What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin?

[Armybrat 40,847]

44 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

I drive that 'new' Barton Springs Road about 10x/week.  During both peak and off-peak hours, and pleasant as this Spring has been.  I have not seen a singly cyclist.  Lots of scooter riders, but one single, solitary pedal-bike.  Somebody's nephew apparently sold us a shit tone of those white plastic pylon deals and here we are.  It's made the turning situation a bit better, I'll give it that.  But the lane compression has now effectively made Toomey Road the 2nd lane of Barton Springs and that fucking road.  It's so narrow that when it's full of street parking on both side, it's very difficult for two cars to pass one another at the same time.  Bottles the mind.  

Those stupid & annoying white plastic pylon dividers are littering streets like Neenah up here in Wilco. 
yes, it is in the city limits of Austin.

[Bozo_Casanova 26,462]

1 hour ago, landman said:

Eliminating street lanes around town, such as on Barton Springs, has been just great as well.  Nothing like bottling up traffic more and more.

Set in motion over a year before Watson took office, try to keep up.

[YGIFS 19,450]

8 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Set in motion over a year before Watson took office, try to keep up.

Well he could keep up, if you'd just let him merge over to the left asshole!  

[Bozo_Casanova 26,462]

Incidentally, where are most of these people going eastbound on Barton Spring Road coming from?

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

I drive that 'new' Barton Springs Road about 10x/week.  During both peak and off-peak hours, and pleasant as this Spring has been.  I have not seen a singly cyclist.  Lots of scooter riders, but one single, solitary pedal-bike.  Somebody's nephew apparently sold us a shit tone of those white plastic pylon deals and here we are.  It's made the turning situation a bit better, I'll give it that.  But the lane compression has now effectively made Toomey Road the 2nd lane of Barton Springs and that fucking road.  It's so narrow that when it's full of street parking on both side, it's very difficult for two cars to pass one another at the same time.  Bottles the mind.  

Don't you get it?   This is going to fix traffic.   All the experts agree.  Fewer lanes, less parking, and higher fees will all result in everyone getting rid of their car and biking everywhere (since public transport is not a realistic option).  It works in all kinds of places located a thousand miles or more north of our latitude, so it will 100% work here.  If you think it's too hot, you're probably just a fat pussy.  There is a zero percent chance this makes things worse, as anyone who isn't a fool can see.   You have to give it time, man!

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,400]

1 minute ago, Samson's Wig said:

Don't you get it?   This is going to fix traffic.   All the experts agree.  Fewer lanes, less parking, and higher fees will all result in everyone getting rid of their car and biking everywhere (since public transport is not a realistic option).  It works in all kinds of places located a thousand miles or more north of our latitude, so it will 100% work here.  If you think it's too hot, you're probably just a fat pussy.  There is a zero percent chance this makes things worse, as anyone who isn't a fool can see.   You have to give it time, man!

Saw a Waymo driving around in my neighborhood for the first time a few days ago. No driver.  I thought that, other than the times I need to drive a very long distance, like on vacation or to go see a relative, how much more convenient/cheaper would it be to have those cars (electric of course) circulating throughout the city at all times, so that I could summon one and have it appear three minutes later?  Like a Waymo subsription service i.e. Netflix but for cars.  No insurance payments, no gas, no car payment. Best of all, it would eliminate the need for huge parking lots in congested areas.  

[The Ace of Aces 5,183]

Was back in town this week. 

What the hell happened to the courtesy move of slow drivers pulling out of the way? Left laners on 35 going 50 all the way from Dallas. A guy on 620 was in the kept barely going 30 this am. I wanted to shoot people. 

[YGIFS 19,450]

9 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Incidentally, where are most of these people going eastbound on Barton Spring Road coming from?

