Texans - Second Highest debt in the nation...

Stop voting for these people already.  YOU CAN'T afford it.  Just look at the numbers below.....

Thanks to Empower Texans for calling out those spending YOUR cash without much oversight.  Vote in some oversight, would ya?

 And be careful what you vote for when voting for "WATER".

Texas currently has the second-highest per person, local debt in the nation. As of 2011, taxpayers were $233 billion in the hole, with 83% held locally by cities, schools and water districts.

The approval process to issue debt will be at the arbitrary discretion of the Water Development Board, which does not have statutory limitations requiring the funds be used only on projects that expand water production.

They can be used for low-interest loans, credit enhancement agreements, the deferral of interest obligations and other methods. Proposition 6 advocates claim the scope of financing is limited to the 562 projects in the state’s water plan; but that’s somewhat misleading.

Thanks to Republican spendoholics like Charlie Geren (HD-99) in north Texas, districts charged with supplying water like the Tarrant Regional Water District, have been authorized to waste millions of your dollars on economic development slush funds. The TRVA, a subsidiary of TRWD, recently approved plans to build an outdoor ice rink! So much for water…

It begs a very important question: Why would we encourage more state and local borrowing when water districts are allowed to spend millions on projects not related to water production?

House members like Giovanni Capriglione (HD-98), also from north Texas, pleaded for basic transparency requirements that would have posted water project expenditures online for public scrutiny and accountability. Again, the GOP moderates joined Democrats in rejecting those and other debt-related transparency proposals.

We’ve previously criticized the lack of transparency in local bond proposals that are deceiving taxpayers as to the true cost of debt. And now we’re being asked to trust that politicians won’t engage in similar shenanigans at the state level?

WHO is Jerry Jenkins?

Well, if the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was a real "news" paper, they would have told you. If they were a real "news" paper, they would have also told you about the Ethics complaint filed against the old board members and the General Manager, (FW Weekly's Candidate for Alien Abduction) Jim Oliver. This ethics complaint was filed during the Tarrant Regional Water District election. With as many articles as the FWST ran on the water board race, you'd think they'd cover that. Oh wait, it was against their precious incumbents. Again, what's in it for them? Advertising money from their neighbors?  WHO's money is that again?

Thank goodness for people out there doing the FWST's job for them.  Durango told you days before the FWST article, WHO Jerry Jenkins is.

He also asked the question about HOW FWST got their info. Sounds like Mr. Jenkins made that call. WHERE did Mr.Jenkins get his info? Fort Worth Star-Telegram articles? Oh the irony.

Can you file Ethics Complaints on "news" papers?

The paper quotes Mr. Jenkins saying something about you can't go around writing checks all "willy-nilly".  Someone please tell the TRVA that.

And on a side note, is the FWST looking to hire an Editor? Someone please tell them that "Bennett" did not run in the election.

"Bennett, Nold and Kelleher ran on a slate known as “BNK.”"

What's wrong with this picture?

Durango reports on ethics while the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports on Ice.

Durango has been on a roll lately, reporting on everything from a laughable ethics complaint to the memorial for the child who drowned in Haltom City.

While the FWST reports the Trinity River Vision / Trinity Uptown / Central City / Panther Island will now have an ice skating rink.  Is that a flood control measure or our new water supply?

No child left behind...

Unless you're poor.

Groups are forming all over Tarrant County for and against the FWISD Bond election.

What do YOU think?

So far there are 3 known groups -

• It's Ok to Say No to the School Bond
• FWISD Parents for Kids
• Citizens Supporting Classroom Excellence

The first one seems to be a group of concerned taxpayers and citizens, the second one seems to be a group of concerned parents, the third one seems to be a concerned group of...Fort Worth Chamber Members?

Really??

The politicians are coming...to Haltom City??

Thursday afternoon Wendy Davis is expected to announce her run for governor in Haltom City.  Many may be asking WHY Haltom City, the small town political hotbed of Tarrant County.  Well, back in the day, Haltom and Richland High schools both graduated at the Wiley G. Thomas Coliseum.  So, she's making her announcement from the same place she graduated high school.

Don't think this will go unnoticed, as we have already received emails on the protest that Republicans are planning to host at the "church across the street".

Yep, they should all fit right in around these parts.

The showdown starts tomorrow at 3:00, though the protesters ask that you be there early.

Water Texas a No Show

The cross partisan event hosted in Bastrop this weekend sounded a lot like the forum TRIP put on a couple of years ago, that the City of Fort Worth and the Trinity River Vision Authority bailed on.

WHY would those who are looking to spend millions of taxpayer dollars not answer questions of the taxpayers?  Anyone else see a pattern here?

Read about it in the Dallas Morning News.

Don't miss the comment from the event organizer!

Only in Texas

'If a U.S. President attempted such a maneuver, angry mobs would march on Washington.'

'TRWD lawyers plan to keep the suit held up in court past next year’s election cycle, by claiming governmental immunity (which was denied), and by making a jurisdictional plea (which doesn’t even make sense).  In other words, TRWD is willing to waste taxpayer dollars to defend their own shell-game, purely for short-term political insulation.'

