I can't say it any better than "The Dailey Bayonet"

Here is an article from the Hippie bashing Dailey Bayonet.   Be sure to read about the enviro gang originally liking shale gas until they realized it would hurt their pet projects.

Gas Up
Last week we featured a video with Ethan Hawke and other pretty people pushing the anti-fracking narrative.
Greens are terrified that shale gas will prove so popular it will end their inefficient pipe-dream renewables programs.  See what this gas industry analysis says, and you can see why Big Green is so desperate to find something, anything it can use to make shale gas a demon:

“You have one energy that represents today more than 20 percent of the energy mix, and solar today is close to zero and will represent maybe 1 or 1.5 percent in 20 years from now,” said Jean-Jacques Mosconi, Total head of strategy.  The trouble is that a new “golden age of gas,” as the International Energy Agency dubbed it, has created massive over-capacity in a key rival fuel for power generation. 
“The economic viability of a lot of the renewables are getting killed because we have too much gas in the world right now,” said Jeff Currie, global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs.  “It’s made a lot of these other projects like solar and wind struggle in terms of their economic viability, and coal too.”

Gas power plants can be built at a fraction of the cost of nuclear, and the reserves found so far are eye-poppingly huge.  The US alone is estimated to have 862 trillion cubic feet of the stuff.  Turn up the thermostat and call me Lucy, that’s a lot of gas
.
Another benefit of shale gas is that it doesn’t require toxic materials like solar panels, and it doesn’t shred birds or drive people nuts from noise.  With modern scrubbing technology, it’s a pretty clean burning fossil fuel option.

In fact, it’s such a good fuel that greens used to like the idea of shale gas:
Given its greenhouse gas benefits, environmental activists initially welcomed shale gas. For example, in August 2009 prominent liberals Timothy Wirth and John Podesta, writing on behalf of the Energy Future Coalition, hailed shale gas as “a bridge fuel to a 21st-century energy economy that relies on efficiency, renewable sources, and low-carbon fossil fuels such as natural gas.”

The same year, environmentalist Robert Kennedy, Jr., head of the Waterkeeper Alliance, declared in the Financial Times, “In the short term, natural gas is an obvious bridge fuel to the ‘new’ energy economy.”

That sound you hear is hippie teeth grinding. If they’d thought it through (heh), they would have seen that it represented a threat to their favorite energy placebos and never supported it.  But they did, and the internet never forgets.

So far, the ‘best’ weapon hippies have against shale gas is the misinformation that fracking somehow affects water.  It’s a straight-up fabrication that even EPA director Lisa Jackson can’t support.
Shale gas will inevitably end the current fad of subsidizing inefficient renewables for the simple reason that businesses and consumers will punish any politician that keeps raising energy prices when an affordable alternative exists. 

Transformation to shale gas will happen, but it will happen against a background of howling screams from the green left who want anything but affordable, abundant energy.

More on Frac-A-Steria

To my Frac-a-sterical friends.  On the Safe Fracking Coalition FB page, they put up a Bloomberg article on study conducted by the City of Fort Worth, Tx.  Read their article and you will see that at 5 out of 388 wells there was concern about air quality.  But read this article and you get a different picture.  Note the bean serving protesters in the middle of the article.  Priceless.

By:  WFAA
Posted on July 14, 2011 at 10:03 PM
Updated Friday, Jul 15 at 9:07 AM

FORT WORTH - Fort Worth residents finally have some answers about possible pollution from drilling in the Barnett Shale. 
No other city has so many gas wells so close to so many people.

Fort Worth spent about $1 million in badly needed gas well revenue to measure emissions from all the drilling and processing. The long awaited study by the Eastern Research Group did not reveal any "significant health threats." It also concluded the city's 600-foot setback for wells is adequate.

Fort Worth's new mayor, Betsy Price, said the report's conclusions brought a sense of relief. 
"We've all been sitting on pins and needles waiting to see," she said. "I hope it makes people feel better." 

She called the report the most comprehensive study of its kind, and said it should relieve fears about pollution from gas drilling.

Maybe it will for some, but fear and suspicion remain. Outside Arlington City Hall Thursday night, a group worried about drilling industry pollution donned Gov. Rick Perry face masks and served up beans. They were illustrating their claim that the state is sacrificing their health to big business.

"Air quality now is worse than it was last summer," said Jim Schermbeck, of Downwinders at Risk. "We're not making any progress."
Schermbeck and others came to address members of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, begging them to put tighter restrictions on gas well emissions.
"If you can't figure this out, step aside and let the EPA protect us," one mother told the TCEQ.

They pointed out that the Fort Worth study on air quality did find that drilling activity pumps an additional 20,000 tons of emissions into the air each year. The study found that five sites exceeded regulatory thresholds, but that almost all the pollutants have low toxicity, with the exception of small amounts of benzene and other toxins.

"Is it perfect? Certainly not," Price said. "We haven't had a chance to go over it in depth yet, but at first blush, it looks good."
The Eastern Research Group will formally present its findings to the Air Quality Committee at 3 p.m. July 18 in the pre-council chambers at Fort Worth City Hall.

