After listening to our spineless mayor speak today, we are under the thumb of Abbott or whoever happens to be governor.
“It does not matter what a council member’s legal opinion is,” Whitmire told reporters Tuesday. “There’s only one opinion that matters, and that’s the governor’s.”
Whitmire could have added that it did not matter what his opinion is, either. Shiela Jackson Lee would have fought the mafioso, Abbott.
Whitmire is referring to Greg Abbott when he says, ” He closed our funding at 3 O’Clock.”
That is what happens when a city or a person starts relying on others to pay for what they want. For years now, Houston has been living outside its means to pay for things. What makes it worse is that this mayor gave hundreds of millions in pay raises to the fire and police departments. He knew that we could not afford them, but he did it anyway. Now, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, only has to call John Whitmire and tell him what he wants done. So why do we need a puppet to be our mayor?
John Whitmire also pointed out that we have a corrupt court system, especially the Texas Supreme Court.
But if the money has already stopped, why bother voting again, unless there was a promise that if Houston bent over as told, they would gladly give them money to pay for security for FIFA? It was my understanding that the Federal Government gave us money for FIFA.
So is the state also giving us 100 million in grants?
Houston has secured $64.7 million in federal funds for 2026 FIFA World Cup security plans, and local officials say the city is ready and confident with the security measures that will be in place.
Why it matters: Houston expects roughly 500,000 visitors for seven matches at NRG Stadium, plus a 39-day Fan Fest in East Downtown, all starting in about two months.
- “It’s going to be the largest sporting event of all time… Safety and security is the number one priority,” says Chris Canetti, president of the Houston World Cup host committee. “If we don’t have a safe event, then really nothing else matters.”
Driving the news: Houston received funding through FEMA’s FIFA World Cup Grant Program, part of a $625 million pool being distributed to the 11 U.S. host cities for security.
By the numbers: About 90% of the funding will go toward operations, including police and fire staffing and overtime, Tommy Calabro, chief safety and security officer for the Houston host committee, said at a press conference this week.
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From a Houston Blogger:
Yes, please tell me again how having his phone number in Abbott’s Hotmail contacts has been beneficial to the rest of us, because I sure as hell can’t see it. Grow a pair and tell Abbott we’ll see him in court. And that if he thinks he can do so great a job as Houston’s Mayor, get his ass on down to City Hall, log off of Twitter, and give it a try. The reason why Abbott attacked Houston while leaving Dallas and Austin alone is because he expected Whitmire to roll over and show his belly. Give him a reason to think differently next time and maybe he’ll think twice about it. The Trib has more.
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