Blog Posts - ROWLETT RAMBLINGS

I'm kinda tired of this riot crap

9/11/2020

Causes of the Civil War
There were many different Causes of the Civil War between the Union of the North and the Confederacy of the South. The two major causes of the Civil War were slavery and States Rights. The economy in the south was based on the cash crop plantation system which depended on the institution of slavery whereas the economy in the north was based on manufacturing and industry and was not reliant on slaves. The South was concerned about the dominance of the northern states following the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Republican party and the possible infringement of state’s rights.

State’s rights seems to be the main issue, which of course, slavery was a major part of the issue. No sensible person disputes that slavery was wrong.

The above are facts of history. I am not sure what parts Antifa or BLM plays in this scene. What they say vs. what they do seems to be miles apart. No one disputes Black lives matter. In fact, I have NEVER heard anyone say Black lives didn't matter. Antifa is adamant and unwavering in their goals to overthrow the USA. With all their noble signs, chants, marches, and slogans, one can not miss the burning, looting, intimidation, and commission of crimes in the background.

In my opinion, if BLM and Antifa want to put integrity into their movements, they need to team up with law enforcement and help isolate and put down the criminals. If they don't help in establishing order, they have voted for the opposite course of action and, in fact, support the criminal activity. That's only two choices. One doesn't have to be real smart to select one of two.

If, after help from BLM and Antifa, street looting doesn't stop, the next step is rather unpleasant. All law enforcement would be issued brand new ammunition clips. All scenes of street looting would be visited. So long as marches are peaceful and "Save the Whale" signs are not used as weapons, all is good. However, once someone throws a brick thru a window, or engages in arson or looting, a command is given by law enforcement to STOP!! If that command is ignored, it is given a second time. If it is ignored a second time, shoot them.

Law enforcement did not make the decision on behalf of the law breaker that he/she should riot, burn and steal. That decision was made solely by the law breaker. If the law breaker commits crimes for profit or any other benefit, he/she must consider the risks. In the business world, it is a simple risk/reward calculation. Dumb people make stupid risk/reward calculations. That isn't law enforcement's fault.

So, stated simply, law enforcement has to put risk back into the equation. To fail to do so, especially for stupid, selfish political reasons, is only to water the weeds. They'll grow bigger.

I'm not writing for a friend.

A change in content.

8/18/2020

I started this blog site in February, 2014. My intent was to write about things in Rowlett and the Lake Ray Hubbard area.   I have kinda drifted away because of national politics. I have spent far more time on Facebook than the blog site. However, I would like to return to the blog and render some opinions regarding national politics. Certainly all would not agree with me, but that's okay.

First, I have a couple of confessions to make. I am conservative in economics and financial disciplines. Also, I think Joe Biden would be more fun to drink beer with than Donald Trump. Joe's a good ole boy that tells good stories, although he gets tongue tied occasionally, has some charm, and cleans up pretty good. Biden is a politician with 45 years of experience in politics and even tho he has quite an ego, he hides it well. Trump, on the other hand, is not a politician and has at least an equal sized ego, if not more, and does not hide it well. He just blurts out crap that, because of his inexperience, exposes his massive ego.   From a likeability standpoint, if I was voting on that alone, it would be Biden 1 and Trump 0.

However, one doesn't elect a President of the United States on likeability alone. Or, at least they shouldn't. One has to use their brain, or should, presuming they have one.

Below is a Facebook comment contributed to my Facebook page, by David Bryan, of Ft. Worth.
_________________________

Just fairly comparing notes to determine who would be a better president.... you need to make the decision and vote.

Joe Biden in approximately 50 years: (Directly from Biden for president website, word for word) "Joe Biden, former Vice President of the United States, has been actively involved in politics for over forty years now. He first became the Senator of Delaware in 1973 and served as the senator till 2009, when he resigned to take up the Vice President role. In his long political career, Biden was responsible for many developments in the United States. Some of them are Obama care, revitalized manufacturing, accountable for making college affordable for all communities, marriage equality, and the Violence Against Women Act. 14th of September 2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. Exactly 25 years ago, the act was signed into law. Joe Biden, who is now running for the President of the United States, shares the memory as one of the proudest accomplishments of his political career.

Here’s how Joe Biden fought for the act to be signed into a Law:
Before bringing the law, domestic violence is considered a family affair. The then-senator Joe Biden felt that was wrong. So, Biden decided to present it in the Congress to get the approval. Interestingly, the bill received a push-back. A law where it safeguards the fundamental civil rights for women should have flown through the Senate. But members of Congress tried to stop the bill presented by Biden. Even the Supreme Court tried to stop the bill. However, senator Biden didn’t give up, he reached the ground and met with communities to draw attention to the violence against women. The relentless work finally paid after four years. The services that are provided under the Violence against Women law are:
1. Federal rape shield law.
2. Legal aid for survivors of domestic violence.
3. Funding for victim assistance services, like rape crisis centers and hotlines.
4. Programs to meet the needs of immigrant women and women of different races or ethnicity.
5. Programs and services for victims with disabilities.
6. Protections for victims who are evicted from their homes because of events related to domestic violence or stalking.
7. Programs and services for victims with disabilities.
8. Community violence prevention programs.
Although a lot of progress has been achieved, Joe Biden knew exactly that the complete growth is not done yet.

