Scott Rasmussen send me an email every day, booming himself of course, but also interesting me. A good deal is naturally Schadenfreude and I'm serving up huge, big, heaping helpings of Schadenfreude every time I look at the polls for the upcoming election.

Very interesting is that in the race to replace the late, and completely unlamented, Senator Robert Byrd, the Grand Kleagle of the KKK. Senator Byrd was noted for being the biggest porker in the Senate, and not a single tear was shed in my house when he assumed room temperature. Even the cats Calvin and Hobbes laughed. It must be contagious. (Let's hope that it doesn't work the other way because a sandbox doesn't sound all that convenient.)

This West Virginia seat, from a state which has often trended Democrat, is now a race between the Republican, Joe Manchin, and the Democrat, John Raese. The Republican is eight points ahead of the Democrat. This is like snow in Honolulu. Recall that this is the state which also elected, over and over, Senator Jay Rockefeller, who for my money is the stupidest senator of all, including Patty Murray. And this is not a one-size-fits-all insult. Listen to Jay Rockefeller. I had no idea that so few generations of Rockefellers could breed the brains entirely out, like inbred European royalty 200 years ago.

Harry Reid is even with Sharon Angle in Nevada, and the drive-by media's been so successful in demonizing her that even normally sensible people are being spooked by some of Ms. Angle's comments.

Senator Boxer is only one point ahead of the Republican challenger, Carly Fiorina.

Meg Whitman, the Republican, is eight points above Jerry "Medfly" Brown for governor of California. I do not know Ms. Whitman but I have seen Governor Jerry Brown interviewed. Earth to Jerry!

And in the generic ballot, the Republicans are ahead more than the margin of error.

This is all well and good but the most interesting thing is that Joe Miller of Alaska beat Senator Lisa Murkoski in the GOP primary in Alaska. The credit goes to endorsements by Governors Palin and Huckabee. The Tea Party is reforming the GOP.

Republicans, here's your chance. If you're smart enough to take it, the GOP can be saved by the Tea Party. I have over and over found myself being disgusted by elected Republicans getting a "new-found respect" in Washington, which means of course that they've moved left. The Democrats, vile though their policies are, at least tell you what they're going to do.

Good. If the Tea Party is even somewhat successful in reforming the Republicans, I'll quit referring to the them as Get Out and Push, or Republicrats or Democrats Lite.

in the 40s and the 50s Warner Bros made some cartoons in which the cartoonists were having lots of fun drawing Daffy funny or erasing him, depending on how much sass he gave them. And of course he gave them quite a lot.

Here's a modern-day denizen of Termite Terrace, Alan Becker.

Enjoy. I surely did.

This is getting to be embarrassing even for a non-supporter of The Chosen One like yours truly. He is falling back to type under pressure. As we all do.

Fearless Leader is a thin skinned, socialist, elitist, Chicago machine politician who was way-not ready for the prime time national stage. No real surprise there for some of us. What is a surprise is his so becoming a victim. This looks real good to our remaining allies...

"The facts are the facts. We went through some of this during the campaign -- there is a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly," said a visibly annoyed Obama...

Read the whole thing here at Politico, h/t Drudge.

Jessica's Well. Node 6.SJ.7 of the anti-obama network of misinformation.

For the record, we at J's W have always fried bigger fish than the Birthers.

Like the Truthers.

Registered Republicans in Arizona are forbidden from ever again playing or listening to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again." Ever.

McCain?? Really? MCCAIN?!?!?!?!?!?

There are a couple of interesting things on the Agenda, Minutes and Reports page at the MDC.

First, apparently there was a joint special meeting held on August 10 with the Midland City Council. The whole meeting was an executive session, to discuss economic development incentives, so the subject of that meeting is not open to public scrutiny.

Second, the meeting this Friday has some interesting agenda items:

• Pursuant to Texas Government Code §551.101, the Board of Directors will hold an Executive Session which is closed to the public to discuss the following matters as permitted under the following Texas Government Code Sections:
  
  Section 551.087 Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations Discuss business prospects that the Midland Development Corporation seeks to have, locate, stay, or expand in or near the City of Midland, Texas and discuss possible incentives, and discuss contract compliance on the part of businesses with which the Midland Development Corporation has an existing contract.
  
