Happy Belated Birthday to Red Ink: Texas

I started this blog slightly over a year ago on 6-12-05. I am angry with myself for letting the date slip by me like that without acknowledging it in some manner. It was to be an early "birthday present" to myself. A place where when the urge arose, I could write or vent about anything I liked, and I did not have to worry about anyone else setting the agenda or meeting a deadline. A lot has happened in this last year. About this time I also found my political voice. I must admit to my secret shame, I have not always been a conservative, nor even Republican. When I was much much younger and had no idea how the world really worked, I thought myself a liberal Democrat even though I disagreed with virtually all of what democrats stood for, I just didn't know it at the time, but as time and experience passed I came to realize that I had much more in common in the conservative viewpoint than I did the liberal. I grew up in a family that voted democrat but acted and thought republican but never noticed the dichotomy, hence my political confusion. To this day most of my family still thinks they are democrats without undrstanding what a democrat actually IS. As a result I am a bit of a black sheep of the family. And like an ex-smoker turned anti-smoking zealot, I have become a bit rabid in the cause over the years. In the last year or so, I began becomming active in my local precinct. I volunteered to not only be a poll worker, but jumped in with both feet and became election judge. This year I have decided to up the ante even more. My precinct judge has had to move because she could no longer afford the massive property tax increases imposed by our supposedly conservative state government. I have decided to submit my name to replace her on the ballot as precinct judge. This too is a bit of a birthday present to myself, although it is unlikely to become effective until this November when I am officially elected. Back during the run-up to the March Primaries, Connie from BlogHouston commented to me that she thought I should run for office while we were setting up one of Dan Patrick's "Coffees". At the time I dismissed her with a comment something to the effect that I had to work for a living, there was no way I could afford to run for office. But to be honest, the precinct chair is an elected office, so actually I am doing exactly what I dismissed her for suggesting, run for office. It is the lowlyest office there is, but I guess you have to start somewhere right?