Daily Archives: 07/02/2011

(Community Matters) Political hypocrisy around the debt ceiling makes me tired.  Absolutely, Washington better fix the unsustainable deficit – balance the damn budget guys – this is bullshit.

And, the 14th amendment of the US Constitution makes it clear that this country will honor its debts and obligations. There is no debate about whether we will do so. We’ve made it clear – get to work Congress and pass a balanced budget as you are required.  There is no  congressional approval required to honor our debts and for you guys to hide behind.

Let’s move on with fixing this economy, creating jobs and reducing the deficit through spending cuts, closing tax loopholes, suspending the Bush tax cuts, and investing in infrastructure in ways that’ll create real jobs today.

(Community Matters) President Obama’s administration and the Dept of Justice have stepped up their fight against DOMA – here

Metroweekly: In describing why heightened scrutiny applies to classifications based on sexual orientation, for example, the DOJ’s lawyers — in describing how “gays and lesbians have been subject to a history of discrimination” — write, “The federal government has played a significant and regrettable role in the history of discrimination against gay and lesbian individuals. . . .

Today’s filing does more than acknowledge the federal government’s role in discrimination, going on to detail specific instances of anti-gay and anti-lesbian discrimination, including the 1950 Senate resolution seeking an “investigation” into “homosexuals and other sexual perverts” in government employement and President Dwight Eisenhower’s executive order adding “sexual perversion” as a ground for “possible dismissal from government service,” in the brief’s words. It also details the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Service in investigations seeking information about government employees suspected of such “perversion.”

Rather than relying simply on the “unconstitutional” argument, the DOJ’s taking the time, energy and political risk of spelling out the States’ history of homophobia, and why it’s wrong, which clearly shows that Attorney General Eric Holder and company are fully prepared to go to the mat on this one.

(Community Matters)  Steven and I are excited about the next generation of Texas’  leaders, our next national leaders.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time with State Rep Joaquin Castro this week. I already knew his brother, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro but am just getting to know Joaquin. Wow – twin 36 year olds raised in San Antonio’s Hispanic west side – Stanford undergrads and Harvard Law School. Raised by a mom who was always active in helping her neighbors, they’ve inherited her commitment to neighbors and community and have transformed it to political leadership. Both are rising stars nationally.

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