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| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n: o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e |
| Conservative Commentary - Open Letter to John Cornyn (July 25, 2009) |
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| Houston ISD supe Abe Saavedra at the podium celebrating what the Mexican American School Boards Association called their "Triple Crown": Abe in Houston, Rubén Olivárez in San Antonio, and Mike Hinojosa in Dallas. (Photo taken by Peyton Wolcott at TASB/TASA convention - Dallas, October 2005) |
When will AASA, TASA & the other 49 state administrator associations start promoting pre-embezzlement internal trainings to school superintendents? When will our school superintendents and school board members start paying closer attention to their fiduciary duty-of-care responsibilities? They must -- and now -- if our great public schools are to remain strong and locally governed. |
| Connie Calloway (Collage by Peyton Wolcott) INSET: Former Katy ISD (TX) supe Leonard Merrell was my first historical collage, here as King George III. Thanks to readers for their suggestions; who knows who'll be next? |
| "The CEO's of the United States are the Louis XIV's of the 21st century." --Gerald Celente |
| "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." --Thomas Jefferson |
Here's why I sent this query I sent to John Cornyn (my U.S. senator):
Not only did John top Politico's list of big spenders in the Senate at $152,766.63 for discretionary
travel for himself and his staff, including their $38K at a team-building retreat in Maryland, all during
the first half of FY 2009, but also -- rather than handing over a copy of his calendar and details
(who/what/when/where/why) regarding the trips which might back up John's assertions that
everything about the $152K was on the up and up -- his staff has chosen to stonewall.
Not only did John top Politico's list of big spenders in the Senate at $152,766.63 for discretionary
travel for himself and his staff, including their $38K at a team-building retreat in Maryland, all during
the first half of FY 2009, but also -- rather than handing over a copy of his calendar and details
(who/what/when/where/why) regarding the trips which might back up John's assertions that
everything about the $152K was on the up and up -- his staff has chosen to stonewall.
| The Two Kings of Senate Spending: John Cornyn (L) & Chuck Schumer (R) (IMAGE--Peyton Wolcott) |
While John's initial defense is that
Texas is a large state, our other
senator, Kay Hutchison, only spent
$87,651.69.
California's senators, with 2/3 the
population, only spent 2/3 of what
John spent--between the two of
them, and California's twice the
distance from DC as Texas.
Texas is a large state, our other
senator, Kay Hutchison, only spent
$87,651.69.
California's senators, with 2/3 the
population, only spent 2/3 of what
John spent--between the two of
them, and California's twice the
distance from DC as Texas.
| Query to John Cornyn |
| Subject: John's $152K discretionary travel/1st half FY 2009 - Response to FOIA request To: Kevin McLaughlin Cc: John Cornyn, Beth Jafari, Tina Gray, Jessica Sandlin, Sally Shannon-Scales |
A fellow conservative who has made public statements supporting transparency is the last person I expect to have to be pressing for voluntary financial transparency, especially one who was just booed roundly on July 4th while speaking of all places at a Tea Party rally in of all locales his hometown. I would have thought this event would have helped John understand there's a new political mood and reality. To clarify, I'm very aware of the bulky twice-yearly Senate report, which I note John has not worked to make available to taxpayers electronically. I also know how to file a FOIA request. I sent this to you as a courtesy to give John a chance to show us the details of how he spent $152K on discretionary travel in only six months. Stalling on this simple request doesn't jibe with John's tying his one-day symbolic blockage of Hillary Clinton's SOS nomination to his stated wanting more transparency from Bill Clinton's foundation. Generalities and assurances are no longer enough, not in this political climate, not even for fellow conservatives. I have a favor to ask of you: Can you help me jibe your response -- which sends me to a published book available somewhere far distant which contains neither the receipts nor John's calendar I've been requesting since July 6 -- with your statement a while back to The New York Times that, "Senator Cornyn’s goal is to create transparency on all levels of government.” Such a statement also seems out of step with John's stated desire for increased voluntary transparency from Bill Clinton's