Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Remembering Stephanie Tubbs-Jones








I loved watching interviews with the Congresswoman. I thought she was real. She was genuine. She was passionate. She had convictions. She was fair. She was one of the truly great politicians. I believe she cared for the people.....all of the people. No matter the color. I respect that in a person. I will always remember STJ. I will learn more about her and hope to carry out some of her ideas and ways of thinking right here in City Council District 8, Ft. Worth, Texas.




Monday, December 29, 2008

The delicate and lively


A gift from two very close friends/supporters of mine and the card reads as:
"In China, the delicate and lively goldfish is revered as a
symbol of wealth & good fortune - in fact, its Chinese name - jin-yu - sounds like "gold in abundance." Traditionally, eight yellow and one black goldfish are placed
in an aquarium to attract money. But having a school of our little guys in
the house couldn't hurt."

Oxford American Dictionary defines "fortune" as: "chance or luck as a force in human affairs; a person's destiny; predictions about a person's future."
I will treasure this through the year of 2009. I have a great feeling about 2009. It rates somewhere up there with self actualization. Yes, I am a big believer and proponent of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and I think we need to revisit it as communities. More on this topic later.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The money would be worth the home & backyard tour






The Owner/Designer of this home has volunteered to have a backyard fundraiser party for me. Such a wonderful place..check out the garland in the dining room that he designed and constructed. It is fabulous!! The tree and the wreath were done by him as well. It's a must see place. Donate $50 to my campaign for City Council, District 8 in Ft. Worth by January 3rd http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/donate.html and I'll make sure you get an invitation.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Who has been held accountable for Ft. Worth's $1.45 MILLION dollar discrepancy? Where's our money?

Words below were taken from FW Weekly Article written in June 2007.
"From 1996 to 2005, the city received HOME allocations to build low-income affordable housing totaling more than $41.3 million but spent only about $29.6 million. The report also said that two nonprofits the city has been dealing with do not meet HUD guidelines — and the city not only has been ordered to immediately cease funding those two organizations but will also be required to pay back the money already granted to them.
HUD recently forced the city to set aside $1.45 million that may have to be used to pay back federal funds misspent between 1999 and 2004. The figure is based on a 2003 HUD audit that found discrepancies in the way the city housing department had accounted for federal dollars on projects such as the Mercado commercial development on the North Side and the Evans-Rosedale redevelopment project on the East Side. Both projects have cost millions, and neither has delivered the promised commercial and residential redevelopment of the surrounding low-income areas.
Because of housing projects, jump-started with federal funds, that are now being foreclosed on by banks. They include the Victory Arts apartments on Hemphill Street ($287,000), Women’s Second Chance transitional housing project ($61,000), and the Rolling Hills/Glen Eden housing development off Riverside Drive ($253,628.) The city housing department was also cited in the reports for failing to diligently oversee its contractors, failing to keep proper accounting records, and failing to follow HUD rules regarding the use of government funds that passed through its coffers from 1992 to 2006. "

http://www.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=6093

1997 - 2005 Ralph McCloud, City Council Rep, District 8
Kathleen Hicks, Aide to Ralph McCloud (for about 8 of those years)

2005 - present Kathleen Hicks, City Council Rep, District 8

Talk about needed CHANGE. How about it?! Vote Suzette Watkins, City Council, District 8
http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/

Sunday, December 21, 2008

HUD Audit finds $1.45 MILLION dollar discrepancy with City of Ft. Worth's housing projects

Two projects mentioned were Victory Art Center (Southside) & Texas Housing & Economic Resource project (Southeast D8). Problem? Defunct/bankrupt projects, corrupt politicians, poor planning, oh and Affordable Housing requirements not met. And our politicians wonder why we question their decisions & honesty?
Below is a great example of why we should pay closer attention to what they do, what they say, how they vote, etc. It's time to bring some tax payer watchdogs to the City Council table in Ft. Worth, Texas. Elect Suzette for Council http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/ .
Donate here: http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/donate.html

Here's the explanation according to CFW:

COUNCIL ACTION: Approved on 12/16/2008 DATE: 12/16/2008
REFERENCE NO.: G-16403LOG NAME:17 ESCROW AMEND
CODE: G
TYPE: NON-CONSENT
PUBLIC HEARING: NO
SUBJECT: Authorize Use of Funds from the Custodial Account Established by the Custodial Agreement with Wells Fargo, N.A., for Resolution of Audit Findings from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Authorize use of funds from the Custodial Account created by a Custodial Agreement executed with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., on August 7, 2007, City Secretary Contract No. 35607, to resolve any and all audit findings from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development;
2. Authorize the City Manager or his designee to execute any related legal documents with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and Wells Fargo, N.A., regarding payments to resolve audit findings from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; and
3. Authorize the City Manager or his designee to release funds from the custodial account up to the amount of $1,452,675.00 to resolve audit findings from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

DISCUSSION:
In 2004, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) conducted a financial management review of the City’s grant-funded programs. This review resulted in an audit finding with questioned costs of $1,452,675.00 which could not immediately be resolved. As a result the City retained the services of the accounting firm Weaver Tidwell to complete an investigation and reconciliation of these questioned costs. To resolve the outstanding HUD findings, City Council in May 2007, (M&C G-15737) authorized creation of a custodial account at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., in the amount of the questioned costs. These funds were to be held until HUD had reviewed the results of the Weaver Tidwell reconciliation at which time any costs that were deemed ineligible would be returned to the City’s Line of Credit for HUD grants. HUD has completed its review and to date has authorized the City to draw $266,190.00 of the $1.4 million in questioned costs. The overall repayment could be up to $440,731.00.Subsequent to the 2004 review HUD conducted an Affordable Housing monitoring review in February 2007, and a Comprehensive Monitoring Review in March 2007. These reviews resulted in findings of which certain ones can only be resolved through repayment of funds to the City’s Line of Credit for grant funding. Therefore, staff is recommending that the funds in the Custodial Account be used for resolution for all HUD findings.

FISCAL INFORMATION/CERTIFICATION:
The Financial Management Services Director certifies that funds are available in the custodial account established at Wells Fargo, N.A., for the purposes stated above.

