My thoughts on the COVID-19 Pandemic

I’m following the stay at home orders. I wear a mask whenever I go to the grocery store or pharmacy. I make sure I only go when I have to instead of making trips to pick up one thing. I still have my two trips a week when I go clean a friend’s home and get their garbage out on the curb. This is essential as my friend cannot do it themselves. Other than that, I am walking the dog a lot and trying not to go stir crazy.

I miss going to church. Our church leadership too the wise step of closing down when this first started and we were limited to groups of 50 people. It wasn’t just Sunday services and choir rehearsals that stopped. We also had to shut down the Tuesday Women’s Luncheon and Thursday Morning Central Mission Breakfast. Both of these programs were for the members of the homeless community in Austin, Texas. I volunteered on Thursday mornings. I would get to church between 6 and 6:30 to do the prep work so we could get the breakfast cooked and ready to go by 9 am. I miss seeing my fellow volunteers. I miss seeing our clients. This was my way to pay it forward as so many people helped me when I was homeless.

The church is still handing out sack luncheons and coffee, but all the other services had to be stopped. The 2.5 hours of time in a safe place has been replaced with a sack lunch to go. We are no longer able to have the clothes closet, assist with bills, or the monthly bus pass raffle. While I am thrilled my church is still finding ways to help, I hate that we have had to stop so much just for health reasons.

What makes me furious is the lack of leadership and common sense during all of this. Due to the lack of widespread testing, the numbers for infection and deaths is way under reported. This has to change. Most of the leadership is giving misinformation or suggesting insane so called “cures” or “treatments” that are dangerous and can even kill people. Then we have the leaders who say losing more people to death is worth it to get the economy running again. If the balance sheet is more important than people’s lives, then the elected officials should be the first people working in restaurant, bars, or other nonessential businesses. Let them sacrifice their and their families lives.

I am tired of the conspiracy theories and the bigotry that has reared it’s ugly head during this. I am tired of people thinking their personal freedoms are more important than their fellow man’s lives. There are constant stories of people ignoring the stay at home and no gatherings orders. The follow up stories are about people getting COVID-19 and some even dying due to this insanity. I don’t understand why going out or gathering as a group is more important than the general well being of the community.

The best thing anyone can do right now is stay home unless you are running an essential errand and wear a mask. Say thank you to every store employee you see while you are out. Don’t worry or get mad if the exact thing you wanted is not available when you go shopping. Learn to adapt and make due with what is available. Don’t buy 24 of something when you only need 4. The stores will still be open when you need more. Please god, don’t worry about your hair or nails. The salons will reopen sooner if you keep your ass at home. The staff will be happy to see you no matter how bad your hair or nails look. I wouldn’t suggest cutting your own hair, but if you do, please post a picture. LOL If we ignore the stay at home orders or open everything back open to quickly, we will be shut down again due to a resurgence of COVID-19. Flattening the curve is the most important thing we can do now.

We will come out on the other side of this if we work together. There will be church services, family gatherings, dinner parties, happy hours, sporting events, and other things we are missing right now. Please ignore the idiots who don’t want to follow the rules. Unfriend them, block them, drop them from your life. These aren’t people you want in your life. If they are willing to risk everyone’s life to get a little fun or buy the latest thing at the mall, they really aren’t the people you want in your life anyway.

Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Round Up

The Texas Progressive Alliance thanks Sen. Ted Cruz for his hard work making the Republican Party more unpopular than ever as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff connects a flap over reduced tuition at UTSA for same-sex spouses of active military members to the 2014 campaign.

Horwitz at Texpatriate reports on the Houston Mayoral debate, noting that, no matter who you thought the winner was, the real losers were Houstonians themselves.

Of all of Greg Abbott’s mistakes, one stands out like a sore thumb: he birthed Ted Cruz. Then again, Democrats should really thank “Poop” for what he’s accomplished recently on their behalf. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs knows you have to take a little bad news with the good when it comes to Abbott and his protege’.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks picking turncoat Aaron Peña to do Hispanic outreach for republicans is ludicrous. Good luck with that.

Though we often take them for granted, streets are vastly important to our communities. They’re the true lifeblood of any community. Whether we’re are traveling to work, visiting friends, or any reason that we need to get from Point A to Point B, that journey starts and ends with our streets. Which is why Texas Leftist was glad to hear of a landmark initiative for Complete Streets in Houston. It’s been a long time coming.

Neil at All People Have Value said this week that the things you had ordered from Amazon have arrived. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw tells it like it is in Deadbeats, Bums, Extortionists and Saboteurs.Give it a read.

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And here are some other posts of interest from Texas blogs.

Egberto Willies prints a letter to Rep. Ted Poe from one of his constituents.

The Texas Monitor implores Latinas to run with Wendy.

Letters from Texas wants you to give your money to Wendy Davis.

