UB has visitors multiple times each day from Austin, Coppell and Keller. We are glad you’re here, and we hope you’re learning a little more about who represents you and their impact on public education.

“Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eye.” – Jimmie Dale Gilmore

After decades of neglect and begging for scraps, Truett Elementary, formerly known as Truett Trailer Park, is getting a little attention. After pictures appeared on UB of the notebook paper sign for “Gym 2” on one rotting trailer, the inches between the second trailer park (bond money!) and Ferguson Park and the pictures of the head-sized holes in the rotting trailers on the Inadale side of the school, the trailers began to upgrade and some even disappeared. Allen Vaught is long gone. The only time I’m aware of that he even visited this particular neighborhood school was when the master gardeners came to set up a few raised bed gardens for the kids. I’ll post pictures of those soon. I don’t think Mr. Vaught came back to water….

There is a new school planned for Truett. I am not sure how it will work, but a second building is going to be constructed starting this summer. In other districts, entire new schools are built in the school park, then the old building is demolished and a new park is created in the old space. That would be ideal, and it would certainly improve the looks of things for any Olympic Committee members who take the wrong exit off Buckner and wander down Peavy.

Have you seen the new Elementary being built on Grand just south of 30? It’s super nice. I wonder how that happened. And the new high school being built over near MLK Blvd? Swanky, attractive, perhaps even functional. I hope the new building for Truett is at least that nice and that it carries over to the middle and high schools so families actually want to move to this area and stick with the public schools. Safe neighborhood schools strengthen communities and neighborhoods and are good for a city like Dallas.

There is a devil in me that says those Fair Park schools are only being built to impress the Olympic Committee. That devil says those people living on main streets should hold onto their hats. They’re going to find their properties condemned and stolen out from under them. And that devil says Truett and Gaston and Skyline and Hill won’t get the same level of attention unless there is a good view from a main street near an attraction the Olympic Committee might want to see.

So I thought I’d just start tagging away and see if I can get the attention of someone on the committee. It is obviously important to the Olympic Committee that Olympic host cities address domestic violence, because Mayor Mike had a rally and told everyone to be good men and passed out key chains. And I think the Olympic Committee is also concerned about acceptance of diversity, because Mayor Mike gave a quiet Go Rainbows! after the SCOTUS decision on same-sex marriage. AIDS? He’s got the billboards up – Check!

The improvements this city needs are more than shallow checklists. Let’s take the Olympic Committee on a thorough tour of Dallas. Let’s visit all of the schools. Let’s go down some side streets. Let’s buy gas behind the Gexa Pavilion after midnight. Let’s ride bikes up near Ferguson and LBJ at the open air prostitution and drug market. In fact, let’s have the B_G letters all over the city.

If there is an area of the city or a particular neighborhood school you feel needs attention, please let us know either in comments, or email unworthybum@gmail.com. Take lots of pictures.

Bennett Ratliff, son of Bill Ratliff and brother to Thomas “ethics schmethics” Ratliff won the Republican primary by a hair. I am sorry, Coppell fiscal conservatives, it’s a race between a Democrat who at least says “I’m a Democrat” and…. Bennett. What a sad mess.

Who is Bennett Ratliff? Follow the money.

Be sure to ask Bennett about his stance on various issues like public school vouchers, but don’t do it on Facebook. He’ll ban ya if you force him to commit to something in a public forum.

So if you ask Bennett an issue-related question here, you’ll get hissy fits and name calling from him. If you ask him an issue-related question on Facebook, he’ll delete it and ban you. “Call me! Call me!” is Bennett’s cry, so he can morph into whatever you seem to want, and he can’t be held to his word during the election and when/if he is elected.

I am calling RATLIFF on this one. This is a well-trained, albeit childishly impulsive, sycophant from a long line of liberal Texas politicians. Vote against is UB’s advice.

 

 

 

Now y’all don’t go messing with Bennett Ratliff’s Facebook page. That page is only for comments that portray him in the proper light.

