Greg Abbott referees catfights

[PDittie]

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott took a break from the weighty responsibilities of protecting Texas consumers this week and provided a constitutional opinion on the catfight between the Governor and the Comptroller.

Specifically, on the legality of the investigation by Carole "Grandmaw" Strayhorn's office into the viability of Rick "Good MoFo'n Hair" Perry's Texas Residential Construction Commission. Strayhorn took a look into the TRCC (pronounced 'trick') and declared, "If it were up to me personally, I would blast this Commission off the bureaucratic books."

Imagine: the Governor and Attorney General of Texas, both of whom have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the owner of Perry Homes -- who also funded the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (sic) -- are busy defending a "homebuilders' protection agency".

Abbott said Strayhorn had no business investigating the TRCC unless Perry asked her to do so -- which he hadn't. Both grandstanding Republicans claimed that members of the Lege asked them to look into TRCC, and Strayhorn challenged Abbott to sue her: "(I)f the attorney general wants to take me to court, let's go," she said.

Texans already knew that the two Republicans running for Governor don't have anything more important to do than trade petty insults, but the real shocker is that our Attorney General has inserted himself in the political one-upsmanship. After all, it's not like the man who went to the United States Supreme Court to argue the case for a monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state Capitol has a political agenda or anything.

And that's when Abbott can be bothered to do anything at all on behalf of Texas consumers.

John Cobarruvias, President of HADD Texas (Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings) said, "I find the Attorney General's opinion hollow at best. If his office had investigated the homebuilding industry when asked by consumers, the Commission wouldn't have been necessary, much less the Comptroller's investigation of it." Cobarruvias claims to have personally delivered complaints to the AG's office and was greeted with profound indifference.

Is anybody else fed up with this crap?

Six months to go before we get the chance to elect responsible representation in Austin.

[PDittie]

1. David weighs in:

I'm sampling his comments from his post over at TexasKos, which has rapidly become the best group blog in the state (way better IMHO than BOR, which has become infested with trolls and Lieberman Democrats):

Strayhorn's report on the Texas Residential Construction Commmission was accurate in calling the TRCC a "builder's protection agency."

Abbott's opinion issued on May 3 said the Comptroller didn't have constitutional authority to investigate and report on the commission. This is a perfect example of Greg Abbott using the office of Attorney General as a commodity to sell to his big contributors. Houston homebuilder tycoon Bob Perry, the single biggest Texas Republican political donor, the financier of the Swift Boat liars, is one of the biggest homebuilders in Texas. Bob Perry has a huge interest in keeping Texas consumers defenseless against shoddy and deceptive industry practices. He gave Greg Abbott $50,000 on December 15, when the Comptroller's TRCC investigation was underway. Bob Perry and his wife Joylene have given Abbott over $570,000 (Five Hundred Seventy Thousand Dollars!) in total.

Abbott may call the Comptroller's report unconstitutional, but the report still says what it says. Over 86% of the consumers who complained to the TRCC still had no relief for defective workmanship in their new homes after going to the commission. All the TRCC does is whitewash the builders' behavior, and under the statute the consumers cannot go to court without going through the commission first. John Cobarruvias presented many of the consumers' complaints to the AG's office but they were ignored.

Greg Abbott is nothing but a political hack who occupies public office for what it can do for himself and his clique. It's the same thing he did for 6 years on the Texas Supreme Court. His whole career is an exercise in spin, sellout, and ambition. Fellow Citizens, help me take him out!

David Van Os

David Van Os Democratic Candidate For Texas Attorney General 2006
www.vanosfortexasag.com

And don't forget the Filibuster for Freedom, which begins in one hour in downtown San Antonio.