Juanita shows what real political junkies do on their weekends.

Nancy Sims evaluates the Houston mayoral debate.

Rep. Mike Villarreal explains how to get help with the health insurance exchange.

The TSTA blog observes that the Rainy Day Fund is in excellent shape.

AzulTX reports from the immigration reform rally in Houston.

What a Quandary

There are times I am amazed at the love and caring I see in the world and then times when I am saddened by the hatefulness and insensitivity of people. I see people at my church welcoming people of all races, economic status and living situation with open arms and with a willingness to help in anyway they can. I know this personally as I found Central Presbyterian Church while I was homeless and living in a shelter and they accepted me and loved me for me. I see people willing to sponsor me for AIDS Walk Austin and am overwhelmed with humility and joy at the angels in my life.

Then on the flip side I see individuals who supposedly care about their fellow human beings posting comments about people who are fat are just lazy and should get off their asses, exercise and eat healthy while saying they understand people might have health issues that can cause them to be overweight. I also see people using derogatory language or words that are just hateful and bigoted and it saddens me to think that these same people are some of the first to ask for understanding and love when gong through tough times.

I am not perfect and don’t claim to be. There are times when I might think or even say things I shouldn’t but I am always quick to apologize when I realize I have overstepped boundaries. I have posted things on Facebook and been totally ashamed of myself afterwards and pulled the posts. I might slip up but pride myself on not being condescending and judgmental of others because of their size, their weight, their color, their religion or their economic situation. I have been in too many situations where I have been condemned because of my life, my weight and even condemned myself when I became homeless. I will not tolerate people who claim to be Liberals but show a total lack of compassion for one group or another. I am liberal and try to treat others as I would like to be treated. It is not always easy but it is something I strive to do everyday of my life. It is why I talk about Random Acts of Kindness so often. I don’t expect people to be perfect. I know that is an impossibility but I do expect them to read what they are posting or sending in an email before they hit post or send. They also shouldn’t be surprised when people react negatively to their emails or posts. You never know who you might hurt with a single phrase.

I will get over my anger and sadness over someone’s insensitivity tonight but it is such a sour ending to an otherwise fabulous day. Rant over.

Will Lamar Smith’s Mandatory E-Verify Bill Do for American Agriculture what it has done for Georgia’s Growers?

 

 

Washington, DC – As the House prepares to move mandatory E-Verify legislation this summer, growers and business owners in Georgia are speaking up about the serious problems they are grappling with due to their state’s version of the law.  As the drumbeat grows louder in Georgia, we wonder if the noise will reach Washington, where Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) is proposing E-Verify as an economic cure-all and the cornerstone of the Republicans’ jobs program.  Unfortunately for Mr. Smith, and as Georgia demonstrates, the burdens, costs, and consequences of E-Verify for small businesses, the agriculture industry, and ultimately, taxpayers and consumers, are astronomical.

 

According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice Education Fund, “Washington take note.  Judging by Lamar Smith’s ‘logic,’ unemployed Americans by the thousands should be flocking to Georgia to line up in the fields to fill the labor void left by the experienced immigrant workforce that has fled due to the state’s law.  Instead, Georgia is learning–through rotting food and higher prices–that short-sighted laws have consequences, that workers aren’t interchangeable, and that yes, in fact, immigrant workers are the backbone of our nation’s agriculture industry.  As Georgia makes clear, mandatory E-Verify isn’t a jobs program, it’s an economic disaster of the highest order and a full-fledged assault on one of America’s prized industries.”

 

Will Washington listen to these grower voices from Georgia?

 

Rotting Crops and Loss of Experienced Workers:

 

·         “What we began hearing in mid- to late May was many of our migrant workers, they were not coming to Georgia.  Farmers are short on harvest labor 30 to 50 percent. You don’t have a whole lot of window — that crop has to come out or it’ll spoil.”  – Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Grower’s Association.

 

·         “For these guys picking peaches across the state of Georgia, that’s their career. They do good work and you can’t find that quality of work anywhere else.” – Drew Echols, farm manager at Jaemor Farms in Alto, GA to the Gainseville Times.

 

·         “It’s appalling, because they didn’t think through the implications, at the farm level.  It’s like a witch hunt that tells immigrants: ‘we want you gone.”  – Gary Paulk, sixth-generation blackberry farmer and former county chair of Gov. Nathan Deal’s gubernatorial campaign to Time. 

 

Economic Damage to the State and Consumers:

 

·         “Fruits and vegetables in Georgia were worth $1.1 billion. We could see a $200 (million) to $250 million loss, potentially.  The consumer may or may not see a difference in price.” – Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Grower’s Association.