TO Fund/Account/Centers

FROM Fund/Account/Centers
GG01 106000 0000000

$1,452,675.00
Submitted for City Manager's Office by: Tom Higgins (6140)
Originating Department Head: Jay Chapa (6192)
Additional Information Contact: Jerome Walker (7537) Barbara Asbury (7331)

http://www.fortworthgov.org/council_packet/mc_review.asp?ID=10897&councildate=12/16/2008

http://www.fortworthgov.org/

City of Ft. Worth, City Council D8 in the bubbles again.




More tax payer dollars bubbling from beneath the City Streets in District 8. This was outside of the Meadowbrook Neighborhood! Need I say more?
Vote Suzette for Council, District 8 http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Ft. Worth City Council Rep says that finding solutions requires "cooperation" from other levels of gov't. Who's not cooperating?

We want solutions, not excuses Ms. Hicks. Local paper here in Ft. Worth quotes my opponent as saying that she has worked on issues such as homelessness & gas drilling but that it requires "cooperation" from the County, State & Federal levels. Who's not cooperating? Perhaps my opponent is treating them the same way she treated me when I would walk into her office for a meeting. She would lambast you with several people in the room that you didn't know would be there, come in with a defensive, arrogant attitude, not give you eye contact when talking, and acting as if her time was so very limited and that she was really "above" this level of communication and didn't have the time nor real desire to discuss root causes and solutions of concerns. Out of 5 to 6 meetings I had with her, I found one to be somewhat productive....another waste of tax payer's dollars.

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1105265.html

For the record. I have never served on any of Hicks' committees.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Taxpayers paying Ft. Worth City Staff overtime hours to put band aide repairs on City Council District 8's ignored aged water pipes


As promised, picture of staff working until 8pm last night to do what they do so often in District 8 -- stop the bleeding for the moment in Meadowbrook's forgotten infrastructure. We pay taxes, where is the money going? We have an elected City Council representative, what has she been doing? Here is a list of the Board of Directors on which she has sat or currently sits:

- Junior League of Fort Worth
- Girl Scouts
- Women’s Haven
- Chaired Fort Worth Commission for Women
- Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration Fort Worth
- AIDS Outreach Center
- Fort Worth-Dallas Birthing Project
- All Church Home for Children
- Presbyterian Night Shelter
- Red Cross – Chisholm Trail Chapter
- Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau



perhaps my opponent should concentrate less on resume building and more on the people and neighborhoods of District 8.

Elect me to the City Council seat for District 8 and you won't have to worry about me building my resume instead of paying attention to details and working hard for the neighborhoods in District 8. I'll be a workhorse for the District and together we will soar to places that East Ft. Worth has never seen. I promise you won't be disappointed. Right now I need money, please make a donation to my grass roots campaign Suzette for Council at http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/donate.html.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Ft. Worth Taxpayer's money bubbling from the street seams and going down the drain once again in City Council Distict 8





Above is what I saw mid day today. I dare somone to tell me that tax dollars are not suppose to cover the water system. I dare someone to tell me that this it is not the job of the seated City Council person to demand that tax dollar monies be allocated to maintaining the District's water system. Look at the picture closely...tell me you don't see black squares of fresh asphalt that shows that this very location as been "repaired" recently. Repairing things like this instead of expending tax dollars in an efficient and effective way regarding basic infrastructure is unacceptable! This is a waste of our tax dollars.
When I go home today, I feel confident that I will be able to take more pictures of City Staff working after hours to stop the water leak. However, the water has been known to run for days before being cut off. This is your tax dollars going down the drain. This is evidence of lack of care, concerned & focused hard work on behalf of the people by your City Council representative and previous incumbents of the office.

If for no other reason than to get an advocate for basic city services for District 8, vote Suzette Watkins for City Council rep for District 8. I'll be an advocate for putting your hard earned tax dollars to work for your neighborhood. I'll fight the good Quality of Life fight for District 8 in East Ft. Worth. I'll put my neck on the line. I'll be good for District 8. If for no other reason than to bring some business sense to the office of City Council for District 8, vote for Suzette Watkins for City Council rep District 8. All I ask for is your vote and a chance to prove myself! Donations accepted via the website below. $5 & $10 dollars welcome!

Is Chesapeake getting Free Water from the Trinity River? Are the taxpayers subsidizing it? Who is really footing the bill?


Chesapeake is pumping river water to their rig for fracing. Fracing process uses about 2 million gallons of water. Who is paying for that water? Is it coming out of a reservoir that supplies Ft. Worth taxpayers with water? If so, what is the price that Chesapeake is paying? Who is collecting the money and how? Here in Ft. Worth we hear our City Government telling us to conserve water, don't water during certain times of day, etc. We also hear that water is becoming a commodity that is harder to come by and in years to come we will need to pipeline it from Toledo Bend which is about 300 miles away from Cowtown. That says to me that our water rates will continue to rise.
Around Ft. Worth we see Chesapeake advertising board that read, "Together we all win." Well, if water is going to cost the taxpayers more because it is harder to come by locally, then shouldn't someone be charging Chesapeake Energy for using water out of the Trinity River? Perhaps they are -- I'd like to know how much? I did not see one meter along the pipeline from this pump site to the well head; that's not to say there isn't one at the site. I'm not sure who controls the water from the Trinity but I believe Tarrant Regional Water District has much to do with it. Here's what TRWD website says:

"a mere fraction of the water TRWD sells each year to its customer cities and industrial users. In fact, the amount of water sold to gas drilling operations in fiscal year 2006 only accounted for 0.25% of the total water TRWD sold that year."

"The North Texas area is growing very rapidly, and will outgrow its water supply. Additional reservoirs, along with increased conservation measures, will be needed to meet those additional demands in the future."


Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-drilling. However, as with anything else that our elected officials are involved in, ie. City Government, I believe everything should be on the up & up and that if you say we are all winning with gas drilling, prove it! I appears to me that Ft. Worth's City Council is allowing the tax payer's dollars to subsidize much of the cost and expenses for the gas drilling industry. Just my opinion from what I hear and see here in Cowtown.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Taxpayers are people too -- our politicians need to quit sucking us dry!

