Attorney Who Bankrolled Williamson County Democrats Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

Austin attorney Marc Rosenthal, who was convicted on charges relating to racketeering, conspiracy, bribery, extortion, tampering, and mail fraud last March, has been sentenced to twenty years in prison.  Prior to his 2011 arrest, Rosenthal played a prominent role in funding Democrat candidates in Williamson County. 

In both 2008 and 2010, Rosenthal gave generously to State Representative Diana Maldonado (HD-52) and other Democrats.  According to Texas Ethics Commission reports, Maldonado received $51,000 in cash and another $7,000 in "air travel."  Allegedly, the latter consisted of Ms. Maldonado's use of Rosenthal's private jet.  (Although Texas District 52 is entirely contained within Williamson County). 

Maldonado eked out a win in 2008, partially due to support from naive Round Rock "Republicans" who ignored her liberalism because they thought that she would represent their geopolitical interests.  After a disastrous single term, Maldonado was soundly defeated in 2010 by Republican Larry Gonzales. 

Unfortunately for local Democrats, Rosenthal won't be able to fund any campaigns for quite some time. 

Donor to Williamson County Democrats Convicted in Federal Court

A federal court has convicted Austin Attorney Marc Rosenthal on 13 counts relating to racketeering, conspiracy, bribery, extortion, tampering, and mail fraud.  This has been more of a story in the Austin & South Texas news, but there is a Williamson County link as well. 

Rosenthal played a huge role in Democrat Diana Maldonado's campaigns for the Texas House in 2008 and 2010.   According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Rosenthal gave Diana Maldonado (HD52) $51,000 in contributions, as well as another $7,000 in "Air Travel" donations.  Back in 2008, local observers had noticed that Maldonado seemed to spend an unusual amount of time traveling around the state on Rosenthal's private jet.  No one could figure out why she would be traveling so far and so often when her district was limited to Williamson County.  

Representative Maldonado was certainly not the only recipient of Rosenthal's money.  He gave to various other Democrat candidates, County Democrat parties, and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, but those donations run between only  $150 and $5,000.  Clearly, at $58,000, Ms. Maldonado was his hands-down favorite. 

Major Donor to Wilco Democrat Arrested

It seems one of the major donors to Williamson County Democrats was arrested this week.  Marc Rosenthal is an Austin attorney who took a keen interest in promoting Democrat candidates, especially one in Williamson County.  According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Rosenthal gave former State Representative Diana Maldonado (HD52) $51,000 in contributions, as well as another $7,000 in "Air Travel" donations.  Back in 2008, local observers had noticed that Maldonado seemed to spend an unusual amount of time traveling around the state on Rosenthal's private jet.

According to news reports, Rosenthal was arrested on "federal racketeering charges alleging bribery of an already-convicted judge as well as witnesses in state and federal cases."  Rosenthal seems to be tied to the scandal with former state district Judge Abel C. Limas, who pled guilty to racketeering charges last March.

Representative Maldonado was certainly not the only recipient of Rosenthal's money.  He gave to various other Democrat candidates, County Democrat parties, and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, but those donations run between only  $150 and $5,000.  Clearly, at $58,000, Ms. Maldonado was his hands-down favorite. 

Dziadziola, Sellers for Round Rock Independent School Board

There are two contested races for Round Rock School Board this year, Place 1 and Place 3. The Place 1 incumbent is Brian Sellers, a Republican voter who supported Larry Gonzales for the Texas House of Representatives last year. His opponent is newcomer Matt Stillwell, who proclaims to be a political Independent, but has only voted in the Democrat Primary in Williamson County. 

I am endorsing Brian Sellers for Place 1, and David Dziadziola for Place 3.
David Dziadziola is challenging incumbent Diane Cox for Place 3.  I have met Mr. Dziadziola on several occasions, and found him to be quite knowledgeable about the district and its challenges.  A life insurance agent, he has also been involved with the financial organization of several successful start-up companies, and has extensive knowledge and experience with financial management.  (On a side note, Dziadziola has been granted numerous U.S. Government patents for computer protection programs.)  Comforting to those who fear a 'numbers cruncher,' his two children are students at Round Rock schools, so he has a vested interest in making sure the district offers a quality education.  Mr. Dziadziola is not content to look only at short-term fixes, but anxious to make sure RRISD has plans for long-term fiscal solvency.  Intelligent, knowledgeable, and conservative, he's also just one of those down-to-earth-non-politicians one can't help but like. 

