Amarillo Teacher Named "National Teacher Of The Year"

Amarillo is justifiably proud of one of its own citizens right now. It has been announced that Shanna Peeples (pictured here in a photo from connectamarillo.com), an English teacher at Palo Duro High School, has been named the National Teacher of the Year. It is the first time since 1957 that a Texas teacher received the honor -- and the first time ever for an Amarillo teacher.

Peeples will be recognized by President Obama in a White House ceremony on Wednesday, and at the end of this school year she will take a year off from teaching to make about 150 appearances around the country as the Teacher of the Year. She hopes to highlight the problem of poverty as it relates to education. Peoples said:

“That fact brings a whole constellation of challenges — how hard it is to try to learn when you’re hungry, or when you’re sick and can’t afford to go to the doctor, or when you have to move out of your home in the middle of the night because you can’t afford the rent. That’s unfortunately what so many teachers are dealing with. The good news about that is for so many of those kids the story that starts out that way sometimes ends with such an amazing personal triumph for students.”

Living In A "Campaign-Free Zone" ?

(The image above is from the website Novinar.me.)

We're just a couple of months away from an important election -- an election that will determine which party controls Congress for the next couple of years (which will determine whether anything is accomplished or we continue to have a federal government that is dysfunctional and refuses to compromise on anything). And in many parts of this country the two political parties are fighting tooth-and-nail for every vote they can get.

People all over the country have been inundated with political ads (TV, radio, newspapers, yard signs, etc.). It is estimated that over $1 billion has already been spent on political advertising for the 2014 election -- and much more will be spent before election day. Some estimate the final total will be around $4 billion. At least $84 million has been spent on just three senate races ($36 million in Kentucky, $28 million in North Carolina, and $18 million in Iowa) -- and that doesn't count the other senate races or the 435 House races.

In other words, in many parts of the country, an election ad will be the first thing a person sees when they open their eyes in the morning, and the last thing they see before closing their eyes to go to sleep. You might notice I said "in many parts of the country". That's because here in Amarillo (the largest city in the Texas Panhandle), we seem to be living in a campaign-free zone. While others are already sick of seeing campaign ads, it is rare in this part of Texas to see one of those ads (even though Texas has both a senate and governor's race this year).

I don't think this is because there aren't as many votes up here as in other parts of Texas -- because in a close election the Panhandle votes could be the deciding factor. I suspect it is because this is a very red part of Texas -- perhaps the reddest. The Democratic candidates seem to have written the Panhandle off as being a lost cause -- and the Republican candidates see no reason to spend campaign money in an area the Democrats aren't contesting. Frankly, I think this is a mistake.

While most people elsewhere would like to see less campaign ads -- I would like to see more. While Republicans outnumber Democrats about 3 to 1 here, there are a lot of Independents (probably more than both parties put together). And those Independents are not going to vote for anyone who has not asked for their votes (something I believe is true of voters anywhere). A few of them might go to the polls (and vote like their neighbor), but I suspect most of them will just stay home (because they have not been given a reason to vote for anyone).

Democrats have been trying to establish a get-out-the-vote campaign up here -- but that just identifies those who are Democrats (or leaning that way) and trying to get them to the polls. That needed to be done, but that will not end the GOP dominance in the Panhandle. We must reach out to Independents, and give them a reason to go to the polls and vote Democratic -- and that won't happen until Democratic candidates spend some campaign money here to ask for those votes.

It may sound strange to those of you in other states (or other areas of Texas), but I would like to see a lot more campaign ads in the Panhandle -- because that would mean the parties are actually fighting for the votes up here.

West Texas A&M - NCAA Division II Softball Champions

The only major university in the Texas Panhandle is West Texas A&M (located in Canyon, just 10 miles south of Amarillo). It is also the school where my youngest daughter attends (as a senior with a 4.0 average). So I think you'll understand if I depart from discussing politics long enough to congratulate the Lady Buffalo softball team for winning the NCAA Division II National Softball Championship. They beat Valdosta State 3-2 on a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning.

It is the first national softball championship for the West Texas A&M women. Needless to say, all of us Panhandle-dwellers are very proud of their accomplishment. Congratulations!!

(The picture above, from the NCAA.com website, is of the winning home run.)

A Good Day For West Texas A&M Sports

I want to depart from my usual posting to congratulate our local Panhandle university -- West Texas A&M University. The WTAMU Buffaloes had a very good sports day yesterday.

