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Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden – The Ezra Klein Show | Podcast on Spotify

A Better Option For Democrats

Democrats Should Open Their Eyes Before It’s Too Late

By Ron Munden

Democrats Have A Better Option Than Biden
From a podcast by Ezra Klein

I have never been a Democrat. I spent 40 years as a Republican but became an Independent when George W. Bush invaded Iraq.

I have voted for some Democrats but I have never considered becoming a Democrat for many reasons. One is they make bad choices. Running Joe Biden for a second term is one of those decisions and there is a high probability that this will return Donald Trump to the presidency and change the direction of the country and its democratic form of government.

Today I heard a podcast that every Democrat and Independent should listen to before it’s too late for Joe Biden and the Democrats to do the right thing.

This is the link to the podcast:

Harrison CAD – letter 2

February 6, 2024

Harrison CAD
P.O. Box 818
Marshall, TX 75671-0808

Dear Sir:

This letter specifically addresses PROD ID: R48779 ABST: 747 A WHETSTONE, V ACRES: 7.000.

On January 30, 2024 I sent your office certified letter 7015 1730 0001 1541 4718. This letter addressed the fact that the 2023 taxes on the subject land were 23 times higher than the 2022 taxes.

I sent the letter return receipt but have not received a signed return card. Therefore, I have no knowledge your office received my first letter. For this reason I am sending this letter to your “Contact@HarrisonCAD.net” address. I am attaching a copy of my first letter since I have no proof you received it.

This letter supersedes paragraph #4 of the first letter dated January 29, 2024.

In an effort to exercise due diligence I have acquired the services of a real estate expert to assist me in deciding the most effective method of disposing of the subject property. Mr. Jack “Fuzzy” Harmon will be assisting me – you may have heard his name before.

Within the next 30 days I will decide on the path I will take.

As part of my data gathering, I would like a HCAD representative to answer this simple question in layman terms.

“Why did my taxes jump from $38.24 to $906.95 in a single year?” There has been absolutely no change in the property or the use of the property during this period.

Request you provide the response by email to “etextowns@gmail.com.” I also request a response verifying receipt of this letter.

Looking forward to your speedy reply.

Sincerely,

Ron Munden
Current part owner of PROD ID: R48779

January 29, 2024

Harrison CAD
P.O. Box 818
Marshall, TX 75671-0808

Dear Sir:

This letter specifically addresses PROD ID: R48779 ABST: 747 A WHETSTONE, V ACRES: 7.000.

In the year 2022 my tax bill for the subject property was $38.24 since it was in an agricultural reserve, as it has been for the past 20 years. I was shocked to see that my taxes increased to $906.95 in 2023. Wow! My tax bill has increased 23.71 times in a single year.

I am sure your office knows I own a 66% undivided interest in this landlocked piece of property. Reviewing your statement, I find this property is now appraised at $59,500.

Since I have never made a penny off of my undivided interest in this land and have no interest in using it, it does not seem like a good business decision to write HCAD a check for $906.95. Based on advice – this letter is to notify HCAD that I will not be paying the taxes on PROD ID: R48779 and request HCAD include it in your next tax sale.

Please deduct your $906.95 in taxes and reasonable processing fees from the sale on this $59,500 piece of property and forward the remaining funds from the sale to me.

As the part owner of PROD ID: R48779, I request you keep me fully informed on the status of this transaction. Request all communications be in writing. Being considerate of your time, I suggest that our communication be by email. Please use my “etextowns@gmail.com” email address.

For starters, could you provide me with a rough timeline for how long it will take to complete this transaction. Also I realize tax sales don’t bring top dollar so I would not expect the complete $59,500. Do sales tax bring 50%, 25%?

Finally, I feel bad about not addressing you by name but I understand the Chief Appraiser has been fired and I just did not know the name.

Sincerely,

Ron Munden
Current part owner of PROD ID: R48779

EastTexasExposed.com

P.O. Box 721 – Scottsville Tx 75688

EastTexasExposed.com

P.O. Box 721 – Scottsville Tx 75688

Letter HCAD about taxes – letter 1

January 29, 2024

Harrison CAD
P.O. Box 818
Marshall, TX 75671-0808

Dear Sir:

This letter specifically addresses PROD ID: R48779 ABST: 747 A WHETSTONE, V ACRES: 7.000.