These are quotes from the most recent Empower Texans article on one of the Tarrant Regional Water District's current lawsuits.

Read it, it will piss you off. Hopefully enough to make you show up at the next water board meeting.  Better yet, the next water board election.

Define Boondoggle.

Durango does, in true Durango style........

Googling "Boondoggle" and clicking on the Wikipedia Boondoggle article, in the first and second and third paragraphs we read....

A boondoggle is a project that is considered a useless waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy motivations.

The term "boondoggle" may also be used to refer to protracted government or corporate projects involving large numbers of people and usually heavy expenditure, where at some point, the key operators, having realized that the project will never work, are still reluctant to bring this to the attention of their superiors. Generally there is an aspect of "going through the motions" – for example, continuing research and development – as long as funds are available to keep paying the researchers' and executives' salaries.

The situation can be allowed to continue for what seems like unreasonably long periods, as senior management are often reluctant to admit that they allowed a failed project to go on for so long. In many cases, the actual device itself may eventually work, but not well enough to ever recoup its development costs.

The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle has been boondoggling for over a decade. After that passage of time the Trinity River Vision's executive director has clearly stated that only about 20% of the project has been completed.

Boondoggle.

With the other 80% not expected to be completed until 2023.

Boondoggle

Completed if federal money can be acquired to pay for about half the current almost $1 billion price tag.

Boondoggle.

Three bridges are supposedly going to start being constructed in 2014, bridges spanning where a flood diversion channel will be built if those federal funds can be found to pay for it.

Boondoggle.

In the meantime dozens of business owners have had their property taken via the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's eminent domain abuse. In many other parts of America taking property in this manner is not allowed. In other parts of America property can be taken by eminent domain only for projects for the public good, like roads, hospitals, schools. Not economic development projects or for an un-needed flood control project.

Boondoggle.

In other parts of America not only is this type of eminent domain abuse not allowed, using eminent domain to take property for the public good would not even be considered for a project for which the public has not voted. There has been no public vote to fund the Trinity River Vision.

Boondoggle.

The lack of funding is one of the reasons this project's construction timeline covers such a long time. And will likely grow longer. For years in to the future Fort Worth will have an un-finished construction mess, sporadically worked on, awaiting funds.

Boondoggle.

For the job of running the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle project the TRV could have conducted a nation-wide search for a person with the engineering credentials to run such a project. Instead the TRV found an assistant district attorney named J.D. Granger, whose qualification for the job was his mom is Fort Worth Congresswoman, Kay Granger. Kay Granger was thought to be key to getting those much needed federal dollars. But, that has not quite worked out as planned.

Boondoggle.

If the Trinity River Vision was a legitimate public works project, addressing a legitimate flood control problem, along with bringing needed development to a blighted part of town, why is there no urgency to build the project? Why is there no attempt to convince the public to vote to tax themselves to build this project,  if this project really did provide a big benefit to the people of Fort Worth?

Boondoggle.

Witness the vast amounts of delusional propaganda spewed by the Trinity River Vision. Check out the bizarre signage at Gateway Park's Fort Woof touting the imaginary wonders the Trinity River Vision will bring to Gateway Park and East Fort Worth. Check out the quarterly propaganda mailing from the Trinity River Vision. Make note of all the Trinity River Vision propaganda signage one sees at various locations. Check out the Trinity River Vision's website for more propaganda.

Boondoggle.

In addition to its main website the Trinity River Vision also has a Panther Island website. At the Panther Island website we read--- © Panther Island Pavilion - A Product of Trinity River Vision Authority. How many taxpayers dollars are being spent on all the Trinity River Vision propaganda products?

Boondoggle.

Anyway, I hope I have managed to somewhat illuminate some of the reasons I, and others, refer to the Trinity River Vision as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle....

You're Invited to a Pubic Meeting on Water Services Privatization Study

Water Utility Task Force studying privatization of City water services to Take Public Input, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 6 p.m., City Hall

Please plan to attend and speak up on this very important issue.

On the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 24, Fort Worth water and wastewater customers have the opportunity to provide their feedback to the Water Utility Task Force at Fort Worth City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton Street. The task force is studying potential public-private partnership opportunities for the operation of the utility.
 
The City Council appointed the task force in March. It has met four times since early April. Two more meetings are scheduled before it finalizes a recommendation to the City Council.
 
The task force will host a one-hour open house with informational displays, starting at 6 p.m. in the area outside the City Council Chamber. At 7 p.m. the event moves into the City Council Chamber, where the public can provided comments after a brief presentation.

Speakers are asked to limit their remarks to three-minutes. Written comments can also be submitted either that evening or by e-mail to WTR_Study@fortworthtexas.gov.

The Sept. 24 public meeting will be televised live on Charter Cable Station 27 and streamed on the city website.

This is what a "news" article looks like

The Fort Worth Business Press wrote a real news article on the growing lawsuits against the Tarrant Regional Water District.

We've enjoyed the factual, seemingly non biased writing of the Biz Press.  If they'd stop hiring former FWST writers to write their stories, they'd be way ahead of the game.  Those were so slanted, we didn't bother to finish reading them, let alone post them.

Kudos to the Fort Worth Business Press for printing news.  It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.