|
(default) Archive for: June 2006
Democratic Candidates for AG, AG Commissioner Stump in Lufkin
posted by snarko on June 28 2006
by Brittony Lund :: The Lufkin Daily News
David Van Os, Democratic candidate for Texas attorney general, and Hank Gilbert, Democratic candidate for the state's agriculture commissioner job, visited Lufkin on Thursday as part of their "Taking back Texas and taking it to the people" tour.
The duo hopes to visit all 254 county courthouses in Texas. After Thursday's visit to Lufkin, they had about 190 counties left.
"I've got a message to big oil companies," Van Os said. "You'd better spend every penny of your billions to help defeat me because when I get sworn in next January, I'm coming after you."
Van Os had the same message for insurance monopolies and other corporations. He said corporations "have been enthroned in high places" and given privileges that nobody else has. He said he wants to fight oil companies that can take $3 billion in profits and still charge $2.90 a gallon for gas.
The AG candidate said the average Texas worker who has to drive 10 miles to work each day with gas at $2.90 a gallon does not make enough money to cover the expense.
"They're not able to not go to work," Van Os said. "But they are not able to go to work, either."
Van Os said the average working person can't afford insurance and that, when he visited Newton, about half of the people whose roofs were damaged from the hurricane could not afford to get them fixed.
Hank Gilbert said he doesn't have much experience in politics, but as a third-generation rancher, he has a lot of expertise in agriculture.
"I don't believe that politics should be involved in this office," Gilbert said.
Agriculture is the second-largest industry in Texas, with one out of five Texans working in this field, he said. Gilbert said many Republicans, like Gov. Rick Perry, have used the agriculture commissioner job to climb their way to the top.
"It's a little too important to be used as just a stepping stone," Gilbert said.
Gilbert said there's a reason Republican public opinion is falling quickly.
"They want to dictate every aspect of our lives," Gilbert said.
He said he believes it's time to "look that monster in the eye, to pick up that rock and be the David that slays Goliath."
Gilbert doesn't believe the government should have charge over the land, but that the people should.
"This land doesn't belong to the United States," Gilbert said. "We have it on loan from our grandchildren."
Cobarruvias: Forget higher rates; let's cancel State Farm
posted by snarko on June 28 2006
by John R. Cobarruvias :: Guest Commentary, Austin American Statesman
It is beyond belief that State Farm has filed with the Texas Department of Insurance to raise homeowner's rates as much as 39 percent across the state. This rate increase request will be the first challenge for the new insurance commissioner, Mike Geeslin, and the leadership of Texas. They need to stand up for consumers and show State Farm the door.
In 2002, Texas had the highest insurance rates in the nation. After the massive insurance reforms of the 2003 legislative session, rates are twice the national average, and Texas again has the highest rates in the nation, second only to Louisiana by 25 percent. If that isn't bad enough, deductibles are much higher, and significant coverage such as foundation, water, sewer and mold is now optional, at an additional cost.
The reforms promised in the 2003 legislative session were a total failure of state leadership. The insurance commissioner at the time, Jose Montemayor, who now works for an insurance company, caved in to every request of the industry. After historic hearings on toxic mold, he removed mold coverage without any reduction in rates or any worthwhile measures to prevent the cause of mold contamination. He allowed the use of credit scoring, giving the industry the right to increase rates based on an owner's credit history. And he authorized the use of policies that made foundation, water and sewer damage optional.
Although the insurance commissioner ordered some rate reductions, most policyholders still ended up paying more for less coverage than they had before. The Legislature and Gov. Rick Perry weren't much help either. Lawmakers failed to protect the homeowners by passing insurance friendly legislation.
The Texas attorney general at the time, John Cornyn, filed frivolous lawsuits against the insurance companies questioning overcharges in their rates. The suits were frivolous because Cornyn never intended to, and never did, follow through on the charges. The present attorney general, Greg Abbott, also has done nothing to defend consumers.
The insurance industry, the Texas Department of Insurance, the attorney general's office and state leaders have provided a steady stream of excuses to homeowners while rates have doubled or tripled, and coverage has been slashed. And now State Farm wants to raise rates again.
It's clear that state leaders have no interest in protecting consumers. The property tax relief passed in the recent special session will be offset by the out-of-control increases in insurance, while the insurance industry has had windfall profits.
And the insurance industry has found another excuse to raise rates — "re-insurance," the insurance purchased by the insurance companies to protect them. Never in the past 4 years was the excuse of "re-insurance" used by the industry. This is a sure sign that in the face of windfall profits, the industry is grasping for excuses to justify rate increases.
Just like in 2002, as if on cue, the insurance industry has excessively raised rates, right before elections. Elected officials and hopefuls will again have the chance to file frivolous lawsuits and make empty promises on the campaign trail about lowering insurance rates.
Perry, Abbott and Geeslin should stand up for consumers and show State Farm the door, or the voters in Texas should show the leadership the door in November.
Political Candidates Campaign in East Texas
posted by snarko on June 27 2006
by Ramonica R. Jones :: KTRE TV
A candidate for Texas Attorney General made a campaign stop in Lufkin Thursday. David Van Os addressed Angelina County residents on the steps of the county courthouse.
Born and raised in Kilgore, Van Os has a law degree from the University of Texas. He has his own law firm in San Antonio and champions constitutional law, labor, and civil rights. Van Os is touring all 254 counties in Texas.
