Max Powers

Mary Gonzalez's Woman Problem

The El Paso Times is providing air cover for State Representative Mary Gonzalez by attacking out-going State Representative Marisa Marquez.

Why is that interesting? 

Because if you are trying to defend and promote Gonzalez, you should be attacking her opponent, Chente Quintanilla.

It is not like there is not enough out there on Chente to attack him.

So pick on Marquez.

One angle that the El Paso Times used was the whole women's rights angle. 

"Marquez, how can you support someone like Chente when he is bad for women!"

That is a great question.

But it is a great question to ask County Judge Veronica Escobar, City Representative Cortney Niland, City Representative Claudia Ordaz, City Representative Lily Limon, City Representative Emma Acosta, EPISD Trustee Susie Byrd and other women in office in El Paso.

Marquez is NOT the only woman in El Paso who is not supporting Mary.

Why is that?

For all of her claims that she is "pro-woman", Mary seems to be lacking support of women in her own town. 

Take that back... Mary does have the support of women in her own town...her own town of Austin. 

 

 

The Claudia Ordaz Ordinance

It looks like we can finally credit something to City Representative Claudia Ordaz!!!

A ban on texting - except for an emergency - during council meetings...which still needs to be approved.

The funny thing though is that the El Paso Times does not give any background as to why the City would consider such a thing.

Oh, that's right!

Because it involves Ordaz, and minute-by-minute coaching by her boyfriend's aide during a council meeting. 

This sucks for Ordaz because she is finally required to think for herself during council meetings, and she is not used to that sort of thing.

Vince Perez Doesn't Give A Shi T

There are a lot of great parks in and around El Paso.

Like this one.

Or this one.

Then there is this other one.

And a little further down the road..this other one.

El Paso is one of the few places in Texas where kids, and adults, can go play in the mountains and desert...which makes El Paso awesome. 

But County Commissioner Vince Perez does not think so.

When it came time to vote for improvements for Ascarate Park, Perez voted "no" because some money will be spent on a dog park and not on grass for kids in his district. 

For giving me for stating the obvious, but grass is a luxury in a desert environment.  Never mind the fact, you do not need grass for kids to play outside in El Paso, especially when you  have many parks - see above - that do not have grass fields. 

You do not need grass in El Paso to hike one of the highest peaks in Texas, nor do you need grass to play in sand dunes, nor do you need grass to go rock climbing. 

Hey, whatever floats your boat. 

But I repeat grass is a luxury in a desert environment.

Besides a desert climate, you know what is bad for grass?

Dog shit and piss. 

Dog shit and piss will kill grass.

So it makes sense that a city or county that has a park system would want to create a dog park.  Instead of dogs shitting and pissing everywhere, which increases the cost of maintenance, you create one place where all the dogs can drop deuces not ruin the rest of the park. 

But either Perez is that dense or he is willingly to do anything to score a cheap political point.

I say it is the latter and not the former.

If the County cannot take care of the grass at Ascarate - which is what a dog park would help do - then how does Perez think the County can take care of grass anywhere else?

The truth is Perez does not give a shit about the children. 

If he did, he would get the County out of the golf business...a dying business. 

Last I checked, kids are more likely to play with a dog than with a nine iron. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Wife and I...

There is something a little off about State Senator Jose Rodriguez's op/ed.

It is not that is joint-authored.

You will see the occasional op/ed where multiple elected officials "author" a piece.

It is who he joint-authored with...his wife.

I cannot recall an op/ed where former State Senator Eliot Shapleigh ever joint-authored something with his then-wife, but then...well...I will just let that one go.

Anyways. 

Whose idea was this?

Probably the wife.

If she can make these kinds of decisions for the Senator, Allah only knows what other decisions she makes for him.

"José, no tengo confianza en Sito."

Or...

"José, no hagas caso de Vero."

But here is the good news.

El Paso gets two state senators for the price of one. 

 

Bob Moore Blames America

Yesterday the El Paso Times editorial, also known as Bob Moore, blamed the US in the migrant crisis.

Per Bob Moore:

U.S. Cold War policies dating to the 1970s created instability in Central America that led directly to the mass migration of women and children in the past couple of years.

There is a lot to unpack here.

First of all, the 1970s were not all that far removed from 1959, the year that Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba.

The 70s were even less removed from 1967 when Che Guevara, who was trying incite revolution in Bolivia, went to communist heaven. 

Why is that important?

Because it provides context to what the US was dealing with at the time.  Its neighbor just turned communist, and that neighbor, with a financial assist from the other US, did not mind "exporting revolution." 

That is the other thing.  There was not just one-side - the US - involved in the Cold War.  There was another side - the USSR - and sometimes a third side involved. 

But for whatever reason, Bob Moore chooses not to mention those other sides. 

Then in that same editorial which happened to be about the Pope, Bob Moore fails to mention what some might call "acts of God".

Like the 1972 earthquake that devastated Managua.

Or Hurricane Mitch that devastated Nicaragua again in 1998, along with El Salvador.

It is hard enough in the US to re-build after a natural disaster, imagine rebuilding in an impoverished country.