A lot of people from South and West Austin, for many years (myself included) who didn't want to deal with getting over the bridge would take Mopac and then get off at Barton Springs and take that to either the Lamar or S 1st Street bridge to get into downtown for work.  I did it for years when I officed on Lavaca.  Way easier and more pleasant than Chavez/5th/Enfield exits.  Maybe only saved like 5 minutes, but less stressful and a decent shot at seeing some yoga pant ass walking along Barton Springs.  That's all come to an end now because of this clusterfuck.  It's like the Congress Avenue bike lanes.  We don't need them on both sides.  You could have easily built a two-way bike line on just one side of the road and left a full size lane over for turning or rush-hour flow flip like California.  You can easily accommodate both those lanes as one compressed, but divided one just on one side (probably the west side for shade in hot months)).  When the cyclist gets to where they need to turn, just wait at the crosswalk like every other fucking pedestrian has for the last 200 years in Austin.  /rant

9 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

Don't you get it?   This is going to fix traffic.   All the experts agree.  Fewer lanes, less parking, and higher fees will all result in everyone getting rid of their car and biking everywhere (since public transport is not a realistic option).  It works in all kinds of places located a thousand miles or more north of our latitude, so it will 100% work here.  If you think it's too hot, you're probably just a fat pussy.  There is a zero percent chance this makes things worse, as anyone who isn't a fool can see.   You have to give it time, man!

I biked a few times downtown since we're pretty close in.  But the city still doesn't get it.  Many people that bike for work, are dressed for work.  yes, I can cuff my right pant leg, but most people don't wanna bike in the heat in work clothes with a laptop bag flopping around.  And most of us don't work where there's a shower to cool down after a ride.  Plus we all get there around the same time, and while I've had some female coworkers I would like to shower with, apparently that's frowned upon (Thanks a lot Adler!).  I've also taken the Cap Metro line by my daughter's school after drop-off duty to get downtown.  And yeah, it's nice not to have to drive and you can check your phone the whole time, but it's a solid 45 minute ride to get downtown and I literally less than 3 miles from downtown (granted her school/that bus stop is signicantly farther).  

csb/ the last censure I got as Bond Oversight Commissioner was because I reviewed the ProjectConnect bond before I resigned and asked about the failure to take into account the Capitol View Corridor laws when they designed to cost that portion.  They got real pissy about that, my tone probably didn't help.  And then of course, the glaring bullshit about a significant portion of the bond money was earmarked for an airport line (which I admit I was a big fan of that part of it).  Obviously the bonds are sold in tranches for the project as a whole, but we're tacitly paying debt service, if you pro rate it out, that we're not anywhere close to breaking ground on for a portion of track that's never going to happen for a project that's going to cost 3x the original amount that might be too tall for downtown.  Made my wanna take my bike to City Hall in August and self-immolate myself in protest.  

[ztejas 43,450]

28 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

If you think it's too hot, you're probably just a fat pussy.

It's too hot to fucking drive here.

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

21 hours ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

Saw a Waymo driving around in my neighborhood for the first time a few days ago. No driver.  I thought that, other than the times I need to drive a very long distance, like on vacation or to go see a relative, how much more convenient/cheaper would it be to have those cars (electric of course) circulating throughout the city at all times, so that I could summon one and have it appear three minutes later?  Like a Waymo subsription service i.e. Netflix but for cars.  No insurance payments, no gas, no car payment. Best of all, it would eliminate the need for huge parking lots in congested areas.  

I think that would be great, but it would require mass adoption to improve traffic in any way, and maybe not even then, depending on how it's utilized.  I also think we're a really long way off from it being a reality.  I think the general rule for getting people to make major shifts in habits requires the cost to be about 10% of the current method.  So first, we have to significantly improve self-driving vehicles to the point they're actually safe and functional (not anywhere close yet), and then we have to make the use of such a service cost 10% or less than owning a vehicle currently costs.  Then, you might see mass adoption.   Twenty years, maybe?  More likely not for half a century.  It's a nice thought, though, and I would definitely be an early adopter.