It started with the football team, who once again qualified for the national play-offs in Division II. Last year, the Buffaloes advanced all the way to the national semi-finals. This year, they got off to another good start in the play-offs by beating the University of Indianapolis on Saturday by a score of 27-13. They will play Ohio Dominican next Saturday.

But football was not alone among Saturday's accomplishments. The WTAMU volleyball team won the Lone Star Conference championship. They beat Angelo State 3 to 2 in a hard fought contest.

And another sport also needs to be commended. Both the men's and women's cross country teams qualified for the Division II national championships, which were run on Saturday. Both teams finished in 14th place, but should be very proud to have earned a spot in the national finals.

All in all, it was a good day to be a Buffalo.  

Nuclear Weapons Plant Going "Green"

The picture above (from the website nukewatch.org) is of Pantex -- the plant where all United States nuclear weapons are assembled (and out-dated nukes are dismantled). The plant is in the Texas Panhandle, just a few miles from Amarillo.

For years now, this huge nuclear weapons plant has sucked up a significant portion of the electrical energy produced in this area. It looks like that is going to change soon. Acting on instructions from the White House for government agencies to develop homegrown energy and cut carbon pollution, the Pantex plant will break ground for a huge new wind farm in just a few days.

The wind farm will save the plant (and the federal government) about $2.8 million dollars each year in energy costs -- and that money will be used to pay for the construction (which means it won't add to the budget deficit or the national debt). It will cover about 1500 acres, and will produce  about 47 million kilowatt hours of energy each year (enough energy to supply the needs of about 3,500 homes). It will also reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by more than 35,000 metric tons each year (the equivalent of removing 7,200 cars from service).

I'm still not thrilled to have a nuclear weapons assembly plant near the city where I live, but if it has to be there, I'm at least glad they are making an effort to be a good neighbor -- by producing their own energy from a renewable and clean resource, and by lowering the pollution their energy use is responsible for. Pantex is going green -- and that's a good thing.

Blizzard In Texas

This is Amarillo (Texas) the day after the blizzard hit (over 18 inches of snow with 35 to 50 mph winds). I've only lived in Amarillo since January of 2007, but have already experienced two blizzards (the only two I've been in ever). Every single road in the 26 county Panhandle was closed -- and two days later, we're still trying to dig out.

I guess this is just the price we pay for having nicer summers than the rest of Texas (it is normally 5 degrees cooler here than other parts of Texas and the air is dryer -- making the summer more tolerable).

Picture is from the Facebook page of Amarillo's KISS FM 96.9.

Texas Secessionists

The map above shows the counties in Texas that had people who signed the petition to let Texas secede from the United States. On the whole, only a very tiny percentage of Texans signed the petition -- only the craziest teabaggers in the state. But the map does have one use. It shows you where those crazy people are located in the Lone Star State. The darker the color, the more people in that county signed the petition.

Regular readers will have heard me say many times that I live in one of the reddest areas of a red state. I think this map shows I was telling the truth. Note that the Panhandle has 5 of the 9 darkest purple counties, showing they have a lot of crazy teabaggers. If you will note, three of those dark purple counties are in a row. They are Oldham, Potter, and Carson counties (from left to right). I live in Potter County, the one in the middle. It just goes to show that I'm surrounded by a lot of crazy and truly scary people.

NOTE -- For another interesting and very entertaining take on the Texas secessionists, I urge you to go over and read the post by Glenn W. Smith at firedoglake.

Whites Are Becoming A Minority In Many Texas Panhandle/South Plains Counties

The map above shows the counties in the Panhandle and South Plains regions of Texas. Traditionally this has been a very red portion of the state. That is because they are rural counties where the majority of registered voters are white -- and the base of the Republican Party in Texas is in the suburbs that ring the urban areas and in the rural counties. Those rural counties have been a reliable source of support for Republicans.

That is changing. It is already a fact that white students now are a minority in the statewide school system, and in another 10 to 20 years, whites will be a minority of the state's overall population. And this is not just happening in urban Texas. Many of the rural counties will also have white minorities. In fact, 17 of the counties shown above already have a minority white population and another four will be that way in the next 10 years.