Donald Trump in 3.years, pre-pandemic -
* Trump recently signed 3 bills to benefit Native people. One gives compensation to the Spokane tribe for loss of their lands in the mid-1900s, one funds Native language programs, and the third gives federal recognition to the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Montana.
* Trump finalized the creation of Space Force as our 6th Military branch.
* Trump signed a law to make cruelty to animals a federal felony so that animal abusers face tougher consequences.
* Violent crime has fallen every year he’s been in office after rising during the 2 years before he was elected.
* Trump signed a bill making CBD and Hemp legal.
* Trump’s EPA gave $100 million to fix the water infrastructure problem in Flint, Michigan.
* Under Trump’s leadership, in 2018 the U.S. surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s largest producer of crude oil.
* Trump signed a law ending the gag orders on Pharmacists that prevented them from sharing money-saving information.
* Trump signed the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act” (FOSTA), which includes the “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” (SESTA) which both give law enforcement and victims new tools to fight sex trafficking.
* Trump signed a bill to require airports to provide spaces for breastfeeding Moms.
* The 25% lowest-paid Americans enjoyed a 4.5% income boost in November 2019, which outpaces a 2.9% gain in earnings for the country's highest-paid workers.
* Low-wage workers are benefiting from higher minimum wages and from corporations that are increasing entry-level pay.
* Trump signed the biggest wilderness protection & conservation bill in a decade and designated 375,000 acres as protected land.
* Trump signed the Save our Seas Act which funds $10 million per year to clean tons of plastic & garbage from the ocean.
* He signed a bill this year allowing some drug imports from Canada so that prescription prices would go down.
* Trump signed an executive order this year that forces all healthcare providers to disclose the cost of their services so that Americans can comparison shop and know how much less providers charge insurance companies.
* When signing that bill he said no American should be blindsided by bills for medical services they never agreed to in advance.
* Hospitals will now be required to post their standard charges for services, which include the discounted price a hospital is willing to accept.
* In the eight years prior to President Trump’s inauguration, prescription drug prices increased by an average of 3.6% per year. Under Trump, drug prices have seen year-over-year declines in nine of the last ten months, with a 1.1% drop as of the most recent month.
* He created a White House VA Hotline to help veterans and principally staffed it with veterans and direct family members of veterans.
* VA employees are being held accountable for poor performance, with more than 4,000 VA employees removed, demoted, and suspended so far.
* Issued an executive order requiring the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to submit a joint plan to provide veterans access to access to mental health treatment as they transition to civilian life.
* Because of a bill signed and championed by Trump, In 2020, most federal employees will see their pay increase by an average of 3.1% — the largest raise in more than 10 years.
* Trump signed into a law up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for millions of federal workers.
* Trump administration will provide HIV prevention drugs for free to 200,000 uninsured patients per year for 11 years.
* All-time record sales during the 2019 holidays.
* Trump signed an order allowing small businesses to group together when buying insurance to get a better price
* President Trump signed the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act that provides funding for states to develop maternal mortality reviews to better understand maternal complications and identify solutions & largely focuses on reducing the higher mortality rates for Black Americans.
* In 2018, President Trump signed the groundbreaking First Step Act, a criminal justice bill which enacted reforms that make our justice system fairer and help former inmates successfully return to society.
* The First Step Act’s reforms addressed inequities in sentencing laws that disproportionately harmed Black Americans and reformed mandatory minimums that created unfair outcomes.
* The First Step Act expanded judicial discretion in sentencing of non-violent crimes.
* Over 90% of those benefiting from the retroactive sentencing reductions in the First Step Act are Black Americans.
* The First Step Act provides rehabilitative programs to inmates, helping them successfully rejoin society and not return to crime.
* Trump increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by more than 14%.
* Trump signed legislation forgiving Hurricane Katrina debt that threatened HBCUs.
* New single-family home sales are up 31.6% in October 2019 compared to just one year ago.
* Made HBCUs a priority by creating the position of executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs.
* Trump received the Bipartisan Justice Award at a historically black college for his criminal justice reform accomplishments.
* The poverty rate fell to a 17-year low of 11.8% under the Trump administration as a result of a jobs-rich environment.
* Poverty rates for African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans have reached their lowest levels since the U.S. began collecting such data.
* President Trump signed a bill that creates five national monuments, expands several national parks, adds 1.3 million acres of wilderness, and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
* Trump’s USDA committed $124 Million to rebuild rural water infrastructure.
* Consumer confidence & small business confidence is at an all time high.
* More than 7 million jobs created since election.
* More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
* More than 400,000 manufacturing jobs created since his election.
* Trump appointed 5 openly gay ambassadors.
* Trump ordered Ric Grenell, his openly gay ambassador to Germany, to lead a global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality across the globe.
* Through Trump’s Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) initiative, Federal law enforcement more than doubled convictions of human traffickers and increased the number of defendants charged by 75% in ACTeam districts.
* In 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismantled an organization that was the internet’s leading source of prostitution-related advertisements resulting in sex trafficking.
* Trump’s OMB published new anti-trafficking guidance for government procurement officials to more effectively combat human trafficking.
* Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations arrested 1,588 criminals associated with Human Trafficking.
* Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services provided funding to support the National Human Trafficking Hotline to identify perpetrators and give victims the help they need.
* The hotline identified 16,862 potential human trafficking cases.
* Trump’s DOJ provided grants to organizations that support human trafficking victims – serving nearly 9,000 cases from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018.
* The Department of Homeland Security has hired more victim assistance specialists, helping victims get resources and support.
* President Trump has called on Congress to pass school choice legislation so that no child is trapped in a failing school because of his or her zip code.
* The President signed funding legislation in September 2018 that increased funding for school choice by $42 million.
* The tax cuts signed into law by President Trump promote school choice by allowing families to use 529 college savings plans for elementary and secondary education.
* Under his leadership ISIS has lost most of their territory and been largely dismantled.
* ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was killed.
* Signed the first Perkins CTE reauthorization since 2006, authorizing more than $1 billion for states each year to fund vocational and career education programs.
* Executive order expanding apprenticeship opportunities for students and workers.
* Trump issued an Executive Order prohibiting the U.S. government from discriminating against Christians or punishing expressions of faith.
* Signed an executive order that allows the government to withhold money from college campuses deemed to be anti-Semitic and who fail to combat anti-Semitism.
* President Trump ordered a halt to U.S. tax money going to international organizations that fund or perform abortions.
* Trump imposed sanctions on the socialists in Venezuela who have killed their citizens.
* Finalized new trade agreement with South Korea.
* Made a deal with the European Union to increase U.S. energy exports to Europe.
* Withdrew the U.S. from the job killing TPP deal.
* Secured $250 billion in new trade and investment deals in China and $12 billion in Vietnam.
* Okay’d up to $12 billion in aid for farmers affected by unfair trade retaliation.
* Has had over a dozen US hostages freed, including those Obama could not get freed.
* Trump signed the Music Modernization Act, the biggest change to copyright law in decades.
* Trump secured Billions that will fund the building of a wall at our southern border.
* The Trump Administration is promoting second chance hiring to give former inmates the opportunity to live crime-free lives and find meaningful employment.
* Trump’s DOJ and the Board Of Prisons launched a new “Ready to Work Initiative” to help connect employers directly with former prisoners.
* President Trump’s historic tax cut legislation included new Opportunity Zone Incentives to promote investment in low-income communities across the country.
* 8,764 communities across the country have been designated as Opportunity Zones.
* Opportunity Zones are expected to spur $100 billion in long-term private capital investment in economically distressed communities across the country.
* Trump directed the Education Secretary to end Common Core.
* Trump signed the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund into law.
* Trump signed measure funding prevention programs for Veteran suicide.
* Companies have brought back over a TRILLION dollars from overseas because of the TCJA bill that Trump signed.
* Manufacturing jobs are growing at the fastest rate in more than 30 years.
* Stock Market has reached record highs.
* Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
* African-American unemployment is at an all time low.
* Hispanic-American unemployment is at an all time low.
* Asian-American unemployment is at an all time low.
* Women’s unemployment rate is at a 65-year low.
* Youth unemployment is at a 50-year low.
* We have the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded.
* The Pledge to America’s Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans.
* 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future— the highest ever.
* As a result of the Republican tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
* Record number of regulations eliminated that hurt small businesses.
* Signed welfare reform requiring able-bodied adults who don’t have children to work or look for work if they’re on welfare
* Under Trump, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history.
* Reformed Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs—saving seniors 100’s of millions of $$$ this year alone.
* Signed Right-To-Try legislation allowing terminally ill patients to try experimental treatment that wasn’t allowed before.
* Secured $6 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
* Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
* U.S. oil production recently reached all-time high so we are less dependent on oil from the Middle East.
* The U.S. is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
* NATO allies increased their defense spending because of his pressure campaign.
* Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord in 2017 and that same year the U.S. still led the world by having the largest reduction in Carbon emissions.
* Has his circuit court judge nominees being confirmed faster than any other new administration.
* Had his Supreme Court Justice’s Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh confirmed.
* Moved U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
* Agreed to a new trade deal with Mexico & Canada that will increase jobs here and $$$ coming in.
* Reached a breakthrough agreement with the E.U. to increase U.S. exports.
* Imposed tariffs on China in response to China’s forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices, has agreed to a Part One trade deal with China.
* Signed legislation to improve the National Suicide Hotline.
* Signed the most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever into law, which will advance childhood cancer research and improve treatments.
* The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law by Trump doubled the maximum amount of the child tax credit available to parents and lifted the income limits so more people could claim it.
* It also created a new tax credit for other dependents.
* In 2018, President Trump signed into law a $2.4 billion funding increase for the Child Care and Development Fund, providing a total of $8.1 billion to States to fund child care for low-income families.
* The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) signed into law by Trump provides a tax credit equal to 20-35% of child care expenses, $3,000 per child & $6,000 per family + Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) allow you to set aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax $ to use for child care.
* In 2019 President Donald Trump signed the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (CARES) into law which allocates $1.8 billion in funding over the next five years to help people with autism spectrum disorder and to help their families.
* In 2019 President Trump signed into law two funding packages providing nearly $19 million in new funding for Lupus specific research and education programs, as well an additional $41.7 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the most Lupus funding EVER.
* Another upcoming accomplishment to add: In the next week or two Trump will be signing the first major anti-robocall law in decades called the TRACED Act (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence.) Once it’s thelaw, the TRACED Act will extend the period of time the FCC has to catch & punish those who intentionally break telemarketing restrictions. The bill also requires voice service providers to develop a framework to verify calls are legitimate before they reach your phone.
* US stock market continually hits all-time record highs.
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Clearly, a lot of research went into the above.