[jimmyjazz 45,957]

1 hour ago, Samson's Wig said:

I think that would be great, but it would require mass adoption to improve traffic in any way, and maybe not even then, depending on how it's utilized.  I also think we're a really long way off from it being a reality.  I think the general rule for getting people to make major shifts in habits requires the cost to be about 10% of the current method.  So first, we have to significantly improve self-driving vehicles to the point they're actually safe and functional (not anywhere close yet), and then we have to make the use of such a service cost 10% or less than owning a vehicle currently costs.  Then, you might see mass adoption.   Twenty years, maybe?  More likely not for half a century.  It's a nice thought, though, and I would definitely be an early adopter.

I question how feasible it is from a business perspective.  Even with fleet pricing, they're probably looking at $25K per vehicle, and depending on daily miles accrued, they will probably need to be replaced every couple of years best case.  Add in fuel/electricity + maintenance and repairs?  I bet they're looking at $50K per year per vehicle.  Maybe the math works, but it seems high.  Obviously, the taxicab model worked on a per-vehicle basis, but I'm not sure if that applies.

 

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

On 4/14/2024 at 11:48 AM, jimmyjazz said:

I question how feasible it is from a business perspective.  Even with fleet pricing, they're probably looking at $25K per vehicle, and depending on daily miles accrued, they will probably need to be replaced every couple of years best case.  Add in fuel/electricity + maintenance and repairs?  I bet they're looking at $50K per year per vehicle.  Maybe the math works, but it seems high.  Obviously, the taxicab model worked on a per-vehicle basis, but I'm not sure if that applies.

 

Good points.  It's likely something the government will have to have its hand in either through subsidies, tax credits, etc., or full-blown ownership.  I could see an investment in something like this maybe in lieu of other public transit options making sense for a city like Austin, but I don't have any kind of handle on the numbers.  It's hard even to fathom the cost of building a functional train system in Austin, and we all know the city itself can't remotely peg the cost based on the current boondoggle. 

[Wally Pryor 5,261]

Mother fucking piece(s) of shit who did this.  

 

Quote

AUSTIN (KXAN) – People who live near Shiloh Drive off of Menchaca Road in south Austin saw what they counted as 11 dead dogs in Boggy Creek.

“It’s pretty heartbreaking,” said Jason Brooks, who saw the dogs. “I’m an animal lover. [It] was a hard day for me.”

The Austin Police Department said it is “currently conducting an investigation in the vicinity of Shiloh Drive” in collaboration with Animal Protection. The department said it’s in the preliminary stages of the investigation, and it does not have any further information to release at this time.

Brooks said he walks his dogs on the trail next to the creek every day, as do most of his neighbors. Photos he took show some dogs wrapped in trash bags or covered with other garbage.

“Yeah just to see them like that, just a complete, a complete disregard for life,” Brooks said.

As authorities continue to investigate, they have not yet released information on how the dogs died.

https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/neighbors-say-dead-dogs-found-in-creek-police-investigating/

[YGIFS 19,450]

I guess Sarah McLachlan had finally had enough and snapped?  

too soon?  

[texasdago 7,573]

1 hour ago, Wally Pryor said:

Mother fucking piece(s) of shit who did this.  

 

https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/neighbors-say-dead-dogs-found-in-creek-police-investigating/

 

[Deej 76,793]

2 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

Mother fucking piece(s) of shit who did this.  

 

https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/neighbors-say-dead-dogs-found-in-creek-police-investigating/

Somebody just probably snapped over "Menchaca"

[LTtxfan 49,187]

25 minutes ago, Deej said:

Somebody just probably snapped over "Menchaca"

 

Yeah, right after they stumbled out of...

[crash_davis 23,113]

If you live in Austin, you know the story of this fuckhead. He's held a community hostage for years. He's finally getting "help". How many other dipshits like him are there terrorizing Austin?

 

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/rami-zawaideh-next-steps-austin-texas

A homeless man who has terrorized a neighborhood in South Austin for years is finally getting help. Neighbors are relieved and are hoping they can now enjoy some peace and quiet.

It’s been almost two years of what neighbors call "hell."