  Section 551.129 Consultation with Attorney(s) from the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. by Telephone Conference Call Pursuant to Section 551.129, the Midland Development Corporation Board of Directors will consult with its attorney(s) from the Fulbright & Jaworski law firm by telephone conference call to discuss potential financing of a project.


• Discuss legal issues related to projects.

I'm a bit concerned when the board has to meet with their high powered out of town lawyers to discuss the financing of a project. That usually means there is something quirky about how a deal is to be structured. I don't know about you, but the possibility of creative public financing of development deals makes me nervous.

The sad part is, most of this is happening in executive session, so we in the public are not privy to these proceedings.

A joke so good that I had to pass it on. It's labored but worth it:

---

On a Saturday afternoon, in Washington, D. C., an aide to House Speaker
 Nancy Pelosi visited the Bishop of the Catholic Cathedral in D.C. He told the Cardinal that Nancy Pelosi would be attending the next day's Mass, and he asked if the Cardinal would kindly point out Pelosi to the
 congregation and say a few words that would include calling Pelosi a saint.

The Cardinal replied, "No. I don't really like the woman, and there are
 issues of conflict with the Catholic Church over certain of Pelosi's views."

Pelosi's aide then said, "Look. I'll write a check here and now for a
 donation of $100,000 to your church if you'll just tell the congregation
 you see Pelosi as a saint."

The Cardinal thought about it and said, "Well, the church can use the money, so I'll work your request into tomorrow's sermon."


As Pelosi's aide promised, House Speaker Pelosi appeared for the Sunday
 worship and seated herself prominently at the forward left side of the
 center aisle.
 As promised, at the start of his sermon, the Cardinal pointed out that
 Speaker Pelosi was present.


The Cardinal went on to explain to the congregation,
 
 "While Speaker Pelosi's presence is probably an honor to some, the woman
 is not numbered among my personal favorite personages. Some of her
 most egregious views are contrary to tenets of the Church, and
 she tends to flip-flop on many other issues.

"Nancy Pelosi is a petty, self-absorbed hypocrite, a thumb sucker, and a nit-wit.
 Nancy Pelosi is also a serial liar, a cheat, and a thief.

"I must say, Nancy Pelosi is the worst example of a Catholic I have ever
 personally witnessed.
 She married for money and is using her wealth to lie to the American people.
 She also has a reputation for shirking her Representative obligations
 both in Washington, and in California. The woman is simply not to be trusted.

The Cardinal, remembering his vow to Pelosi's aide, took a breath and continued, "But, when compared with Obama and Senators
 Harry Reid and John Kerry, House Speaker Pelosi is a saint."

---

Personally the stretch is a conservative Cardinal; the priests that I've known tend to be progressives who would think that Nanski is a saint.

This from Rasmussen:

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of the Political Class, however, favor building the mosque near Ground Zero. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Mainstream voters are opposed.

As though we needed it, here is more evidence that America is being held captive by an arrogant group of people who are utterly contemptuous of what normal Americans feel, which is pride in being an American. Or sensible that America has made more wealth and freedom than any other nation on earth. Progressives are too big for America, really; their opinions are defined, not proven, to be virtuous and meant for the ages. The Current Truth is current to them as of 7 AM this morning. And the Current Truth, that they received on their tin-foil hats, is an imperishable truth. Until tomorrow at 7 AM, when the next imperishable Current Truth will be delivered and adopted. Just don't be in a room with the political class when all their tin-foil hats are rebooting. It's what Night of the Living Dead ought to have been to make it really scary.

And of this political class, 52% believe the obvious lie that the mosque is being built to honor those who died in 9/11. I realize that this is a bare majority but what kind of fool do you have to believe a lie this transparent? To deliberately believe a lie this big?

This is the biggest lie since the Soviet Union fell and could no longer talk about peace through communism. But then the political class exists, riding a wave of lies and deceits. Journolist's Spencer Ackerman said that the Republican advances were worrying enough that it was time to call Fred Barnes and Karl Rove racists. No matter whether or not it's true--just fire the blunderbuss. Yes, a wave of lies and deceit and they're in it up to their elbows.

But why am I surprised? I'm assuming that I know what the term "political class" means; I feel that it is something which defines itself, like couch potato or channel surfing. I'm guessing the political class is most legacy-media journalists, most of academe, and those people who have fed at the public trough all of their lives. And we've known for years that they closet socialists. As Thomas Sowell so memorably said

Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.

This is why I was so adamant that I am not an intellectual when Jimmy Patterson thought I might be. Apologies to Jimmy for my heat, but I think that I'm rather better grounded, intellectually, than most intellectuals.

Another bon mot from Sowell, "Liberalism is totalitarianism with a human face." He obviously said that before Ms. Pelosi was made Speaker.

Anti-American blather from Prez Obambi dissected by Prof Bainbridge. Read it all.

...the left's culture police are prepared to jump on any corporate donation that offends their sensibilities...

Yep.

Unlike corporations, which typically hedge their bets by giving to both parties and mainly to the party in power, union contributions flow 90%+ to Democrats.

Stay angry.

Having bunch of guys who....let's face it....work for a fashion magazine judging the manliness of anything is probably not the best idea.

There is a term for an iPhone 3g running iOS4.

It's called a crappy phone.

We all recall how Blanche Lincoln was bought for her support of Obamacare. There was some consternation that it might have political repercussions; despite the Clintons, who are thieves of a global reach and grasp and who could be based anywhere, Arkansas is in general a conservative state.

And Blanche Lincoln was right to be worried. The Republican John Boozman has 65% support; the incumbent Lincoln 27%. This is seismic.

Unfortunately Patty Murray, the affectless liberal drone/hack from Washington leads the Republican by 4%, but that's nearly within the margin of error. Senator Boxer is holding a slight lead too. Harry Reid is even with his Republican opponent and I personally think that she may have a screw loose. Not as many as Harry, but still, a fair number.

Although I never underestimate the Republicans' ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, there is some reason to hope that November will be a bloodbath for liberals.

In a nutshell: "Not all of those opposed to the building of a mosque at Ground Zero are racist and intolerant. Some of them are Democrats."

More here.

The 9/11 "Truth" movement, while it will never completely die, is but a shadow of its former self. Thankfully.

If you are up to investigating this for yourself let me suggest the web site Debunking911.com. There you will find a discussion of theories that are supported by peer-reviewed science, engineering and some right impressive cipherin'.

Recent visitors here at the Well have tried to advance alternative theories regarding the "truth" behind 9/11 and the collapse of the Twin Towers and also WTC Building 7.

Please notice the difference between the two methods taken by those trying to explain what happened that day.

One side's theories are backed by provable science.

The other side simply accepts that the buildings were brought down by the actions of others besides Islamofascists and proceed to fill us in on the politics and conspiracies behind the attack.

Here is a sample:

First off let me explain 1 position of mine, it wasn't bush's fault, he's just a puppet. bush was a product of the intelligence community just like his father who was a former DCI, ran with the BCCI in the iran contra deal, same goes for clinton who was also involved w. these affairs. Now we come full circle to obama and whos father and mother and step father all worked for intelligence in kenya. obama's mother and father actually met in a russian language school in hawaii where he was conceived and later probably born in kenya. he was later adopted by lolo soetoro in Indonesia who was under NOC and recalled back to kenya to help a US sponsored coup against the communist leader there.

what we are facing here is a monolithic and ruthless intelligence apparatus that has literally overthrown our republic. that is a truth that you have to see here. the effects or causes of the towers coming down is just 1 rosetta stone in this deal amongst hundreds of other slip ups that the globalist made. PDD 51 the executive created a plan for a national disaster which suspends the constitution and dismisses the congress

There is more....

the end product of all this is you the individual will ultimately not be able resist this high tech overlay of scientific and economic tyranny that is just around the corner. homeland security was built for you, the patriot act was aptly named for you, the patriot. and the fema camps will eventually be used as a place of refuge, you'll want to go there, you'll want to put on your bracelet and let the government protect you. you will eventually willing take their shots they force upon you and your children as you cling to them for shelter. this is a fate all of us face unless you wake up now.

make no mistake about it, 9/11 was just the tip of the iceberg for these people. I honestly believe wholeheartedly they have another one coming, probably a nuke, another false flag they will inflict upon millions of innocent people, and blame it on iran. I fear for my people, they will ruthlessly kill anyone with untold megadeaths to secure their prize which is a vision they have lusted after for centuries - world domination.

