SAME OLD BS

This publication is dedicated to & maintained by those of us who really care about this city. We are many --- (and growing stronger with more people joining our ranks everyday). We are the nameless , faceless city, county, state, federal, and corporate taxpaying citizens & workers who are sick of the "good ole boy system" here in Houston, Texas --We were born on 7-30-1999. We are --- married & single-male & female, maintenance worker to Deputy Directors. We are the faceless civil servants who year after year do our job. We are the one's who see the hard earned tax $$s of the citizens in this area used & abused and given away to enrich a few greedy people with each new administration. Our hobbies include: Watching our backs---as we try to bring you the truth of what is happening in Houston, and getting the REAL information out to the public

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"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."-Plato

Councilmember Carroll Robinson challenged everyone to sign a "Clean Campaign Pledge" which would prohibit negative campaigning.. Now, four days after the run-off, he's putting this out:

As our very dear friend Ms. Billie Carr says..."Usually it's the guy who pushed for the pledge that starts the mudslinging first "

And she's right...let's look at that mud from a Housnitch inside "snitch" perspective...

It's really quite funny in that Robinson references the Republican award. Former councilmember Chris Bell was given that for supporting the property tax rate rollback which Carroll brags about all the time. City snitches say Robinson was very mad that he did not get the Republican award himself and actually screamed at former GOP Chair Gary Polland about it. Snitches go on to say the reason Robinson didn't get it was because, as he often does, he flip-flopped and went with those who wanted to add back a penny just weeks later.

Former councilmember Bell's license was suspended due to an inner firm administrative screw up - a fee that didn't get paid. He has absolutely no disciplinary record with the state bar so we believe that's a gross misrepresentation.

His tax lien was taken care of years ago and he paid every cent owed.

Robinson missed a number of the same budget meetings he references and that 75% is completely out of context. Other years Bell attended 100 percent or only missed one or two. Plus, Bell chaired that committee two of the years He was on Council. Lee P. took it away from him out of retaliation for standing up to taxpayer waste.

As to the Compaq vote...snitches on both sides of this argument say that Robinson had Crescent hire on a friend to help with their lobby of City Council, and he promised his vote for Crescent , then just before Christmas, snitches tell us that Robinson had Lakewood church hire a defeated council hopeful and Robinson friend as their consultant, with Lakewood cutting the friend a $10,000 check just in time for Santa Claus. Guaranteeing Robinson's vote for Lakewood. Nothing like playing both sides of the fence.

(the following is just one of many e-mails Housnitch received concerning the Compaq deal and Carroll Robinson:

Housnitch was recently reminded by long time Democratic activists, that Carroll was once going to run for State chair of the party against Bill White, saying it was time an African - American held the seat. Housnitch was told that the powers that be talked him out of it by promising him a hefty fee and a nice legal position.

As to Campaign Chairman Joe B. Allen, and his association with Enron, THRU...Vinson and Elkins, SHEESH Carroll, YOUR OWN CAMPAIGN TREASURER UM .......... YOUR BROTHER

Now....illegal drug use????? Come on , as a teenager he toked on a joint...WE BET THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YA'LL ON THAT ISSUE IS...CHRIS ADMITTED IT!!!!!

Carroll says he's not slinging mud, he's pointing out a man's record, and that a man's record should be held up to scrutiny ... that ALL elected official's records are fair game. WELL DARLIN....we're holding yours up.

AT LEAST CHRIS BELL HAD THE CONVICTION TO TAKE A STAND. IN HIS RUN AGAINST LEE BROWN, HE DIDN'T STRING EVERYBODY ALONG FOR WEEKS ON END AND THEN CUT SOME DEAL AT THE LAST MINUTE...WHEN HE TAKES A STAND HE DOESN'T FLIP FLOP AROUND TO SEE WHAT'S IN IT FOR HIS PERSONAL GAIN.

As far as Housnitch is concerned.....give us a man who'll lay it all on the line for what he believes in...flaws and all.

( You have a beautiful young family, and at one time we truly did admire you Carroll. You've just gotten off the path of what's right for ALL the people. You have forgotten where you come from, and and that your allegiance belongs to those who supported you in the first place.)

"Those who preserve their integrity remain unshaken by the storms of daily life. They do not stir like leaves on a tree or follow the herd where it runs. In their mind remains the ideal attitude and conduct of living. This is not something given to them by others. It is their roots.... it is a strength that exists deep within them."