Here's What a New Roof Should Cost You In North CarolinaHomeBuddy|

Sponsored

Learn More

"There is a guy with an ax just screaming violent profane and chopping on trees," Westgate resident James Murff said.

"Always walking around with a chainsaw and then after a week he had a pole saw," Westgate resident JJ Pepper said.

Residents in the Westgate and Cherry Creek neighborhoods know the man by name, Rami Zawaideh.

Man accused of carrying chainsaw, chopping down trees in Greenbelt

Court documents show the man has been arrested multiple times for criminal trespassing. Neighbors said they’re concerned for their safety and want something done.

He was first arrested in Travis County in July 2022 for criminal trespassing. The county attorney declined to prosecute.

Zawaideh was arrested again in August, twice in September, and again in October 2022, but he was quickly back in the greenbelt threatening residents, chopping down trees, making sculptures, and screaming early in the morning.

"There's only so much we can do. We can arrest them. We can file the charges and after that, that's up to the court," Austin Police Sgt. William Beck said.

Residents said they thought charges were going to stick when Zawaideh took a sledgehammer to city property in January 2023.

"This level of escalation with the boulders is just really worrisome," Cherry Creek resident Frankie Hefley said.

Zawaideh was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief, but the district attorney dropped the charges. Residents continued to push to get help for Zawaideh.

"Mental health is obviously an issue, and we just don’t know when he’s going to snap and take it to another level," Hefley said.

"This person needs to be removed and rehabilitated, so they can be put back into society, because they’re just unwell," Pepper said.

Zawaideh’s mother agreed. She drove from New York to Austin and spoke with FOX 7 last week. She said she had been in town for about a month because she was planning on taking Zawaideh back home with her. She said she was told city officials had come up with a plan for Zawaideh and that he would be picked up, not jailed, but taken to a hospital, evaluated, stabilized, and he’d then be on his way to New York.

Time passed though, and Zawaideh was still out in the greenbelt terrorizing a new neighbor.

Residents hope for more action on homeless man with chainsaw

Residents in the Westgate and Stassney Lane area have been reporting sightings of a homeless man chopping down trees with a chainsaw in a nearby greenbelt.

"He's very profane, he's beginning to target me and my little dog, talking about murder, calling me obscene names," Westgate resident Debbie Horne said.

She said she called 911 more than 30 times but, "I just don’t have any help."

Just hours after FOX 7 contacted council member Ryan Alter’s office, the district attorney’s office, county attorney’s office, sheriff’s office, and the Austin Police Department, Zawaideh was picked up and taken to a hospital. City officials said it was a voluntary commitment. 

Zawaideh’s mother said an order of protective custody would be filed. She said she hasn’t been able to get in contact with her son since he’s been picked up but hopes he will call soon and agree to head north with her. 

A city representative couldn’t tell FOX 7 how long Zawaideh would be receiving treatment in Austin.

[Deej 76,793]

He might be safer still living on the street. 

Quote

Within hours, Laison would die in handcuffs following a physical altercation with a hospital security guard, according to a death report submitted by police with the University of Texas, where the facility is located.

How a seemingly healthy 37-year-old father died at a hospital within hours of voluntarily walking in for mental health care remains unclear. A statement provided by UT Austin leaves much to be explained. Now, state police are investigating.

Within hours, Laison would die in handcuffs following a physical altercation with a hospital security guard, according to a death report submitted by police with the University of Texas, where the facility is located.

How a seemingly healthy 37-year-old father died at a hospital within hours of voluntarily walking in for mental health care remains unclear. A statement provided by UT Austin leaves much to be explained. Now, state police are investigating.

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/man-dies-in-police-custody-after-checking-in-to-dell-seton-medical-center/

[HenryJames 66,052]

4 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

Mother fucking piece(s) of shit who did this.

Maybe some homeless guy with 11 dogs ordered Instacart.

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

If you live in Austin, you know the story of this fuckhead. He's held a community hostage for years. He's finally getting "help". How many other dipshits like him are there terrorizing Austin?

