The High Costs of Electricity Deregulation by FOHREST WILDER JUNE 30, 2006 Thetexas Observer Dialogue
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JUNE 30, 2006 $2.25 OPENING THE EYES OF TEXAS FOR FIFTY ONE YEARS lifikiktnie1111111H111 The High Costs of Electricity Deregulation by FOHREST WILDER JUNE 30, 2006 TheTexas Observer Dialogue FEATURES FEAR AND LOATHING The fear and loathing in San Antonio article ["Fear and Loathing in San Antonio: OVERRATED 6 Republicans get riled up over immigration and taxes at their state convention," Deregulation was supposed to lower June 16] appeared to originate more from the author of the article, rather than Texans' electric bills. Instead, rates are from those Americans about whom he wrote, who are interested in seeing the through the roof laws of the United States and the laws of Texas upheld. I thought we had all the by Forrest Wilder left-wing wackos out here on the left coast. I'm encouraged to know that there's diversity in Texas. Yee Haw! THE FIGHT FOR RELEVANCE 10 Len Turner Democrats look for signs of hope at San Jose, CA their state convention. by Dave Mann FRAGMENTS OF ENGLISH 18 DEPARTMENT OF BACK - PATTING Texas has never been monolingual, and it never will be. We're proud to announce that Dave Mann's September 23, 2005, story about by Michael Erard nursing home abuse, "A Death in McAllen," was awarded the first prize for Investigative Reporting by the Association of Alternative Newsweeldies at the AAN annual convention earlier this month. Dave also received an DEPARTMENTS Honorable Mention in the category "News Story Long Form" for his March 18, 2005, story "Getting Plucked" about the poultry farm business. DIALOGUE 2 Contributing writer Andrew Wheat received third place for political columns EDITORIAL 3 ("A Homeowner Nails Bob Perry," May 13, 2005; "Muckraker Katrina;' Ah - ha! October 7, 2005; and "Delay's Beautiful Laundrette;' October 21, 2005). POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE 4 Also, congratulations to longtime Observer contributor Steven G. Kellman, LAS AMERICAS 12 who received first prize in Arts Criticism for film reviews in The San Déjà vu in the D.F. Antonio Current. by John Ross MOLLY IVINS 14 Eye Don't Think So A SITE TO BEHOLD JIM HIGHTOWER 15 Spy Kids Too It's here! We've officially launched our new Web site at texasobserver.org . The address is the same, but we've improved our online ordering system and added new "Events" and "About Us" sections. Our revamped site is BOOKS & CULTURE accessible to people with visual and mobility impairments—something that few publications are able to say. POETRY 21 The Observer blog is still a work in progress. But meanwhile, we hope you by Emily Winakur enjoy the additional Molly Ivins columns available on our Web site Our continued thanks to Bryan Robison of GSD&M in Austin for his THE METAMORPHOSIS OF 22 IRWIN TANG ongoing help with the new site by Sofia Resnick OLD KING COAL 24 by James E. McWilliams DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AFTERWORD 31 Our apologies to poet Ute Carson, whose poetry was published in our June Save Family Farms, Save America 2 issue. In her biographical note, we incorrectly identified the title of her by Willie Nelson novel, Colt Tailing. Colt Tailing is available at BookPeople in Austin. Cover design by Matt Omohundro; cover photo by Roberto Adrian 2 THE TEXAS OBSERVER JUNE 30, 2006 EDITORIAL Ah-ha! ere at the Observer we the authority to ask people about their Whew. Got that? Enough excitement don't like to say, "I immigration status. (Houston Chronicle, to keep the pundits busy all summer as told you so." Instead June 21). A routine vote to renew the they ponder the split between President we prefer to say, "You 1965 Voting Rights Act was canceled Bush and his "base." Time to whip up read it here first." in the U.S. House of Representatives even more anti-immigrant hysteria out In our May 5 issue, "after rank-and-file Republicans revolted in the provinces—a nice distraction to ForrestH Wilder wrote, "For the savvy over provisions that require bilingual keep the voters from thinking about investor looking for a growth industry, ballots in many places and continued Iraq and a hard place. Should be really South Texas offers a sure thing... More federal oversight of voting practices in interesting. immigrants than ever are being appre- Southern states." (The Washington Post, But we're getting one of those "Ah-ha!" hended. That means that the federal June 22). That vote, said to have "sur- moments again. We suspect you won't government needs more detention