[DFW.CBSLOCAL] The Legislature has approved a bill stripping public corruption cases from a unit tied to Rick Perry's 2014 indictment.
The House and Senate each previously approved separate bills removing cases of alleged wrongdoing by elected officials from the Public Integrity Unit, headed by the district attorney in Austin. On Saturday, both chambers approved a compromise, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott. Under the measure, investigations and prosecutions tied to Texas government would be conducted with a dual-step process; investigations would be done by a new Public Integrity Unit in the Texas Rangers; prosecutions would be handled by the district attorney in the accused's hometown.
The Texans for Public Justice on their Facebook page called this move "a politician's dream -- a virtual get-out-of-jail-free card for public officials."
Fmr. Gov. Perry vetoed Public Integrity Unit funding in 2013, after Democratic District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg wouldn't resign following a drunken driving conviction.
Perry was indicted on abuse-of-power charges; a special prosecutor, not the Public Integrity Unit, led the investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2015 00:00 ||
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#3
About time Texas did that - putting the Texas Rangers in charge of the investigation avoids a lot of the corrupt local sheriff crap, and yanking this from Austin, distributing it to local prosecutors is OK, I'd rather have seen a special unit at the state level instead, from the Atty General office.
#2
Ever notice the tendency in authoritarian regimes to name things that are the exact opposite of what they are ie Peoples Democratic Republics which were neither democratic or a republic. Notice how that has been picked up by the Beltway Party in titling their little impositions of power ie Freedom Act which eviscerates the need of cause and warrant or Affordable Care Act which is not. What kind of hint do you need that you've slid into an oligarchy?
#5
We know what countries the terrorists come from: Somalia, Soddy Arabia, Yemen, Chechnya, Nigeria, etc. Why should we sacrifice our rights and freedoms when the logical thing to do is keep those people out of our country?
#6
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. complained to reporters that Paul places "a higher priority on his fundraising and his ambitions than on the security of the nation."
Remember Sen. McCains’ public opposition to ‘enhanced interrogation’? Any speculation of the Senators motivation was swiftly met with righteous indignation. Sure he called the Administrations’ tactics immoral and insinuated illegality. Yes he bucked his own political party when they countered that the practice heightened national security. But after all his was the unique perspective of a war hero, they said, that had endured years of torture in captivity. And it surely had nothing to do with his presidential or other aspirations. But McCain has no problem suggesting that Sen. Paul’s long held resistance to extending provisions of The Patriot Act is nothing but a crass political maneuver. Worse yet, McCain ignores any possibility of principled incentives and claims Paul is only seeking financial gain. Perhaps Senator McCain may want to reflect on his own integrity before questioning others.
#2
I think the Civil Rights Act should be actively used against politicians who conspire to strip other citizens of their fundamental constitutional rights.
#3
Why the hell does tiny Rhode Island have 2 senators anyway? Personally I think they, and Deleware, and perhaps a few other of those tiny NE states should share a pair of Senators.
Posted by: Lemuel Dark Lord of the Jutes6153 ||
06/01/2015 13:58 Comments ||
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#8
Yes I get your [very good] point - what I was thinking was each of RI's 1.5M population have a lot more 'representation' in the senate then each of, for example, New York's 8.4 million (or California's 38 Millions) who also only get 2 senators. If you are going to make senators elected by the public then shouldn't they be allocated by population like the house? (Not that I want the Senate to be like the House!)
And personally I think Senators should represent, and be elected by the STATE legislatures like originally designed.
[Rooters] Americans need bigger retirement nest eggs, there is no doubt about that. More than half of us have saved less than $25,000, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Check out our membership.
Policy experts often point to such figures to underscore the looming retirement security crisis, and proposals have been flying this year from Republicans and Democrats alike for ways to encourage people to sock away more money.
Just one problem: Middle- and lower-income households often do not earn enough to save meaningful amounts due to decades of stagnant wage growth, job insecurity and the rising costs of housing and healthcare.
Only high-income households have managed to build significant savings, and the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College says 52 percent of today's working-age households face the shock of declining living standards in retirement. Meet our partners.
In other words, income inequality is translating into retirement inequality.
Here is a better option: Expand Social Security benefits to help people who need it most. Here is an even better option: Stay out of my pockets.
#1
Now the late comers to the Ponzi scheme are figuring out that the GIVERnment did not invest their money over the last 30+ years but instead gave it out directly to someone else.
#2
Just one problem: Middle- and lower-income households often do not earn enough to save meaningful amounts due to decades of stagnant wage growth, job insecurity and the rising costs of housing and healthcare.
Caused by government policies, compromised institutions, micro-central management through regulation and earlier attempts at redistribution. So, the clown's solution is - ready - more government. YJCMTSU
#3
When asked how he felt about swindling people, noted card-sharp Riverboat Slim replied "Suckers aren't supposed to keep money..."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/01/2015 7:58 Comments ||
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#4
Choices. Consequences. Arrgghhh!!!
As newlyweds, on one barely minimum wage full-time and one part-time income ( a while ago, to be sure) we had a car - older, paid-for and unsured, health insurance - catastrophic only, and still saved money. No tattoos, no tv (never mind cable), no eating out (well, we did go to McDonald's once on their roll back price night), and no bar bills. Now retirement beckons and they who chose differently will make me pay. I feel so used. And foolish.
#5
Glenmore, I'm right there with you. We ate much mac-&-cheese but we always paid our bills, barely. Worked hard saved what we could. Now after a wise/lucky move into computers after Jimmuh tanked the construction industry and carpentry became a non-income endeavor I'm retired and will be able to survive on my savings and SS. There was a lot of sacraficing of luxuries for the last 35 years to allow that.
I'm disgusted by the lack of sacrifice in society today. It is as Insty points out; subsidising the markers of the middle class, houses, phones, cars, college, etc., doesn't make a middle class. That is determined by values of gratification delay, hard work and independence.
#6
The era of "Feeling Good About Yourself" created upon the sacrificial alter of hard work, perseverance, self denial, and thrift. Everyone gets a (faux) gold star.
#7
I worked damn hard for my retirement and contributed to SS steadily for 30-40 years.
Now they give it to illegal aliens and people who haven't contributed a dime.
Next up I suppose they will want to "more equally distribute" my 401k, IRA, and investments. It's not mentioned in the article but I'm sure they're drooling over the prospect. Collectively it's a big pile of money. Just think of the votes it can buy!
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
