Texans make more moves....

Well the Houston Texans have finally made their big pre-draft move. And what a move it is, they have traded 2 second round picks for Matt Schaub. This trade marks the end of the David Carr experiment by the current coaching staff and at the same time also shows that Rick Smith and Gary Kubiak are serious about changing the direction that this team is going. Granted the true results of this offseason will eventually be played out on the field I like what has been done to change the atmosphere and roster over the past 2 seasons. With the exception of a few of the better performers almost all of the players on this next years roster will be chosen by Kubiak and Smith. Here is a quick rundown of new Houston Texans....

First we start with the new quarterback Matt Schaub, he is 25 years old 6'5" and 235 lbs. He has great upside and has shown that he is a hard working student of the game. He will put in the effort to learn the offense as well as spend the time needed to get a good raport with his teammates. I like the pickup, even if we ended up giving up draft picks, there is not a quarterback in the draft this year, nor last year that would be able to come in and make a big enough of a difference, without other players on both sides of the ball.Now on to those new free agent signings.

The Texans were in Salary Cap Hell this year at the start of the Free Agent period. They had about $13 million in available cap space and over $20 million in dead money sitting on the books. First thing the team did was to dump several players that have not lived up to their cost either because of injury or age or both. Eric Moulds was a good 1 year pickup simply because he was the type of player who could teach Andre Johnson how to take his game to the next level and it showed in J0hnson's season. But Moulds showed he has lost a step and is not the best complimentary player for Johnson now. Also going were Seth Payne and Zach Weigert, both because of injuries and age. Those departures and Andre Johnson redoing his contract gave the Texans the needed space to make the following moves.

First they signed Ahman Green to a 4 year front loaded contract. If anyone thinks Green is going to see the end of that contract then they are crazy. He is a 2 maybe 3 year signing who will allow the Texans to either develop another RB or find one in the draft during that time. Yes he has had injuries before but we still have several functional backups in Ron Dayne, Chris Taylor and Walli Lundy. And before anyone says that these guys are chopped liver they did a fine job over the last 4 weeks of the season running for an average of 150 yards a game which is one reason that the Texans went 6-10.
Next the Texans also have addressed the Offensive line issues in several ways, first they resigned Ephriam Salaam, who can play both tackle positions, and they added Jordan Black who is a young lineman who can play either guard or tackle. This leaves them with several young athletic linemen who will all be competing for spots in the starting lineup. Even if Charles Spencer does not come back this season the offensive line will be better because with Eric Winston, Black, Chester Pitts, and possibly another young linemen drafted in the middle rounds they will be set at the guard and tackle position for several years. Salaam, McKinney and Hogdon, provide depth and flexability that they have not had up to this point. Now I know people are going to say that we don't have any superstars on the O-line but if you look at the best 3 o-lines in the NFL, Indy San Diego, and Pittsburgh none of them have super stars, they have 5 or 6 guys that play hard and play smart, and on any year potential pro bowl performers.

The final moves that the Texans have made and it has all been very quiet, they have improved their depth and tallent level in both the Defensive line and Linebackers. They have signed Jeff Zgonina, Shawn Barber and Danny Clark to contracts that are 1 to 3 years in length for reasonable salaries. All three guys are vets who know what it takes to win as well as have histories of success in the NFL. None of them are world beaters, however you need what I call lunchpail players on your roster to make things work, you cannot have superstars at every position, just look at the Washington Redskins and the New York Yankees. These teams were winners when they had the old school blue collar players on the roster. The heros of those early Yankee teams were a>not the superstars but guys who simply went out every day and busted their backsides and played hard. That is what Zgonina, Barber, Clark bring to the team, and maybe, just maybe they can help some of these young players who do not understand about what it takes to be a success in this league see the light.

So there you have it. The Texans have been blasted by national and local "experts" for not being more of a "player" in the free agent period, but as you see Rick Smith and Gary Kubiak have very quietly done some quality work filling up some of the holes that are on this roster. But they still need to have a good draft to make the off season a success. As of right now their grade is a B- but depening upon the draft it could end up as an A. We will see, the draft is April 28-29.

I'll talk to you after the draft

Be careful who you attack

This is a great video please watch

More proof that Metro is out of control

Ok, I have been quiet on the "lets all bash metro front" for a while but this article in today's business section of the Chronicle has me up on the soapbox one more time. Houston mass transit company works to pick up speed

Here are a few choice bits from the article

A Houston company hopes to prove its soaring rail design is the best solution for new mass transit systems, but you won't get to ride on it anytime soon unless you're in China.