Frac-A-Phobes show elevated symptoms that lead to Frac-A-Steria

Frac-A-Phobia is only a symptom of Frac-A-Steria (Hysteria, get it).  Looks like the Safe Fracking Coalition’s moderate case of Frac-A-Phobia has elevated to the most serious Frac-A-Steria.  Checking out their Facebook page, you can see that now the oil and gas industry are brainwashers, negligent, arrogant, slimey, and dirty. 

Local blogger, LaredoTejas, calls them brainwashers because a company had a coloring book to illustrate fracing.  Kind of like the Global Warming/Climate Change/Misanthropologist coloring books showing that man is killing the planet. 

And it looks like the coalition supports the comments of Mark Ruffalo who said "This is an industry that is the dirtiest, slimiest, most arrogant, and negligent that you can imagine."   Ruffalo made this comment on Al Gore’s Comment TV Network, on the Keith Olberman shown.  You remember Kieth, the guy who was fired from MSNBC.  Pretty hard for a liberal to get fired from MSNBC, but he did.  So now he is on the Nobel prize winning Al “The World is Burning Up” Gore network.

Yep, my friends, those folks at the Safe Fracking Coalition are really looking out for your interest by only seeking the truth about the fracing process.  Experts on fracing: a movie star and a fired TV host =  Priceless.

Again, to the Safe Fracking Coalition:  Tell us what you really want to happen.  Answer these questions:

A.       Do you want the fracing process to end nationwide?

             1.  Or do you just want to regulate it to death?

B.      Are you afraid the newfound shale gas/oil plays will produce enough cheap/reliable energy that the renewable energy fad may come to an end?

 

These are some of the questions you need to answer.  Because we now know you are way beyond wanting safe drinking water.

  "Why do they hate natural gas?"

Why I am not for tax rate hikes on the rich. A respone to LaredoTejas's blog.

I love the fact that there are several bloggers in Laredo of varied opinions.  I think I am the most conservative of the group, and that is just fine with me.  Although, at some point some reinforcements might come in handy.

Anyway, here is a partial post from blogger Laredotejas.  He seems to want to make you believe that I am for cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  While I am not for entirely gutting these programs, they do deserve some refinement and upgrades, including possibly raising retirement ages, and fixing some of the fraud problems. 

From the blog LaredoTejas ( http://laredotejas.blogspot.com/2011/07/wade-watch-tom-wade-supports-continued.html ):

Wade Watch: Tom Wade supports continued tax breaks for the Rich

 Whew, it was about time that Tom Wade spoke out about something. I hadn't had a chance for any new entries under "Wade Watch" but now that drought is over. In his re-launched website, "Wakeup Laredo", Wade, as expected, defends the continued tax breaks for the richest in the country. As do most republicans, Wade would much rather see cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security than to force the super-rich to just one Lear jet each.

Well, for one thing if Wade's a regular at Starbucks we can be sure he's not suffering financially. I guess that makes it that much easier to "stand up for the rich". The Tea Party and the republicans and generally have somehow hypnotized that standing up for the rich and against the poor equals "taking our country" back. It's a shame to see how robotic some of the ultra conservatives are. Day in, Day out, they repeat, over and over, whatever FoxNews or Rush wants them to say. Don't these people have any "real" principles as Wade proclaims. I wouldn't regard standing up for the more fortunate necessarily a "principle" so much as a way of trying to associate yourself with the rich.......even if it's as a lowly cheerleader.

This constant whine about class warfare is just that, whine.  We all know that higher earners pay a much higher percentage of the federal government revenue than those in lower income brackets, many of whom pay NO federal taxes.  It has been that way for a very long time.  The Tea Party and Republicans understand math, and can comprehend the idea of percentages.  Maybe we need some remedial math courses for some of the class warfare democrats.  You know, how to show that those that make the most money pay higher percentages of their income. 

Why do I defend those that want to keep the tax rates the same?  How about this little fact, we have not had tax revenues of more than 20% of GDP for any length of time since at least 1960.  This is true even though w have had much higher tax rates in earlier years, in fact, we once had a marginal rate of 91%.  Despite higher tax rates, tax revenues still tended to trend around the level of 18% of GDP.  There were short periods when revenues went up to 20% of GDP.  So, we can safely state that the long-term average for actual tax revenues is 18% to 20% of GDP. ( Again, percentages….hope I am not losing you)

This next line is one that really states what my argument is all about:  Higher tax rates can raise revenues to a point until taxpayers change their behavior and then revenues fall back to the long-term trend line.

What does that mean to all taxpayers?  People/business asks for, and then receives loophole tax subsidies from their favorite politician.   Don’t believe me, look at Wakeuplaredo.com’s new section and you will see where General Electric, a corporation that earned over $152 billion in 2010, and paid NO income tax.  NONE.  And to add to that: (from CNN Money website this little tidbit):  But there's still cause for optimism. GE's order backlog for core industrial products like turbines and locomotive engines stands at $175 billion, and could grow if plans for a $53 billion high-speed rail project ever win Congressional approval.     

GE’s corporate tax rate is 35%.  But they paid zero and could profit billions more if your tax dollars are spent on inefficient high speed rail projects that are being proposed.