One set of theories is dominated by science and engineering and the other is dominated by talk of new world orders, CIA Black Ops and world-domination. And if you think such a discussion is not truly complete without a reference to Tri-Lateralists or even the freakin' Rothchilds you won't be disappointed.

Odd, isn't it, how they can just dismiss out of hand what can be calculated, modeled, and largely re-created through scientific means, but then fill us all in on stuff that even if it was reasonable truly is unknowable.

Take your pick.

GITMO not even close to be being closed. (Full disclosure: I don't want it closed.)

Super Genius Lawyer Barack Obama and his team of other Super Genius Lawyers hectored us all on the moral imperative to close GITMO for an entire campaign.

Again, where is the evidence that this guy is so damned smart?

Vapid autobiographies, no work history, no experience, no notable legislation, and no transcripts.

Show me.

In a perverse way it is good that someone who is this incompetent has no real work ethic. Less damage that way. Fore!!!!!

I may have missed it, but with all off the reporting about operating budgets for the city and the county, I haven't seen anything about what kind of fiscal shape the pension system is for local public sector employees and/or retirees.

If you had to pick one single thing that is crushing state and local governments across the country is that they are not able to properly fund these pensions.

Has anyone seen any reporting on this or know anything about it? I know Councilman Dufford stops by from time to time...perhaps he could provide some information on this topic.

Or the Great Os. This is kind of up his alley.

Our betters tell us it is okay to build a mosque at ground zero. Any takers on whether they would allow a Wal-Mart?

As long as we are talking about the...um...truth behind the fall of the twin towers on 9/11......and we are....let me put forth one highly-credentialed scientist's theory.

Space beams. They were brought down by space beams.

If you had any lingering doubts about the Chevy Volt then this out to do away with them. On the other hand, if spending 90% of your time riding around in a golf cart is good enough for the President of the United States then it damned sure ought to be good enough for you proles out there.

Standing firm as a testament to the ability of local economic development experts to judge actual demand for something (as oppose to, say, expressed interest or significant support), Midland Development Corporation brain child project Entrada Business Park Building 'A' stands as empty now as when it first became available....four years ago today.....without a single occupant or buyer having been found to-date.

Someone refresh my memory here. Didn't they almost build a second one also?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, called for an investigation of those who are protesting the building of the Ground Zero Mosque on Tuesday. She told San Francisco's KCBS radio:

"There is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded," she said.

I kid, of course. As only white people can be racist only Republicans can be McCarthyites. And speaking of McCarthyism, isn't it about time for Hollywood to produce another courageous and groundbreaking movie on the subject? After all, it has been about six weeks.

Here's a thread just in case somebody didn't get their shot in front of the Council yesterday.

I know people are frustrated with their taxes, and I agree in some cases they are too high, but the sheer ignorance of taxing authority and things like taking out the consequences of Bush tax cuts expiring and Obamacare on a local City Council is just silly.

The VAST majority of the city budget is tied up in salaries, with most of those being the salaries of our fire and policemen.

The VAST majority of our reserves are tied up in reserve requirements for our outstanding debt.

In my mind one path to significantly reduce the budget, and therefore the tax burden is to go beyond hiring freezes, salary freezes and attrition and lay-off City employees AND pay off the debt the City has taken upon itself with the consent of the voters.

Understand, I'm not advocating laying-off City employees, but that is the stark truth of what would be required to achieve what the protesters seem to want. City government isn't like State and Federal Government, where there are plenty of wealth re-distribution schemes at those levels of government and forms of taxation that need to be abolished for the good of everyone. For the most part, the City takes my tax dollars and I personally get a service or some value.