Plans call for the system's 2.7-mile route to sweep high over a bay to Liugong Island, linking the Chinese tourist destination with the Weihai central business district.

Company officials hope to use the China project as a springboard for other sales. Aerobus executives say that its installations have operated reliably for millions of passenger miles. However, the company has built no systems in the U.S., where only a handful of monorails are in operation.

To start with we have a local company that has a mass transit solution and there is not one in the US.

Aerobus was one of 11 companies Metro invited in 2004 to present their products at a forum hosted by Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority to examine technologies for transit lines. And the company has held talks recently with Metro, Stallings said.
"The engineers did like the technology and wanted to consider it for future routes, as they already selected light rail for the Richmond corridor," Stallings said.

The pylons can be placed as far apart as 6,600 feet, Aerobus officials say. They say that makes it cheaper than other kinds of rail systems because it requires less land and saves on construction costs. Aerobus estimates it costs $10 million to $15 million per mile to construct versus $30 million for conventional monorail and $45 million for light rail.

Now how about that for a kick in the face, here metro is presented with an option that will cost between up to 70% less than light rail and WILL NOT cause the construction problems that light rail will and they walk away from it. Makes you wonder if anyone at Metro is willing to take a chance on something new, or if they are all bought and paid for by the light rail manufacturers?

A round trip from Weihai to Liugong Island will take 15 minutes. Aerobus is working on final designs. It has ordered the vehicles and will soon order the cable needed. Stallings said construction will take 26 to 30 weeks

And so finallyyou find out the trip on this system will run 2.7 miles and take 15 minutes, and take only 1/2 year to build. If Metro is serious about mass transit in the City of Houston then maybe they should look at this as a replacement for the park-n-ride lots, as well as for routes to both airports. No that would make to much sense. I mean why would they want to do that after spending the Billions they are going to spend on Rail. I mean if they did this then they could have a true 24-7-365 commuter transit system along every major freeway and at a fraction of what it would cost otherwise.

Lawmakers propose education reforms, may axe TAKS test

Leave it to the UT campus newspaper to have the best article on legislation about the TAKS Test and college tuition.

Lawmakers propose education reforms, may axe TAKS test

State legislators have until the end of May to decide how much of the state's surplus budget will fund education reform, but bills that have already
been filed will make lawmakers reevaluate several of Texas' education policies. Bills pre-filed for the 80th Legislative Session aim to reform or repeal past legislation.
Those bills will affect high school students' academic assessment, college admissions and the increasing cost of tuition.
The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test, used to evaluate the progress of students, is in jeopardy of being replaced by end-of-course assessment tests in upper grade levels. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, are among the legislators poised to eliminate the TAKS test. Critics of the TAKS test cite "teaching to the test" and the multiplechoice format for its ineffectiveness.
House Bill 212, filed by Houston-area republican Rep. Beverly Woolley, proposes to repeal the top 10 percent admissions policy. The rule guarantees admission to public state universities for those in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. Lawmakers have criticized the rule for forcing students from more academically competitive schools to universities out of state.
Several bills which would directly impact college students are the bills leveled at tuition rates. Three years after the Legislature gave university regents the power to decide tuition rates, the average cost of tuition and fees at public universities has risen more than $2,000, according to figures from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. UT tuition increased 57 percent during the same period. Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-Mission, pre-filed a bill in November to freeze tuition rates for three years and cap annual increases at 5 percent thereafter.
A similar bill written by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, would repeal deregulation in three years unless lawmakers pass legislation to continue it.
The Texas Taxpayers and Research Association estimated the cost of education and finance reform will be more than $10 billion, but no matter how much money is put toward reform, the biggest change to the state's education system may come from bills passed during this legislative session.

The one good thing that I see out of all of this is the fact that there are actually people in the State legislature who are using their head as well as seeing how things are actually going on in the rest of the state.

Katy Watchdog Newsletter

I am a member of the Katy Watchdogs, a group whose purpose is to keep an eye on the spending of Katy ISD. Here is their current newsletter. I am going to post these every time I get them for all to read.


THE KATY CITIZEN WATCHDOG NEWSLETTER

We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money!

Local Citizens Looking Out For The Interests Of Taxpayers and Students!