I am sure your office knows I own a 66% undivided interest in this landlocked piece of property. Reviewing your statement, I find this property is now appraised at $59,500.

Please deduct your $906.95 in taxes and reasonable processing fees from the sale on this $59,500 piece of property and forward the remaining funds from the sale to me.

Finally, I feel bad about not addressing you by name but I understand the Chief Appraiser has been fired and I just did not know the name.

Sincerely,

Ron Munden
Current part owner of PROD ID: R48779

EastTexasExposed.com

P.O. Box 721 – Scottsville Tx 75688

Calendar of Events

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What’s Happening 2024
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January 2024

February 2024

March 2024

Marshall EDC presents

2024 Economic Summit
Memorial City Hall Performance Center
March 7, 2024 8:15 AM

All proceeds and donations from this Economic Summit go directly to the Marshall Education Foundation.

Are you passionate about creating growth in the Marshall area? Join us in this exciting event where we dialogue and explore how we can enrich the economic landscape of Marshall and Upper East Texas. Expect to meet and connect with business and community leaders. We will be joined by a panel of experts that will discuss how we can collaborate and achieve our economic development goals for this growing region.

Pure Prairie League
Friday March 22 7:30pm
Tickets: $66, $61, $56

Pure Prairie League continues to embellish the rich history of one of Country-Rock’s pioneering forces for over 50 years, with five consecutive Top 40 LPs in the 1970s and the #1’s “Amie” and “Let Me Love You Tonight” that are still on the radio today!

CMI Entertainment presents
Celtic Angels Ireland
Memorial City Hall Performance Center
March 23, 2024 7:30 PM

Doors Open: 7:00 PM

Celtic Angels Ireland- A History of Ireland

An evening of Craic (fun) Ceol (music) and Traidisiún (tradition). Get swept away in the enchanting harmonies of the Celtic Angels as they present an impassioned homage to their beloved Emerald Isle.This gloriously evocative journey will captivate audiences and have them clapping their hands, wiping their tears and stamping their feet.

Escape to Verdant Valleys and Heathery Highlands. Step back in time to the Land of Saints and Scholars. Lose yourself in the alluring Angels’ magical melodies. Feel your heart pound to raucous rhythms of the champion Celtic Knights Dancers. Immerse yourself in Ireland’s infectious influences across the Wild Blue Ocean to the Amber Waves of Grain and Beyond.

With over 30 Irish traditional and contemporary tunes masterfully intertwined and performed fully live by the Trinity Ensemble, the Heavenly Celtic Angels and the Dynamic Celtic Knights Dancers, the spectacular Celtic Angels Ireland is guaranteed to entertain and delight.

Written, Directed and Choreographed by Louise Barry (Dublin, Ireland. Celtic Angels Christmas / National Theatre / The Diddley Idols) Musical Direction by Daniel Thompson (The Glenn Miller Orchestra) Additional Musical Arrangements by Peter Sheridan (Co.Cavan, Ireland. Celtic Thunder) Irish Step Choreography by Dan Drew and Sarah Costello (Belfast, Ireland. Rhythm of the Dance/ ADCRG).

Pricing

A Seating – $45 plus sales tax

B Seating – $40 plus sales tax

C Seating – $35 plus sales tax

April 2024

GRIT-Girls Raised In Texas

Memorial City Hall Performance Center

April 4, 2024 7:30 PM

GRIT-Girls Raised In Texas Acoustic Concert featuring artists Bri Bagwell, Kylie Frey, Sarah Hobbs and Adrian Johnston. This singer/songwriter style acoustic concert brings the stories behind the songs you hear on the radio to life with a blend of humor, harmony and the most beautiful atmosphere. Join us at Memorial City Hall in Marshall, TX for an intimate night with top Texas female artists who you have seen grace America’s Got Talent, Texas Female Vocalist of the Year Winner(s) and some household names.

