Tuesday’s voter turn out: F
Election Day came this week and all of you stood your ground and participated in the democratic process.
That translates into about 10 percent of registered voters in Harris County.
Mayor Bill White was reelected and all 16 amendments to the Texas Constitution were passed. But an $805 million bond proposal for the Houston Independent School District, which is the largest in Texas, barely passed the voters’ approval. The measure passed will less than a 3 percent margin, the Houston Chronicle reported.
About 85,000 people approved this measure Tuesday.
While it might be a consensus to renovate the public schools and build new ones for students, the dismal number of people who turned out at the polls is embarrassing. Regardless of whether this was an "important" election, major decisions, whether it’s a school bond, amendments to cancer research, school funding or even representation, shouldn’t be left to such a small group.
Congress overrides Bush’s veto: B
President George W. Bush suffered a blow this week after Congress overturned his veto, an event that hasn’t occurred in the president’s seven-year tenure.
This is a milestone and shows that the president is no longer dealing with a friendly, Republican-controlled Congress, but is contending with an entirely different beast.
The Water Resources Development Act, a $23 billion program defended by Congress, was the crux of the battle between a budget-conscious president and a Congress that’s going to clean house, in a way.
The bill funds projects for the Army Corps of Engineers that include building dams and beach restoration, all of which are imperative for the residents of the Gulf Coast.
If anything, the Democrats are standing firm against a president who is willing to spend large amounts of money on a war and defense initiatives, while still being hesitant to fund necessary domestic projects.