"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell." --Harry S Truman

A little information/backgound on HouSnitch.....we are a network of more than 400 City of Houston employees, "snitches" and a network of over 100 corporate "snitches". We come from all departments/occupations in the city, with the majority of us in PW& E/design/construction fields.

We do not even pretend to know your districts better than yourselves...BUT we do know the "behind the scenes" activities that affect how your concerns within your district are met.

We know, many times, in advance of "deals", that can impact you as council members, and the public as taxpayers. Think of us as a tool, we only wish to further good clean government and expose those deals that are NOT being cut in that vein.

If we tell you there is a problem with an agenda item...believe us...THERE IS A PROBLEM.

We in no way wish to usurp your power or the control of your personal efforts to represent your constituents...but believe us...when we will tell you of those who do.

WE ARE YOUR FRIEND....UNTIL WE HAVE A REASON NOT TO BE...our only purpose is to provide our children/grandchildren with a better world in which to grow, live and prosper.

The next move is yours...with 250,000 readers every two weeks, we feel we have a story to tell, and enough readers/supporters to help us in our endeavors...

Brenda,

Monday morning, I sent an email to the Mayor. Council, and the one who
writes the checks, the Comptroller...
It is about the temporary workers situation, your yard waste, your
money, and if you are an environmentalist or concerned about how your
money is spent... I caution you now, the pictures might be SHOCKING....
WARNING!!!

There is an update since Monday morning,,, my new temp service (as I
continue to work at Solid Waste..) is offering 6 holidays including
memorial, 4th July, labor day, thanksgiving, Christmas and new years
day.... of course after I work with them for 1800 hours which would be 9
months from now... but of course people doing the city work will only be
with this agency for a few months.... then transferred to another
agency. Equal pay for equal work is a joke....

Although SWM was never one of my dream jobs... it has been an
experience and education, in how the city operates... well the email to
downtown is below.... they have had over 48 hours to mill over it...
before going public. I believe I hear the voice of JOE HILL.

Subject: Money wasted, SWM

After the fireman's funeral this past October, a couple of us at Solid
Waste Northwest Division, was asked to fill out a new application with a
temporary agency.

We were told by our supervisor that after the election we would be
placed on fulltime, (since we were in the process). Well November's
election came and gone, then the run off in December and now after the
March Primary, we were put into our 3rd temporary agency. The second
temporary agency (as of dec 31) was going to give us 12 hours
(holiday/vacation) after we completed 3 months and a health plan after 6
months. Well that is gone now.

After filling out the temporary application in October, we lost all accrued vacation and sick time, and for me that began during the crisis of cleaning up the Allison residential waste.   During the next few months while working at the Northwest Division of Solid Waste, the temporary employees received no holiday pay (that is 7 holidays) ...
(including Christmas). We were paid straight hourly pay, not shift pay like my co-workers on the city pay roll.   If the day of work was 6 hours, I was paid 6 hours, while my co-workers recieved 8 hours. We did the same work, the same hours. Taking a lunch break was difficult if the city paid co-workers decided they wanted off early, (note they would still receive their 8 hours).

I understand the reason temporary employees are treated this way. It is
because of POLICY and the ECONOMY. It is the POLICY that temp employees receive no benefits.

It is also POLICY that the task I was suppose to perform regarding
picking up Yard Waste, is to take it to LIVING EARTH. In fact the POLICY
describes how residents should abide by certain regulations... such as 4
foot cut branches bundled, the weight of yard waste bags, and that the
yard waste should be uncontaminated.

Now regarding the ECONOMY, the city can only afford temporary employees at this time in SOLID WASTE: Then why is the City of Houston Solid Waste Management dumping uncontaminated yard waste in a LAND FILL, which costs the city $200 plus per truckload?

From what I understand the city can dump their uncontaminated YARD
WASTE at LIVING EARTH at no charge.... Besides that, why is the City of
Houston Solid Waste Management lying to the people who place their yard
waste on the curb to be recycled by LIVING EARTH?

The Christmas Tree recycling program from Dec 27-Jan 13: Northwest
Division of SWM only participated on the Thursday before the end of the
program (my truck only, at my insistence)... And the area picked up was
an Alabonson suburb and some of Chateau Forest subdivision about 4 tons
(about half day work) the rest of the waste was taken to BFI... (this
can be documented).   This Christmas Tree/yard waste program was
co-sponsored by SWM and Living Earth.

