Travis County Commissioners Court
March 3, 2009,
Citizens Communication
>> so that gets us to citizens communication and -- and this is a big citizens communication day.
maybe Texas independence day brings it out.
number one, gus pena has signed in.
and citizens communication gives residents an opportunity to address the court on any matter not on the agenda.
any matter not on the agenda for up to a full three minutes.
bryan watson is second, ronnie reeferseed is third.
if I can get those three individuals to come forth at this time.
,.
>> good morning, judge, Commissioners, gus pena.
first and foremost on the -- on my topic is the -- is the -- the page is numbered 1 with a yellow letter, it regards the morris williams golf course, I'm going to keep it brief.
mr.
>> [indiscernible] junior has been very instrumental in leading the charge in trying to improve the conditions of the golf course.
this -- my understanding is that the golfers pay a green fee and it will not affect the general fund or any kind of funding from the city budgetary process.
it's already been paid by golfers who golf at morris williams golf course on mlk martin luther king, jr.
boulevard has been neglect, disparity of attention to the golf course.
you very well know a lot of kids, we have groups of kids, also, go golf out there, they are in a better quality of life and get some exercise.
so anyway mr.
overton, junior, has contacted city officials along with myself and various councilmembers, I believe the city council will have a meeting with mr.
overton.
Commissioner Davis you know where morris williams is at, we would ask any Commissioners, judge, if you all could support us on this issue.
it doesn't impact the general fund or budgetary process.
it's fees from golfers who already pay the fees.
number two is the second highlighted page, it's styled recommendation for council action, health and human services, it says increased grant funds will allow the purchase of school supplies, bus passes for employment
>> [indiscernible] bus passes, medical appointments and other operating expenses.
this is having to do with the neighborhood centers in the city of Austin.
the reason I bring it over here, we get back to the need of bus passes for people who do not have viable alternative transportation for the kids.
get them to the interviews.
it's very, very important to have the transportation to get to interviews and job employment opportunities.
third, long-time educator dr.
jane haynes reynolds who was also the principal of blackshear elementary school, later norman and sims elementary school, passed away last Friday in washington d.c.
if you know her, she taught a lot of children in aisd.
my condolences to the family.
i knew her very well because I also was on the Austin independent school district dropout prevention reduction task force.
she helped a lot of kids stay in school, helped the parents keep their kids in school, graduate from high school into higher education.
the last item is the stimulus package.
my understanding is, dialoguing with my cousin frederico pena, used to be the transportation secretary in washington.
we're not going to see too much money coming in funding for health and human services, although that is a subject for debate right now.
you know that the Austin Travis County social service agencies are experiencing a need, increased need for funding for rent, utilities, whatever to improve the quality of life and maintain the quality of life.
so anyway I would ask, judge, Commissioners, you all have been very great, I praised you all, continue to do it, I have a lot of respect for your leadership judge, I have set it before, Commissioners if we increase the funding or anticipate an increase of funding to the social service agencies the need is great, we have a lot of families becoming homeless because they weren't afford to pay their rent.
>> [beeping] last item, mentors and tutors for students, aisd, whatever, adults if you can volunteer some time for mentoring and tutoring kids in algebra, mathematics and reading and writing.
please we need your help out there.
judge, commissions, thank you very much for your outreach for the senior and kids people as a whole.
god bless y'all, kind the good work.
>> mr.
watson is next.
morris priest please come forward.
>> my name is bryan watson, I'm a resident of corpus christi, I used to live in Austin.
i have had some matters I've been trying to deal with, solve for a long time.
i'm aware that the Commissioners are not involved in law creation, law enforcement, that kind of thing.
but I did want to bring some of that to your attention.
if you have any objection, I would like to send each of you through the mail, certified mail, sort of a synopsis of my issues with Travis County.
just so that you will be aware of where things stand now and -- and I'll try to get that in the mail to you later this week.
so -- so barring anything else, I will just leave it at that right now, I want to thank judge Biscoe and Commissioner Davis to their attention to all this.
>> we look forward to receiving that information.
>> okay.
thank you.
>> thank you, mr.
watson.
mr.
reeferseed is next followed by mr.
priest.
could we get robin ramsey to come forth.
>> okay.
thank you, judge.
i appreciate everything.
and I ditto everything we have heard.
treason lives on through obama with ms.
felony hog wash clint-trader as our secretary of state.
as we should know by now, our truly evil media bankster complex is still in charge, committing us to endless war in afghanistan and elsewhere forever.
remember sacrificing our brave troops for one group of illegal drug wars anywhere is counter productive at best and the real answer here is freedom.
we can again earn our leadership on the world stage by example, not bullets, bombs or insurance bankster corporate bailouts.
absolute freedom for farmers is to help take money from organized crime thugs, help liberate doctors, farmers, hemp enthusiasts from political enslavement.
by the way, 13 colonies of demublicans, republicrats and independent voters since 1996 have overwhelming chosen to at least decriminalize medicinal marijuana.
