THE DIATRIBALIST SPEAKS

The real strength of a society may be found in its middle class, for it is within the ranks of that societal grouping that a nation's traditions are honored, its spiritual life nourished, its families strengthened and its economy sustained.  Unfortunately, the last decade seems to have lost touch with mainstream America, showing itself more or less oblivious to the long-lasting effects of the great recession of the 21st century on the backbone and moral fiber of the country. The median family lost 40% of its net-income as a result of the recession, losses that may never be fully recovered.  Despite those losses, spend-and-tax politicians never stop training the gun-sights of their baleful revenue-raising schemes on the middle class. As we gird ourselves for the political establishment's efforts in 2016 to raise property taxes in order to create an unwanted and unneeded healthcare district, we should never allow the plight of the middle class to be absent from our counter-a

OH, IT'S A LONG, LONG WHILE FROM MAY        TO DECEMBER, BUT THE DAYS GROW SHORT WHEN  YOU  REACH SEPTEMBER, WHEN THE AUTUMN WEATHER TURNS THE      LEAVES TO FLAME, ONE HASN'T GOT TIME FOR THE WAITING         GAME............... Doug Kvalvog and I braved the heat this afternoon to visit the Cameron County Commissioners Court and the Elections Office as well.  To make a long story short,  there is no way the healthcare district proposition will appear on the November ballot.  But, once again, that does not mean we can strike our tents and abandon the field. Doug certainly gave me a weird look as we walked back to his truck at the Court House, when I began reciting some of the lyrics from "September Song, " a Sinatra rendition of which I have memories dating from long ago. Those words were rattling around in my head and seemed to have relevance- at least to me - for the issue that has motivated us to come together. For many of us, it was May when we got a w

THE DANCE IS NOT OVER, MY FRIENDS! During my six-year stint of living in the Middle East, my favorite get-away was Greece, and especially the island of Crete. As one who had spent a great deal of his life in love with his mistress, Clio (the muse of history), the island had everything an historian could want.  In addition, it had some great wines, good food, fine beaches and friendly people.  And, of course, there were ruins galore. During one summer, I spent three weeks in a family-run pension, where I made good friends with members of the family.  Pavlos, the youngest son who was in his twenties, made it his mission to teach me to dance.  And so, he did.  Yes, dear readers, I learned the steps and went with Pavlos to various tavernas to practice my new terpsichorean skills. I did well in the initial stages of the dance numbers; but, as the tempo increased, my ability to consistently execute the necessary sequence of foot movements declined.  I have to admit I was pretty good f

Dear Readers: There are some days that I truly feel like the proverbial stranger in a strange land, and today is one of them.  I woke up early this morning and did some web-surfing.  In the process of tickling the keys on my computer, I encountered a freedom index, which had been compiled by the Cato Institute.  The index ranks political entities around the world on the basis of rule of law, security, freedom of movement, religion, economic strength, assembly, expression, size of government, legal system, property rights, etc. Believe it or not, the Cato Freedom Index ranks the United States as only the 20th most free country in the world. Places like Hong Kong, Canada, the U.K., Chile, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, et. al., are ranked ahead of us. I suppose, then, that I have reason to sometimes feel that I am having a more and more difficult time recognizing my country.  Occasionally, I even feel grateful that my dad, a bronze star holder who was at the

We have another meeting coming up tomorrow at the Fiesta Mayan Restaurant in San Benito.  Two weeks ago, I had my lunch there, and it was very good.  I plan to order a plate again tomorrow. I need to eat lunch some time around noon, or my blood-sugar level will start dropping.  Thus, I recommend the menu to you, especially since the management is nice enough to allow us to use the space for the meeting.   !Buen Provecho, compadres y   comadres!