 

·         “A state survey released this month reveals the scope of the farm industry’s problems: There are as many as 11,080 farming jobs open in Georgia now, or about 14 percent of the full-time positions that are filled in the industry annually. Farmers are warning this problem could reach metro Atlanta as the labor gap could boost prices in local grocery stores.” – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting on the impact the law is already having on the state’s ag industry.

 

Costs for Small Businesses

 

·         “In recent weeks, one-third of his 300 field workers have fled. His request for state temporary workers hasn’t been answered.  Now, Paulk expects to abandon about 25% of his 125 acres, at a projected loss of $250,000 this season.” – Recent impact of law on Gary Paulk, sixth-generation blackberry farmer and former county chair of Gov. Nathan Deal’s gubernatorial campaign as characterized by Time.

 

·         “Many of our farmers don’t have a human resources department … there might be personnel costs and loss of productivity.  You have the person first, then you E-Verify. It’s a three-week period. If you fire an employee (before the period is over) you could get a discrimination suit. It’s not a good situation.”  – Georgia Poultry Federation President, Mike Giles to the Gainesville Times.

 

America’s Voice Education Fund — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.

www.americasvoiceonline.org

WTF? President Obama is Now Talking About Drill, Baby, Drill

I campaigned my ass off for Obama and will most likely vote for him again in 2012 but he is really starting to piss me off on certain issues. I am stunned that he is now siding with Republicans on drilling and selling off drilling rights again. One of his campaign issues was developing alternative sources of power and to stop relying on oil. He also said(correctly) that drilling at home would not reduce prices at the pump for a minimum of 10 years.

So why the change of heart? The election in 2021 and since the change he promised has yet to appear and he has to play to those who are middle of the road instead of the progressives who elected him.  I guess instead of being a statesmen, he would rather be a politician.

Is Cost of Runoff Election Cost of Democracy or Randi Shade’s Pride?

In the Place 3 Race for Austin City Counsel, Randi Shade received only 32.05% of the vote while her opponent, Kathie Tovo received 48.88%. Texas elections call for a 50% +1 for a winner but the second place candidate can decline a runoff election if they chose to.

I am calling on Randi Shade to prove she is a true community leader by conceding defeat while also saving Austin $528,400 that it would cost for a runoff election. In times of budget cuts that are affecting social services and education plans through out the area, a true community leader would stand down instead of adding more expense to the City Budget.

Randi, is this really about Democracy or is it your hurt pride because you did not win as an incumbent?

The Texas Ledge…The Gift That Keeps On Giving

After the stupidity of the Texas Ledge this year, I am ashamed to admit I live in Texas much less actually vote.  Texas voters have to be some of the dumbest people who have ever lived!!! They gave the Republicans in Texas a bigger majority than they have had in years and this is just a few of the things they are getting for their votes.

The Texas legislature has passed a bill making Sanctuary Cities illegal even though there were none in Texas.

A bill was proposed to make sure their were clean bathrooms at all gas station and auto service centers as long as they were not the ones run by Walmart or HEB.

A bill has been passed to make cheating in a Fishing Contest a misdemeanor or a felony depending on how big the cheat is.

Soon students with concealed weapons permits will be allowed to carry guns on campus. This same bill will allow Elected officials to carry weapons even where it is prohibited such as banks and hospitals.

These are just a few of the wonderful gifts the Texas Ledge have given us this session. Is it their fault? Hell NO!!! It is the voters of Texas who have brains the size of a miniature pea if they have a brain at all.

Do I think anything we can do about this? Hate to say it but no. We have a Democratic State Party that cannot pull its head out of its own ass long enough to elect anyone. The Party always wants to run a Republican Lite as a candidate because they “think” they can get cross over vote. Why the hell would anyone vote for a candidate who sounds just like the other party?  It is time for the Texas Democratic Party to grow a pair of balls and find their backbone. Stop acting like losers and you might actually win a damn election!!! Find a candidate who is smart, attractive, believes in something and supports the Party Ideals.

But oh no, we have to play it safe and keep losing elections. We have to accept what the National Party tells us to do even though they only use Texas as an ATM. Well, keep doing that and this will be a Republican State because the Democrats will just stop going to the polls at all. If the state party doesn’t change their strategies, we might as well throw a victory party for the Republicans and be done with it. It would save time, tired feet, frustration and a hell of a lot of money. It’s cheaper to throw a party than a shitty losing campaign.

Ricardo Sanchez??? Really????

By guest author Vince Leibowitz

I read with bemused interest Wednesday’s Houston Chronicle story formally announcing the candidacy of Ricardo Sanchez for US Senate.

About all I could muster up the energy to say initially was, “Really? This sh*t again?”

After thinking about this more, I decided it was worth a far more extended commentary.

Aside from whether or not you have an issue with Abu Ghraib stuff or the rest of his record or not, Texas Democrats, especially progressives and the politically astute should have an issue with his candidacy in general.