help say evaporating family farms, that's the best answer, total absolute freedom for farmers worldwide to help feed our hungry future and take money from thugs as well as liberating doctors and hemp enthusiasts.
patriots, hippies, jazz musicians, farmers, health care providers, parents, everyone else need for us to finally decriminalize hemp marijuana now to help save our world and feed our future.
and by the way, we can all rejoice because of our own -- our very own ongoing ever extrapolating ob/gyn Ron paul revolution of love for liberty in our sacred constitution just keeps on keeping on.
for example, last night dr.
kathryn albrecht author of spy chips helped us all by helping to distribute this scary truth about the continual assault on our sacred constitutional freedoms through the seemingly harmless use of chip technology.
but the time is now to wake up our loved ones and every one else to this ongoing nightmarish assault on our rapidly deteriorating constitutional freedom.
i believe we are all blessed with a daily dose of the truth on the radio absolutely for free.
listen to 90.1 f.m.
radio where you can find for example alex jones, 11:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m.
weekdays and dr.
cath lynn albrecht has yet another informative talk show immediately following alex jones.
alex jones also broadcast Sunday afternoons from 4:00 to 6:00.
so the information is out there.
we all must just take advantage of the opportunity to learn while we can.
rejoice and celebrate the many blessings that we all share.
i really do appreciate the leadership provided by this body and
>> [beeping] and everyone involved.
thank you again.
so much.
>> thank you.
mr.
priest is next and is robin ramey or ramsey.
>> she's the one on item one.
>> then vicki carp is after mr.
priest.
and jenny clark after vicki carp, good morning.
>> good morning judge, Commissioners, good to be here today.
i wanted to bring to your attention the national animal identification system.
it's nais.
i would like to encourage the court and you, judge, and the citizens of Travis County to contact your state senator or representative to let them hear from you.
the message that you should send to them is I want you to co-sponsor senate bill 682.
i am opposed to the national animal i.d.
system and should be limited to a voluntary program.
you can call lieutenant governor dewhurst at 512-463-0001 and ask him to support senate bill 682.
the national animal identification system will violate individual constitutional rights including freedom of religion and right to privacy.
it will reduce the availability of local organic and grass fed foods and interfere with the enjoyment of our horses and other pets, raise the cost of food because tagging and tracking costs will be passed on to consumers.
the nais will not make foods safer since most food borne illnesses such as e-coli and salmonella are due to food processing and handling processes not live animals.
protect -- it will not protect us against bioterrorism.
the proposed microchips and radio tags are easily reprogramed.
large data bases are easy targets for terrorists and other criminals.
and I did attend the book signing after the campo meeting.
by kathryn albrecht at the new book store, I got a copy of her book.
spy chips how our major corporations in government plan to track our every purchase, watch our every move.
it's a chilling story about an emerging future in which spy chips run amuck as big brothers and big store shop keepers invade our privacy in unprecedented ways.
i know that you all do have issues with whether it be the animal shelter or different things that's in your purview, it's up to your discretion to make rulings.
i would like you to get a research because chipping small dogs are causing cancer.
they are going to have a visual outside of the -- of san marcos chamber of commerce tonight.
going to be a pretty good crowd there, I believe.
asking them to repeal one word in their ordinance that they voted in which was to make it mandatory.
so if this matter ever comes before your body, I would hope that you would look at the research materials and not make this ever a mandatory thing in Travis County.
because it's -- because it is proven scientifically beyond a doubt the cause -- to cause cancer and it's -- it's just not a good idea.
so I would hope that we could count on y'all to support us in that.
thanks a lot.
>> thank you.
>> thank you, mr.
priest.
>> thank you.
>> ms.
carp is next, followed by ms.
clark and she will be followed by Karen rennick.
>> we are going to flip the order.
i'm going to follow vicki.
>> good morning, judge and Commissioners, for the record I am vicki carp, vote rescue, the Austin based election integrity group which favors a return to hand counted paper ballot elections with enhanced security procedures.
my colleagues and I this morning want to read into the record an e-mail communication from us to county clerk dana debeauvoir regarding the formation of the upcoming election study group which will recommend possible changes regarding the type of voting systems we use in Travis County.
you each were copied on this e-mail communication yesterday but we wanted to put it into the record.
dear dana, I was somewhat at a loss for words when gail fisher called me this past Friday, February 27th, to ask which one of us at vote rescue would be sitting at the table for the Travis County election study group.
when I asked why we would not get three seats at the table as promised she told me that there were now 40 people in the group and we were therefore now limited to one seat.
we would like to remind you and the Commissioners court until last Friday we had your personal commitment and assurance that three of us from our core group of four signed below would be full working members of this group.
the convening of this study group is to a great degree the result of our continuous communications and meetings, providing educational materials to you, your staff and the Travis County Commissioners court over the years regarding the dangers of electronic voting systems.
we have been a constant information source keeping the Commissioners updated on how other states are eliminating their paperless voting systems and the fact that the systems we use in Travis County are proven to be insecure.