I've noticed that when one speaks up (or out) against unaffordable spending by our elected officials, you may get hit with, "But undocumented people are humans too, the poor are people too, the homeless drug addicts are people too, the homeless drunks are people too, the irresponsible parents are people too, the pregnant teenagers are people too, the drug addicted incapable parents are people too, the child abusers are people too, irresponsible pet owners are people too, police officers, Executives, criminals, politicians, and the list goes on and on.

I say, ABSOLUTELY.....ALL THE MORE REASON TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. All the more reason to start electing newbies to positions of decision making for your tax dollars, start electing people who actually are seated for the right reasons:

- care for people
- love of the City
- respect of the American dollar and hard work

Taxpayers are people too and our governments aren't running our businesses in a fiscally viable manner.

I say we start bringing some business sense to your investment in the community. We start bringing some new ideas, energy and commitment to tackling the money sucking issues affecting our pocketbooks. Elect me to Ft. Worth's City Council in May 2009 and you'll hear a vocal advocate for holding ourselves accountable to the City's shareholders.....you, the taxpayer!

http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/
www.meetup.com/suzette-watkins

Thursday, December 11, 2008

East Ft. Worth's stray/loose dog problem is Out of Control











I know you are probably getting tired of hearing about the stray dogs in City Council District 8 in East Ft. Worth. Just think if you had to actually witness it instead of just reading about it? Today as I was traveling down I30, I saw two dogs running around near the Interstate. I stopped and walked toward them to see if they would come to me. Of course not, they ran away from the highway into a nearby neighborhood. I drove around and found them (white dog in picture). The red one came up to me and ate some food, but I couldn't get my hands on him. He had ticks all over him and a huge infected area on top of his head. As I was driving away, I saw 3 other stray dogs (above). I placed several calls to Ft. Worth's Animal Control which is overwhelmed with dogs and calls. (817-392-3737 - leave message, they check them!) All dogs were UN-neutered, UN-spayed (intact). Thank goodness for Humane Society of North Texas. They take all dogs. I was able to catch 3 of the 5 dogs that I saw and take them over to the Humane Society. That is 3 dogs unable to impregnate or kill another one. That is 3 less dogs for you to run over with your car. That is 3 less dogs to cause a car wreck, etc. They take in and adopt out an enormous amount of dogs and they have an adoption center.
Due to the fact that the City of Ft. Worth does not aggressively enforce the current dog ordinances and due to the fact that the Texas State legislators have not aggressively addressed the problem with irresponsible dog ownership, we have a problem here that is costing all of us millions of tax dollars to pay staff to answer the phones at Animal Control, drive around & pick up the dogs, shelter the dogs, euthanize the dogs, dispose of the dogs, pick up dead dogs on roadways, take dead dogs to city landfill, etc. Not to mention the thousands of dogs, mostly Pitt Bull dogs in East Ft. Worth that our FW police officers shoot and kill. I could go on and on and on about the ramifications and the price we, the taxpayers, pay for irresponsible dog ownership. It gets into a "property rights" argument so I say we need to consider moving dogs out of the category of "property" in the big picture of the issue.
Please write your elected officials and tell them h0w you feel about the problem of stray dogs running our streets, neglected, not neutered or spayed, etc. I would appreciate your comments below with your thoughts on how to solve this out of control, costly problem. I would like to see ALL the current City Ordinances enforced and some changed.

I feel the same way about dogs that I do children, if you choose to own one then it is your responsibility to love and care for them, not the taxpayer's. I think the parents of such should be held accountable.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

More Stray Dogs wondering the streets of City Council District 8 - Ft. Worth, Texas






I saw 3 stray dogs running around a concentrated area today in District 8. Low and behold, stopped and spoke with some people and found a female stray dog in heat which explained why all the male intact dogs were hanging around! Another problem in City Council District 8 that our current City Government has chosen to ignore until now. Another issue that cost tax payers millions of dollars. Another issue that local politicians won't aggressively & persistently address at a root cause level. Another issue that needs addressing at State level. Another sensitive issue that politicians don't want to touch due to the cultural differences of opinion in proper, responsible & humane care of dogs. You can count on me to address this issue if you will elect me to District 8's City Council seat in May 2009. District 8 is one of the top 3 districts in Ft. Worth for Animal Control calls and pick ups! This issue has not been a priority in District 8 and it is costing you money every single day! All of us are paying the very expensive price!

More evidence of City Government not working for the people in City Council District 8 - Ft. Worth, Texas







What has Ft. Worth's City Government been doing with our tax dollars? Why hasn't the seated City Council person, Kathleen Hicks, been speaking up and demanding that District 8's aging water pipes be properly maintained and/or replaced?

Elect me to the City Council seat and I can promise you, I will demand that the basic City Services be restored to the people of District 8. ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT 8 -- Black, Brown, White and all colors in between. I name the colors because I've been told, first hand, that many people of color don't think a white girl will fight for them. Let me tell you something...we will work together and get District 8 working for the people once again. We won't concentrate on only Big Business, Million dollar developments, and Big Ticket items while the neighborhoods suffer! You can count on a fighter for the people in Suzette Watkins. I promise! Give me one chance to prove myself! That's two years. If you don't like what I've done, boot me out. All I ask for is a chance to prove myself. http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/ .
If you will look closely at the picture above, you can see where they "fixed the problem yesterday and, broken again today." That's how one witness described it. Where are our tax dollars going? I say down the drain in District 8, East Ft. Worth! Disgusting in my honest opinion! I say it's time for a change! Vote Suzette Watkins for City Council, May 2009.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

A Quote I can't get out of my head

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."
Thomas Jefferson



If you look close enough at local politics here in Ft. Worth, Texas, ask questions and listen, you will hear that the money came from "a Federal grant, The City, The State, a Federal Grant, grant money." At the same time you will hear, "they've lost their front yards to eminent domain, gas companies, the government, they lost their small business due to eminent domain for big business development, etc." If you turn on your TV, you'll hear all about our elected officials using hard earned tax dollars to BAIL OUT big businesses. Webs are surely getting more tangled in our governments. What are the taxpayers doing? My hopes are that they are paying closer attention to how their elected officials are voting, what they are saying and how they are using their power. We the taxpayers are the judges! Judgements are delivered via our vote. Make sure you are paying attention, make sure you vote.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

City Council Dist. 8 wasting your tax dollars. Not respecting your hard earned tax dollar!