 

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/rami-zawaideh-next-steps-austin-texas

A homeless man who has terrorized a neighborhood in South Austin for years is finally getting help. Neighbors are relieved and are hoping they can now enjoy some peace and quiet.

It’s been almost two years of what neighbors call "hell."

Here's What a New Roof Should Cost You In North CarolinaHomeBuddy|

Sponsored

Learn More

"There is a guy with an ax just screaming violent profane and chopping on trees," Westgate resident James Murff said.

"Always walking around with a chainsaw and then after a week he had a pole saw," Westgate resident JJ Pepper said.

Residents in the Westgate and Cherry Creek neighborhoods know the man by name, Rami Zawaideh.

Man accused of carrying chainsaw, chopping down trees in Greenbelt

Court documents show the man has been arrested multiple times for criminal trespassing. Neighbors said they’re concerned for their safety and want something done.

He was first arrested in Travis County in July 2022 for criminal trespassing. The county attorney declined to prosecute.

Zawaideh was arrested again in August, twice in September, and again in October 2022, but he was quickly back in the greenbelt threatening residents, chopping down trees, making sculptures, and screaming early in the morning.

"There's only so much we can do. We can arrest them. We can file the charges and after that, that's up to the court," Austin Police Sgt. William Beck said.

Residents said they thought charges were going to stick when Zawaideh took a sledgehammer to city property in January 2023.

"This level of escalation with the boulders is just really worrisome," Cherry Creek resident Frankie Hefley said.

Zawaideh was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief, but the district attorney dropped the charges. Residents continued to push to get help for Zawaideh.

"Mental health is obviously an issue, and we just don’t know when he’s going to snap and take it to another level," Hefley said.

"This person needs to be removed and rehabilitated, so they can be put back into society, because they’re just unwell," Pepper said.

Zawaideh’s mother agreed. She drove from New York to Austin and spoke with FOX 7 last week. She said she had been in town for about a month because she was planning on taking Zawaideh back home with her. She said she was told city officials had come up with a plan for Zawaideh and that he would be picked up, not jailed, but taken to a hospital, evaluated, stabilized, and he’d then be on his way to New York.

Time passed though, and Zawaideh was still out in the greenbelt terrorizing a new neighbor.

Residents hope for more action on homeless man with chainsaw

Residents in the Westgate and Stassney Lane area have been reporting sightings of a homeless man chopping down trees with a chainsaw in a nearby greenbelt.

"He's very profane, he's beginning to target me and my little dog, talking about murder, calling me obscene names," Westgate resident Debbie Horne said.

She said she called 911 more than 30 times but, "I just don’t have any help."

Just hours after FOX 7 contacted council member Ryan Alter’s office, the district attorney’s office, county attorney’s office, sheriff’s office, and the Austin Police Department, Zawaideh was picked up and taken to a hospital. City officials said it was a voluntary commitment. 

Zawaideh’s mother said an order of protective custody would be filed. She said she hasn’t been able to get in contact with her son since he’s been picked up but hopes he will call soon and agree to head north with her. 

A city representative couldn’t tell FOX 7 how long Zawaideh would be receiving treatment in Austin.

Kind of hard to believe this guy didn't accidentally stumble onto the wrong property carrying that chainsaw.  Austin might be the only city in this state he could have lasted this long.  Glad he's getting some help, and hope it sticks.

[Bozo_Casanova 26,462]

15 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

City officials said it was a voluntary commitment

Chef’s kiss

[BabaYaga 15,298]

4 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

Glad he's getting some help, and hope it sticks.

Terrorizing a neighborhood for years with a chainsaw.  I'm sure he's going to be right as rain when he gets out

[ztejas 43,450]

9 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

Mother fucking piece(s) of shit who did this.  

 

https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/neighbors-say-dead-dogs-found-in-creek-police-investigating/

I heard about this. A lady in an AA meeting said it was her son that found them.

Wonder if it was related to dogfighting?