as recognized national experts on these issues, we have an important role to play in educating the other members of this study group, also.
on the documented evidence and similarly studies that must be reviewed by the group members.
we want to inform you that we intend to hold our three seats at the table as originally agreed upon.
if your concerns are that vote rescue should not get three seats in a group that now numbers 40, Karen can represent vote rescue, I will represent the coalition for visible ballots of which I am the national chair, abbey delozer will represent the election defence alliance.
abbey may be asking jenny clark to sit in for her on occasion when she has a work conflict.
it's quite puzzling how the membership grew from the original 23 entities listed in the outline for the study group to a group numbering 40 that still prompted your decision to eliminate two of our promised slots.
when I asked gail about seeing the list of the groups members I was told it would not be available until after the list was finalized and would be sent out with the notice of the first meeting.
this is troubling to us because we are aware that five individuals very interested and willing to participate in this study appear to have been ignored altogether by you and/or this respective organization.
cases in point two Travis County election judges have been trying to contact you to volunteer to be in the group but have not been responded to, one of these is may schmidt who has been an election judge in Travis County for over 30 years
>> [beeping] and has spoken on several occasions with Commissioner Eckhardt about joining this study group.
>> my name is Karen rennick, also vote rescue, I'm going to continue to read this into the record.
she -- she meaning may schmidt e-mailed you about her interest in participating with no response forthcoming.
another election judge, lynn goodman straus e-mailed you twice with no responses.
what is the reason you have not contacted them at the very least nor accepted them into the group?
Karen rennick myself, sent you an e-mail on February 16th, 2009, recommending clint smith of the gray panthers and has not received your response to her message.
why?
in addition, we know that david rodgers of the Travis County republican party has expressed his strong interest in being in the group to his county chair, as has bill stout of the Travis County greens.
have you received any communication about either of them from their respective parties?
or were they apparently ignored by their own leaders?
could you convince them to revisit their decisions?
with the anticipated backing of the Travis County Commissioners court, we request to see a copy of the current list of organizations and their respective representatives in that study group before the list is finalized by you to assure us that it is fair and balanced and that the group will study this issue in an independent and objective fashion.
we hope to be able to work through these issues with you in a timely manner so that the study group membership can be finalized and we may move on to accomplish its goals.
sincerely, vicki carp, e.r.
director, vote rescue and national chair, coalition for visible balance.
Karen ren nick, co-founder,
>> [indiscernible] and jenny clark, vote rescue member and concerned citizens.
as a ps we said to ms.
dana debeauvoir, we are copying judge Biscoe and the county Commissioners as they requested us to do so on correspondence with you about the study group.
so that letter, that e-mail was sent out yesterday about 2:00 p.m.
and as we said everyone was copied on that.
and we understand that you can't reply to us during this citizens communication.
but hopefully we will get some sort of response from someone from the Commissioners court to let us know that you are in sync with this request and we have been very pleased and appreciative of your support for formation of this study group.
i want to switch topics just briefly and sort of jump back to two previous speakers.
i, too, attended the lecture last night by kathryn albrecht at brave new books about spy chips
>> [beeping] I just want to say that I do encourage any person in Austin to go to san marcos and show your support to the people down there that will be fighting the mandate of chipping their animals.
thank you very much.
>> mccracken: good morning, judge.
and county Commissioners.
my name is jenny clark.
i am -- I was a signatory on this letter and I think that we're here -- what we're here to do basically is to ask for your assistance from -- from dana to allow some of the recommended -- recommended folks to participate on this panel.
i know that the judge specifically asked us to spend your energies trying to get people on the committee that we thought would be useful to accomplish the goal of ensuring the affair and transparent voting system for Travis County.
so that's mostly what we are here for to ask for your assistance to ensure that -- that all of us will certainly be present and any of these other people who have not been responded to yet I was confused about the process, told that the people who were interested would communicate with county Commissioners and with dana, I guess that it was dana's choice about who she includes, it seems to be she's specifically choosing to ignore all of our recommendations which was one of our concerns.
in the first place about her chairing.
it's natural for her to chair this committee.
we are asking for your assistance to ensure that it's a fairly represented group.
a group of 40 members seems rather unwieldily.
i don't know -- I don't know why that number is so large, some of the committee structure time line and rules of conduct in the document sheet, we use the term representatives plural for several categories, could be that they are -- there's more than one in that category or another.
we had estimated 23 representatives covering all of these categories.
so -- so we're a little confused about how that -- that number went from 23 members to 40 members.
viewing that as -- as a little unruly.
so we are also here specifically to ask for your assistance to ensure that dana respect the recommendations that vote rescue has made to the election study group.
i understand that it's not posted for discussion at this time.
we are asking for your assistance.
and any advice that you have about how we -- how we could proceed at this time with where we are.
>> thank you.
>> anybody else for citizens communication whether you signed in or not?
we have been asked to postpone item no.
18.
late-breaking news.
we will have it back on next week.
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Last Modified:
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 2:17 PM