Diane Cox is pretty familiar to voters since she was the only person from Williamson County willing to appear in liberal-Democrat Diana Maldonado's television commercials in 2010. (Maldonado was soundly defeated by Republican Larry Gonzales.)  Ms. Cox is also the President of Central Texas School Board Association. Round Rock Independent School District and other area districts pay annual dues to the Central Texas School Board Association.  The association engages in  lobbying efforts, and according to CTSBA literature, supports allowing school districts to raise property taxes without voter approval.   (I have not yet discovered the amounts RRISD pays to the association.)  Allegedly, Ms. Cox initiated the illegal bonus paid to the RRISD Superintendent last year, as well as the Superintendent's contract extension with salary and benefits totaling more than $300,000. 

There are several upcoming opportunities to meet the school board candidates; here are the candidate forums of which I am aware:

Tuesday, April 19, at 7pm, at Grace Lutheran Church
Wednesday, April 20, at 7 pm at Round Rock High School Lecture Hall
Tuesday, April 26, at 7 pm at Westwood High School Library

There is a great deal of momentum behind David Dziadziola, but with the dismal turnout typical of school board elections, every bit of help and every vote will make a difference.  Two Round Rock women, Donna Parker and Maria Garza Brown are holding a fundraising reception for Mr. Dziadziola on Thursday April 21.  For more information and to RSVP, please visit http://williamsoncountyrepublicanwomen.com/2011/04/reception-for-david-dziadziola/

Early Voting is May 2-May 10, and Election Day is Saturday May 14.

Good News: More Elections Coming

Now that the noise from the partisan elections has died down, we are gearing up for a whole new set of campaigns this Spring.  There will be numerous municipal and school board elections in May, and candidates are already in preparation. Late last year Craig Morgan announced his candidacy for Round Rock City Council Place 5 (Councilman Rufus Honeycutt is not seeking re-election,) and today Cedar Park Councilman Tony Dale announced his re-election bid.

Although these races are 'technically non-partisan,' both Morgan and Dale are known Republicans. Morgan has volunteered in GOP campaigns for years, and has served on the city's Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Dale was appointed to the Cedar Park Council in 2009, was unopposed in his special election in 2010, and now must run for a full term in 2011. During his tenure, Dale has tackled city issues with a commitment to balancing the budget and keeping taxes low while still providing core services.

Less encouraging for area residents was the announcement that Diane Cox would seek a third term on the Round Rock ISD School Board. A staunch Democrat, Cox was a die-hard supporter of former Representative Diana Maldonado, and appeared in her television commercial in 2010. Allegedly, Maldonado will serve as Cox's campaign manager.

The filing period for these races begins February 1, and ends on March 1, so we do not yet know who the candidates will be. However, rumors are swirling about the RRISD race, since many parents and residents have expressed deep dissatisfaction with Diane Cox and her approach to the Board. I predict there will be a strong challenger and Cox could very well be unseated this year. If so, hopefully she will not follow her purported campaign manager's example in giving one of the most classless concession speeches of 2010.

Rep Kino Flores Convicted: Is Diana Maldonado Next?

Representative Kino Flores, a Democrat from the Rio Grande Valley, was found guilty of multiple charges of tampering with government records and perjury.  It seems Flores had failed to report his sources of income on required personal financial disclosure forms.  He could face up to two years in prison.

As I reported in a recent post, an ethics complaint has been filed against Representative Diana Maldonado for the same offense.  It seems her personal financial disclosure form included no sources of income whatsoever.  As the Flores conviction demonstrates, this is no small matter.  If, in fact, Maldonado has attempted to hide her income sources, she too may find herself in an orange jumpsuit. 

Diana Maldonado's Attack Ad Backfires: Updated

Did you see it?  Nope, probably not.  Representative Diana Maldonado's attack ad hasn't aired much and they haven't posted it on the internet.

