Texas Constitutional Amendments

[sonias]

Burnt Orange Report is creating a series of posts to evaluate the amendments and linking to various other organizations and people on the pros/cons of each. Early voting started on Monday and BOR will issue a summary and their endorsements on some this Friday. Right now all the amendments are individual posts so you will have to hunt around on their site to research them all. Or wait for Friday when they do the summary/endorsement post.

Prop 1
Texas Constitutional Amendments

Proposition 1: Authorizing Local Financing To Buy Buffer Areas Near Military Installations

"Currently, municipalities and counties do not have a method to raise the revenue needed to acquire land to provide a buffer zone or open space to prevent encroachment from development, or to fund the construction of roadways, utilities, or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of adjacent military installations." --League of Women Voters Guide

Source: Endorsement:
Austin Chronicle: NO. "We've had quite enough of state-subsidized militarism (and the Lege didn't even bother to authorize the bonds). Let the bases rub up against the neighborhoods where they live."

El Paso Times: YES. "Care would have to be taken to ensure that governments didn't use this power to unnecessarily raise property taxes, particularly in these tough economic times."

Here's another one we've discussed on the board - Prop 4

"To enable emerging research universities in Texas to achieve national prominence, this amendment would establish a new National Research University Fund. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University would not be eligible to receive money from this fund." --League of Women Voters Guide

All of their sources say "yes" on this one except the Houston Tea Party Patriots.

Houston Tea Party Patriots: NO. "Research conducted in the private market is efficient and effective and doesn't involve the use of billions of tax dollars. Moreover, the past has shown that research-oriented universities are more expensive for students and provide a lower-quality education, as professors spend less time in the classroom and more time conducting research projects."

I'm going to wait til next week to vote but I will be voting Yes on #4!

Sonia

[WolverineDG]

1. How many of them are there

dg

[flamin lib]

2. 11 nt

[NoPasaran]

3. Sounds like the intent of Prop 1

Is to provide a little bit of a buffer zone around bases not filled with pawn shops, used car dealers and strip clubs. I understand the EP Times endorsement and can only assume the Austin Chronicle prefers privately subsidized militarism for some half-baked pseudo hip reason of their own.

[WolverineDG]

5. I think it has more to do with what is going on in San Antonio

Developers are encroaching on a military base there & the military wants to keep a "green zone" of sorts around it for whatever nefarious purposes they have. I haven't really been paying attention to it much, though, so don't have more information than that.

dg

[Jack_DeLeon]

13. Mostly for airbases I presume...

to keep them safe from BRAC closures in future years, nobody wants to have aircraft go down in neighborhoods that are right up near the bases.

[sonias]

4. BOR's complete list with links

Overview of Texas Constitutional Amendments and Process



Sonia

[sonias]

6. Vote YES for Prop 9! - Right to Open Beaches

When You Cast Your Ballot,
Vote YES for Prop 9!
Protect Your
Right to Open Beaches!


On November 3rd - Election Day 2009 - you have the chance to strengthen public access to Texas beaches by going to the polls and voting FOR Proposition 9. Prop 9 is the proposed state constitutional amendment that would put the Texas Open Beaches Act into the Texas Constitution.

Early voting is underway now, which means you can choose to cast your ballot for Prop 9 before November 3rd.

The Lone Star Chapter and a wide range of coastal and environmental groups urge you to support Prop 9.

The proposal reads as follows on the ballot:

"The constitutional amendment to protect the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico."

The Texas Open Beaches Act was enacted by the state legislature in 1959, but a simple majority of legislators in both houses of the Legislature could weaken or repeal it in the future. Likewise, a state law is also subject to weakening interpretation by the courts. Your vote to put the open beaches protections into the state constitution will make it more difficult for opponents of public access to undermine that right.

Please vote FOR Prop 9 during early voting or on Election Day, November 3rd!

Thanks,

Ken Kramer
Director
Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club

Sonia

[MagickMuffin]

7. Thank You for this Sonia

I'll be checking it out!

This will definitely come in handy.

[sonias]

8. No problem

I didn't do any of the hard work. I needed help looking at these amendments too.