So you see, no matter what the tax rate, people/business will find a way around them through loop holes and moving out of the country.  Which reminds me, ever wonder why so many companies left the US with their manufacturing jobs? 

Again, raising tax rates on big business and the ultra rich is a fool’s game.  It only causes more of a shift in actual tax pain to the middle class because the loop holes don’t apply to them.  Again, for those who don’t understand government workings, let me explain.

Government (all levels) base their budget on projected revenues and if those projected revenues are at X$, then the government will budget X$.  But when X$ is less than budgeted, the government’s (democrats for sure) first reaction is to RAISE the tax rate to raise revenue.  But it is a proven that the upper level of taxpayer and even some middle taxpayers change their habits or look for loop holes that allow them to pay less.  So as governments keep raising rates, they keep about the same revenue percentage stream and see only increased payments from those who cannot afford the loop hole finders.  So it becomes a never ending circle of increased rates without increasing actual revenue and that increase tax rate will still be paid by the small business owner and those that earn the big money will just find more loop holes and pay less taxes.  That is my point, and why I don’t want to see rates adjusted up, but down. How?

First, look at government spending.  It is growing beyond our incoming revenue.  Now, when we spend more than we take in, we get deficit spending.  That is what has been happening since the 1960’s.  Even with GDP increasing, the government just keeps spending beyond what they take in.  And when your government debt equals or exceeds your GDP, you are in real trouble, as we are today. 

So, the first way to fix our financial problem is not RAISING TAX RATES, but cutting our spending.  It makes no sense to raise taxes on those who can get around them via loop holes or just move out of the country and then have those that provide the most jobs pay higher rates because they cannot afford to move, or hire high dollar loop hole finders/creators.

What I would like to see, are you ready LaredoTejas, is the removal of ALL subsidies (tax loopholes) in the federal, state, and local tax system.  Of course you and I know that will never happen, as these are the real giveaways that politicians survive on.  It is not pork barrel spending, but tax loopholes that keep on giving.  And it is a problem in both parties.

Just think if we made everyone (and I would still accept a poverty line) pay taxes, everyone’s rate would go down dramatically.  There is no arguing this point.  It is a fact.  But, when you have entrenched politicians in place who want to pass out favors for re-election monies, what you get is lots and lots of tax loop holes.  But it is a political process of you do me a favor (loop hole) and I do you a favor (contribute to campaign).  Then of course there are the strong lobbies against the killing of loop holes.  Attorneys, accountants, and other loop hole finders would go out of business.  I say go out of business as did the oxen pulled cart.  But these folks have the money and connections to will be spent to assure them that the middle taxpayer keeps on paying more. 

This is why I am against class warfare, and why I am for the Tea Party.  They get it. 

PS, I will be at Starbucks tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. if you want to come by and share a cold glass of black iced tea.

Monday Tidbits

·         Frac-A-Phobe defined:  Frac-A-Phobes are those that want to do anything they can to kill the natural gas industry in an attempt to limit fossil fuels to everyone.  Frac-A-Phobes are by definition misanthropist.  They are those who want awards for supposed justice.  Those moms and dads locally that have concerns because of misleading movies like Gasland are not real Frac-A-Phobes. 

·         Some upcoming blogs I will be posting soon:

                   Using racism to bait your base.

                  What, the schools are still open and no teachers fired!

·         Looks like the local blogs are not touching the pro-fracing editorial in today’s Laredo Morning Times.

·         I miss BT Blues blogs and the photographs.

·         I should be at a baseball game tonight.  I was last year.  Can’t wait for the new ballpark and team.  PS,  every once in a while you can catch a game on TXN network.  That is the league our team will be part of.

Tax Hikes....NO WAY...Thank you Mr. Speaker

Thank you speaker Boehner for not allowing the Dems in DC force you into accepting any tax increases on next year’s budget.   The president and democratic leaders say the tax increases they propose are only for the “rich.”   Another lie from the left.    These proposed tax increases reach across all economic/class boundaries.

A friend of mine last week, at Starbucks, could not believe that I was standing up for the rich in the taxing debate.  He actually said: “How can you be for not raising the taxes on the rich.  You will never have that kind of money.”  I was dumbfounded by his statement.  Is there no such thing as standing up for principles?  I support women’s rights, even though I am not a woman.  I am strongly for equal rights among “all” people, no matter race, creed, religion, sexual orientation.  Yet, I am not a minority or gay.

The more I think about his statement, and he makes a lot more money than me, I am beginning to see what the next presidential election is going to be about. 

Here is the 2011 Democratic playbook:

a.        Race is an issue.  All republicans are racist because they want the US to enforce current immigration laws and they do not want wealth redistribution to continue on its current path.  They actually want to keep some of the money they earn.  PS here:  Republicans give more to charity than Democrats.  It has been documented and I believe it.

b.      Class is an issue.  Democrats will try to sell the story that the rich are richer and the working class is getting poorer.  There is some fact to the statement that wages have gone down.  The problem isn’t that the employers are paying out less money.  The problem is that employers are paying more and more money to governments and that is what is taking away from employees.

c.       We cannot pay our debt without raising taxes.  My friends, that is like saying, “I cannot pay my bills unless I get a raise.”  Of course you can still pay your bills, you just quit spending on non-essential items and budget your money better.  If we give the government more tax dollars, they will just spend it and not reduce the deficit.  Just look at history.

