tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73556227388973490392024-03-13T10:08:03.775-05:00Dallas Redistricting 2011Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-73470551130590792932016-05-27T19:32:00.001-05:002016-05-27T19:32:12.898-05:00League of Women Voters "Vote Today" ProjectThe Dallas League of Women Voters is starting a "Vote Today" project. Anyone can purchase a $10 sign for their front yard when the polls are open only!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vme6ykHLAM4/V0jmRg1YGSI/AAAAAAAALYk/zqjWjv3maa4Q5w6htaK_XTo82eoijmxsgCLcB/s1600/VoteTodayYardSign3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vme6ykHLAM4/V0jmRg1YGSI/AAAAAAAALYk/zqjWjv3maa4Q5w6htaK_XTo82eoijmxsgCLcB/s640/VoteTodayYardSign3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The sign is ONLY posted when voting is happening, early voting or on election day. It cannot be posted with any partisan signs. The message is simple, "Vote Today." The URL for the online League of Women Voters Guide at http://www.vote411.org/ is on the sign and can provide information about the election and the candidates in the candidates own words.<br />
<br />
Once you purchase your sign you are placed on an email list to be notified when elections start and stop so you can post and remove the sign.<br />
<br />
<br />Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-80659617220650706302015-01-12T14:04:00.003-06:002015-01-12T14:05:55.521-06:00Trinity Toll Road Plan ended due to self-driving car advances.<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
Trinity Toll Road will be obsolete before it is ever completed, if that ever
happens. <br />
<br />
Within the decade the Dallas Morning News may be having articles about the new
LBJ Freeway’s multiple lanes being a waste of money due to massive overbuilding!
Why? The efficiency of self-driving cars!<br />
<br />
For over 6 years my brothers have been using GPS driven tractors to provide a
significantly more accurate distribution of seeds and fertilizer on their
farms. They save enough money to more than pay for the GPS related
equipment on their self-driving tractors. <br />
<br />
Have you seen such tractors in operation yet Steve? It is nothing
new. Driving a massive multi-ton vehicle covering a 140 feet wide strip
of land with one pass though the field, and enough accuracy to be within a
fraction of an inch of "perfect" with each pass, is normal now! <br />
<br />
While self-driving vehicles are nothing new what is new is the rate of
change and usage of such well tested self-driving technology as it expands
to self-driving cars. They will quickly become more visible to
the general public over the next 5 years as new cars are purchased, many of
them with components of self-driving included. <br />
<br />
By the end of February hundreds of the new Tesla’s sold in the DFW area will
receive software upgrades that will allow auto-pilot capabilities. This will be
a major step on the long road already traveled toward self-driven cars,
including vehicle to vehicle communications allowing them to travel close to
each other at whatever the speed limit is. Meanwhile the
“driver” reads, works online, or makes phone calls. We are not there yet,
but it is now being predicted within the next decade.<br />
<br />
Within the decade Dallas will also be discussing dedicated self-driven car
lanes that can manage 500% more cars in one lane than current freeway
lanes! That is, we will have one lane each way on LBJ that could
handle ALL THE TRAFFIC NOW ON LBJ!<br />
<br />
This technology will render the newly constructed LBJ Freeway as an obsolete,
over-built freeway. <br />
<br />
The timing of such technology is uncertain. The fact that it is coming is
certain!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply google “self driving
car” today and read only what was posted within the past week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will get articles like “</span><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/197262-its-2015-self-driving-cars-are-more-than-a-promise">It’s 2015, self-driving cars are more than a promise</a>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CC0QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F3661446%2Fself-driving-driverless-cars-ces%2F&ei=3Se0VKqNMcKCgwTR-ICgCw&usg=AFQjCNEnjmY2jCgX11jSlcM_4cvFLDB9Mw&sig2=YQzhV3ZQ6o5iBosoHlLNrg"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Self-driving
Cars Are No Longer a Thing of the Future | TIME</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<br />
To ignore this rapidly advancing technology makes the destruction of the last
major natural resource in Dallas, the Trinity River flood plain, that much more
of a crime against our own children and grandchildren! <br />
<br />
Dallas has the potential to become one of the great urban centers of the world
if we manage these decisions well, and liberate ourselves from old technology!</span>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-54485233418743189442014-12-10T09:46:00.003-06:002014-12-10T21:59:22.054-06:00The Trinity Toll Road battle in 2015 elections.Today at 12:30 in Dallas City Hall in the Flag Room, we started a new chapter in the fight to save the Trinity River. It will NOT be a confusing fight like the disastrous election of 2007!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oZSiG0VUv24/VIhqR-uf2xI/AAAAAAAAIhg/3yDyq9ci5E0/s1600/TrinityRiverTollRoad2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oZSiG0VUv24/VIhqR-uf2xI/AAAAAAAAIhg/3yDyq9ci5E0/s1600/TrinityRiverTollRoad2007.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misleading signs from 2007 Dallas Trinity Toll Road Election</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There will be no confusion in future elections! Hundreds, if not thousands, will be working to make certain this vote is very clear. Any political candidates hesitant about ONLY supporting the final killing of any Trinity Toll Road plans, need not come forward for our votes.Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-34212585165660614132014-09-30T09:17:00.000-05:002014-09-30T09:17:07.616-05:00End Prison Gerrymandering in Texas also!<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="left" class="mainbar" style="padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 20px; padding-top: 14px;" valign="top" width="368"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="toc_item_0" style="color: #ff8400; text-decoration: none;"></a>
<h2 style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76) !important; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Arial; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 1px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-b/" style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-b/">Massachusetts
Legislature Calls on U.S. Census Bureau: Support Fair Redistricting, End Prison
Gerrymandering</a></h2>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
<i>Dēmos
and Prison Policy Initiative Applaud Senators Rosenberg, Chang-Diaz, and
Dorcena-Forry and Representatives Moran, Carvalho, and Rushing for Leadership to
Protect One Person, One Vote Principle</i></div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
On
September 12 2014, the Massachusetts legislature sent the United States Census
Bureau a <a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-n/" style="color: #ff8400; text-decoration: none;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-n/">resolution</a>
adopted by both chambers, calling on the Census Bureau to reform its outdated
practice of enumerating incarcerated persons as "residents" of the prisons in
which they are temporarily incarcerated. This practice leads state and local
governments to violate the constitutional principle of one person, one vote by
granting additional undue political clout to voters who live near prisons and
diluting the votes cast by everyone else. As the resolution explains:</div>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 0px;">
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
"Census
data results in distortions of the one-person, one-vote principle in drawing
electoral districts in Massachusetts, diluting the representation of the
majority of districts that do not contain prisons."</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
Massachusetts’
resolution urges the Census Bureau to provide states with redistricting data
that counts incarcerated persons at their residential address.</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
In
response to these developments, Dēmos and the Prison Policy Initiative,
non-partisan public policy organizations concerned about fair electoral
representation, released the following statement:</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
"A
prison is not a home," said Brenda Wright, Vice President for Legal Strategies
at Dēmos. "Prison-based gerrymandering distorts democracy and fair
representation in Massachusetts, and should not be tolerated in our state. Dēmos
applauds the leadership of Senators Rosenberg, Chang-Diaz, and Dorcena-Forry and
Representatives Moran, Carvalho, and Rushing in achieving passage of the
resolution urging the Census Bureau to count incarcerated persons in their home
communities, where they are considered to reside for virtually all legal
purposes."</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
Dēmos
and the Prison Policy Initiative have long partnered in the goal of ending
prison-based gerrymandering. "The national trend in state and local governments
of rejecting prison gerrymandering sends a clear message to the Census Bureau
that it’s time to update the residence rules," said Peter Wagner, Executive
Director of the Prison Policy Initiative. "I’m proud of the Massachusetts
Legislature’s steps to urge the Census Bureau to end prison gerrymandering
nationwide 2020."</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
During
the public hearings on redistricting in Massachusetts following the 2010 Census,
Dēmos and PPI were among many groups and individuals urging the Massachusetts
legislature to add its voice to those of other stakeholders calling for change
in how the Census Bureau enumerates incarcerated persons.</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
The
Special Joint Committee on Legislative Redistricting in Massachusetts took note
