One Man's Grandstanding, Is Another Man's Lost Dreams

The NY Times covers some of the rising anger at the political grandstanding that some Southern Republican governors are engaging in. And right under the headline "Jobless Angry at Possibility of No Benefits" what do we see? A picture of our very own Govenor, no doubt explaining why he feels no need to take money that would help people like this:

For people like Henry Kight, 59, of Austin, Tex., the possibility that the money might be turned down is a deeply personal issue.

Mr. Kight, who worked for more than three decades as an engineering technician, discovered in September that because of complex state rules, he was not eligible for unemployment insurance after losing a job at a major electronics manufacturer he had landed at the beginning of the year.

Unable to draw jobless benefits, he and his wife have taken on thousands of dollars in credit-card debt to help make ends meet.

It is precisely these kind of regulations, involving such matters as the length of a person’s work history or reason for leaving a job, that the federal government is trying to get the states to change. Such a move could extend benefits to an estimated half-million more people, according to the National Employment Law Project, a liberal group in New York that supports the changes.

Mr. Kight and other unemployed workers said they were incensed to learn they were living in one of a handful of states — many of them among the poorest in the nation — that might not provide the expanded benefits.

“It just seems unreasonable,” Mr. Kight said, “that when people probably need the help the most, that because of partisan activity, or partisan feelings, against the current new administration, that Perry is willing to sacrifice the lives of so many Texans that have been out of work in the last year.”

He was referring to Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who has said he may decline the extra money rather than change state policy.

[...]

There is also confusion over what parts of the stimulus money are in danger. The governors have mostly said they do not object to the stimulus bill’s $25 per week increase in unemployment benefits, or a new federal extension of benefits.

As a result, many laid-off workers across the South have been fretting over precisely what they might lose out on, even as they express astonishment that they might not receive the help that jobless people in other states will get.

“I don’t understand the whole thing,” said Kelley Joyce, 43, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., about indications from Gov. Mark Sanford that he may reject some of the stimulus financing in that state. “Apparently because he has money and he doesn’t have to worry about everybody else who doesn’t have money.”

[...]

On Tuesday, Erica Greer, 32, and her mother, Candace Foss, 59, who lost her job as a data management specialist at Home Depot in late January, went to the State Capitol in downtown Atlanta from Kennesaw, Ga., a suburb where they live, to deliver a message to Gov. Sonny Perdue not to reject any of the stimulus money.

Mr. Perdue has said he fears the long-term consequences of accepting the money.

Ms. Foss got a severance package from Home Depot, so she has not yet applied for unemployment benefits. It appears she would be eligible for benefits, but she and her daughter said they wanted to stand up for unemployed Georgians and fight for their benefits. They wound up speaking to an aide to the governor for about 10 minutes and submitted a letter to Mr. Perdue.

“I don’t think he truly understands the plight of his citizens,” Ms. Foss said. “He’s surrounded by people with good jobs, who make good salaries. He’s not surrounded by people like me.”

I'd say Ms. Foss is probably right about that.

Obama Singles Out Texas

President Obama responds to Gov. Perry's ridiculous grandstanding:

President Barack Obama singled out Texas today as a state that could lose out under the huge stimulus plan because its governor may reject some funds.

Obama made the comments in a session with dozens of U.S. mayors, among them leaders from Dallas, Houston and Laredo.

"The president … joked about the fact that we need transit dollars in Houston, although the governor of Texas has said that maybe Texas won’t take money from the stimulus bill," Houston Mayor Bill White recounted afterward.

[...]

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert said the stimulus will bring at least $20 million to $50 million for the city, and perhaps far more – enough to save or create thousands of jobs. Like White, Leppert expressed little interest in seeing Texas reject federal largesse.

"You can argue with the program from a philosophical standpoint, but it’s been implemented now," he said. "These programs are going to be made available one way or the other. If they’re not spent in Texas they’re going to be spent someplace else."

The money's already there Governor. Bitch and moan as much you want, but take it.

Keeping up with the Texas Youth Commission scandal

Vince over at Capitol Annex has it all covered. If you haven't been keeping up with it, go there and read his posts on the subject. It's shocking, horrifying, and enraging.

Vince points out the unliklihood of Perry not knowing about it in his latest post. It's an example of yet more incompetence and/or outright lying.

Seriously, let’s consider this: Dewhurst’s staff knew, Craddick’s staff knew, Perry’s staff knew, the U.S. Justice Department was involved, someone wrote a book about it, a Texas Ranger was investigating it, Dick Armey was writing his office about it, and still, Perry did not know?

Did he? Did he not? I'm sure we're all eager to find out.

Perry aides aware in 2005 that TYC charges not pursued

Dear God:

Gov. Rick Perry's staff knew as early as June 2005 that two
administrators at a Texas Youth Commission facility were not being prosecuted on allegations of sexually abusing youths in their custody, according to records obtained Tuesday by the Houston Chronicle.

Perry's aides have said that TYC notified them of the initial investigation in February 2005, and that they thought the case was being pursued by prosecutors until they were told otherwise in October 2006 by an aide to state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston.

Also, other records show Perry's office routinely sent written complaints from parents about their children's treatment in TYC facilities to the agency for self-investigation. A complaint of sexual
abuse involving students was forwarded to Perry in 2001 by then-U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Denton.

That was six years ago. Perry should be impeached over this.

The HPV Vaccine Mandate

In case you've been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks or so, Governor Rick Perry recently mandated that Texas schoolgirls aged 11 and 12 will be required to recieve a vaccine against the Human Papillomavirus, the leading cause of cervical cancer, a disease which killed almost 400 Texas women last year alone. I've been trying to work out an opinion on this since I heard about the order. I think Shaun Mullen has a pretty good round-up of the pros and cons of this order:

Texas Governor Rick Perry's recent decision to require 11- and 12-year-old girls to be vaccinated has ignited a firestorm of controversy among conservative religious and sexual abstinence advocacy groups who claim the vaccine -- marketed as Gardasil by Merck & Co. -- will encourage young girls to have sex.

Civil liberties and anti-vaccine groups also have spoken out because of concerns that Gardasil is being forced on girls and is being introduced too quickly with little real-world experience beyond clinical trials.

Additionally, there are concerns about the expense of the vaccine – About $360 for a three-shot course -- and whether girls from poor families will be able to avail themselves of the drug.

The editors of the NY Times approve, but I'm not so sure. I'm by no means anti-vaccine, but at the same time, I worry about giving a relatively new vaccine to kids without considerably more clinical studies being done. I also don't like the fact that Merck has spent quite a bit of money in their efforts to get this measure adopted first by the Texas legislature, and then by Gov. Perry, and stand to rake in a hundreds of millions in the process by getting as many states as possible to adopt similar measures. That being said, the mere fact that Merck will make a lot of money doesn't mean it's not a good idea. It's simply one thing to consider. Another is the fact that the vaccine is highly effective at preventing a disease that many women don't know they have until it's too late.

That being said, I still haven't made up my mind. I welcome those who have to leave comments.