Texas Politics

[elfismiles]

Been wanting to post some stuff about the recent shenanigans related to the Texas Green Party and Rick Perry and just saw this unrelated item but which involves Rick Perry and Texas politics...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCl9bAn7gUA

Perry's extravagant lifestyle funded by secretive corporate contributions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Perry's extravagant lifestyle funded by secretive corporate contributions


HOUSTON -- Rick Perry funds his extravagant lifestyle with corporate contributions to TexasONE, a secretive non-profit run out of the governor's office.

"Perry uses TexasONE as a slush fund for personal and campaign travel. Texans need to see Perry's TexasOne travel records. What other companies are using 'charitable' contributions to buy influence and fund Perry's expensive personal tastes?" asked Katy Bacon, campaign spokesperson. "Each time Rick Perry's global travel is put under a microscope, we see that the career politician's using corporate and campaign contributions for his personal purposes."

Last year, news outlets across the state covered Perry's swanky trip to Israel. KTVT reported that for the trip as a whole, "the specific price tag for the governor and his wife are secret," but the AP reported that Perry flew in on a private jet, to the tune of $180,741.55.

Doug Pitcock, a $396,000 donor to Perry and CEO of Williams Brothers Construction Company, paid for the plane and had the flight marked as a charitable donation to TexasONE. See a photo of the private jet, on a Tel Aviv runway, by clicking here.

One expert told KTVT that trips like this "can be a lucrative way to conduct business. You pay for vacation and in return you may get contracts or government brokered deals worth millions of dollars."

Immediately after the Pitcock-funded Israel trip, Williams Brothers received over $100 million in highway contracts. Williams Brothers is the biggest recipient of highway tax dollars with an estimated $9.6 billion in contracts during Perry's time as governor.

Perry needs to open the books on the secret charity, run out of the governor's office, that funds his extravagant lifestyle.

Sources in embedded links and below.


# # #


Contact:
Katy Bacon
press@billwhitefortexas.com
713.613.5326

Perry's Secret Jerusalem Trip Raises Questions

http://cbs11tv.com/local/Rick.Perry.Tex ... 80352.html

The city of Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and it has a new defender: Texas Governor Rick Perry.

In August, Perry was given the "Defender of Jerusalem" award. So Perry and his wife flew first class to Israel at more than $5,000 per ticket. The governor's security detail of four Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers was also along for the trip.

They all took the 7,000 mile journey to accept the award at a time when the governor was asking everyone else in state government to cut back on travel. During a speech in Houston, Perry directed state agencies to "curtail taxpayer funded travel."

According to state documents, the taxpayers' bill just to take Perry's security officers on the 5-day trip was more than $70,000. The breakdown includes $17,000 for rooms at the swanky King David Hotel, nearly $13,000 for food and more than 350 hours of overtime.

The specific price tag for the governor and his wife are secret. So when CBS 11 asked to see the governor's expense records for the trip, we received four pages and no specifics. Perry refused to do a formal interview with us and would only say, "Going to Israel or other countries is a wise investment for the state of Texas."

Keith Elkins is executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Elkins and his organization fight for government transparency. Elkins says, "This Governor operates under the premise of 'believe what I say, not what I do.'" While Elkins suggests, "There is something else going on here," he doesn't know what that 'something' is.

Records obtained by CBS 11 show the governor's airfare and trip costs for he and his wife were paid for by Irwin Katsof, a financier for energy companies around the world. And the man who presented Perry with the Defender of Jerusalem award, Guma Aguiar, owns a company that made billions of dollars in the Texas natural gas industry. Aguiar also created the award given to Perry.

Just two weeks before Aguiar and Perry posed for pictures in Israel, Aguiar posed for a mug shot in Florida. He was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. Aguiar pleaded no contest.

Sheila Krumholz is the executive director of the Washington D.C. based Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks the effect of money on public policy. She says, "There is just too much of a potential for a conflict of interest with these trips particularly with privately sponsored trips." Krumholz also wonders, "Is this the real deal or a sleight of hand to provide political cover of those attending?"

CBS 11 obtained a list of people on the trip. The organizers describe those attending as "an elite cadre of 20 executives in, gas and oil, biotech, finance and technology." The list includes an out of state Congresswoman and Texas Railroad Commissioner Victor Carrillo, whose agency regulates the oil and natural gas industry in Texas.

