Houston Blogs: Houston Political Blog

Who's ducking a Debate? (no, not THAT one)

Okay, as far as we know, the Vice Presidential debate is still on! But, one debate that looks fully deflated is the locally scheduled debate for Harris County Sheriff.

Challenger Adrian Garcia's campaign is accusing embattled Sheriff Tommy Thomas of ducking this week's planned debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters.  It's set to air on Channel 8, the PBS station.  Apparently, Garcia's folks says Thomas is claiming to be too busy with the Hurricane Ike recovery efforts to attend the debate.

Not so, says the Thomas campaign.  The Sheriff's spokesperson told me over the phone that he never agreed to the debate because there was a scheduling conflict.  She said the Sheriff had Sheriff duties to attend to, and was willing to debate on a different date.  Besides, she says, Thomas can't really duck a debate he never agreed to in the first place.

Um... okay.. come to think of it, I did see Sheriff Thomas at Transtar the Friday before Hurricane Ike.

So will the two men meet face to fact? Let's hope so, and soon!

Mayor takes on Lyondell

Mayor Bill White wants a public hearing on Lyondell's request for
benzene release permit

House defeats bailout plan

Having spent the past week, I wasn't entired surprised by the defeat:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue package, ignoring urgent pleas from President Bush and bipartisan congressional leaders to quickly bail out the staggering financial industry. Stocks started plummeting on Wall Street even before 228-205 to reject the bill was announced on the House floor.  More than enough members of the House had cast votes to defeat the Bush administration-pushed bill, and the vote was being held open, apparently as efforts were under way to persuade people to change their vote.

None of the Houston area members of Congress I spoke to liked the bailout. NOBODY.  Politics? Perhaps.  But there seemed to be a universal disdain for bailing out Wall Street, especially considering locals are still bailing themselves out from the hurricane.

Another Day in D.C.

We are staying another day in Washington.. to get our hands around the banking bailout proposal.  We'll let you know what the Texas Delegation thinks!

Mayors ask for $2.4 billion a piece, and that's just the beginning

Mayor White of Houston and Mayor Tohomas of Galveston did a quick tour of Congressional offices and testified in front of a Senate Sub Committee today.  The schedule was very tight, as both are already on their way back to Houston and Galveston.

Both Mayors are asking for an initial infusion of $2.4 billion dollars a piece.  The money will be used to rebuild the infastructure of both communities, as well as pay for debris clean up, and any necessary equipment.  Federal dollars have come in prvious hurricanes, but it usually takes FOREVER.

The Mayors want the Texas Congressional delegation to press for faster response from FEMA, and more flexibility in the way the money is distributed. 

We'll have more details later.  By the way, Mayor Bill White has a nasty sunburn on his head,  he didn't wear sunscreen while managing the recovery effort, and it's showing!

Mayor in DC

Early morning in DC

The CenterPoint Map

Here's the link for the big map.

Water is safe to drink!

Yea! Water is safe to drink in Houston, and the PODS are working today. People are in a good mood, not perfect, but in a much much better mood.

Chertoff Returns!

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff is returning to Houston today.  He's once again touring the most heavily damaged areas.  We'll see what he says in an afternoon news conference.