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PHOTOS: 1st Annual San Jacinto Day Dinner hosted by the Spring Branch Republicans

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EARLY VOTING: Humble ISD & Lone Star College Trustees (School Board) Elections

via Harris County Clerk, Stan Stanart’s Harris Votes
NOTE: ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACES SUBJECT TO CHANGE!

Saturday, May 11, 2013 Election

Early Voting Hours of Operation

April 29 – May 3:        8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
May 4 – May 5:             Closed
May 6 – May 7:             7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Early Voting Locations: You may vote at any of these locations. Bring your Driver’s License and Registration Card with you.

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.

Introducing Houston’s Conservative Professor: Dr. Kyle Scott

Click on image for bio.

Introducing Houston’s Conservative Professor from 1070 AM Radio: Dr. Kyle Scott

Dr. Kyle Scott, is a rare conservative Professor, teaching American politics and constitutional law at the University of Houston. He is a strong voice for conservatism in our area and is a regular on the Sam Malone Show on 1070 AM as the Conservative Professor. Dr. Scott has his own blog here. He is also willing and able to help us have a conservative voice on the Lone Star College School System Board of Trustees, running for Position 2 in 2013.

I hope you enjoy his commentary and expertise as much as I do!

Robin

From GOP Votes:

Kyle Scott, PhD, teaches American politics and constitutional law at the University of Houston and is a candidate for the Lone Star College Board of Trustees, Position #2. He has decided that in addition to writing about politics he should join in on the policymaking. In running for the LSCS Board of Trustees he hopes to restore fiscal sanity by opposing the addition of more debt and by keeping taxes and student fees down. His first and last obligation is to the taxpayers and the students.

In addition to his four books and dozens of academic articles, Kyle provides commentary on current events for Liberty, Forbes, Reuters, Christian Science Monitor, Foxnews.com, Washington Times, and dozens of local outlets including the Orlando Sentinel, Charlotte Observer, Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle and Baltimore Sun. He is eager to write for TexasGOPVote.com and humbled by the opportunity to speak directly to Texas Conservatives.

If you have any questions or what to learn more about Dr. Kyle Scott, please contact him:

Email: vote4kylescott@gmail.com
Blog: http://kyleascott.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ScottKyleA

“The conservative message is not easy to accept or digest because it forces the individual to take personal responsibility for his or her successes and failures, to not turn outward for assistance, but to turn inward for answers. It is much easier to point at someone else and say it’s their fault; it is much more difficult to look in the mirror and take responsibility.”

College System Funding Options Available

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Letter to the Editor, The Observer – Atascocita
Published Thursday, Mar. 28, 2013

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

Lone Star College Bond Proposal: Give Me Liberty or Give Me Debt by Kyle Scott

By Kyle Scott, PhD

Community Colleges Need to Return to Their Mission by Kyle Scott

By KYLE SCOTT
Guest columnist at Your Houston News , reprinted with author’s permission.

Go Local! by Kyle Scott

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.

Read more →

Huge explosion at fertilizer plant near Waco, many people confirmed dead. Most of town of West, Texas reported to be destroyed.

http://www.kens5.com/news/Powerful-explosion-rocks-small-town-near-Waco-multiple-injuries-reported-203510211.html

The Boston crowd at the TD Garden tonight roars out a defiant Star Spangled Banner before the Bruins hockey match.

Understanding the Liberal-Conservative Divide through the Gun Debate

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By KYLE SCOTT, UH professor & The Conservative Professor

The debate that has swept over the nation has now landed in the Lone Star State with the Texas legislature proposing laws that would decrease the restictions on firearms. The proposed measures would make it easier for students and faculty who legally own a registered firearm, and who hold the requisite license to carry a concealed handgun, to carry their weapon on college and university campuses in the state. At first blush this may seem like something new, but as we saw a few months ago at the North Harris campus of the Lone Star College System, students are already carrying firearms onto our campuses. All these new measures would do is to allow citizens who can legally own and carry firearms to protect themselves when the law fails to do so.

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