PHOTOS: 1st Annual San Jacinto Day Dinner hosted by the Spring Branch Republicans
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Early Voting Locations: You may vote at any of these locations. Bring your Driver’s License and Registration Card with you.
Location | Addresses (links to Maps) | |
---|---|---|
1 | Harris County Administration Building, Room 100 | 1001 Preston, Houston, TX 77002 |
2 | Lone Star College-Fairbanks Center Room 107 | 14955 Northwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77040 |
3 | Lone Star College-Victory Center Room 102 | 4141 Victory Drive, Houston, TX 77088 |
4 | Lone Star College-Greenspoint Center Room 107 | 205 N. Sam Houston Parkway East, Houston, TX 77060 |
5 | Lone Star College-CyFair LRNC 131 | 9191 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress, TX 77433 |
6 | Lone Star College-Tomball Room E164 | 30555 Tomball Parkway, Tomball, TX 77375 |
7 | Lone Star College-University Park Building 11 Universe Room | 20515 State Hwy 249, Houston, TX 77070 |
8 | Lone Star College-North Harris Library Building, Room 103 | 2700 WW Thorne Drive, Houston, TX 77073 |
9 | Humble City Hall Council Chamber | 114 W. Higgins Street, Humble, TX 77338 |
10 | Humble ISD Administrative Building Room 300 | 20200 Eastway Village Drive, Humble, TX 77338 |
11 | Humble ISD Instructional Support Center Room 1038 | 4810 Magnolia Cove Drive, Kingwood, TX 77345 |
WHAT DOES EARLY VOTING BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE MEAN?
Early Voting By Personal Appearance means that a registered voter in Texas may vote prior to General Election Day during a period designated by state law.
WHEN DOES EARLY VOTING BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE TAKE PLACE?
General Election: During a General Election the period for early voting by personal appearance begins on the 17th day before Election Day and continues through the fourth day before Election Day, except as otherwise provided.
Runoff Election: The Early Voting Period for a special runoff election for the office of state senator or state representative or for a runoff primary election begins on the 10th day before election day.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE EARLY BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE?
Any qualified voter may vote early by personal appearance. No reason is needed.
WHERE CAN A REGISTERED VOTER IN HARRIS COUNTY VOTE DURING THE EARLY VOTING PERIOD?
Any qualified voter may vote in person at the main early voting polling place or at any other designated early voting branch location during designated times. Usually, there are 37 early voting locations in Harris County during the conduct of a countywide election.
WHY WAS THE PERIOD FOR EARLY VOTING BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE ESTABLISHED?
Early Voting by Personal Appearance was introduced in Texas in the mid-1990s to make voting more convenient for the citizenry. It also provides voters who may be away from the county of residence on Election Day the opportunity to vote in person.
HOW ARE EARLY VOTING SITES DESIGNATED?
By law, in counties with a population of 400,000 or more, the commissioners court has the authority to establish at least one early voting site at each state representative district.
EARLY VOTING IN-PERSON: LIMITED BALLOT
A registered voter in the state of Texas may qualify to vote a limited ballot at the main early voting site during the early voting period in a federal and state election. For more information see section 112.001 to 112.0012 of the Texas Election Code.
Dear Editor:
When there is a revenue shortage government entities seek to sell bonds or raise taxes. Either way the government is asking taxpayers to foot the bill in the long term and the short term. We should be particularly concerned with bond sells because of the debt load they produce. Adding debt simply because it is the way things are traditionally done is not a good enough reason to keep doing it. Cyprus should be a warning bell to every government entity. The strategy of adding debt to fund unnecessary projects is being adopted by the Lone Star College System (LSCS) as it has approved a bond issue to be put before the voters on the May 11th ballot. LSCS is looking for voters to approve an additional $500 million in debt after they just approved a bond issue six years ago. Rather than tacking on more debt and burdening the taxpayer LSCS needs to get creative. There are four strategies LSCS could adopt if it wants to raise more revenue in a responsible and debt free manner.
First, LSCS should tap the private sector and philanthropic entities. LSCS should sell the naming rights to its buildings to corporations the same way large research institutes and sports franchises do. Corporations get their name on a building which builds name recognition and community good will and the college gets revenue. Smaller items can be included by holding public auctions or fundraisers where local businesses and private individuals can bid on items as small as a desk or a suite of offices.
