RGV Life

Join the Laura Hinojosa for District Clerk of Hidalgo County Campaign Open House on Saturday December 3rd from 10 am - 5 pm. The campaign headquarters is located at 120 N. 17th St in McAllen, on the Nortwest corner of Bus. 83 and 17th St. There will be food and refreshments available.

I've been pondering the political scene lately and am seeing discrepancies. Call it ying yang, dichotomy, or just plain contradiction. What I mean is, there are opposites in play. This goes beyond just the Republican v Democrat fight. At the moment, they are like an old couple that likes to argue for the sake of arguing rather than trying to solve anything. But this is not what I mean. Let me point out some things and perhaps you can help me explain it better. Hillary Clinton. We know she will run for President in the next election. As a senator, she could stay liberal and remain in office in New York indefinitely. Yet, you see her moving her position to the center. Today, she is advising against an Iraqi pullout . Of course, she has been known to criticize the current administration of lying to the public and the regular slew of anti-Bush talking points. Here is the opposing point. Her husband, the notorious Bill Clinton, recently told students in the Middle East that going to Ir...

Can you believe we were in the upper 40s last night? It rarely gets that cold in the Rio Grande Valley. That's getting close to freezing. Once in a while, we'll have freezing temperatures. Those last a day or two, and only at night. Last year was a freak event, we had snow! That was a real Christmas treat. Global warming my.... Anyway, the RGV really has only two seasons, summer and not summer. Or, similar to white, there is summer and off-summer. Things are warming up today. We'll probably have a warm Thanksgiving day.

I have got more comments about the Prop 2 post than any other. I don't think I made myself clear. I will address a couple items and then clarify my position. Just to make it known, I don't see how gay marriage is anything other than a property rights issue. I will give reasons why. So, put your politically correct bigotry aside and read ahead with a true open mind. And, so you don't get lost, my main point is, work with what you've got. First, why are politically correct people so intolerant of bible thumpers? Just because they are different from you? Why don't bigots get the same protection and respect as politically correct people? How is it that it's OK to hate some closed-minded people and not others? Radical muslims (Koran-thumping) who are bent on killing you and your family somehow cause PC people to bend over backwards to show that Islam is accepted and celebrated. There are many other religions out there that don't raise a stink about Christianity. ...

Here is an article from the Progress Times in Mission, Tx. This is about County Judge Ramon Garcia's announcement to run for office. There will be an Hidalgo County Christmas Party on December 2nd by another County Judge. My wife works for Hidalgo County, so I have the opportunity to attend. Last year's party was a blast. The band, Latin Beat (668-9609) was very entertaining and energetic. We'll go again this year. Hopefully Latin Beat will be playing again.

I love walking and biking, so this is welcome news. The Rio Grande Valley needs more public areas like this to encourage our citizens to get out and do something. Our heavily Hispanic population is prone to diabetes. Anything that can be done to get people out and exercise is a benefit. Personally, I can't wait to go try out the hike and bike trail when it is completed.

I was just watching some Democrat Doublespeak on video. Disappointing. Click here .

I was just reading an article in The Monitor related to the recently passed amendment known as Proposition 2 . My reaction is, shut the heck up. This is complex, so I will have to take it one section at a time. I am not anti-gay, I just think the gay community is being stupid about this. First, let's establish this. I supported Proposition 2. This amendment basically cements the definition of marriage in the state of Texas as a union between a man and a woman. I have reasons for this. I am a bad Catholic, so I won't use that as a reason. I will use history as an argument. Long ago, a man chose a woman as his wife and if her parents agreed, she was his. That was it. That was marriage. Then, the whole thing was formalized to protect children. If a man married a woman and fathered children, his property was passed to them. If there was a mistress, she did not count, nor did her children. That is all that official marriage is. It protects the rights of official offspring to inheri...

Being smarter, better, or different are not celebrated in society. Oftentimes, if you are unusual to your approach to things, you are ostracized. Often as a child, I had teachers tell me, "that's not the right answer, we haven't learned that yet". I also heard plenty of "don't get ahead of the rest of the class". I also heard "give the other kids a chance to answer questions". My wife, received a BA in History. She never took an education course. Unfortunately, she needs to take a few courses to become a teacher. Fine, she'll jump through that hoop. As a HeadStart teacher for Hidalgo County, however, she is facing obstacles. She has a different approach to education that works for her and her students. Yet, the system starting from her aide to administration keep telling her that "we don't do things that way". My daughter, a young nerd in her own right, faces the same challenges I did as a child. She has enough sense not to ma...

Listen to Rio Grande Valley news as recorded live.

Valley Veterans are conducting a 6 day, 225 mile walk to San Antonio. The walk is a protest to show how far our local Veterans must travel to visit a VA hospital. State Representative Aaron Pena, Jr. has joined the walk on a spur of the moment. The Rep has posted news about his first day on the walk . I must say that I identify with the plight of these Veterans. My father recently had to have heart bypass surgery. He had to visit the VA Hospital in San Antonio. Unfortunately, his scheduled surgery date was too far and he had to have the surgery done here at the McAllen Heart Hospital. Still, while disabled from his heart condition and the ensuing recovery, it was a hardship for him and for us to travel to San Antonio. I am sure that other Veterans and their families have similar difficulties. I wish the Veterans luck and good luck to the state rep. Write your Congressman and Senators about this if you wish to help. Let them know that a closer VA hospital would make a world of differenc...

