There's been a lot of media coverage of the Pentagon's announcement to start closing bases nationwide. As long as I can remember, announcing the closing of a military base has created controversy. The controversy isn't so much military-preparedness, but the economic impact on the city or town where the base is located.

We're progressive liberals and we believe in a strong national defense and a strong military. If closing bases in Texas will result in an overall better prepared and more abled military, we support that effort.

Add your caption to this photo or suggest new text for the sign beside Perry.

(photo courtesy: Comeandtakeit Blog)

We found this article interesting after all the hoopla over Texas' too-sexy cheerleaders. Some teenage gals from the Valley, influenced by the extremely high teen pregnancy rate in their area, got together and made a sex-ed film called "Toothpaste". The article says that "the film is a frank discussion about sexuality from a region where 37 of 1,000 girls get pregnant by age 17, according to state statistics." It has been bought by Showtime and will be shown in schools around the country.

Felicidades, chicas. We wonder if any of our legislators will ever see it. Ha! We can't even write that with a straight face. We know a good amount of them view giving condoms to teens as a way of encouraging them to have sex. *sigh*

Friday's emails include these tidbits:

- HJR 6 has no senate sponsor, despite what people might be saying.
- The senate abortion bill has no chance of passing. Several pro-life organizations are against consent, although they can't really explain why.
- AND, I think PD and Bluebon might actually work on the SNR committe, perhaps the clerk and her sister? Just a thought, I could be wrong, but you (they) fit a number of the criterion...

(PD Note: What criteria? Drop dead sexy, way smarter than everybody else, hilarious, and a little slutty when we get drunk?)

The obvious conclusion drawn by The Daily Show with John Stewart. As the fake news pointed out, Texas ranks 47th in SAT scores, has a very high dropout rate for high school students and ranks at or near the top of the nation in uninsured children. Sexy Cheerleading is clearly the root cause and it's nice to see our legislature recognized nationally for its progressive direction to combat the state's position as a national joke.

The Senate passed the legislation to require a recorded vote on bills and amendments yesterday.(DMN) We had hoped this would go somewhere this session, but as usual the House doesn't agree. Craddick thinks this is unneccessary legislation. Uhm, ok...so being able to see how our elected officials vote is unneccessary but amending the state constitution to ban something that is already illegal?

Ok, we see how you roll.

The DMN reports Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, spoke of his divine call in a letter he handed to Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, about two weeks ago regarding the amendment to the CPS bill to ban homosexuals and bisexuals as foster parents.

We got drunk last night and called up Jesus and he told us, "Dude, it totally pisses me off that Talton is using me to keep my children out of loving homes. I don't get why so many people keep using me to promote hate. I swear to myself that I've never promoted hate."

We told Jesus we'd try to get that statement to the press.

Dan Savage, a nationally syndicated columnist received this question. Someone sent it to us as it appeared in the Village Voice.

Q:I work in an office at the Texas House of Representatives. Last week the House passed an amendment to the Child Protective Services bill saying not only that gay people can't be foster parents, but also that if you already are a foster parent and are discovered to be gay, your children will be taken away from you. This week they passed a bill to amend the Texas Constitution to invalidate any legal agreement similar to marriage for same-sex couples. Every day the Texas House opens its session with a prayer. Representatives bring in pastors from their districts. The prayers usually sound something like, "God knows what he wants you to do today. . . . Let God guide you in your important decisions." I was wondering, if you were to write a prayer invoking the name of God before the Texas House of Representatives, what would you say? â??GAY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE

A:"Dear God, deliver me from Texas."

We got this today, it was too good to pass up:

I don't know if you heard this delicious quote from Carter Casteel on the House floor today but it's a keeper. Bohac brought his baby to the
floor so everybody was ogling, but Casteel wanted people to note the ballot box at the front mic:

"Take your eyes off that pretty baby and take a look at my box up here."

We asked the Senate Natural Resources Staff for a list of fashion disasters, instead they give us must-haves. Typical of folks in the pinkdome to skirt the issue at hand, but a fun list nonetheless. Any other staffers up to the challenge?