Van Os is joined by Hank Gilbert, a Texas democratic candidate for Agriculture Commissioner. Gilbert is a rancher from Whitehouse.
AG hopeful eyes big oil companies
posted by snarko on June 27 2006
by Luci Rodriguez :: Baytown Sun
ANAHUAC — Labor lawyer David Van Os said if he's elected attorney general in November, he is "coming after" large oil and insurance companies.
"I'm sending the big oil companies a message," Van Os said Tuesday in Anahuac. "They better spend every penny that they possibly can to try to defeat me in my run for Attorney General of Texas because when I get sworn in January 2007, I'm coming after you."
Van Os said he has the same message for insurance monopolists "who are robbing the people of Texas blind."
"Texas consumers are paying the highest price for homeowners insurance of anybody else in the country," he said. "You try to do comparison shopping and you find it's all the same, outrageously high premiums."
The Democratic candidate for Texas Attorney General said he will combat rising gas prices and skyrocketing homeowners insurance by issuing subpoenas to companies, which will allow him to investigate their practices.
There are three candidates for attorney general on the Nov. 7 ballot. Incumbent Republican Greg Abbott, Libertarian Jon Roland and Van Os, Democrat.
Van Os said that an attorney general that was looking out for the people's best interest "would have already filed a lawsuit."
FULL STORY >>
Van Os, Gilbert WhistleStop in Montgomery
posted by snarko on June 27 2006
by Nancy Flake :: Montgomery County Courier staff
With all the fire of a "come to Jesus" revival, two Democratic candidates for state office presented their gospel of how they will change things during a whistle stop tour appearance at the Montgomery County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon.
David Van Os, candidate for Texas Attorney General, and Hank Gilbert, running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, gave their views to a like-minded audience of close to 70 people during the event, the 70th in a planned series of stops at all 254 county courthouses in Texas by Van Os.
As storm clouds rolled overhead and thunder rumbled in the distance, Van Os, an attorney and former state Supreme Court candidate, gave a fiery speech denouncing corruption in corporations, specifically oil and insurance companies. Talking about ExxonMobil's recent record profits, he said, "The amount of money going into corporate coffers is so vast, our minds cannot comprehend it. Yet, people have to pay $2.90 a gallon at the pump. Something is way, way, way out of whack."
His campaign slogan is "Notice to Big Oil: I'm Coming After You," and Van Os emphasized that's exactly what he will do if he wins the election against incumbent Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican.
"Texas is entitled to an attorney general who will use the tools of the office to make sure government understands the first three words of the Constitution - 'We the people,'" he said to cheers. "Help me take it back."
Gilbert, a rancher and former agriculture teacher, is running against state Sen. Todd Staples, whose district includes the northern half of Montgomery County.
"My opponent is being groomed by his party to be the next state leader and a national leader," he said. "It's important we beat him and beat him soundly. You'll see this state go from red to blue in November.
"God sent his son here to cover all our sins, and right now he's having a hard time covering all the sins of the Republicans."
Noting Montgomery County's heavily Republican voter base, Van Os didn't think his stop Thursday was simply a chance to preach to the choir.
"I think the choir is all the people," he said. "We're all in it together."
He is not planning a television advertising campaign because he doesn't believe in it, he said. He has paid for four billboards, one in Dallas and three in Northeast Texas, with plans for more.
Wednesday's turnout was the largest for Van Os so far during the whistle stop tour, according to Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairwoman Wendy Melton.
"We'll make these Republicans nervous yet," she said.
For Clarence Lewis Jr., of Conroe, the event was a sign of a resurgence of the Democratic Party in the county.
"I feel new blood is going to revitalize the party," he said. "I think these candidates have a fair chance."
A lifelong Democrat, he enjoyed the enthusiastic response of the crowd to Van Os and Gilbert.
"It's nice to find out they're (Republicans) not the only ones here," Lewis said.
Nobody was available for comment Thursday evening at Todd Staples' campaign office in Palestine, and Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman Dr. Walter Wilkerson could not be reached for comment.
Travis Electronic Voting Machines Violate Rights
posted by snarko on June 22 2006
by Lee Nichols :: excerpt from Naked City, Austin Chronicle
In other county news, the NAACP of Austin and its president Nelson Linder, Travis County resident Sonia Santana, and state attorney general candidate David Van Os are suing Travis Co. Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir and Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams to prevent the use of electronic voting machines in November.
Represented by the Texas Civil Rights Project, the plaintiffs charge that the Hart Intercivic eSlate voting machines used by Travis County provide no true way to perform an independent re-count since they don't print a paper copy of each ballot, even though Hart has printer options that it makes available to states that require one. This leaves voters at the mercy of trusting Hart's software, which is not open to public scrutiny since the state lets Hart keep its software codes as a proprietary secret.
The suit charges that voters have a right to such a re-count, and that Travis Co. voters' rights under the equal-protection clause of the state constitution are being violated by allowing hand re-counts in counties that don't use paperless machines, while not allowing re-counts in Travis. DeBeauvoir responded that she actually agrees that "a paper audit trail would make a wonderful addition to our re-count tools," but she worries that "people who want a paper audit trail seem to think it will be a panacea that will solve all problems."
|
Take Action >>
More Insights >>
My Challenge to You >>
July 4
The US Supreme Court Does Its Job This Time >>
June 15
$4 Gasoline and the Corporate-Government Complex >>
May 28
In the Press >>
|
