El Conservador - State & Local Politics

SA Express Tells Taxpayers/Citizens to “Deal with it”

Fake News In an extraordinary show of arrogance, the liberal San Antonio Express-News ran an editorial on Wednesday, February 15 with a that read, “Toll Roads are necessary; deal with it”. The title seemed to tell the public, “shut up, stop opposing toll roads, and get in line”.

The SA Express is the speaker phone for the San Antonio/Bexar County Establishment which included big business, politicians, and the local government bureaucracy. This Establishment usually pursues its own agenda over the will of the people and at taxpayer expense.

The editorial says the “state lawmakers have shown zero interest in raising the gas tax, which is exactly why toll roads need to be on the table”. Apparently, they can’t understand why state legislators would listen to voters who don’t want toll roads and who don’t want taxes raised. Rather than advocate for raising taxes, why not suggest tax revenues be redirected? Better yet, why not tell the elected officials and Establishment to “deal with it” because citizens don’t want toll roads.

Proposition 7 Smoke & Mirrors

prop 71 This election's Proposition 7 is being touted as a wonderful solution to roadway gridlock, but there is a bigger story behind the push for Proposition 7.

The primary concern of lawmakers is to get commuters to be so glad about the potential for traffic relief that they overlook the billions in the bulk of state highway funds that are being spent in a fiscally irresponsible manner.

True to form, those who have control over ballot language have skillfully chosen and crafted the actual words and phrases citizens will read and accept or reject in the voting booth.

http://www.votetexas.gov/november-3-2015-constitutional-amendment-election-ballot-language/

False Economies Built by Economic Incentives

Article in this morning's San Antonio Express newspaper suggests that a rise in interest rates would have an inverse impact on precious metals prices. I'll have to scratch my head and figure out the mechanics, but it seems valid.

Given recent increases in prices of goods and services, and the inept means of measuring and reporting inflation, the Federal Reserve has been cautious about using interest rates to control inflation. The most likely reason is that the Fed isn't the only source of cash, now that the world is flush with it from U.S. (public and private) spending habits.

Prop 7: Texas voters have chance to secure funding for non-toll roads

BlazingSaddlesToll2 By Terri Hall
September 28, 2015

It’s been a long road to finding the funding necessary to shore-up the Texas State Highway Fund, but with passage of Proposition 7 on the ballot November 3, Texans will finally see a significant boost to the state’s road funding shortfall without raising taxes. Early voting begins October 19.

Prop 7 dedicates $2.5 billion of the general sales and use tax (above $28 billion) and thirty-five percent of the vehicle sales tax (above $5 billion) to the construction and maintenance of non-toll highways. The general sales tax takes effect in 2017, and the vehicle sales tax dedication starts in 2019.

Federal Court Overturns Texas' Voter ID Law

voter id2 In a stroke of irony, a federal court has struck down the Texas voter identification law which was passed by duly elected officials, who were voted into office by lawfully, by legal registered voters. This is typical of the upside down world of liberal/leftists who want to expand voting rights to everyone, everywhere until that right is meaningless.

A federal appeals court panel ruled that Texas’ voter ID law discriminated against blacks and Hispanics, and violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The overturned law required voters to bring a government-issued photo ID to the polls. Accepted forms of identification include a driver’s license, a United States passport, a concealed-handgun license and an election identification certificate issued by the State Department of Public Safety.