Example of money wasted: in the Monarch Oaks area, 4 to 5 trucks will
appear on a Thursday afternoon to remove the Yard Waste. A former
councilmember lives in that neighborhood and that yard waste is not
taken to Living Earth but a transfer station or BFI landfill....

So if you have 5 trucks, one load a day of uncontaminated yard waste,
that is at least $1000. being buried in a landfill. Maybe not much to
some but that would pay the holiday pay I and one of my temporary
co-workers were denied... (those 7 holidays). But I guess the city SWM
would rather bury that money.

You multiply that by 4 days and a couple more truckloads (because Friday
there are more loads of Yard Waste than other days) during the leaf
season beginning in October. With what the city wasted by burying this
yard waste, they could have hired full time employees to do the job.

Picking up yard waste and abiding by the city policy would be
accomplished, if the employees worked four-10 hour days, instead of
five-8 hour days. In fact Wednesdays was a joke, 5 trucks in a 10-20
square block area picking up small piles of heavy trash, In fact BFT at
McCarty was upset with us when we would bring in a ton or so, because
they said it was a waste of the city's money... The time we wasted on
that day would be similar to the "proverbial PW leaning on the shovel"
Now comes the pictures which resulted in my transfer from NorthWest to
SouthWest. I took these pictures the Wednesday after the Martin Luther
King holiday. Pictures of the Lazybrook uncontaminated yard waste.

I have been working with Councilmember Parker on this issue and there
has been some progress, and just a week ago Councilmember Tatro.

Talking to the guys, I understand that those in authority of Solid Waste
get a bonus if they save the city money. What do they get if they don't follow policy?   I have not been insubordinate in my duties,
performing the task even if it was against policy (under protest).   I believe the holiday pay and shift pay we (who are temporaries) were
denied should come out of the pockets of those who made the decision to
not follow POLICY.

Oh!!! who downtown, decided that the 30 some bundles of tree branches
along a median (bayou) at Vickyjohn street should be picked up by Solid
Waste and deposited in the transfer station and not living earth on March 13 about 3:00pm?

A familiar saying at SWM is: "it's about PICKING IT UP".... but of
course they forget the POLICY, that the uncontaminated yard waste is to
be taken to Living Earth. It is easier to throw the bags in the back of
a truck than to take the time to cut the bags and empty the yardwaste.

Of course the above report would have never surfaced, if my references
were contacted for the Bandit Buster job last july/august 2001. Human
Resource dept. decided to hire someone within the SYSTEM. It took 45
days for them to make that decision... I applied again for a position in
Planning, 3 weeks ago,... still no calls.

All the information above is protected by the Whistle Blower's Act of
September 1, 1983 State of Texas

Ricky Hurt , as a community activist being anonymous is kind'a difficult...LOL.

Dollars Wasted Management

(aka) Solid Waste Management

uncontaminated Yard Waste being dumped in a Land Fill

approximately 9 tons of uncontaminated yard Waste being dumped in a Land Fill on McCarty road in east houston.... costing the city dollars for dumping.. This uncontaminated Yard Waste from the Lazybrook subdivision, could have been dumped at Living Earth at no charge to the city...
Photo taken mid January 2002.

During the after Christmas program scenes like this happened

A program sponsored by Solid Waste Management and Living Earth and other business sponsors... asked citizens to place their Christmas trees along the curbside with their other yard waste and the Solid Waste Crews would pick it up and deliver it to Living Earth.

Well that only happened (at least, I personally know in the Northwest Division) on the last Thursday of the program Jan 10, because of my continued insistence. The program started Dec 27 till Jan 13.... A small Alabonson subdivision and parts of Chateau Forest was the only area picked up on that Thursday. The rest was dumped in a land fill or taken to a transfer station which later was taken to a landfill. That is city tax payers money being buried.... This can be documented with records from BFI and Living Earth.

