Monthly Archives: June 2009

(Community Matters) you gotta love the picture of Liz & Kirk Watson included in Kirk’s Watson Wire this morning.

(Community Matters) My previous post wasn’t intended to defend the golf course, housing or any specific, existing improvements – nor am I biased toward their removal.

My point is that Gov Perry’s administration’s all-out privatization efforts have not been well thought-out and have mostly been incompetently negotiated and executed (resulting in the waste of hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars). They are driven by a philosophy to privatize government assets and functions, apparently less for efficiency and financial return than for private profit-making opportunities. Regrettably, there’s no reason to be confident the all-Perry appointed UT board of regents would embrace any higher philosophical objectives. We’ve just witnessed the command-control philosophy of another Perry-appointed, university board of regents in Bryan-College Station.

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) Can hardly begin to describe the level of affection and respect for my dad – who didn’t speak English until 7yo, came from a sorta rough part of town, perservered, found a great wife, worked his ass off, self-taught and rose through the ranks very patiently, achieving much success professionally & financially and even more so as a patriarch of the Sepulveda family. Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I love you so much.

(photo: with grandson and friend)

(Community Matters) After a night in Hong Kong, Steven’s arrived in Xiamen amidst a typhoon which tossed the plane around like a B movie prop. Very stringent health inspection procedures before disembarking and again in customs for any recent visitors to the US.

Haicang Bridge, Xiamen

Fujian Province the purple area facing Taiwan (green island),
both positioned at 4:00

Xiamen is in the Fujian Province, looking out on Taiwan Strait. Fujians are famous for their entrepreneurial talents and comprised most of the early emigrants to Hong Kong, the United States and Southeast Asia. Today, they emigrate to Africa, again as entrepreneurial pioneers.

The 90s saw Xiamen embroiled in the controversy of a multi-billion dollar operation smuggling oil, firearms, cars & cigarettes into China from Taiwan and Hong Kong. As well, the scandal & rumors of the seven-story luxury brothel called the Red Mansion reached all the way to then president Jiang Zemin.

The City – the 2nd most liveable according to the Chinese – is one of 4 Speical Economic Zones. It’s the country’s 8th largest port and one of the World’s top 100. It was the port of trade first used by Europeans in the 1500s and became a treaty port after the first opium wars, the main trading center for tea in 19th century.

(Community Matters) Andrew Sullivan on 9/11 recovery –

I wrote a couple weeks back that something is happening in Iran. But it is not the only place where something is happening. The rejection of al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan; the ground-up election of Obama in America; and now the rising up of Iranians for freedom and civility with their neighbors: these are the green shoots of recovery from 9/11 and its wake. Empowered by new information technology, chastened by the apocalyptic conflicts of the last few years, determined to shift course away from civilizational warfare, the people of many countries are grasping for a new order and a new peace. It will not be easy; and it will not be short. But it is the only path worth taking.

(Community Matters)

ok, ok, it was driving a friend crazy – now find here

(Community Matters) Very sorry to hear Walter Cronkite is so ill. Our prayers are with him, his daughter Kate Cronkite and grandson Will Ikard.

(Community Matters) I just saw a side a side of Nagini II I hadn’t seen. She was aggressively chasing my gay fish. hmm, not happy about this. Didn’t think she was interested in fish – thought she survived on frogs

all I had on me was my blackberry so not the best pics

(Community Matters) It occurred to me last night, watching UT Regent James Huffines on the news, there are unwavering differences in philosophies. James and most other high-level Perry appointees believe all returns on investments are measured in dollars, that you must squeeze every available *private* dollar out of public assets – provide money making opportunities wherever possible.

I don’t disagree with maximizing returns, I simply disagree that all are quantifiable in dollars – public good should carry great weight, as intangible as it may be. From the short clip of James’ comments on News 8 or at least from how it was edited, James doesn’t equivocate from this perspective – his explanation of “fiduciary” duties only taking money into account. This, regrettably, it appears will rule with UT’s Brackenridge Tract – ignore the neighbors, the eco laboratory, the intangibles of the public good.

So, would this suggest we sell off or privatize as many public assets as possible? In cases that involve a board of regents completely appointed by one governor – in a state capitol where most acknowledge the governor’s former chief of staff, now lobbyist, probably secret business partner calls all the shots – do we imagine friends and supporters will be chosen to “maximize asset returns,” maybe making a busload of money for themselves in the interim?

So, how did these same regents handle their public responsibilities in the face of Hurricane Ike’s catastrophic destruction of Galveston? Instead of engaging and supporting the community after most families & the entire city suffered the loss of life and property, the regents tried to shut down the island’s main economic engine – UTMB. Even now, I’m told they’ve laid off over one-third of the employees – at a time when government might be expected to help its citizens. Again, Perry appointees only measuring their effectiveness and fiduciary responsibilities in terms of dollars. If we look at the contracts let after the damage; however, we’re likely to find less total attention to competitiveness, to squeezing ever dollar. We’d probably find a list of major donors.

Much privatization could be good. Government doesn’t usually do the most effective or efficient job, though, we often use too short term an analysis to measure and determine. Privatization of state entitlement programs has been disastrous under Perry and his cronies, possibly not because it couldn’t be done – probably because, as under GWB nationally, the men/women appointed to oversee the projects have been either incompetent, inattentive or negligent. AND , sometimes state systems are the most efficient and effective as measured by the long term perspective that includes customer satisfaction and providing for the public good.

If their measure of success has been how much money are Perry’s former chiefs of staffs making, how much are his closet friends making, how much do the firms hired to privatize make (regardless of success), then, they are doing very well.

(Community Matters) Klaus Teuber’s Settlers of Catan is considered one of the all-time, most popular board games. Players build colonies on an island, constructing roads and cities, spending resources (clay, lumber, wool, grain and ore), facing “robbers,” making trades and calculating the tradeoffs between maximizing & sharing.

Unfortunately, we hadn’t yet played our set and discovered the resource cards missing.

Suzanne & Chandler Booth joined us for the evening – despite no board game, we managed to still have fun.

(Community Matters) Diana Holford, of Jones Lang LaSalle, isn’t just a supporter of the Entrepreneurs Foundation, she inspires us and has become our good friend. Her terrific idea to treat the staff to lunch at Ski Shores, via her boat from Walsh’s Landing.

Shobie Partos, Amanda Chiampi, Leigh Christie, Diana Holford & Peter Frey

Leigh (& Marion) ran our Lemonade Day project. Regrettably, Marion Cimbala couldn’t join us.

The staff has done extraordinary work the first half of this year – an out-of-the-park CSR Conference, terrific Texas Independence Day event, our national affiliates conference, nearly 400 people at our Spring Service Day, hitting our numbers for new equity contributions, exceeding objectives for member company engagements and all pitching in and surprising the hell out of everyone with performance on Lemonade Day with only two months to prep.

Peter & Amanda

All the team is extraordinary, Amanda most of all.

What a terrific gesture. Thanks, Diana