A Change of the Guard in the Hidalgo County Judges Seat...J.D. Salinas wins...What now?
Reports out of The Monitor this morning brings good news for some, bad news for others, but in the end it is what it is, and now we have to move forward. Come January of next year, we will have a new Hidalgo County Judge, and the name on the masthead will read J.D. Salinas. The new judge has made his promises to the voters of Hidalgo County in regards to better health care, increased economic development, and full-time accessibility. I hope for the voters of this county, these promises are not just idle ones. It will be interesting to see how his promises play out. Can he deliver? At what cost? And to who? Will we see an increase in our tax base? Will we see honest government at work? Or are we just waiting for the next six o'clock news headline? Will Sugar Road from Pharr to Edinburg finally get the attention it deserves? Will Hidalgo County finally see a decent indigent health care system? Will War Veterans finally get their well deserved VA Hospital? Will Hidalgo County lure businesses to our area that will provide the same benifits and salary packages these companies provide for employees in other parts of the country? Or are we still being looked at as the new frontier of minimum wage labor? So many questions. And I thought paying off a loan note was bad enough.
posted by Hector @ 8:29 AM
12 Comments:
the good guys won
I'm going to reserve my comments and give these guys the benefit of the doubt. I pledge to stand behind our new leadership and pray that they make good decisions.
A simple civics lesson. There is a thing called Federalism. Certain things are Federal matters while others belong to the state and the local governments. The Department of Veterans' Affairs is a FEDERAL agency.
A county judge can do nothing to get us a VA Hospital. That's a federal matter. Not to disparage Veterans; however, VA hospitals are pork barrel projects that are the result of log rolling in Washington. Our party is out of power. The GOP has controlled both houses of Congresses pretty consistently since 1994 and the presidency since 2000.
A Democratic county judge -- whether it be Ramon or J.D. in Hidalgo County and Gilbert Hinojosa in Cameron County -- has no sway in D.C. Not one Valley Congressman--be it Dogget, Hinojosa, Ortiz, Cuellar -- holds a power committee chairmanship. Guess why...they are all Republicans. Both U.S. senators are Republicans and pay only cursory attention to the Valley because they know that they can't rely on the Valley come election time. Besides, Kay Baby is going to be relected by about 80 percent of the vote so there is no need to kiss ass to Valleyites.
There are going to have to be some major changes in either Washington or in the way Hidalgo County votes to secure a VA Hospital. Either:
1. Hidalgo County (and its neighbors to the east and west) are going to have to go Republican and elect GOP congressmen. OR
2. Democrats are going to have recapture the U.S. House of Representatives.
The first won't happen in 1,000,000 years. Even if Hidalgo County started to trend GOP, Hollis Rutledge and his minions are too stupid to run good candidates.
The second is unlikely this election or even next. Redistricting took care of any Democratic hope of regaining Congress. Even if the Supremes knock out the 2003 Texas redistricting map, the Legislature will probably draw one that protects at least 3 or 4 of those Republican congressmen and that passes judicial scrutiny.
Finally, any Veterans' Hospital would require some substantial contribution from the State. All one has to do is look at empty confines of new Pharmacy School at TAMUK to see that the Republicans who run Austin are willing to punish South Texas for its Democratic leanings.
J.D.'s election did absolutely nothing to help get veterans their hospital.
anonymous,
thanks for the information regarding the issue of a Veteran's Hospital.
This current administration and the IDIOTIC way it is managing this country are the biggest benefit to the Democratic party, IF they'd get their act together.
This is a cyclical. This country is headed to Democratic leadership soon. Hillary or even McCain (R) will set the course straight!
One story that is being ignored by both the regular news media and the bloggers is how bad the unopposed incumbent district judges did.
There were a total 51,403 ballots cast.
Two-hundred-seventy fifth State District Judge Juan Partida drew barely a majority of the votes with 25,893 or 50.3 percent. His neighbor, 370th State District Judge Noe Gonzalez didn't do much better with only 26,399 votes or 51.4 percent.
Rose Reyna, who was stung last fall by an attack by CNN gadfly Nancy Grace, did the best of the unopposed judges with 26,983 or 52.5 percent.
The unopposed County Court at Law judges did poorly also. Judges Arnold Cantu and Fred Garza polled worse than Partida while Probate Court Judge Homer Garza finished with less than 50 percent of the vote.
County Court at Law #2 Judge Jay Palacios brought in numbers similar to those of Reyna and Noe Gonzalez.
Does this mean that these judges are vulnerable to a strong opponent? Did Hidalgo County voters just skip over them?
How does paying someone for their vote at 20.00 plus a taco, suggest to you that their good guys. I hate to say this, but just watch the corruption that comes around on January, 2007. If JD thinks he's his own man, well he better look again, because he will be doing everyone of his big donors bidding.
"At this point, I only want to follow the money trail and see who will be benefiting from this election win."
I agree with you. Let's see major players whom one might want to follow the money trail, 4 county commissioners, David Rogers and his bank, Glen Roney and his bank, the Palacios, that's all i can think of at this time, but trust me there will be more.
You all pretend that Ramon's amigos didn't profit these past years from him. Please! He is out, thank God! No matter how much you cry or how many rumors you all start, Ramon has tons of skeletons in the closet. You all make it seem as if he is God. I'll wait for 2007 also and I hope Ramon runs again. That will be something to watch for.
Alma Walzer (JD's campaign manager), Teresa Navarro (election administrator) and Eddie Saenz (JD's boss) are all related family members.
Walzer helped do the dirty work with the newspapers (the Monitor, etc.), Navarro helped steal the election (rigging machines) and now Saenz has put J.D. on his payroll at his business as an employee.
Don't you believe the big payout is coming. Just like Edinburg, Elsa and Pharr got robbed by this corrupt family, expect Hidalgo County to get robbed. Mark this post and remember, when you see the sisters Walzer and Navarro with overpaid assignments and you see county contracts going to Saenz and Associates, these are the same crooks who have been stealing from the good people of this county for years.
Someone tell Ramon to stop being a crybaby and take it like a man!! He LOST!!
Someone tell Ramon to stop being a crybaby and take it like a man!! He LOST!!
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