On the left is a truck load from Lazybrook and on the right the Candlelight area

In late October, I and about 4 or 5 employees (Refuse Laborers) were placed in a Temporary Agency... something about the city could not afford to put us on Full Time, Ii was thought at that time, due to the cost of the 4th man on a Fire Truck.... So the Temp Employees lost 7 holidays, paid straight time instead of shift pay, and the vacation and sick time we accrued during the Allison clean up crisis was taken away. And yet the approximate $200 plus per truck load times one or two loads per day times 4 days per week, could have paid for all of the temp benefits with money to spare. The reason, it is easier to throw the bags in a truck than to cut the bags, and take the uncontaminated load of yard waste to Living Earth in which the city has a contract.

There is a policy regarding Temp Employees which is enforced but it is a double standard when the policy regarding Uncontaminated Yard Waste is not enforced. And it is Dollars Wasted Management.

Personally, I think that the Temps should get a Rebate, (Vacation, holiday, corrected shift pay) and it should come from the pockets of Management who made the decision.... Because we were not insubordinate, we did the work we were told to do even though it was against CITY POLICY !!!!

All the information above is protected by the Whistle Blower's Act of
September 1, 1983 State of Texas

---------------------------------------------------------------
YA WANNA KNOW WHAT RICKY HURT GOT FOR ALL HIS EFFORTS TO DO THE RIGHT THING???? HE WAS FIRED LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, HE WAS FIRED...ANY WONDER OUR SNITCHES WISH TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS ?

I found out through an e-mail (I don't subscribe to the Houston Comical since it is no longer a big city newspaper) that Tom Rollen resigned as director of PW. What's the scoop on Big Tom's resignation, I mean the real scoop, not what was reported? Not that his resignation has left a void in my life but I would like to know what the reasons were.

Paul Bettencourt,Harris County's first new Tax Assessor-Collector in 51 years, and local Republican aspirant, made quite an announcement at the recent Lincoln Day Dinner affair, sponsored and attended by some 1000 local leaders of the Harris County Republican Party.

Seems local rising Hispanic political guru Hector Carreno was in attendance, and "Uncle" Paul as he is known, stopped to ask what a Democratic State Executive Committee member was doing at a Republican affair.

For those of you don't know, Carreno and his CMGV Consultants , master minded the recent mayoral attempt of former councilmember Orlando Sanchez, ALMOST taking Lee Brown in the run off election in his 3rd bid for mayor.

Pollsters say Hispanic turnout for the run-off was in record breaking numbers, and you have to give Carreno his due, for knowing his business.

as "A FORMER SDEC OFFICE HOLDER AND THE NEWEST HISPANIC TO JOIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY."

Congressman Tom De Lay, and Bettencourt all posed for photos with Carreno, and declared him the new "DARLING" of the HCRP.

Damn!...GREAT SCOOP thought HouSnitch. so we started asking questions. YES, Carreno was at the dinner, YES, Bettencourt, had made the announcement...YES everyone posed for photos...

"NO, I'M NOT NOW NOR HAVE I BEEN A MEMBER OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY", says Hector.

YES HE IS A "FORMER SDEC OFFICE HOLDER...I officially resigned my party seat...actually in my letter to State Democratic Chair, Molly Beth Malcomb, I told her the party had left me."

"NO, I didn't join the Republican party, IF they assumed I had, that's their problem."

Hector: "No, but tell me...did the people you talked to seem happy at the prospect?"

Hector: "Well, I'm glad they had a happy thought for a while, but NO, I have not become a Republican."

This Editor has asked Director of Public Works and Engineering Mr. Jon C. Vanden Bosch for an appointment so we can discuss where he's going with the Department. We don't like much of what we've seen so far...been MORE than a month...very little movement, but then again he's asking the very people who screwed it all up to help him fix it.....Need to scrap a whole bunch of them Sir.....not promote the idiots!

I've asked, called several times looking for that appointment. It appears Mr. Jon C. Vanden Bosch is afraid to meet with this short fat lady from Spring Branch. That leaves us no alternative but to continue OUR efforts to clean up this department all by our selves. New Director...same old BS.

The people, in delegating authority, Do not give their public servants the Right to decide what is good for the people to know, and what is not good for the people to know.

(HOUSNITCH IS LOOKING FOR AN ATTORNEY SO WE CAN SUE MS. SCHECHTER AND THE HARRIS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY.... ANY SUGGESTIONS/VOLUNTEERS GUYS?

ARCHIVES

"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

-George Washington

That's all this time around guys...tell em what you think darlins, we get tired of telling them by ourselves.......

CITY COUNCIL
HOUSNITCH