Hidalgo County Political Ads...Who's spinning who?
"Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining"-Judge Judy Scheindlin. That's the title of one of her books. She didn't coin the phrase but she made it popular, and nothing describes the current state of politics in the Rio Grande Valley more than these words. It's gotten to the point that I have decided that the idea of "us" against "them" is the very reason 'compadrismo' thrives in our area. My theory, that we need to change attitudes towards what is best for our community at large, is only strengthened by the nature of people that will use the suffix "-ista" when referring any one who supports their candidates opponent. Take for instance, the race for Hidalgo County Judge. Anyone who comes out and supports Ramon Garcia is deemed a puppet and a "Ramonista". Shall we as citizens forget that what Garcia has done for Hidalgo County in four years is to put us in the best shape we have ever been in? Except for a few issues such as indigent health care, of which blame should not fall on a single person or position anyway, the county is in the best financial shape it has ever been, and I for one want that to continue. Shall we forget that it is J.D. Salinas who's friend and business partner Arturo Guajardo Jr. is running a campaign under an experience matters slate? It is Mr. Guajardo who has stated time and time again at every public forum that we would be wasting taxpayer's money by having to waste county time training someone new to the office. Well, does this not go for the County Judge as well? Or are we to asume that a new County Judge will be led from the hand by the will of the County Commissioners?Should we believe the political ads that Mr. Salinas is running that claims Ramon Garcia lost the county 6 million dollars in health care for the indigent population as fact? When in reality, the quotes he uses in his ads are taken out of the context of the whole report. Dear readers, do yourselves a favor and visit the web sites of these newspapers and look up the whole report in the archives. Accusing someone of being an "-ista" only proves that the type of attitude being flung by these people is that if their candidate wins, the rest of us that didn't vote for him are in deep shit. Pardon the french, but that is what we're talking about here, isn't it? Instead of saying, "if you're going to vote for a certain candidate, you know what, here's why you should vote for this guy instead", we're pitting faction against faction which only leads to compadrismo. I don't consider myself an "-ista", I consider myself a realist. And a damned smart one too, if I want what's best for my family for the next four years. Read the quote on my sidebar that says, "politics is the art of controlling your environment". I didn't put that quote there because I thought it looked nice. I put it there because I believe in it. Some more of us should, too.
posted by Hector @ 8:23 PM
12 Comments:
I agree with you 100%. Just because I vote for the County Judge, does not make me a Ramonista. It makes me a well-informed, intelligent individual who believes that voting for Judge Garcia is the right thing to do. He is not a puppet to the 4 commissioners and the bank who want him out. This is due to the fact that he is not a "team player" with these 4 comm. and bank. He does not want to be county judge to line his pockets with money, as the other commissioners have done and will continue to do if electing County Judge Ramon Garcia's opponent. I believe that Judge Garcia has kept these commissioners and anyone else involved in their shenanigans in check.
I think you give the Judge too much credit. The current financial state of the County is more a reflection of our fast growing economy and the JOINT action of all five members of Commissioner's Court. I can't recall a single incident in which the Judge kept a Commissioner in line. Unless you are referring to the backroom deals with the ex sheriff and ex auditor to have Garza arrested, have Flores and Palacios audited so as to put them in a position to where they would be vunerable to his coercion. Obviously, this did not work.
In no way am I saying JD is the better candidate. Gosh, what would await us with a completely united Court! There are checks an balances in place: County Auditor, the Texas Rangers, the Feds... life will go on!
Just don't sell me on the Judge being enlightened and all knowing!
A completly united court is your vision of what is should be. Wow, you must be from the age where payoffs and bribes are politics as usual.
As far as giving the whole court credit for the current state of the county is a joke. Four years ago, all four commisioner were there yet we were looking at another tax rate hike. Only since the change of the county judge have we had no new taxes.
You really need to check your facts before you just give credit where it isn't due.
I am not selling Ramon, what i am trying to do is enlighten people about the good that our County Judge has done for this county. As for backroom deals, that is exactly what Comm. Garza has done. I'm referring to the backroom deal Garza made with Karle on the leasing of the land without going through the commissioner's court, about paving private roads (with county money and employees) for individuals who hosted a fundraiser for him. About the use of county equipment, employees and material in his subdivision, "los venados."
Garcia attacked Pulido about misusing indigent care funds for a new prison, so how is it different if Salinas uses the same issue and tactic to attack Garcia?
It is wrong because it is untrue. Pulido had a house build with the misused money. Garcia never misused a cent of the countys money. Salinas is lying about the 6 million that we never had, so we never lost it.
www.echisme.com
I would have to say that JD Salinas is not lying about the $6 million we lost. It was ours and it was lost by Ramon Garcia because he is the only one who has any say on the appointments to the board of directors for the health services district. All you have to do is look at the memo from the Texas Department of Health dated April 11, 2005. The memo, from the department to legislators, shows Hidalgo County with a bond balance of $8.3 million and Cameron County with a balance of $8.3 million. The memo then changes the bond balance amounts by taking $4.85 million from Hidalgo and $1.15 million from Cameron. That equals $6 million, folks. Educate yourselves. And by the way, Ramon Garcia wasn't crying 4 years ago when all 4 commissioners endorsed him. Why was it okay back then?
I can't believe that all 4 commissioners were supporting Judge Garcia in his first race! Is that true, and if so is there an article you can reference, so that i may read it?
If anybody takes JD's anonymous blogger seriously about $6million being lost, call the texas dept of health and see if money was lost.
when choosing a candidate i would be careful about a candidate who advertises with snippets or out of context quotes.
Tend to be misleading, such as a raise, or missing meetings.
donates his salary, and has highest attendance in court. see the abuse.
Yes, good! Call the department of health and find out the truth for yourselves! that's what I did and now I know Ramon Garcia dropped the ball and lost $6 million. The articles for the monitor don't go back that far online, but stories from the March 2002 primary indicated Ramon Garcia was endorsed by all 4 commissioners. He's not an angel, you know. The commissioners are saying that he's using private information from executive session for personal gain in his law office, whatever that means. educate yourselves!
I have emailed the webmaster of the Texas Department of Health which became part of the Department of State Health Services(DSHS) in September 2004 concerning the memo of April 11, 2005. I will pass along any information they give me as soon as I receive it. Thank you all for your comments.
Post a Comment
<< Home