What’s a Democrat to do?......Nick Lampson, who is our representative in the U.S. House, is being blasted by local Democrats for being a “blue dog” Democrat. They are even planning to protest on the steps of Sugar Land City Hall about his recent votes on wire-tapping and Iraq.

Now you know why the local Democrats, who haven’t had a successful election year in Fort Bend in 10 years, haven’t had a successful election year in Fort Bend in 10 years. They eat their own.

However, since Lampson’s district is unabashedly conservative, I think his membership in the “blue dog” Democrats will give him street cred in local circles.

Other wannabes....Someone told me Dean Hrbacek, the former mayor of Sugar Land, who was defeated in his last mayoral race several years ago, had conducted a poll which showed that over 50% of the people would vote for him for Congress. He should’ve asked more than his three friends.

And Shelley Sekula Gibbs. That silly woman turned a two week Christmas holiday in Washington into a rout in which she was abandoned by her left-over staff and avoided by most of the other Republican legislators.

If either she or Dean Hrbacek are the Republican standard-bearers in November, 2008, we’ll all have to vote for Lampson.

As I told a dear friend of mine the other day, if you vote for a Democrat, I promise that none of your body parts will fall off. I think my language was a little more colorful than I can use in this family newspaper.

I’ve even had friends who have said, “if Lampson will just switch to a Republican.....”

I have to wonder what they don’t get. We have a Republican administration which has turned the entire oil-producing Arab world against us, has appointed every nincompoop that was carrying a Bible to an important department which he/she immediately messed up, (You’re doing a good job, Brownie.) and has produced the highest national debt EVER. I don’t have room to list all the other things this Republican administration has done.

This is not a decade to turn Republican.

Trumors.....Yes it is true that a group of people are looking for a candidate to replace State Representative Charlie Howard.

Do you know why so many taxing entities in Fort Bend have to pay big bucks to lobbyists to represent us in Austin during each legislative session? BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE ANYONE ELSE!!!!

This situation has been eased somewhat by the election of Dr. John Zerwas and Glenn Hegar.

It seems to me that over the years the only things Charlie Howard has been really interested in have been something to do with either religion or home schooling.

I thought that since 56.2 percent of our state budget is about public education and we have few former public educators in the legislature, now might be a good time to get somebody like former FBISD Superintendent Betty Baitland on board with representing us. But alas, Betty did not hear that same clarion call. I guess she got so beat up during the last school board debacle that she doesn’t want to live in the public eye again.

So if you can live on $600 per month, but with a real good retirement, let me know. I’ll pass your name along to some people I know.

No, don’t ask me who. You know what I’d have to do if I told you.

Bordering on the absurd.....Gov. Rick (Good Hair) Perry came to town Tuesday to sign a bill at Clements High School. He was accompanied by State Rep. Charlie Howard.

The bill was sponsored by Howard, and true to his wont, it is called the anti-discrimination religious freedom bill which purports to allow students to express their religious expression in all schools.

They signed the bill in the Clements High School Library accompanied by Kelly Shackelford, a conservative Republican attorney, who wrote the bill, and Dawn Pounds and Cynthia Gualy, two parents who sued the Katy ISD for not allowing their children religious expression.

Now, excuse me, but the school district is allowing its facilities to be used for this religious/political purpose. I don’t think that is right.

Many attorneys across the state say the bill will run into

trouble when students who want to express their Islamic or Wiccan beliefs run afoul of the Judo-Christian beliefs of a majority of other students.

They say that once the effects of this statute are in force, an enormous amount of First Amendment litigation will occur. They contend that students will be forced to hear the expressions of religious beliefs that they and their families may not believe, and that students will be able to promote their own religious views over everybody else’s.

Once again, our own Charlie Howard is standing with a Bible in one hand and a $10,000 contribution from Dr. James Leninger in the other. Dr. Leninger is the state’s richest proponent of school vouchers.

Granted, Howard got the money in 2002 and has not received anything since from him that I can find. Perhaps school vouchers do not translate to home schooling.