LSCS can also expand its hybrid and online course offerings. It seems arcane to think that hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on brick and mortar when the entire educational enterprise is moving online. Hybrid classes, which are part traditional courses and part online, would serve as a great compromise. If a class is scheduled to meet Monday/Wednesday from 12-2 then it could meet Monday online and Wednesday in a traditional setting. Another class scheduled for the same time and days could then be scheduled to meet in the same classroom on Mondays and online on Wednesdays. This would allow two classes scheduled at the same time to use one room therefore eliminating the need for additional classrooms or parking spaces.
Additionally, since most of the day classrooms and parking spaces sit empty, the college system should find a way to use all the space all the time rather than building additional facilities to accommodate the few peak hours. Some time slots, such as late Friday afternoon, are unpopular among students and therefore attract fewer students. There is no reason to build more classrooms if the college already has some sitting empty. To attract students to these time slots the college system should offer reduced fees for students willing to sign up for unpopular time slots. Most LSCS students could use a break on fees anyway so this recommendation is a winner for everyone as it helps students, taxpayers, and the college system.
The fourth recommendation builds on the idea that the facilities should not sit idle. If you go on any of the Lone Star campuses in the evening or on the weekends there is almost no one there. This is a waste of space and money. But, this space could be rented out to corporations and non-profit entities who need a place to hold meetings, conferences, or training sessions. The fees would create an additional revenue stream in addition to building the college’s profile among the local business community in a way that would benefit students.
Each of these recommendations would require administrators and board members to think differently. But, the way things have always been done is not the only way to get things done. If our education system is to keep pace with a dynamic business culture then it needs to become fresh and dynamic as well.
Kyle Scott, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science and Honors College
University of Houston
Dr. Kyle Scott is running for Lone Star College System Board of Trustees, Position #2.
Vote for him in the May 11, 2013 Election!
Dr. Scott is also the author of Federalist Papers: A Reader’s Guide. He teaches American politics and constitutional law at the University of Houston. His commentary on current events has appeared in Forbes, Reuters, Christian Science Monitor, Foxnews.com, Huffington Post, and dozens of local outlets including the Orlando Sentinel, Charlotte Observer, Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle and Baltimore Sun. Contact him at kyle.a.scott@hotmail.com; 212 MD Anderson Library, Honors College, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004.
By Kyle Scott, PhD
In 2008, Lone Star College System (LSCS) administrators and the board of trustees asked voters to approve a bond of more than $400 million. And now they are asking voters to add an additional $500 million in new debt. This would run the total new bond debt to almost $1 billion in only five years. And before any new debt is added, LSCS currently has more than $590 billion in both bond and taxpayer supported debt outstanding.
According to LSCS, the need for new revenue is in anticipation of rapid growth. But LSCS has overestimated the rate of growth it will experience in order to secure more funding. LSCS expects enrollment to reach 110,000 students by 2018 while the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board expects enrollment to only be at 81,000 by 2020.
Read more →
By KYLE SCOTT
Guest columnist at Your Houston News , reprinted with author’s permission.
At the February meeting of the Lone Star College (LSC) Board of Trustees, the board voted unanimously to put a new $500 million bond issue on the May 11 ballot. This would increase LSC’s total debt to over $1 billion. Most people have become accustomed to large debts run up by our elected officials and have become numb to the fiscal irresponsibility that lies behind the debt. It would be one thing had the debt been used to increase educational opportunities for the students, but indeed it has not. Rather, the money has gone to infrastructure expansion and administrative costs that do not warrant an additional burden on the tax payer or a debt that could affect the tuition rate of students and families who are already hard-pressed to cover costs.
Read more →
Go Local!
By Kyle Scott
Candidate for the Lone Star College Board of Trustees, Position #2
via Your Houston News
It might be difficult to get excited about a local election on May 11, but voters should take notice. With gridlock in Washington bringing governance to a slow crawl, it is the perfect time to go local.
There is no need to look to the federal government to produce positive change when you can do it in your own backyard. One of the key components of federalism is a politically motivated local governance structure to counterbalance the authority of the national government. So not only does the average voter have a far better chance of advancing their ideas at the local level, doing so is essential for a proper balance of powers embodied in the Constitution.