Generally, in the USA there are liberals (Democrats) and conservatives (Republicans) and Independents, all balanced about a third each.

When problems appear on the American landscape, the liberals generally try to solve the problem by funding large amounts of money collected quickly from existing revenues of citizens and businesses. Conservatives, on the other hand, try to solve the problem by increasing revenues with attractive incentives to business designed to expand jobs, increasing GNP, and taxing revenue that, hear to fore, did not exist. Generally, liberals want a quick fix, and conservatives want to fix the issue so that it never returns, albeit longer to fix. Each has its pros and cons. Independents roam back and forth between the two.

Now, a little about commentary and consequences. I know the two parties are going to lob grenades back and forth, and the Independents are watching the tennis game. I am used to seeing a couple of attack dogs in each camp. However, I have never seen 100 attack dogs on one side. I honestly don't believe any citizen carrying a Democrat card can open their mouth without trashing Trump. I know Trump does it, but not his entire staff and members of Congress. If all was true, that's one thing, but let me give you some examples:

          A. I have read that Trump has lied
                1. 10,000 times
                2. 20,000 times
                3. 22,000 times
                And all his lies have been documented.
Folks, do you know how long it takes to utter a declarative sentence 22,000 times, let alone proving them to be lies?

           B. Karmala Harris said the other day that the "jury was in and it was cut and dry." What was the charge? Who was the jury?

        C. Mrs. Obama said yesterday that Trump had proven he is "way in over his head." Proven to who?

             D. Trump is under constant critisizm for screwing up the Covaid 19 program, yet I have not heard one word from the Biden camp about what they would do differently.

             E. Trump is also under constant critisizm for the economy, yet not one word from the Democrats about what they would do differently.

The list of lies, misinformation, manipulations, and conspiracies are endless. Now there's a lunatic conspiracy about mailboxes.

Biden has announced a program whereby any family earning less than $125,000 per year will get a free college education for their kids. What happens if the family makes $126,000? Do the wage earners go into their employers and ask that their wages be lowered? That seems counter productive.

It's a given that if Biden is elected, illegal aliens will receive aid in housing, food, and education. College expense as above will be provided. Border walls will be torn down. Biden's son will go on to another China board. Biden will reverse the return of American business to the USA, and back to China they go. More cash to Iran to leave us alone. China can build bases in South America. Russia can do what ever they want. The first and second Amendments will be repealed. Once again, the list goes on.

All the above costs money. The left has announced they will have to tax corporations and citizens "a little bit" to pay for "Changing the USA."

Who do you think owns most of the corporate stock in the USA? The citizens do.......in their 401Ks, IRAs, and private purchase. Let's play a math game.

Let's say a modest income family has invested modest amounts of money into a 401K for 20 years. Let's say the 401K is now worth $200,000. Their managers have invested wisely into companies that have been trading for 10 times earnings. Let's say last year the average of the companies made $20,000,000, after taxes, and have 400,000 shares outstanding. Therefore, each share made $50.00 last year. Trading at 10 times earnings, the stock is worth $500.00 per share.

Let's say our average wage earner family has accumulated 400 shares over the 20 years, each worth $500 per share. That's $200,000. Let's also say all the companies are in the 20% tax bracket.

Now, stories abound about how much corporate and individual taxes may increase if the Democrats win the House and Presidency. I have heard ridiculous corporate tax rates. I have heard 50% for corporations, but I don't think that would ever work. I have heard very little about citizen's tax rates, but moving a 20% bracket to 30% would seem possible. Let's do that for our wage earner couple and put corporate taxes at increases of 40%.

Here's what happens. The 40% taxes on corporations produce ($20,000,000 / 80% = $25,000,000 X 40% = $10,000,000 tax bill. Thus, profit fell to $15,000,000 ( or $37.50 per share) and at 10 times earnings our wage earners 401K value fell to $375 per share. Their total 401K value would now be $150,000.00. When added to the 10% increase in wage earner taxes, the total loss to our family would be $50,000 in their 401K and another $12,500 in wages, for a whopping loss of $62,500.00 for a family earning only $125,000 per year and diligently setting aside a little money each year for retirement.

Doesn't anybody think about this stuff!!??

The above is why conservatives take longer to solve a problem. It isn't perfect and it takes longer than throwing cash at the problem, but our wage earner family isn't hurt.

Did the wage earner's money just disappear into the great unknown? No, it was taken by Washington. More specifically, it was taken by Democrat's pet projects, including states that screwed up their states long before Trump. They took $62,500.00 of our modest wage earners money to fund illegal alien food, clothing, shelter, college, bad managed states, on and on and on and on.