Now some may think that this is just due to immigration, and the growing Hispanic populations of these counties are due to undocumented immigrants who cannot vote. But that is only a small part of the Hispanic growth in these counties -- and even then the children of those undocumented immigrants are born here and will be able to vote. There are two other factors helping to flip these counties to a minority white population.

The first is simply that the Hispanic residents of these counties generally have more children than the white residents do. While white families generally have one or two children, the Hispanic families will have three or four. It doesn't take a math genius to figure out that eventually whites will be outnumbered in all of the Panhandle/South Plains counties. The other reason is white flight. Younger whites leave these rural areas in larger numbers for better-paying jobs in urban areas, while most Hispanics stay near their families in the area and take the available jobs. That means the white population is both aging and dwindling.

This is a good thing for Texas Democrats. It means the Republicans are slowly losing their rural base -- a base they have counted on to offset the Democratic advantage in the urban population. The question now is not whether the state of Texas is going to turn blue (it will), but only how long that process will take.

In the past, the Texas Democratic Party has focused it's efforts on the urban areas and in South Texas (where many counties have had whites minorities for quite a while now). They have ignored the red areas of rural counties in the Panhandle and South Plains -- leaving all organizing efforts to the underfunded and demoralized Democratic parties in that area. I think it's time the state party start thinking about some serious organization and registration efforts in these areas. The time is ripe to start flipping some of these counties blue -- and each one that is flipped subtracts from the rural base Republicans count on. All of these counties will eventually turn blue, but a little concentrated effort could make that happen much faster.

Here are the counties where whites are already a minority (with total population and percentage of whites):

Bailey
7,247
37.3%

Castro
8,116
36.1%

Cochran
3,109
40.3%

Crosby
6,092
42.7%

Dawson
13,751
38.0%

Deaf Smith
19,595
29.6%

Floyd
6,394
42.0%

Garza
6,562
45.4%

Hale
36,498
36.6%

Lamb
14,167
41.9%

Lynn
5,858
49.8%

Moore
21,954
37.3%

Ochiltree
10,530
48.2%

Parmer
10,332
37.4%

Potter
122,285
48.4%

Terry
12,675
44.3%

Yoakum
8,005
38.1%

Now these are usually not high population counties, and it's easy to write them off as not worth the effort. But that is a mistake (and it's a mistake the Republicans have NOT been making). Add a few of them together and you start getting a significant amount of votes -- enough to flip a state representative from Republican to Democrat. If the Democrats want to turn Texas blue in as short a time as possible, then every vote must count (even in the smallest counties) -- and that means a 254 county strategy must be employed.

Here are four more counties where whites will soon be a minority:

Hansford
5,557
53.7%

Hockley
22,892
50.2%

Lubbock
283,910
56.6%

Swisher
7,801
50.0%

The Progressive Alternative In Texas CD-13

I have written many times before about how the Texas Panhandle is probably the reddest part of a very red state.  The Panhandle, although a pretty large area, is completely in only one U.S. Congressional District -- Congressional District #13 (which is at least 300 miles long and includes many of the state's counties). The district has been represented by Republican Mac Thornberry for many years now, and he has won so easily in recent years that the Democrats couldn't even find a candidate to run against him this year. That's right. There is NO DEMOCRAT running for the Congressional District #13 seat this year!

But that does not mean there is no progressive candidate running for the seat. The Green Party has come to the rescue this year for those of us who simply cannot vote for a Republican or a Libertarian (the other two parties with candidates in the congressional race). Keith Houston, from Randall County, is running against Thornberry on the Green Party ticket. Houston is a prosecutor who graduated from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law. He is also a novelist who published his first novel in 2011 (The Next Amendment). He is also married (for 13 years) and the parent of two girls. Here is what he lists as his primary goals if elected:

• Make elections fairer by pushing for open primaries and full disclosure of campaign advertising;
• Promote clean energy, specifically the Wind Power in the Texas Panhandle, by modernizing America's energy infrastructure;
• Responsible use of natural resources by ensuring companies taking advantage of the resources clean up after themselves and not pass that responsibility to tax payers ;
• Push for government reform by combining redundant agencies and reducing wasteful spending;
• Promoting policies that provide a safety net for those that need help getting on their feet;
• Push diplomacy over war by following the advice of Teddy Roosevelt who said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

I urge CD-13 Democrats to vote for Mr. Houston. Don't leave that race blank on your ballot just because there is no Democrat in the race. Show Thornberry your disapproval of his support for teabagger values (like privatizing Social Security and abolishing Medicare and giving more tax cuts to the rich). Vote for the only progressive in the race, Keith Houston. And you can rest assured that he will vote with the Democrats in Congress most (if not all of the time).

