January 11th, 2014
Former Israeli General and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has died at age 85 after being in a coma since 2006.
While Sharon was a hugely important and influential political figure, I want to highlight his brilliance as a general. Israel’s swift and sure destruction of numerically superior Egyptian forces in the Sinai (with a total area significantly larger than Israel itself) under the leadership of Sharon, Israel Tal and Avraham Yoffe in a mere four days in 1967 are a big reason it’s called the Six Day War.
Here’s a History Channel show on The Six day War, complete with Machinima recreations of the battles.
Tags: Arab-Israeli Wars, Ariel Sharon, Israel, Military, Obituary, Six Day War, tanks, video
Posted in Military, video | No Comments »
January 10th, 2014
I couldn’t attend this year’s Texas Public Policy Foundation legislative orientation session, but for those who couldn’t make it, here’s Ted Cruz’s Friday speech.
Tags: Ted Cruz, Texas, Texas Public Policy Foundation, video
Posted in Texas, video | No Comments »
January 10th, 2014
A couple of days ago I mentioned that hot sauce maker Sriracha had been temprarily shut down due to more stringent California regulations.
Now the followup: In good news for pho restaurants everywhere, Huy Fong Foods announced that Sriracha shipments will resume by the end of the month.
Moreover, Texas Republican state representative Jason Villalba has invited them to come on over to Texas.
Villalba, who has been in office for a little under a year, happens to be a Sriracha fan, but he’s looking to move the company for more than personal reasons. He notes in his letter that in Texas there are no personal or corporate state income taxes and a plentiful non-union labor pool. He also mentions that Forbes Magazine named Texas the best climate in the country to grow a business.
“The great state of Texas would welcome you and your employees with open arms if you would consider moving…” reads the letter. “…Texas could provide you with exactly what you need to continue to grow, build and maximize the opportunities of Huy Fong Foods.”
Houston Democratic state rep Gene Wu has also invited them over as well.
No word on whether they’re considering moving or not, but plenty of California businesses have already relocated from California’s failing blue state model to Texas’ booming economy, so it’s certainly possible…
(Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Tags: food, Gene Wu, Jason Villalba, Regulation, Sriracha, Texas
Posted in Regulation, Texas | No Comments »
January 9th, 2014
So it appears:
Travis County won’t be hosting a gun show in its Exposition Center after this month, after county commissioners did not renew a lease for the controversial event.
“Controversial” in the sense that “liberals don’t like it.”
Saxet Gun Shows has been hosting the nearly-monthly show at the Expo Center since 2010 and had been negotiating a new contract for eight shows from March to January 2015, but got nowhere as county officials wanted the company to require background checks for all firearm sales. The company refused to require background checks for all transactions, and neither side has budged in the weeks of discussions, officials said.
(Hat tip: Dwight.)
Does this count as a violation of the preemption clause of Section 229 of the Texas local government code, which states:
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, including Section 43.002 of this code and Chapter 251, Agriculture Code, a municipality may not adopt regulations relating to:
(1) the transfer, private ownership, keeping, transportation, licensing, or registration of firearms, ammunition, or firearm supplies
I am not a lawyer, so I don’t want to hazard guess. It certainly seems less clear-cut than when they tried to ban gun shows outright. I did send off a tweet to Texas Attorney General (and 2014 gubernatorial favorite) Greg Abbott to ask his opinion…
Tags: Austin, Greg Abbott, gun shows, Guns, Texas, Travis County
Posted in Austin, Guns, Texas | No Comments »
January 8th, 2014
Time for another look at the respective fortunes of the nation’s two biggest states:
Between 1992 and 2010, California lost $45.27 billion in income while Texas gained $24.94B. (Hat tip: Moe Lane.)
That’s one of the many reasons Texas has a $2.6 billion budget surplus.
California’s Attorney General imposes some strange language choices on a proposed pension reform initiative.
California Governor Jerry Brown to shift money from a green “cap and trade” fund to the high speed rail boondoggle. “Brown, et al., apparently believe that diverting cap-and-trade fees into the bullet train may buy enough time to move some dirt and lay some track, with the hope that once construction begins, it will create a moral/political commitment to complete the project. But the proposed diversion is more likely to be dumping more money into a bottomless rathole.”
Remember: Spending money on green boondoggles means less is available for paying for luxuries like heating classrooms in winter.
Desert Hot Springs inches closer to bankruptcy. They’ve already eliminated their fire department, owe $4 million from last year, and are expected to run out of money in April.
How the California city of Pacific Grove broke the law and ignored voter wishes to accumulate massive pension debts. “Pacific Grove now has a new unfunded pension deficit of about $45 million, in addition to the $20 million in pension bonds. The deficit grows at 7.5% per year (about $3.2 million compounding).” A neat trick for a city whose entire budget is around $12 million a year. The first in what promises to be a 7 part series.
