By: Mike O

Mike O — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 03:08:17 +0000

OK, Bill; what did they steal. Because stealing- as opposed to the rest- is a CRIMINAL offense. If you cannot explain THAT statement, then you are at risk of committing a specific case of libel (in written form) against NON-PUBLIC individuals. My mother- on the City Council of my hometown- proved a similar case in the 60s against the local newspaper; they REALLY cleaned up the paper’s reporting after that

NOT defending the individuals you have disagreement with, but also not going to allow you to get away with acting like you say they act.

By: William J. 'Bill' McCalpin

William J. 'Bill' McCalpin — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:56:20 +0000

I quite agree. The coarsening of political discourse disgusts people and drives them away from voting. I hear otherwise reasonable people simply throw their hands up and exclaim, “They’re all crooks!” when they still should be listening to the discussion.

Of course, any campaign against mud-slinging must be aimed at all parts of the political spectrum, including the Tea Party itself. Here in Richardson, for example, there are a number of people affiliated with the Tea Party (as opposed to those running it who seem to be more honorable people) who routinely make absolutely false statements and accusations against the City government – I don’t mean debatable statements, I mean flatly false statements of fact. Indeed, slander against City and public figures in Richardson is commonplace among a certain crowd that feels that lying, cheating, and stealing is justified because THEY are in the right, and everyone else is a bunch of criminals. Examples are:

* The Richardson City Charter violates provisions in the Texas Constitution by not allowing direct election of the mayor – not true, as the Texas Local Government Code specifically permits it
* Refinancing the city’s current debt, according to the City Charter, is illegal – laughably untrue, as the accuser didn’t realize that “refunding” means “refinancing”
* Councilman John Murphy broke State law to be President of the NCTCOG – quite the contrary, most NCTCOG members are REQUIRED to be elected officials
* The City Council violates the Texas Open Meetings Act by discussing the City Manager’s compensation package in executive session – sorry, the Attorney General specifically says that this is legal
* The Richardson City Council is violating the City Charter by selling bonds without the consent of the voters – this one is the best – because the accuser was unaware of a law on the books for 40 years that overruled that section of the Charter

If you hear some gossip about unbelievable misbehavior in Richardson, check out http://www.RumorCheck.org for the research and explanation (and frequently debunking) of the rumor…

Bill

Comments on: Mud Merchants of the Campaign Trail

By: Mike O

By: William J. 'Bill' McCalpin