We on the Senate Natural Resources staff like to remain positive and instead of a disaster list, we have complied a top ten fashion must have list for any senate staffer. After hours of hard work and cans of sugar free red bull enegry drink (The offical sponsor of the Senate Natural Resources Office) here it is...

10) Black Channel Purse
9) Blackberry with matching iPod mini
8) Senate Floor Pass with green smilie face sticker
7) Antartica Expedition Gear (the perfect accessory to the floor pass)
6) Black with white polka dots tie
5) Matching bow tie for Wednesdays
4) State of Texas Earrings and Pendent set
3) State of Texas Elbow patches
2) New Balance sneakers for the 10 am, 1 pm, and 3:30 pm extension walks
1) Sine Die shirt (one size too small, that Session weight will come off!!!)

We get a lot of email from progressive organizations (surprise, surprise). One from People for the American Way really caught our attention today, though. They have a plan to use cell phones to protest the nuclear option:

Itâ??s called Mass Immediate Response (MIR) and it allows thousands of people to contact the Senate and make their voices heard all at the same time.

Hereâ??s how it works: As soon as Senate Republicans trigger the â??nuclear option,â?? weâ??ll send a text message to your cell phone. Embedded in that text message is a link to a Senate phone number based on your state. With the push of a couple buttons, your call â?? along with thousands of others â?? goes right through to the corridors of power demanding preservation of the filibuster.

The payday loan bill looks like it died yesterday with a point-of-order by Rep. Martinez-Fisher. The bill would have permitted payday loan companies to charge higher fees, what would amount to an interest rate of up to 391%. Why was this even on the House floor??

Representative Dan Flynn lamented, "I guess I'll have to find another way to fuck the poor folks in my district."

(AAS)

After a nine hour plus debate on the Senate floor, we have a Senate version of the Education bill.(DMN) Now it's off to conference with the House. Dewhurst, basking in the afterglow, lights a cigarette and speaks seductively to the House for the first time this session.

You notice we have put a button on the right hand side there to encourage you to contribute to the Texas Democratic Party. Click it, pull out your credit card and pretend you are buying some really awesome online porn.

We read yesterday that in recent filings the Texas Democratic Party had about $6,300 in cash on hand. Yeah, that's what we said.

We decided to not only post a link, but also urge you to donate some cash. The Dems cannot elect strong candidates without the almighty dollar. They also cannot keep the DINO's in line without the ability to back up credible primary threats without the cash.

Donate. Send the link to every person you know in Texas that bitches about this legislative session and the DeLay Republicans and tell them to donate as well.

If you do, we'll post online porn for you. That way you can still feel like you spent your money online for something good.

The House passed a cap on the top 10% admissions policy for UT-Austin and Texas A&M.

"The University of Texas wants to be an all-white university," said Dutton. "... I think they are trying to give us the middle finger."

Funny, we kind of get the middle finger a lot so we're more used to it than Dutton probably is.

Molly Ivins, our favorite Texas shit-stirrer upper, reports on the British official memorandum that we haven't seen reported anywhere else. The memo outlines the minutes from a meeting with British officials and President Bush.

Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.

Well, there you go. I'll take impeachable offenses for $400, Alex.

(Edited to add): Get OUT! CNN has something, too.

The Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas is seeking a field associate to direct its statewide field programs in Texas. This position will report to the Executive Director, and will work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator. (Job description after the jump) See more job postings in the "Job Listings" category.

Filming of the new reality show Real World: Texas Politics is winding down. Here is our exclusive cast bios for all you fans.
Tommy: Tommy grew up in the wilds of west Texas and joins the cast as a hardline player in the world of tax proposals.
CK: CK loves Jesus and just wants everyone to love her. Watch out for her mood swings when crossed, drama ensues!
G-Net: Raised on the mean streets of Houston, G-Net escaped the hood for school in Washington, DC. He hates 'playas' and is very confrontational.
Senfronia: Senfronia is the outspoken member of the cast. She is an in-your-face kind of girl who's favorite catchphrase is, "You're stupid." She's usually, right.
Dini: Dini went to an all-girls school and is excited about being let loose in the nightlife of Austin, far outside of the watchful eye of her parents. Cast members later call for an intervention.
Mary J.: Mary J. hates diversity. She's considered the explosive member of the cast and causes much friction. Word is, she's voted out of the house soon.
P-Diddy: Mr. Bling as he's known among the other housemates is currently fighting off charges he slapped CK. Producers are deciding if anger-management classes will be enough to keep him in the house.