That is the difference in liberals, conservatives, and independents. There is no chance of changing the minds of hard core Democrats. There is a legitimate question about the existance of minds. However, it is hoped some Independents will drink beer with Biden, but vote for Trump to run the business of running a country.

A revisit.

8/17/2020

I wrote this on May 7, 2020, on Facebook. I just re-read it and it seem prophetical. The main question remains: Who is behind all this?
___________________________

The past few days have provided some clarity that I had not previously possessed. I remained a little fuzzy on some issues. I am referring to the murder of George Floyd.

Three things happened because of the murder. First, of course, was the murder itself. In Minneapolis, Floyd, a Black man, was killed by an overly aggressive white policeman when he was choked to death by the policeman holding his knee against Floyd's neck until he suffocated. The hew and cry that went up in this country because of the cruel and crude behavior of the policeman was universal. White, Black, Hispanic, Oriental, Democrat, Republican, Yankees, Southerners, nitwits, and intellects all were aghast at the treatment of Floyd, presumably because he MAY have attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill.

This country's reaction to the above event served to prove to me that discrimination is not as bad in this country as some would have you believe. I have yet to read a single piece of writing or talk to a single person that is not sympathetic to Floyd. Frankly, I thought race relations were a little better than some portrayed, but lacked any real evidence. The talking and bobbing heads were getting all the air time. I was very pleased to see the country come together, irregardless of color, in support of Floyd.

Another thing became clearer. There are protestors and there are domestic terrorists. I can't say all Americans are for peaceful protest, but I think a large majority are. Any serious student of the American Constitution believes that the signers of the Constitution wanted Americans to be able to pull an orange crate up to a sidewalk, step up, and expound on any issue he or she wants. American cherish their rights of holding and sharing their opinions. I will admit, sometimes I think this action is abusive.......but this is America. It's okay to have peaceful demonstrations.

Perhaps the most distinctive thing that came out of this incident, for me, was the clarification between peaceful demonstration and domestic terrorism. As discussed above, the peaceful demonstrators above were of all colors and politics. They carried signs and some of them shouted, but they didn't loot, rob, burn, and steal. The ones who do ARE the domestic terrorists. They perpetrate crimes against ALL American people. They must be punished for their crimes.

Are these domestic terrorists all citizens of the cities they loot and burn? NO!! The news today is reporting that most of the looters that would talk to cameras and news people admit they were from some other place. They were there solely for the opportunity to loot, burn, rob, and create an illusion of unrest for the American nation. I EMPHASIZE their creation of an image of a dysfunctional America. This might be their main function. The looting is part of their salary.

What I want to know is who is funding and managing these domestic terrorists? Where do they come from? Who pays for their motel bills and food? I can't believe 20 cities had impromptu demonstrations all pop up at the same time. Who organizes this? Certainly, someone is behind it. Who are they? This is an attempted overthrow of the government.

The FBI should be investigating with vigor all the above, instead of chasing a political pipe dream that they have no business in, anyway. Comey, and his cronies, have been trying to impeach Trump while they seem to let this crap fester. They did not do their job.

Domestic terrorism needs to be defined, procedures for arrest established, penalties established, and vigorous efforts to lock up the terrorists for a very long time.

As sad as it was, Mr. Floyd's death was not in vain. It demonstrated a less than suspected racial problem, re-visited the reasons for peaceful protest, and screamed out for actions against domestic terrorists. We should all learn from this.

Clarity

5/30/2020

The past few days have provided some clarity that I had not previously possessed. I remained a little fuzzy on some issues. I am referring to the murder of George Floyd.

Three things happened as a result of the murder. First, of course, was the murder itself. In Minneapolis, Floyd, a Black man, was killed by an overly aggressive white policeman when he was choked to death by the policeman holding his knee against Floyd's neck until he suffocated. The hew and cry that went up in this country because of the cruel and crude behavior of the policeman was universal. White, Black, Hispanic, Oriental, Democrat, Republican, Yankees, Southerners, nitwits, and intellects all were aghast at the treatment of Floyd, presumably because he MAY have attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill.

This country's reaction to the above event served to prove to me that discrimination is not as bad in this country as some would have you believe. I have yet to read a single piece of writing or talk to a single person that is not sympathetic to Floyd. Frankly, I thought race relations were a little better than some portrayed, but lacked any real evidence. The talking and bobbing heads were getting all the air time. I was very pleased to see the country come together, irregardless of color, in support of Floyd.

Another thing became clearer. There are protestors and there are domestic terrorists. I can't say all Americans are for peaceful protest, but I think a large majority are. Any serious student of the American Constitution believes that the signers of the Constitution wanted Americans to be able to pull an orange crate up to a sidewalk, step up, and expound on any issue he or she wants. Americans cherish their rights of holding and sharing their opinions. I will admit, sometimes I think this action is abusive.......but this is America. It's okay to have peaceful demonstrations.

Perhaps the most distinctive thing that came out of this incident, for me, was the clarification between peaceful demonstration and domestic terrorism.   As discussed above, the peaceful demonstrators above were of all colors and politics. They carried signs and some of them shouted, but they didn't loot, rob, burn, and steal. The ones who do ARE the domestic terrorists. They perpetrate crimes against ALL American people. They must be punished for their crimes.

Are these domestic terrorists all citizens of the cities they loot and burn? NO!! The news today is reporting that most of the looters that would talk to cameras and news people admit they were from some other place. They were there solely for the opportunity to loot, burn, rob, and create an illusion of unrest for the American nation. I EMPHASIZE their creation of an image of a dysfunctional America. This might be their main function. The looting is part of their salary.

What I want to know is who is funding and managing these domestic terrorists? Where do they come from? Who pays for their motel bills and food? I can't believe 20 cities had impromptu demonstrations all pop up at the same time.   Who organizes this? Certainly, someone is behind it. Who are they? This is an attempted overthrow of the government.

The FBI should be investigating with vigor all the above, instead of chasing a political pipe dream that they have no business in, anyway. Comey, and his cronies, have been trying to impeach Trump while they seem to let this crap fester. They did not do their job.

Domestic terrorism needs to be defined, procedures for arrest established, penalties established, and vigorous efforts to lock up the terrorists for a very long time.

As sad as it was, Mr. Floyd's death was not in vain. It demonstrated a less than suspected racial problem, re-visited the reasons for peaceful protest, and screamed out for actions against domestic terrorists.    We should all learn from this.

Notes from an "at risk" person.

4/23/2020

If anyone I know was asked if they wanted any others to die from COVID 19, the answer would be a resounding "NO." if anyone I know was asked if they would like to see the US economy completely destroyed, the overwhelming answer would be "NO."

Therein lays the rub. We are fighting a two front war. However, each of the wars interacts with the other. The tactics differ with each battle. If one overreacts to the needs to win one war, you most certainly will lose the other. In both wars, emotion is not a good soldier.