of these concerns in its <a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-p/" style="color: #ff8400; text-decoration: none;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-p/">final report</a>
(downloads PDF), devoting about a quarter of the redistricting report to the
vote dilution caused by the Census Bureau's decision to tabulate incarcerated
people as residents of the prison, and suggesting this resolution as their first
key recommendation.</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
Dēmos
and PPI strongly applaud the Massachusetts legislature for its leadership in
adopting this recommendation and calling for permanent, nation-wide reform of
how incarcerated persons are tabulated in the Census. The Massachusetts
Legislature’s resolution sends a strong message that Massachusetts residents,
and all U.S. voters, deserve to have a fair say in elections. It’s time for the
Census Bureau to do its part.</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
The
full text of the resolution is:</div>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 0px;">
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
WHEREAS,
obtaining an accurate count of the population is so vital to representative
democracy that the framers of the United States Constitution addressed the issue
of the census and apportionment in the opening paragraphs of the Constitution;
and</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
WHEREAS,
the Massachusetts Constitution requires that federal census data be the basis
for state redistricting; and</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
WHEREAS,
the Census Bureau currently has a policy of counting incarcerated people at the
address of the correctional institution, even though for other legal purposes
their home address remains their legal residence; and</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
WHEREAS,
this Census data results in distortions of the one-person, one-vote principle in
drawing electoral districts in Massachusetts, diluting the representation of the
majority of districts that do not contain prisons;</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
WHEREAS,
the simplest solution to the conflict between federal constitutional
requirements of "one person, one vote" and Massachusetts constitutional
requirements of using the federal census is for the Census Bureau to publish
redistricting data based on the location of an incarcerated person’s residence,
not prison location; and</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
WHEREAS,
the Census Bureau has already recognized the demand from states and counties for
data that better reflects their actual populations, and has agreed to release
data on prison populations to states in time for redistricting, enabling some
states to individually adjust the population data used for redistricting;
and</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
WHEREAS,
Public Law 94-171 requires the Census Bureau to work with states to provide
geographically relevant data and the Census Bureau has been responsive to
state’s data needs for the past 3 decades; now therefore be it</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
RESOLVED,
that the Massachusetts General Court hereby urges the Census Bureau, in the next
Census and thereafter, to provide states with redistricting data that counts
incarcerated persons at their residential address, rather than the address of
the correctional institution where they are temporarily located; and be it
further</div>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
RESOLVED,
that a copy of these resolutions be transmitted forthwith by the Clerk of the
Senate to the Director of Census Bureau.</div>
</blockquote>
<center>
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<h2 style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76) !important; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Arial; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 1px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-x/" style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-x/">Please support
our work</a></h2>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
Our
work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can
accept tax-deductible <a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-g/" style="color: #ff8400; text-decoration: none;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-g/">gifts online</a>
or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!</div>
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<h2 style="color: rgb(30, 30, 30) !important; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">
Other
PPI News:</h2>
<h3 style="color: rgb(30, 30, 30) !important; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px;">
<a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-w/" style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; text-decoration: none;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-w/">2013-2014 was a
landmark year for the Prison Policy Initiative!</a></h3>
<a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yd/" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yd/"><img alt="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yd/" height="168" hspace="0" src="http://i1.cmail1.com/ei/r/5C/2C4/DD1/csimport/2013-2014cover.085018.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 10px 0px;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yd/" width="130" /></a>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
We
just released our <a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yh/" style="color: black;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yh/">2013-2014
Annual Report</a>, which highlights new and ongoing partnerships that have
allowed us to win solid victories, as well as our work on strengthening the
movement for criminal justice reform.</div>
<h3 style="color: rgb(30, 30, 30) !important; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px;">
<a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yk/" style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Futura, "Tw Cen MT", Tahoma; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; text-decoration: none;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yk/">FCC
Commissioners are proposing to protect families from in-state prison phone
gouging</a></h3>
<div style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
Two
commissioners circulate a proposal that would extend last year's historic ruling
to protect more families from the predatory prison and jail telephone industry.
<a href="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yu/" style="color: black;" title="http://news.prisonpolicy.org/t/r-l-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd-yu/">Read
more.</a></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://cmail1.com/t/r-o-mkhtjky-iltrkhdryd/o.gif" style="border-width: 0px !important; display: block; height: 1px !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; width: 1px !important;" width="1" /> Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-84823617395908295842014-09-28T06:39:00.000-05:002014-09-28T06:57:22.941-05:00Dallas County Early Voting Visibility ProjectThe Dallas League of Women Voters will be managing a Early Voting Visibility Project during the November 2014 elections. This is a test.<br />
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Half of the Dallas County early voting locations were selected at random. Over 500 large Dallas County signs with arrows will be used at intersections within 2 miles of each of these 13 locations to direct people to the early voting location. A 'bread crumb trail' of 2,000 smaller signs with arrows pointing up will lead people from these intersections to the voting location. <br />
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The goal is to increase early voting at least 10% at these 13 locations compared to the other early voting locations.<br />
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For each location we have 40 of the large signs and 160 of the smaller signs to lead people "captured" at the intersections to the early voting location. If you want to help put out signs the evening before early voting starts, and to then collect them the evening after early voting ends, and in effect manage one of these 13 locations, please call Bill Betzen at 214-957-9739, or email him at <a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com">bbetzen@aol.com</a> .<br />
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We want to use the new bilingual early voting signs (that I need to get a photo of to post here) so that people can vote with no lines and we can avoid lines like this on election day:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pv_MQN6e4y4/VCf2-vXh3OI/AAAAAAAAHbA/TX5eaRXyisc/s1600/Earlyvote1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pv_MQN6e4y4/VCf2-vXh3OI/AAAAAAAAHbA/TX5eaRXyisc/s1600/Earlyvote1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-2317300052397266442014-06-04T08:03:00.001-05:002014-06-04T14:36:08.828-05:00Trinity River Toll Road Funeral 6-8-14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ESfK77E0aE/U48XoPqc9kI/AAAAAAAAFVc/qrHjg_iTqqM/s1600/Oddfellows+funeral+for+TollRoad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ESfK77E0aE/U48XoPqc9kI/AAAAAAAAFVc/qrHjg_iTqqM/s1600/Oddfellows+funeral+for+TollRoad.jpg" height="640" width="409" /></a></div>
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The party above is happening 6-8-14 as described. See <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20140603-toll-road-opponents-planning-so-called-funeral-for-trinity-parkway.ece">http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20140603-toll-road-opponents-planning-so-called-funeral-for-trinity-parkway.ece</a></div>
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Here is some of the history leading to this celebration:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HBDcVW5kTmA/U48X3yIyhzI/AAAAAAAAFVk/145wcbP6uGc/s1600/VoteYesSigns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HBDcVW5kTmA/U48X3yIyhzI/AAAAAAAAFVk/145wcbP6uGc/s1600/VoteYesSigns.jpg" height="308" width="640" /></a></div>
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Looking northwest where Toll Road was planned for with Sylvan Bridge in the background. Photo taken in 2007 when this was a very popular park. </div>
