Club Meeting on 11/18/2009

  
  
Robert called the meeting to order with 8 members and two guests.   Guest Jeff Finley is with First Command Financial Planning and guest Frank Garcia is with Unified Hoods.    
 
Jeff Finley 111809
Jeff Finley

Frank Garcia 111809
Frank Garcia


ANNOUNCEMENTS:
 
  • December 8, and 9th:  The Houston Rotary club will present their annual Lombardi award to the  best college lineman in the nation.
  • December 17:  Westchase District will present Wonderland in Westchase.  HWRC will cook sausages on a stick as a fundraiser.
  • December 18: HWRC Christmas party at  Craig & Pat Splawn’s house.  Thank you Craig.
 

PROGRAM:
Joan Huffman at Podium 111809
Craig introduced our speaker, state senator Joan Huffman.  Joan is from New Iberia, La., graduated from LSU and South Texas College of Law.  She was a prosecutor in the Harris County D.A.’s office for several years, prosecuting theft, sexual assaults, rape, and  murder. 

Joan is a member of the Sunset Committee, which reviews, and evaluates 29 state agencies, among those: public utilities commission, department of insurance, environmental quality, worker’s comp, Tx DOT, homeland security and others.  Texas has been affected by the recession, but comparatively speaking, has done much better than most other states.  In the past 2 years Texas has produced more jobs than any other state in the union.  Texas produces 25% of all the gasoline in the country and  the largest petrochemical plant in the western hemisphere is located in Senator Huffman's district.  Tort reform has allowed Texas to retain good doctors, and the Texas Medical Center is one of the finest health care complexes in the nation.

Joan Huffman 111809
From 2000 to 2008 the population of Texas has grown by 3,385,000 people and our population will double by 2040 with all the related problems; traffic, highways, education, housing and etc.  Texas’ biennium budget is $182 billion.  33% of the budget is allocated for medicare/medicade, and 41% for education.  Texas’ public lands generate income from leases and oil and gas royalties, in addition to Texas's offshore leases and oil and gas royalties.  Texas' offshore property extends  9 miles offshore, farther than any other state.  Texas produces 3 times more wind energy than any other state, much of which is on Texas public lands. Texas still has $9 billion in it’s rainy day fund; which will not be touched except when absolutely necessary. 

Joan can be reached at www.joan.huffman@senate.state.tx.us  Great program Craig.  Thanks, Senator Huffman.
 

MEMBERS ABSENT:

  • Sarah
  • Margaret, Travis
  • George
  • Dee
  • Susie

We missed you.


WISDOM:
  • A vision without a task is but a dream; a task without a vision is drudgery.  A vision and a task are the hope of the world.  Annon.
  • Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.  We are what we repeatedly do.  Aristotle, philosopher.
  • Only a life lived for others is worthwhile.  Albert Einstein, physicist