Dem's Failure An Opportunity For Greens

If you've read this blog for long, then you've heard me describe the Texas Panhandle as the reddest part of Texas. You may have wondered why I would say that since Texas has a lot of really red territory -- places where a Republican candidate is virtually assured of winning. But in those other areas, the Democrats do run a candidate against the Republicans (even if that candidate has little chance of winning). That doesn't always happen here in the Panhandle.

For example, consider the District 13 seat for the United States Congress -- currently held by right-wing Republican Mac Thornberry. This district covers all of the Panhandle and a good part of North Texas (a very large district over 300 miles long). In 2010 the Democratic Party did not even field a candidate for that seat, and they have failed to do so again in 2012.

This is not really surprising since the state Democratic Party leadership has virtually written off West Texas and the Panhandle, and is not willing to invest any money in any races there. Just like in the past, they are concentrating only on the urban areas of Texas and South Texas (where Democrats already hold seats). It's a plan destined to make sure Democrats remain a minority party in Texas, but it's what the leadership has done for years now (and a primary reason why Democrats hold NO statewide elected offices).

But the gutless timidity of the Democratic Party has presented an opportunity for the Green Party. Even though there is no Democratic candidate in Congressional District 13, it will be a three-way race -- and there will be a progressive running for the seat. The Green Party is fielding a candidate for the District 13 seat -- Keith F. Houston of Randall County.

I have no illusions about Mr. Houston's chances of winning -- he's a long shot at best. But strange things happen in politics. If Democrats turn out in large numbers and vote for Houston because there's no Democrat on the ballot, if Libertarians eschew the Republican and vote for their own candidate, and if too many Republicans stay home because they can't stomach the eventual Republican presidential candidate, then a political miracle could happen.

And District 13 is not the only race where Democrats have failed to enter a candidate. There are at least five statewide offices where there are no Democrats running against the Republican incumbent. In two of those races there are Green Party candidates. That should be good enough to get the Green Party enough votes (a minimum of 5%) to stay on the ballot for 2014. My friend and fellow blogger Perry over at Brains and Eggs has written an excellent post on this, and I urge you to read it.

Texas Democratic Leaders Are Still Ignoring The Panhandle And West Texas

I received an e-mail from the Texas Democratic Party leadership in Austin yesterday. Here is part of that e-mail:

(Austin) - The Texas Democratic Party today announced the second phase of their Latino engagement program known as The Promesa Project.

Through this project, Texas Democrats seek to engage young Latinos and ask them to be our Democratic messengers to their family, friends and social networks. Research found that young Latinos, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, are increasingly becoming the trusted sources of political information within their familial units. Another study found that young people are now getting more of their news via online sources than from television. Based on those findings, the Texas Democratic Party constructed Promesa to utilize a combination of online and grassroots techniques to recruit and engage young Latinos.

In this second phase of Promesa, Texas Democrats will launch a Fellowship Program and place fellows in at least eleven campuses across Texas, including: UTEP, UT-Pan Am, UTSA, UT, U of H, A&M-International, UT-Brownsville, UT-Arlington, UNT-Dallas, UH-Downtown, and A&M CC.

"These universities were selected because they have a large Latino enrollment and is perfectly located to provide the opportunity to affect several local competitive races,” said TDP Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez.

The Promesa Fellowship program will include a training program conducted by experienced campaign professionals. Fellows will then work to register voters, recruit Latinos to the campaign, organize campus events, get out the vote and much more. All the work done by Fellows will be geared towards turning out young Latinos in the Democratic Primary who would likely not participate otherwise.

Now don't get me wrong. I think this is a smart move by the state party, and should have been done long ago. By their attacks on Hispanics (and their language and culture), the Republicans have made the Hispanic demographic (the fasted growing demographic in the state by far) a fertile hunting ground for new Democratic votes.

But as I read the list of universities in phase two of this project, it became clear to me that this, like other efforts by the state party is far from a statewide outreach effort. In the past, they have only reached out to urban areas and tended to ignore the many rural counties in the state. Now it seems they are only reaching out to certain portions of the state's large and growing Hispanic population -- which makes no sense to me, since all areas of the state now have a significant percentage of Hispanics. Why not reach out to ALL of them?