These three items alone will make up 90% of the 2012 campaign slogans and adds by the Democrats.  At least that is my bet.

Texting Ban Update

Here is where I want to say “I told you so.”  But I won’t.   WRONG.  I did tell you that there is not one shred of documented evidence that texting causes accidents in large enough numbers that would warrant a ban of the practice. 

 Again, I know that it is not the best practice to be texting while moving.  However, there was so much anecdotal crap being spread by people about this issue that I had to stand up and take the side of reality.

First, in Laredo, there is no correlation between traffic accidents and cell phone use, including texting.  In fact, I showed you earlier in the year that there is the same amount of traffic accidents in Laredo today as there was 10 years ago.  That is long before texting took off, and I put up the numbers to prove it.  (See; Texting and Driving – The Current Numbers Do Not Warrant a Ban Feb. 7, 2011 blog)

Again, I am not saying go out and text and drive.  When driving you need to be attentive at ALL times.  However, my point has always been, bans don’t work very well.  Education is still the best remedy.

PS:  Distracted driving is what you read below that is a major cause of accidents and fatalities.  You cannot stop distracted driving by bans.  It just cannot be done.  How do you ban not paying attention?  Enforce existing laws that every state has concerning inattentive (reckless) driving and you will go much farther in preventing accidents.

From the USA Today:

Safety group wants more data on cellphone bans

By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

It's legal in 41 states for drivers to use handheld cellphones, and a leading highway safety organization recommends keeping it that way for now.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) urges states to hold off on banning the practice until more research is done to gauge the effectiveness of such laws.

"The problem is the research is conflicting on the issue," says Barbara Harsha, executive director of the group, which advises states on traffic safety. "We don't know if handheld bans are effective, and we don't know if they actually make the problem worse."

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said last year it found no reduction in crashes after handheld cellphones were banned in California, Connecticut, New York and Washington, D.C.

The National Safety Council says handheld bans don't go far enough. "We think there is enough research to enact total bans, handheld and hands-free," says David Teater, senior director of transportation initiatives at the NSC. "And there's no evidence that hands-free devices provide any safety impact."

At the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency that tracks road deaths, "we feel strongly there is robust evidence on the dangers of distracted driving," says Lynda Tran, NHTSA's director of communications.

The GHSA made its recommendation after reviewing research on distracted driving since 2000 — about 350 studies, Harsha says.

That review followed questions from governors and state legislators who are trying to navigate this still-unfolding aspect of road safety.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has made curbing distracted driving a signature issue.

Some corporations restrict the use of cellphones by employees while in company vehicles. And among some federal workers, the use of the devices while driving is limited.

The greatest momentum has come from lawmakers at the state level: Nine states and the District of Columbia ban handheld cellphones for all drivers.

Texting while driving is illegal in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Twelve states banned it in 2009, 11 did so last year, and two so far this year.

No states ban all cellphone use by all drivers.

According to the Department of Transportation, 5,474 people died and another 448,000 were hurt in crashes involving all forms of distracted driving in 2009.

Construction Has Started

Looks like our baseball park is finally under construction.  This would indicate that we seem to be on schedule for the season opener next spring.

Can't wait to hear the name of the new team and see the logo.  That should happen later this month.

Free Food Galore....Who's Paying for It, and Who Supports the Taxes

Are your tax dollars being wisely spent on Food Stamps and local food banks?  First off, I’ll bet you have no idea who the biggest supporter (lobbying group) is for food stamps and the like.  If you said the agricultural industry you would be right.  Our farmers, farm machine manufacturers and other groups associated with them are the ones who ask for increased funding for free food programs every year.

Yep, food stamp, and some food banks (some are not government sponsored) are nothing more than a subsidy to industry large and small.  

Ever wonder why there is never any real investigation into fraud in these programs?  Well, here you have a perfect mix of government agencies wanting to grow their power, and an industry that wants to grow it’s profits, all on the back of you the taxpayer.

You cannot tell me it is right for a person to leave the HEB with an overflowing grocery cart and get into a 2011 Escalade after paying the large portion of their grocery bill with food stamps.   It is wrong and fraud.   But in the land of give me something for nothing, and the land of the government knows best, this is what we get.

This is why Texas is having a contest for mayors to see who can increase their local food stamp rolls.  I would like to see a contest and prize go to a mayor who increases jobs in his city and reduces food stamp rolls.  How about that?

I'M BACK............................

After a month of  off-time, I am back.  No more radio show, so now I can concentrate on the blog. 

Please comment as you wish on any and all topics.  I will never edit a comment, only kill the comment if I deem it inappropriate.  And that does not mean I will kill those that I just disagree with.

So join in and participate in the conversation. 

PS, use the links to read other blogs.  They represent the heartbeat of Laredo.  Plus you deserve more than just the establishment news.