Update:  We finally found the ad on Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqqHmngsi9g

According to those who saw it on Austin television stations Monday, the ad opens with scenes of the University of Texas tower and references to the troubled young man who fired shots and killed himself at the school on September 28.  The ad then cuts to Larry Gonzales at a candidate forum discussing Texas' Concealed Handgun License program.  Gonzales asks "How many of you guys on the way here had a shoot-out...?  (Gonzales' question was in reference to opponents of the original CHL legislation who claimed that 'blood would run in the streets' since there would be 'shoot-outs' at every intersection.)

Apparently the Maldonado campaign was flooded with outraged phone calls and emails because many Central Texas residents felt that the ad exploited the UT tragedy for political gain and was horribly insensitive to Colton Tooley's family and friends. 

Diana Maldonado also sent a mailer, basically a milder print version of the TV ad, those who have seen it are outraged. 
(HT:  Lawrence Person's Battleswarm Blog)

In addition to the insensitivity to the Tooley tragedy, Diana Maldonado seems to have seriously misread Texans' love for their 2nd Amendment rights.  Heck, when Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson includes the fact that he carries a gun in his boot in his radio ad, and it's a good thing, campaigning against such an important Constitutional right can only misfire. 

For your listening pleasure, Jerry Patterson's great ad.

"No-Show" Maldonado

While Representative Diana Maldonado is touting her work on the Veterans Affairs Committee as a reason to re-elect her, it seems she didn't actually show up for work very often.  According to records, Maldonado missed more than half of the votes on bills voted out of the veterans committee.  She also missed opening roll call 66% of the time she did bother to attend committee hearings.  Unlike most freshman, Maldonado has one of the worst attendance records in the house, and is ranked in the bottom 20%. 

Of course this comes as no surprise to citizens of Round Rock.  Diana Maldonado is notoriously late for nearly every event:   the swearing-in of new school board members last May, the grand opening events for Cedar Ridge High School, the re-naming of Hernandez High School, and even for her own campaign events.  It has gotten to the point where folks take bets on just how late she will be or whether she will show up at all.

Life happens, and we have all been late or had to miss important events from time to time.  However, Maldonado's record reveals her consistent tardiness and absenteeism.  What is worse is the lack of respect Representative Maldonado seems to have for the time and needs of others.  While one might convincingly argue that given her left-of-center-votes, it is really best if she doesn't show up, the Citizens of District 52 deserve better.  It is time to terminate No-Show Maldonado, and send a Conservative, and reliable, representative to the Texas House.

Williamson County Democrat Party Chair Resigns, Endorses Gonzales

WOW, what a news day!  Here is the press release from Democrat Party Chair Greg Windham.  It will be interesting to see how the Diana Maldonado campaign spins this.  Grab the popcorn...

10/19/10
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Gregory S Windham
512-656-7368
Gregory S Windham, WCDP Chair

Democratic Chair Resigns

Windham Endorses Republican in District 52
Georgetown, Texas - Recently elected Democratic Chairman, Gregory S Windham, announced his resignation from the Chairmanship today citing differences of opinion over the State and National Democratic Agenda and support of a Republican candidate as his reasons.

A Message to Democrats

It is quite apparent that many members of the Williamson County Democratic Party leadership are interested in following a more liberal national agenda than listening to the majority of their constituents here locally. As a fifth-generation Texan and longtime supporter of Conservative, Texas principles, I find myself isolated within the party ranks and unable to relay my message of fiscal responsibility, family values, free-markets, and fair play.

The divisive, rigid leadership with the State and local party have made it clear from the beginning of this term that they have no interest in my opinions; engaging in personal name calling, the marginalization of the Chair's voice, and claiming my Texas ideals are out of touch.
I have a hatred of tyranny and contempt for its tools and being that I cannot sit down quietly and allow my mind be used for the spreading of an agenda that will further divide our citizenry, I choose now to resign as Chairman.I give heartfelt thanks to my many supporters whose tireless work helped me get elected to this position. I am sincere in my hopes that Williamson County residents will take control of the political process from the many hand picked representatives of the left who now hold the keys to our political process. 

After several opportunities to hear the candidates for State House Rep 52, I have decided to support Larry Gonzales as the next Williamson County State Representative. Larry's experience, intelligence, and knowledge of the political process far exceed that of the Democratic candidate. He is a family man, business owner, and a gentleman willing to build bridges and represent his district rather than his party.