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It will now be one again!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj09FAIRQGQ/U48YTQ6_PuI/AAAAAAAAFVs/BmUD4T7hmoo/s1600/ThisIsPaidFor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj09FAIRQGQ/U48YTQ6_PuI/AAAAAAAAFVs/BmUD4T7hmoo/s1600/ThisIsPaidFor.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VFmp-ylJ53s/U48YZZD4sSI/AAAAAAAAFV0/-NrziXgCTcQ/s1600/TollwayPaidFor2007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VFmp-ylJ53s/U48YZZD4sSI/AAAAAAAAFV0/-NrziXgCTcQ/s1600/TollwayPaidFor2007.JPG" height="370" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsh-sV2Vnac/U48Yx8HpfmI/AAAAAAAAFV8/pfBhUB9dm_s/s1600/PaveTheTrinity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsh-sV2Vnac/U48Yx8HpfmI/AAAAAAAAFV8/pfBhUB9dm_s/s1600/PaveTheTrinity.jpg" height="211" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-26150064070559210462013-08-26T08:36:00.001-05:002013-08-26T14:22:42.162-05:001963 Washington Civil Rights March & 2006 Dallas Civil Rights Mega MarchThis week we are celebrating the historic events of 50 years ago in Washington, D.C. on 8-28-63, when about 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial. They heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his brilliant "I have a dream" speech.<br />
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Much of the publicity has said the 1963 march was the largest Civil Rights march in U.S. history. That certainly was true until 2006. However, on 4-9-2006, that record was broken in Dallas, Texas with the monumental Mega March to address immigration reform and the civil rights associated with the needs for such reform.<br />
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The Mega March gathered on Ross Avenue in Dallas, in front of and to the east of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, planning for a 1:00 PM start. However the crowds were far beyond all planning. Congestion was intense. At about 12:45 PM Dallas Police directed the march to start to relieve that congestion. I was walking up Ross from the other direction to arrive in time for the 1:00 PM start when I was met by the front of the March. All six lanes of Ross remained filled with people walking for the next 4 hours, or longer. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lHLr2K3Xh3Q/UhtXyUj6sNI/AAAAAAAABWU/1pCV0Q8s10A/s1600/MegaMarch04-09-06Starta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lHLr2K3Xh3Q/UhtXyUj6sNI/AAAAAAAABWU/1pCV0Q8s10A/s640/MegaMarch04-09-06Starta.jpg" width="483" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dallas 4-9-2006 Mega March start from Guadalupe Cathedral</span></td></tr>
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The 1.3 miles of street from the Cathedral to Dallas City Hall remained filled with marchers till past 5 PM when the last of them walked past the Cathedral. Meanwhile at Dallas City Hall this was the crowd in the over-congested area:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_fXS6wNa_tI/UhtY334jPqI/AAAAAAAABWc/vaD_OxdNRuU/s1600/MegaMarch04-09-06enda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_fXS6wNa_tI/UhtY334jPqI/AAAAAAAABWc/vaD_OxdNRuU/s640/MegaMarch04-09-06enda.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dallas City Hall Plaza looking northeast 4-9-2006 at about 2 PM</span></td></tr>
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The following photo was taken long after the two above, at about 4:00 PM looking northeast up Ross Avenue. This continued for about another hour.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cj_GwAjM9s0/UhtbMK7ybQI/AAAAAAAABWo/HMfO-9UR-uA/s1600/P1010159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cj_GwAjM9s0/UhtbMK7ybQI/AAAAAAAABWo/HMfO-9UR-uA/s640/P1010159.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looking northeast up Ross Avenue about 4: 00 PM on 4-9-2006</span></td></tr>
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Estimates of the crowd were usually agreed at 500,000 but some went as high as 600,000. The lowest estimates were 350,000. </div>
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Does anyone know of another U.S. Civil Rights march that was larger?</div>
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<a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com">bbetzen@aol.com</a> </div>
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-44577479099923443282012-10-03T15:25:00.002-05:002012-10-04T08:50:44.512-05:00Federal Debt, Blue and Red Patterns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">How can anyone concerned about the future of our nation ignore the taxation and debt patterns for over 40 years in the US?</span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9V_MhIZILis/UGyd-lJs4GI/AAAAAAAABAQ/oMBOTY0LGRQ/s1600/US_Federal_Debt_as_Percent_of_GDP_by_President_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9V_MhIZILis/UGyd-lJs4GI/AAAAAAAABAQ/oMBOTY0LGRQ/s400/US_Federal_Debt_as_Percent_of_GDP_by_President_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">U.S. Federal Debt as Percentage of GDP since 1969</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some argue that Congress was the major factor in these deficit changes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Notice how the changes happened immediately once Reagan and Bush II began their presidential terms. That damage was much hard to repair and improvements only happened more slowly once Clinton entered office, and hardly at all once Obama entered office due to the economic disaster we faced.</span>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-21264155238247376672012-09-29T21:52:00.000-05:002012-10-05T20:07:37.730-05:00Comparing states voting for Romney with states voting for Obama<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UuqdX08SFEo/UG-DQSLsz4I/AAAAAAAABAk/_VBM7vo7wU8/s1600/10-05-12_ObamaRomneyStatesCompared.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UuqdX08SFEo/UG-DQSLsz4I/AAAAAAAABAk/_VBM7vo7wU8/s400/10-05-12_ObamaRomneyStatesCompared.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Comparing states voting for Romney with states voting for Obama</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click on image and click on "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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The above chart was made using the 9/24/12 electoral map by Karl Rove that can be found at <a href="http://rove.com/uploads/0000/0711/Romney-Obama9.24.pdf">http://rove.com/uploads/0000/0711/Romney-Obama9.24.pdf</a> . This map is probably the most reliable in that the states indicated are probably strongly dedicated to the candidates they are allocated for. The other data came mostly from Census Data found on the US Census site. </div>
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Execution by state data came from <a href="http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/number-executions-state-and-region-1976">http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/number-executions-state-and-region-1976</a></div>
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Murder and Forcible Rape data came from <a href="http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/law_enforcement_courts_prisons/crimes_and_crime_rates.html%20ng">http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/law_enforcement_courts_prisons/crimes_and_crime_rates.html </a> using selection # 308 on that page and the Excel file at that selection.</div>
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Educational expenditures by state were secured from the Excel file at Item # 262 at <a href="http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/education/elementary_and_secondary_education_staff_and_finances.html">http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/education/elementary_and_secondary_education_staff_and_finances.html</a></div>
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<li>Educational achievement by state was secured from the Excel file at item # 233 at <a href="http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/education/educational_attainment.html">http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/education/educational_attainment.html</a></li>
<li>Median income for each state was secured from <a href="http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/statemedian/">http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/statemedian/</a> by going to "Annual Social and Economic Supplement" on that page and the "Income of Households by State <a href="http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/incpovhlth/2011/statemhi2_11.xls" title="Using 2-Year-Average Medians">Using 2-Year-Average Medians</a>"</li>
<li>The information on which states still allow physical discipline in public schools came from <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934191.html">http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934191.html</a></li>
<li>Finally, the information on Food Stamp usage by state comes from <a href="http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/social_insurance_human_services/food_programs.html">http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/social_insurance_human_services/food_programs.html</a></li>
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Additional ideas are welcome as to variables that should be explored in this effort. <br />
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Bill Betzen<br />
<a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com">bbetzen@aol.com</a> Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-27577289388708997762012-09-19T18:49:00.002-05:002013-07-16T10:33:41.332-05:00Voting Rights Act Revived in Texas: 3 maps<div>
The 2011 Texas Legislature redistricted three maps to shift the previous decades massive population growth into new legislative districts. This was done for the Texas House and Senate, and for the US Congress with four new seats added to the U.S. House from Texas. The maps created were so discriminatory against minorities that they were immediately challenged and repeatedly declared discriminatory by the courts. Most recently, on 8-28-12, a three judge Federal Court in Washington affirmed that judgement. The maps are now on the way to the Supreme Court. Study the three reports below, one on each map. Form your own opinion. What should the decision be?