Where should I begin? Check this paragraph from the Chron story:

“National Democrats worked to recruit Sanchez into a race they think he can make competitive in a solidly Republican state because of his appeal to the state’s ballooning Hispanic population. Democrats also believe a congested Republican primary will weaken the eventual nominee.”

Thank you, so much, “National Democrats.” Remind me to add you to my Christmas card list for once again playing the role of benevolent father figure since we Texas Democrats just aren’t qualified to actually pick our candidates after campaigns and primaries and for dropping yet another flaming bag of dog poo on our doorsteps. We will be forever in your debt.

“National Democrats”–whoever the Hell that means–should stick to dragging their sacks through Texas and whoring for our dollars because, clearly, they have a disastrous track record of picking winners, understanding our electorate, and taking the pulse of our base–which, by the way, you cannot win a general election without exciting to encourage them to actually turnout. And this guy excites the base about as much as a wet match in a muddy swamp.

Next, who among Texas Democrats has met or heard Ricardo Sanchez speak? Where has he been campaigning, even to see if he could muster enough support to get out of a contested primary?

Too, a Facebook post and this story isn’t exactly a promising start to a campaign in the 21st century. No website, no YouTube video, no barnstorm across Texas to get earned media and actually bother to engage with a single voter. Not a single endorsement from a prominent legislator or Texas Democrat. It is more of a dumped afterthought than a start to a real campaign. I see here no early indication that signals that of a decent campaign (since it takes more than money to have one).

Now, what about that record of “National Democrats” picking our candidates? Mikal Watts was one of those, if I recall correctly. The base–particularly progressives–showed their distaste for him and he bailed well before the filing deadline; then, of course, “National Democrats” didn’t really go that far out of their way to help aide the candidate Texas Democrats actually picked (who was, by the way, both Hispanic and military) in a primary.

Finally, have those “National Democrats” perhaps bothered to realize that, maybe, just maybe, running the same, centrist, Republican Lite candidates they’ve been foisting on us or encouraging to run for years simply isn’t working and that maybe it is time to try something else–and actually make sure that the “something else” has the same resources they promise the candidates they keep sending our way?

He also claims to be a progressive. Great, care to articulate a position or two? That also seems to be window dressing since he also uses the buzzwords “Independent Voice,” which, with this type of candidate usually means, “conservative enough you can’t really tell the difference between me and a Republican, but not owned by their donors.”

These “National Democrats” also think being a Hispanic candidate in Texas is somehow a gateway to a win. Sorry, wrong again. Another candidate named Sanchez, Rick Noriega, and others have proved that isn’t enough. Without independent efforts and millions of dollars spent on Hispanic GOTV and registration independent of any campaign, at this point, a candidate that was Polish, purple, orange, black, Swedish, or made of green cheese would poll about the same. (Yes, I will no doubt catch Hell for that one, but it is reality.)

We have, in spite of the bloodbath of 2010, Democrats–prominent ones–in the Legislature and elsewhere more fully vetted both politically, policy-wise, and personally who would make better candidates, start with a greater base in our own party and outside it, and stand a greater chance of being successful than Sanchez. I could name at least five.

I’m not opposed to hearing the guy out and seeing if he is more worthy of support than he seems, but so far, I can’t say it looks promising.

We’ll see.

Send Republican Senators and Representatives a Greeting Card

Sick to death of the crap in your local Congress of even sicker of the crap in DC?  Let the Republicans know you are not happy about what they are doing to the budget.  Cutting spending is one thing but cutting programs that help children, sick and elderly is not the way to balance the budget.  Let them know what you think by sending them a lovely card with the following quote inside:

“A roomful of assholes arguing over whose dick is the biggest isn’t too effective at getting shit done.”

 

You can sign the card as “A Concerned Parent, Out of Work, Retired, Disabled Constituent ..etc.

 

Why, Oh, Why Can’t Love Be Simple?

Why,Oh,Why Can’t Love Be Simple? It seems so simple when we think about it but then reality hits. It is hard work. We cuddle the ones we love in our hearts and soul while accepting small faults or what we think are faults. We nourish their spirits through good and bad times as they nourish and help us grow at the same time. There mig…ht be rough times when we aren’t as loving as we should be because of slights we perceive but then a smile , a hug or a laugh bring us back to reality and we start working again. 

Why,Oh, Why Can’t Love Be Simple? We want to share our love with the world but reality hits us in the face. Our happiness and joy bring people around us who are desperate for what we offer but don’t have the capacity to love in return. They destroy the one thing they are seeking. Love is something you must have in yourself in order to be able to accept love and joy and share the same with another. These people are drawn to our love but don’t love themselves enough to be able to share in the joy of the world. We can pray for them but their negativity is not something our souls can endure.

Why,Oh,Why Can’t Love Be Simple? Because if it were simple, it would not be the treasure we cherish above all others.