Pricing

A Seating – $40 plus sales tax

B Seating – $35 plus sales tax

C Seating – $30 plus sales tax

April 2024

May 2024

June 2024

July 2024

Gene Watson

Gene Watson is coming to Marshall’s Memorial City Hall on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 7pm!

From his chart-topping soulful gospel albums to his No. 1 country standards, few artists have left a more indelible mark on America’s musical landscape than Gene Watson. Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2020, Watson has been thrilling audiences for 60 years. This masterful country stylist from Houston, Texas, known as “The Singer’s Singer,” has more than 75 charted titles, 23 Top 10 hits, six No. 1 country singles and five No. 1 gospel hits. Watson is also a member of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and the Houston, Texas Music Hall of Fame. Fans are still transfixed whenever Watson performs classics like “Farewell Party,” “Fourteen Carat Mind” or “Love in the Hot Afternoon.” A road warrior and considered one of the finest pure-country singers of his generation, Watson offers up one of the best traditional country shows in the business. For more information, visit GeneWatsonMusic.com.

Tickets are on sale now at MemorialCityHall.com.

Pricing levels are as follows:
A Seating – $60 plus sales tax
B Seating – $50 plus sales tax
C Seating – $40 plus sales tax
D Seating- $30 plus sales tax

August 2024

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EastTexasExposed.com

P.O. Box 721

Scottsville Texas

75688

Billy Bob Rae

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Billy Bob Rae Gone Forever?
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By Ron Munden – January 11, 2024

I am sure that all our long-time readers fondly remember the wisdom Billy Bob displayed in each of the articles he posted to this site.

About three years ago, it was with a heavy heart that I announced Billy Bob had passed after a massive heart attack. In closing I said, “Billy Bob is gone but not forgotten.”

Recently it has come to light that Billy Bob was the proud father of 4 boys – each by a different girlfriend.

Following in the footsteps of George Foreman, Billy Bob named his son’s Billy Bob 1 , Billy Bob 2, etc. This way he could keep track of which son belonged to which girlfriend.

Last week I received an unexpected letter from Billy Bob 3. He had found a folder containing some of Billy Bob’s articles along with one of my business cards.

Most of the conversation centered around Billy Bob 3 and what he had learned from Billy Bob. It was quickly apparent that Billy Bob 3 is a deep thinker like his father. He focused most of the time on his disappointment with internet content. He said that he devoted the better part of the last 5 years finding these evil websites and collecting very detailed information on what was contained on the site and how to get to it.

He said he hears stories every day from people accidentally ending up on these evil sites and spending hours getting off the site. He said his calling in life now is to become an internet censor and warn people about these banned sites. He said he is ready to start the project but he does not have a platform where he can execute his mission.

Billy Bob 3 said he knew how much I respected his father and he thought I might be willing to give him a chance to censor evil on this site.

For years I have been against censorship. But I must admit that censorship is the new “in thing”; particularly if your political party’s name starts with an “R”. So I might be able to grow my readership if I have a good censor on the staff.

Today I am happy to announce that a new section will be coming to the site – “The Censor Is In The House.” Billy Bob 3 will have artistic control of the section and will post articles based on his hours and hours of research on internet evil. The frequency of his posts will be based on the status of his research, not a rigid timeline.

I would tell you more about the project but those comments were just censored.

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Click here to go the the EastTexasExposed.com website

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EastTexasExposed.com

P.O. Box 721

Scottsville Texas

75688

Welcome to Marshall Texas

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Welcome to Marshall Texas
( beware of uncontrolled packs of dogs)

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By Ron Munden – January 5, 2024

Over the past two years I have seen real progress in Marshall – particularly in the downtown area. I am happy to see the 30-40ish people step up and ”lead the charge.”

Of course Marshall, like most small towns, still has its share of problems.

In the last couple of months I have seen many complaints about “out-of-control packs of dogs” posted on social media. Complains about these dogs killing cats, attacking other animals and Marshall citizens feeling unsafe walking the streets of Marshall.