Carrillo says he paid his own way but refused to show CBS 11 any of his expenses. Also on the list of travelers: a host of energy executives, the governor's family -- which included his son's fiancée -- and a member of the State Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Juan Hinojosa of McAllen. Hinojosa told us the trip was not about energy. "I don't recall discussions about oil and gas with the business people there," he said.

The governor and others met with the President of Israel, the Prime Minster and Israeli soldiers. They toured the old city of Jerusalem and snapped photos of Aggie souvenirs (the governor is a graduate of Texas A&M). Perry even took time to do an interview with an Israeli TV station. Remember, the governor is doing all this while asking other state employees to "curtail travel."

Like the governor, State Senator Hinojosa's entire trip was paid for by Katsof, the financier. Hinojosa also received the Defender of Jerusalem Award. But unlike the governor's four pages of documents, Hinojosa gave us everything he had -- fully disclosing the nature of the trip.

Hinojosa maintains there was no conflict of interest by accepting the trip. "We as public officials have to make decision on public policy. Not who contributes money or pays for a trip," he explained. But Krumholz disagreed, saying, "This trip raises real concerns for the potential for a secret junket."

The trip also had its share of perks. CBS 11 obtained private emails and found the organizer, Katsof, asked attendees what kind of scotch they preferred for a "scotch and cigar bar" where they would admire "a starry Jerusalem." Krumholz says trips like this "can be a lucrative way to conduct business. You pay for vacation and in return you may get contracts or government brokered deals worth millions of dollars."

In late May a Texas appellate court ruled that all DPS expense reports for the governor's security detail were to be made public. A few days later, the state legislature passed a bill to get around that court ruling, allowing DPS to hide the expense reports of the governor's security detail from public view. The law took effect immediately.

http://www.billwhitefortexas.com/blog/001206.php

Here is some info on the Green Party / Perry shenanigans...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's Ex-Aide Accused of Vote-Diversion Scheme
Jun 25, 2010 ... Texas Democrats say GOP Gov. Rick Perry's former chief of staff paid for an unsuccessful effort to get the Green Party on the ballot in ...
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/25 ... on-scheme/

Who gifted Rick Perry? Texas Green Party ballot drive funded by
Jun 6, 2010 ... DALLAS __ Speculation about who's behind "last minute fairy tale funding" of the Green Party of Texas petition drive is rampant since the ...
http://www.examiner.com/x-35532-Dallas- ... -to-AZ-GOP

Burnt Orange Report: Top Perry Political Consultant Linked to ...
Jun 11, 2010 ... Rick Perry's chief political strategist now acknowledges that the consultant who spearheaded the petition drive for the Green Party in Texas ...
http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/ ... ition-scam

Austin news, sports, weather, Longhorns, business | Statesman.com
Jun 24, 2010 ... Rick Perry, personally paid for an aborted effort to qualify the Green Party of Texas for the ballot, according to court testimony Thursday ...
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/ ... r_abo.html

Green Party blocked from Texas ballot
Jun 25, 2010 ... Rick Perry's close friend and former chief of staff tried to help Green Party ... 9 comment(s) on "Green Party blocked from Texas ballot" ...
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politi ... 08909.html

Democrats win bid to block Green Party from ballots | Houston ...
Jun 24, 2010 ... "Rick Perry needs to answer questions about what he knew and when he ... Texas Green Party chair Christine Morshedi of Tomball said she was ...
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 78891.html

[Occult Means Hidden]

So is this even a big scandal in Texas now? How big of an issue is this on the local political scene there? Why hasn't this been made national? Is there talk of the governor being, you know, arrested?

Or are they zombies over there?

[elfismiles]

So is this even a big scandal in Texas now? How big of an issue is this on the local political scene there? Why hasn't this been made national? Is there talk of the governor being, you know, arrested?

Or are they zombies over there?

Honestly, until today I'd not heard about the Israel story and that video was from late last year I think and had only just been posted recently as an attempt to revive the dirt on Perry going into this election cycle. That video was posted this month at the Dem Gov candidate, Bill White's website.

Whats been more in the news has been the dems going after Perry AND the Green Party by calling out the apparent Perry funding of the Greens. Or something like that.

