Helpful government - thewaywardwind's Blog

Helpful government - thewaywardwind's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind Government from local to national is deciding what is "best" for us. California wants to put remote control thermostats in homes because the government knows best. California has decided that children cannot be home schooled unless the parent has a teaching certificate because the government knows best. Mississippi has a bill pending in the legislature that fat people (as defined by the state) cannot be served in restaurants because the government knows best. Texas tells people they cannot play eight liner machines that pay out too much because the government knows best. The United States government tells us what time it is because the government knows best. I'm tired of the government telling me what is best. I want to return to the days when I was allowed to decide for myself what is best. Government from local to national is deciding what is "best" for us. California wants to put remote control thermostats in homes because the government knows best. California has decided that children cannot be home schooled unless the parent has a teaching certificate because the government knows best. Mississippi has a bill pending in the legislature that fat people (as defined by the state) cannot be served in restaurants because the government knows best. Texas tells people they cannot play eight liner machines that pay out too much because the government knows best. The United States government tells us what time it is because the government knows best. I'm tired of the government telling me what is best. I want to return to the days when I was allowed to decide for myself what is best. en-us Look who the competition is now http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7984 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7984 <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/commnts.mpl/front/5874654.html?plckCurrentPage=4">http://www.chron.com/disp/commnts.mpl/front/5874654.html?plckCurrentPage=4</a> I just read this story in the Houston Chronicle.  This is outrageous!  Texas prisons need to go back to the days when they were self sufficient.  Increase the size of the farms to grow all the food eaten by the inmates.  Increase the size of the herds to feed inmates and provide leather for shoes and belts.  Install textile machines to provide materiel for clothing and beds.  Bring back road gangs to clean ditches. Why I supported Ron Paul http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7922 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7922 Read Ron Paul's column in today's (1 July) Advocate.  His views on personal liberty are the reason I support him as a Congress critter and supported him as a presidential candidate.  Unfortunately, his ideas on freedom don't mesh with either of the major political parties and, because of that, he will never be successful on the national stage.  The freedom of people to be left alone by government is the most important freedom we have and it is fast disappearing.  The democrats want to control your pocketbook and the republicans want to control your bedroom.  It is sad there are so few like Congressman Paul.  Advocate survey question http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7911 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7911 Am I the only one who thinks your survey question this morning (30 June) is a little strange?  You asked, "Do you thnk blogging has helped or hurt the news industry?"  Your answer choices are "yes" and "no".  Helped OR hurt?  Yes or no?  Now, I could understand if you had asked if we thought blogging had helped the industry or if we thought it hurt the industry, but pray tell, how do you answer yes or no the the question asked?  If the answer is yes, that means that blogging has helped or hurt the industry.  If the answer is no, that means that blogging has neither helped nor hurt the industry.  One Accusation http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7858 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7858 Look what one accusation has done.  The city is split.  Five indictments so far and we might not be through yet.  Many want to hang the former sheriff from a tall tree.  Some want to ride the District Attorney out of town on a rail.  There are threats to recall the entire city council.  All because of one acccusation.  Let's talk responsibility for a moment.  There is a guy who claims to be the victim of sexual assault by the former sheriff and he says he wants justice.  If he was interested in obtaining justice, why didn't he come forward at the time he says he was assaulted?  Crime victims have a responsibility to report the crimes.  If not reported, the police cannot investigate.  If not reported for more than nine years, the police investigation is exceedingly difficult.  Evidence disappears, witnesses forget or die or move away.  In this case, the victim didn't report the alleged assault because he was embarrassed.  It was his responsibility to make a crime against him known to the authorities regardless of any embarrassment he might have felt if he truly wanted justice.  A person's life must not be destroyed by an unsubstantiated allegation.  It is the responsibility of the police, the District Attorney and, indeed, the newspapers to make sure they don't publicly accuse someone of a sordid crime soley on the accusation of a so-called victim. It is the responsibility of the District Attorney to try a case in court, not in the newspapers.  I think Tyler has done a good job of this.  