Travis County Commissioners Court

May 8, 2012 - Citizens Communication
Agenda

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Citizens Communication is next.
this item gives residents an opportunity to address the court on any matter not on the agenda.
would the following four individuals please come forward.
julian coin.
dian dillon.
gus pena.
ronnie reeferseed.
and if you speak in that order, we would appreciate it.
miss coin.

>> I'll julie and coin, I work for i.s.d.
I help to manage the after school programs with them, the Travis County after school program.
we're having a showcase this weekend.
the students who participated in these programs that you guys fund are going to show off what they've learned this year.
they are going to have stage presentation and tables and we would really like for you guys to come.
I have invitations.

>> thank you.

>> do you want to give me Commissioner Gomez's and I'll make sure she gets it.

>> thanks so.
wow.
mr. Dillon.

>> yes, sir.
thank you.
last week I brought you the "new york times" and showed you the headline which referenced apple computer evading taxes to the extent of billions of dollars every single year documented, prove even.
proven, and I posed the question of whether or not they would try to do that here.
and on -- what's the date?
April 27th, the Austin unamerican-statesman had a front page headline article referring to apple computer and the computer giant's being upset that county officials were delaying their program.
I know it's risky to get in front of and delay a trillion dollar corporation, the largest corporation in the world right now, I know that -- and they have big plans that they don't really allow anybody to get in their way.
I understand that and people have disappeared in the past by getting in the way of large corporations.
and yet Commissioner Eckhardt did have the courage to say no to this bully corporation and I commend her for that.
the rest of you have your own reasons for backing down in the face of this intense pressure to do apple's bidding.
I know that what they were offering Travis County citizens could not have swayed your decision to cast an inappropriate vote on their behalf because they offered nothing.
they offer an $11 an hour wage to what they term help desk employees.
help desk, that's a call center.
and after taxes, Travis County citizens will take home about 7 or $8 an hour.
that's an unlivable wage.
the county needs to shoot a little higher, set their goals a little higher on the bar.
now, apple, of course, has been engaged in extortion in the past.
they are getting tens of millions of dollars from the state, the city and now --

>> [buzzer sounding] -- apparently the county.
and you could have built several parks for that amount of money.

>> thank you, mr. Dillon.
miss coin, did we let you finish?
we certainly don't want to leave Commissioner Gomez out.
thank you very much.
mr. Pena.

>> judge, Commissioners, gus pena, proud east Austinite, proud united states marine.
judge and Commissioners, I got very emotional last week because -- and I don't care what Commissioner Gomez, I respect her, I respect you all, but you all don't know the poverty, the economic downturn that we know in the community.
I'm talking about countywide and citywide.
I see the hurt, I've lived the hurt and I know that poverty is more prevalent and increasing unemployment rate is higher than what is set by our economists.
people have given up.
students are going to graduate, students are going to be out of school in less than four weeks.
what jobs are they going to have in order to help their families with?
I will say this much, judge and Commissioners, we need economic development with high paying jobs, livable page, prevailing wage with benefits.
I want to thank greg powell and carol guthrie of asme, thank you, you know what I'm talking about.
I want to thank bob nix, who has been very helpful to a lot of people in the community also in time of need, thank you, bob and welcome back your son from afghanistan.
semper fi, brother.
I want to thank everybody who is helping the poor and needy.
poverty is prevalent.
it is increasing.
I served proudly in the united states marine corps.
I went to a war that nobody cared about, went to a place nobody cared about because why?
my government said let's doit and I did it.
us veterans, we're paying a price and they ain't taking care of us older veterans either and that's why I support the iraq and afghanistan war veterans to get the support they need, jobs, training, ptsd, reentry and counseling.
mentors and tutors.
last three weeks I asked please mentor a student so they can pass their braid and subsequently promoted to the subsequent grade.
the ultimate test of a.

>> society leads to their children.
there have been many advances and changes in our lifetime including technology that amazes me that we have not learned how to live together on this planet.
our children suffer and at times don't progress or succeed.
the hungry are not fed, the homeless are not housed.
young men and women go to warm.
nothing much has changed.
god must weep, you and I must pray.
a society's -- I thank you for helping our people.
we need more summer job programs for the youth.
increase the positions, increase funding.
god bless you all and thank you for your passion, Commissioner Eckhardt.
I know I was a little disrespectful, but knowing what I know in the community, when you are in poverty or homeless, you all don't know what it's like and we can tell you what's going on.
precinct 1, 2, 3, 4, the state of Texas.

>> [buzzer sounding] thank you very much.

>> thank you, mr. Pena.
mr. Reeferseed.

>> yee-haw, yes, it's happening, people.
I'm ronnie reeferseed singing yay it's now clay dafoe week this upcoming Saturday, may 12th, the voting citizens of Austin are shocking the tyrants, bringing this the calvary.
clay dafoe is leading the charge happily retiring our laughing stock of a mayor lee leffingwell.
you know that delusional tyrant that swore to uphold and defend our precious u.s.
and Texas substitutions, but never got around to reading them.
remember leffingwell kicked me out of city hall for supposedly a year just because he doesn't like how I choose to pronounce my name.
huh?
mind boggling.
time to retire leffingwell and standing up to lead the charge clay dafoe.
mr. Clay dafoe is always the sharpest tack in the box, continually embarrassing that dim witnessed caballa criminal.
each and every debate clay dafoe leaves his opponents shivering in the ditch.
I almost expect them all to just back out in shame.
then I remember bridget shea and laughing we will are long-time schemers who supported poisoning our water thus shortening the lives of everyone including our babies, children, pets and gardens and you and me.
all these people are evil killers following the diabolical agenda 21 cult of death.
headline dr. Paul actually did win iowa they admit now, just like we've all been saying, and guess what, dr. Paul is winning nevada, maine, and he's going to win california and he's going to win Texas despite how our lame scheme media keeps shoveling the hog wash northern stop.
face it, those criminals that are never going to give you, me anyone else permission to support dr. Ron paul to deliver our constitutional republic of victory.
the epitome of the Ron paul liberty of love and u.s.
constitution is soon to be mayor clay dafoe.
vote this Saturday, may 12th.
a happy future is within our grasp thanks to dr. Paul, clay dafoe, shawn ireland, dr. Laura presley and all those other citizen champions who are in the process of helping to save our world.
and it's so exciting.
I'm so thrilled to have been a part of clay dafoe's campaign and it really is amazing.
if any of you all bothered to watch any of the debates or read what little coverage he gets in the paper, he just stands heads and shoulders above all those shivering morons.
and I don't mean to speak poorly of those other people but they are doing us all a disservice.

>> [laughter] I did mean to speak poorly of them.
and I'm really proud of clay and, of course, dr. Paul and everybody else out there who is participating in this --

>> [buzzer sounding] because there's a whole lot of people that are waking up.
thank you.

>> thank you, mr. Reeferseed.
_________________________________________________________________ consent the consent items are next and posted for consent are c 1 and c 2.
any issues with either?
let's consider adding the following items to the consent motion.
if anyone would like for us to discuss any of the items I'm about to list for consent, please say so as I call out the number of the item.
6, 7 -- anybody here to object to rejecting these bids in number 7?
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 == 15 we are taking an earmark for 700 lavaca and putting that in line item for 700 lavaca for allocated reserve.
16 a, b and c -- so all of 16, 18, 19 a and b, and 20 is the last one.

>> move approval, second.

>> would anyone like to pull any of these items for separate discussion in all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.

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