But to answer your last question...

YES! ZOMBIES!! RUN!!!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLdyZ5lqqyk
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Road_signs_warn_of_zombies

[elfismiles]

Exclusive: Rick Perry’s October trip to Israel sign of another White House bid
By Ralph Z. Hallow - The Washington Times / Thursday, July 11, 2013

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday that he will visit Israel in October, a move that signals to the political world that he is seriously considering making another presidential run in 2016.

“We will be going to Israel to bring together Arabs, Christian and Jews in an educational forum,” Mr. Perry told The Washington Times in an interview just three days after he announced he would not seek an unprecedented fourth term as Texas governor.

Many analysts interpreted that decision as evidence that he is setting the table for a White House campaign. Asked what would induce him to announce a run, he told The Times that he has “plenty of time to make that decision.”

Mr. Perry ranks among those on the short list of Republican contenders for 2016, despite a series of flubs that led to an early exit from the 2012 primaries. Also on that list is Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who made his own trek this year to Israel, a pilgrimage that has come to be expected of would-be presidential candidates — especially conservatives — looking to establish foreign policy credentials and show loyalty to the key Middle East ally of the United States.

Two other potential Republican candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have made trips to Israel this year, and Mitt Romney, who defeated Mr. Perry to win the 2012 nomination, visited during the general election campaign.

Israel’s stance as a bulwark against Iran earns it the backing of Republicans, but the U.S. commitment to military involvement in the region has become a dividing line within the party.

Mr. Perry and Mr. Paul have embraced the tea party movement and its more libertarian-flavored brand of Republicanism, and Mr. Perry made it clear Thursday that he backs a more deliberative approach to the use of American military muscle.

Noting that America’s founders, including George Washington and Thomas Paine, warned against military intervention abroad unless the U.S. is directly attacked, Mr. Perry said, “How we intervene is crucial.”

“Investing our treasure in educational operations will go more toward creating peace than any military foray,” Mr. Perry said.

He offered pointed criticisms of President Obama and former President George W. Bush, a fellow Republican and Texan.

“Having a president who has not served in the military and does not understand the burden of sending our treasure — our young men and women — into battle is wrong,” he said. “Afghanistan is a good example of how we can learn from history but have not. From Alexander the Great to the British Empire to the Soviets, the people of Afghanistan remained the same. Why we thought we would have a different outcome using our treasure and resources, I will never understand.”

Mr. Perry is widely considered the most aggressive and successful state governor when it comes to personally persuading corporation heads in the United States and around the world to relocate part or all of their operations.

Texas has no personal income tax or limits on legal claims on corporations, and Mr. Perry has earned credit for making Texas the premier raider of other states’ and countries’ top businesses.

His personal ability to attract corporate CEOs may be Mr. Perry’s biggest asset in arguing that he is ready to take the helm of the U.S. economy as president.

“It’s not just low taxes and business-friendly regulations,” he said, noting that “30 percent of all jobs created in the last decade, in all of America, were created in Texas, which has less than 10 percent of the population.”

Mr. Perry said attracting business and jobs is “not just about the entrepreneur-friendly regs, but also quality of life.”

There are many ways to judge quality of life, he said.

“There is no question that 10 to 15 years ago folks might have had a point in saying we were culturally and intellectually a backwater — Al Gore once said the air is brown here,” he said. “Well, today, we have won that battle, both in perception and substance. The cultural arts here have exploded. From zoos, to music, to museums, to theater. In Houston, we have more theater seats than any other city in America except New York.”

Mr. Perry’s strong commitment to faith has been a big part of his political career, but he sees the economy as pre-eminent in the lives of Americans, whether religious or secular.

“Americans have to decide what is the most important to them — social issues, foreign policy, national security and other issues, but all those issues — many of them should be the purview of states, not the federal government. You can’t have any of these if you do not take appropriate care of taxes, regulation, legal policies, so that there can be the revenues for those desires.”

Mr. Perry’s presidential nomination run last year flopped when, during a televised debate with Republican rivals, he couldn’t remember the name of the third federal department he promised to shut down if elected president. He has made self-deprecating jokes about the “oops” moment ever since.

That sense of humor is expected to be another strong suit in a second bid for his party’s presidential nomination.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... z2YvhGK5E1
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... house-bid/