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M4iVNAZ0tH4/UFpMXrm6csI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/iCIIbctS80Y/s1600/ChartTexasPlanH283_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M4iVNAZ0tH4/UFpMXrm6csI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/iCIIbctS80Y/s400/ChartTexasPlanH283_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anatomy Chart on Texas House Map PlanH283</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click on image above & hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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The chart above is for Texas House map PlanH283 for the 150 Texas House
districts. The study of this map was done with a bar chart due to the large number of 150 legislative districts. It more easily illustrates the gerrymandering pattern of discrimination, a pattern that has the same components in each map. Each map has an area that is designated as a "Maximum Win" area and
a "Maximum Loss" area. In the bar chart above, the area highlighted with yellow
is the Maximum Loss area. The green area is the Maximum Win area. Notice the consistent fact that <strong>Anglo districts dominate the Maximum Win areas in every map. Minority districts dominate the Maximum Loss areas in every map.</strong> How can that be an accident?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cNk2J8ukvI4/UFpYx1-Qg4I/AAAAAAAAA9k/vvZYpWYvTtA/s1600/AnatomyofS148r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cNk2J8ukvI4/UFpYx1-Qg4I/AAAAAAAAA9k/vvZYpWYvTtA/s640/AnatomyofS148r.jpg" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anatomy of Texas State Senate Map PlanS148r</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click on above image and hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span><br />
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In both the Texas State Senate map above and the Congressional map below it was easy to
document the "gaps" that existed. <strong> In the Maximum Loss area there were no Anglo
districts. In the Maximum Win area there were no
Minority districts.</strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebMrejMbZ2Q/UFpZc41GMaI/AAAAAAAAA9s/7EfW7hRANAI/s1600/AnatomyofTexasCongressionalPlanC185_8-31-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebMrejMbZ2Q/UFpZc41GMaI/AAAAAAAAA9s/7EfW7hRANAI/s640/AnatomyofTexasCongressionalPlanC185_8-31-12.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anatomy of Texas Congressional Map for U.S. House Map PlanH283</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click on above image and hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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These maps are perfect examples of gerrymandering. They should find their way into the next generation of government class text books in Texas.<br />
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These maps are also online at <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-plan-h283.html" title="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-plan-h283.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-plan-h283.html</a>,
<a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-senate-redistricting-plan-s148r.html" title="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-senate-redistricting-plan-s148r.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-senate-redistricting-plan-s148r.html</a>,
and <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-congressional-redistricting-plan.html" title="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-congressional-redistricting-plan.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-congressional-redistricting-plan.html</a><br />
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Questions are welcomed and encouraged. <br />
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Hopefully the above information will help in spreading the word as to the debt of thanks we owe the Legislators of 2011 who designed these maps. They have created maps that will help assure everyone involved, including the judges, that the Voting Rights Act should have a long life. <br />
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Such maps must NEVER again become law and go into use. They reflect the painful history of racism that, with the current creation of these maps, obviously continues to afflict Texas. These maps should only be used in text books as examples of the gerrymandering damage that can be done to democracy if voters are not vigilant.<br />
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I've joined the <a href="http://www.lwvdallas.org/">League of Women Voters</a> to work together with them in maintaining our democracy and the right to vote. (There are now over 18 men who are members in Dallas. Everyone is welcome to join!) It is an honor to work with them to continue their noble history of achievements on behalf of our nation, and democracy. Join your local League of Women Voters and support democracy!<br />
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7-14-13 addendum: It appears maps very similar to those above will become the law in Texas now that the Supreme Court has kicked out critical protections in the Voting Rights Act. This is a painful and uncertain time in the history of our nation. Will the necessary work be done?<br />
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Bill Betzen</div>
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<a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com">bbetzen@aol.com</a></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-66501021786467292342012-09-18T10:02:00.002-05:002012-09-18T11:21:22.614-05:00The REAL 47%!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zCosQY_xj2o/UFifTLFN7-I/AAAAAAAAA8o/uvuMWLuNXPs/s1600/nonpayers_banner_taxfoundRomneySpeakingAboutOwn3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zCosQY_xj2o/UFifTLFN7-I/AAAAAAAAA8o/uvuMWLuNXPs/s400/nonpayers_banner_taxfoundRomneySpeakingAboutOwn3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The real "47%" are Romney supporters.<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right click and hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></span></td></tr>
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The original of the above map comes from <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/where-are-the-47-of-americans-who-pay-no-income-taxes/262499/">http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/where-are-the-47-of-americans-who-pay-no-income-taxes/262499/</a>. It appears that Romney was speaking about his own supporters based on an electoral map from the Karl Rove web site:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gWW5QteCQ7o/UFiOhBK7t9I/AAAAAAAAA8Y/F8N5qHDY1Zk/s1600/Romney-Obama9_17MAP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gWW5QteCQ7o/UFiOhBK7t9I/AAAAAAAAA8Y/F8N5qHDY1Zk/s400/Romney-Obama9_17MAP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-41236341678984219762012-09-18T07:00:00.004-05:002012-09-20T09:56:26.634-05:00Obama voters are more generous.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZD4zR7SheWU/UFsuB80tTVI/AAAAAAAAA-U/1mvDlLdkMDQ/s1600/DFWGivingIndex2008+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZD4zR7SheWU/UFsuB80tTVI/AAAAAAAAA-U/1mvDlLdkMDQ/s640/DFWGivingIndex2008+008.jpg" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dallas Fort Worth giving and voting patterns in 2008</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click & hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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On 9-17-12, on the front page of the Dallas Morning News Business Section, the larger map above of the DFW area was printed. Inserted into it by zip code were the giving levels according to 2008 tax returns. The darker green areas are thoses areas giving the highest percentage of their income to charity. This map can be found online at <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/business/headlines/20120916-dallas-fort-worth-giving-trends-show-surprises.ece" onclick="LinkshimAsyncLink.swap(this, "http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/l.php?u=http\u00253A\u00252F\u00252Fwww.dallasnews.com\u00252Fbusiness\u00252Fheadlines\u00252F20120916-dallas-fort-worth-giving-trends-show-surprises.ece&h=0AQEUVsMV&s=1");" onmouseover="LinkshimAsyncLink.swap(this, "http:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/business\/headlines\/20120916-dallas-fort-worth-giving-trends-show-surprises.ece");" target="_blank">http://www.dallasnews.com/business/headlines/20120916-dallas-fort-worth-giving-trends-show-surprises.ece</a> .<br />
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The smaller inserted map is of the 2008 presidential election returns for the same DFW area. This copy of those 2008 election returns comes from <a href="http://gregsopinion.com/?p=7131">http://gregsopinion.com/?p=7131</a>. Notice the correlation between high rates of giving and voting for President Obama. <br />