Let Me Whine A Minute

This is just the fifth summer that I have lived in the Panhandle, and as I have told many of my friends, I really enjoy living here because of the weather -- especially the mild summers (compared to the rest of Texas). For example, as the rest of Texas roasted under a vicious sun last summer the Panhandle generally enjoyed temps in the mid-90s with little humidity. We only had one or two 100 degree days, and I loved that.

But I guess nothing lasts forever, and this year we are having a real scorcher of a summer to go along with our continuing drought. Today we had a temp of 103 degrees, and that was the 26th 100 degree day we have had this summer. That ties the record for Amarillo -- a record that was set way back in 1953. There is little doubt we will smash that record, since there is no relief in sight and about two months of summer left to go.

I have to admit I don't like this at all. I had thought I had escaped the summers full of 100 degree days. Weather like this makes me long for winter -- which usually isn't too bad in Texas (even here in the Panhandle where we can count on some snow every year). I certainly hope it's another 48 years before we have another summer like this.

Thanks for listening to me whine a bit. I just had to do it.

Looks Like Panhandle Will Lose A Nut And Gain A District

It looks like the Texas Panhandle will come out of the redistricting process for House districts better than expected. For the last 10 years the Panhandle has had three representatives in the Texas House -- the representatives from districts 86,87, and 88 (see bottom map above). Those districts are currently represented by John Smithee (86), Walter Price (87), and Warren Chisholm (88) -- all Republicans. Although the Panhandle (and West Texas) showed a small gain in population, it was feared that the area would lose a House district to the much larger growth in other areas (particularly the I-35 corridor).

There was a district eliminated from West Texas -- District 85, which was represented by Plainview's Jim Landtroop. But Landtroop's home county was put into a reconfigured District 88. This would normally mean Landtroop would have to face off against Chisholm, but Chisholm has already indicated he would either retire or run for the Railroad Commission. I doubt he could defeat Landtroop in the reconfigured district anyway.

That means the Panhandle will still have all or most of the same three districts (86,87,88), but it will also gain some representation from a fourth district (see top map above). District 68, represented by Vernon's Rick Hardcastle, has been pushed a little farther West and now includes four Panhandle counties. While West Texas as a whole has lost a House seat, the Panhandle actually came out a little better. They now have four representatives looking out for their interests instead of three. And as a bonus, they will now be rid of religious nut-job Warren Chisholm.

Of course the four representatives are still all Republicans, but hopefully future demographic changes will remedy that (since the growth of the Hispanic population is much larger than the growth of the White population in almost all of these counties).

On the whole, the Panhandle really can't complain too much about the new Texas House districts. It could have been worse.

Panhandle Will Lose A Seat In State House

This was not really unexpected, but it is not good for the people in this part of Texas. It looks like the Panhandle (and the area near it) is going to lose a seat in the Texas House of Representatives.

The redistricting map currently proposed will have District 88 of Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) and District 68 of Rick Hardcastle (R-Vernon) merge. I think Chisum (pictured) had expected this since he has recently been talking about maybe running for Railroad Commission or a similar position. If he doesn't run for something else, then he and Hardcastle would have to face off in a Republican primary. I think Hardcastle would probably win that race.

I torn in my feelings about this. While expected, it does mean the Panhandle will have less of a voice in Austin. That's not good since state leaders tend to ignore us most of the time anyway (as we are a long way from Austin and not in a mostly rural part of the state). On the other hand, it takes a district out-of-play that was very safe for Republicans and creates one in a more urban area that Democrats could possibly win. So while this is bad for the Panhandle, it could be a good thing for Texas in general.

It looks like the growth in population here in the Amarillo area (Potter and Randall counties) has saved the other two Panhandle seats -- the District 86 seat of John Smithee (R-Amarillo) and the District 87 seat of Walter Price (R-Amarillo). These districts might increase slightly in size, but the current plan keeps them intact.

It looks like the South Plains area around Lubbock will also lose a Republican legislator. The current redistricting map has combined the District 83 seat of Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) and the District 85 seat of Jim Landtroop (R-Plainview).