I don't know what kind of evidence he has -- or thinks he has -- because grand jury proceedings are secret.  Apparantly the grand jury thinks there is something to the allegations because they handed down an indictment against the former sheriff. It is the responsibility of the police brass and the mayor and other city officials to not interfere with an investigation.  If they think it is being handled in a slipshod manner, it is their responsibility to take those concerns to the DA, not the local newspaper. It is the responsibility of the local newspaper to ask questions of anyone the editors think might give them information.  In the final analysis that is what newspapers are for -- keeping an eye on public officials and ensuring that politicians do their jobs.  It is not the responsibility of the newspaper to withhold information with which people supply them.  It is, rather, the responsibility of the person being questioned to know what can and cannot be told to the reporter.  If someone shoots off his mouth because it makes him feel important or if he has a grudge against someone else, the responsibility for that lies at his feet, not the reporter. The Advocate should be ashamed of itself http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7827 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7827 Where did the Advocate get that disgusting cartoon for the editorial page today (23 June)?  We can have all the oil that washes up on the beach for free...This is an outrage.  Texas beaches may not be the cleanest in the world, but, it isn't because of off-shore drilling.  I see all sorts of litter and trash left by people who go to the beach, but, I have never stepped into oil from an off-shore well.  Fourteen Million Dollars!!! Our tax dollars at work. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7745 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7745 I've been looking for someone to comment about the cost of the CPS raid in Eldorado.  It seems the state spent some $14million on the raid, screwed it all up and the courts have made'em give the kids back.  The CPS pi$$ed all this money away and of course didn't get anything for it.  If this doesn't cause heads to roll at CPS, then there's something really wrong in Austin.  The idiots at CPS should be made to reimburse the taxpayers. A needed constitutional amendment http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7701 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7701 I can't claim credit for this being an original idea, but I'd like to propose a constitutional amendment that would require all politicians -- from dog catcher to POTUS -- to wear uniforms much like those NASCAR drivers wear with the names of all their sponsors displayed.  Perhaps the size of the patch could correspond with the size of the contributions made.  This way we could determine who our politicians are beholden to.  I mean, we KNOW it ain't the regular, everyday, hard working citizens who voted for them. Does Tyler have ambitions http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7600 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7600 I'm thinking that our district attorney has plans to parlay these indictments of top city officials into convictions that will launch a run at perhaps the state Attorney General's office and then maybe the governor's mansion.  He's licking his chops at the thought of bring down the political and law enforcement leadership of Victoria.  I would have thought there was enough real crime in this county to keep him busy, but I guess fighting gangs and busting junkies won't provide the publicity he needs for state wide office.  He needs some high profile heads to roll Response to callers John and Mike http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7565 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7565 The comments printed in the paper this morning and posted online that the indictments of the police chief and former city attorney can't be political because the grand jury issued the indictments only after the DA simply provided them with the information is simplistic at best.  The district attorney in Texas is a very powerful person.  There is an old saying that a district attorney can get an indictment against a ham sandwich.  This is because no defense evidence, indeed the defense attorney, is allowed to be seen by the grand jury.  I had high hopes for Tyler as I believed the former DA to be a very corrupt person and Tyler would be a breath of fresh air.  Oops.  Seems Tyler learned his lessons very well from his former boss. Kids in need of discipline http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7535 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/thewaywardwind/7535 I just got back from a miserable lunch.  I like to go to the Incredible Pizza restaurant on Tuesdays for old timers day.  An all you can eat buffet and drinks for a very reasonable price.  It's a wonderful place with music I grew up with.  Great for lunch. Today, however, the place was overrun with a bunch of kids, all about three feet tall who were at full volume and full speed.  I guess it was a school bunch as they were mostly about the same size and there were several "adults" with them.  The adults weren't supervising, though.  They were just eating.  The kids were running and yelling and shreiking and the adults just kept on eating.  With apologies to Jack Webb in The D.I.  "You people ain't even a mob.  A mob has a leader.  You people are a herd." I'll continue to go to old timers day, but I sure hope the kids aren't there next time.  If they are, I hope somebody has taught them how to behave in public places.