foundation as his reason for Hillary's SOS delay. Can we extrapolate this out to assume that John wants more transparency for all other levels of government -- except for John's own office? And that he wants more voluntary transparency from Bill Clinton's 501 corporation voluntary contributors than John's willing to voluntarily disclose regarding his own discretionary spending of forced taxpayer dollars? We have funded $152,766.63 which presumably John (and as you point out his staff) had electronic access to. John and his staff didn't have to spend their time researching where the $152K might be found closest to them then travel someplace far distant and write a paper check and wait, wait, wait -- as I have, for most of July. We taxpayers were gracious enough to allow John electronic access to the $152K. If John could organize himself sufficiently to spend the $152K shouldn't he also be able to organize himself to tell us who, what, when, where and why? It's our money, not his. Or has he already caught second-term-itis? We expect John to return the favor by (1) sending a copy of his calendar for the first half of FY 2009 electronically and (2) sending receipts along with explanations as to dates and parties and locations of the $152K meetings for that same period -- electronically, and sooner rather than later. For the record, had John not led the Senate in discretionary travel spending at $152K I likely would not be contacting him now. For him to be ahead of Chuck Schumer is disappointing. He's even ahead of the California senators, who are twice as far from home and represent a greater number of constituents. Other issues re John's politics: o Robin Hood Jonh's 1995 opinion while serving on the Texas Supreme Court upholding Robin Hood was a disappointment. Robin Hood has cost Texas taxpayers billions of dollars and still hasn't achieved the so-called equity MALDEF sought -- unless you consider Edgewood ISD's private employee gym a good example of equitable redistribution of tax dollars. Indeed, then-Texas Commissioner of Education Shirley Neeley's announcement on August 1, 2006 that Edgewood ISD, the name district for the MALDEF lawsuits, had fallen to the lowest academic rung, academically unacceptable, was further proof that John's 1995 opinion has not stood the test of time. o No Child Left Behind John's enthusiastic support of Democratic-driven (Ted Kennedy and Sandy Kress) NCLB is another source of concern. Results? Both predictable: Billions have been spent on Sandy's client Pearson, plus teachers and administrators have learned to game the testing process. o A-PLUS Speaking of "plus," A-PLUS is another disappointment; "burdensome" federal regs? What part of federal edu-fund scandals (see Dallas ISD's most recent at right, for which they are still encountering consequences) for lack of sufficient federal regs have you folks not kept up with? o Mexican border/illegal aliens John's failure to protect our southern border and his softness on illegal aliens is another disappointment. Why meet with Mexican-American groups of any kind? Let them assimilate, then talk. o Ties to Allen Stanford Has John left no pile o'money/funding stone left unturned? Why accept a trip from such a character? If this fact-finding trip to Antigua was really on the up and up, what facts did John learn? Can we expect something in the form of an old-fashioned book report? If Sandy Cornyn was the unnamed campanion, where are the photos of their trip? Whenever my husband and I travel out of the country we take photos. Some of the Cornyns with identifiers (dates, locales) would be helpful. "Flamboyant financier, 'Sir' Allen Stanford has been charged with fraud, conspiracy and obstruction in a 21 count indictment handed down by the Department of Justice." (SOURCE--ABC News) "Texas Sen. John Cornyn took a three-day trip in late November 2004. Cornyn spokesman Kevin McLaughlin confirmed...that Cornyn's Senate disclosure form showed that Stanford's firm had paid $7,441 in 2004 to cover the senator's travel expenses to the Caribbean island of Antigua as part of a 'financial services industry, fact-finding mission hosted by a constituent company with substantial operations on site.' " (SOURCE--Houston Chronicle) o Troubled Assets Relief Program John's support for the first TARP is troubling; who cares about his second vote -- it's that first one that let the camel into the tent. o John's vote for Hillary Clinton for SOS While I appreciate his raising the voice-vote issue with his symbolic one-day delay, why on Earth didn't he join Vitter and DeMint the next day in voting against her? o John's lackluster questioning of Sonia Sotomayor. Why didn't he, for example, ask her what made her consider herself a "wise" latina? Many of