Best Congress in a Half Century

The 111th Congress winds up its work in Washington, the most productive Congress in a half century.

• Federal stimulus bill, including large tax cuts
• American auto industry rescue
• Children's health insurance
• Health insurance reform
• 9/11 first responders aid package
• Wall Street reform
• Credit card reform
• Creation of Consumer Financial Protection Agency
• Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" discrimination in our military
• Nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia

If the 112th Congress does half as well, Americans will be well-served. Here's wishing for a happy 2011.

Locally, our Richardson City Council is also winding down on its own two year term, which ends in May, 2011. It also has been a very productive one so far.

• Open and transparent government initiatives
  • Televising city council meetings
  • Code of Ethics for City Council members
  • Online checkbook for the city
• Bond program for streets, parks, municipal buildings
• Progress on West Spring Valley corridor redevelopment
• Progress on Bush Station development

If the city can keep the momentum on these last two items before its term ends in May, it will be one of the most productive city councils in my memory. Here's wishing for a happy 2011 locally, too.

DART Is Packing Them In

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
-- Yogi Berra, on why he no longer went to Ruggeri's, a St. Louis restaurant

Rodger Jones, editorial writer for The Dallas Morning News, Richardson resident and regular DART Red Line passenger, has been sounding like Yogi Berra recently in his regular complaints about how crowded his DART Red Line train is (see here, here, here, and here). For example:

"For the record, people were standing on my Red Line before we got out of Richardson this morning, Me included. We never got smashed in like sardines as we headed south, but I'm on the early end of the rush hour and don't know what it's like in the thick of it. ... If we ever get close to that, DART will lose loyal Red Line passengers for sure."

Shorter Rodger Jones: Nobody rides DART anymore. It's too crowded.

Winter Solstice in Texas (2010)

From Flowers

The seasons are late in north Texas. It's 80 degrees and autumn leaves are still in glorious color even though the calendar declares it's the Winter Solstice.

"The winter solstice occurs exactly when the Earth's axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. The 2010 winter solstice will occur on December 21, at 5:38 pm Central Standard Time. This occurs on the shortest day, and longest night, and the sun's daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest.

"Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time."

-- Adapted from Wikipedia

"... holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time." It's a busy week or two in almost anyone's social calendar.

• December 20: Merry Kitzmas
  
• December 21: Winter Solstice
  
• December 23: Festivus
  
• December 25: Christmas
  
• December 26 - January 1: Kwanzaa
  
• January 1: New Year's Day

So, Merry-Kitzmas-Happy-Winter-Solstice-Happy-Festivus-Merry-Christmas-Happy-Kwanzaa-Happy-New-Year, everyone!

Too bad there isn't a one or two-word greeting that people of goodwill could use to mean all that, a greeting that would include all of these holidays and more, a greeting to extend warm wishes to everyone at this time of year. Someone should invent such a greeting.

Shameful Sesquicentennial

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the end of slavery, the most abominable stain on American history. One hundred fifty years ago Christmas Eve, on December 24, 1860, the government of South Carolina declared its secession from the United States of America. You might think this would be an anniversary to be marked by a day of atonement or at least by a vigil remembering the lives and deaths of those who suffered in slavery or died to end it. You would be wrong.

On December 20, 2010, the Sons of Confederate Veterans is holding a $100-per-person celebration, a "Secession Gala", in Charleston, South Carolina. Organizer Jeff Antley says, "It has nothing to do with slavery as far as I'm concerned. What I'm doing is honoring the men from this state who stood up for their self-government and their rights under law -- the right to secede was understood."

Nothing to do with slavery. It's about honoring heritage, not racism. Expect a lot of that shameful rationalization over the next five years, as white Southerners revise history in an attempt to whitewash the original sin of America, slavery, from their heritage.

After the jump, a closer look at the declaration of causes for South Carolina's secession.

Give 'em Hell, Schutze

Jim Schutze of the Dallas Observer is the best thing going in Dallas journalism. (I did say Dallas, not the suburbs, where Schutze's perspective is sometimes cockeyed. And I didn't say north Texas, where even old columns by Molly Ivins, now dead and gone, are still the sharpest writing around. But Schutze rules Dallas journalism.) He does the old-fashioned legwork, digs out the facts, takes nothing at face value, especially the self-serving statements of politicians, then writes up the story, pulling no punches. Exhibit A: Schutze's description of the Texas Railroad Commission:

"the Railroad Commission is a sleazy rogue body without an ounce of moral or political credibility that cannot be trusted to protect the public."

Ouch. After the jump, what led Schutze to that conclusion.

Keeping Score on the RISD Bond Election

The Richardson school district (RISD) is putting together its Christmas wish list, or rather, its capital needs list for a possible bond election in Spring 2011. You know, all the things you need to run a school system like heating and a/c, electrical and plumbing systems, security systems, paint for the walls, tar for the roofs, computer systems for the classrooms, science equipment for the labs, etc., etc. I trust the administrators and school board members will be fiscally responsible and do the right thing for Richardson's parents, students, and taxpayers. The RISD has set a goal of limiting the bond size so there would be no tax increase.

After the jump, my one niggling concern.

Happy Holidays, Youse

I remember growing up in the 1950s when "Happy Holidays" was in common use as a shorthand way of wishing people "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year." Shorthand. That's all. Trust me, there was no intent to elbow Jesus aside in order to be politically correct or multi-culturally sensitive. There were no Muslims or Jews or Kwanzaa-celebrating African-Americans in my social circle, or anyone's social circle in my ethnically pure hometown in the 1950s. The biggest cultural divide was between the Irish Catholics and the German Catholics.

It's a shame that Robert Jeffress, the Grinch at First Baptist Church of Dallas, now insists on misinterpreting my friendly greeting of "Happy Holidays" and spoiling my warm memories of childhood. The growing insistence that I and others use the greeting of "Merry Christmas" in order not to offend him or other sensitive Christians is a demand for political correctness itself. There's irony in that. But, hey, at the heart of political correctness is a desire to avoid giving offense, an attitude very much in the Christmas spirit. So, Merry Christmas, y'all, even the Grinches at First Baptist Church of Dallas.