Join us at http://www.katycitizens.org/ and at http://www.radiofreekaty.com/

Volume 26 – February 28, 2007

Dear Katy Citizen Watchdog Members, KISD Teachers/Faculty, Taxpayers and concerned Parents:

We hope you find our newsletters useful and informative. We urge you to please forward this newsletter to anyone you know that might be interested in its content. For those of you that have received this newsletter via a “forward”, please go to our web site (as noted above) to find out who we are and consider joining us. KCW welcomes your ideas, comments, suggestions, concerns and questions, so please feel free to e-mail us any time at info@katycitizens.org

Contained in this issue:

· Dogs Address Boulder ISD Watchdogs & Board!
· KISD Posts Check Register Online!
· KMAC Contract Approved!
· Dogs To Speak At AFP’s Taxpayer Summit Next Month!
· Upcoming Events

DOGS ADDRESS BOULDER ISD WATCHDOG$ & BOARD!

As we told you last month, the Boulder Watchdogs asked the Katy Dogs to meet with their group, as well as address the Boulder Valley School District Board. We want to thank Mr. Mike McDaniel of the Boulder Dogs for the invitation and their hospitality. Co-Founder, Chris Cottrell, made the trip to Boulder, CO. Chris toured several schools in the district, spoke to several Boulder Valley employees and spoke at the school board meeting of the 27th. We will be posting his statements on the web site shortly.

KISD POSTS CHECK REGISTER ONLINE!

On February 1st Co-Founder, Chris Cottrell, sent an open letter to the Board asking that they consider putting KISD’s check register online. Many districts have already done it. Even the Texas Education Agency decided to post their check register online. Gov. Perry recently ordered all state agencies to begin posting their check registers online as well. Co-Founder, Kevin Tatum, spoke on this very matter at the Board meeting this past Monday evening.

Well, we are very pleased to announce that because of Watchdog pressure the district announced at Monday’s Board meeting that they have posted the KISD check register online. The Watchdog$ want to offer our congratulations to the district for doing the RIGHT thing and posting the check register on their web site. This simple act would go a long way in showing that this district wants to take the first steps towards being transparent with OUR tax dollars!!

We also urge you to go to Peyton Wolcott’s web site for all the latest on this check register issue. A link to her web site can be found under the “ Related Links” page of our web site. The Katy Dogs want to acknowledge and thank Peyton for her tireless leadership in this matter and we are pleased that she continues to lobby for districts to post their check registers online. The Watchdog$ are very happy that she can add KISD to her honor role of schools that have decided to post their check registers online.

KMAC CONTRACT APPROVED!
In a 6-1 vote Monday night, the KISD Trustees approved the controversial KMAC contract. Unfortunately, only Trustee Law said “NO” to this matter. We want to thank all the Dogs that sent e-mails to the board members pleading with them to say “NO”, or at the very least to table to matter until all the questions about this contract could be answered. Instead your pleas were ignored. Fellow Dogs, we hope that you are as outraged as we are that six (6) of your elected board members thought it was ok to thumb their noses at you.

We all need to be very concerned about a matter of such importance being brought up on a Wednesday night with limited discussion, and then approved the following Monday night. The Watchdog$ believe that a decision of this magnitude should have been discussed in detail and the public should have been involved in this discussion. Let’s not forget that YOUR tax dollars were used to fund this KMAC program. The Watchdog$ want to thank Charter Member, Fred Hink, for speaking on this matter at the Board meeting. We will be posting Fred’s speech on the web site shortly. In addition, the Watchdog leadership issued a formal Press Release on this matter on Wednesday. We will be posting that Press Release to the web site shortly.

Fellow Dogs, if you believe in transparent government then the Watchdog leadership is asking that you to become more involved in this fight. We urge you to voice your concerns and/or praise to your elected Board members on a regular basis. Tell them that you support the district’s decision to post the KISD check register online. But those of you that share our concern about the KMAC contract approval should express your outrage as well. The way in which the KMAC contract matter was handled is NOT what representative government is all about. Government, at any level, should be accountable to those that are paying the bills. Don’t know you Trustees’ e-mail addresses?

ericduhon@katyisd.org; tomlaw@katyisd.org; joeadams@katyisd.org; judysnyder@katyisd.org; jackiebirkel@katyisd.org; robertshaw@katyisd.org; rebeccafox@katyisd.org

You can also send your comments to the Katy ISD Communications Department at:

stevestanford@katyisd.org

Fellow Watchdog$, I know you are busy with tasks at home and at the office, but the reality is that we must all begin to take more direct action ourselves. Real change is only going to occur with real commitment to change! Your elected officials need to hear from someone other than those of us in the KCW leadership group!

DOGS TO SPEAK AT AFP’S TAXPAYER SUMMIT NEXT MONTH!