LET'S HAVE A MEETING, EVERYBODY! THE NEXT MEETING  OF  FRIENDS OF CAMERON COUNTY RESIDENTS  WHEN:  AUGUST 22, 2015 (THIS SATURDAY),  AT 11 AM WHERE:  FIESTA MAYAN RESTAURANT,  2680 BUSINESS HIGHWAY 77,    IN SAN BENITO, TEXAS                                                                                                               WHO:  YOU!                                                           

BUT KEEP AN EYE ON THOSE WHO OVERUSE THIS WORD! This summer has been especially difficult. Usually I head for cooler climes during the "dog days," but I decided to stay home and tough it out this year. Today, I got up early,watered plants and swept both front and back patios before the temperatures became too blistering. Coming back inside, I made a beeline for my easy chair and kicked back with a big glass of water in an effort to stay hydrated. For some reason, my old chair has become a medium for opening the repository of my mind, where reside what I have thought to be long-forgotten smidgins of information, both theoretical and practical.  Lately, early morning coffee sessions with my lovely wife have seemed to take on an etymological flavor; and, perhaps because of that reason, my mind drifted to a couple of words locked away in my subconsciousness. A ROMAN OF NO LITTLE "GRAVITAS" I recall when I first heard the word "gravitas."

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM BOB CAREY: IT IS OF NO LITTLE IMPORTANCE THAT WE BEGIN NOW TO MAKE PLANS FOR SIGNAGE PLACEMENT AS WE GET INTO THE CAMPAIGN.  WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET THE SIGNS UP AND ATTRACTING ATTENTION BY THE FIRST PART OF OCTOBER. PLEASE FORWARD TO US HOW MANY OF THE LARGE SIGNS AND HOW MANY OF THE YARD SIGNS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. SEND YOUR INFORMATION TO BOB CAREY AND JOHN BARHAM: rhcarey@hotmail.com barhamjw@gmail.com

MUCH DISPARITY IN CAMERON ASSESSED PROPERTY Without town meetings and constituent consultation during last spring, our Solons in Austin made the rounds of their colleagues' offices, rounding up support for SB 2034 and HB 4281, two legislative bills  that would force the electorate to vote on a raise in property taxes for an unneeded and unwanted healthcare district.  During this process, the odds are great that our legislative delegation never gave a bit of thought to  the fairness of their actions for the great mass of Cameron County's population. I woke up at 5 AM today, thinking about the disparity in property tax assessments and about property tax issues in general and the ramifications for Cameron County. The aroma of coffee was not yet wafting in the direction of the bedroom; so, while spending some extra time wiggling my toes under the covers, I thought back to a long-ago lecture on property taxes in a public policy class during my undergraduate years. Of

FOR A GREAT ARTICLE FROM "MY HARLINGEN NEWS" BY FORMER HARLINGEN COMMISSIONER GERALD R. PREPEJCHAL, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING: www.myharlingennews.com/?p=45657 IT IS MORE THAN CLEAR THAT THIS GENTLEMAN KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT.

WILL HER FAMILY BE ABLE TO BUY A HOME & PAY PROPERTY TAXES? Lately, I've been giving some thought to millennials, that age-group born between 1981 - 2000.  I suppose when most folks consider millennials as a group, they think of individuals who are best known for delaying the rites of passage into adulthood.  However, there is a lot more to millennials than we give them credit for. In the U.S. as a whole there are more than 80 million millennials.  As a group, they consider Austin the 2nd best place to live in the entire country, just behind New York City.  Texas millennials, according to various surveys, are generally not buying homes because: 1.  They don't know how to go about initiating home ownership. 2.  Their limited incomes work against the purchase of homes. All in all, when millennial income levels are taken into account, they don't stack up to average incomes for the previous three generations that passed through the same demographic.  Surveys sho

A UT COW? The University of Texas Endowment Fund now stands at 25.4 billion dollars, which makes it the second largest university endowment fund in the United States.  Only Harvard University's endowment, which comprises almost 36 billion dollars, is larger than the UT fund. OR A CAMERON COW? The total value of all property on the Cameron County tax rolls amounts to around 19 billion dollars.  The per capita income for the county comes in at $14,500, and the median household income is approximately $32,000.  Those in Cameron County whose incomes fall below the poverty level amount to 30% of the county's population.  This combines to make Cameron one of the poorest counties in the United States. With one of the expressed goals of the passage of the unneeded and  unwanted healthcare district being to support the UTRGV Medical School, why should Cameron County property taxes buttress a medical school associated with one of the wealthiest universities in the country?