us do not believe she's all that wise. Why would he not press on her self-identification as a member of a race rather than first as an American? Focusing on our differences rather than our common American citizenship has not been helpful this past half-century. Kevin, I am looking forward to receiving both John's first-half FY 2009 calendar and the receipts along with an explanation of who/what/when/where/why he spent $152K of our tax dollars on his (and his staff's) discretionary travel -- at your earliest convenience. Thank you. Peyton Wolcott P.O. Box 9068 Horseshoe Bay, Texas 78657 --- On Fri, 7/24/09, McLaughlin, Kevin (Cornyn) <Kevin_McLaughlin@cornyn.senate.gov> wrote: Ms. Wolcott – Thank you for your recent inquiries. Sen. Cornyn’s expenses are reported to the public twice a year, as required by the United States Senate. Those expenses are available to you and any other citizen for review at any time. The “Secretary of the Senate Report” is not online, but a copy of it is available at any Federal Depository Library. When you review these records, it is my hope that you would take the following into consideration, which your counterparts in the main stream media did not. Specifically: · The travel costs were not solely for the Senator, they were for his entire staff for six months. That includes all travel (both charter and commercial airfare, personal vehicle mileage reimbursement, etc), food, lodging, rental cars, gas, tolls and incidentals for a six month period. · During the time in question, Sen. Cornyn made 54 stops in cities all over Texas. His staff made 239 stops in cities all over Texas. Also, just as an FYI, open records requests should be sent to the governing body or institution, not the individual office holder. In this case, the United States Senate. Once again, thank you very much for your inquiry. Sincerely, |
| Date: Saturday, July 25, 2009, 8:29 AM Kevin, thank you for your response. I appreciate your taking the time to write. Bottom line, over the course of more than a dozen phone calls and correspondences I have asked for receipts and John's calendar for the first half of FY 2009 -- and to date you have sent neither. Here's the thing: Going by John's own pro-transparency statements I expect him and your office to step up to the plate and go beyond what's merely required by law. It's embarrassing that my home state -- which has raised the bar for levels of transparency (following Gov. Perry's and Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott's leadership I founded the nation's grassroots online public school check register project in October 2006 with encouraging results; more than 500 districts in 32 states have already voluntarily posted their check registers online, from a mere handful three years ago, and now Comptroller Combs has also come on board) -- has a U.S. senator who is not by his own example and practice a vigorous national leader in transparency but a tepid follower. Regarding the formality of FOIA/TPIA requests, as a former enthusiastic filer of public records requests, school |
This royal spending came as a big
surprise to me because John
presents himself as a conservative
Republican.
surprise to me because John
presents himself as a conservative
Republican.
| John Cornyn (above right) was booed throughout his Tea Party speech at July 4 Americans for Prosperity rally in Austin; it's unclear why AFP would invite politicians to speak at an event which by its nature was anti-TARP voting politicians -- or why John's staff would let him attend. Puzzling. |
transparency, imagine my second surprise last week
when John's office declined to send copies of his
receipts and calendar which presumably would have
cleared the air regarding his kingly spending levels.
Then I started looking at his record and there were more
surprises (see right).
In the event you'd like to email John yourself, send an
email to his spokesman, Kevin McLaughlin -- and be
prepared to be patient.
when John's office declined to send copies of his
receipts and calendar which presumably would have
cleared the air regarding his kingly spending levels.
Then I started looking at his record and there were more
surprises (see right).
In the event you'd like to email John yourself, send an
email to his spokesman, Kevin McLaughlin -- and be
prepared to be patient.
| superintendents helped me to see that the friendlier informal approach was their preference. This is what I have attempted with John -- with zero results. |
| Always a surprise when public officials don't want to share with us enthusiastically and voluntarily how they're spending our dollars. |
Among Senator John Cornyn's surprises:
$7,441 "fact-finding" trip for two to Antigua
funded by disgraced Ponzi-schemer Sir
Allen Stanford.