Stay tuned for more!

We just have to say that Vicki Truitt was apparently not raised right. We aren't saying why, but her tackiness should be a beacon to all that is tacky.

Once again, we turn to onegoodmove to provide us with The Daily Show's take on blogs. Stewart points out the laziness of the cable news shows that actually have shows that read blogs online. Hilarity ensues.

This is really for the Dems, so Republicans reading this kindly turn away.

Messaging is a very important political tool. Inconsistent in your message? You're a flip-flopper. Unclear in your message? You aren't decisive and confident. Too complicated in your message? You are an 'intellectual elite' out-of-touch with everyday Texans.

Democrats have to own their message, and I'm sad to say they do a piss-poor job of it...nationally and statewide. (No offense, Mike)

Texans have little confidence in the Legislature, according to a poll conducted by Scripps Howard Texas. The poll, as reported by the Houston Chron, says 77% of Texans do not believe the legislature will come up with a school financing solution.

Here's my favorite part:
And only 44 percent were very or somewhat confident that any plan would be better than the current system.

Where in the fuck are these 44% of people? Surely the poll did not somehow manage to call all of Jim Keffer's family to get this result. I think the Chron should run a new story tomorrow. Here's the headline:

Forty-Four Percent of Texans Are Complete Morons. House Passes Legislation to Provide Lobotomies at Several Locations Throughout State.

Lovely. Maybe we should manufacture PinkDome branded paper bags to put over our heads in shame. The Onion gets in on the act.

Phil King tells the DMN that if the Democrats have any more points of order he may kill his bill (1212) because this late in the session it could jeopardize other legislation...and there woudln't be enough time to fix it.

A.) He doesn't say his bill is a heinous attack on parental rights and abused teenagers.
B.) I have a point of order Mr. King, your bill is a NOT a parental rights bill, your bill is an attack on women's rights, parental rights, the judicial process, AND encourages teenager abuse of already at-risk kids.

and oh yeah, you suck.

Thursday on the calendar. In the meantime, has anyone seen any legislation approved this year that helps Texans? (Shuffling through stacks of paper) Nope, me either.

Point of order recognized, the Chair pats PinkDome on the ass.

Gambling is like a bad rash that just keeps coming back. We just got this word:

The horse track lobbyists working on VLT legislation are making one last-ditch effort to get some sort of VLT legislation passed this session. Supposedly they're looking for a bill in the Senate to attach it to, and in a form that only requires a majority vote, not a constitutional amendment.

You know what sucks? What sucks is that the business of the House has to continue tonight at 6 p.m. after the Houston memorial and Austin graveside service and reception for Rep. Joe Moreno. With the speed of state business things must be rushed through to completion in spite of the fact that many state legislators and staffers are wishing the world would just stop for a few days.

In the spirit of showing us how cruel the world is, Speaker Craddick has HB 1212 on the calendar for tonight in the House. HB 1212, you'll remember, is the "Phil King Hates Abused Teenagers" bill. This so-called parental consent bill is controversial and messy.

Jessica Farrar, a leader on this issue and a champion of women's rights, is the Democrats hope to put strength in the debate against this awful legislation. After delivering a 40+ minute moving eulogy of her friend and former chief of staff, we're sure her strength and fortitude are spent.

We, at PinkDome, hope that since Craddick is forcing controversial legislation today that the Democrats honor democratic principles and stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the littany of bad legislation. Maybe, just maybe you picked the wrong day asshole to try to shove this bill in the faces of people that came to Austin to fight for the principles they believe in.

