Travis County Commissioners Court

April 17, 2012 - Citizens Communication
Agenda

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Citizens Communication is next.
would the following three individuals please come forward.
gus pena, gavino fernandez, and miss echocamp was here on the vote.
okay, we've got mr. Pena, dr. Kim, belinda powell.

>> good morning, judge, Commissioners, gus pena again, proud east Austinite, proud united states marine veteran.
economic development, economic development, economic development, job creation, job creation.
I cannot emphasize that strongly enough.
I want to tell you, I don't care what the economists are telling you, we have an unemployment rate of more than 9% in Austin-Travis County.
Commissioner sarah Eckhardt, you are more in tune, I'm saying we have people that have given up and when they are not applying for unemployment compensation, they are not included on unemployment ranks.
I don't know how much more I can say this on television, radio, wherever I do to make sure that people, politicians, everybody knows that we have a high unemployment rate here in Austin-Travis County.
another thing also is this.
the city of Austin is ready to approve an agreement with trammell crow and trammell crow will not increase the house -- yeah, low affordable units.
little not acceptable.
you have, for example, 870 units.
of those only about 80 affordable.
that's not acceptable.
I think you, judge and Commissioners, should be outraged this kind of dialogue that is not supportive of low-income affordable housing.
it's just not good policy for the county or the city.
number 2, increase funding and position for the summer job program for the youth.
start the budget process.
we need to hire and keep active many of our youth.
keep them out of trouble and organize activities, positive activities and out of organized crime.
number 3, more families are becoming homeless.
more sros are being built, single room occupancy, than they are for families.
that is not acceptable.
we have veterans with families.
I can tell you horror stories that are homeless because they can't find affordable units and the v.a.
is not helping them out.
last two things I want to say, a society's worth is measured by its treatment of the less fortunate.
here's a new one for you all.
I think it hurts me to say, the ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves behind to its children.
in other words, we need to do a better job to leave a better world, better economy for our children, housing, jobs, economic development, health care.
that's all have I to say.
we need to push these issues, ladies and gentlemen.
thank you all very much.

>> thank you.

>> thank you, mr. Pena.
dr. Kim should be in one of those chairs there.
ms. Powell, why don't we get you.
dr. Kim, we'll need you to come forward.
ms. Powell, please proceed.

>> I just wanted to take a minute this morning and introduce the newest employee to the planning and budget office.
this is mark gilbert and he is joining our office as a senior planner to work with me on planning issues for the Commissioners court.
mark had has master in urban and regional planning and has been doing campus planning, public outreach, public transportation issues for the university of hawaii before he came here to Austin to work for us so we're very excited to have him on board.

>> welcome.

>> thank you.
any comments?

>> pleased to meet you and I look forward to working with the county.

>> how many days have you been working for the county?

>> second day.

>> you've made it through the first one, that's a good sign.
looking forward to working with you.

>> you're welcome.

>> dr. Kim is next.
ronnie reeferseed please come forth.

>> thank you.
good morning.

>> good morning.

>> I really appreciate all of you.
my name is john k.
kim.
I have been here since October 19, 2009 or 10 and I wanted today to praise and appreciate american government of Texas and of Travis County.
last week the "new york times" reported amazing comment and article saying that u.s.
supreme court judges shall be appointed every two years and no more permanent appointments.
who have no oversight or restraint like dictators even though we have in the paper.
last Sunday Austin american-statesman also reported amazing article saying 1200 Texas judges out of 3900 Texas judges received complaints every year, but Texas commission on judicial conduct dismissed almost all of them.
I complained of several judges and all of them dismissed.
judges john k.
dietz, judge laura livingston, judge steve

>> [inaudible], of supreme court of Texas declared me as a vectious who filed frivolous ground in lawsuit so that I cannot file any motions to Texas court even though I can filed my motion to court of appeals court and u.s.
supreme court accepted my prime complaints even today.
so I requested district attorney of Travis County to investigate and prosecute

>> [indiscernible] of supreme court of Texas and laura livingston and I'm going to too investigate, prosecute john k.
dietz supporting today's paper.
I request judges today it is over today over removal proceedings in 1995 and 96

>> [indiscernible] and vacated.
it is all over legal proceedings, actually

>> [indiscernible] proceedings.
from and by Texas

>> [indiscernible] in 1990 and 2000 and from and by

>> [indiscernible] in 2000 and town are canceled and vacated --

>> [buzzer sounding] -- may come back to his parent in Austin is declaration of john quinn kick as vectious litigant is canceled and vacated.

>> thank you, dr. Kim.
mr. Reeferseed.

>> thank you, sir.
yes.
I'm still ronnie reeferseed.
still singing praises to all my friends, especially including helping hands ministry at the bee creek united methodist church.
they are really wonderful, generous people.
and yes, I'm still rejoicing that today I'm rejoicing because australia announced last night their early exit, one year previously, from afghanistan.
it's a big bush, cheney, so and he called president peace prize hog wash afghanistan that has absolutely nothing to do with 9-11.
israeli so-called students -- I'm sorry, is that work goes?

>> it's working.

>> israeli students were caught filming the event, then hurried back home.
remember, people in scald president peace prize keeps per petting ating the hog wash following the bush-cheney hog wash.
demublican party stooges keep regurgitating the delusional hate speech against islam just to promote the israeli delusion our counterproductive war against islam or our nation has been surrendering on national sovereignty.
today's so-called israel is not the is that we all recall referred to in the bible.
today's oppressive repressive criminal regime masquerading is trying to force death down the throats of our brave devoted service personnel.
by the way, over 70% of our troops who vote for five-year veteran ob-gyn dr. Ron paul.
why do you think that is?
let's stop the killing.
how many nations are we tacking now on behalf of israel?
does anybody no.
so-called president pays prize is worse than gee whiz bush because bush did not bypass the congress entirely but president -- he entirely bypassed the congress instead of -- and instead chose to obey the u.n.
no, our precious u.s.
constitution wisely demands the u.s.
congress and only the u.s.
congress has the authority to declare war because our founding fathers knew that no president, any president should not dictate, have the power to dictate massive death on anybody anywhere.
war is horrible, especially in our atomic nuclear age.
and just -- I'm ashamed that our nation is so easily duped.
and we have the evidence.
and again, the -- the israeli kids who are filming the 9-11 when it happened, remember, that really did happen.

>> [buzzer sounding] so vote for clay dafoe for mayor.
thank you so much.

>> thank you, mr. Reeferseed.
those are the individuals who signed in to speak under citizens communication.
let me just notify the residents of Travis County that a few days ago both moody's and standard and poors confirmed the Travis County triple a bond rating and this should help us as we issue debt on April 24th of this year and be reflected in a lower, much lower interest rate.

>> and judge, let me just add to that that we were told that we were one of the few governments that has a staff well prepared and our books and financial policies are really well done.

>> that's good news.

>> absolutely.

>> let's give the Commissioners court a round of applause.
all of Travis County who helped us do this.

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