[faps 806]

On 4/13/2024 at 1:22 PM, The Ace of Aces said:

Was back in town this week. 

What the hell happened to the courtesy move of slow drivers pulling out of the way? Left laners on 35 going 50 all the way from Dallas. A guy on 620 was in the kept barely going 30 this am. I wanted to shoot people. 

When I glance over while passing people doing less than the limit, they are usually on their phone.

[PvilleStang 2,908]

15 hours ago, faps said:

When I glance over while passing people doing less than the limit, they are usually on their phone.

Holy F*%$ this.  Asshat in an Audi doing 5 under playing the Blue Monday kick drum on his brake pedal on the way in this morning.  Pull up next to him, and he's buried in his iPhone probably looking at realtor porn and questioning his life decisions.

[Armybrat 40,847]

On 4/13/2024 at 1:10 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Incidentally, where are most of these people going eastbound on Barton Spring Road coming from?

Rollingwood olds heading for Dirty Sixth.

[Stanley 42]

Austin doesn't suck, but the vast majority of the people that live there do. 

[crash_davis 23,113]

Yep, everybody needs to stay the fuck away from Austin, that includes moving to and visiting. Please stay in your suburbs and vacation in Houston or Dallas.

[crash_davis 23,113]

Posted this on the 2024 Appraisals thread but it's too important not to post here, since this impacts Austin. 

IMPORTANT PSA for Travis County voters. On May 4th, you will be able to vote for the assholes who control the Travis County Appraisal District. Here's your chance to be heard.

 

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2024/04/democrats-vs-republicans-first-election-coming-for-travis-county-appraisal-district-board/

Even though their party affiliations will not be on the ballot, three Democrats, three Republicans and a Libertarian are running for three seats on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. That election on May 4 will be the first such election since passage of a law requiring that three of those directors be elected.

A new state law dictates that at least two of the three elected members of the TCAD Board of Directors agree on all Appraisal Review Board (ARB) appointments. 

The Travis County Democratic Party has endorsed the three Democrats in the race: Jett Hanna, Shenghao “Daniel” Wang and Dick Lavine – in Places 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Two well-known Republicans – Travis County Republican Party Chair Matt Mackowiak and former Austin City Council Member Don Zimmerman – and a lesser-known candidate, Bill May, are also vying for the three seats. In addition, software engineer Jonathan Craig Patschke, who is listed online as the treasurer of the Travis County Libertarian Party, is running against Wang and Mackowiak for Place 2.

[HRSchenker 2,268]

Has the AAS editorial board always been unhinged? I'm not a big Ken Paxton fan but I don't get this....

Quote

Paxton also gives bungee-level elasticity to the phrase “violent crime.” Under the new rule, the definition of violent crime is extended – but is not limited – to nonviolent offenses such as robbery, burglary, theft and automobile theft. “It’s a grotesque redefinition of violent crime to include nonviolent crime. Theft is associated with young people and the unhoused. It’s what you arrest kids for on the corner to teach them a lesson,” Kathy Mitchell, a senior advisor to the nonprofit Equity Action, told the editorial board. Counting these offenses as violent crimes, Mitchell said, will make for eye-popping statistics – which Paxton then can handily blame on DAs.

Since when has robbery been a "nonviolent" offense?

https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/editorials/2024/04/17/ken-paxton-texas-attorney-general-proposal-plan-extend-reach-local-government-editorial/73338806007/

[crash_davis 23,113]

2 minutes ago, HRSchenker said:

Has the AAS editorial board always been unhinged? I'm not a big Ken Paxton fan but I don't get this....

Since when has robbery been a "nonviolent" offense?

https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/editorials/2024/04/17/ken-paxton-texas-attorney-general-proposal-plan-extend-reach-local-government-editorial/73338806007/

It's an editorial. I usually avoid editorials because the views espoused are probably bullshit. If it were weren't batshit crazy, then they wouldn't have to "editorialize" it.