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Generosity was not a quality mentioned by the other presidential candidate as he spoke of what he called "the 47%" who will "always" vote for President Obama. He described them in his view as people "... dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them." Generosity was not mentioned. He needs to see the above graphic.Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-24623388042326078802012-09-16T13:58:00.002-05:002012-09-16T21:21:45.454-05:00Texas Plan H283, House Redistricting Plan declared discriminatory 8-28-12Following is a chart made from demographic data on Plan H283, as approved by the 2011 Texas Legislature, that can be found at <a href="http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/redist/redist.htm">http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/redist/redist.htm</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lPmSu58NYQ/UFZTK60r9iI/AAAAAAAAA7g/ftjo_X3C-bo/s1600/ChartTexasPlanH283_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lPmSu58NYQ/UFZTK60r9iI/AAAAAAAAA7g/ftjo_X3C-bo/s400/ChartTexasPlanH283_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Texas House District Plan H283 Declared Illegal 8-28-12</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click on above image and click "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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The information about Anglo non-Hispanic population percentages in each of the 150 House districts created was collected as well as the Minority population percentages in each district. A count was then made as to how many Anglo districts, and then how many Minority districts, were in the 0 to 4% range, the 5% to 9% range, the 10% to 14% range, and so on up to 99%. This shows which ethnic group has the most favorable percentages for winning an election without "wasting" too many votes and which group has the worst percentages where their votes are more likely to be unable to elect a candidate of their choice. (This presumes voters are more likely to vote together as either Anglos or Minorities as a group. If that were not true, why does this redistricting plan have a very definite pattern among racial lines? What are these map makers telling us they expect to happen?) <br />
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Below is the list used to make the above chart. It was made using the PlanH283 data linked from the right hand column on the page at <a href="http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/redist/redist.htm">http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/redist/redist.htm</a>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0z8lj16ecQ0/UFYtc56MsTI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/qxLvdrhxBB8/s1600/DistrictDataPlanH283AngloMinority.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0z8lj16ecQ0/UFYtc56MsTI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/qxLvdrhxBB8/s640/DistrictDataPlanH283AngloMinority.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Demographic Data from House PlanH283, used to make above chart<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click and hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></span><br />
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On 8-28-12 when PlanH283, the above House district map, was declared discriminatory, the other two maps, one for the Senate and one for Congress, were also declared illegal due to discrimination. Reports on those maps have also been done. The report on Congressional Map, PlanC185, can be seen at <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-congressional-redistricting-plan.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-congressional-redistricting-plan.html</a> The report on the Texas Senate Map, PlanS148r, can be seen at <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-senate-redistricting-plan-s148r.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-senate-redistricting-plan-s148r.html</a></div>
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-58721876173533679202012-09-13T16:23:00.001-05:002012-09-16T20:48:00.690-05:00Texas Plan S148r, Senate Redistricting Plan, declared discriminatory 8-28-12<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Olbb9he5NaQ/UFJOEnzXt-I/AAAAAAAAA6s/MWcFJ2ndT6k/s1600/AnatomyofS148r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Olbb9he5NaQ/UFJOEnzXt-I/AAAAAAAAA6s/MWcFJ2ndT6k/s640/AnatomyofS148r.jpg" width="497" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anatomy of Texas Senate Redistricting Plan S148r</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click on above image and hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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The above anatomy demonstrates the gerrymandering patterns that led to this map and two others from Texas being declared illegal and discriminatory by Federal Courts in Washington on 8-28-12. Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-13160332731927708012012-09-08T20:23:00.002-05:002012-10-06T22:07:47.118-05:00Making Dallas Early Voting Work, 10-22-12 to 11-2-12Dallas Early Voting begins 10-22-12 and ends 11-2-12, before the 11-6-12 election. This year for the first time there will be 3,500 Dallas County Election Department Early Voting signs with arrows on them to use in helping the public locate early voting locations. The plan is to place about 10 of them at each major intersection within 2 miles of each early voting location and then have a trail of identical signs leading the way to the election location. Just follow the arrows! An experiment on this in 2010 led to an increase of 40% in the number of early votes cast at the location tested.<br />
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Here is a <a href="http://www.dalcoelections.org/nov62012/EVLocations.htm">link to the Dallas County Elections site</a> with the locations, times, and other details given for early voting.<br />
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National Voter Registration Day is 9-25-12. The last day to register in time for this election is 10-9-12. You can go to the <a href="http://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/">National Voter Registration Day web site</a> to find details about registration in your area, or to help in voter registration efforts for the future of our nation.Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-23315108555313178802012-09-04T10:14:00.003-05:002012-09-05T11:35:32.727-05:00Google & political lies<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The volume of lies this political season is overwhelming, especially online. They seem to almost always be made in support of Republican candidates. I wondered if the way I was set up online and in Facebook was simply directing all such anti-Republican postings toward me. Are not lies being associated with the Democrats just as frequently? Research was done to see how often the possessive form of the party name was followed by the word "lie" online. The chart below is the result. Corrections are welcomed! </span><a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">bbetzen@aol.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6K1FqsiYCeI/UEd_JG2uPAI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/W3GfKyhXlE0/s1600/LieSurvey9-4-12Charta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6K1FqsiYCeI/UEd_JG2uPAI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/W3GfKyhXlE0/s400/LieSurvey9-4-12Charta.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Google study of terms related to political lies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">(Right-click and hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">It appears that the art of the political lie for political gain may have been perfected during the time of Karl Rove at the turn of the century, developed through examples such as the Swift Boat exercises, and is now used with abandon. It appears to be dominating political dialogue. Is our democracy in danger if the public cannot be educated as to how to verify facts? Or will this method of winning votes ultimately be exposed to the general public for what it really is before we endure another decade like the last one? Lies contributed to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, and trillions of dollars, dollars that are now part of the debt we are leaving our children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Trust but verify! This is a brilliant phrase often used by President Reagan. We all must follow his advice with all political statements being made in this exceptionally dangerous time. We must not have another decade like the last one.</span></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-45423975312972443372012-08-29T11:37:00.000-05:002012-09-16T20:45:11.553-05:00Texas Plan C185, Congressional Redistricting Plan, declared illegal 8-28-12Below is an anatomy of the Texas Congressional Redistricting PlanC185 that was declared intentionally discriminatory by the courts on 8-28-12. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1TofVy1d4w/UEEkc22o_QI/AAAAAAAAA5I/bgKjsJGF3MQ/s1600/AnatomyofTexasCongressionalPlanC185_8-31-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1TofVy1d4w/UEEkc22o_QI/AAAAAAAAA5I/bgKjsJGF3MQ/s640/AnatomyofTexasCongressionalPlanC185_8-31-12.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anatomy of Texas Congressional Map Plan C185 decleared discriminatory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Right-click and hit "open link" to enlarge and/or print.)</span></td></tr>
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PlanC185 was originally thrown out by local Texas courts soon after it was created and was replaced by those courts with Planc235, which is not much better. The Texas Attorney General appealed that ruling and the 8-28-12 decision was the result. See details and links to a copy of the 154 page ruling in this <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20120828-appeals-court-remap-by-texas-gop-discriminated-against-minorities.ece">linked Dallas Morning News article</a> on this decision.<br />
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As you study the above chart note that the demographic group percentages are relatively evenly distributed between the high percentage of 86% and the low percentage of 13%, except for a gap of over 12 percentage points! That gap tells the story of gerrymandering. <br />