So many water main breaks in East Ft. Worth neighborhoods. Today at 5 o'clock I saw multiple crews working on water main breaks in our neighborhood! This is unacceptable! Why? Because no one neighborhood should have a water main break every single day! I would be willing to bet that in the Meadowbrook Neighborhood, there has been between 300 - 700 water main breaks for this year. There is no other excuse for this other than our City Government not allocating enough funds to properly maintain our aging water pipes. Our tax dollars are suppose to cover the basics! What has your City Council person been doing? Not enough, if anything at all, in regards to making sure that your tax dollars get bang for the buck.

In my opinion, your tax dollars are suppose to cover:

water, sewer, fire protection, police protection, streets, neighborhood street lights, trash pick up

Those are a few of the most basic services for which your tax dollars are suppose to pay. I can promise you that as your City Council representative, you will hear me calling for BASIC CITY SERVICES in District 8!! Please consider donating to my campaign for City Council. I promise you I will be a strong voice for your basic City tax dollar services, I won't be afraid of the Mayor, I will be an advocate for all of the people of District 8 -- the color of your skin won't matter. We are all a part of one community. We will hold each other accountable, we will all work together. We will make District 8 a better, safer, cleaner place to live, work and play! Please donate to my campaign at http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/ I need the money. I am not a candidate that is bought and paid for by big business nor family money; nor am I a candidate who is running for office because my Mother wanted me to run for office; nor am I a candidate that is running for office because of my family connections to local politics in Ft. Worth. (I have none.) I certainly do not believe that my skin color entitles me to a vote from you and I hope that my skin color will not cause you to not consider voting for me. I am running for office because I care about this City and I care about the communtiy in which we live, work and play. I believe strongly and passionately that your tax dollars should cover the basic services for which we pay for and depend on. I am a candidate for the people - all of the people.

Please donate any amount of money you can afford. Five and ten dollar bills are welcomed! http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/ or mail check to Suzette for Council, 1801 Bomar Ave, Ft. Worth, TX 76103.

Flow Back vs. Produced water from Fracing

At the disposal stations, they charge a lot more $$ for disposal of flow back water due to the hazardous chemicals and such. When our municipalities speak of "salt water," they don't distinguish between "flow back" and "produced" water from the well. What are we doing here in our local governments? Who is paying attention? Who is making the money and to who's expense? Get involved in your local governments and watch your back!

Lewisville outsmarts Ft. Worth

"Drilling for natural gas hasn't started in Lewisville yet, but the city is taking action to protect itself. Inside city hall Monday night, council members voted 3 to 2 in favor of a resolution similar to one passed in Dish, Texas. The Mayor of Dish said he drafted it after pipeline companies "tore up his city."
"There's so many unknowns about this gas drilling. People are still very very concerned about it," said Lewisville Mayor Gene Carey.

http://cbs11tv.com/local/Pipeline.Placement.Control.2.877664.html

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Ft. Worth on the map because of oil & gas? Why wouldn't Ft. Worth "do the right thing" from the beginning and protect this beautiful, charming City and it's taxpayers? Some say it's because we the people signed leases, some say our City Council has indeed protected us by bringing $$ to some, some say it's because our Mayor has most, if not all, of our City Council members under his powerful thumb and they are scared to speak up for fear of losing their political careers. Good for Lewisville's City Council, they are doing the right thing and thinking ahead......planning, analyzing...you know those sorts of things that a City normally does for big ticket items that affect their taxpayers.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Racism doesn't belong to just one group of people. This is how we can all participate in the change. In a Free Society one does this...

"gains a sense of himself as an individual, rather than developing a group or victim mentality. This leads to a sense of individual responsibility and personal pride, making skin color irrelevant. Racism will endure until we stop thinking in terms of groups and begin thinking in terms of individual liberty. Liberty means having a limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights rather than group claims. Liberty means free-market capitalism, which rewards individual achievement and competence - not skin color, gender, or ethnicity.

Racists believe that all individuals who share superficial physical characteristics are alike: as collectivists, racists think only in terms of groups. By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so-called "diversity" actually perpetuate racism. "

It is the federal government that most divides us by race, class, religion, and gender. Through its taxes, restrictive regulations, corporate subsidies, racial set-asides, and welfare programs, government plays far too large a role in determining who succeeds and who fails.

http://www.ronpaulforpresident2008.com/pages/issues.html#Racism


Glad I come across readings that make perfect sense every once in a while. This one did!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Thank you FW Weekly, Thank you Dan McGraw for exposing the truth; some say the "dark side" of Ft. Worth City Politics


It's refreshing to know that there is a media outlet in town not afraid and/or that cares enough to expose examples of abuse of powers and wrongdoing in this great City of Ft. Worth. Luckily, I knew all about the use of criminal trespass law because I own a business in a part of the City that requires usage of such quite often. Sometimes business owners need it to get the vagrants off of our front door steps so that we and our customers can get in the door of our businesses. I can't tell you how many emails and personal hours I have had to put in, to get the City of Ft. Worth and the Fort Worth Police Department and District Attorney's office to work with us in order for someone other than the property owner to make use of the Criminal Trespass law. Still to this day, we have been unable to get such entities to cooperate with us so that one business owner can call the FWPD for another business owner to get vagrants off the property. The sitting council representative, Kathleen Hicks (my opponent for the District 8 City Council seat) and the church, mentioned in the story below, had no problem using a non-property owner to serve as the reporting person for the criminal trespass warning that was written for me.
These are all fine details that probably bore the average reader of this blog; however, it's just one more example of the fundamental contradiction that the CFW engages in, on a law enforcement level, political level and that thing the Mayor calls "The Ft. Worth Way." It doesn't add up when the hairs are split.

Please get to know me better, ask me questions, interview me, give me a chance to win your vote and/or financial support in my campaign for a City Council seat. I'm really a very caring, nice, easy to talk to, down to earth individual who cares about the issues. All I ask is that you give me a chance.

The FW Weekly article ran as follows: (again, thank you FW WEEKLY http://www.fwweekly.com/index.asp)

Muzzled
An Eastside activist wants to know why Hicks supporters were able to remove her from a town-hall meeting.