For example, I have just read that the brother of the ex-mayor of Chicago is now a consultant to Joe Biden and he is proclaiming that quarantining is recommended for another 12-18 months. Of course, this jerk is a compete idiot. Total lock-down for another 12-18 months would destroy any semblance of a US economy. Conversely, any relaxation of controls TOO EARLY would run the risk of firing up COVID 19 all over again.

Proponents of each war are very vocal in their support. For example, they are protesting in the streets of several major cities in the US supporting a relaxation of the quarantines. At the same time, we have the moron in Chicago campaigning for 12-18 month continuation of a lock-down. Emotions are running wild without checks. This is not good. If one war is won, the other is lost under current "wisdom." If one saves lives successfully combating COVID 19, how many lives are lost because of disappearing jobs, bankruptcies, alcoholism, suicide, divorce? Thousands of lives are lost or destroyed no matter which war is won.

It is clear to me that the best solution is somewhere in between the two extremes. Can I tell you what that particular compromise is? Nope. However, I can tell you that if we don't get our heads out of our butts, and start thinking instead of emoting, we are in for some dangerous and destructive times ahead. I don't think you have to be too smart to figure that out.

It is easy to be compassionate for victims of COVID 19. It is also easy to be compassionate about victims of a destroyed US economy. You can shout your pain and compassion for either of the victims to the rooftops and you will not necessarily be wrong..........but you haven't solved anything. You have succeeded in only making noise.

I would like to see some probability numbers for each of the two scenarios. I would like to see informed and educated forecasts of loss of life and the economic probabilities and it's estimated loss of life. I have not seen any on any news sources. Any veteran knows that if you are ordered to take a hill, you are going to lose troops. But you also know if you don't take that hill, you're going to lose more troops. It's a calculation.

To any that say I'm tossing away lives, particularly those at more risk because of age, other sickness, or any of the other maladies of the "high risk group," I would like to point out I am a member of that "high risk group." I would prefer to put myself at risk rather than my kids or grand-kids. My kids and grand-kids need a secure and safe economic future, as well as a vaccination against COVID 19.

So, even tho I don't have the answer, I admit it. It is time to stop bloviating on Facebook about uninformed and unsubstantiated stories and start looking for informed answers. I feel everyone is dedicated and busy on the official front trying to solve this mess. No one wants it. Quit wasting energy blaming Trump. He didn't cause this crap. If you're going to spend energy, spend it on intellect, not politicizing. I am so fed up with self appointed experts that have no idea what they're talking about. I appreciate the work being done by our medical experts in Washington, but they are not economists. Conversely, people who are facing destruction of their lives due to hunger, foreclosure, utility shut-offs, loss if insurance, and depression can hardly be blamed for wanting to go back to work.

Folks, it's time to use our heads rather than our mouths. Me included. As soon as I get this figured out, I'll let you know.

Official Rowlett and Facebook

4/8/2020

It's been a while since I have written here. I've been writing on Facebook and some other sites. It has gotten me around the country more. Interesting responses from different parts of the country. In any event, a Facebook commentary I made about something in Rowlett stirred up some trouble. The issue went away, but it is still caught in my throat and I want to write about it.

Let's talk about Facebook, first. In my opinion, Facebook has both good and bad features to it. There is no doubt it comes under the first amendment and enjoys the rights of free speech. Back in the ole days, one could grab an orange crate off the back porch, drag it out to any public park and call the President a fool, or the Democrats a bunch of thieves.   In these modern times, one can do the same with Facebook. However, just as in 1780, you can't cause harm, as in crying FIRE in a crowded theater.

Whether at a keyboard, or on an orange crate, you are free to voice your opinion.

The main difference between Facebook and orange crates is that on Facebook everybody gets to share an opinion on the same subject........and maybe they may get off the subject. This includes people who can think, and others who don't. Unfortunately, one has to sift out the brain dead from the serious commentary if one is to get to the thoughts with substance. It's a pain in the neck, but the price of technology.    Therefore, if you're a Facebook affectionado, you have to accept the good and the bad......two parts. The chemical mixture is one part substance and one part National Enquirer.

What's that got to do with Rowlett, you say.   Well, the good Facebook is an excellent place to post official information on a variety of city subjects: notices, newsletters, reports, etc. Facebook provides a valuable service here and the city should take advantage of it. However, it's hard for a dummy to disagree with an intelligent official notice. I'm sure it has been done, but its harder.

Because of this Facebook with two faces, it seemed logical to me that official Rowlett discourse should be divided into two faces, also; one face suitable for Facebook and one that isn't. The posting of events, newsletters, FAQs, etc., works well with Facebook. However, there are some official Rowlett issues that, in my opinion, doesn't need to be on Facebook. These would include all issues that are decided upon and reported from the dais. This would certainly include City Council and probably P&Z. Any official commentary about city management issues and decisions do not need to be discussed on Facebook. It my opinion that any messages to the public regarding finance, employees, appointments, etc. should be delivered from the dais........NOT FACEBOOK.

A couple of weeks ago, the mayor discussed an issue on Facebook regarding some citizen's critisizm of some Rowlett employees. I took exception to reporting such issues on Facebook. I did not attack the mayor. In fact, I was somewhat supportive because the mayor was covering the employee's backsides. I liked that. My only issue was that she should have let it rip from the dais, rather than Facebook. Anybody reading the string of commentary could easily see that my only opinion was the issue of where is was done, not what was done.

Well, the Part II Facebookers came out. One suggested I change toilet paper to a less abrasive brand. One accused me of concocting a conspiracy of some kind and anointing my self as Facebook Boss.   They read the Facebook commentary and had no clue what they just read.

I am not writing this to change any opinion you may have. That's all part of Facebook, Part I, and covered by the Constitution. My opinion remains unchanged. The sensitive nature of employee relations has no business on Facebook. However, I am writing this to plead with you to use you brains. We just don't need any more dumb asses around here. Oops, there goes another opinion.

Dusting off the keys

3/4/2020

It's been a while since I've written. It's a long story, but part of the story is that I've been distracted by national politics. I was trying to stay out of national politics, but it's damned near impossible. I guess I've got a hankerin' to write something.

First, I'd like to make two confessions. You probably already know about both. I am a conservative in politics and economics.   I'm not way out far right with ammo belts around my chest, or building a shack "off the grid." But, I think there is much an individual should have the right to do for him/herself without government interference. I hold governments responsible for the money they collect and how they spend it.

Second, I don't personally like Donald Trump too much, even tho I will vote for him. I think he is self centered and has an overpowering sense of himself. I don't much care for that. But that's not why I support him and will vote for him. I like what he's done for our country. In spite of recent Dow Jones hiccups, our economy is very good. Employment is good, and unemployment is low. Other countries seemed to have awaken and took notice of the USA again. This includes some adversarial countries. It seems to me that China would like to make efforts to enhance their own economy by trade with the USA. Worldwide, this would be an enormous event.   This is still a work in progress, but certainly Trump forced a hand, and started conversations. It had not been done to such a degree before. It's a much grander scale than Ford and GM merging.