$7,441 "fact-finding" trip for two to Antigua
funded by disgraced Ponzi-schemer Sir
Allen Stanford.
| Sir Allen Stanford's bank customers outside his Antigua bank (PHOTO--Reuters). |
| As a sitting justice on the Texas Supreme Court in 1995, John Cornyn's opinion upholding MALDEF's Robin Hood school finance scheme which makes it possible still today for so-called poor districts to have private employee fitness centers. Was this the so-called equity John had in mind? (PHOTOS--Peyton Wolcott) |
| Texan Allen Stanford with cricket players' WAGs, including the pregnant Emily Cook sitting on his lap (PHOTO--Daily Mail) |
Following his arrest (left) Stanford customers
line up for run on his Antigua bank.
line up for run on his Antigua bank.
| John's A-PLUS program has about as much chance of improving our schoolchildren's education as these fake schoolhouses outside the US DOE in DC. (PHOTO--AlongTheSpectrum) |
| Allen Stanford (L) in handcuffs; bank run in Antigua. (PHOTO--MSNBC) |
| What facts did Senator John Cornyn find in Antigua? Clearly he didn't take a close look at Stanford's business operations. |
By John Cornyn's accepting the perhaps
innocent-appearing Antigua trip -- and
whatever else Stanford shared with him --
does he become part of the problem? Look
at this:
innocent-appearing Antigua trip -- and
whatever else Stanford shared with him --
does he become part of the problem? Look
at this:
| Analysts have claimed the mess he has left behind, "Will take years to clean up." Stanford's customers that did not withdraw their money from his bank before all assets were frozen, upon the government's announcement of civil charges, will not be able to do so for, "More than two years." How terrible. He is also being investigated by the FBI and Scotland Yard, both law enforcement agencies knowing he was a fraud, as much as 20 years ago. My guess is Scotland Yard/Met Police was told by the FBI not to do anything, as is standard criminal negligence between the two. Nice work failing the public again, which is ironic, as none of your combined salaries can replace the public's money that has been squandered by a known criminal you let remain free to damage innocent people. However, the problem is, once again, corruption in Washington. Stanford, "has entertained powerful American politicians from both sides of the aisle" and boasted to a Florida employee that "his contacts and money made him 'untouchable.'” This is how Stanford was able to get away with this madness for so long, despite the fact the FBI, SEC and Congress knew of his criminal misconduct for two decades. Once again, the government has failed the nation and the world in letting another known criminal run loose and wreak havoc. It was cowardly, craven and corrupt. (SOURCE--The Judiciary Report) |
| Houstonian Sir Allen Stanford, "The original philanthrocapitalist." |
| Fishing yacht The Sir Veza (above) Bohuchot had exclusive use of from DISD vendor & Hewlett Packard distributor Frankie Wong, below right |
| Former Dallas ISD tech executive Ruben Bohuchot (far right) with DISD award. |
| Ruben Bohuchot outside court. (ALL PHOTOS--Dallas Morning News) |
| A good example of too little federal supervision over funds sent to school districts: the Dallas ISD tech scandal. |
About that $38,000
team building
retreat in Maryland
for John Cornyn's
staff: Gee, I thought
the all the team
building necessary
for Senate staffers
was "Welcome to
your coveted
position in my
office. Work hard."
team building
retreat in Maryland
for John Cornyn's
staff: Gee, I thought
the all the team
building necessary
for Senate staffers
was "Welcome to
your coveted
position in my
office. Work hard."
Given that John is a former Texas Attorney General and
has spoken out in favor of increased governmental
has spoken out in favor of increased governmental
| Houston-area state senator Dan Patrick at Texas Lege education committee meeting in May 2007; he voted against check register bill. |