By DAN MCGRAW
Suzette Watkins had plenty of reasons for attending the Nov. 8 town-hall meeting held in her part of East Fort Worth: She’s a resident and business owner there, an Eastside activist — and, though the election is six months away, she’s a candidate for the District 8 city council seat, currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks. Watkins, 46, wasn’t really planning to do much campaigning, but she was interested in the scheduled workshops on economic development, crime control, and other hot topics in the district.
“As a citizen of this area, I went to the meeting to learn as much as I could about all the issues facing this community,” said Watkins, a kennel owner. “But I didn’t get a chance to do that, and I find that very strange.”
The reason Watkins didn’t get a chance to go to most of the workshops: She was thrown out by the Fort Worth police. Watkins was given a criminal trespass warning, after others at the meeting complained that she was campaigning at the event. Four officers escorted her out of the public session, which was held at Carter Metropolitan CME Church.
The name of the chief complainer won’t surprise folks who are familiar with Eastside politics: the Rev. Wendell “Buck” Cass, a close advisor to Hicks and to the council member’s mother, former State District Judge Maryellen Hicks. And the “campaigning” that Cass found so offensive? Watkins said she handed out a few business cards with campaign contact information and parked her car in the church parking lot, with a campaign sign in the back window. And, she said, she stopped handing out cards when asked.
Cass doesn’t work for the city and doesn’t appear to be associated with the church, although neither church leaders nor Cass would talk about that with Fort Worth Weekly. So Watkins wants to know why he had standing to ask that she be removed — and why it was the Fort Worth Police Department’s job to stop someone from campaigning for public office at a public meeting.
According to police, Cass was acting on behalf of the church’s pastor, the Rev. Jerome Price, and Kathleen Hicks. In an e-mail, Fort Worth Police Capt. Bryan Sudan wrote, “The church was loaned to Wendell Cass and Ms. Hicks to do their town hall meeting, thereby giving them care, custody and control of the building for that purpose. [Watkins] was only criminally trespassed from the town hall meeting. However, I did speak with the pastor Rev. Jerome Price, who did want her to leave because her campaigning on the property could affect their tax-exempt status as a church.”
Neither Price nor Cass could be reached for comment. Hicks did not respond to repeated requests for an interview, but in an e-mail, the councilwoman said she bore no responsibility for Watkins’ removal.
“I never said anything to Ms. Watkins,” Hicks wrote. “All are welcome — in fact, she is a member of the District 8 advisory board and should get every mailing sent out. We hold a number of public meetings, and again, all are welcomed. The town-hall meeting is open to all citizens, and indeed, many attended from other districts. Unfortunately, you appear to be honing in on one person, when in fact this 4th annual event attracted a large crowd who were focused on all the good things going on in the area and how to make the community even better.”
(Watkins said she was unaware that she is on the District 8 advisory board: “If I am on that board, it is news to me.”)
Watkins said she arrived at the event at 8:55 a.m. and handed out a total of three of her campaign business cards before and after Kathleen Hicks’ opening remarks. She said Cass was sitting next to her while Hicks was speaking and told her afterward, “I’ll throw you out” if she passed out any more cards. Watkins said she told Cass she would not hand out any more of them — and didn’t.

After a half-hour workshop on housing and economic development, Watkins said, an ugly scene developed. In an e-mail sent out to news media, Watkins wrote that “Maryellen Hicks came up to me and yelled, ‘Little girl, you cannot campaign inside the house of God.’ ” Watkins said she refused to get in an argument with the retired judge and turned and walked away.
But the elder Hicks followed her, Watkins said. “I turned my back to her while she was yelling, and proceeded to walk off,” Watkins wrote. “Maryellen stayed about six inches behind me. I stopped suddenly and she bumped into my back. I turned around and looked her in the eye for about five seconds, then turned back around and proceeded to walk down the hall.”
Watkins said she did hand out several business cards for her dog kennel after the brush with Cass and Maryellen Hicks — standard procedure at such events. But she also said she didn’t see why simple political campaigning would be banned. No signs were posted saying that political activities were not allowed.

“I’m very confused on how this was handled,” Watkins said. “How can you bring city hall to District 8 and say there is no politics involved? Kathleen Hicks could spend a day telling voters how great she was. I couldn’t even hand out a business card.”
The legal issues are murky. Regarding trespass, the Texas penal code says a warning notice can be given by police after “oral or written communication by the owner or someone with apparent authority to act as the owner.” As for the tax-exempt status for the church, IRS rules say the status is endangered only if the church itself campaigns for one candidate over another.

Within the Eastside community, Watkins is sometimes controversial in her own right. On her blog, she routinely takes potshots at Hicks and other neighborhood leaders such as Don Boren; his wife, Wanda Conlin; and former mayoral and council candidate Louis McBee. Watkins once referred to all three as “puppets for Kathleen Hicks and the ones who do all of the important backroom deal-making.”
Conlin said Watkins “is sometimes hard to deal with. She is an in-your-face kind of person.” Conlin attended the town hall meeting, and said, “I barely saw [Watkins] at the meeting, and I didn’t see her doing any campaigning or causing any disturbance.”
Norm Bermes, another Eastside activist, said Watkins’ blog “often [takes] a very irrational approach to some of the issues over here. But I have worked with her on some things — especially the vagrancy problem, and [Watkins] does a credible job to get the area straightened out and improved.

“The way this was handled was very wrong,” Bermes said. “Kathleen Hicks, in a way, was campaigning at this city-sponsored event. Suzette Watkins should have had the same opportunity, as long as she was not creating a disturbance.”
McBee said Watkins’ treatment is par for the course for Fort Worth. When he was running against councilman Danny Scarth, McBee set up a campaign tent at the East Handley Recreation Center during early voting. The tent was well past the setback requirements beyond which campaigning is prohibited.

“The Fort Worth police told me I had to leave, and no one could quote me a law I was violating,” McBee said. “The political leadership in this town has the power, and they get the police department to do the dirty work on their behalf.
“This was a public meeting, and to throw someone out [seemingly] because she is running against the council member, is just way off base,” McBee said. “It is a violation of her civil rights. Kathleen Hicks needs to tell Uncle Buck to go home and stay away, because he is going to cause her great problems down the road.”

Sunday, November 16, 2008

3 years in the ground and the pipeline is leaking?