Tom

PS, check out three new post:
Shotgun Tidbits
Alexander Crossing
Frac-A-Phobia update

Shotgun Tidbits

Here are some of the hot topics going on right now, and my “short” take on each.

Casey Anthony Trial:

Not guilty.  State did not make it’s case.  Thank God for the United States Constitution.

Mexican National to be put to death in Texas:

I am not a fan of the death penalty for anyone.  And there is a case to be made about international                 law.

NBA and NFL lockouts:

Good, I like college sports just fine.

Texas Legislature:

A.       Overall good job. 

B.      Sanctuary Cities Bill:  Much more on this later, but do you remember our Laredo Police Chief stating that Laredo did not support the reporting of illegal immigrants to CBP because it would harm the relationship of illegals and the police department.  Well in the Laredo Morning Times, the LPD turned two illegals over to Border Patrol after traffic stops…..WAZUP CHIEF?

From LMT 762011:

Lots of tickets

Meanwhile, police officers

were kept busy with the holiday

celebration. Investigator

Joe E. Baeza, Laredo Police

Department spokesman, said

officers arrested eight drunk

drivers, gave out about 100 citations

for traffic violations

and turned over two people to

U.S Border Patrol agents.

So, how did the police know they were illegal?  Did they ask them about their immigration status heaven forbid?  So, politically it is wrong and racist for police to ask about immigration status, but OK in real practice as long it is not a Republican bill.  Is that how it works?   Help me understand this please.

Alexander Crossing Fireworks Show - Could it be Financial Independence Day for local citizens and lawyers?

Well it looks like there may be a parking problem coming soon to the Webb County Courthouse.  Once Laredo finds out just how much the fireworks show at Alexander’s Crossing was insured for, I am sure that many more than the two people who were reported injured will be forming a “lawsuit” line with their attorneys.

Of course there were issues with the venue and layout of the program.  I was there, and was amazed that people were allowed to get as close to the fireworks barge as they did.  The barge was only a couple hundred feet from the crowd, and downwind too boot.

I just hope this does not become a circus.  I am sure there will be much more to come on this story. 

PS, hope you enjoy the photo of the fireworks show.  Also, my banner is a photo from the fireworks show.  Note on the banner, in the lower right you can see the fireworks from the Laredo Country Club displaying at the same time.

Frac-A-Phobe update

How are the local Frac-A-Phobes doing since I have been away from the blog?  Well it looks like they might have slowed down some.  I don’t know if the FAPs have burned up the projector used to show that Academy Award Nominated film “GASLAND”, but I have seen no Facebook page post announcing any future showings.  Maybe HBO stole the show….get it?

Anyway, I would expect ours FAPs to want to investigate and regulate our pipeline industry now that there was a 30 minute leak up in Yellowstone Park.  Never let a crisis go to waste.  Isn’t that what Rahm Emanuel (former chief of staff for President Obama) said?  So, very soon, I expect to see some serious outrage over that.

What I would like is the Frac-A-Phobes to tell us/me, is what do you really want?  And don’t just say better regulation of the industry.  What specifically do you want?  The industry is already heavily regulated by the United States EPA, DOT, as well as every state where fracing occurs has state regulations for drilling and fracing.  Give me the new specific rules you want.  If you can’t, then that means you haven’t read the existing rules.

Don’t just say you want water resources protected.  Tell me how.  What rules do you want that are different than those that are in place today?  Do you want to change property laws and make water rights a thing of the past?  Should all water belong to the “village”?

It is time for Laredo Frac-A-Phobes to lay out their plan.  No more comments like “We just want to make sure that things are safe and regulated properly” because I don’t think that is what you are really after.  Why are you listening to National-Frac-A-Phobe ex-Mayor Calvin Tillman.  I need to clarify that Mayor Tillman didn’t start out as a Frac-A-Phobe.  He was upset that Dish, Tx. was the site of a gas pipeline pressurization station.  He and the other 200 Dish residents started having all kinds of imagined medical problems once the pipeline station came to Dish.  At least that is what they reported to Earthworks.  You know, Earthworks, the environmental group who hate everything that man makes, does, or wants to do.  Yep the Earthworks folks did a survey (not a scientific study, but a dining room survey) asking if people were sick or had any kind of strange symptoms.  But there was no scientific methodology used in this survey.  Tillman continued to complain, so the Texas Department of State Health Services came in and conducted a real survey using blood and tissue samples.  The TDSHS took samples from 28 Dish residents (14% of residents).

From the TDSHS report:  Agency officials collected biological samples from 28 Dish residents in late January to see whether levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their blood were higher than those in the broader population. “We were looking to see whether a single contaminant or a handful of contaminants were notably elevated in many or all of the people we tested,” said Dr. Carrie Bradford, the toxicologist who led the investigation.*

And here is the summation of that report:  Texas health officials found no connection between pollution from a natural gas compressor station in Dish, Texas and levels of toxins in the blood of people living nearby.*

The new report from the Department of State Health Services says levels of benzene and other contaminants was no higher in Dish residents than in the nation’s population in general.**

But the mayor was not discouraged.  He signed on with Earthworks and now is a national spokesman for the anti-fracing movement.   It goes to show a man with the right cause can reach the national environmental stage with ease.  Just look at Al Gore.  Facts not required, just a good/right message.   