cen- prised Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., be hearing much about historical and ters?' Maybe that's why we were struck and his lieutenants?' came in the wake economic forces that drive migration. with one of those "Ah-ha!" moments of Hastert's own surprise announce- Or the truly Byzantine aspects of our on June 21, when we read an AP story ment that GOP House members would truly Byzantine law. To borrow a phrase indicating that "ground has been bro- hold an unusual series of summer hear- from immigration lawyer and occasional ken for a 2,000-bed detention center to ings around the nation on immigration. Observer contributor Dan Kowalski, the help end the 'catch and release' policy (AP, June 21). law "allocates the same number of green for non-Mexican legal immigrants." The The hearings; Hastert said, are intend- cards per year for Mexico as it does for location? Raymondville, Texas. ed to educated the public about the every other country, from the smallest That AP story was one of several we Senate's bipartisan immigration bill. to the largest, from Liechtenstein to collected in a 48-hour period. (Must With all its flaws, the Senate bill had China: 25,620." have been the excess ozone or the sum- called for a gradual legalization pro- In other words, if a U.S. citizen peti- mer solstice.) Among the others: The gram. The House prefers its own dra- tions for a green card for her sister in library board of a suburban Georgia conian bill. Or as party fundamentalists Mexico, she has a 40-year wait: Yes, county where one in six residents is repeatedly said during the Texas GOP amigos. Forty years. (Austin American- Latino "has axed money budgeted to convention earlier this month, "No Statesman, June 13). buy more 'adult Spanish fiction'—books amnesty! No how. No way." Meanwhile, But ni modo. Don't bother us with like the latest John Grisham thriller in U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania the facts. Let the dueling hearings begin. Spanish or a Marcela Serrano novel in its Republican who chairs the Senate (Check out Laredo, for example, on July original language." (Gwinnett Daily Post, Judiciary Committee, announced he 7). And God help those high school June 21). In Houston a new group called would hold his own hearings early next students in Georgia who might want to Protect Our Citizens wants a ballot month "to ensure all issues are fully read a book by Chilean novelist Marcela referendum that would give city police aired." Serrano in the original Spanish. ■ THE TEXAS OBSERVER I VOLUME 98, NO. 13 I A Journal of Free Voices Since 1954 Founding Editor Ronnie Dugger James McWilliams, Char Miller, USPS 541300), entire contents copy- rates on request. Microfilm available Executive Editor Jake Bernstein Debbie Nathan, Karen Olsson, righted ©2006, is published biweekly from University Microfilms Intl., 300 N. Editor Barbara Belejack John Ross, Andrew Wheat except during January and August Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Associate Editor Dave Mann Staff Photographers when there is a 4 week break between Publisher Charlotte McCann issues (24 issues per year) by the Indexes The Texas Observer is indexed Associate Publisher Julia Austin Alan Pogue, Jana Birchum, in Access: The Supplementary Index Steve Satterwhite Texas Democracy Foundation, a 501(c)3 Circulation Manager Lara George non-profit foundation, 307 West 7th to Periodicals; Texas Index and, for Art Director/Webmaster Matt Omohundro Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone the years 1954 through 1981, The Texas Contributing Artists Observer Index. 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(Emeritus) Books & the Culture is Lawrence Goodwyn, Jim Hightower, Subscriptions One year $32, two years CotturAl Aos Contributing Writers funded in part by the City Divbtioe Nate Blakeslee, Gabriela Bocagrande, Kaye Northcott, Susan Reid In Memoriam $59, three years $84. Full-time stu- of Austin through the Robert Bryce, Michael Erard, Bob Eckhardt, 1913-2001, dents $18 per year; add $13 per year Cultural Arts Division and for foreign subs. Back issues $3 pre- James K. Galbraith, Dagoberto Gilb, Texas Democracy Foundation Board Cliff Olofson, 1931-1995 by a grant from the Texas 41. Steven G. Kellman, Lucius Lomax, Lou Dubose, Molly Ivins, Susan Hays, The Texas Observer (ISSN 0040-4519/ paid. Airmail, foreign, group, and bulk Commission on the Arts. It JUNE 30, 2006 THE TEXAS OBSERVER 3 POLITICAL a TELLIGE Marching Out of Step SYMBOLIC EFFORTS On the first the hanging tree mural from the Valdez rarely was mentioned around floor of the McLennan County Court- courthouse.