In taking the message of why the taxpayers of Cameron County should vote against the proposed healthcare district, Friends of Cameron County Residents are often asked to specify what ongoing government healthcare programs in the county are supported or backed by state and federal tax revenues.  The following should illustrate most clearly that those of limited income are not without resources to deal with health concerns in Cameron County. Those seeking assistance with healthcare are able seek help from any of the following:   1. The Health Resources and Services Administration (a federal program which connects low income people with low-cost or free medical care). 2. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability (a state program focusing on care for the impoverished elderly and/or disabled). 3.  CHIP (provides access to low-cost medical insurance for children in families earning too much to qualify for Medicaid). 4.  Medicaid (a sources of healthcare for more than 4 m

This weekend has seen the annual flood of parents and students inundating retail establishments throughout Cameron County for this year's tax holiday, as they eagerly sought out bargains in back-to-school clothing and supplies. The traffic in proximity to shopping centers was heavy and, combined with soaring temperatures, getting about in Brownsville was more difficult than usual. Returning to Brownsville after meeting with supporters of Friends of Cameron County Residents in San Benito, my mind began to wander to the general subject of taxes.  Thinking about all the shoppers jamming the highways and byways, it was not a difficult mental hurdle to imagine what a positive shot to the local economy more tax holidays could be and, correspondingly, how negatively a property tax increase would affect the local distribution of goods and services and the future of entrepreneurs supplying them.  Keeping that in mind, along with how a proposed healthcare district would duplicate exi

The vast majority of Cameron County residents had no idea that there would be an effort on the part of our local politicians for a healthcare taxing district.  It would seem that only those in the know were members of the political establishment, namely our legislative delegation, various commissioners, mayors and party insiders. By the time word got out to ordinary citizens in late spring,  OUR elected wheeler-dealers had already been making the rounds at OUR state capitol, slapping slippery backs and lining up support for house and senate resolutions that would bring forth a November election for their pet project, an unneeded and unwanted healthcare district. Why, you may ask, was there so much secrecy?  Why didn't our representatives sponsor well-publicized town meetings to inform citizens what was coming down the pike?  The answer is rather obvious, isn't it, Mr. & Mrs. Cameron County?  Who in his or her right mind would want a taxing district with the right

Texas, unfortunately, has a history of abusive practices and sad outcomes when it comes to eminent domain.  To get to the point, there are all sorts of powerful interests in our state that don't hesitate to use this legal tool to get whatever properties they require to advance their enterprises in the name of economic progress. For example, there was a rod and gun club on the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County that ran up against a judge who was determined to see its property taken, despite the club's rationale that their organization's reason for existence was to preserve their property as a natural area for future generations.  Despite the club's argument, the judge was determined  that the state should be able to fill in much of the property, making way for a new 5 million dollar boat launch. In the Dallas area, Parkland Hospital, using the right of eminent domain, gobbled up unneeded amounts of land surrounding its medical campus. Further investigation reveal

HOW LOCAL POLITICIANS SEE YOUR PROPERTY As we come to the electioneering season, we are sure to hear the proponents of the healthcare district assuring us that, just as soon as the district is established and the tax increase has put the district on solid financial footing, the district board will take steps to reduce our tax load, owing to federal money flowing into district coffers. Come on!  Let's get serious!  How many politicians in South Texas do you know who have advocated scaling back taxes?  Please make a list and let the rest of us know.  And do these guys know where federal funds come from?  How many times have we heard the disgusting words "free money?" Sorry, Charlie, when you are dealing with government there is no free money.  Somebody has to pay for it, and that somebody is you, the taxpayer. As this thing will have an impact that ripples through the local economy, there will virtually be no one immune.  Renters, for example will see the owners of a

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT FRIENDS OF CAMERON COUNTY RESIDENTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015, FIESTA MAYAN RESTAURANT 11 AM: EN PUNTO 2680 US BUSINESS 77, SAN BENITO, TEXAS NEAR BLUE MARLIN RESTAURANT