Orange County employees enjoy a whole bunch of plush benefits.
There’s a movement afoot in California to replace seniority with performance for determining teacher layoffs. Another group wants to make it easier to fire sex offenders. Naturally teacher’s unions are opposing both. (Hat tip: TPPF.)
California declares war on hot sauce maker Sriracha.
Is California’s 10 day gun waiting period unconstitutional? (Hat tip: Shall Not Be Questioned.)
Restaurant chain Mimi’s Cafe relocates their headquarters from California to Texas.
There’s a lot of talk (not yet confirmed) that Vista Equity Partners is planning to move Active Network, Websense, and Omnitracs to Texas.
Evidently Los Angeles can no longer support a WNBA team. (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Allied Van Lines confirmed that Texas remained the number one destination for relocation in 2013.
14 things non-Texans don’t understand.
Tags: Budget, California, Democrats, Desert Hot Springs, Jerry Brown, Pacific Grove, Texas, unions, waste, Welfare State
Posted in Budget, Democrats, Texas, unions, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | 1 Comment »
January 7th, 2014
Remember the accusations that campaign consultant Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield embezzled over $1 million from David Dewhurst’s Lt. Governor and Senate campaigns over a number of years?
Well, the estimated total he’s accused of embezzling is now over $2 million, plus
Barfield has agreed to turn over his lavish West Austin home and various business assets to Dewhurst to settle a civil lawsuit filed by Dewhurst last year to recover the funds. A final judgment executing the settlement was signed by a state judge in November.
Sale proceeds from Barfield’s home, which has been listed at $2.8 million, will be pooled with the assets of Barfield’s businesses to repay Dewhurst’s campaign accounts for lieutenant governor and his 2012 U.S. Senate race. The home was valued at $1.37 million by the Travis County Appraisal District in 2013.
In all, the judgment states that the David Dewhurst Committee and Dewhurst for Texas campaign accounts should receive $3,750,000 from the Barfield properties. It lists seven Barfield companies, including Alexander Group Consulting, which conducted campaign work for Dewhurst and other candidates.
Evidently there is some fire behind all that smoke. (Also, it appears that Betsy Woodruff was right (and I was wrong) to describe Barfield as having embezzled “millions” plural rather than singular.) Also, this evidently doesn’t get him off the hook for possible criminal charges, which I understand are at both the state and federal levels (the latter for violating federal campaign finance laws for Dewhurst’s losing 2012 U.S. Senate race).
Still unanswered is just how bad is David Dewhurst’s oversight that someone managed to steal $2 million from his campaigns and he didn’t notice for years?
(Speaking of disorder in the Dewhurst campaign, according to this story I missed from last year, he evidently still owes vendors over $1 million from the Senate campaign. I sent out some queries Friday to the vendors named in the story to see if Dewhurst has paid those bills in the interim, but have yet to receive a reply from any of them.)
Tags: 2012 Election, Crime, David Dewhurst, Elections, Kenneth Barfield, Texas Senate Race
Posted in Crime, Elections, Uncategorized | No Comments »
January 6th, 2014
It’s in the 20s here in Austin, which for Texas does indeed count as cold. Here are a few links to keep you warm:
Another cheerleader for ObamaCare finds out she can’t afford it. (Hat tip: Moe Lane)
ObamaCare supporter unable to obtain ObamaCare after two days of trying.
Evidently Sarah Palin was too optimistic. The vast confusion over ObamaCare has essentially made every hospital its own death panel.
The Obama Administration has lost 53 of 60 rulings on the abortion drugs mandate. To put that in perspective, they’ve won a smaller percentage of victories than the 2013 Houston Texans…
Volunteer firefighters still trying to figure out whether they’re screwed by ObamaCare or not.
I’ll just leave this here (Hat tip: Economic Policy Journal):
Chinese bubble looking ever-more pop-able.
There are reports that Zimbabwe’s President-for-Life and socialist thug Robert Mugabe has collapsed, much like his country’s economy.
The civil war in Iraq Bush had largely won is flaring up again thanks to Syria. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades.)
Actually residents of Prague would would like to see that Palestinian “embassy” disappear.
Brainwashed sheeple feed the poor.
Liberals make fun of black child because he’s Mitt Romney’s adopted grandson. Maybe they’d prefer adoption to be “separate but equal.”
It’s no wonder that MSNBC viewership is down 29% since 2012.
Ann Althouse: “The left I see isn’t critical of the fist [of government power]. It wants to be the fist.”
Paul Krugman’s SUPER-genius prediction about the Internet.