I think the council is doing the best job it can under the circumstances, but for now the only thing that will save the City is what will save us all, rising oil prices. (Unless the MDC finally pulls one big freaking economic rabbit out of its hat).

Roger Kimball is always a good read; he's got a blog on Pajamas Media. He also has Encounter Books, which does yeoman duty in publishing works guaranteed, by their accuracy, to inflame the moonbats.

He analyzes President Obama's Ramadan message here.

Kimball's point is merely a dilation on the things which Obowma has done which have inflamed me: his bowing to a Saudi "prince"; his bow to the President of Japan. (Which so embarrassed the Japanese, to show a weak American president, that only the far-left papers printed the picture.) Everything which makes me proud of America is something that Obowma is determined to destroy.

I had thought that Obowma was exercising some left-wing animus inculcated during his schooling as a rich, white child, but Kimball's point is that Obowma is the first president who is president, but of what? Is it the United States? Is the world? I believe that progressives generally feel themselves lessened by the idea of patriotism, for they will not surrender their own relativistic will. They're too big for an allegiance to a mere country but find themselves perfectly comfortable surrounded by a coterie of disaffected, contemptuous, self-hating progressives.

Here's the money paragraph:

It is, I submit, a question that comes up in his case in the case of Obama in a way that is historically unprecedented. America has had good presidents and bad presidents, popular presidents and unpopular presidents, honorable presidents and dishonorable presidents, competent presidents and Jimmy Carter. Never before, I believe, have we had a president whose tenure is surrounded by this nimbus of disaffection. You might have thought Jimmy Carter was a sanctimonious nincompoop. You never doubted that he was an American, by which I mean not just that he was a citizen but that his essential identification was with this country.

The emphasis is mine. And Kimball's right. Did you ever think that you might prefer Jimmy Carter to anyone? In 1979 I'd have taken a serial adulterer working in a sewage-treatment plant to Jimmy Carter. But Jimmy, come back. All is forgiven. You can be elected for one more term, you know, and better you than Obama.

Better anything than Obama.

I get a daily report from Scott Rasmussen--he's very full of himself but seems to do a good job. "Here's today's report.

Among other goodness, such as Mr. Obama's down 19% in people who strongly dislike him, and I am sure I was only counted once, damn it, over people who like him a good deal.

The most telling sentence though is this:

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of the Political Class believes the nation is heading in the right direction. Eighty-four percent (84%) of Mainstream voters disagree and say the nation has gotten off on the wrong track.

This in two sentence tells us that we are held hostage by a political class who has nothing but contempt for us, our property, and our values.

This is the 84% of the people also believe that we are governed entirely against our consent, and that the political class doesn't care about us, which it blatantly doesn't.

The true war is not the one in Iraq or Afghanistan, nor the problem in Iran. The problem is our political class. No matter how many IEDs the mad mullahs fire at us in the Middle East, no matter now many nukes that madman in Iran has, we are utterly helpless, and America is neutered as a force for stability in the world, by our political class, who hold in contempt the values that make America the nation that the world wants to come to.

I know who the enemy is. As do 84% of normal Americans.

As no one noticed, I've been gone for a couple of weeks. In the first week of August I went to Austin, to St. David's Hospital, and had pulmonary venous ablation. It was one night in the hospital, and when I woke from the anesthesia, I was told, "You're sinusoidal." Which I knew.

I had suffered from atrial fibrillation, which means that the top half of the heart is shaking and not pumping as it should. Instead of the normal beats per minute, I could have 300 to 600 in the atria. The atria do 30% of the heart's work. If you have a-fib, you never have any breath, you cannot exercise, and I found it was even affecting my thinking. It wasn't near to encephalopathy but there was something noticeable. The staff said they hadn't noticed it but I had. Some thought processes were harder than they ought to have been.

When I woke after surgery sounds were sharper, colors brighter. For six hours I was forced to lie immobile in bed to led the scabs heal on the femoral arteries where they inserted catheters going up into the heart to nuke rings on the inside of the pulmonary veins. Normally it takes four to eight weeks for the lesions to heal--the first time I ever wanted lesions--and they would no longer conduct electricity and solve the electrical problem in the heart. Dr. Zagrodsky is better than good; he got it instantly.