[Brisketexan 105,142]

23 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Posted this on the 2024 Appraisals thread but it's too important not to post here, since this impacts Austin. 

IMPORTANT PSA for Travis County voters. On May 4th, you will be able to vote for the assholes who control the Travis County Appraisal District. Here's your chance to be heard.

 

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2024/04/democrats-vs-republicans-first-election-coming-for-travis-county-appraisal-district-board/

Even though their party affiliations will not be on the ballot, three Democrats, three Republicans and a Libertarian are running for three seats on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. That election on May 4 will be the first such election since passage of a law requiring that three of those directors be elected.

A new state law dictates that at least two of the three elected members of the TCAD Board of Directors agree on all Appraisal Review Board (ARB) appointments. 

The Travis County Democratic Party has endorsed the three Democrats in the race: Jett Hanna, Shenghao “Daniel” Wang and Dick Lavine – in Places 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Two well-known Republicans – Travis County Republican Party Chair Matt Mackowiak and former Austin City Council Member Don Zimmerman – and a lesser-known candidate, Bill May, are also vying for the three seats. In addition, software engineer Jonathan Craig Patschke, who is listed online as the treasurer of the Travis County Libertarian Party, is running against Wang and Mackowiak for Place 2.

Repeating for importance.  Seriously, this is important.  Early voting for this one starts Monday.  Don't let the crazies have influence.

[crash_davis 23,113]

Assholes randomly assaulting people seems to be thing now. I wonder if the asshole perp had someone nearby filming to upload to Instagram/TikTok or some bullshit.

 

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/man-brutally-attacked-near-barton-springs-austin-texas

On Saturday, April 6, Robles was walking around Zilker Park. Around 6 p.m., he sat down on the stone steps near the pool entrance. He says he was reading a book, when, totally unprovoked, a man ran up and kicked him in the face with his boots.

Before Robles realized what had happened, the man ran off, and two bystanders began chasing him.

"And then he swam across the spring, and then they lost him," said Robles. "People started screaming, and handing me tissues and stuff because I was just bleeding, like, nonstop."

Medics rushed Robles to Dell Seton, where he had surgery for a broken nose.

"They had to break it back into place and rearrange it," said Robles.

He also had surgery for a broken orbital bone under his eye. He says he could finally start breathing through his nose a week later after doctors removed casts from his nostrils.

[InkaUtexas 25,942]

Man, it is not just Austin. Last week a dude with two knives started chasing two dudes walking home. San Marcos Police showed up and he would not surrender. Tried to attack the cop and FO.

We are seeing one of these attacks a week. Sometimes  more.

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Repeating for importance.  Seriously, this is important.  Early voting for this one starts Monday.  Don't let the crazies have influence.

I honestly have no clue what to do on this one.  Which group of crazies is less likely to find ways to steal even more of our money and waste it on stupid shit?  Nothing can be done to stop the state from stealing almost half of our property taxes and doling them out to the rest of the state, so I wouldn't mind finding a way to curtail the total amount being stolen from me each year.  But I also don't want to vote for a nutbag.  There is no win with this vote that I can see, but if someone can help steer me to the lesser of the evils I'd appreciate that input.

[PvilleStang 2,908]

I would assume the libertarian would be most likely to reduce the tax burden for the TC property owner.  Take into account they are sitting on the appraisal district board.  The current regime has been very aligned with the TC voterbase, and has been a freaking disaster for years now.  I think putting 3 conservatives in there to shake the tree would be a brilliant change in the status quo.  But then again, that'd require the average voter to understand what they're actually voting for rather than just a D or R.

[LCHorn 2,620]

I’ve finally got an arbitration hearing scheduled for May for my 2023 value, so this hits close to home.  
 

Tax value is up 30% over the past two years and the ARB three person panel declined to reduce my land appraisal value because “it would inequitable”, i.e., market data doesn’t support the value increase but if they reduce mine it might be unfair to my neighbors.  
 

I would be happy to vote for whoever promises to follow the law on it, which states that market value prevails.

