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Archive for the ‘Good Government’ Category

House Democrats Want More!

Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Good Government, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 2, 2009 |

President Obama has voiced that two of his top priorities will be climate change and energy.  Earlier this month he picture-5announced an energy plan that would call for 14% reduction in emissions from the 2005 levels by 2020, and an 83% reduction by 2050.

But House Democrats Henry a. Waxman (California) and Edward J. Markey (Massachussettes) want more!  They drafted a bill with even more gusto to capture greenhouse gases—a 20% reduction in emissions by 2020!

Remember that this power team was also responsible for the bill to put a moratorium on coal plants introduced a year ago.   The new Waxman-Markey bill will require every region of the country to produce 25% from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal.  This could be a huge factor to increase the demand for sustainable energy to spur wide-range development and adoption of energy technology.

Mr. Waxman, the chairman of the Energy and Commerce committee said regarding his bill:

This legislation will create millions of clean energy jobs, put America on the path to energy independence, and cut global warming pollution.  Our goal is to strengthen our economy by making America the world leader in new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.

However, the bill also makes some concessions to the states whose economy rests upon coal and energy-related industries, with the hope that it will smooth the transition to cleaner forms of energy.   To read more, check out this press release from Tyson Slocum at our D.C. office.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This bill is a really great start.  Obama started the bid at a 14% cut, the House upped the ante to 20%, but according to the Nobel-prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the real target we should be shooting for is about 35%.  Unfortunately, none of the bills in the House or Senate is shooting for this target.  The good news is, according to an analysis by McKinsey and Company, almost all of that 35% can be achieved at a net cost savings through things like energy efficiency.  And realistically, that’s only 3.5% per year for the next decade. ~~Citizen Andy

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Voter ID Passes Senate Committee Hearing

Posted in Good Government, Privacy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2009 |

After a grueling 23-hour hearing, the Senate passed SB 362, requiring that voters present a photo identification.  No big surprise there.

The AP reports,

No one was surprised that a special Senate panel, which includes all 31 senators and Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, approved the legislation along straight party lines in a 20-12 vote just before 10 a.m. It was, as one Democratic senator observed, a “foregone conclusion.”

Wednesday’s vote all but assures it will pass and be sent to the House as early as Monday.

Andy didn’t make it back to testify, he had to head off to Dallas before his turn came up.  Lots of people didn’t make it to testify… though as many as 150 folks signed up, only around 25 made it through the night to actually speak.

I’m not sure on the official numbers of how many people dropped cards for or against the bill, but I heard through the grapevine that more people commented against it than for.  Thanks to everyone who made it out — get ready to do it all over again in the House!

Reports Vince Leibowitz at Capitol Annex,

The bill is all but assured a similar party-line vote when it comes up before the full Senate as early as Monday for final passage. The bill will then go to the Texas House, where it will likely be assigned to the House Elections Committee.

Sorry my fellow Good Government watchdogs… our work is never done.  And even then, who will watch the watchmen?

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After midnight in the Senate: Voter ID at hour 16 and counting…

Posted in Good Government, Privacy, tagged , , , , on March 11, 2009 |

It is 2am.  I have been listening to the Senate debate voter ID suppression for the past 16 hours. I hope all of you have been following us on Twitter, as some of those tweets were quite entertaining.

I have heard the arguments.  Here are my opinions:

Those opposed to voter ID have successfully proved that this is a solution to a problem that does not exist.  Period.  Years of investigations by the AG’s office costing millions of dollars and not a single indictment.

However, those who are in favor of requiring voters to present picture ID also have a compelling argument that they claim not one person has been kept from voting.  But, I hate to ruin a good story with the facts, but that just ain’t so.  According to the Houston Chronicle today yesterday, over 4200 voters were kept from voting in the 2008 election in Georgia alone, whose law the proposed bill is based on.

As I tweeted earlier, one of the expert witnesses claimed that based on demographics and the experience in Georgia and Indiana, 162,901 Texans would be disenfranchised.

Sounds like a big hurdle for voters to “solve” a problem that doesn’t exist.

I have to get up in 4 hours and go to Dallas.  I’m beat.  I’ll keep the Senate testimony on all night and let it permeate my dreams (scary, no?)  Maybe by the time I wake up they will have gotten to public testimony and I can swing back by the Capitol and testify before heading to Dallas.  Not bloody likely, but I can dream….

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So You Want to be a Successful Lobbyist?

Posted in Campaign Finance, Good Government, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 10, 2009 |

Here’s How!

Last week we had an intern training session, and many of the tips and tricks of lobbying we learned would be helpful for anyone who would like to get involved in activism. Here are a few things to remember when planning your future as a Successful Lobbyist. picture-16

First, always remember that lobbying is about strategy. Successful actions are rarely haphazard or random. When devising your strategy, be very clear about what it is you are trying to accomplish. Is it reasonable? Is it winnable? Is it focused? Your strategy will be the foundation for your tactics, so make sure you have it down.

Now, who can give you what you want? And to whom are they accountable? The best way to tackle this is through a strategy called Power Mapping, in which you consider the power relationships between your opposition and those who ultimately make the decisions. Once you narrow this down, you can begin to devise how you will reach those people, and how you can persuade them to take action towards your goal.

Because the point is to change or readjust the perspective of the opposing party, you must first begin to understand their motivations… (more…)

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