can again be proud. Visit Bill White for Texas and read about his accomplishments with the city of Houston that includes job growth and balancing budgets.

Democratic Blog of Collin County – News

A Texas Filmmakers for Bill White web video featuring children repeating Rick Perry’s quotes about part-time lifestyle, living in a mansion, the HPV vaccine controversy, and the Trans-Texas Corridor.

When asked for a response to this video by the Houston Chronicle Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner said, “It’s nice that Bill White put his policy advisers in a video.”

In reply to Miner’s comment White spokeswoman Katy Bacon said, “Of course Texas children are on Bill’s mind when he’s thinking about policy for our state’s future. It’s Texas kids whose future Rick Perry is mortgaging with his fiscal mismanagement and the billion budget hole. Unfortunately, the only thing Rick Perry and his handlers are looking out for are their political friends and special interest lobbyists. That’s why we need a new governor.”

Sources of the quotes used in the video:

1. “Texas is still competing and winning because of hardworking visionaries and committed economic development organizations who are willing to think bigger and work harder than anyone else.” (Source: Rick Perry speech, May 26, 2010).
2. “I absolutely understand they want to get back to their homes. I’d like to get back to the mansion.” (Source: San Antonio Express-News, ” Biggest obstacle to Galveston recovery is water” 9/19/08).
3. “It has been a tragedy of unspeakable consequences that, for decades, activist courts denied many Texas parents their right to be involved in one of the most important decision their young daughter could ever make…” (Source: Rick Perry press release, 6/5/05).
4. ““The simple truth is: When it comes to roads, we need more of them….And good roads mean a better quality of life for our citizens.” (Source: Austin American-Statesman, “Perry: Legislature ‘abdicated responsibility’ on transportation,” 4/22/08).

Democratic Blog of Collin County – News