I'd be curious to see this expanded to also show a breakdown of the state's revenue sources. I expect most of the revenue to come from sales and business taxes, but there also should be some big chunks from the Federal government. It's a nice start to make our process more transparent.

The first question was whether I was a registered voter. He then went on to ask me questions about immigration, offshore drilling, the second amendment, flat taxes, and Iraq. I'm guessing the second amendment one was in there for identifying liberals vs. conservatives.

Sounds like he's concerned about securing our borders, more offshore drilling, changing the tax rate to favor the rich even more, and staying in Iraq until their government can take over -- regardless of the cost. I'd rather hear about border safety, more energy efficiency, undoing the changes to the tax code that support the rich over the middle class, working to bring our troops home from Iraq so we can be prepared for the next emergency, supporting our veterans, and figuring out where all the money spent on Iraq went. Oh yeah, and health care, de-politicizing our Justice department, re-securing our freedoms at home, re-gaining international respect, ensuring that we're ready for the next hurricane season, and encouraging voting instead of passing stupid, sneaky poll taxes.

But at least I've had another chance to give him a little feedback, albeit within the parameters he set. And he asked if he could follow up with me on the issues. Of course, he has yet to respond to any of the e-mails I've sent to him. [KBH may be a Republican party rubber-stamp, but at least I get some responses from her office. Up until now I've only gotten generic fliers from McCaul. And not even that from Cornyn.]

If I was really a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that the recent announcements of opposition candidates might have had something to do with the timing of the poll. By my count, we're up to three Democratic challengers. But the timing's just too close. I doubt anyone could have turned a phone poll around that quickly.

On energy policy, I caught the end of a conversation about how to promote research on cleaner energy and energy independence; Mark talked about how in the 1980's, the Federal government funded Sematech to help improve the competitiveness of the US semiconductor industry in the face of foreign competition, and he thought a similar structure, one allowing basic research to be funded and shared among US companies, would be a good way to move us forward. One of the participants talked about the problem of installing solar systems; the City of Austin has a good rebate program, but often Home Owner Association rules get in the way. Florida has a law that says that HOAs cannot prohibit solar installations, and Mark thought something like that would be a good idea for Texas as well.

On health care, Mark thinks that the increasing cost of health care is hurting the competitiveness of American companies; something needs to be done. As a step in the right direction, no child should go without health insurance, but he wasn't ready to endorse a Massachusetts-style universal plan until he's seen how well it works.

Mark explained how the property tax system funds school and other government services and talked about that the tax cuts passed in the last session mean to homeowners. If you've got a home that's appraised at $200,000 (after the homestead exemption), you'd get a $1000 savings on your tax bill from the 50 cent reduction. However, since the total property tax is affected by the local appraisal and by the rate set by the local school system, you won't necessarily see all of that savings. He praised John Sharp for coming up with a new tax system to close a loophole in the business tax in Texas while rewarding companies for spending more on employees.

I got to ask Mark about transportation policy, and while I wish he'd talked more about improving public transit, he was able to get in some very good points about the local toll road situation. The big issue with him is the fairness of using toll revenue for purposes other than paying for the road you're driving on. He thought CAMPO should be more transparent, and if a tollway took in more money than was needed to retired the revenue bonds that funded it, that surplus should be used to either lower the toll or to fund other projects; however, any projects that get funding would be done through an open political process. He also thought that a monthly cost cap would be a good way to calm fears of people that will be using the toll road often and that a system like that may actually increase revenue because people would be less inclined to bypass the toll roads if they knew that they wouldn't have to pay more than a set amount a month for their use.

A big thank you to Mark for spending time on a beautiful Saturday with us. Good luck with the election!

YouTube embedded videos after the jump...

The other volunteer for the shift was Terry from DFT. I'm sorry I left the last meetup before the "Iraq for Sale" movie (it was my night to cook). Apparently the turnout was great and the movie got a lot of folks stirred up. Glen Maxey was there to move the anger into action at the end. After the continuous stream of bad news (Iraq, Katrina non-response, condoning torture, removing habeas corpus, NoKo nukes) I've been feeling burned out instead of motivated politically. I could have used the shot in the arm from the movie.

But I'm really glad I did the voter registration. The "midnight deadline" signs worked to pull folks in. It was great when people in a rush stopped what they were doing to register when they realized that last night was the deadline (or at least caught us on the way out). A few folks came up with voter registration forms already filled out, but which they hadn't mailed yet, and we were able to give them registration receipts. But the highlight for me was when folks actually identified themselves as available to work as election workers, just to see what being a poll worker would be like. One lady would have to reschedule her current two jobs just to do it. While democracy may be hurting, it's not dead yet.

One of the most interesting writers talking about the election is the Science Fiction author David Brin. He's pro-science, and while he's got a libertarian streak, its one that's contrary with the Libertarian orthodoxy. He sees a huge value in community, personal responsibility, and progress and doesn't just want to consolidate gains for people like him.