Of course, the current Coronovirus problem can change a number of courses of action. I'm confident we'll beat it. I don't intend to back pack into the woods.

Trump has aided Veterans, elderly, reduced bureaucracy and red tape, lowered taxes, etc. Essentially, he did what he promised he would. I like that. The above is why I support Trump......not because of his personality.

All the above sets the stage for the following comments. I have nothing personally against Bernie. He seems to be a gruff, outspoken old grandpa. I admire his spirit and gumption. However, I absolutely hate his politics.   Bernie is a Socialist and a Communist. He only admits to Socialism.......but he's both. He always has been.

Bernie is under the mistaken belief that he can pay for all his give away programs by taxation. If one graphs taxation on a chart, as taxes line moves up, the revenue lines move down. Where they cross, true chaos begins.

As those companies that earn over $50 million a year begins to be taxed 90%, they owe it to their stockholders to make efforts to maximize remaining revenue.......particularly net revenue. This would include moving manufacturing back to overseas production. China and India would love it. It would also pave the way for additional layoffs in this country. Why work so hard to produce revenue of which the government is going to take 90%? It's not worth it.    As far as paying off all college debt, what about the ones that worked their way thru school to avoid debt or had help from parents? How do they get paid off?

All the above are just very basic and elementary questions of economics that Bernie is avoiding. There is no sophistication in those observations. I understand that governments need to do some things: standing military, interstate highways, ports and harbors, and all other things that individuals can't do. However, I think I can work out for myself what bathrooms I can use without any government edict.

Now I'm up to the point where I really wanted to be......our colleges and universities. I am of the hopes Trump can help on this issue.

Nearly, or certainly most, of Bernie's supporters are young. Most are college trained. They are brainwashed. I am furious at our colleges and universities. I went to an excellent university, Indiana University. I was in the business school, but when in classes outside the business school, say English or Social Studies, you didn't know what kind of influences you would be subjected to. I remember a paper we had to write for English Composition. It was a paper discussing a Vocational Education vs. a Liberal Education. My position was both were equally important, but used in different applications.   For example, a degree in Education as a school teacher wasn't much needed to lay a sewer line down the street. Someone majoring in Plumbing would be much preferred, and probably made more money.

Well, I quickly learned that that viewpoint was not going to get me a good grade. My paper finally concluded that it was better to get a liberal education rather than a vocational education. I got a B. It paid to be a liberal......for a while.

Folks, that incident happened a very long time ago, but the march to liberalism in our colleges and universities had already begun. Now, if you're a conservative student on many campuses, you are at risk of harm. Unfortunately, the universities seems to have sided with the militant liberal students. I watch the news, too.

Furthermore, where do you think the student debt came from? When I was in school, school loans were like car loans. They had to be collateralized. Nowadays, student loans are secured by federal guarantees. Therefore, loans were readily available, and even sought after by banks. The colleges and universities, by definition, were not stupid. When money became easily available, tuition costs elevated by leaps and bounds. When I was in school, our tuition was $7.50 per academic hour. Fifteen hours per semester was considered an average load. Therefore, a tuition bill for one semester of 15 hours would be $112.50. A friend told me that Baylor was now $60,000 per year, or $30,000 per semester.

Who got that money? Well, technically, the student did and is responsible for repaying the debt. However, the student only had it for a few minutes or hours. Then, it went to the university. The university is not responsible to pay the debt back, or to award any credit toward education.    What a deal: money without repayment obligation and no promises to grant anything. I wonder if I could start a university.

The colleges and universities are very well endowed by alumnae with cash and other assents. They're so smart, they ought to be able the lend a hand on solving problems to alleviate student debt, and destruction of young human's credit score.   I don't know what authority has some influence over colleges and universities, but it's time to wake up. It's well past time.

Oh, one other thing. The place to put militant liberal students that commit harmful acts on conservative students is called jail. They're easy to find. Every town has one. Intellectual pursuit is not a valid defense.

Useful Idiots

1/9/2020

I usually try to stay out of national politics. Everyone has a right to an opinion. That's okay. However, that includes me, too.

I have been watching the recent news coverage of the assassination of the Iranian leader Soleimani. It is disgusting. No one is defending Soleimani on a world wide basis. In fact, nearly all world leaders agree on his demise as good, or remain silent. Nearly all commentary about President Trump's actions in this matter are by the Democrats and their followers. It is just a continuous avalanche of hateful, deceitful, slanderous venom. However, it is nothing new, just old and boring, and in some cases, slanderous. It is just a continuation of the Impeachment, Bribery, Russian Collusion, and winning an election via Electoral College scam, as designed by America's founding fathers.

Just for the record, I don't like Trump's arrogance and ego. Even if Trump drank beer, I don't think we would meet up at our favorite watering hole for a beer. However, I didn't vote for Trump's personality. I voted for Trump because I thought he would go to Washington to clean out the bureaucracy, economize the government, improve the economy, cut back on the graft of the foreign government give away programs, kick some foreign ass when needed, and in general, drain the swamp. This he has done, and the "swamp" went berserk. They have called upon all their "useful idiots," as defined by Hillary Clinton, to rally to the call. I actually feel sorry for Trump.

After such a demonstration of castle storming, I began to think back to some things I had read. I was a big fan of the Roman Senate, so I started there. In fact, Plato's Apology, written on behalf of Socrates, was my favorite book in college. It takes too much time to write about teachings, so here it is in pictorial form.

As I wrote above, everybody is entitled to an opinion. However, those opinions should be based on accurate analysis, not group think. I have explained my logic, expecting many to disagree. However, it is my hopes that there is some effort by the left to use logic rather than crowd hysteria to gin up any answers for their dislike of Trump. I don't like being taken for a fool. My guess is that much of America is getting a little tired of being taken for a fool.

Yesterday's news cites one of "the Squad" as recommending that the terrorists strike all the Trump hotels worldwide. Folks, that is an elected official giving aid and comfort to an enemy. That is also known as TREASON.

I'm getting damned tired of this crap. If you don't like Trump's performance, don't vote for him. I would presume you wouldn't have a 401K. If you don't vote for him because of this personality, go take a lesson in Civics. You missed something in your education.

A divorce

12/14/2019

As a young, energetic lad striving to succeed, I chased airplanes all over the USA. I flew for a living for 25 years and went to Philly, Houston, Denver, LA, and Miami, and all points in between. It was like most people going to the office.   The routine was just standard procedure.

Then, I changed jobs and flying became much less frequent. In all the towns and major cities I visited during those years, there were two things I bragged about. One was being fortunate enough to live in the DFW area, and the other was the Dallas Morning News. I was proud of both.