Panhandle Water Theft Is Averted

Back in 2008 I posted about a plan by billionaire mogul T. Boone Pickens to steal the water underneath the Texas Panhandle for his own financial gain. Pickens (pictured) had bought a lot of land in Roberts County, and Texas law gave him the right to use of the water beneath his own land. The law was originally meant to allow farmers and ranchers to drill water wells and use the water they needed to make their farms or ranches viable. But Pickens intended to misuse that law.

The land that Pickens had purchased sits on top of one of the largest natural aquifers in the United States -- the Ogallala Aquifer. This aquifer supplies much of the water needs for the Panhandle and a large part of West Texas, and it also provides water for parts of seven other states. While the aquifer is a good source of an enormous amount of fresh water, it has a drawback that makes it more sensitive to misuse than most other aquifers. Most aquifers are replenished by rainwater filtering down through the soil, but the Ogallala is covered by a type of clay soil that prevents most of that rainwater from filtering down to replenish it.

Because of this inability to adequately replenish itself, the Ogallala Aquifer has already lost about 10% of its water -- mainly due to irrigation for farming and ranching since the 1950s. This has made it necessary for regional water authorities to plan the Panhandle water use to try and protect the aquifer for future generations.

Pickens wanted to change that. He had decided to build a pipeline 9 feet in diameter to pump water from his land (water from the Ogallala) to sell in other parts of Texas. He company, Mesa Water, had engaged in discussions with cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the San Antonio area, where he hoped to sell enormous quantities of the water. And there is no doubt that his huge pipeline could eventually turn much of the Panhandle and West Texas into just more desert land (something the state already has too much of).

That's because although Pickens would only be pumping the water beneath his land, the enormous amount of water being pumped would have affected the entire aquifer, eventually emptying it. Pickens would have gotten much richer, but for people in Texas and seven other states it would have been a disaster.

Last year State Senator Kel Seliger was able to push a law through the state legislature that said Panhandle water couldn't be shipped by pipeline for more than 75 miles. This law meant that Pickens couldn't sell water from the Ogallala Aquifer to other parts of Texas. Pickens filed suit in an Austin court claiming that the new law violated settled Texas law by denying him the right to do as he pleased with the water underneath his land. That lawsuit is still pending, and its anyone's guess who would win it.

Fortunately, it now looks like Pickens' planned sale of the Ogallala Aquifer has now been averted. A few days ago Mesa Water and the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (CRMWA) announced that had reached a tentative agreement for the CRMWA to purchse thousands of acres of land in Roberts County from Mesa Water (Pickens). If the sale goes through, and there's no reason to think it won't, then this would end Picken's plan to ship the Ogallala's water to other parts of the state.

This should be a cause for celebration here in the Panhandle and other places that depend on water from the aquifer. It's been a long fight, but it looks like it's finally over and an equitable solution has been reached -- a solution that will provide badly needed water for many generations to come (as long as some reasonable conservation measures are followed).

This is just one example of how corporate greed could have caused a disaster for people in eight states. Fortunately, at least for now, that disaster has been averted. But we must remain vigilant in this country and realize that corporations care only about profits -- not people and their well-being.

Amarillo Is Changing - Slowly

On the third Monday of January most of this nation will be celebrating a national holiday.   It will be the 24th national celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States.   President Reagan signed the bill creating the holiday in 1983, and it was first officially celebrated in 1986.   Of course there were some die-hard states who didn't start celebrating the holiday in that year.

Some states didn't recognize the holiday for years, and other states combined it with another holiday (so the racists could have the holiday without calling it MLK Day).   Texas was one of those latter states.   Texas committed the particularly egregious sin of combining MLK Day with Confederate Heroes Day, and for years the two holidays were celebrated on the same day.

But instead of fading (as many racists thought it would), the legend and remembrance of Dr. King just grew exponentially.   It grew to the point in most people's minds to where there was little doubt that Dr. King was a hero and refusal to honor him with a holiday began to be considered almost un-American.   A very few years ago the state of Texas separated the MLK Day holiday from Confederate Heroes Day (which is sadly still celebrated as a state holiday -- just not on the same day that MLK Day is celebrated).

If you've read this blog for long, then you've probably heard me say that the Panhandle region of Texas is one of the reddest (most Republican) areas of the state (and probably the country).   You're in serious trouble if you're trying to run for elected office as a Democrat in the Panhandle.   And it's not just in elections where this right-wing (and fairly racist) attitude is displayed.