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It is a gap that for the Anglo percentages is between 31.7% and 44.4%. No group would want to be in this "Maximum Loss" range. Sadly that is a range of percentages that are occupied by 15 Minority districts, but not a single Anglo district. That same gap translates to a gap between 55.6% and 68.3% for the Minority districts with not a single Minority district with percentages in this "Maximum Win" gap. However there are 15 Anglo districts with those percentages. Do you think this happened by chance? By accident?<br />
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Is this really 2012?<br />
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Hopefully in the next redistricting in Texas in 2020 citizens will be able to go online and build their own Texas redistricting plans. As the public becomes more aware of the power in redistricting they will no longer allow maps such as PlanC185 to even be considered. Yesterday's decision was a strong step forward. Texas also needs a replacement for PlanC235 which is the current Congressional redistricting plan we are working under. It is almost as bad as PlanC185. See a similar anatomy of Plan C235 at <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/03/gerrymandered-texas-congressional-map.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/03/gerrymandered-texas-congressional-map.html</a> .</div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-68629587003019137952012-08-01T18:23:00.000-05:002012-08-05T08:41:27.739-05:00Reasons for Hispanic lawsuit against Dallas City CouncilIt was very good news to read of the <a href="http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2012/08/hispanic-leaders-residents-say-dallas-is-failing-to-offer-fair-representation-at-council.html/">lawsuit being filed by voters against the Dallas City Council redistricting plan</a> approved by the Council on October 5, 2011. The map created by that redistricting plan continues a long Dallas tradition of denying equal representation to minority communities in Dallas. With this approved map it is very hard, if not impossible, to explain how the Hispanic Community was not the primary target. The <a href="http://www.dallascityhall.com/redistricting/planReview.html">approved map analysis by city staff</a> clearly shows it only has 4 districts in which the voting age population (VAP) is over 50% Hispanic. <br />
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On 9-24-11 the Dallas City Council Redistricting Commission was considering a total of 11 different maps and <strong>eight of those maps each had five districts with Hispanic voting age populations above 50%.</strong> See the details for each of these 11 maps on a chart at <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/09/dallas-city-council-redistricting-maps.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/09/dallas-city-council-redistricting-maps.html</a> . Please note that in one of those maps, wPlan03c submitted by Rawlings, the <strong>weakest</strong> of the five Hispanic majority districts was 57.6% voting age Hispanic! On 10-5-11 the meeting began with 5 maps still in consideration, including the wPlan03c map, and only two of those 5 maps did not have 5 majority Hispanic VAP districts: <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-5-2011-final-city-council.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-5-2011-final-city-council.html</a> .<br />
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That same map also had the strongest three Black districts, stronger than any other map considered, with an average Black percentage of 63.07%. In the Approved City Council Map this percentage was only 56.9%, and there were only 3 Black majority districts, contrary to what at least one TV reporter said this evening. Also, the Wplan03c map was the only map with two "minority opportunity districts" increasing the potential for a Dallas City Council with 10 minority members! No other map so strongly increased the potential for 71% (10) of the 14 council members to be minorities, just as the 71% of Dallas are minorities!<br />
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The wPlan03c map submitted by Rawlings was also the map with the most compact districts with an average destrict perimeter of only 32.64 miles. The approved map was significantly gerrymandered leading to an average perimeter of 35.60 miles. This means there are 41.44 more miles of boundary lines in the gerrymandered, but approved, City Council map. More details about the wPlanc03 map are linked from the same page linked above: <a href="http://www.dallascityhall.com/redistricting/planReview.html">http://www.dallascityhall.com/redistricting/planReview.html</a> The WPlanc03 Rawlings map is the 8th map listed on that page.<br />
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The problems with the finally approved map were summarized in a letter to the editor posted on 10-9-11: <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/10/letter-to-editor.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/10/letter-to-editor.html</a>, and in a second letter just published on 8-5-12 at <a href="http://letterstotheeditorblog.dallasnews.com/2012/08/its-time-to-change-dallas-voting-landscape.html/">http://letterstotheeditorblog.dallasnews.com/2012/08/its-time-to-change-dallas-voting-landscape.html/</a> .<br />
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<strong>In any redistricting plan every resident must be counted</strong>, citizen, adult, child, non-citizen. Everyone is counted! That is the law. People complain that the ability to vote should somehow be used in drawing the lines. While there are many estimates as to how many eligible voters are in each district, <strong>they are only estimates</strong>. It is only at the voting booth that the real determination can be made. Until then the total population is the only population factor that should be used in drawing district lines. The numbers for each district must be within a 10 percentage point range, generally no more than 5 percentage points above or below the target population of 14th the Dallas City Population.<br />
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There was a time in history when some claim gerrymandering was used in Dallas to maximize minority representation. Those days are past, if they ever existed. Gerrymandering was certainly used to confuse and discourage voter participation, as that is the most consistent effect. With the approved City Council Redistricting Map it is obvious gerrymandering continues to be used in attempts to fragment the Dallas minority community, now 71% of Dallas population. It must be stopped. The future of Dallas rests with everyone voting and being counted in compact city council districts.Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-58460446085194244272012-05-30T09:27:00.001-05:002012-05-30T20:07:31.894-05:00Voter ID & Voting Rights Violations, Dallas County 5-29-12The following sign was in the election packet for posting along with all the other signs for polling locations on election day, 5-29-12, in Dallas County:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XuifGHp9xsc/T8YtB--ju-I/AAAAAAAAAug/y5s_NFjDm-w/s1600/VoterIDManipulation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" rba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XuifGHp9xsc/T8YtB--ju-I/AAAAAAAAAug/y5s_NFjDm-w/s400/VoterIDManipulation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Voter ID Signs in Dallas County 5-29-12</span></td></tr>
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Other, black and white signs, in both Spanish and English, and in much smaller print, explained in detail that the Voter ID law was not in effect for this election. Those signs listed all the forms of ID that were allowed. During 14 hours yesterday at my polling place I never saw anyone read those more detailed signs posted on the door. Obviously, if the above sign had been posted, it would have been read much more frequently due to the larger size of the print, the short message, and <span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>the red color. </strong></span><br />
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Due to this high potential for the wrong message to be given, this sign was not posted at our polling location. While literally correct, without more information it left the impression that a photo ID was required. A formal complaint has been filed about the use of this sign. More information is needed on this sign before it is posted again.Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-63561256841641315602012-05-06T16:57:00.002-05:002012-05-07T10:40:37.860-05:00Trinity River Tollway for Through Traffic: but at what cost?<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Do you remember the promises made during the 2007 Trinity River Tollway Vote? Politicians said it was already approved and paid for!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo taken in November of 2007 outside Beckly Courthouse voting locastion when two city council members were present and encouraging voters to vote "No."<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Right click to enlarge and/or print.)</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WAFGf5GO8MA/T6b970ThkLI/AAAAAAAAAs0/S8jpfrhvKNw/s1600/VoteNoClarified.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" mea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WAFGf5GO8MA/T6b970ThkLI/AAAAAAAAAs0/S8jpfrhvKNw/s320/VoteNoClarified.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Misleading campaign signs were a factor in the election. <br />
Which sign would you consider to be the most accurate?</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.studentmotivation.org/TrinityRiverVoteClarificationProject/">Trinity River Toll Road issue from 2007</a>, after almost dying a natural death in spite of the close win in the 2007 election, has now been resurrected by Dallas Mayor Rawlings. Somehow the value of the 60+% of mixmaster traffic that is non-stop traffic through Dallas is pushing the cause.<br />
