"Nothing has changed. The bully is still in the pulpit."
Editorials
The bully speaker
March 1, 2007
The Waxahachie Daily Light
Copyright 2007
In the wake of a contentious battle for the Speaker of the House, a weary but victorious Tom Craddick told Texans he had learned the evil of his ways and vowed to be more open and receptive in an effort to heal a divided House.
Nice words, but unfortunately for Craddick — and the state of Texas — actions speak louder than empty promises.
Craddick has proven the adage that a leopard cannot change his spots. For all his rhetoric on “healing” and moving forward to do what’s best for the state, witnessing the Speaker’s actions cannot help but leave the impression that political retribution comes before forgiveness in Tom Craddick’s book of values.
Last Wednesday, during Hill County Day in Austin, the Speaker snubbed the visiting delegation — although he found ample time to shake hands and award scores of other honorary proclamations to delegations from other Texas counties. On Tuesday, during Ellis County Day in Austin, Craddick again left the House chambers just before our local delegation was to be honored.
Coincidence? It’s possible, after all, the Speaker is a busy man.
We find it ironic though, when presented with two opportunities to meet and recognize constituents from District 10, Craddick chose those exact moments to take a break from the House floor.
From our vantage point on the floor, it was a direct snub to State Rep. Jim Pitts, the man who stood up to Craddick earlier this year after criticizing the House leader for his strong-arm tactics, intimidation and retribution that had not only divided lawmakers, but was hampering the legislative process.
Though Craddick spoke conciliatory words earlier this year, nothing has changed. The bully is still in the pulpit.
Apparently, punishing Pitts by removing him as chair of the House Appropriations Committee wasn’t enough. We can’t help but wonder if Craddick was sending a message to the people of District 10.
If so, Mr. Speaker, we got it.
We also have a message for you.
We are good, honest, hard working people. We teach our children to always tell the truth. We raise them with morals and values and to pray for the courage to take a stand for the things they know are right — much like the values Rep. Pitts displayed when he refused to sit in silence and took a stand against you in the Speaker’s race.
You see, Mr. Speaker, the people of Ellis and Hill counties believe that good will always triumph over evil.
While there will always be dictators and despots, their reigns eventually come to an end. As history has shown, those ends usually aren’t very pretty.
Mr. Speaker, what goes around, comes around. We would have prefered to have shared this with you in person, but you never gave us the chance.
© 2007 The Waxahachie Daily Light: www.waxahachiedailylight.com
To search TTC News Archives clickHERE
To view the Trans-Texas Corridor Blog clickHERE
The bully speaker
March 1, 2007
The Waxahachie Daily Light
Copyright 2007
In the wake of a contentious battle for the Speaker of the House, a weary but victorious Tom Craddick told Texans he had learned the evil of his ways and vowed to be more open and receptive in an effort to heal a divided House.
Nice words, but unfortunately for Craddick — and the state of Texas — actions speak louder than empty promises.
Craddick has proven the adage that a leopard cannot change his spots. For all his rhetoric on “healing” and moving forward to do what’s best for the state, witnessing the Speaker’s actions cannot help but leave the impression that political retribution comes before forgiveness in Tom Craddick’s book of values.
Last Wednesday, during Hill County Day in Austin, the Speaker snubbed the visiting delegation — although he found ample time to shake hands and award scores of other honorary proclamations to delegations from other Texas counties. On Tuesday, during Ellis County Day in Austin, Craddick again left the House chambers just before our local delegation was to be honored.
Coincidence? It’s possible, after all, the Speaker is a busy man.
We find it ironic though, when presented with two opportunities to meet and recognize constituents from District 10, Craddick chose those exact moments to take a break from the House floor.
From our vantage point on the floor, it was a direct snub to State Rep. Jim Pitts, the man who stood up to Craddick earlier this year after criticizing the House leader for his strong-arm tactics, intimidation and retribution that had not only divided lawmakers, but was hampering the legislative process.
Though Craddick spoke conciliatory words earlier this year, nothing has changed. The bully is still in the pulpit.
Apparently, punishing Pitts by removing him as chair of the House Appropriations Committee wasn’t enough. We can’t help but wonder if Craddick was sending a message to the people of District 10.
If so, Mr. Speaker, we got it.
We also have a message for you.
We are good, honest, hard working people. We teach our children to always tell the truth. We raise them with morals and values and to pray for the courage to take a stand for the things they know are right — much like the values Rep. Pitts displayed when he refused to sit in silence and took a stand against you in the Speaker’s race.
You see, Mr. Speaker, the people of Ellis and Hill counties believe that good will always triumph over evil.
While there will always be dictators and despots, their reigns eventually come to an end. As history has shown, those ends usually aren’t very pretty.
Mr. Speaker, what goes around, comes around. We would have prefered to have shared this with you in person, but you never gave us the chance.
© 2007 The Waxahachie Daily Light:
To search TTC News Archives click
To view the Trans-Texas Corridor Blog click
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Thursday, March 01, 2007
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