The nurse let me up and I bounced up, walking the halls at night. I was the only ambulatory patient on the floor. And I moved the hospital furniture in my room, until I realized that was very stupid. But instantly I felt better. And people tell me that I now look properly pink instead of ashen.

When Dr. Z. came in the next morning I sat up so briskly that he decided that I could drive whenever I wanted to, and he'd prefer I stay another day in Austin but I didn't have to. So four nights away from home, and in Austin, and a cure which was impossible a decade ago.

Let me recommend St. David's. Not only is the care, at least for my problem, world leading, but the people are the nicest I've seen and the menu is a real menu, and they answer "Room service." It's a small thing but it tells you the level of attention at St. David's.

The Wall Street Journal has the skinny on the latest report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Among all of the Census Bureau's 366 metropolitan statistical areas--collections of cities or counties that are economically tied to an urban core with at least 50,000 people--personal income declined in 223 areas in 2009. It rose in 134 areas and was unchanged in nine, before adjusting for inflation. The biggest percentage decline in per capita income--8.4%--was in Midland, Texas, where incomes fell with oil prices last year.

Wow, an 8.9% drop in personal per capita income from 2008 to 2009. That's a pretty big number, kind of like 5.5% is a pretty big property tax rate increase, until you get into the numbers, like what happened in 2008:

That number represents an 8.8 percent growth from the previous year - the steepest rate observed in any of the 366 metropolitan areas included in the data.

Percentages are tricky things, especially when you are riding a boom like $140 dollar oil, but the locals knew that.

So how bad is personal income in Midland now that it is down a nation topping 8.9% decrease? Well, lets look at the numbers (note, numbers may differ from linked media reports due to adjustments made by the government):

YEAR	INCOME	RANK	NATIONAL
2009	$49,441	13	$40,757
2008	$53,968	10	$41,930
2007	$49,590	16	$41,260

Discounting that crazy $140 oil, in this recession, Midlanders have experienced a per capita loss of about $149 a year and we dropped from the 10th most prosperous community to the 13th in the Nation. Oddly enough, total income was up overall in Midland, but due to population growth and low unemployment, the per capita wage declined.

I guess reporting the big decline attracts eyeballs. Unlike saying Midland's per capita income ranking dropped slightly from 10th to 13th.

So who is number one? Some MSA in Connecticut with a per capita income over $70,000 a year.

How does one go about creating a local TEA Party? It appears as though you register an internet domain name and simply declare yourself the local TEA party and an interview and a news story is sure to follow. It is apparently that simple. Which means that we may be faced with multiple TEA Party organizations to choose from.

So how best to choose?

My advice? Try to pick one that isn't led by a 9/11 Truther.

Actor James Caan comes out of the closet. Which in Hollywood means confessing to be a conservative.

No.

More bloggers throwing hats in ring

The blog might be the new on ramp to American politics.

At least 20 candidates are running for office this cycle who owe their public profile -- at least in part -- to blogging......

The group of 20 candidates includes 15 who are running for state House or Senate and four seeking municipal office. Only Slate's Mickey Kaus, who mounted a primary challenge to California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, sought a post in the federal government.

h/t HotAir.com

Well, the County seems to have decided to leave the tax rate alone and let the Appraisal District, and all that oil drilling take care of their budgetary increase.

So, the County will raise about $1.5 Million more for their budget (about a 5% increase from last year, compared to 1.37% for the City) and according to their 2009 audit, they started last year about $10 Million to the plus side in the General Fund by spending about $5 Million less then they budgeted and collecting about $5 Million more then they expected.

Looking at the County's budgets and audits that are available they haven't had a decrease in a year to year budget in over a decade, nor a decrease in year to year property tax revenues in a decade.

So, with the County having increased their 2011 budget by $1.5M, are they safe from a TEA Party petition all because they didn't raise the Property Tax Rate?

The City isn't raising their budget any more than the County, they just had to raise the tax rate to do it.

In the comments to my blog post on the TEA Party hubbub about the City's property tax rate the popular statement that government budgets should generally be constrained by population increases and inflation, except in the instance of a local emergency or a referendum by the voters came up again. This time as a challenge to see if the City was performing any better than the County.

Here we go!

According to the Table 9 on page 122 of the COM 2009 CARF, the City levied property taxes in the amount of $20,900,787 in 2000. According to the 2000 census, the population of Midland was 94,996.

This works out to a per capita property tax of about 220.18.

Now, let's adjust this for inflation. According to the Dallas Federal Reserve the consumer price index in October of 2000 was 166.5. In October of 2009, the consumer price index was 201.6. This produces an inflation multiplier of 1.2108.

This makes the per capita property tax (adjusted for inflation) $266.59.

According to the Texas State Data Center, the estimated population of the City of Midland in 2009 was 108,896. Using the inflation per capita figure, The City of Midland should have levied 29,030,584.64 to comply with the "inflation and population rule."

So what did they levy in 2009? $29,198,318, or $167,733.36 more than "the rule."

Basically, the City's property tax levy has outpaced increases for inflation and population growth by whole 2.1% in the past decade.

This is MUCH better than the County's 40% figure.

Considering the City annexed quite a bit of property, issued a large water and sewer bond and the voters passed 4A and 4B sales taxes, levying 2.1% more in property taxes than the "adjusted for population growth and inflation" is really good.

So, why is the TEA Party up in arms about the City's property taxes?

...and according to the MRT their first target is the City of Midland's property tax rate.

I agree with some of the TEA Party principles and believe their efforts to affect change at the FEDERAL level are worthy, but I'm baffled by their organizing against the local political bodies, when it is obvious they haven't even looked at our local budgets and audits.

I don't believe anyone would consider the contributors at Jessica's Well apologists for any of our local taxing entities, but they deserve to be treated fairly. Primarily because our local taxing entities are where the National TEA Party is trying to divert power to from Washington.

So, why is the City of Midland having to raise the property tax rate? Well, if you take the time to read any of the budgets posted on the City of Midland's website you will discover the City of Midland took a huge hit in sales tax revenue:

• FY '08 $24,940,466


• FY '09 $25,085,086


• FY '10 $16,682,276

The City took a $8.5 Million Dollar hit in sales tax revenue in FY '10, and the CRMWD hit the City with about $1,000,000 in additional expenses for purchased water that didn't make it into our water rates. To combat this loss of revenue, the City cut lot's of services in their FY '10 budget:

Total Expenditures (including depreciation)

• FY '08 $163,570,057
• FY '09 $175,277,858 (estimate)
• FY '10 $167,349,186 (amended budget)
• FY '11 $169,643,530 (proposed)

In short, the City is adding just a little over $2 Million to their budget, which is still over $5 Million LESS than their FY '09 budget. Because sales tax revenues are not projected to grow significantly in this budget, more burden must fall on ad valorem taxes than when our sales taxes were higher.

The other option is to have these costs roll into our utility payments, but historically, those who are often touted by activists as "being elderly and on fixed incomes" are affected by utility rate jumps to a greater extent than property tax increases because of homestead and over 65 exemptions.

Additionally, according to the preliminary budget, you can blame some of this increase on medical cost increases (5% for active employees and 10% for retirees), which I'm sure reflects the costs of our current federal law, which is beyond our local government's control.

Is there waste in the City of Midland's budget? Sure! For one, the budget tells us the Sports Complex may need a $586,248 transfer from the general fund.

However, for activists to blindly go after our local taxing entities for the mention of a 5.5% increase in the property tax rate without having a working knowledge of the reasons for that increase, and why it might be necessary is not beneficial to their cause.

It is also why I think one of the Councilmen I like the best said:

"I'm the biggest advocate for reducing taxes, and it's not going to have an effect on me."

Much drama. Possible lawsuits. Okay, whatever.

But I never really saw the question answered of whether or not the Friends of the Library raised money and gave some of it to something other than the library.

Did they or didn't they?