Starting back during the summer, he made a series of posts on his blog Contrary Brin about the importance of the elections and listed some arguments that might convince rational Republicans to vote against their party this cycle. Three good articles to start reading are Time to Get to Work, Cracks are Appearing All Over and Arguments for your Obstinate Uncle, but there are more interesting ones in his archive. In the first article, he makes an interesting gambit:

But don’t just make this a one sided attack! There is one thing you Dems and Libs can offer in return. (And you had better offer something; people do not give concessions without something in return.) Please gather your own sense of honesty and courage and nonpartisan decency, to say:

"If Democrats ever have this much power in the future, and seem similarly reckless or partisan, or awash in secret deals, or as determined to lie and cheat their way into perpetually unaccountable power, I promise that you can turn this around on me. I will open my eyes, and I will listen."

Make that vow, and you might achieve the miraculous. Budge the unbudgeable. Move the un-movable. Persuade some of the millions of decent (but obstinate) American conservatives to meet you - to meet their country - halfway.

I love that sentiment. I'm a Democrat, but I'd be glad to go on the record that if the Dems become as corrupt as the current Republicans, I'll withdraw my support and work to achieve a balanced government again.

What I learned:
- I don't have to lose sleep over a rail station being added at 35th and MOPAC anytime soon. Plans for an additional passenger rail line down MOPAC are contingent on getting the right-of-way from Union Pacific (UP), who's currently pissed at TX-DOT over a proposed N/S rail line parallel to the existing UP line (Trans-Texas Corridor?). Even if they do kiss and make up, current estimates are way out in the 2010-2012 range.
- TX-DOT may finally put up sample MOPAC noise-abatement walls in November. And they may even install the noise abatement walls (originally promised in the early 70's when MOPAC was built) before adding more managed lanes and/or passenger rail lines to MOPAC. Maybe.
- Send Jennifer Kim your feedback if you'd like the city to help develop financing plans for folks wanting to install energy-efficient windows and/or attic insulation, which might help with noise problems. The city currently provides rebates on the windows but has no plan to help make the installation affordable. If you do get new windows for noise reasons, make sure to get them installed properly and if you're in a historic home make sure they don't decrease the value of your home and/or screw up future historic designations.

Oh wait, the meeting was supposed to be about TOD plans. What I learned about them:
- The new stations and the red line should arrive in 2008.
- CAMPO owns the rail lines and schedules the freight on the lines. So the passenger trains will be on time. As opposed to Amtrak on the Union Pacific rails. Or any bus in town.
- There will be plenty of public input during the process. Neighborhood planning should happen for the first 1/2 of the stations soon, taking six months. The neighborhood planning for the other 1/2 of the stations will happen in the following six months.
- They are bending over backwards to not affect any existing single-family (SF) zoning. New zoning will affect current industrial/commercial zoning. There's still an open question on where to move the current industrial/commercial zoning, but this isn't a big issue, especially as the TOD areas only cover 0.02 percent of Austin's area.
- CAMPO owns the land needed for all of the stations. Developers will be responsible for developing the land around the stations, based on the zoning and design guidelines that will be tailored for each station.
- They're aware that the current planned lines don't reach existing population centers. But developing new TOD areas around existing track seemed possible while acquiring land for dedicated tracks to population centers hadn't been viable.
- The TOD developments will be bicycle-friendly as well as car- and bus-friendly.
- CAMPO is starting to include pockets of dense development in their traffic growth projections.

The devil always seems to be in the details. While a bit off-topic, the previous plan for the 35th and MOPAC station didn't include parking while the current proposal includes 90 spaces (huh? for who? in place of what?). It seems like it'll be up to the neighborhoods to keep a close eye on the plans for each station.

Which leads me to the following take-aways:
- After the defeat of the previous (2000) light rail plan, it seems like Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) is the new order of the day. When they were thinking of widening MOPAC, I really wasn't happy about having my tax dollars being spent on tearing down houses so someone outside of Austin can have an easier commute from their reduced-tax suburb. But I'd be ok with spending my taxes on relocating a few people so that new rail could be more successful out of the gate. Ok, I know I'm in the minority from the 2000 light rail election. But I don't think most people have been educated properly about the issues. And it seems like the pendulum may have swung too far in the NIMBY direction. While I've now got a little more sympathy for the current CAMPO plan, non-political friends of mine have the same reaction: the current rail plans will help them as much as the existing bus service -- nada.
- It seems like we have a more fundamental issue in that current zoning and development plans aren't being honored. Why spend time developing neighborhood plans if developers can ignore zoning and design rules and even stop-build orders without punishment? This seems to be the first development issue that needs to be addressed by the city council.

Links:
MONAC: http://www.main.org/hpwbana/MoNAC.htm
CAMPO: http://www.campotexas.org/

I enjoy seeing how many organizations - both formal and informal - are starting to use blogs to communicate. Check out our list of progressive organization blogs, especially the Texas NOW Blog (yeah, I helped build it, but that doesn't mean it's not awesome), the ACLU's Liberty Blog, and the Latinos for Texas Blog.

