Should Texas judge Keller stand trial for rejecting an appeal filed after hours

The author of an editorial published in the Austin American Statesman declares Should Texas judge Keller stand trial for rejecting an appeal filed after hours. This author does not believe that it is imperative that Sharon Keller was at home when Marty called to ask her if the court clerk's office could remain open after 5 p.m. to receive Richard's petition. Keller said no. She now says that she told Marty the clerk's office, not the court, would close at 5 p.m. As if that made a difference. Michael Richard, a man who was convicted of capital murder by our own court system, twice, and who spent 20 years of our tax dollars sitting in our prisons, has only recently received the due penalty for his crimes. Furthermore, the honorable judge sharon keller of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is being called a "killer" because she finally threw the book at Richard, refusing to succumb to one more senseless scandal by the money-hungry defense.This issue has never been about Richard's guilt or innocence, but about the lack of common decency in refusing his appeal because it would arrive after 5 p.m. Keller should answer for her actions in a public trial.
Facing such withering criticism, Keller, 55, may retire or resign rather than stand trial. She has until March 5 to answer the charges from the commission, and her attorney, Chip Babcock, has said she could win the case on the facts. The editorial may have been more influential to readers that whether should Keller stand in trial for rejecting an appeal filed after an hour even thought they have been numerous calls for Keller to resign, and a resolution has been introduced in the state Legislature to start impeachment proceedings against her. Last week, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct charged Keller with five counts of violating her duty and discrediting the court in the Richard case. For me the way I think about this editorial news the allegations against Keller in the judicial conduct commission's findings are devastating. She and the other judges knew Richard's attorneys likely would appeal his sentence after the U.S.

Raising gasoline tax makes sense

This is editorial news about raising gasoline tax makes sense Yes — it sounds a bit crazy to talk about a tax increase when the economy is sputtering and Texans, like the rest of the country, are squeezing every dime hard. But an increase in the state's gasoline tax would be a welcome sign of sanity. The state hasn't raised the gas tax since 1991, so that 20 cents a gallon has lost more than half of its purchasing power because of inflation. Just indexing the tax to inflation would have little immediate impact, which is why the state ought to raise it first — say, by 10 cents a gallon — and then index it. A 50 percent increase in the tax sounds like a lot, but a 10 cent rise pales to nothing compared with the increase in the actual of cost of gasoline last summer of $2 a gallon. It hurt, but we paid it. Gasoline is back under $2 a gallon, and now's the time to raise the tax. Gov. Rick Perry, who should be leading on this issue, apparently has signaled he wouldn't oppose indexing the gasoline tax. Texans want and need more and improved highways, but they also must know that we are going to have to pay for them — there's no highway fairy, not even in the federal government. The gasoline tax is an efficient way to collect that money. I think this article is worth reading because in some way it shows that even if the economy is really bad and they are squeezing every dime hard.