From 1966 to 1975, I subscribed to the DMN, Sunday edition only. I lived in Tyler. However, I moved to Rowlett in 1975 and began taking the DMN on a daily basis. That makes me a DMN subscriber for 54 years.

However, I now rarely read the paper. I'm still a subscriber. My wife still likes the puzzles and reads the paper for very limited unbiased news. During the past few years the DMN has changed......in my opinion not to the good. Occasionally, I read the sports pages and the business pages, but not often. I used to read the DMN cover to cover every morning for over 50 years, but it's been changing over the past 10 years, or so. I finally got tired of starting off my day, every day, pissed off. I was snarling at my cup of coffee after reading the DMN at the dining table. My first greeting to anyone in the morning became, "Go to hell!!"

What changed? I didn't. I'm still me. However, the DMN changed from a first class newspaper to a propaganda tool for the far left leaning socialists. It wasn't just their opinions on the editorial page, which are proper and okay. It was the story selection in the makeup room. It was the headline writing. It was the left leaning writing of the bi-line columnists. It was the constant re-print of biased New York Times articles. If I wanted to read the New York Times, I would have subscribed to it.

Let me share some examples. All the below references come from ONE PAGE in the Metro & Business Section of the DMN of November 9, 2019, just over a month ago.

There were four lead articles on this Metro & Business back page section of the DMN.

The first article, written by Dom Difurio, staff writer, was about a gentleman, Mr. Hines, from California who moved to Dallas and was promptly hoodwinked by inscrutable real estate people. The house he bought was falling apart. However, the article was really and inadvertently about due diligence. That is a responsibility that all potential property buyers must exercise before purchasing a property.   Just because you bought trash doesn't always mean it's the other guy's fault. The buyer bears some responsibility, too. This even applies to people from California. He (and apparently his Broker) selected an inspector. Also, apparently, the inspector was very bad. The inspector seemed to miss a lot of things that even my 19 year old grand daughter would find. Long story short, he bought the house and incurred about $40,000 in repairs after he bought it. Right away, the Broker and the inspector are subject to a lawsuit, however the reporter for the DMN never mentioned it. Instead, he thought it would be cute to quote the purchaser's California friends as describing the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Texas as, "Flat, Wasteland, Conservative, and Cowboys." This is a writer on the Dallas Morning News.

Now, rather than offering suggestions on a remedy for Mr. Hines problems, the writer proceeds to further describe flaws in the house.....and Dallas.......and Texas. Firstly, the broker, previous owner, and the inspector are all liable because of not disclosing any known defect information or incompetence. Secondly, as written above, the purchaser has some "due diligence" responsibility. It would have helped if some intelligence was present. If the DMN wanted to be a service to the community, they should have researched this issue and publish an article that would help the subject of the article and the population in general. Instead, they launched into a tirade of criticisms because the purchaser "didn't know anything about Texas." Now, that is a crackerjack defense.

Now, our knowledgeable DMN writer felt compelled to inform all readers that, altho the house was 60 years old, it began to "sink into the ground." Folks, I have never known a house to sink into the air. Furthermore, if a house had foundation repairs made, that should have been disclosed. If a house is on expansive clay soil, there would have been problems (big problems) over 60 years.   There should have been warranties available from reputable foundation repair companies. Of course, plumbing repairs usually accompany slab repairs.

Speaking of slabs, one of the pieces of wisdom imparted by the purchaser was, "Inspectors should go under a house."    Did you ever try to "go under" a slab house?

In fairness to the writer, he did proceed to offer some fairly solid (but hardly technical) advice to potential purchasers in future encounters.

On the same page as the above article, a news story appeared regarding the death of a young lady while in police custody.   It is a sad story, but in my opinion, the police department was painted into a bad light. Apparently, the young lady was arrested and placed in custody, after demonstrating some bizarre behavior with her boy friend. However, she died from some type of reaction while in custody. She would have been normally transferred to a medical facility, but Dallas-Fire Rescue cleared her for transport to jail.   I wasn't there. I don't know the full story, but the Dallas Police Department was not held up to a good light. Protests were scheduled.

Again on the same page, Child Protective Services in Kerrville came under fire for what was characterized as "suicide watch rooms."   Apparently, there was a mural painted on the wall depicting an angel cradling a youngster as they flew up into heaven.    When it was discovered, it became a cause celeb for upper management to fight among themselves. Lots of finger pointing. The manager of the facility said, "My wife painted that angel in the timeout room about 10 years ago to show love and protection to children and she is just devastated at the interpretation of the monitors." Well, of course, that's not newsworthy.

Doesn't sound like a suicide room to me, but again I wasn't there. However, made for a good story. Some politician will get some mileage out of it. I just needed some accurate news.

The final article on the same page was about the brew ha-ha created in Frisco when it was proposed that 10 minutes be added to each class day to allow an earlier release for Summer Break each year.   I agree with the writer, Sharon Grigsby, that such a change would be nearly catastrophic to the tight scheduling each parent has in shepherding their young'uns to school.   The real culprit in presentation seems to be administrative.   Apparantly, there are options. That's not a slam against the Texas or Dallas area, but it doesn't say much for local administrative skills.

Folks, all the above was on one page of the Dallas Morning News on one day. There are virtually unlimited other examples. It just doesn't seem like the DMN cares to root for the home team, anymore. There are probably too many conservatives in their market area for their comfort.   It's ironic that the conservatives are mainly the ones that subscribe to the paper and buys advertising space.

If the Dallas Morning News doesn't need me, I certainly don't need them. It is with some sadness that I must announce our divorce after 54 years.

Been away for a while

11/8/2019

Been a little discouraged and a little under the weather for a while.   Been in the people garage a couple of times, and a few more visits yet to make, however things seem to be trending better.   Cataract surgery is next. My discouragement issue is not fairing so well.   I haven't bugged anyone for over a month and already things are getting out of hand.

My topic of the day is the increasing fees proposed by the city for the construction of any new house. I apologize in advance for the length of this post. But, at the same time, I apologize for not having enough time to get into more additional detail that is warranted. This fee restructure comes at a time we all acknowledge that housing costs are far out distancing "work force" family's incomes and the their ability to pay for the new home.   These are not low income families. These might be families with $60-$90K per year in income, but they can not qualify for a loan to purchase a medium Rowlett home. I would estimate average price of homes in Rowlett to be creeping over $300K. You can not use tax appraisals as a guide!! Go talk to a realtor. My target would be to produce a very nice 1300 sq.ft. home with three bedrooms, two baths, with a "great room" concept for lounging, dining, and entertainment. Then, on the outside have a covered patio, and a one and one-half car garage. The target price would be $190K, or less.

I have been active with the Rowlett Housing Finance Corporation. In fact, I was one of the originating incorporators. That was two and a half years ago. I have recently been working to try to get affordable new and comfortable homes into Rowlett. This is not only good for the potential buyers, but also for the City of Rowlett. We need to accommodate all our citizens. Pricing and costs are a never ending problem. One of the things we rely on is some cooperation of the city to help control costs. That wishful thinking seems to be heading straight to the proverbial toilet.