Near and dear to my heart are two new websites, one with blog and one without.

TrueBlueAction.com has a TrueBlueAction blog. In its own words:

TrueBlueAction.com is the website of True Blue Action PAC, a Texas General Purpose political action committee. This PAC is dedicated to building and making accessible tools for activists and candidates and campaigns. The PAC's mission is to fund and maintain the development of tools and the data needed for them to be functional.

At the bottom of the front page are survey forms so you can send in ideas for new tools and any existing tools you've found helpful. If you have any input, fill out those forms or comment on the blog.

The newly launched TrueBlueTravis site is the home of the coordinated campaign. I am quite impressed. It's easy to see what they do and how you can help. GlennM always wants to see what organizations are doing with his donations. Here we can also see the power of our time:

If you were to learn that the voters at 4455 Democrat Blvd always vote a straight Democratic ballot, or that the folks at 6666 Republican Street always vote a straight Republican ballot, our candidates would be saving on average $10 for that household’s mail and phone calls. Every household you ID saves us money and is like making a $10 donation to our candidates. Ten ID’s and you’ve “donated” $100 in savings. A hundred ID’s and you’ve “saved” $1000.

So go help!

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its many waters.

Y'all go smack some sense into your Senators, willya? Thanks.

The press, as well as the people who write big checks, judge fundraising ability on the basis of periodic reports that candidates are required to file with the Texas Ethics Commission. The next deadline is June 30 - coming up fast, y'all.

So. If you've got a soft spot for a great candidate, now's the time to show your support.

Here's who's getting some cash from me:

• Valinda Bolton, running for state rep in southwest Travis County
• Katy Hubener, running for state rep in the Dallas area
• David Van Os, our fabulous firebreathing candidate for state Attorney General
• Hank Gilbert, another great speaker, running for Ag Commissioner
• Glenn Melancon, an amazingly smart and well-spoken history professor running for Congress up in north Texas (this man is the closest thing to Jed Bartlet I've ever seen in real life)
• Chris Bell, our man for Gov, who just keeps getting better and better
• and, of course, my man Mark Strama, seeking re-election to his state rep seat in north Austin

Best lines:

• John Courage - "Texas isn't red. Texas is for all people."
• Maggie Charleton, on why mentors are so important for new teachers - "Doctors do residencies. We wouldn't expect them to be able to cut us open and do surgery on the day they graduate from medical school."
• Glenn Melancon - "I'm a college professor, and my wife is a school counselor. We're in the future business."
• Pete Laney - "Being ethical means doing more than what is required. Being ethical means doing less than is allowed." (from the video)
• Pete Laney again - "It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit." (also from the video)

The blue ribbon winner for good lines was Chet Edwards:

• "They talk religious values, but pass mean-spirited budgets that take the most from those that have the least... can you tell me one religion in the world that teaches those values?"
• "'Leave no child behind' should not be a campaign slogan. It should be a moral imperative."
• "Tom DeLay told us he wanted to govern in the worst possible way, and that's one promise he kept."

We still have several Ds who, God love 'em, REALLY need a public speaking coach. They're either all style, no substance, or decent substance, no style. And Jesus H. Christ and his talking frog, who the heck was picking the music? "Who Let the Dogs Out?!?!?!" What year is this?! And I'm all about the Willie Nelson, sure, but "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys?" Is this inspiring? Jeez. Let's do a better job of setting a positive tone next time, shall we?

Kudos to all the folks that put this together. While it may be old-news to die-hard politicos, it sure would have helped me get my feet on the ground when I was starting out as a volunteer a couple of years ago. The glossary by itself is priceless. For new folks winding up at jargon-packed events, it'll be a big help. For mid-timers, I finally learned the difference between Blue Dog Democrats and Yellow Dog Democrats. It also lists the structure of the party, how to get involved, simple things you can do as a grassroots activist, shows sample phone scripts, gives checklists for events, etc. Awesome!

Suggestions for improvement: update the "What has the Democratic Party done for you lately?" section to list successes from recent TX democrats (state and local). And do a jargon-scrub -- things like the "Davis Bacon Act" aren't exactly household terms.

Enough with the whining. I'm very happy the materials are finally online.

Check out this action page about genocide in Darfur. I got it in an email from the campaign a little while ago. I can use it to send my thoughts on the subject to my Senators and U.S. Reps as well as my local newspaper. There are guidelines for responses: "appropriately respectful and in acceptable taste." (Burnt Orange also mentioned it a while back.)

It took some work to build this, and it took some work to fill out the content. It's like they understand the goal of electing good people, which is to create and sustain good policy. So while they're maintaining the communications infrastructure for the campaign, they may as well use it for working on policy too.

Good show, y'all. Now send me a dang logo so I can put it on my website!