Maybe, just maybe they'll dry their eyes and remember why they are there and maybe...we'll see power and tightly clenched jaws and a committment to put an end to these dirty tricks and railroading of legislation through the House.

We can hope, can't we?

Ahem...Senate Natural Resources Committee staffers...why don't y'all busy yourself with sending us your top ten fashion disasters list. (In other words someone tells us y'all are goofing off too much today.)

We get an email with more on the Harris, Corona and Dewhurst tet-a-tete (sorry, I couldn't find the circumflex accent mark)

Last I heard he may ALSO have gotten his ass chewed, but that was not the whole meeting. He was chewed out over the bill he had last week on funeral home companies. He said in committee that his bill was not retroactive and apparently that is the entire intent of his bill. A few harrumph, harrumphs about it.

I have it from a source that is VERY close to Harris who said he offered his resignation and the members would not accept it, thereby further pissing Dewhurst off. Source says that he'd be shocked if Harris is recognized by Dewhurst on any bill the rest of this session.

Rowr.

We just heard about this in an email and had to share it. If you go to InDeLay'sPocket.com, you can see where your Rep stacks up in DeLay's favors. We see Michael McCaul is listed at 121, which is a little surprising. We thought he'd be higher up there! It must be because he's still a relative newbie.

The bill to protect reporters' sources has been pulled down. Senator Ellis tells the DMN he thinks sources will dry up and leave Texans with less information. That may hold true for some criminal cases out there, but when it comes to telling the truth we believe people are just dying to if someone would listen.

Personally, we'd love to be the next great 'whistleblower' and receive a lottery-like settlement from the Feds.

AIPAC, America's Pro-Israel Lobby seeks Political Director. Job details and application details after the jump. If you're hiring, send PinkDome your jobs and we'll post them for free. (Job seekers, see category: Job Listings on right column)

While perusing the conservative group's bill analysis we stopped at HB 816, a bill to increase the minimum wage. This bill has languished in committee and is going nowhere. Raising the minimum wage is always a controversial issue. Here's what the Heritage Alliance says:

The minimum wage is exactly that, it is not a maximum. It does not follow that because the minimum wage may be low that everyone is being paid that rate. When was the last time you earned the minimum wage?(emphasis added)

We looked around a bit, and here's what we found. According to the 2004 Bureau of Labor Statistics web site (we know, so obscure I figured they probably couldn't find out this information. It took us about 10 seconds using the internets) there are 7.2% of Texas workers over the age of 16 that earn an hourly wage. Of that group, 12.9% earned $5.15 and 8.8% earned less than $5.15 as of the date of this report.

This table shows the distribution of workers in the region including Texas by age. View image

So, Heritage Alliance why don't you try to do some actual analysis and leave the sarcasm out of your official position papers. There are plenty of Texans earning hourly wages at or below the minimum wage according to a biased organization like the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Someone call these idiots and tell them that a drunk blogger sitting here in his underwear at 3 a.m. just made them look like the idiots they are.

If you're going to be biased and stupid in your analysis just come out and be biased. For example:

Heritage Alliance opposes raising the minimum wage because that would mean employers would have to pay people that actually do all the work in their companies a living wage. We think it's best if the really poor stay poor that way they are too dumb to know any better when we tell them that the Republicans are looking out for their best interest.

Last Friday the Senate wasn't in recess to discuss how to handle Representative Moreno's sudden death. It was in recess so Dewhurst could tear into Senator Harris because he passed three bills out on the local calendar that had not been certified as such.

So, if Harris submitted his resignation as chairman of the Committee on Administration that's why. (UPDATE: resignation offered, not accepted)
(EDITED)--Commenter says it was Carona getting the ass-chewing, not Harris. So...was Harris just watching or something?

Like you, we see the end of the Session looming and at times we think it can't come soon enough. Then we think how do we take advantage of the last days we have left to figure out what we'll do next.