Sonia

[texastoast]

9. Please vote For to Prop 11

Which will make it hard (and continually frustrating--which I really like) for Tricky Ricky to allow foreign corporations to build and OWN toll roads in Texas (not to mention the "developers" who lobby to take prime land for their private benefit (shopping malls, et al.) because such "development" will "increase tax revenue").

Eminent domain can go only so far. Schools--probably. Freeways--maybe. Private, foreign-owned toll roads and shopping malls--hell no.

[gkhouston]

11. um, did you mean to say, vote "No" for Prop 11?

[sonias]

12. Yep I'm confused on that one too

Rick Perry and KBH are for Prop 11 as are the Texas Tea Party Patriots, but so is Kirk Watson and the Farm Bureau. TURF the anti-toll road group is opposed to it and so is BOR, the Austin Chronicle and El Paso Times.

I'm leaning No on this one too.


Sonia

[derby378]

16. I encourage all Texas Dems to vote NO on Prop 11

It's a badly-written law that will actually amplify eminent domain actions in Texas instead of discouraging them. On top of that, Prop 11 will allow any Taxas entity - church, sports team, topless bar, etc. - to obtain ED authority from the state legislature with a two-thirds vote, which means if they want your land, you're screwed.

[kjackson227]

17. I think I'm voting "for" Prop 11 also. I think having...

more protection against eminent domain is a good thing.

Because I work in the field, I'm voting "no" on props 2, 3, and 5.

[WolverineDG]

18. I'm suspicious because the Republicans are campaigning for it

If I see one more ad with Todd Staples hee-hawing at me, I don't know what I'll do.

But I'm still on the fence regardless.....

dg

[kjackson227]

19. I'm wondering what could it actually HURT by voting for it because...

if they want your land, they will always find ways to get it. Question... if eminent domain is filed against your property, wouldn't they still have to pay you the appraised value of the home?

[WolverineDG]

20. yeah, but guess who picks the appraiser?

I may just go ahead & vote "no" just on principle because I just don't trust the Rs on this......

dg

[kjackson227]

23. okay, I'll go ahead and vote "no" also.

[sonias]

10. BOR endorsements

Burnt Orange Report - Endorsements: 2009 Texas Constitutional Amendment Elections

Some interesting positions.

Sonia

[MagickMuffin]

21. Thanks Sonia, since I'm not an early bird voter this will come in handy

Attending out required Election Training today and was told that Early Voting was incredibly low, I think he said like around 18,000 bothered to vote early.

The wiki guide really in interesting.

Did you notice how many papers were voting a straight ticket YES?!?!? My local paper seemed to be the only one with the most No's with a total of 7.

I'm still not sure about how to vote on some of them but I'll probably take BOR's progressive outlook as how I should cast my ballot.


It's going to be a very long day. I'm taking plenty of things to keep busy.

See youin the trenches

[sonias]

26. DMN is all "yes" and Fort Worth Star is mainly "no"

Very interesting positions there. Frankly I don't trust anyone who is all "yes". Waco Tribune is all "yes" too.



Sonia

[kjackson227]

27. The Dallas Morning News is considered conservative (which is why I don't subscribe to it)...

and the Ft. Worth Star Telegram is more liberal. Oh, thanks for the info

[sonias]

14. BallotPedia

BallotPedia Endorsements of Texas ballot measures, 2009

Has links to ten media outlets and their positions. Tips to BOR for the link!

Tomorrow is the actual election day - Tuesday Nov. 3rd, 2009.

Vote!



Sonia

[white cloud]

15. Thanks I will @@ at it.

Looks great but we need to study them hard.

[Richardo]

22. Thanks sonias

I was just looking for just this info.

[sonias]

24. Keep in mind that your vote represents about 100,000 Texans

Doesn't that make you seem so powerful? Use your power wisely Jedi!



Sonia

[Richardo]

25. I was completely hoodwinked by Prop 11

I predict it'll pass because the language sounds so reasonable.

Don't worry, I and my 99,999-person cohort will make educated decisions.