Texas and America are facing a perfect storm. We must work together, hand in hand, to guide our way to safe shores. The continual mockery of each others positions and platforms only deepens our internal wounds. Compromise is necessary and I urge all who have interest in Liberty and a zeal for truth to listen carefully to all opinions and, above all, practice the Golden Rule.


God Bless You and God Bless Texas


Gregory S Windham
Georgetown, Texas
# # #

Ethics Investigation Into Representative Diana Maldonado's Finances

In a previous post I wrote about the Diana Maldonado campaign's attempt to 'play chicken' with the Texas Ethics Commission. According to the TEC, Diana Maldonado filed a campaign finance report on July 15, 2010, in which she left off multiple political contributions totalling nearly $60,000. In addition, Maldonado failed to report 90% of her political expenditures, and had to file a corrected report. An error here or there could be attributed to an oversight, but the extent of these omissions indicate there may have been an attempt to circumvent campaign finance law.

Unfortunately, at that time I was not aware that the Texas Ethics Commission is not permitted to investigate such egregious violations unless an individual files a complaint. As a citizen of Texas House District 52, on Wednesday I filed an official complaint regarding this matter, and now the TEC has moved forward with an investigation.

I have learned today that a second complaint has been filed against Representative Maldonado regarding her Personal Financial Disclosure, which allegedly fails to report any income whatsoever. I am not sure how anyone manages to live without any income, but apparently Maldonado has discovered a way. The Texas Ethics Commission is investigating this matter as well.

These are very serious legal matters, and the citizens of House District 52 deserve an answer to these questions. Hopefully the Texas Ethics Commission will get to the bottom of Diana Maldonado's finances quickly.

Diana Maldonado and the Incredible, Amazing Flip Flop

Wow. Just, wow.

At last Tuesday night's candidate forum sponsored by the Round Rock West Neighborhood Association, State Representative Diana Maldonado performed one of the most amazing political flip-flops, evah. While previously so opposed to common-sense voter photo ID legislation that she was willing to kill hundreds of other bills to stop passage, Maldonado stated that she now supports photo ID! This is so astounding that we might need a new award category, perhaps Acrobat of the Year?

Here is the release from the Larry Gonzales Campaign:

Diana's Flip Flop
For Immediate Release

October 13, 2010

Maldonado Metamorphosis: From Capitol Chubber to Campaign Conservative
Liberal Flip-flops on Voter ID

Williamson County – How do you know we are just five days away from the start of voting? Liberal Democrat Diana Maldonado announced last night she supports requiring a photo ID to vote, despite stating just 5 days earlier at a forum she was opposed to voter ID and last session participated in a five-day delay of the House Calendar that killed the photo ID bill.

In a forum hosted by the Greater Round Rock West Neighborhood Association, Maldonado said, “I am for voter identification where it does have a picture, let’s do that.” Emphasising her point, she said later, "Sure let's put a picture on it."

But according to the Austin American-Statesman, at the forum hosted by the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on October 8th, “Maldonado compared asking voters for more identification, than what is currently required, to police officers asking for more identification when they pull over drivers.”

“Diana’s desperate flip-flop on voter ID doesn’t change the fact she helped kill that bill, and dozens of other bills last session including a bill to require background checks of childcare providers who receive state money,” said Gonzales. “She literally put politics ahead of the safety of our children to kill a bill she now says she supports. It’s just pathetic political pandering.”

###

Maldonado and the Stealth Income Tax

While many factors contribute to Texas' economic strength, the state's constitutional prohibition against an income tax is an especially attractive element for both business and individuals.   Democrats have longed to remove this obstacle to higher taxes, and earlier this year Representative Lon Burnham lamented that Texans are "just too stupid" to understand how beneficial a state income tax would be. 

In the 2009 Legislative session, Representative Diana Maldonado and other pro-taxers thought they had found a way around the Texas Constitution by attaching a measure to House Bill 3983.  Also called the "Circuit Breaker Tax," HB 3983 would have tied property taxes to personal income.  Ostensibly the law would have then allowed individuals with lower incomes to receive a reduction in their property tax rate, prompting proponents to refer to HB3983 as an 'affordable housing' measure.