Normally I don’t believe much that I see posted on social media but when I saw well respected people expressing their frustration and helplessness about this problem, it got my attention. I contacted these people. I was quickly convinced this is a real and widespread problem. Also, from these people’s perspective nothing is being done about the problem.

Why does Marshall have this problem?

In my opinion the root cause for the problem is Marshall has too many irresponsible dog owners. They don’t control their dogs and they refuse to spay and neuter their animals. So these people contribute to today’s problem and they ensure that the problem will persist into the future. At least in the short term, you can’t expect these people to be part of the solution.

I expect by now many people are saying “Make the Animal Control Office do its job.” Animal Control is doing their best but the office is grossly understaffed. The office has three people. Towns the size of Marshall often have staffs at least three times that size. Let’s not forget Marshall’s population is about 23,000 people. As I recall the total population of Harrison County is about 60,000 people. Marshall’s animal control office is responsible for the entire county. If you seriously think 3 people can solve this problem, I suggest adding the tagline, “Dog Pack USA” to the Marshall welcome sign.

Marshall citizens are frustrated and feeling helpless for good reason. Some have mentioned poisoning and/or shooting these pack animals.

I am against that solution. Poisoning often gets the wrong animal. While I personally would have no problem shooting a pack of dogs terrorizing a neighborhood. I don’t think it’s a practical solution in the city.

I don’t have any magic answers but I do have one. Who is the person responsible for fixing this problem?

The person responsible for fixing this problem and being held responsible if the problem is not fixed is the City Manager.

I do not know Marshall’s City Manager. I have never talked to him. My comments are not directed at the person. They are directed at the position of City Manager.

My approach to problem solving is based on 32 years of working for the Navy. I have seen it work.

The Navy tradition is: The person in charge of an organization is responsible for fixing every problem in the organization. He cannot delegate responsibility. He cannot wash his hands of the problem. He owns the problem. As leader of the organization, he can direct everyone in the organization to work on the problem. He can assign task leaders. He can do many things. What he can’t do is transfer ownership of the problem to another person. By virtue of his position he owns the problem.

So there is no question about who the citizens of Marshall should contact. It is the City Manager. If a citizen is truly concerned about this problem they should call the City Manager, send him a letter, write him an email, and attend the next City Commission meeting. Let your body be seen and your voice be heard if you wish to speak.

If the City Manager already has a plan of action and a timeline for the plan, he should share it with the public now. The people I have spoken with are unaware of a plan.

If there is no plan of action, the City Manager should Chair a small task force to develop a plan of action with dates and share the plan with Marshall’s citizens within two weeks.

As a footnote:

More than 50% of the animals that end up in Marshall’s shelter come from people living in the County, not the City. The County contributes $30,000 to support the shelter. That is a fraction of what it costs to run the shelter.

Perhaps, the County should increase their funding for Marshall’s shelter. Or if the County can operate a shelter more efficiently, they could operate their own shelter and the City’s shelter could be restricted to Marshall citizens only.

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EastTexasExposed.com

P.O. Box 721

Scottsville Texas

75688

Leigh Water Supply

Leigh Water Supply and Its Difficulty With U.S. Mail

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By Ron Munden with Art Smart

I’ve used the Capital One Bank’s bill payment system for about four years. Generally the system works well. There have been three exceptions during this period. All three exceptions have involved Leigh Water Supply. In each case Leigh Water claims that they received the check from my bank after the due date. In each case Leigh Water has charged me a $15 late fee, even though Capital One mailed them the checks five or more days before the due date. Each time Leigh Water tells me they can’t control the mail system.

Since I pay 20 or more bills using this system and 19 of the payees receive my payments in 2 to 3 days after the bank mails the check, it is clear the U.S. Postal Service is deliberately slowing down the delivery of my checks to Leigh Water. I feel so sorry for Leigh Water.

Don’t cry for me Argentina.
Don’t cry for Leigh East Texas.