I was just reading an article by Chris Ardis at The Monitor . Chris mentions how teaching is no longer an enjoyable job and how the stress of teaching makes people sick or want to quit. I know exactly what the problem is and I know that it can only get worse. Public education needs to be reformed. Let me give you an example about why teachers are in the position they are in using my own experience. I helped open up a store, almost 3 years ago. I've been a central figure in establishing operations there. At first, none of us knew what to do. We opened for business, but none of us had worked in the type of business we operate. We had great lattitude and freedom in what we could do because there were no rules. Basically, it was help the customer find what he or she needs and check them out. With time, we noticed that some actions were time consuming and if continued would cost more than we would earn. So, we made a rule. Don't do that unless certain conditions exist. Then, we had ...

I was just reading a short piece by William Kristol from the Weekly Standard . He mentions how October 2005 had been a tough month for the President. Something that had come to mind last month when the President's popularity rating was at an all time low and we had Harriet Miers as the prospective SCOTUS Justice was that GW was at his most popular and strongest when he didn't give in to the Dems. In fact, whenever he goes against the grain is when I like him the most. When he wimps out and gives in to the Dems, I lose a little respect for him. I know he wants to be a uniter and not a divider, but they don't play that game. Working with the Dems is like working with the devil. Ted Kennedy, for instance, used the President to get his education bill passed. Once that happened, Kennedy has become one of the President's worst critics. The Dems in Congress have no interest in getting along with the President. Whatever it is that he and the spineless Republicans in Congress pr...

Click here for audio story. It is a good thing that credit card companies have decided to raise minimum payments. They have been trying to find ways to reduce minimum payments so that you can stay in debt to infinity. A new Citibank card, for instance, lets you skip a monthly payment so long as you charge at least one item per month. Can you believe that? I've become a fan of the Dave Ramsey approach to debt. The approach is to not have any. Pay for what you need in cash. The only plastic you need is a debit card. Just pay off everything you owe. So, I am working on that as much as I can now. By raising the minimum payment, credit card companies are giving debtors a way out of the hole in which they are. Of course, it doesn't address the real problem, overspending. This doesn't mean spending more than you thought you would. Overspending means spending more money than you make. I am a financial sinner, but have seen the light. Credit cards will not be a part of my future. I...

A report from NPR News this morning talks about a lawsuit agains cell phone insurance companies . I used to work at T-Mobile as a customer service representative and sold the insurance provided by Asurion. Here are some things you need to keep in mind when you buy cell phone insurance: Your $4 to $5 per month will total up to $60 a year. Most companies will give you a free phone as you get closer to the end of your contract. T-mobile, I can't say about the other companies, will repair your phone for about $70 or give you a new for $70 if yours is irrepairable. You will get the same model or one of equal value, which will be refurbished. If it is defective, you'll get another at no charge. So, if you break your phone, or drop it in the water, or somehow damage it so that the warranty is voided, you'll spend $70 using T-mobile warranty. Using the warranty, you do need to send in the poor phone. With insurance, you'll spend the $60 per year in premiums, plus a deductible. ...

I was just reading more about how to argue. I did not realize it, but this guy is a coauthor of the Copi book, Informal Logic . This was the textbook I used for my Logic class years ago. I have to admit that I have not maintained my logic skills nor my ability to form a consistent argument. One thing that is most poignant for me is his suggestion that I must tailor my arguments to the audience in question. Writing this blog, I have a "general audience" in mind. What the hell does that mean? This blog currently has no core direction. I write about living in the Rio Grande Valley. I write about politics. I write about local news. I'm all over the place. I need to rethink this setup. I want to report and opine about what happens in the Rio Grande Valley. I also want to pursuade my audience to join me on the right side. It is their destiny. How do I go about it? Aw, geez.

I was just reading a post on Analphilosopher.com about Proposition 2 . This guy is pretty smart, judging by the degrees he has. In an earlier post, I wrote that we should just go ahead and vote for the proposition to become an amendment to the Texas Constitution. If at a later time it is judged that society would be severely impaired by this amendment, we could always repeal the amendment. Keith Burgess-Jackson further argues that by leaving the issue to simple legislation, we would argue the issue over and over. By letting Texans decide on the issue, it will not be up for debate by politicians or struck down by courts. As a nation, we ought to take up amending the U.S. Constitution to prevent politicians from meddling with issues that are obviously over their heads. Amending the constitution also keeps the Supreme Courts of Texas and the U.S. from legislating from the bench. They would both be bound by the Constitutional amendments. Just my two cents.

If you live in the Rio Grande Valley, you can forget about supporting a Republican for office. The Democrats run the show here. If you are conservative, your only hope is to run under the Democrat party. Even so, you need to mask your beliefs well. You have the local newspapers against you. Our reporters may not admit to it, but they vote Dem. About the only conservative voice you will read in The Monitor is Michelle Malkin, a syndicated columnist not from the RGV. Her column runs in the Opinion section. The other leftward slanting articles are not in the Opinion section; they make front page.