Obama enjoys what the New York Times describes as a “rare” vacation, in much the same way Charles Bukowski used to enjoy a “rare” drink. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades.)
Former Republican congressman lives entirely off the gird.
Unions should have to undergo regular recertifications.
Popehat channels David Brooks channeling Hunter S. Thompson. It’s a match made in Purgatory.
Infographic on The Raid: Redemption‘s body count.
Tags: abortion, Ann Althouse, China, Czech Republic, Democrats, Economics, Foreign Policy, Iraq, Jihad, Mitt Romney, MSNBC, New York Times, Obama, ObamaCare, Palestinians, Paul Krugman, Robert Mugabe, Sarah Palin, Syria, unions, Zimbabwe
Posted in Democrats, Economics, Foreign Policy, Jihad, ObamaCare, unions | No Comments »
January 3rd, 2014
When firearm magazine manufacturer Magpul announced they were leaving Colorado over knee-jerk magazine capacity legislation (funny how outlawing their perfectly legal product will sour a company on a state), most thought that Texas was a long-shot for them to relocate to, with Wyoming being a more likely destination.
They were half right.
Magpul is indeed relocating it’s manufacturing and distribution to Cheyenne, Wyoming, but they’re relocating their headquarters to Texas.
According to the official press release:
Magpul is moving its corporate headquarters to Texas. Three North Central Texas sites are under final consideration, and the transition to the Texas headquarters will begin as soon as the facility is selected. The Texas relocation is being accomplished with support from Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Economic Development Corporation.
Man, what an idiot Rick Perry is! All he does is keep bringing jobs to the state!
Perry has earned the right to crow a bit:
“In Texas, we understand that freedom breeds prosperity, which is why we’ve built our economy around principles that allow employers to innovate, keep more of what they earn and create jobs,” Gov. Perry said. “I’m proud that Magpul is the latest employer to join the ranks of companies that call Texas home.”
“Excessive government regulation undermines a culture based on personal responsibility and creates a detrimental business environment,” Magpul CEO Richard Fitzpatrick said. “Texas supports personal freedoms and our company will thrive in that environment.”
Gov. Perry has reached out to more than 30 firearm manufacturers in states across the country that are considering restricting sales and manufacturing in the industry. Magpul cited the Lone Star State’s business-friendly environment, predictable regulations and consistent respect for the Second Amendment as key elements in its decision to relocate.
Ted Cruz offers up a friendly Texas welcome as well:
This follows Bold Ideas/Colt Competition moving moving to Texas from Oregon,
All is proceeding as I have foreseen.
Tags: Colorado, Guns, Magpul, relocation, Rick Perry, Texas, Wyoming
Posted in Guns, Texas | No Comments »
January 2nd, 2014
A few tidbits on this race:
Steve Stockman is now accepting Bitcoins for his run against John Cornyn. This is pretty much a gimmick, as the tiny, Slashdot-centric audience who follow Bitcoin are singularly unlikely to involve themselves in Republican Party primaries. Another tiny problem: they’re not approved as a donation method by the FEC.
John Cornyn gets endorsed by the NRA. An incumbent Republican Senator with an A rating from the NRA getting their endorsement is hardly a surprise, but it’s a good pickup for him, especially since Stockman recently said that the tears of liberals make the best gun lubricant, and counts both the NRA and Gun Owners of America among previous endorsements.
Cornyn’s Texans for a Conservative Majority SuperPAC has already spent $70,000 slamming Stockman.
Stockman also compared Cornyn to PajamaBoy (Warning: Wiegel/Slate). That’s not so much a stretch as a rubber-band that’s already broken and been thrown away…
The only poll I’ve seen has Cornyn up 44 points, though this early that’s largely a name-recognition issue.
Cornyn’s name will appear last on Brewster county’s ballots.
Tags: 2014 Election, 2014 Senate Race, Elections, Guns, John Cornyn, PajamaBoy, Republicans, Steve Stockman, Texas
Posted in Elections, Guns, Republicans, Texas | No Comments »
January 2nd, 2014
It’s a new year, so here are a few long-overdue administrative updates to the blogroll.
Added Texas Conservative Republican News.
Removed Urban Grounds, since Robbie Cooper hung up his blogging gloves.
Removed Matt S. Dowling, because one post in the last year isn’t cutting it. Sorry, Matt…
Updated the link for An American Housewife.
Updated the link to SooperMexican.
Other notes:
I was going to add Sibyl West’s Ramparts 360, but she seems to have dropped off the map.
I would add Cahnman’s Musings, except he still hasn’t put up a blogroll…
Any Texas blogs I’m missing you think should be up here?
Tags: Administrative, Austin, Blogroll, links, Texas
Posted in Austin, Texas, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »