Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 (Agenda)
Citizens Communication
Citizens Communication is next.
this item gives residents an opportunity to address the court on any matter not on the agenda for up to three minutes.
gus pena is number one much number two is john kim.
number three is ronnie reeferseed.
>> good morning, judge, again, gus pena, president and proud united states marine corps veteran and a proud native east Austin night.
judge, Commissioners, we just heard an outstanding rebuttal from dana debeauvoir, our county clerk.
I heartily agree with her, also, I do agree it does accommodate and helps out residents.
again, I will say this much a lot of the homeless individuals for example are registered to vote in a precinct that's included within the arch or homeless center.
and it allow the homeless people for their voice and vote to be heard and applied also as voters.
it is appropriate.
number one, homelessness.
I want to talk about the arch.
how can we expect an individual, families that are homeless in order to be to be productive and become productive members of society, when they are told to leave the center during the day, how can they use where are they going to get the telephone to call possible jobsites or or fill out applications.
those are the things, the problems that we in the community have about the homeless centers.
policies and procedures need to be improved to accommodate the homeless individual, the homeless families.
otherwise, the the process to receive to receive employment or services is fractured.
it's not good.
it's not working now.
the homeless population, do not get the services they deserve.
I believe we need to look at the situation, centers, see how we can improve services for the homeless.
too many homeless veterans, judge and Commissioners, that's not acceptable.
I'm going to give you a for instance at the city of Austin.
the contract is awarded to repair streets or whatever.
a company in dallas.
a dallas company will bring their workers to Austin.
how many Austinites will be employed to work under that project?
see, those are the things that we don't look at when we award contracts, the city, county, whatever.
and a lot of our people will not will not be employed in in these projects or contracts.
so when we look at job, possible jobs coming into Austin, we're looking actually at some some people coming from in other companies, from other cities, they will be doing the work instead of our fellow Austinites who need jobs.
employment statistical data is underreported.
this is higher unemployment rate than what we are seeing because people just gave up.
nationally, this statement has been made nationally, also, people give up, we need to create jobs, a liveable wage and benefits, not just a $7, $15 an hour job, it doesn't help the family.
again property taxes increasing, I urge property owners to use your right to appeal property taxes at the Travis County appraisal district.
if you feel that it's unacceptable amount of money.
lastly, support our military troops coming back from iraq and afghanistan.
they put their lives on the line.
>> [buzzer sounding] we need to help the female troops and support them, acknowledge their efforts, judge, thank you very much, good job, have a good day.
>> thank you.
dr. Kim is next followed by ronnie reeferseed.
>> thank you.
good morning.
I'm a college professor of american government from Austin community college.
I have a doctorate of philosophy and I have been here since over 19 and 2000 for almost eight months, almost every day Tuesday, to praise and appreciate america, greater than heaven, greater than kingdom of god.
very fortunately.
father's day this year, June 19th, 2011, president obama, first lady michelle obama, sent me nice emails and encouraged me to be a good dad.
I did.
president obama wrote to me.
I was lucky enough to be raised by a wonderful mother who like so many heroic single mothers and I have tried harder to be a good dad.
I did, too, but u.s.
government, our president, george w.
bush, junior, 43rd president 4 third and at the time of governor rick perry kidnapped my son,
>> [indiscernible], american resident, american national from Travis County to south korea.
first lady michelle obama wrote to me, alexis the father of two boys of two girls in seattle who told their children to know one person can make a difference.
if they see something that needs to be changed in their communities.
president obama is a one person who changed america and changed the whole world greatly by super man, human history, president obama
>> [indiscernible] american constitution destroyed the relation created by god and continued the discrimination by god in human history since adam and eve humane mentality of discrimination.
I have one here hoping that all of us as a team of Travis County community should be able to change and improve, keep american democracy and education perfect right here in Travis County.
but I didn't so since October 9th and 2010, almost every Tuesday for 18 months to educate and teach and change american lawyers as well as Texas lawyers.
who discriminate me so far probably until my death.
u.s.
government and discriminate me.
8,000 to 4500 days, 8,405 days until today, probably until my death.
>> [buzzer sounding]
>> thank you, dr. Kim.
mr. Reeferseed.
>> yikes.
okay.
thank you.
I'm ronnie reeferseed, screaming stop the world war killing and impeach, convict and remove our so called president peace prize sataro.
though last week we extremists with joy had did some political guerrilla political theater at the state capitol building.
yes, it was anti tsa event thanks to one of my heros, john bush with tag that is texans against government goons or whatever it is, we had organized costumed assault on the pink lady, the lovely state of Texas capitol building.
I tagged along as a group with john bush and others in full nazi costumes, we all visited the offices of the totally absent governor gardasil and several key senators who were there and lieutenant governor delusional david screw loose who somehow arrogantly thinks he has a political future here in Texas.
sorry.
anyway, by golly y'all, I bet ronnie reeferseed has a better chance to win than backstabbing, scheming, socio pathic texan lieutenant governor david screw loose.
he has no political future, people.
anyway, after visiting many many offices, putting on a show, we at least for the staff, several key players, except for the total unaccessible, shut down office of the governor slick scary, build a berg pretty boy, he's he's packaged production of his scheme is yet an attempt to be our president, yet another futile attempt to somehow hijack our ongoing ob/gyn dr. Ron paul revolution of love for liberty and our precious u.s.
constitution.
sorry charlie, governor gardasil dog don't hunt in des moines, minnesota, east coast, et cetera, he's just a paper tiger temporarily distracted from the continual assertion of dr. Paul's leadership on all issues in the republican primary caucus season.
dr. Paul won yet another conservative poll group by the way, of course.
not a peep about it from our lock stepped control media, doctors paul don't exist there.
stop the killing now, impeach, convict and remove so called president peace prize before he kills everybody.
what valid threat to our national security is somalia?
sudan, yemen, libya?
why punish the leader who voluntarily halted in libya, why punish the lead, gaddafi, who voluntarily halted his own weapons of mass destruction program of death and that's not even in dispute.
we should protect him as a generous tyrant among tyrants who gave up wmd's.
we need to stop growing
>> [buzzer sounding] and protecting well, we need to protect hemp.
>> thank you, mr. Reeferseed.
diane blankenship?
>> good morning, judge, Commissioners, diane blankenship from the hrmd office, director of hrmd.
I would like to introduce the prize patrol here today with us.
we have cindy and carlisle levy, john rap also known as elvis, jennifer who is helping to go through some of our buildings this morning to check to see if our employees have the nurse line programmed in their cell phone as we asked them to do in our benefits meeting.
it's a way to save money for the taxpayers and for ourselves and to avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
so we are going through right now, we're also checking to see if our employees have their health insurance card with them, if they don't we're showing them how to go online and get another health insurance card.
those that do have the nurse line programmed into their cell phone or have their health insurance card or both, are receiving a door prize ticket.
the door prize ticket will be for prizes that were given away at the end of open enrollment.
including an ipad and some gift certificates to h.e.b.
and other things.
so so we're really excited about that.
I also wanted to remind our employees that we have a game at the Round Rock express on Sunday.
it's Travis County employee and retiree night at the Round Rock express and our employees can still buy discounted tickets by going online to www.rockroundrockexpress.com.
the super secret code is Biscoe, Biscoe, that is the promotional code.
you will get $4 off your tickets if you get reserve seats.
$2 off if you get lawn seats and the Round Rock express will be donating $2 back to Travis County combined charities for reserved seat sales and one dollar back for lawn seat sales.
so we encourage our employees, I know some people were waiting to see if they were going to be busy on the 26th.
we encourage our employees to be sure to get some of those tickets.
it is on a Sunday.
the gates open at 5:30, h.e.b.
is sponsoring a carnival for the kids on that day.
before the game there will be a carnival, lots of fun things for the kids to do there.
there will be a Round Rock express hat give away for children 12 and under.
so we think that's going to be a lot of fun.
if anybody wants to show us that they have their health card with us, elvis is here, we'll look at your health card or we'll be through the building today, going all over the place in the next month and a half.
please be looking for us.
it won't always be elvis.
I hear tina turner is coming.
I'm not sure, but that's what I heard.
and I'm trying to, you know, my employees are not volunteering for that one, though.
we'll see what happens as far as that.
but h.r.
we have to take one for the team so there you go.
please look for us, we'll be going through this building today and usb today we'll be going all around.
look for us.
make sure that you get that Thursday line.
we've had people telling us they're already calling it.
>> thank you.
>> thanks all.
>> gavino fernandez.
and jose quintero.
>> good morning, judge.
jose quintero had to leave for work.
just basically gavino fernandez.
I basically wanted to educate the community on the great honor the governor of Texas did for us in vetoing house bill 990.
this is one of those related to certain homestead preservation reinvestment zones.
as we continue to face the high increased property taxes in our community, especially in the central area of east Austin, while this was a a an intent to try to address that, it it was certain elements of the proposed legislation that was not very friendly to to landowners, specifically those who are poor and those that are senior citizens.
we are looking at continuing to to address the issue of the high property taxes by by again going to other governmental entities and like like Commissioner Ron Davis and others have mentioned, is going to the city and having them implement the homestead exemption.
that in itself would would more than do what this bill is going to do because basically what that does is it helps the landowner keep and maintain their property for other for their heirs and their families as once they pass on to to a greater place.
so we will all be working diligently in in that and also there's another reason why why we very strongly have a have a strong position of not continuing the the historical exemption.
because the historical exemption like I mentioned to you, to me is pretty much much a tax loophole for those fortunate ones.
so so again thank you for the opportunity to speak to you, Commissioners and I just wanted to again educate the community that hb 990 was vetoed by governor rick perry.
>> thank you.
>> thank you, mr. Fernandez, those are the persons who signed in to speak under citizens communication.
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