While we ponder that, we have a couple of things planned. First, we created a category for "Job Listings" and asked you to forward any jobs you hear of for us to post here for those session only employees that may be reading to give them a head start on their job searches. (Email us either a link or a job description and we'll post it straightaway without editorial comment)

Secondly, we did a survey and asked you what you'd like to see and what you hated and et cetera and so on and so forth. We took 200 responses and have a lot of things to talk about that you said. One thing you said was you'd like to see "Ask PinkDome" added. We weren't even really sure what we meant by that so we'll let you decide.

Email us or leave us a comment with your questions for PinkDome and we'll answer them. Be they about policy, our favorite drink or how we manage to find our way out of the door of our house every day due to our immense stupidity.

In the meantime, we'll keep watching the next few weeks and then we'll think about where PinkDome will go next. There's plenty of options and Texas politics is always interesting. We've focused on the lege, but nationally Texans are a big joke, too. Maybe we'll turn our eyes on Washington. Then there's the possibility of a special session or two and then the upcoming elections. So stick around, keep sending us those tips and emails.

Ok, we hate talking about Tax Bills and such. Math is for four-eyed pasty-white dorks. But, every once in a while we like to act like we're paying attention to the shit some of y'all care about. So, we'll quote from the Statesman's Postcards from the Lege (they just added comments, too...again..welcome to 2003).

Here's how the tax increases break down:

Families with total annual incomes smaller than $100,000 would see their taxes go up, (emphasis added) the analysis says. Those with incomes between $101, 600 and $140,900 would pretty much break even, and those with incomes greater than $140,900 would see a slight tax cut, about 1.5 percent on average.

The largest increase, 4.1 percent, would hit families with incomes between $22,833 and $31,735. Families with incomes between $31,735 and $51,750 would see average increases of at least 3.5 percent.

Awesome. For my dollar here's what I want:

• Bigoted, idealogue legislators required to wash my car at least once per week
• Teacher pay raises and computers in schools.
• Motion to move the Capitol from Austin so I don't run the chance of running into you assholes when I'm trying to have a friggin' drink sometimes.
• Oh, and some sort of workable solution so abused kids aren't getting beaten to death while under the alleged protection of the Child Protective Services Agency.

Arianna Huffington's long anticipated and much ballhyhooed blog is finally live. We love it. Especially the headline that the NY Times may be starting its own blog. (Wonder if they'd accept our resume?)

We pass along the link so you staffers have something to read today besides boring bill analysis. Since the sun is out we're going to get drunk at Hula Hut. PD--OUT.

Talton has another bill coming up soon. This one is a housing bill. The Texas Low Income Housing Information Service says:

This massive bill effectively undoes the many recent Sunset reforms of TDHCA that the Legislature worked to hard to enact reforms that have been met largely with success. The Sunset Advisory Commission has praised TDHCA's "commendable effort" to implement these reforms. This bill wipes out these reforms in one fail swoop.

HB 1167 is the bill. The group found 93 significant problems with the bill, in their opinion. The notice they sent out shows the fatigue and disbelief in the text and actions of this bill with this, "To address all of its bad provisions now would be impossible there are simply too many."

School Finance Reform: The House and Senate are still estranged lovers; Education groups and business groups still at odds. Even Dewhurst asks, "What about the children?" (Story: DMN)

Strayhorn corrals support on limiting funding for toll roads: Perry votes with her but then calls her names behind her back. Perry looks bad, Grandma wins. We like the justice in that. (Story: San Antonio Express-News)

The Lege is in the final stretch and it seems like nothing's been done: The Houston Chron is about as pissed off about as we've seen any mainstream media outlet. They bother to beg the legislators to forget about their largest donors and think about Texans. We spit or morning coffee out at that little nugget of naivete. (Story: Houston Chron)

Republicans in power fight like white trash at a family reunion: Taxes and school finance aren't the only things the Republicans can't agree on, the two houses are not coming together on several bills as the session races towards its end. (Story Midland Reporter-Telegram)

Dumbest Legislature Ever: The Statesman's John Kelso wins our heart with his column, and putting in print that we've got the dumbest bunch of yahoos ever assembled for this session. XO, John..finally something worth reading in the Statesman. (Story: Austin American-Statesman)