[Brisketexan 105,142]

1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

I would assume the libertarian would be most likely to reduce the tax burden for the TC property owner.  Take into account they are sitting on the appraisal district board.  The current regime has been very aligned with the TC voterbase, and has been a freaking disaster for years now.  I think putting 3 conservatives in there to shake the tree would be a brilliant change in the status quo.  But then again, that'd require the average voter to understand what they're actually voting for rather than just a D or R.

If you think that putting Mackowiak or Zimmerman into ANY position of ANY power is a good idea....you should change your thinking.

Would having diverse rational viewpoints help any decisionmaking body?  Of course.  Do Mackowiak or Zimmerman meet that description?  NO FREAKING WAY.  They're both psychopaths.

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

If you think that putting Mackowiak or Zimmerman into ANY position of ANY power is a good idea....you should change your thinking.

Would having diverse rational viewpoints help any decisionmaking body?  Of course.  Do Mackowiak or Zimmerman meet that description?  NO FREAKING WAY.  They're both psychopaths.

Totally agree.  Just lamenting the lack of a sensible option.

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

I would assume the libertarian would be most likely to reduce the tax burden for the TC property owner.  Take into account they are sitting on the appraisal district board.  The current regime has been very aligned with the TC voterbase, and has been a freaking disaster for years now.  I think putting 3 conservatives in there to shake the tree would be a brilliant change in the status quo.  But then again, that'd require the average voter to understand what they're actually voting for rather than just a D or R.

The issue here is that these particular individuals are not worthy of being elected dog catcher.

[BabaYaga 15,298]

The taxes are too damn high!!!!

[BabaYaga 15,298]

1 minute ago, Samson's Wig said:

The issue here is that these particular individuals are not worthy of being elected dog catcher.

Which guarantees they'll be elected..

[texasdago 7,573]

33 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

I would assume the libertarian would be most likely to reduce the tax burden for the TC property owner.  Take into account they are sitting on the appraisal district board.  The current regime has been very aligned with the TC voterbase, and has been a freaking disaster for years now.  I think putting 3 conservatives in there to shake the tree would be a brilliant change in the status quo.  But then again, that'd require the average voter to understand what they're actually voting for rather than just a D or R.

Honestly, I don't trust a single Texas Conservative politician right now.  They might funnel our property taxes to hunt down drag queens and naughty books.  

[Brisketexan 105,142]

1 minute ago, texasdago said:

Honestly, I don't trust a single Texas Conservative politician right now.  They might funnel our property taxes to hunt down drag queens and naughty books.  

With the crew mentioned above, you are not off-target.  Not even a little bit.  Their mission will be to completely gut Travis County (primarily to defund its election operation).

[PvilleStang 2,908]

I'm not worried about half that crap, because the position they're running for doesn't really have that much power.  You're not electing a DA or City Councilmember, it's an appraisal board member.  And after sitting through a protest process where one of the old fucks fell asleep during the protest, I can't see a way anyone could fuck things up worse than they already are.

[ChuckNorrisActionJeans 2,675]

4 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

 I can't see a way anyone could fuck things up worse than they already are.

This may be a failure of imagination in light of current state skullduggery.

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

17 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

I'm not worried about half that crap, because the position they're running for doesn't really have that much power.  You're not electing a DA or City Councilmember, it's an appraisal board member.  And after sitting through a protest process where one of the old fucks fell asleep during the protest, I can't see a way anyone could fuck things up worse than they already are.

One would think so, but these two are a special breed.   It's shameful how terrible our options are in almost any election.

[Brisketexan 105,142]

18 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

I can't see a way anyone could fuck things up worse than they already are.

You, my friend, suffer from either 1) a lack of imagination, 2) a failure to observe any of what these Texas "conservative" types have been up to for the past decade+, or both.  Trust me....they can utterly fuck shit up.  It's the thing they do.

[Deej 76,793]

2 hours ago, LCHorn said:

I would be happy to vote for whoever promises to follow the law on it, which states that market value prevails.