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This <a href="http://enews.ntta.org/DrivingForward/April2012/Trinity_Parkway_DF_APR12">Tuesday evening, 5-8-12, there will be a NTTA (North Texas Tollway Authority) meeting</a> at the Dallas Convention Center accepting public testimony regarding opinions on the value of this floodway toll road. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM, but from 5 - 7 PM, for two hours before that meeting, staff from the NTTA and exhibits will be available to answer all questions. A map with free parking information is at <a href="http://www.trinityrivercorridor.com/pdfs/trinity-meeting-050812.pdf">http://www.trinityrivercorridor.com/pdfs/trinity-meeting-050812.pdf</a> .</div>
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I will be there asking about estimated sound generated by the tollway and the current sound levels on the Trinity River. How will the noise levels be affected by a tollway? Has a sound map been created indicating the areas which will have significant noise increases? Noise levels designated as unacceptable have already been documented in some NTTA maps but only in areas where there are current parks and residences. There is no floodway area map with indications given of the sound increases anticipated in the currently unused areas, except for an occasional canoe.<br />
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The final question is: "Does Dallas want to sacrifice the last quiet place it has near downtown for the benefit of the large majority of current mixmaster traffic that is simply through traffic?" Do suburban residents and truckers wanting to only drive through Dallas win, or can Dallas ultimately win?<br />
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If you are concerned about this floodway toll road, and want to join the movement against it, please google the three words: trinity river petition, and sign the simple one sentence petition against the floodway toll road. This search will take you to <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-trinity-river-floodway-toll-road-in-dallas/">http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-trinity-river-floodway-toll-road-in-dallas/</a> . Please share this information with others you know of who may be concerned about protecting our city and the potential of our river to become a true world class park in the center of our city.<br />
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Do we need another election where choices are more clearly stated than in 2007? Any second election demands that we have clarity in the meaning of each choice, as reflected in this modification of one sign from the 2007 election.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_0WyrABFl-s/T6b-hpBSsHI/AAAAAAAAAs8/8DKrh_b0uk8/s1600/VoteNoYesSignsClarified.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" mea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_0WyrABFl-s/T6b-hpBSsHI/AAAAAAAAAs8/8DKrh_b0uk8/s320/VoteNoYesSignsClarified.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Please sign <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-trinity-river-floodway-toll-road-in-dallas/">the petition</a> and join with us on Tuesday at 7 PM at the Dallas Convention Center to give your opinion. Your questions may be answered from 5-7, during the two hours just before the hearing.</div>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-20317840228791573202012-03-08T10:28:00.001-06:002012-08-29T11:45:54.243-05:00The Texas Congressional Map for 2012 to 2022<div style="border: currentColor;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">This chart is built around two ordered lists of the percentages of Anglo non-Hispanic population and of minority population in each of 36 new congressional districts in Texas. The minority percentage used is for all minorities, including Asian. This anatomy is done on C235, the redistricting plan mandated by the courts to replace C185 which was the plan passed by the Texas Legislature. Plan C185 was thrown out by the first courts to review it. Plan C235 was ordered by those courts to remedy this, but notice how bad C235 still is!! On appeal the courts in Washington have now agreed with the lower court ruling and have judged PlanC185 to not have been drawn "without discriminatory purposes." An anatomy of C185 has been completed and is now online at <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-congressional-redistricting-plan.html">http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-congressional-redistricting-plan.html</a> .</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anatomy of Texas Congressional Map for 2012-2022</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right-click to enlarge and/or print.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Except for the Texas Legislature itself, Texas is only 45% Anglo. But, due to classic gerrymandering, Anglos are the majority in 61% of districts,<strong> before there is even an election.</strong> In <span style="font-weight: normal;">elections Anglo percentages have historically gone up due to both the legal inability for some minority residents to vote combined with apathy induced by generations of adverse gerrymandering against minorities, such as that illustrated in these charts. This history is combined with other methods used over the generations to discourage minority voting, most of which have since been declared unconstitutional. Voter-ID laws in Texas are now planned to add to the collection of methods used to minimize minority voting. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">While there are no districts with Anglo percentages in the<strong> "Maximize Loss"</strong> range between 47.2% and 29.4%, there are 15 minority districts with percentages in that same <strong>"Maximize Loss"</strong> range. See the chart above. In a similar manner, while there are no minority percentages between the most favorable section of the <strong>"Maximized Win" </strong>range from 52.8% to 70.6%, there are 15 districts with Anglo percentages in that most favorable range. Why? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Could this have happened by accident?</span><br />
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The scattergraph below is another illustration of this same gerrymandered manipulation of Texas Congressional Maps. It will continue to deny equal representation to minorities until 2022. </div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoVQbr2Zcfw/T15cFtybM_I/AAAAAAAAAqk/aRLKaPyTLQU/s1600/ScattergraphofTexasPlanC235CongressionalMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoVQbr2Zcfw/T15cFtybM_I/AAAAAAAAAqk/aRLKaPyTLQU/s640/ScattergraphofTexasPlanC235CongressionalMap.jpg" width="458" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scattergraph of Gerrymandered Texas Congressional Map, PlanC235</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right click above chart to enlarge and/or print.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Each column in the scatter chart above represents one of the 36 Congressional Districts in Texas. The large square blocks, representing the Anglo non-Hispanic, percentage, are concentrated either in the <strong>“Maximized Win"</strong> range from 52.8% to 70.6% inclusive to most efficiently use their votes, see #2 above, or in the <strong>“Minimize Loss”</strong> range below 22.9%. See #4 above. Meanwhile the red diamond markers for minorities are generally in less than optimal ranges. They are either bunched in the<strong> “Packed"</strong> range above 77.1%, see #1 above, or in the central<strong> “Maximize Loss"</strong> range between 47.2% and 29.4% where the highest percentage possible of minority votes are “used up” without electing a minority candidate. See #3 above. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Please print and share the above charts with anyone interested in voting rights and equality of opportunity. Both these charts were made from demographic data on the U.S. House Districts created and approved by the Texas Legislature. This data is from PlanC235 found in the Texas DistrictViewer, online at <a href="http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/">http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/</a>. The above charts were done in an attempt to illustrate the evil that "gerrymandering-gone-wild" has again done to Texas for the next decade.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In 2020 our nation will start another redistricting process. Hopefully every jurisdiction will have the redistricting process online and available to citizens so that everyone can more easily see what is happening. Transparency is our best weapon in the war against gerrymandering. But it will only work if more citizens are involved.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Questions are welcome, especially if any technical errors are noted on these charts, or if you want a pdf copy of these charts for a better quality print.</strong><strong> </strong></span></span><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Times;">Bill Betzen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com">bbetzen@aol.com</a> </span></div>
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-21633404316622866372012-01-21T14:45:00.002-06:002012-01-21T14:45:46.879-06:00Irving Texas Education Coalition: 5-2 vs 7-0On 1-19-12 the Irving Education Coalition held a meeting to coordinate efforts to fight the vote of the Irving School Board to establish a 5 single member district voting system with two at-large districts to select the 7 members of the Board. It was a positive meeting with the following handout passed out containing two copies of maps to use in comparing the 5-2 and 7-0 systems. Here is page one:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pNSrZ_FcopE/Txshne6ZnmI/AAAAAAAAAno/aOOFAZ-AafM/s1600/5-2vs7-0_mapsIrvingISDTexas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" nfa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pNSrZ_FcopE/Txshne6ZnmI/AAAAAAAAAno/aOOFAZ-AafM/s400/5-2vs7-0_mapsIrvingISDTexas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Page one of Irving Education Coalition Handout 1-19-12<br />