Leigh Water Supply has the highest late fee of any company pay. The fee is not a percent of the payment amount. Leigh Water charges a straight $15 if the bill is one day late. So if you have a $60 water bill, one day after the due date you have a $75 water bill. That is a 25% increase in your water bill and it cost Leigh Water nothing.

So the slower the mail system the more money Leigh Water makes.

I am very lucky, $15 means very little to me. I am sure that this is not true for every person that gets its water from Leigh Water Supply.

Since Leigh Water has little incentive to fix its problem with the Post Office, I am here to help. More later.

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Click here to go the the EastTexasExposed.com website

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EastTexasExposed.com
P.O. Box 721
Scottsville Texas
75688

A Very Sad Story

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A Very Sad Story

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By Ron Munden

June 12, 2023 – The day Hunter’s time ran out.

On the morning of June 7 my wife took Hunter, our new dog, to a local vet because he could not put any weight on his right-hind leg. The vet said they would need to do x-rays to determine the problem. We were told that we could pick him up after 5pm that afternoon. Sometime after 5pm we returned to see the vet. A vet tech gave us the news that Hunter’s leg was out of the socket. She said to take him home and keep him in a crate. She also said that the vet had sent the x-rays to Dallas for consolation. The vet would call us when they knew more.

We carried Hunter home, put him in his bed in an enclosure. Every four hours we carried him out to pee and poop. With difficulty Hunter did both. Hunter was a trooper even though he was in pain.

We were surprised when we did not receive a call from the vet on Thursday. Even more surprised when we received no call on Friday. Of course we received no call on the weekend. When we received no call on Monday morning Deloris called the veterinary office and asked for the vet. Instead she got a vet tech that told her that the case had been referred to a vet in Dallas and nothing could be done for Hunter in Marshall. Not wanting to put Hunter through any more. We ask for an appointment to have Hunter put down.

Hunter is gone but not forgotten. This afternoon he was put to sleep. I stayed with him to the very end – the sticking of the big needle into the heart. Thankfully he was asleep and felt nothing.

It is strange, over the years we have had to put many animals to sleep, but this was the saddest time. Perhaps it is because Hunter was so young and the others were all old.

I am thankful that Hunter went peacefully. Once I told the vet that more talk served no purpose Deloris left the room. She was emotionally drained after almost a week of watching Hunter in pain.

At this point the vet and the vet tech left to prepare for the procedure. It was just Hunter and me. There was a blanket on the exam table. I layed Huner on his side on the blanket with his good leg on the blanket. I massaged his head and chest. In a few minutes he relaxed and he fell asleep. For the next 5 minutes or so he laid there showing no signs of stress.

The vet tech returned. When she administered the first shot he gave a little whine once but put his head back on the blanket. The tech said the shot would take about 10 minutes to take effect. I continued massaging Hunter and he just laid there peacefully.

After 10 minutes the vet tech came in to check. A minute later the vet came in with a syringe filled with a greenish-blue medication and a 3-inch needle. She asked if I wanted to leave before the shot – I said “no.” She warned that there might be a final gasp when the liquid was injected into the heart. They positioned Hunter on the table for the shot. I held Hunter’s head as the vet administered the drug. Hunter did not move when the needle went in or when it was removed. Hunter would suffer no more pain. I left to pay my bill.

This 20-pound three-month old stray puppy with a bad leg showed up at our doorstep on May 19, 2023 so we only had Hunter for less than 30 days. During that time we spent almost $1000 in vet bills. I don’t regret giving Hunter a home or even spending the money on him. Hunter was a good dog. He never growled at any person or animal, never peed or pooped in the house and alway had a wagging tail. Even after his final injury he hobbled around the yard doing his business and then waiting for me to carry him back into the house.

I know that Hunter knew he had found a loving home – sadly for a very short time.

I do sit here second guessing myself. Could I have done more for Hunter?

Seeing Hunter in pain took an emotional toll on Deloris. She can’t stand to see any animal in pain. Every day got more difficult. It had almost been a week of waiting to hear something from the local vet or the Dallas vet – the phone NEVER rang.

Finally, I decided that I had to have Hunter put down. All vets know how to do that.

RIP Hunter – you were a good dog.

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