Since I am on the subject of Charlie, I must tell you a story about Charlie when he was first elected. First, he said he would run but two terms, then he changed that to three terms. Then he forgot that promise.

Then, when first elected, he went around to all the land developers in Fort Bend and asked them to give him a “retainer” to represent them in Austin. One admittedly did. Maybe more, but only one would fess up. And because they were honest enough to tell me, I won’t reveal their name.

When I confronted Charlie about his retainer and told him I thought we ELECTED him to represent us in Austin and didn’t need additional monetary rewards to do the job he was elected to do, Charlie told me he was greedy and just couldn’t help himself. He said he prayed about it every day because he knew it was a sin.

Now, mind you, when he was running he told me he was independently wealthy as he had sold his company and he didn’t need money and could accept the $600 per month he would be paid as state representative.

Please someone run against him!

A woman for Sugar Land... I got a note from Jacquie Chaumette that she is definitely running for the Sugar Land City Council. Since Cyril Hosley retired, there has been no female on that council (except long-time city secretary Glenda Gundermann). Now Gundermann is not elected, but she has been a stalwart supporter of the city for 24 years...the one constant through many mayors and councilmen and women. Heck, Gundermann is so necessary, she has her own secretaries. I know what she is going to say, “It’s not me, it’s my position.”

But I digress (a sign of age). Chaumette has so much experience, she would be a real asset to the city. Plus, I’ve already learned how to pronounce and spell her name. It’s pronounced “Jackie Shaw met.”

I guess this means Daniel Wong is definitely running for mayor.

Bank account....Carolyn Reed is back at the Fort Bend Business Journal full time now. She was away for a few weeks as her family was gravely injured in a car accident near Austin. Her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson were all hospitalized for some time.

Grandson Preston, who was moved back to a rehab hospital in Houston after another operation Friday, is back recuperating at home with home therapy.

Since his father couldn’t work for days, and his mother is only barely well enough to care for him, a bank account has been established for the family. If you would like to donate, it is: the McBrides, Comerica Bank, Attn: Mc6782, P.O. Box 4168, Houston, TX 77210-9623.

And speaking of hospitals....I tried to get an appointment at one local hospital for a mammogram and discovered it was going to be two months before they could fit me in. TWO MONTHS!

So I called Oak Bend in Richmond/Rosenberg and had an appointment within days. I didn’t mind driving over there as it was easy to park, I didn’t have to wait, and their personnel and machinery were excellent.

Another hospital story....County Clerk Dianne Wilson has a granddaughter. She is darling. She was born in Australia on August 12 to Chris and Kim Wilson and named Jade Lily.

Here’s what Dianne sent out: 2.93 kilos (6.45 lbs), 51 cm long (20.1 inches) long and skinny like her daddy, strawberry blonde hair like her daddy, cute lips like her mommy.

They will take her home from the hospital today.

Now Dianne can breathe a sigh of relief. She never thought she was going to get one (a grandchild). The only problem is, she’s in Australia!

Dianne had earlier told me about visiting Australia. She said she asked local attorney Lynne Humphries about travelling there as Lynne is married to an Aussie. Lynne said when you think you can’t stand flying another minute, you are halfway there!

Dianne said this was so true when she and husband Bob visited there this summer. However, we’ll always know where Dianne will spend her vacations, long plane trip or not.

Disclaimer.... I still own a house in Quail Valley, but I would write the following even if I didn’t.

I think Mayor Allen Owen bottom-lined it for the residents of Missouri City last night when a meeting to discuss the future of Quail Valley County Club was held.

The mayor told the audience that the city buying the country club might mean that the tax rate would go up in order to purchase and upgrade the golf course so that it would eventually be profitable.

But he said if the city didn’t buy the country club, a resulting decrease in home values in the city would also mean an increase in the tax rate.

In other words, although the mayor didn’t use these words, “You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”

Additionally, my thoughts is that citizens are very willing to pay $20 million to build a civic center which may be used once a week with little revenue coming from it. So why wouldn’t they be equally as willing to pay $20 million to purchase a product that would return some revenue to the city?

We maintain parks all the time with no revenue as a result; why not a park which will produce revenue?