Here is The Conservative Professors latest article, Big Brother is watching. And Big Brother is the IRS , from Texas GOP Vote. With his permission, it is reprinted here for your reading convenience.
If you talk about the IRS don’t do it via email or text—the agency you mailed a check to this week can eavesdrop without a search warrant or probable cause. Since 2009 the IRS has held the position that the Fourth Amendment does not protect electronic transmissions.
The Stored Communications Act provides insufficient Fourth Amendment protections and the Supreme Court needs to make a clear statement against the infringement of Fourth Amendment rights by agencies like the IRS. But unfortunately the Court declined the opportunity to do so on April 15th, perhaps the Justices were too busy filing their taxes, when it refused to hear Jennings v. Broome, which would have allowed it to decide on this matter.
Remembering Why Jackie Robinson Was a Hero
by William Sullivan via American Thinker
My thoughts on the subject –Robin
Racism attacks Freedom and Justice. However, the opposite of racism is not affirmative action which creates a victim class and steals from the innocent as well as the guilty to make restitution. Restitution? Restitution is welcoming all into our schools, and expecting excellence from all according to their varying interests and abilities.
Anyone who views every incident or issue by seeing first the races of the individuals is truly racist. Those who look first for the facts in order to uphold blindfolded justice are NOT racist, but are Americans according to the highest ideals entrenched in our Declaration of Independence. No, the economic interests of men may not have been true to those ideals, but they were set to be incrementally attained.
Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King both dreamt of a time when the playing field would be level and all could endeavor to earn the rewards for their best efforts. I stand with them, and would like to move forward beyond racism back to Justice for All.
“Obama Will Let Me Go!”
” Posted Friday, April 12th 2013 by Jim Forsyth
The debate in Washington on immigration reform has had no political impact, but the debate is having a major impact on south Texas, 1200 WOAI news reports.
Officials say the number of people entering the U.S. illegally is way up and, tragically, the number of undocumented immigrants who have been found dead in the unforgiving Texas Brush Country is way up, and is on path this year to beat last year’s record for the number of people found dead in the ranch country.
Read entire article here.
A Commentary by Robin Lennon
The harsh rhetoric is not and never has been about immigration.
It is about breaking and entering into the United States. Too many of those illegally entering our country are dangerous criminals, OTM terrorists, or those who break our laws with fraudulent social security cards. The laws of our land force us to educate, medicate, and too often house and feed them at the expense of hard-working Americans. They stand on the steps of our State Houses demanding education, medical care, insurance, citizenship, and more amenities are not theirs.
Too many progressives complain about the too low, often unlivable wages. What they apparently don’t understand is the downward pressure on wages that is exerted by these unlawful shadow workers. Many take jobs once held by teenagers and minority men, particularly Blacks and Hispanics.
Aiding and abetting illegal immigration is just as ruinous to our Nation as Affirmative Action and the Welfare State has been to us: promoting injustice, racism, and the breakdown of our families, values and culture.
In the final analysis, illegal immigration is a Rule of Law issue.
Do we really want to welcome men and women who break our laws, as well as violent criminals and terrorists into our country? If you think so, invite them into your home, with no background checks. Feed them; pay for their schooling and medical costs yourself. It’s a free country, which means you have no right to make me donate my hard-earned dollars to these people who don’t respect U.S. taxpayers or America enough to emigrate legally. Have you researched how Mexico handles illegal immigrants, voter fraud, and non-citizen protests? Why is it okay for them to protect their country, but not for us?
It’s a shame that we enable Mexico’s leaders to abdicate their duties to control the drug cartels and develop their own economy so proud Mexican citizen’s could live and raise their families in their own county.
The US needs to secure our borders and use political pressure on Mexico to fix their own problems. I believe that people of all colors can enjoy Freedom and Free Markets. They don’t have to sneak in and steal it–they could create it at home if their government was willing.
We are America, the Enabler of Despots and Tyranny. I’d rather be America, the Promoter of Liberty, Freedom, and Opportunity once more.
MUST WATCH: Ginni Thomas interviews Ret. AF Gen. Tom McInerney on Pres. Obama’s Failed Middle East policies.