"The area has been partially excavated, and the operator is still searching for the "perimeters and depth" of the pollution
according to the report.
An attorney representing the Cole family, Jim Eggleston, questioned why the pipeline corroded after being underground for about three years."


http://www.star-telegram.com/health/story/1040455.html

Friday, November 7, 2008

Ridiculed, Violently opposed & Accepted

"All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Secondly, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

Arthur Schopenhauer
German philosopher

The quote above grabbed my undivided attention because it's been a belief of mine that one of our downfalls in America is our inability, collectively as communities and individuals, to discuss, own, and address, the truths of matters and their statistics which prevents us (or one) from truly solving problems because we are seldom, if ever, dealing with problems at their root cause levels.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Upset with both major Parties? Unhappy with the bailout? Consider Libertarian Candidates. Check out this discussion..and see where you stand.

To me, this is a brilliant discussion and a better starting point than I'm hearing from the Democrats or the Republicans. So glad I voted for some of the Libertarian candidates:

Below is a post from a Libertarian site. Not that I agree 100% with every word, but I love the discussion, ideas and reasoning. I hope The Libertarian Party will come alive in the months and years ahead as main parties are really ONE in much of what they say and do (BAILOUT OF 2008!!) and aren't doing a whole lot for "the people."

"You have had an opening created with Ron Paul, where many have found themselves upset with both parties, but with no alternative that is either viable or doesn't violate some of their principles. There are disenfranchised fiscal conservatives coming together with people such as myself who are on the left, but are disgusted by the bailout, the federal reserve's policies, the war on drugs, the foreign policy choices, the massive military spending, etc. That is truly strange bedfellows, and you should take advantage of this opportunity while you can. Regardless of who wins (looks like Obama, but who knows), neither is going to be able to stop the coming deep recession/depression that is going to make life harder across the board for all of us. 2012 is your chance , imo. I have been very interested in politics and economics for many years, and have found the Libertarian Party compelling for many reasons, but there are some things I just cannot get behind. To me it seems like the Republicans and Democrats debate about Tier 2 issues, which while still important and effect many people...they do not offer a choice on what I consider Tier 1 issues: The Federal Reserve, The "Bailout" plan, the war on drugs, Imperialism.
I am VERY compelled to the libertarian party because of things I've heard about their views on the federal reserve, our monetary policy, currency issues, and LETTING companies who make bad bets fail. I also agree very much with their stance on the war on drugs, as this is a private issue, and the government has no business involved in it. On Imperialism, what I hear from Ron Paul, about pulling out of all of these military bases around the world, and ending this imperialist "policing" of the world, I agree with. Here are where I have issues with the Party:"

2.8 EducationEducation, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.
2.9 Health Care We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions.
2.10 Retirement and Income Security Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. We favor replacing the current government-sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system. The proper source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals." I cannot, and most people will not, get behind the view that the free market is best to provide education. This will undoubtedly leave less fortunate areas, hitting the minorities the hardest, without access to good education. Their chances will be even slighter than they are today. This is completely unacceptable, and in fact radical. You are going to have to take much more moderate stand, where you give ACCESS to those who want to opt out of public schooling to do just what you propose, but you are going to have to accept public education as a necessary evil, I suppose, because (a) it is vital to those who are less fortunate than yourselves to give them at least a basic education and chance to better themselves and (b) because it will NEVER fly politically and you turn people away just on this alone. Period.
Next, healthcare. Again, this free market will solve everything attitude simply doesn't work. It doesn't work because it will get corrupted, and business will exploit it at every turn. Again, this country can afford to give the basic level of care that other industrialized countries all over the world afford their citizens. We can have a healthcare plan, and then have the OPTION to keep your existing "free market" plan. You will never have a chance in hell without accepting this as another necessary evil. You have to pick your battles. And there are many to be had, most of which MANY Americans agree with you on, and the 2 main parties are ignoring.Lastly, The retirement thing. You are going to have to meet halfway on this one. I agree that those who want to take on retiring for themselves should not be forced into any retirement plans, or forced to take money from their checks on Social Security..., but for the vast majority who don't have the time, knowledge etc, there still needs to be those programs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a safety net such as this, as you will end up paying for their mistakes of misallocating their retirement money anyway, short of letting them die homeless and starving (not exactly a great party platform). Compromise.... you should push to allow those WHO CHOOSE to not be forced to contribute to these programs of retirement (obviously those who chose to do so would not receive any benefits from it either, but they could invest it how they see fit). Whether or not you become a viable alternative or not depends on you making these necessary compromises. You will have pissed off and betrayed republicans coming together with pissed off and disappointed democrats, and you can have an enormous effect in 2012, but in my opinion, you will have to embrace some of the left's values that they WILL not compromise on. If you did, think of what could be accomplished. Massive cuts in spending by cutting back unnecessary wars and bases across the globe. Ending the war on drugs. Dissolving the Federal Reserve, and having our money backed by gold again. Ending foreign economic aid, or at least radically cutting back. Ensuring individual rights and liberties , regardless of race, sex, etc. Putting a wall inbetween church and state, and ending the tax exemption of churches. (real) election reform, ensuring privacy, and more. Those things would be revolutionary. What do you have to do to get them? Compromise on healthcare, education, and retirement. On each, allow the public system to go on, while allowing vouchers, charters, exemptions etc for those who wish to opt out. That is your shot. This is an opening you might not have again, and Ron Paul has gotten the ear of many young , and energized people on the right, but also MANY on the left. Take advantage and do the smart thing.

http://libertarian.meetup.com/388/boards/view/viewthread?thread=5674457



Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Stray Dogs here, stray dogs there, stray dogs everywhere in East Ft. Worth




The three Districts that use more of your tax dollars for Animal Control services than any of the others are: District 5 (East Ft. Worth), District 2 (North Ft. Worth) and District 8 (East Ft. Worth).
Reference: Public Health Dept. of Ft. Worth

Ft. Worth does not have an animal Adoption Center, Ft. Worth does not have a Spay & Neuter Clinic (under construction as of 2008), Ft. Worth Animal Control Services does not have the staff, nor funding for staff to conduct the needed sweeps nor the space to impound dogs. Ft. Worth has no spay/neuter law requirements, Ft. Worth does not strictly enforce the dog laws that are now on the books. These factors contribute to the lessened Quality of Life in East and North Ft. Worth. Why? Because we cannot safely ride our bikes and walk down our neighborhood streets for fear of stray dogs, our children (and adults) see the improper care of dogs and think that it is normal to neglect dogs, people can't sleep at night for the sound of a crying dog stuck in a crate day in and day out, etc.