Yea, the US made some mistakes, but the blame should not lay solely at her feet, if there is even all that much to put on her.

The blame lies in the corruption in those countries. 

If Bob Moore freaks out over speed bumps, God forbid he get a job in Guatemala.

But hey, Bob Moore likes to go after low-hanging fruit when he is on a crusade...in this case his own country.

 

 

 

 

 

El Paso Grassroots and Hillary Clinton

The folks in El Paso that are pushing Hillary Clinton are calling themselves "grassroots".

When I think of a grassroots effort I usually do not think of the 11th floor of a downtown office building. 

Having an office downtown is totally a Forma-like move.

Birds of a feather?

Anyways.

I remember the one-time Doña Ana County mattered to anyone back in 2008 when Barack Obama was running, and the campaign office was in something that was rather, well, let us just say more grassroots.

In some ways that little real estate decision by El Paso Clinton supporters kinda demonstrates the issue Clinton has...you know..."...Claimin' Detroit, when y'all live twenty miles away".

 

Mary Gonzalez's Contributor(s)

What is interesting about State Representative Mary Gonzalez's campaign finances is not who she has received money from, but who she has not.

When Gonzalez first ran, her campaign received money from gay rights groups.

But now?

Not so much.

What happened?

Did Gonzalez become anti-gay?

No, not really.

Are they kinda pissed they were conned by her?

Probably. 

When she first asked those groups for money, she was like "OHMYGA!!! I am totally into strange.  Like my nickname is 'Strange Tamer'!"

But then after she won her race, she was like, "Well, you know about all that strange, well, I also have another nickname, 'Pole Smoker'.  I know it is ironical that I have that nickname since I am a woman that is gay for women, but since I am gay I am also gay for men too'!"

Then she was like, "Strange? Poles? Look I don't see gender, and I really hate labels and stuff!"

We won't be too far from when she says, "Look to be like honest, I just like to have a good time!"

If only she were honest the first time, but hey, what some people do for campaign cash.

 

 

El Paso Times: Point and Counterpoint

The El Paso Times on Sunday: El Paso home foreclosure filings up 29.5%

"El Paso County had 1,688 homes with foreclosure filings last year --- 385 more homes than in 2014."

The El Paso Times on Monday: El Paso housing market improves

"Last year, 4,589 resale homes were sold in El Paso County -- an increase of 420 homes from 2014, the Realtors association reported.

Home builders sold 156 more homes in 2015 for a total of 2,477 new-home sales last year, according to Metrostudy data compiled by Desert View Homes, an El Paso home builder."

 

 

The Interesting Thing About the El Paso DA's race

Last week, the El Paso Times ran an article titled, "Esparza leads in district attorney race funds".

But without context, the title is a bit misleading. 

Sure, Esparza is leading ....in the same way that some little people are taller than other little people.

For a guy that has been in office for 24 years, or 3 two-term presidents, he does not have a whole lot of money.

The idea that this guy, who has been in office for 24 years, has campaign loans is nuts.

Look, Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist, knows how important it is to raise cash in a political race.  

Safe money says that Esparza the 24-year incumbent stays in office.

But this is El Paso.

It is not exactly unheard of when long-term incumbents lose...Paul Moreno, Pat Haggerty, Norma Chavez, and Silvestre Reyes.  Other would-be long-term incumbents had their careers cut short either by prison or death.

In addition to killing the careers of long-term incumbents, El Paso likes voting for women, and there is a woman running against Esparza.

So not having much money to show for a 24-year long career, a Latina in the race, and the fact El Pasoans do not mind voting out so-called experience, maybe this race is not such a sure thing for Esparza.

Here's the funny thing.

If Esparza were to lose, he would not be the election's biggest loser. 

Joe Moody would.

Because if anyone has the qualifications and ability to raise some money to run for DA it is Joe Moody.  

But hey, fortune only favors the bold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The El Paso Times Disclaimer

The El Paso Times has made its endorsements in the Texas House Districts 75 and 77 races.

Not surprising who they endorsed - State Representative Mary Gonzalez and candidate Lina Ortega.

Although Lina must be happy given how long it has been since the El Paso Times endorsed an Ortega in an open seat race.

Anyways, what is most interesting about the endorsement was this disclaimer:

Endorsements decisions are made by the El Paso Times editorial board. Members of the paper’s community advisory board – Enrique Moreno, Stephanie Caviness and Richard Behrenhausen – participated in candidate questioning but were not involved in the endorsement decision.

Sounds good, right?

The El Paso Times is being transparent...sorta.

Apparently, only one of the three members of the "community advisory board" has been participating in endorsement meetings.

That member? Enrique Moreno.

It is the same Enrique Moreno who contributed $1,000.00 to Mary Gonzalez last October.

And we are to think Enrique Moreno went into this meeting with an open mind?

I am not saying to endorse Chente - Buddha only knows how miserable he made us feel in Norma Chavez's office a few years ago when he was trying to pass a bill which Norma wanted dead on sight...talk about some long hours - but if you are NOT going to endorse him, at least be fair about it and have someone who does not have stake in the candidate's race to do the questioning.