This so-called affordable housing measure has several troubling implications.  For one, the State would be required to compensate local government entities for any reduction in revenue, placing an additional burden on the State budget.  Even worse is Maldonado and friends' attempt to redistribute income.  Under HB 3983, lower income individuals buying homes above their means would be rewarded with a reduced tax bill, and inevitably, higher-earning individuals who prudently purchased more modest homes would be punished with a heavier property tax bill.  In other words, regardless of your home-purchase decisions, your 'property tax' assessment would be based on your income. 

While Liberal-Progressive Democrats were successful in passing this 'stealth' income tax, Governor Rick Perry wisely vetoed the measure saying, 

(HB 3983) would make the distribution of the property tax burden less equitable by shifting it to middle-class property owners. This would make the property tax function more like a progressive income tax, in that the tax burden would slowly be pushed upwards until only the owners of the most valuable property paid any actual tax.

Diana Maldonado's support of the stealth income tax is just another example of her tax-and-spend approach to government.  Rather than protect one of the elements that has made Texas the strongest state economy, our Representative attempted to radically change our tax structure.  It is time to send pro-tax, pro-big government liberals like Diana Maldonado home and replace them with common-sense Conservatives.

Maldonado Is Weaving a Tangled Web: UPDATED

Apparently the Diana Maldonado campaign had to do some quick scrambling Wednesday in response to the revelation that the Texas House District 52 Representative has been avoiding open debate on political issues. By Wednesday night, they were sending out notices to lefty bloggers that included a copy of Maldonado's Calendar, which now shows scheduled debates. Their take?  “See? See? She had it right there on her calendar!”

Unfortunately a copy of an electronic calendar doesn't prove much. The syndicated Lynn Wooley radio show invited Representative Maldonado to debate with Gonzales on air, but she claimed she was unavailable for the initial date. The show then offered 3 alternate dates, but she claimed to be busy on all three. Her campaign is now saying the show was too “Tea Party,” but that does not explain why she declined the Austin Community College invitation for a televised debate. The Round Rock Chamber Debate Diana suddenly has on her electronic calendar for October 5, is actually tentatively scheduled for October 14 during lunch at the Wingate, and has not been finalized. The wrangling over the terms of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber has been going on inconclusively for weeks.

Puzzled by the fact that he had never even heard about the debate at Southwestern University to which Diana claims she agreed, GOP candidate Larry Gonzales actually picked up the telephone to call the university to try to determine when and where this debate will take place. Officials at Southwestern were completely baffled by the question, and stated that nothing was on the college calendar. However, when Gonzales finally got in touch with the events coordinator, he was told that the College Democrats had contacted scheduling on Wednesday night to schedule a debate, while the Maldonado campaign is claiming it has been scheduled for weeks. The press release from the Gonzales campaign calling for debates arrived in my mailbox at 11:57AM Wednesday morning.

It gets better. The scheduler tells Larry that “one candidate has confirmed and they've talked to a least one other one,” and “they have talked to Gonzales.” Neither Larry nor anyone with his campaign have ever been contacted by anyone regarding a debate at Southwestern.

The truth is that Larry Gonzales is willing to have an unscripted debate anytime, anywhere, while Representative Maldonado has been evasive and/or making diva-demands regarding parameters. When called out for her tactics, it seems Diana Maldonado and her handlers scrambled together an elaborate deception to try to make Larry Gonzales look like a liar. Pretty slimy stuff.

Happily, the result of all this, is that now Diana Maldonado will have to agree to some real debates. I'm sure the Voters of House District 52 will appreciate the chance to get beyond the pre-worded statements into serious discussion of the issues.

Update:
News 8 Austin covered this story this evening, and confirmed that no debate had been scheduled at Southwestern University.  Also of interest: regarding Larry Gonzales' request for unscripted debates,   "Maldonado admitted she preferred less divisive settings."  Of course she does.

Astroturf at the Gate

What does an elected official do if she doesn't have enthusiastic constituents to volunteer for her campaign? Just hire a few strangers through the internet!

As The Right Side of Austin reported, and the Austin American Statesman's Politifact has confirmed, the Diana Maldonado campaign has been advertising on Craigslist for paid canvassers.

When volunteers canvass, they are given names, addresses, and other information about residents of the district, and are instructed to visit homes in person. The Statesman article does not mention whether or not the Maldonado campaign conducts background checks, and one has to wonder about the caliber of folks who might be knocking on doors this weekend to lobby for the beleaguered incumbent. Hopefully these internet hires won't behave like the infamous 'paid volunteers' of ACORN.