Now, before you think I'm taking a shot at City Council.......I'm not. There may be some empire building within staff, but that's their problem......not mine. I also ran into what I think might be conflicting information on the charts. However, I may not be fully understanding the data. Have you ever asked someone the time of day and they told you how to build a watch? That's kinda what the City Council Brief does. The reader is just overwhelmed by "stuff." When I was in college, I took a 200 course called "Communicative Writing." I think the one who wrote the brief was ill that day of class.

Coming before the City Council soon is the consideration of a proposed new fee structure for new construction, among many other new fee structures. You have to see the list. I, of course, encourage you to go to the city website and read the proposals for yourself.   However, I must warn you, the "brief" submitted to Council is pretty close to jibberish if you're not inclined toward bureaucratic data mumbo jumbo. It is probably technically correct, but if meant to communicate with we regular common folk, it misses the mark spectacularly. It reads like someone was showing off a uniquely invented vocabulary given birth by some sour kraut inspired nightmarish dream.    That's the nice comment. It could be an intent to become relevant and to show us all how dumb we are. I reluctantly recommend you skip over that brief and go straight to the data exhibits. It saves your eyes from glazing over. The data is mathematical and seems to be intended to be communicative and self explanatory....at least much does.

Below is my analysis of the data and following that is a conclusion, using a 1300 sq. ft. house as an example, which is what this is all about.
_______________________________________________________
Fee Type

New Construction            Existing                                      Proposed
Plan Review Fee                                                       No Fee                         $200.00
Permit and Inspection Fee      50 cents per square foot    $300.00 + 50 cents per sq. ft.

Therefore, the initial city fees of a 1300 sq. ft, house would move from $650.00 to $1,150.00 per house. The city supplied data contains a chart comparing Rowlett's fees within a 13 city comparison regarding residential building permit fees.   Of the 13 cities, Rowlett is exceeded in fees by Sachse, McKinney, Fate, Farmer's Branch, and Coppell. Rowlett's proposed building permit fees of a 1500 sq. ft. house total $1,250.00. That places Rowlett as 6th highest of the 13 towns. Not too bad. However, we ain't done yet.

A house has to be built on a lot. If a developer approached the city requesting Planning Fees for a Preliminary Plat, the cost is $1,700.00, exceeded only by Garland's $6,000.00 fee of the 13 cities. The average cost of each of the 13 towns is $835.00. That places Rowlett second highest in cost for this function. However, when requesting the fee for the Final Plat, the fee is $2,300.00, again behind only Garland's $6,000.00. The 13 cities average cost for Final Plat is $831.00. Of course, the developer passes these costs on to ultimately the home buyer.

Now, if the developer disagrees with the actions of the Planning and Zoning and the City Council, appeal can be made to the Board of Adjustment for a Variance. That fee is a whopping $1,900.00, far and away more expensive than any of the other 12 cities. Forney is the closest with a fee of $500.00. Of course, if successful, this fee is also passed on to the consumer. Furthermore, if a zoning change is needed, that will cost the developer $3,000, up from $650.

I could go over the data and produce a mathematical ranking of Rowlett's position with the other 12 towns, but that's too time consuming here.      However, I think it's safe to say Rowlett places in the upper third, or quarter, of the 13 towns. In a couple of cases, the fees are outrageously more expensive than other cities. In fairness, some minor fees didn't change.

Now, a little bit about developers and builders. Most people think they're greedy, because they're constantly trying to "get a better deal." Certainly there are some greedy builders and developers, but not that many and they usually don't last long because competition is too tough.    Most builders and developers negotiate hard because they have to. They are just trying to run a business, just like any business. Their housing competition is doing the same thing. If one builder produces a comparable house as another builder down the street, but is priced $10,000 less, he will get the sale. David Weekley is a good example of a builder that has a different marketing strategy. He builds slightly smaller, but with upgrades everywhere. Its a good strategy.    The point of the story is that $10,000 makes a difference, both in consumer selection and in financing criteria.

I have scraped, begged, traded and bought lunches over hundreds of negotiations just trying to save a couple of thousand dollars per house. It's that important.

Now, let's take my 1300 sq. ft. house that I would like to produce for a $190K price tag.

Depending on several things, including desired lot density, one can pay $1.00 to $1.50 per foot for suitable raw land. It costs about $125K per acre to develop, providing there are no large offsite costs. If one wants about 4 lots per acre, and adding all the developers profit, interest cost, surprises, etc., one could expect to produce about a $50,000 lot. Now, the 1300 square foot house is going to cost about $100 per sq ft. to build, thus costing $130K. Add some fees and the total has reached the $190K price. I have talked to mortgage companies that state that the maximum price that the HFC financing package can accommodate is about $190K. We would be at the limit.

Now, what does Rowlett's new fee structure do?
1. Increased fees and inspections for the house..$500.
2. If I understand the data correctly, a Preliminary Plat Fee is $1,700 and a Final Plat Fee is $2,300 for a total of $4,000 for say, a 50 lot subdivision......or $80 a lot.
3. If, say, the developer feels he needs to appear before the BOA for a waiver, add another $1,900.
4. There are other fees for tree studies, flood plain studies, pools, if any, and on and on....hot water heaters, furnaces, etc. See the exhibits for a list (long).
5. A $200 fee is added for each resident plan review. Folks, in a 50 lot subdivision, there is only about 5 or 6 different plans. All else are changes in elevations, brick colors, porch design, change the hands, etc. However, the 5 or 6 plans basically don't change. Once you get an understanding of the 5 or 6 plans, you can put them on the shelf and use them as you need them. That's not hardly worth $200 a pop times 44 or 45 "pops."

If you consider all the above, it's easy to see that perhaps $2,500 to $3,500 could be added to the price of the house. That knocks the HFC out of the price range. Something will have to give. Smaller lot, or smaller house......all of course, hurting desirability.

Now, if the homes are built on, say a 12-15 acre site producing 50 lots and including homes built on them for a total price of $190K, the ad valorem taxes would be around $1,500 per year. Say total fee increases during development and construction total $1,500 per house, then $75,000 in fees was generated from development and construction. In addition, $75,000 per year will be generated from ad valorem taxes. I doubt that it would cost $75,000 per year for the city to "preside over" the subdivision during future years.

Apparently, the fee re-consideration is in response to a new House Bill limiting fee increases to 3.5% per year. What's wrong with that? With Rowlett's rapidly increasing tax base values, and miserly tax rate reductions, what's to worry?   Do you all get a $3.5% raise in salaries every year? Talk to someone on Social Security. Well, maybe we need some Assistant Assistant Managers for more of our departments.

I think this fee structure thing needs some more thought. A city doesn't gain anything by making sorely needed attributes more difficult to get.