Texas

One of the unintended consequences of having the conventions so late, and with Texas’ ballot access law requiring candidates to file the necessary paperwork, is that (theoretically) neither McCain nor Obama will be on the Texas ballot this November.

But Bob Barr will.

Seen at Ballot Access News:

Section 192.031 of the Texas election code says that political parties must certify their presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the November ballot no later than 70 days before the general election. It says, “A political party is entitled to have the names of its nominees for president and vice-president placed on the ballot if before 5 p.m. of the 70th day before presidential election day, the party’s state chair signs and delivers to the secretary of state a written certification of the name’s of the party’s nominees for president and vice-president.”

This year, that deadline is August 26. […] At 2:30 pm Texas time, August 27, Kim Kizer of the Texas Secretary of State’s elections division says neither major party’s certification has been received in the Elections Division. The Executive Office of the Secretary of State refers all questions back to the Elections Division.

This year, neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party obeyed this law. See this link to the Secretary of State’s web page showing a blank for the Republicans and Democrats for president. It does show Bob Barr on the ballot; scroll down a little bit. If the Republicans have indeed filed, one wonders who they listed for vice-president, and why their filing is missing from the state web page.

I first heard about this from an interview XM130/POTUS08 had with Bob Barr this morning.   The host observed that if this sticks, Texas can’t be either red or blue….so, what color do Libertarians use?  Barr’s answer: “Gold.”

I’m sure that Ron Paul and his minions would be pleased with that color selection.

Seriously, I expect the Texas legislature to remedy the situation once the hangovers from the conventions have eased and they realize the goof that’s been made.

But it is understandable that folks like me, who are displeased with the games that have been played to solidify the D and R duopoly on power, including stringent ballot access requirements, derive some pleasure and find a little humor in the situation.

I’m on a business trip in South Texas, just in time to experience the joy of Hurricane Dolly.

Naturally, there are all sorts of stories in local media hyping the breeziness of the day.  For example, consider this ABC report:

Cities and counties in the Rio Grande valley were preparing Tuesday night as officials feared heavy rains could cause massive flooding and levee breaks.

Texas officials urged residents to move away from the Rio Grande levees because if Dolly continues to follow the same path as 1967’s Hurricane Beulah, "the levees are not going to hold that much water," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos.

So, it’s been almost three years since Katrina..and we aren’t being a bit more proactive about levees and storms?

Um….OK…

This might be the first time TreeHugger has written about competitive eating, and that’s no surprise really. The idea of stuffing down as much food as possible in as small amount of time as possible is about as un-TreeHugger as you can get in these days of food crisis and tortilla riots. But what if this most gluttonous of pastimes were used to promote a more planet-friendly diet? That seems to be the thinking behind Austin’s Veggie Dog Contest, where competitors will line up to help eat 1500 veggie dogs and 14 gallons of vegan ice cream.

So, how long will it be before there’s a veggie dog competition alongside the hot dog eating contests that are a centerpiece of so many Independence Day celebrations I wonder.

Over the weekend, the Washington Post ran a story featuring the views of several folks down on the U.S. - Mexico border who are taking exception to seeing their properties being taken for the border fence being built well inland from the border.

Within the story, there were two reality-checks I think are worth highlighting.

The first:

Their anger at being asked to sacrifice all that, Fred said, is that much greater because they believe the fence would deter neither terrorists nor illegal immigrants—who many here are convinced would simply tunnel under the fence, climb over it with ladders, or avoid it by heading for the sections of the border, including large stretches of South Texas, that will remain un-fenced.

“People in the rest of the U.S. just don’t understand the reality of what’s going on here,” he said. [...]

And the second:

Fred Garcia thinks it would be enough to maintain the beefed-up Border Patrol presence that he has noticed in the region since Sept. 11, 2001.

“Every time I come out here, they’re on me in minutes,” he said.

As if on a cue, a white sport-utility vehicle with the Border Patrol’s distinctive green stripe loomed in the rearview mirror, lights flashing. In the distance, three more SUVs converged, and several men stepped out, wearing uniforms of the National Guard, which has supplemented the Border Patrol over the past year.

I have mentioned here and in a couple of other venues my understanding that a certain large insurer has patented the algorithms associated with mileage-based or usage-based auto insurance, complicating possible adoption of “pay by the mile” or GPS-rated insurance.

It may be that my understanding wasn’t as complete as I thought.

I noticed some interesting news in InsureMe Agent Blog:

This summer, MileMeter will launch their pay-as-you-go auto insurance policies, charging drivers for coverage based on how often, when and where they use their cars. Unlike its British predecessor, however, MileMeter won’t install any kind of tracking device inside the insured’s car.

MileMeter has an operational website already, which goes into more detail about their plans.

You know, if the insurance industry had an effective, clueful industry PR engine, this blurb from Insurance Journal would be receiving a lot of media play right about now (well, except for that primary thingy taking place in New Hampshire):

No complaints have been received by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) on how the insurance industry handled any of the estimated 5,000 auto, homeowner and commercial claims that resulted from Hurricane Humberto, the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) reported. Humberto struck High Island, Texas on Sept. 13, 2007, with 85 mph winds.

An active industry PR staff would tout this as signs of the industry having retooled in the wake of consumer complaints post Katrina/Rita/Wilma.   A more cynical person would note that Humberto wasn’t exactly the mega-disaster that Katrina and Wilma were…or that Humberto didn’t hit one of the more infamously litigious parts of the country.

Still, any positive news is welcome for the industry.