Now is the time for those against natural gas recovery to stand up, be honest, and really tell us why you are upset that our energy companies have found enough natural gas to meet US energy demands for over a century. 

NEW BLOG DUE JULY 6TH

I am reworking the WAKEUPLAREDO website and blog.  Expect to be back online by Wednesday July 6th.  Check back then for new and improved website. 

Thanks for the patience

A Peek At Future Laredo Economic Development

Did we get a peek at Laredo's  economic development future in the San Antonio Express News Saturday when they published an article about HEB being embarrassed by the city for stating that HEB wanted to close a road for future development.

Here are some pieces of the article (full story at:  http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/City-apologizes-to-H-E-B-over-premature-notice-1399502.php#ixzz1NkNdXwwS  )



City officials Friday found themselves backpedaling and apologizing to one of San Antonio's biggest employers in the wake of a premature notice that H-E-B wanted to close part of Main Avenue to build a downtown grocery store.

The city has been courting H-E-B and badly wants a downtown grocery, but the grocer has not, in fact, requested a street closure nor definitively said it will build a downtown store.

“Let me first say, H-E-B has not made a request to close Main,” said Pat DiGiovanni, deputy city manager. “That canvassing sheet that was sent out to a number of entities was premature and unauthorized. We apologize to the company publicly that their name was put on that petition form. It was inappropriate and unsanctioned.”

“We are in discussions with H-E-B, and those discussions will remain private at this point,” DiGiovanni said. “We have not reached any agreements. It is exploratory, and we're each doing our part to advance this project.”

H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos said she was surprised when her office received inquiries about the canvassing note.

“We were not aware of any kind of paperwork being in the process at all,” she said.

King William Association president Dick Davis said he had received the survey, and had invited H-E-B to attend the association's meeting next week to share its plans for a store.

“And the answer we got was, ‘We really don't have anything to tell you,'” Davis said.

Davis said he still plans on broaching the topic at the association next meeting to gauge member support.

Again, these are cutouts from the article, and you need to read the whole thing for the flavor.   But, this is what happens when cities try to do economic development.

Cities work under the expectation of "open government" and have processes in place that support that concept.  This is exactly the opposite of the process that is required when in the beginning phases of economic development.

No, repeat, NO company wants their business discussed in the public forum until they are ready for that to happen.  In this case, when and if HEB had decided it was feasible to move forward with the project, then that would have been the time to move forward with city processes for closing a street.

My friends, just imagine the City of Laredo handling a prospective move of a large manufacturing/distribution/retail/etc. company from the upper mid-west.  Now imagine that a labor union is involved.  Do you really think our mayor, city council, or city staffers will keep this prospective move quiet until the company decides whether to embark on its move venture?  I don't think the city could keep it quiet?

And why does it need to remain quiet?  For one there are specific "closing" laws that require companies to give notice within a specified amount of time of the actual closing.  Companies keep moves close to the vest to keep the announcements within the minimum time frames required.  And if the company is just "exploring" opportunities, then what happens if the employees and or suppliers find out?  Would there be retaliation?  Companies do not want to deal with those possibilites. 

One big question is: "Do we want to give the city more power to suppress information from the public?"  We want and expect our city to be open and transparent in it's business dealings.  In fact, there are several laws that require the city operate in the light of day.  How, when, and where do we draw the line between open government and keeping secrets?  Who will be the one that determines what should be kept quiet?

Should  information should leak to the press/public about a prospective move, what will be the consequences?  I can give you a couple.  One, the company will not move here and will tell everyone they know about the experience.  Two, the word will get out amongst the consulting community that handles company relocation's, and that word will be that you cannot trust Laredo and that you would be best in avoiding the move there if there is any requirement of confidentiality.

What kind of pressure will the city be under by developers and businesses who file open records request/lawsuits wanting to know what prospective clients/competitors may be coming to town?  Should the citizens have to pay for those defenses?  Or should we continue with public/private funding that removes the potential for Laredo's future companies being embarrassed?

Do cities have a role in economic development?

Of course cities have a role in economic development.  They are needed when negotiations are required for such things as tax abatement's, passing of ordinances for zoning, and other local regulation.  But those come much later in the discussions with prospective clients, and usually occur after a very strong commitment is made by the client to locate in a city.  So, the chances that information about the client becoming public are less likely to affect the move.  In the case shown about the HEB above, if the information would have gone public after HEB had decided they did want to open the store, they would have expected the public involvement as that is the process. 

What is the City of Laredo planning to do about economic development?

Talk is that the City of Laredo is getting ready to cut all funding to the Laredo Development Foundation, and that the city will take over economic development.  Is this more than just talk?  Listen to the city manager setting the table for cutting LDF funds when he talks of less revenue coming in.  Listen to, and watch the actions of certain city councilmen who seem to have chips on their shoulders for the LDF.  Look at the city hiring an LDF staffer who has experience in economic development.  The script is there and is being executed. 