(Right click on above image to enlarge it or save a copy.)</td></tr>
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Page two of the handouts included demographic spreadsheets for both the 5-2 and 7-0 systems so as to compare in detail what the differences are. Here is page two:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw0x5CKKjbg/TxsiQE7Q3kI/AAAAAAAAAnw/sRyFnWyJMVI/s1600/5-2vs7-0demographicsIrvingISDTexas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" nfa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw0x5CKKjbg/TxsiQE7Q3kI/AAAAAAAAAnw/sRyFnWyJMVI/s400/5-2vs7-0demographicsIrvingISDTexas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demographic differences between 5-2 and 7-0 redistricting plans for Irving ISD.<br />(Right click on above image to enlarge it or save a copy.)</td></tr>
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These handouts provide documentation to support the <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/01/justice-with-5-single-member-and-2-at.html">5 main points comparing the 5-2 plan with the 7-0 plan.</a> Our students should see democracy in action with this battle over at-large districts and single-member districts. They also need to see the vital lessons as to how democracy can be denied by gerrymandered redistricting.<br />Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-28014376057193069372012-01-16T16:12:00.001-06:002012-07-23T07:42:58.246-05:00Justice in Irving ISD: Comparing 5-2 with 7-0<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Five single member & two at-large districts vs seven single member & no at-large districts</span></div>
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On 1-12-12 the Irving ISD School Board, with a 3 to 4 split vote, denied voters a 7 single member district system for the selection of members for the school board. Instead they selected a 5 single member and 2 at-large member district system. This system has the following characteristics:<br />
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1) <b>The 5-2 system will not allow for a single district wherein Black residents are the largest group. </b> This is possible in a <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/12/irving-isd-movement-to-7-single-member.html">7-0 system in Irving ISD</a></u></span></span>. <br />
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2) <b>The 5-2 system virtually guarantees that the School Board will remain under the contol of Anglo non-Hispanic members.</b> This is in a School district with only a 10.7% Anglo non-Hispanic student population and a 29.99% Anglo non-Hispanic resident population. With the 5-2 district map submitted by the IISD Board there are <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2012/01/irving-texas-education-coalition-5-2-vs.html">only three districts wherein there is any statistical improvement for the Irving minority population</a> as a unified group to have any increased advantage in electing a candidate of their choice. In the <a href="http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/2011/12/irving-isd-movement-to-7-single-member.html">7-0 map submitted by the Irving Education Coalition</a> there are 5 such districts, a significant improvement in the potential for the Irving minority community to elect candidates of their choice, and a probable majority on the IISD Board.<br />
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3) <b>The 5-2 system creates an unequal situation for two board member positions by continuing the burden for them of the expensive citywide campaigning.</b> These two positions must connect with a population of over 170,000 people while the other 5 single member positions will have significantly less expensive campaigns targeting populations of only 34,000 people. These positions all have equal votes on the board.<br />
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4) <b>The 5 single member district campaigns for office will be more expensive in time and money than those for 7 single member districts.</b> There is a big difference between the need to connect with populations of over 34,000 people in the 5 district system and the need to connect with the smaller communities of 24,000 people in the 7 district system. The campaign for office in a 7-single member district system could much more easily be based on personal connections. Success in being elected can much more easily depend on effort and reputation, not on money. Plus, all the members in a 7-single district board of trustees would truly be equal, representing equal numbers of the population.<br />
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5)<b> A majority Hispanic CVAP (Citizen Voting Age Population) district is not possible without a 7-0 district system!</b> The <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/25497631/Irving-ISD-Voting-Rights-Lawsuit-Ruling">court order</a></u></span></span> signed by Judge Fitzwater in January of 2010 stated that once a district with a majority Hispanic CVAP could be proven, that the move to single member districts could happen without a return to court being necessary. With 7 districts such a majority Hispanic CVAP district has been created. Such a district is not possible with 5 single member districts.<br />
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6) <strong>A 7-0 single member district system will obviously most encourage local involvement.</strong> It will provide the greatest potential for personal connections in the Irving ISD system. Parents will know that their board member has their local interests in mind.</div>
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7) <strong>A 7-0 single member district system will also encourage local parental involvement, the goal of all schools. </strong>Local involvement of the community is what our schools most need to motivate students to work hard toward their own graduation, well prepared for work and/or college.</div>
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</div>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-74070885088465771012012-01-14T10:41:00.000-06:002012-01-14T10:41:02.348-06:00Enrollment and Board Profiles for 14 Dallas County Independent School Districts<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D0HK4H1wx98/TxGvgoPY9gI/AAAAAAAAAnM/btZ_97K5OeU/s1600/DallasCountyISD%2527senrollment%2526boardprofiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" kba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D0HK4H1wx98/TxGvgoPY9gI/AAAAAAAAAnM/btZ_97K5OeU/s400/DallasCountyISD%2527senrollment%2526boardprofiles.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right click to enlarge or save a copy.</td></tr>
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The above chart is for the 14 largest independent school districts in Dallas County, Texas. It is made up of data pulled from the Texas Education Agency data base online for the 2010-2011 school year enrollment. The board information was pulled from the web sites for each of the respective school districts. Board ethnic distribution was based on photographs online, personal knowledge, and Hispanic surnames, and therefore is not fully reliable.Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7355622738897349039.post-77797790165270054772012-01-07T17:27:00.004-06:002012-01-07T17:58:03.486-06:00Irving ISD, Irving, Texas - DemographicsMedia coverage erroneously suggested that the percentage of the IISD student body who are Anglo is over 15%. It is only 10.74%. Below are numbers released by IISD on 12-9-11:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rdTsXED7NSY/TwjTn5UFPZI/AAAAAAAAAmk/ujN_P0e6Qmo/s1600/demographicsIISD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rdTsXED7NSY/TwjTn5UFPZI/AAAAAAAAAmk/ujN_P0e6Qmo/s400/demographicsIISD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This fact, combined with the 29.99% Anglo population now living in the area served by IISD, and a current school board with no setting minority members, mandate the need for a 7-0 form of single member district selection for board members. This would encourage greater citizen involvement and increase the potential for representation that reflects the community. <br />
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On Thursday, January 5, 2012, the Irving ISD Board accepted testimony from the public related to decisions to be made about possibly moving to single member districts for the election of the 7 school board members. Over 60 people were present. When those wanting no change from at-large districts were asked by a similarly minded speaker to stand, based on the <a href="http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/01/05/irving-isd-mulling-board-election-changes/#photo-1">video shown on the Channel 11 evening News</a>, only 7 people stood up. This means that a total of 8 people, from the 60+ present, wanted no change. The support for a change to 7 single member districts appears very strong. <strong>The <a href="http://irvingisd.net/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=17979&id=2026&viewType=detail">next two IISD Board meetings</a> for public input on this potential change for IISD begin at 7 PM Monday and Tuesday nights, 1/9/12 and 1/10/12. Monday's hearing is at MacArthur High School. Tuesday's hearing is at Nimitz High School.</strong><br />
<br /></div>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com0