What can we do about this concern? Elect people to the City Council who will actually care enough to speak up for and fight for your tax dollars to be spent in appropriate places, for the laws to be strictly enforced and for the tax payers to be properly and effectively served by listening to your concerns.

Humane Society of North Texas is a blessing for the City of Ft. Worth. It is a privately funded organization and without it, the CFW would have millions more stray, diseased, dangerous, neglected, abused dogs.

And the Winner is.....


East Ft. Worth, District 8 is my pick for winner of the most water main breaks in the City of Ft. Worth. This morning as I was leaving, I could see a large stream of water running down three or four blocks to the nearest water drain. On any given day, you cannot drive around my neighborhood w/out seeing scenes like the picture above. The picture you see here is on a main, very busy street, Oakland Blvd. Try driving down this street during the rush hour or when a day of school at Meadowbrook Middle is beginning or ending.

I say it's time we elect people who care about where our tax dollars go and will fight for them to be put and spent in the proper and appropriate places so that they will actually serve the people from whom our local government collects them year after year.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Neighborhood Politics Getting in the Way of Progress in East Ft. Worth, District 8


I went to the West Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association meeting this past week. The President, Don Boren told me that he doesn't reply to my emails because my emails "aggravate him" and therefore, go in his junk mail. When I asked him what it was about my emails that aggravated him, he replied, "Suzette, YOU aggravate me!"

I asked him what kind of leader are you if you ignore or brush off someone who "aggravates you?"
Don Boren, Wanda Conlin (married couple, both in leadership positions of WMNA), and Louis McBee - all long time activists in East Ft. Worth, do not like it when someone asks questions, especially questions that question their leadership or lack thereof. Very ironic that I have heard Wanda Conlin (and Louis McBee) beat down Mayor Moncrief for not listening to them and not handling City business in the way that they think he should, and yet they promote someone who can't return emails because the sender aggravates him/them. I wonder who it is that I aggravate more, Don Boren or his wife, (the unofficial Co-President of West Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association), Wanda Conlin. Don Boren tells me that I could "come by his office" but don't email him. Some say that he doesn't like emails because he doesn't want a trace of his words to be on paper. Appears this may be a fact.

People wonder why the West Meadowbrook Neighborhood does not have one nice, clean grocery store, Starbucks coffee shop, a few nice restaurants and has some of the highest number of code violation calls, highest number of Animal Control calls, record # of water main breaks, streets so in need of repair that it's difficult to drive through the neighborhood, residential streets and neighborhoods being used for Industrial Business access & egress, street projects taking months on end to complete, more and more people littering the neighborhood streets and disrespecting the neighborhood properties, Urban Village zoning taking ten years and more to complete, etc.
Perhaps West Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association's boundaries are way too large since they have no interest in representing residents and/or business owners who reside on certain sides of streets w/in the neighborhood. Nor do they have an interest in upsetting their beloved friend at City Hall, Kathleen Hicks who also serves as a representative of West Meadowbrook Neighborhood. Furthermore, when the neighborhood demographics show large black and brown residents & business owners and those numbers are not represented at the Association meetings, you know there is a disconnect between the Association and the people.
Perhaps if more of the true closed door & telephone conversations between Don Boren, Wanda Conlin & Kathleen Hicks were exposed and more people started asking more questions, we could get some visible and tangible progress going on in West Meadowbrook Neighborhood.
Hey this is America; all of us are suppose to be able to voice our opinion, ask questions, expect complete transparency. True leaders will welcome different opinions, suggestions, & more transparency, that's my personal belief and that's what I will continue to expect, push for and work towards.
NOTE:
"Projection, like all defense mechanisms provide a function whereby truth about a part of themselves that may otherwise be unacceptable is shielded."

""People attribute their own undesirable traits onto others."

The Drug War on our future...our Youth, especially Urban Youth


This man says it better than I can



"The war on weed endangers the health and safety of our children. It enables young people to have unregulated access to marijuana — easier access than they currently have to legal, age-restricted intoxicants like alcohol and tobacco. It enables young people to interact and befriend pushers of other illegal, more dangerous drugs. It compels young people dismiss the educational messages they receive pertaining to the potential health risks posed by the use of ‘hard drugs’ and prescription pharmaceuticals because kids say: “If they lied to me about pot, why wouldn’t they be lying to me about everything else too.”
Most importantly, the criminal laws are far more likely to result in having our children arrested and placed behind bars than they are likely to in any way discourage them to try pot.
These are the facts, and it’s about time we start shouting them from the rooftops.
For three decades now, our opponents have framed this issue from the standpoint that they care more about the health and safety our young people more than we do — that we’re just a bunch of self-centered pot-heads that are willing to sacrifice the lives of our young people so that we can catch a buzz. Well, it’s time for us to respond.
Yes, we do favor changing the marijuana laws. We care about protecting the health and safety of our children too. And by changing the laws, we are protecting the health and safety of America’s young people. After all, under prohibition it’s America’s young people that are being lied to; it’s our children that are being approached by drug dealers; it’s our children that are smoking pot in cars and putting their lives and others at risk to try and avoid the detection of their parents or the law; and it’s our children that are being busted in unprecedented numbers.
Finally, let me close with one final reason why we as a community must begin acknowledging this reality and that is this. Even though young people suffer the most under our current marijuana laws, they lack the financial means and political capital to effectively influence politicians to challenge them. Young people also lack the money to adequately fund the drug law reform movement at a level necessary to adequately represent and protect their interests.
In short, if we ever want the marijuana laws to change, that we as a community have to better represent the interests of young people, and we must do a better job speaking on their — and their parent’s — behalf.
We must also do a better job allying with organizations that speak on behalf of youth, particularly urban youth — who are most at risk of suffering from the lifetime hardships associated with a marijuana conviction. We must do a better job reaching out, engaging, and recruiting students to continue to take this issue seriously after they graduate college — and that includes offering them internships and employment once they’ve received their degrees. Finally, reformers must do a better job reaching out to the parents of young people, and urging them to become active members and financial contributors of the cannabis law reform movement.
They say it’s the so-called “parents movement” that derailed the “pot-progress” of the 1970s. Well then I say that it’s high time we recruited our own “NORML Parents” movement to finish the job once and for all."


