Monday, March 30, 2015

The Raw Galling Hypopcritical Hubris Of TRWD Propaganda Is Appalling

Yesterday in a blogging titled More TRWD Election Propaganda Lies From Jim Lane, Marty Leonard, Betsy Price & Mike Moncrief I mentioned an article in the Fort Worth Business Press titled Monty Bennett: Businessman, water district activist about which I said I might have more to say later.

Later would be now, a day later.

Judging from the TRWD incumbent's campaign propaganda the main thrust of their argument for re-election is so as to prevent the takeover of Fort Worth's water by an evil Dallas businessman named Monty Bennett.

Ever since I have been at my Fort Worth location in Texas I have been puzzled by the way some of the Fort Worth locals demonize Dallas. From the start of my puzzlement I have assumed the demonizing comes from Fort Worth's, well, inferiority complex. What with Dallas and Fort Worth being sort of twin sisters, with the one sister, Dallas, sort of being the star of the family, both due to notoriety, due to being the scene of the 20th century's most shocking assassination, and later due to being the setting for what was for several years the world's most popular TV show, which led to Dallas having a skyline recognized world-wide, whilst nothing in Fort Worth is recognized world-wide. But, more than any of that, Dallas is just more of an impressive, world class city than Fort Worth is, or likely will ever be.

Hence the attachment of "Dallas" to "businessman" thus turning a businessman into someone to be feared who is up to no good, when in reality Monty Bennett is simply a successful businessman who does business in Texas, including Dallas, including Fort Worth, where he owns two downtown hotels.

But, it holds no traction for the TRWD propaganda spewers to assert that a Texas businessman is trying to take over Fort Worth's water. Or to assert a Fort Worth businessman is trying to take over Fort Worth's water. Or to assert that an American businessman is trying to take over Fort Worth's water.

No. For the sake of propaganda, the TRWD has to demonize a "Dallas" businessman.

Read the Fort Worth Business Press article and you will learn Monty Bennett is simply a man trying to protect his property from TRWD eminent domain abuse, who in doing so found himself confronted by a corrupt board which did not deal in an above board, transparent, ethical manner.

In all my years prior to moving to Texas I had never witnessed eminent domain being used, let alone abused, to take private property. Since I have been in the Eminent Domain Abuse Capital of the World, Tarrant County, I have lost track of the number of outrageous instances of eminent domain abuse.

Northeast Mall needs more parking space? Abuse eminent domain to take people's homes. Now bankrupt Radio Shack needs land for a new corporate headquarters? Abuse eminent domain to boot people from a public housing project. Jerry Jones wants a new football stadium? Abuse eminent domain to take dozens of houses, businesses and displace well over a thousand people.

Those a just a few examples.

Somehow places in America, like Seattle, for instance, or my old home zone of Mount Vernon, are able to build public works projects where, when land is needed, fairly negotiate with the owners to buy their property. Seattle managed to build a new baseball park, football stadium and exhibition hall without using, let alone abusing, eminent domain. And that is in a densely developed area of downtown Seattle, unlike the area Jerry Jones, and his co-horts in eminent domain abuse, took to build a football stadium.

So, Monty Bennett has used his constitution given rights as an American citizen to defend his property from the TRWD's plans. He tried to work with them, for a solution, to no avail.

One paragraph from the FW Business Press article really irritated me....

“Monty Bennett is a Dallas businessman who is spending millions of dollars falsely attacking the Tarrant Regional Water District in an effort to take control of our local water supply,” said TRWD board President Vic Henderson. “He has filed numerous lawsuits against the district, wasting more than $1 million in TWRD taxpayer and ratepayer dollars.”

First off, Mr. Bennett is not attacking the TRWD. He is defending his property from the TRWD. Second off, it is Mr. Bennett's right to defend himself via the courts. Third off, had the TRWD dealt with Mr. Bennett openly and honestly, the TRWD would not have found itself needing to defend itself in court.

But, more than any of that, this Henderson guy complains that Mr. Bennett has caused the TRWD to waste over $1 million? How many millions did the TRWD board waste on its idiotic attempt to take water from Oklahoma? How many millions has the TRWD board wasted on the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

I must leave for a followup blogging what I have to say about the TRWD incumbent's embarrassingly hypocritical accusations about Mr. Bennett financing the campaigns of TRWD candidates, Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner.

I tell you, the sheer raw galling hypopcritical hubris of these people is just appalling......

2 comments:

Steve A said...

Seattle uses eminent domain often. We almost lost our house when they wanted to build the ill-conceived Thompson Expressway. Google "Seattle eminent domain" for more, including how they took a parking lot - to build a parking lot. Fort Worth IS bad, but Seattle isn't too good either. And let us NOT speak of the Ocean Shores small town politics.

Durango said...

Steve A, I sorta remember the Thompson Expressway controversy, well that there was a controversy, but I remember no detail of it. I don't think I was aware any eminent domain controversies whilst I lived in Washington like those I have witnessed in Texas. Maybe that is due to the matter actually being litigated in Washington, while in Texas they bulldoze your house while your case has yet to be heard, such as what happened in Arlington to build the Cowboy stadium. I would imagine a lot of eminent domain property confiscation took place to get the right of way for I-5 to pass through downtown Seattle.