The Republican challenger, Larry Gonzales, has been canvassing the district with known volunteers from within the district. The momentum for his campaign is growing, and if someone knocks on your door on Larry's behalf, it's likely to be one of your neighbors.

Regarding Diana Maldonado: Voters Know a Hawk from a Handsaw

"I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw."
-Hamlet, Act II, Scene II

On a recent campaign mailer, Representative Diana Maldonado included this 2008 quote from the Austin American Statesman: "Maldonado has a reputation as a budget hawk." While I hardly think I need to go over the credibility problems inherent in a liberal town's liberal newspaper praising a liberal candidate, those familiar with Maldonado's work on the Round Rock School Board were baffled by the 'budget hawk' statement at the time. Since then, her actions in the 81st legislative session have proved that, like most Democrats, Representative Maldonado prefers to fly fast and free with taxpayer dollars.

During Diana Maldonado's tenure on the Round Rock ISD Board, 2003-08, voters were appalled by the proposal of a whopping $350 million bond package in 2005, one the voters soundly defeated. Even so, by 2008 RRISD debt had risen to nearly $630 million, and yet the district still failed to allocate the required 65% of funds to classroom instruction, and had to go back to taxpayers for an additional $294 million that year. Granted, the district's student population had grown by about 30%, but revenues had grown by 75% during the same period.  Furthermore, under then school board president Maldonado, the superintendent's contracted salary inexplicably rose by $38,480 giving him an annual salary of $243,080.00- significantly higher compensation than any governor of any state in the country. Not sure where the 'budget hawk' was in that mess.

Maldonado's disregard for budgetary restraint continued in the Texas House, and her first legislative proposal, H.B. 282, called for state employees to have a tax-payer funded paid holiday on Election Days. Never mind that Texas enjoys anywhere from 5 to 14 days of early voting for any election.  Employers with even the most rudimentary grasp of cost-benefit analysis understand that paid holidays add to the overall budget.  In order for every state employee to have 2 more paid holidays each year, Texas would have to add an estimated $54 million to the budget.  Happily, that rotten egg never made it out of committee.

On other votes regarding government spending and business, Maldonado continued to show a lack of fiscal restraint, and earned a 28% fiscal responsibility rating from Texans For Fiscal Responsibility/Empower Texans.  The average score was 56.7%, leaving Maldonado far below the majority of her peers in the House. 

On the 2010 campaign trail, Maldonado seems confused about the projected budget shortfall, and continuously refers to a multi-billion dollar deficit.  What Representative Maldonado doesn't seem to understand is that we are not talking about a current deficit, but a reduction in the estimated amount of tax revenue the state will collect next year, based on current trends.  In the 2011 session, Texas legislators will need to create a new budget in accordance with these projected revenues.  It is disturbing that Diana Maldonado's response to the projected shortfall is to talk about 'new revenue streams' and ending 'exemptions.'  Translation of government-speak for the voter:  'new revenue streams' = new taxes, and apparently the Democrat mantra this year is to call for a state income tax. 

In contrast, Republican candidate Larry Gonzales is campaigning on a fiscally conservative platform and promises spending cuts.  Last Saturday in front of some 40 volunteers assembled to canvass the district, he signed a Taxpayer Protection Pledge created by Empower Texans.  In his comments, Gonzales reiterated his commitment to doing "what every American family has to do" in cutting spending. 

With Americans already reeling under the weight of Obamanomics, the last thing the economy needs is more and/or higher taxes, which will only stifle growth.  What we really need are elected officials willing to cut government spending and allow people to use more of their own earnings as they see fit. Unlike some Texas House members, I think the voters are smart enough to tell the difference between a failed 'hawk' and a candidate ready to apply a scalpel, if not a handsaw, to the budget.

Maldonado Moving Right?

One positive thing I have to say about the Maldonado campaign: They have some very good handlers for the beleagured incumbent representative.  After her disastrous performance at a Round Rock Chamber event earlier this week, the campaign quickly trotted out a press release in which Maldonado seems to join Tea Party types in calling for increased border security. 