It seems that the MLK Day holiday is not one of the biggest celebrations in the region (except among the minority and liberal communities), and that is especially true among the school districts -- embarrassingly true.   There are 65 public school districts and charter schools in the Panhandle region.   Here is how they are treating the MLK Day holiday this year (the 2010-2011 school year):

• Four school districts gave the holiday to students and staff this year.

• Jan. 17 is a regular school day for 28 school districts.

• Eighteen school districts (including Amarillo) give students the day off, but not staff.

• Thirteen districts have scheduled a district or student holiday within a week of the national observance.

That's pretty pathetic.   Fortunately, the Amarillo Independent School District has announced they will finally be joining the rest of America next year -- the 25th official celebration of the national holiday.   The Amarillo School Board has announced that beginning next year (the 2011-2012 school year) the MLK Day holiday will be given to both students and staff.

School Board member James Allen said,   "We're just recognizing the diversity here, and that's a positive for Amarillo.   We're making the decision now that's right for Amarillo."   Floyd Anthony, president of the Amarillo NAACP, agrees.   He said,   "If we're going to celebrate his birthday, we need to include everyone, and that includes the teachers as well."

I appreciate the Amarillo School Board's action, but I believe that far too many people in the Panhandle consider MLK Day to be just an African-American holiday.   That has never been true and I think Dr. King would be very disappointed with that attitude.   Dr. King believed in and fought for equal rights for ALL Americans.   Mr. Allen echoed this sentiment when he went on to say,   "It's not a recognition for African-Americans; it's for all Americans."

It looks like Amarillo is finally entering the 20th Century.   We can only hope that with a little encouragement it will soon enter the 21st Century as well.

PUC Approves Step Forward For Wind Power

Finally the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has done something to help clean up the energy production here in Texas.   They approved building the first stretch of transmission lines (about 91 miles worth) that will be used to carry wind-generated electricity from the Panhandle of Texas to more urban areas downstate (like DFW).  

This is just one leg of the needed lines and many more miles of transmission lines must be approved and built before the renewable electricity can finally make it to the areas that need it.   But this is a good start, and every job must be started before it can be finished.   The route approved will run west and north of Amarillo.

There are some who are complaining that the lines will destroy some grassland and possibly some farmland, but the other two proposed routes were even worse.   One would have cut through a fairly well-populated area between Canyon and Amarillo, and the other would have run along the north rim of the Palo Duro Canyon State Park.   Neither of those needed to happen.

This is really a win-win situation for the Panhandle and downstate areas needing electricity.   It will prevent the building of more polluting coal-powered plants while giving consumers clean and renewable energy, and it will also bring income to landowners and new jobs to the Panhandle.   Many more wind farms are waiting for the transmission lines to be built before they can be built.

Thank goodness the actual building of the lines can now be started.

Republican Enthusiasm Not Apparent In Panhandle

The Texas Panhandle is one of the reddest areas of a red state.   There are no Democratic incumbents in the Panhandle, and once this election is over that will probably still be true (although I'm still hoping for a minor miracle in State House District 87).   Knowing that, I have to admit I was a little surprised at the early voting turnout in Potter and Randall counties -- the most populous counties in the Panhandle (each of which has about half of Amarillo).

The political pundits have been telling us that there is a large "enthusiasm gap" between Republicans and Democrats in this election.   Because of this enthusiasm gap, they have been predicting that Republicans will vote in larger numbers than Democrats -- resulting in a huge Republican victory on election day.   But is that true?

When you look at the early voting figures for the 15 Texas counties with the most population, it looks like it could be.   These counties showed a significant increase over early voting in the 2006 election -- the last off-year election.   In 2006, there were 1,074,824 early voters (about 13.21% of registered voters).   But in 2010 there were 1,724,486 early voters (about 20.68% of registered voters).   That's an increase of 60.44% in those counties.

But it's hard to say whether that rise in voters was due to Republican enthusiasm or not.   After all, these are the counties with the largest urban areas where the Democratic Party has its greatest strength.   The large jump in new early voters could be due to Republican enthusiasm or it could be due to large numbers of Democrats voting early (or both).

It seems to me that it would be more telling to look at an area that is dominated by Republicans to see if they are truly enthusiastic about voting -- an area like the Panhandle.   But the Panhandle (at least Potter and Randall counties) simply doesn't back up the enthused Republican idea.