Tuesday, October 21, 2008

So what happens to parents when they don't act responsibly and their 2 yr child is found wandering the streets?

Are they held accountable to ANY degree? Is there an excuse for this behavior? Furthermore, what are the chances of this little girl growing up to be independent, self-sufficient, educated, no teenage pregnancies, no drug addiction, high degree of self worth and esteem? Who will pay? The child and the taxpayers, not the parents! Why?

"A 2-year-old girl found Monday night walking in the middle of an Arlington street will remain in foster care for at least two more weeks, a judge ruled Tuesday afternoon.
Despite repeated pleas from Ty'tianna Weatherspoon's parents, LaQuianta Weatherspoon and Maurice Stewart, and a grandfather to return the child, Judge Jean Boyd decided to leave the toddler and the family's other two children -- a 10-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl -- in foster care.
A fourth child, a 13-year-old girl, will be allowed to live with a family member."


http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/988965.html

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Meadowbrook Middle School Needs Saving


It was heartbreaking to see the headlines in the Star-Telegram about Meadowbrook Middle School being knocked down another notch and on the brink of being closed. Meadowbrook Middle has improved greatly because of a great energetic, intelligent and rare leader like Cherie Washington, Principal. Cherie Washington says in the video, why not a certain percentage of improvement count for something? The school's test scores have improved, but not enough according to current law laid down by our politicians in Washington.
Once again, parental involvement is one of the key ingredients missing in action when talking about the children's test scores and grades. (politically incorrect thing to say)

Even Barack Obama agrees and mentioned the need and importance of parental involvement regarding Education last night in the debate, so maybe all of you that want to label me as something other than a caring and concerned citizen, will back off your rhetoric since this very idea is being touted by someone of color and has the name of Barack Obama.

Somehow, someway, we must find a way to require, coax, encourage, demand, push, teach parents to assume their responsibilities in regards to their children that they have chosen. Someone asked me the other day, "How in the hell can the parents teach what they don't know?!" My reply was that we have to find a way. We have to dig in and find solutions and it can't ALL be placed on the school districts and/or taxpayers.

When Government doesn't listen to the people this is what happens


it ends up taking much longer for things to improve, much longer for businesses to thrive, much longer before the tax revenue is increased to its potential, many more lives lost and on and on and on. I know for the past 3 years I, along with Mike Phipps, Flora Brewer and others, have been pleading with my City Council representative, Kathleen Hicks and Mayor Moncrief to do something about the drug business and criminal activity along E. Lancaster by the homeless shelters and on down into the neighborhoods of East Ft. Worth. Asking that they provide more treatment beds, accountability and stop the revolving door in the jails. Finally, as their re-election season is slowly coming around and they are hearing the same words from people in the influential political circles to do something about it, seems that may be taking some action.

On another note, yesterday at the joint meeting with the Gas Drilling Task Force and City Council, we heard several times, experts tell the members, and members admit, that time is not on their side with cleaning up the environmental damage that they have, and are, allowing the gas drilling operators to do to our air quality. Perhaps if our local government, including Neighborhood Associations, would have listened to the concerned citizens about environmental issues with drilling that were raised years ago, studied the issue like they study other things such as Modern Street cars, our air quality would be much better and we could wholeheartedly believe Mayor Moncrief when he so emphatically says that "Quality of Life has always been a top priority here in this City and will continue to be."

http://westandclear.com/2008/10/01/joel-burns-streetcar-blogging/
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/974464.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/968503.html

Sunday, October 12, 2008

We Could Revolutionize the World........


if it were politically correct to be transparent in our being -- if people allowed their feathers to be ruffled before reacting --if we could look at things from the big picture point of view rather than from the limited and personal point of view only -- if we could truly understand the meaning of appreciation, toleration, effective communication and love.




How's that for a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Ft. Worth? Life is good and I love Ft. Worth.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Help the animals, order a specialized license plate


Did you know that if you purchase this specialized license plate that you help control our out of control animal population here in Texas that our law makers and enforcers are allowing to happen day after day?

Thanks to Texas drivers’ support of the Animal Friendly Fund, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been able to distribute grant funds for spay/neuter surgeries for 30,241 dogs and cats in Texas. This has potentially prevented the unwanted births of approximately 1 million cats and 500,000 dogs over the next seven years! An additional benefit is that the 30,241 animals have received rabies vaccinations. By the conclusion of the 2008 fiscal year, DSHS will have distributed $1,196,493 in grants toward the low-cost spays and neuters.

If you would like to help reduce pet overpopulation in Texas, click here to order your Animal Friendly license plate.

If you already have an Animal Friendly license plate, thank you for being part of the solution!
Spay/Neuter Myths and Facts
Myth: Female dogs and cats should have at least one litter before having them spayed.
Fact: The best time to spay your female dog or cat is before her first heat. Early spaying greatly reduces the possibility of developing uterine, ovarian, or mammary cancer.
Myth: An animal’s behavior changes drastically after surgery.
Fact: The only changes in behavior you will see are positive ones. Male cats tend to reduce their territorial spraying, depending upon the age they are neutered. Male cats and dogs fight less, wander less, and greatly reduce their chances of being hit by a car or getting lost.
Myth: Animals become fat and lazy after being spayed or neutered.
Fact: Overweight animals are usually overfed and do not get enough exercise. If your pet is fat, reduce his calories and increase his walks and play time.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Tax dollars still going down the drain in East Ft. Worth


Because our City Council members of the recent past and present (supposedly representing the people of the Meadowbrook Neighborhoods) haven't made the case of the need for infrastructure dollars be spent in prevention and maintenance of our aging water pipeline system. We are watching millions and probably billions of gallons of water going down our drains every single day due to pipe breaks in the neighborhood. Today, once again, the taxpayers of Ft. Worth are paying for another expensive band aid type fix it to our water problems in East Ft. Worth, District 8. If City Hall was a business it would not survive. We need some new members of the political system in Ft.Worth.