According to the release sent Thursday morning, Representative Maldonado allegedly joined "several colleagues in the Texas House" in addressing a letter to President Barack Obama.  To my knowledge, the actual text of the letter is not included in the release itself, which is posted at Texas Insider, and no other House members are mentioned by name. Supposedly, the letter requests two MC-12 Aircraft to beef up security on the border.

Wow.  I feel better already.

Sources who were present at the Round Table Discussions, said comments attributed to Representative Maldonado in the release are in stark contrast to her performance at the event earlier this week.  She was vague and somewhat evasive, especially on Voter Photo ID legislation, telling the questioner that they "just disagree on this issue."  Her answer to a border security query  included an ambiguous reference to troops returning from Iraq, leading the audience to wonder if she was suggesting placing combat troops on the Mexican border. 

Of course this isn't the first time Representative Maldonado has written to Obama.  In March of this year she joined other liberal politicians in the Progressive States Network to urge the President to push through socialized health care reform, specifically the Senate Bill (sans Stupak,) even though most Americans vehemently opposed the legislation.  Maldonado got her way, and now we are all gearing up to pay the consequences. 

While Representative Maldonado doesn't necessarily understand the reasons for voter frustration, she and her campaign must realize to some extent that the future does not bode well for liberal-progressive candidates in conservative-leaning districts.   Their actions indicate they are trying very hard to 'move Maldonado to the Right,' but unfortunately for them, her record doesn't leave much doubt as to where she really stands. 

Diana Maldonado and the Problem of Voter Fraud

Last week, the Liberal-Democrat insistence that "there is no evidence of voter fraud in Texas" took a serious blow when the King Street Patriots announced the discovery of thousands of possibly fraudulent voter registrations in Harris County.  About 5,000 registrations submitted by Houston Votes (allegedly a re-named ACORN group)either were incomplete, listed vacant lots as resident addresses, or named non-existent persons or previously registered voters. 

The problem for Texas Lib-Dems, is that they have been using the 'no evidence of fraud' argument as justification for opposing voter photo ID legislation. Never mind that Texas is somewhat historically infamous for voter fraud, due to the 1948 'Box 13' scandal.  Under current Texas law, voters may present various forms of non-photo identification, including a voter card, utility bill, or bank statement.  Even most rank and file Democrats recognize that requiring an ID at the polls is just common sense, and 82% of all Texans support voter photo ID laws.

However, the most liberal wing of the Democrat party is so afraid of voter ID requirements, that in the 2009 legislative session, they were willing to kill hundreds of bills beneficial to their own districts and constituencies in order to stop passage of the law. Representative Diana Maldonado (D-Round Rock) was among those who participated in the 'chubbing,' or filibuster, of Voter Photo ID.  Observers such as Will Lutz expressed surprise at Maldonado's actions:

There are significant divisions within the Democratic caucus about whether this was a good idea. Only a handful of Democrats in mostly safe districts partook in the filibuster. Rural Democrats and most of the suburban ones from swing districts (with the notable exception of Rep. Diana Maldonado [D-Round Rock] who chubbed) stayed away from the back microphone during this exercise.

Unfortunately for Round Rock and the rest of House District 52, Maldonado placed her desire to stop election workers from checking ID above the legislative needs of the district.  Among the legislation thwarted by chubbing was an especially important TXDOT Sunset bill.  I will be taking a closer look at some of the 'killed bills' in the coming weeks. 

While Democrats try to downplay the issue, preferring to call it 'voter impersonation,' evidence indicates that voter fraud continues to be a problem in Texas. Voter photo ID requirements cannot completely stop those determined to commit election fraud, but a well-crafted law will be a deterrent to the most egregious offenders.  Voters would do well to remember Representative Maldonado's actions in the 2009 Session, and limit her to a one-term-wonder.

New Coattails For Diana Maldonado

In 2008, Democrat Diana Maldonado rode to a narrow 1% victory on the coattails of Barack Obama. Like Obama, Maldonado portrayed herself as a moderate in conservative-leaning Williamson County, and carefully avoided discussion of the liberal-progressive agenda. Of course now that the Obama presidency is crashing and burning in such spectacular fashion, Democrats like Maldonado played 'duck and cover' during the recent Presidential visit, and are avoiding association with Obama at all costs.