In 2006 these two Panhandle counties had about 23,600 people vote early.   The 2010 early voting actually showed a drop of about 800 voters -- down to 22,863 early voters.   If the Republicans are so enthusiastic about voting in 2010, why did the early voting totals drop below 2006 numbers in this reddest of areas?

Is the "enthusiasm gap" just a bunch of baloney?   Have the Republicans decided they have won this election and don't need to vote?   Either one of these cases could turn out to be an unexpected boon for Democrats.

I would be interested to know how the early voting has gone in other red West Texas areas like Lubbock or Abilene.   Are the Republicans enthusiastically voting in those areas, or is the early voting turnout as poor as it is in the Panhandle?   Is the "enthusiasm gap" just a myth? It could be.

Early Voting In Panhandle About Equal To 2006

The early voting totals are up in many areas of the state over the numbers shown in 2006, but here in the Panhandle it's about the same.   Voters up here are not exactly beating down the doors to vote early.   County Clerks for both Potter and Randall counties (Amarillo area) say they are on track to finish with about the same number of early voters as in the 2006 election.   Here's how it stands after the first four days of early voting:

Potter County...............2,567 (5% of total registered voters)

Randall County...............4,550 (6% of total registered voters)

Meanwhile, the vote in the largest 15 Texas counties seems to be up after the first four days in most of them.   Here are the percentages (with 2006 in parentheses):

Harris..........7.14% (2.26%)
Dallas..........6.20% (3.81%)
Tarrant..........5.49% (3.77%)
Bexar..........7.11% (4.52%)
Travis..........7.41% (4.50%)
Collin..........5.71% (3.52%)
El Paso..........3.63% (3.30%)
Denton..........4.98% (3.16%)
Fort Bend..........8.27% (3.48%)
Hidalgo..........6.84% (2.41%)
Montgomery..........8.23% (3.71%)
Williamson..........7.64% (4.46%)
Nueces..........6.49% (5.76%)
Galveston..........10.47% (4.92%)
Cameron..........5.02% (3.78%)

Ogallala Aquifer Gets Outside Help

The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the largest fresh-water aquifers in the world.   It is believed the aquifer contains nearly as much water as Lake Erie and Lake Huron put together, and covers about 111 million acres under parts of eight different states in the High Plains area in the middle of the United States.   The eight states that draw water from the aquifer are Texas, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas.

The aquifer is especially important to the High Plains area of Texas.   This is a very productive area for farming and ranching and much of the water needed to sustain these agricultural industries comes from the Ogallala Aquifer.   This is especially true in drought years, when irrigation from the aquifer almost completely sustains the areas agriculture.   Many High Plains cities (such as Amarillo, population about 200,000) get at least part of their water supply from the aquifer.

But there is a problem with the aquifer.   It cannot replenish itself quickly.   Most aquifers are easily replenished by rainwater trickling down through the earth.   But much of the Ogallala Aquifer is covered by a clay-like soil that makes replenishment a much slower process.   Currently, the aquifer is not being replenished as fast as it is being used.   In 2009 alone, the water in the aquifer dropped about 1.5 feet, and since the 1930s the water level in the aquifer has dropped over 100 feet.

Something must be done about this, since the continuing drop in the water level will eventually drain the aquifer.   If this happens, it would be a disaster here in the Texas Panhandle.   Many cities would be unable to sustain their current populations, let alone projected growth.   Farming would be unsustainable and ranching would not be able to produce anywhere near the current levels of beef production.

Fortunately, it looks like the Ogallala Aquifer will be getting some help from an unlikely source -- Michigan State University (MSU).   Although the state of Michigan is nowhere near the Ogallala Aquifer and gets no water from it, MSU has received a $1.2 million four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to study the aquifer and try to determine the best way to improve the management of and conservation of the aquifer's water.

MSU hydrogeologist David Hyndman will lead a multidisciplinary team of scientists, in conjunction with the Kansas Geological Survey, to "study the interactions between the region's landscape, atmosphere and socio-economic systems."   By producing forecasts and projections of a variety of solutions to the problem, they hope to come up with the best way to adjust land management and water use policies to insure the future viability of the aquifer.

I hope they succeed in coming up with some answers that will solve the problem.   The future of the High Plains may well depend on it.