Americans For Prosperity (“AFP”) will be hosting the second annual Texas Taxpayer Summit in Austin on Saturday, March 10th at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel (Intercontinental Hotel). AFP has asked Co-Founder, Chris Cottrell, to speak at that event. Chris’ topic is entitled “So You Want To Be A Watchdog? Really?” We hope that you will consider attending the event. There will be a whole host of topics that concern Texas taxpayers. We have posted the proposed agenda on our web site. You can sign up for the Summit online at the AFP web site (www.afptx.org) which can be found under the “Related Links” page of our web site. If you do attend, please stop by and visit with Chris if you get a chance.

For your convenience, below is a Special Announcement for this event.

THE LAST WORD!

“Never fail to do the right thing for fear that the opposition will attack you in response. The other side can and will attack you anyway, at a time of their own choosing rather than yours, regardless of whether you act”.

Ronald Reagan (One of our nation’s greatest leaders and Presidents)

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. March 21, 2007 – 6:30 p.m. Work/Study Board Meeting
2. March 26, 2007 – 6:30 p.m. General School Board Meeting

Don’t forget that as a taxpayer you have a right to speak at any General Board Meeting. Exercise that right if you are so inclined! Come join us at the next meeting.

IF YOU PREFER THAT WE NOT SEND YOU ANY MORE E-MAILS, YOU MAY OPT OUT BY SENDING US AN E-MAIL AT INFO@KATYCITIZENS.ORG

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!

KATY CITIZEN WATCHDOG ANNOUNCEMENT

CALLING ALL CONCERNED TAXPAYERS!!!

February 16, 2007

Dear Citizen Watchdog$ and other interested parties:

As you may or may not know, Americans For Prosperity will be holding their second annual Texas Taxpayer Summit in Austin, Texas on Saturday, March 10th. The event is being held at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel (Intercontinental Hotel) in downtown Austin. Below is the planned agenda as of right now. Co-Founder, Chris Cottrell, will be speaking at the Summit. His topic will be “So You Want To Be A Watchdog? Really?” You can sign up online at http://www.afptx.org/ or you can paste the following address to your URL toolbar:

http://afpf.sfproductions.net/petitions-forms/index.php?petition=26&state=TX

and go straight to the sign-up screen.

We hope that you will join us in Austin! If you do attend, please make sure to introduce yourself to Chris while you are there.
Texas Taxpayer SummitSaturday, March 10, 2007Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Austin
AGENDA
8:00 am Registration and Continental Breakfast – All events are around the Ballroom (Upstairs Stephen F. Austin Hotel)
9:00 am Opening Keynote Session Speaker: Gov Rick Perry (invited) Comptroller Susan Combs; Texas revenue forecast
9:30 am Preserving the American Dream Paul Bettencourt, Harris County Tax Assessor and Collector (invited) Cheryl Johnson, Galveston County Tax Assessor and Collector Sen. Dan Patrick Tom Pauken, Chairman of the Appraisal Reform Task Force
10:30 am Pocketbook Issues Michael Williams, Railroad Commissioner; Environmental and energy issues Mary Katherine Stout; Healthcare and insurance
11:30 am Evils of the Sin Tax
12:30–1:30 Lunch Keynote Session
1:45 pm Putting Taxpayers in Control Peggy Venable, AFP-Texas Director Dr. Byron Schlomach, Chief Economist, Texas Public Policy Foundation Dr. Barry Poulson, AFP Adjunct Scholar Rep Carl Isett (invited)
2:45 pm Focusing on Students, not Institutions Dr. Jim Leininger (invited) Sen. Florence Shapiro Chairman of House Public Ed Will Lutz: higher ed
3:45 PM BREAK
4:00 pm Making a Difference Jason Moore, AFP Citizen Watchdog of the Year, Permian Basin Citizen Watchdogs Chris Cottrell, Katy Citizen Watchdog$ Doug Kirk, Comal county activist Michele Connole Randy Samuelson
5:30 pm Reception and Legislative Award Ceremony Speaker: Tim Phillips; Federal update/Where AFP is headed (invited)
6:30 pm Dinner Honoring AFP Citizen Watchdog Leaders

Cost: $75.00 (This includes all meals, the reception, and all workshops.) Donations are welcome and scholarships are available!For more information, contact:Jan Brauner (512) 476-5905, jan@afptx.orgMichele Connole (512) 476-5905, mconnole@afptx.org Who we are: Americans For Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFPF believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFPF educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. Americans for Prosperity educates and mobilizes grassroots citizens.
Peggy M. Venable, Texas Director,
Americans for Prosperity and AFP Foundation 807 Brazos St,
#210; Austin, TX 78701
phone: 512/476-5905;
fax: 512/476-5906;
cell: 512/423-2947;