This year Representative Maldonado will have a difficult time convincing voters she is a moderate since she has a rather inconvenient legislative record to defend. For example, she earned a 36% rating from the Texas Association of Business and a 10% rating from the Young Conservatives of Texas. Furthermore, her actions in the 2009 session to kill voter photo ID legislation reveals her to be at odds with 82% of American citizens.

So whose coattails will she attempt to ride in 2010? Apparently, Rep Maldonado has attached herself to gubernatorial candidate Bill White. She was an early supporter of the former Houston Mayor in the 2010 Primaries, (see video below) and after playing "Duck and Cover" during the presidential visit, she teamed up with Bill's wife, Andrea White for campaign activities in Williamson County,

Unfortunately for Maldonado, former Houston Mayor Bill White has quite a bit of his own baggage to carry, baggage that won't play well in HD 52. For example, White left the City of Houston essentially bankrupt and with more debt per capita than California. White, an unwavering supporter of abortion, courted Planned Parenthood executives in Houston and encouraged the establishment of the 'world's largest abortion clinic' in the city. Most recently, White's refusal to rule out increased taxes and debt for the Lone Star State has earned him the new moniker, "Bill White for Taxes."

If in fact, these are the coattails Ms. Maldonado is hoping to ride to victory, she is in serious trouble indeed.

Let Them Eat Cake

Yesterday Representative Diana Maldonado and Progressive Capitol held an event entitled, "Do you know your current State Representative?" Women were invited to meet Maldonado and "other smart women" for coffee, cupcakes and conversation at a Georgetown cupcake business. Unfortunately for the smart women in attendance, Representative Maldonado has little to offer in the way of solutions to pressing issues, especially for the cupcake shop.

One of the incredible ironies of the event was its location, a small business in Georgetown. No friend to private business, Representative Maldonado received a dismal 36% rating from the Texas Association of Business based on her 2009 legislative performance, with only 11 other legislators earning a lower score. One wonders if the cupcake shop owners are aware of Representative Maldonado's hostility to business and her votes to further burden them with taxes and mandates. Furthermore, as a member of the Progressive States Network Representative Maldonado signed a 2009 letter addressed to President Obama, Senator Reid and Congresswoman Pelosi, urging them to pass government-run health care legislation. As analysts study the implications of the 2010 health care reform bill, they are finding it will burden small businesses with penalties, taxes, and paperwork, and will severely reduce productivity and job creation. Thank you, Representative Maldonado.

With soaring unemployment and an economic recession, government should not be seeking to stifle innovation and expansion, but should allow small businesses like the cupcake shop to operate unemcumbered by excessive regulation and taxes. Without the jobs and opportunities created by businesses of all sizes, more and more Americans will find themselves unemployed and dependent on a government that continues to expand and control at an alarming rate. But perhaps the cupcake shop will get a sweet government contract to provide fair allotments of cake to all the newly-created dependents. After all, we'll have to eat something...

Follow the Planned Parenthood Money

How do you misplace $1.3 billion in taxpayer money? Apparently Planned Parenthood cannot account for over half of the $2 billion in tax-payer funded subsidies it has received since 2003. The nation's #1 abortion provider, which reported $85 million in profits for 2007-2008, has refused to offer any explanation for the missing funds.

While these tax-payer funds are for operation of clinics, Planned Parenthood plays a significant political role as well, donating vast sums to candidates and other pro-abortion political action groups each year. In Williamson County, Representative Diana Maldonado is one such recipient, having received $2,000 in 2008, and she is listed as a Planned Parenthood Action 'victory' candidate. Typically, however, since Texans are not as enthusiastic as other parts of the country about killing unborn children, pro-abortion candidates like Diana Maldonado are careful to only list endorsements from groups like Annie's List; benign-sounding name, pro-abort agenda. Annie's List has donated generously to Maldonado in both 2008 and 2010.

Happily, we do not have any Planned Parenthood clinics in Williamson county, yet. But rest assured, it is no accident that these abortion groups are anxious to support candidates in our area.

If you have any doubts about the real purpose of abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood, check out this movie trailer for Blood Money, based on the book by former abortion clinic director and Round Rock resident Carol Everett. These are highly profitable businesses, and regardless of your stance on the ethics of abortion, they should in no way be subsidized by taxpayers.