My prediction;  LDF will not receive any money from the city of Laredo in the FY2012 budget.  The city will move forward with 4A-4B talks to allow the city to use the sports venue tax for economic development (I am for the 4A-4B plan, but not the city managing it).  Whether or not 4A-4B does or does not pass a required vote of the public, the city will move forward with it's own agenda of economic development.

Those are my predictions, and they will come true unless we citizens stand up and say no to the city trying to manage economic development.

"ONLY IN LAREDO"

I will be compiling photos and habits that can only be found in Laredo, Texas.  They don't have to be good or bad habits to make the list, just be unique to Laredo.  So fill in the blanks after the starting phrase:



"You know you are in Laredo when"

Such as:

You know you are in Laredo when at 7 in the morning you see a person at a convenience store and they have a taco in one hand and a cold 16 oz. beer in the other. 

You know you are in Laredo when every driver around you is racing to be the first in line at the next stoplight.

You know you are in Laredo when the person you are meeting is late, and they say, "Well you know, it's Laredo time."

You know you are in Laredo when you pay at the cash register, and the clerk tells you how much you owe in Spanish, and then when giving you changes, tells you in English how much you got back.

You know you are in Laredo when the person ahead of you in the drive thru lane at the bank is cashing checks for 15 people back at their workplace.

You know you are in Laredo when every other vehicle driving down the road is a tractor trailer rig.

You know you are in Laredo when you avoid the mall on Mexican holidays.

You know you are in Laredo when you drive down a traffic "loop" and hit a stoplight every time you turn around.

You know you are in Laredo when you see the driver ahead of you slam on their brakes just because it started to rain.

You know you are in Laredo, or at least getting close, when you see a citys name taped over on the interstate highway.

You know you are in Laredo when the city council ask the city attorney if something is legal, after they already did it.

You know you are in Laredo when wear a heavy coat when it is 50 degrees outside.

You know you are in Laredo when your TV weatherman is named Heatwave.

You know you are in Laredo when Heatwave tells you a cold front is  moving in and it will only reach 95 degrees tomorrow.

You know you are in Laredo when you go to a Walmart at 7 in the morning and there is only one cashier on duty.




Help me out here...give me your "only in Laredo lines."

BUILD A NEW CONVENTION CENTER WITH THE "SPORTS VENUE TAX", SAY WHAT?

Look out Laredo, you may be financing a new convention center downtown with the 1/4 cent sales tax you approved for building the Laredo Energy Arena  and new baseball stadium.

You heard it hear first.  The city council is looking at options under the ordinance allowing the sales tax that would give them the authority to fund a new convention center.

I was wondering why ol' Mike Garza was questioning the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau chief about convention centers at the last city council meeting.  Mike wanted to know how many conventions Laredo had lost due to not having an convention center.

Groundwork is being laid.  I am not sure if voters even get to vote on this.

More to come.

FRACK-A-PHOBICS.....GOOD NEWS ON THE WATER FRONT

Well, maybe this new process will help reduce the anxiety of those who fear fracking takes too much water.

From an article on new advances in fracking (link below)

In short, the use of water is the aspect of fracking that worries citizens and drives activism against the technique.

Luckily, there may be a technical fix that addresses these water worries and does an end run around drilling opponents: gas-fracking. Developed by GasFrac Energy Services in Alberta, Canada, gas-fracking uses liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which consists mostly of propane, instead of water to crack open shale formations to release oil and natural gas. Robert Lestz, GasFrac’s chief technology officer, and his colleague Audis Byrd spent 10 years developing the technique. Lestz explains that the company produces a LPG gel using phosphate esters, iron sulfate activator, and magnesium oxide. None are seriously toxic or are thought to be carcinogenic. The injected LPG gel combined with sand fractures shale formations to release trapped oil and/or natural gas.

As a hydrocarbon, propane easily mixes with natural gas and returns to the surface where it can be recovered and reused or flared. Since essentially no water is used and the gelling chemicals are relatively benign, there is no possibility that well wastewater can contaminate wells or streams. 

Gas-fracking is also more efficient than hydrofracking. In conventional hydrofracking, injected water tends to block the pores and cracks through which natural gas would otherwise flow into the well. This does not happen with gas-fracking. As a consequence, Lestz claims that gas-fracked wells often produce 20 to 30 percent more natural gas than do hydrofracked wells. One more advantage: hydrofracked wells often need to be flared for a couple of weeks to purge fracking fluids. This wastes saleable product and emits extra greenhouse gases. Gas-fracked wells, which need far less flaring, save gas and can go into production sooner.

There are, however, additional safety concerns when dealing with large quantities of propane. Unlike water, LPG is flammable. In January 2008, a well site in Alberta suffered a blast as a result of a propane leak. Three workers suffered non-life-threatening burns and GasFrac suspended its operations to devise techniques aimed at preventing future accidents. Lestz claims that insurers give the company the same risk rating as conventional hydrofrackers. So far the company has fractured 300 oil and gas wells in both Canada and the United States.

From this link:  http://reason.com/archives/2011/05/17/a-better-way-to-frack

If this process really works.  It should quell most complaints.  Fix the propane issue and cheap and affordable energy, without protest, could be the norm.