Don’t ask him to answer direct questions about his stance on education vouchers or any other issue a normal Republican (not a Really Not (H)onest RINO) would be happy to discuss. Don’t ask him about the money he’s taking from liberal anti-school choice groups like Texas Parent PAC which is funded by Bennett’s Sugar Daddy and Biological Daddy, that old school liberal William Ratliff. Don’t ask him to discuss political ethics, because his brother the lobbyist also sits on the State Board of Education.

Because Bennett doesn’t like it, and he’ll delete those comments and ban you. Support this joke or stay away from his pretty little campaign – that’s the theme.

Have you heard the attack ad sponsored by the Bennett Ratliff campaign? I don’t even know who is running against Bennett, but I encourage you to vote for him/her. The ad accuses his opponent of being the type of liberal who gives money to Nancy Pelosi.

Scroll down and you’ll see Bennett Ratliff recently took cash from his daddy, Bill Ratliff, via the Texas Parent PAC. Bennett’s daddy/benefactor is the liberalest liberal in the state, funneling MONEY MONEY MONEY to big awesome institutions like Parkland Hospital and Dallas ISD and the Texas State Schools where it all gets muddled up and lost in people’s pockets before it makes it to the people who are supposed to benefit from those tax dollars.

It’d be sad if it weren’t so funny. It’d be funny if it weren’t so sad.

Thomas Ratliff, practicing lobbyist and State Board of Education member, wants to redefine the term RINO which usually stands for Republican In Name Only. It’s a common game amongst the Ratliffs and the other state reps who receive funding from Texas Parent PAC (which is funded by these boys’ daddy, William Ratliff!). Thomas, the creep who sued Eanes ISD to decrease access to public information (detailed here: http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/booster_clubs.htm), says RINO actually stands for Rhetoric Is Not an Option.

So Thomas, which RINO definition do you think fits your “lifelong Republican” brother, Bennett Ratliff, based on his lack of response in the comments here: https://unworthybum.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/paying-the-piper/#comments

Bennett is running for state representative out in Coppell, and he’s playing Republican so no one can say his Papa’s PAC is a partisan anti-voucher group. Don’t miss the quote from Bennett’s campaign site called Bennett’s Pledge. How ’bout this one for RINO while we’re being cute: Really Is Not (h)Onest!

April 15, 2012 Texas Parent PAC funded by Charles Butt (yeah, him again) and Bennett’s daddy, Bill Ratliff, sent him a big fat check. If you are interested in school choice as many Republicans are, you might be scratching your head as to why Bennett is mixing it up with this anti-voucher bunch.

 

I have a plan: Knock it off. Educate these kids according to IDEA, even if it means putting public money toward an appropriate private education when public school isn’t cutting it. Quit tethering kids with extreme needs to schools that are not prepared to meet those needs, and quit boo hooing that Texas schools need more money when districts are flipping money to their pals in the private law firms.

Alief ISD’s Revenge: Effort to Bankrupt Autistic Student’s Family continues

Who has a plan to put an end to this? This is what I want to hear about during campaign season – details.

Does anyone know where our federally funded Advocacy Inc has been with this family’s ordeal? Someone go look around the Austin-area steak houses to let them know what’s going on. Remember how tight Advocacy Inc is with the private law firms getting rich off kids just like the kid in this story: https://unworthybum.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/senator-patrick-rockstar/

What’s the plan? Anyone? Bennett?

Fran Templeton’s Spectrum Autism is now enrolling for social thinking classes in Richardson, Texas.

Fran is the parent of an adult child with autism and is a wonderful resource for Texas children with autism. For more information on these classes and other Spectrum Autism programs, please go to SpectrumAutism.com.

Registration is open for Camp Progress, Ft. Worth area autism families.

Say Yes 2 Progress! by enrolling your child in Spectrum Autism Services’ signature summer program – Camp Progress.

Students who attend Camp Progress will be taught Social Thinking® skills to improve their ability to interact with others while increasing their competence and confidence to develop and maintain lasting friendships.

All camps will be held at the Blackstock Center located at 700 McPherson Road in Ft. Worth, Texas. These camps will specifically teach two Social Thinking concepts daily.

For complete details, please download the registration packet. (PDF)

For more information on this and other Spectrum Autism programs, please go to SpectrumAutism.com