Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House for these United States, has suggested that Congressman Chet Edwards be selected for the Vice Presidential nomination on the Democratic ticket. For those of you who do not know, Edwards is the U.S. Representative for the fightin' District 17. This district includes a range of land from Waco, trailing down to the Brazos Valley. In the 2006 election, Edwards defeated newcomer Republican Van Taylor. My voting decision was difficult, and for a while, I thought I would swing right. At the last second, I decided to vote for the incumbent to allow Chet Edwards to maintain his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During his time as a national legislator, Edwards has earned seniority ranking and a position on the House Appropriations Committee. His position on this committee allows an open door for federal funding to reach Texas, and our state is in dyer need. Texas is constantly being rated last, or next to last, in many different important categories: education, health care, environmental issues. We do, on the other hand, have one of the most advanced highway and transportation systems in the entire United States.
But on that note, thank you, Rick Perry, for drowning TXDOT with millions of dollars of non-specific funding which would do so much more if appropriated to something meaningful. Perry's lovechild, the Trans Texas Corridor, threatens to destroy the economic infrastructure of this great state. We maintain the third highest state economy in the United States. However, once the TTC project begins, a clear divide in the Texas economy will arise. The mega-highway, which is planned to exist in between IH-35 and IH-45, will pull resources away from already existing communities and drain money into outlets such as gas stations, fast food restaurants, cheap development, and DON'T FORGET, toll booths. Not to mention, the concept of the highway is highly dangerous and poorly engineered. The super highway consists of 1/4 mile wide corridors that will sprawl across the Texas countryside, swallowing up farmland, private property, and anything else that stands in its way. Our highways are supposed to be free and maintained by the state of Texas. Excuse me, Governor Perry, but we should NOT have toll roads that maintain access to the rest of the state.
But, transversely, despite the fact that Rick Perry is a horrible leader, why on earth would any good Texan set the Governor's Mansion on fire? That does not belong to Rick Perry. That building belong to Texas, to history, to tax payers, to you and me. It is disgraceful that someone could set fire to that historical building in response to poor leadership. You're bringing us down to his level, people.
Anyway, back to the issues. Obama/Edwards '08? This could happen, but what does that mean for Texas? Well, District 17, where many of my close friends and family reside, will lose a powerful, sometimes shifty, but hard working Congressman. Though his record has not always been consistent, Edwards has recently voted to pass legislation that favors and supports the stability of the middle class. He believes in reducing the national debt by eliminating Congressional earmarks. He also agrees that the status quo of this nation is unacceptable and requires much improvement. Having Edwards on the ballot as VP would be a great help to down ballot Democrats, encouraging straight ticket voting, however; he is a very strong member of the House of Representatives and Texans do not want to lose that representation. He has served his districts, which have been wrongfully gerrymandered by Republican leadership, since 1990. He has earned tremendous amounts of respect and power as a member of Congress which leads me to believe that we may need him to maintain his position as a legislator as opposed to an executive.