TOP TEN STUPIDEST THINGS I HAVE SEEN HAPPEN IN LAREDO

Here is my list of the top ten stupidest things I have seen happen in Laredo since I moved here in 1992.  This one was hard, as there are a lot of stupid things that have been done by elected officials and supposed city leaders in this town.

10. Not finishing the construction that would make Del Mar Blvd. 4 lanes from I-35 to Loop 20.

9.  Not making Loop 20 a limited access highway.  A limited access highway would have no stop lights and would require vehicle entry/exit to be handled via on/off ramps, just like I-35.  Now we are paying double to fix traffic issues, and the cost will continue.  No wonder TxDOT has no money.

8.  Put stop light at Yeary and Calton Road.  This has caused more traffic headaches than one can imagine.  The I-35/Calton road intersection has to be the worst in Texas, and maybe the United States.

7.  City councilman Pancho Casso demanding that a "staging" area be built along Santa Maria to stage trucks going to Mexico via I-35 and bridge 2.  (Pre-April 2000 when WTB built)  Casso said Mexican truck drivers would enter the staging area and leave in the order that they arrived on their own. 

6.  Webb County Commissioner's Court approving a "rain-making" machine for Webb County by unanimous vote.  Then two weeks later changing their minds after Heatwave Burler said the machine would not work and the citizens were in an uproar.  The commishs said they misunderstood the vote.

5.  The city of Laredo allowing TxDOT to put a covenant in the agreement to build the Camino Colombia Toll Road that would prohibit TxDOT from funding any roadway that would "compete" for traffic with the toll road.  Now, the city, or a developer will have to totally fund any roadway connecting I-35 with Mines Road near dead man's curve.

4.  The idea of building Bridge 5 in South Laredo for commercial vehicles.  Laredo just doubled the capacity at World Trade Bridge, and still has Camino Colombia for commercial traffic.  A third commercial facility is not needed, and may never be needed.  Also included in this item should be the note that some persons think a new bridge will bring in "new" revenue versus just taking traffic from one bridge and have it cross at another.

3.  The City of Laredo stopping the construction of Town Center.  Because of a dispute over an overgrown retention pond, which a local environmental group claimed was a wetland, the city council voted to stop construction of the Town Center on Loop 20 across from the airport.   The owners of the Town Center had actually started construction on the project, but local environmentalist fought back with a petition signed by school kids and parents who were told that Lake Casablanca was going to be polluted by the development, and that the beavers, and animal life in the wetland would die. The developer had planned to build a water retention system that was better than the original retention pond, and with more capacity to clean runoff water that might enter Lake Casablanca.   The environmentalist did not want to accept this fix, and still fought, and won the right to keep the retention pond intact.   Because of this action, Laredo lost out on the sales tax, property taxes, and jobs that would have been created by the building of a retail center composed of outlet shops.  Laredo also became known as a city who cannot be trusted, even after a contract has been signed.    Note:  The wetland is dry as a bone right now.  I wonder if the animals all died.

2.  The Laredo Chamber of Commerce asking that Nuevo Laredo be removed from highway mileage information signs on I-35, so Laredo would not be confused with Nuevo Laredo.  This action by the COC was designed to let travelers know there is a difference between Nuevo Laredo and Laredo.  The action was rescinded in two days after locals decried the action.

1.  The City of Laredo cutting funding of the Laredo Development Foundation by 50% in 2011 budget.  Laredo spends less than % .00325 on economic development.  Expect the number spent by the city to decrease in the 2012 budget cycle as the city will cut off all funding to the LDF.  When someone at city hall uses the phrase "It's for the children" remember that cutting off economic development funds will assure that our children will have no place to work in Laredo.

TOP TEN SMARTEST THINGS THAT HAVE I HAVE SEEN HAPPEN IN LAREDO

Here is my top ten list of smartest things I have seen happen since I moved here in 1992:

10.  Increase funding to Laredo Development Foundation under Mayor Betty Flores.

9.  Move city and school district elections to first Tuesday in November.  This has helped turnout and helped ease voter burnout.

8.  Laredo Transportation Association suggesting that truck crossing fees increase enough to fund the police to monitor the intersections along I-35 near bridge 2, and place a police officer on I-35 to assist the public in avoiding collisions with the trucks stacked up waiting to enter Mexico.    Remember when the trucks backed up on I-35 waiting to enter Mexico before the World Trade Bridge opened in April 2000.

7.  Mayor Saul Ramirez punching councilman Pancho Casso after a city council meeting. 

6.  Build Laredo Energy Arena.   Over 2.5 million people have visted the arena.

5.  Build I-35 and Loop 20 (Milo) interchange.  This project opened the warehouse district and allowed easy access to I-35 without the blockage due to train traffic.

4.  City council supported the North American Free Trade Agreement.

3.  Texas A&M International University was built.

2.  Loop 20 was constructed.

1.  The World Trade Bridge was built, and expanded.   By building WTB, Laredo was able to continue as the number one port along the US/Mexico border.  By expanding WTB by 8 lanes, Laredo was able to double its current capacity and throughput.   Laredo did what other cities only dream of, have 16 lanes for commercial truck traffic.

These are mine.  What are yours?