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Miers had stormy tenure at Texas Lottery
The News Observer ^ | October 3, 2005 | LIZ AUSTIN

Posted on 10/03/2005 11:20:52 AM PDT by DallasMike

Miers had stormy tenure at Texas Lottery

By LIZ AUSTIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Harriet Miers proved to be a tough, no-nonsense administrator during her five years heading the Texas Lottery Commission, firing two executive directors to stamp out scandal but leaving unexpectedly amid lagging sales and player interest. One of those firings stirred up questions about whether political influence helped George W. Bush avoid active duty in Vietnam.

President Bush tapped Miers on Monday for the Supreme Court, a nomination that prompted closer scrutiny of Miers' years in Texas as a private attorney, a member of the Dallas City Council and chairwoman of the three-member commission that oversees the state's lottery operations.

"Although she's a small-framed woman, we all believed she came through the Marines and maybe ate nails for breakfast because she's one tough cookie," said Horace Taylor, a former lottery employee who worked for Miers.

Then-Gov. George W. Bush appointed Miers to a six-year-term on the commission shortly after he was elected governor in 1994. After she'd been on the job 18 months, news surfaced that the lottery director's boyfriend had been employed as a consultant for GTECH, the lottery's main contractor.

The Miers-led commission fired the director, Nora Linares, in January 1997, maintaining she couldn't be an effective leader because she'd been so damaged by the scandal. Linares filed suit against the commission but later dropped that lawsuit and instead sued GTECH. An agreement ending the dispute with the commission exonerated Linares.

But Linares' attorney, Charles Soechting, complained that Miers took an unnecessarily hard-nose approach to his client, refusing to let her exit gracefully by resigning.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at newsobserver.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abortion; bush; conservative; harrietmiers; miers; prolife; scotus; supremecourt
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Exceprt because article was written by Associated Press.

Miers' tenure running the lottery was the only time that it wasn't plagued with troubles. If problems cropped up, she took care of them. I hate the lottery but it wasn't ridden with scandals when she ran it.

 

Stingray: Conservative blog       

        <-------- Visit Stingray blogsite for conservative Christian commentary

1 posted on 10/03/2005 11:20:59 AM PDT by DallasMike
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To: DallasMike
>>Harriet Miers proved to be a tough, no-nonsense administrator during her five years heading the Texas Lottery Commission<<

Is that so important? When she was there Antonin Scalia was teaching Law in Virginia and Chicago

2 posted on 10/03/2005 11:23:31 AM PDT by alessandrofiaschi (Is Roberts really a conservative?)
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To: DallasMike

The Idiot Tax has sunk even lower lately!


3 posted on 10/03/2005 11:23:41 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch (FReepers-beyond your expectations!)
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To: DallasMike

Yeah, if "declining ticket sales" is all they can dig up that's pretty sad.

Anyone who reduces the popularity of the lottery is a good person in my book.


4 posted on 10/03/2005 11:24:30 AM PDT by HostileTerritory
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To: DallasMike

Why does Bush force on us an umarried childless woman who clearly doesn't value the sanctity of the family? Another lousy decision by our "conservative" president.


5 posted on 10/03/2005 11:25:03 AM PDT by piceapungens
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To: DallasMike

Liberals are gonna try their best to crucify her.

It will get nasty. Looks like this one is up for it ... .


6 posted on 10/03/2005 11:25:49 AM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: piceapungens
Why does Bush force on us an umarried childless woman who clearly doesn't value the sanctity of the family?

Idiotic logic.

7 posted on 10/03/2005 11:26:02 AM PDT by Petronski (I love Cyborg!)
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To: Petronski
Has Miers ever worked for PLAYBOY like Justice Roberts did?

If so, then I'll support her. :oD

8 posted on 10/03/2005 11:27:01 AM PDT by TheBigB (I propose banning anyone who starts a thread with the words, "I just got this in an email...")
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To: Petronski
Idiotic logic.

Very much so, and thank you for pointing it out. Miers has been caring for her aging mother and if that isn't pro-life and pro-family, I don't know what is.

Stingray: Conservative blog       

        <-------- Visit Stingray blogsite for conservative Christian commentary

9 posted on 10/03/2005 11:28:45 AM PDT by DallasMike
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To: DallasMike
From the New Republic:

http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=2832

For instance economic conservatives pleased by her corporate law background may find it distressing that in 1990 Miers voted for a 7 percent property tax increase during her short tenure on the Dallas City Council. And Miers's long affiliation with the ABA will serve up lots of interesting tidbits that are unlikely to please social and legal conservatives. For instance, she apparently submitted the following report to the ABA's House of Delegates. Here are two of the report's recommendations:

Supports the enactment of laws and public policy which provide that sexual orientation shall not be a bar to adoption when the adoption is determined to be in the best interest of the child. ...

Recommends the development and establishment of an International Criminal Court.

10 posted on 10/03/2005 11:31:26 AM PDT by Ol' Sparky
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To: DallasMike
One of those firings stirred up questions about whether political influence helped George W. Bush avoid active duty in Vietnam.

Here we go again. Didn't Dan Rather just say he wanted to take another shot at Bush's TANG service?

11 posted on 10/03/2005 11:32:02 AM PDT by CFC__VRWC ("Anytime a liberal squeals in outrage, an angel gets its wings!" - gidget7)
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To: CFC__VRWC

Maybe THAT'S the reason why Reid said he's support her. To reopen this. In time for elections in 2006.


12 posted on 10/03/2005 11:37:50 AM PDT by twigs
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To: twigs
Maybe THAT'S the reason why Reid said he's support her. To reopen this. In time for elections in 2006.

If so, then he's even stupider than I thought. It wouldn't surprise me, though. They just can't let go of the fact that we detonated their best, most carefully crafted smear campaign from last fall right in their faces. Just like they can't let go of the 2000 election in Florida.

13 posted on 10/03/2005 11:41:52 AM PDT by CFC__VRWC ("Anytime a liberal squeals in outrage, an angel gets its wings!" - gidget7)
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To: piceapungens
Why does Bush force on us an umarried childless woman who clearly doesn't value the sanctity of the family? Another lousy decision by our "conservative" president.

And another silly post by newbies without a clue. You don't have the slightest idea what kind of women Harriet Miers is........

14 posted on 10/03/2005 11:47:57 AM PDT by Decepticon (The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years......(NRA)
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To: DallasMike

"The lottery is a tax on the stupid."

Jim Quinn, "Quinn and Rose in the Morning", www.warrroom.com


15 posted on 10/03/2005 11:54:36 AM PDT by ManHunter (You can run, but you'll only die tired...)
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To: Ol' Sparky

in 1990 Miers voted for a 7 percent property tax increase during her short tenure on the Dallas City Council.



People get what people want. I doubt you'll find many large city governments with decreasing budgets and tax rates, maybe so but I don't think so. So to throw this out as a disqualification to the SCOTUS is a red herring.... imo


16 posted on 10/03/2005 11:54:38 AM PDT by deport
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To: piceapungens
Why does Bush force on us an umarried childless woman who clearly doesn't value the sanctity of the family?

You should have proofed what you wrote and deleted it. Pathetic....

17 posted on 10/03/2005 11:56:22 AM PDT by demkicker (Life has many choices. Eternity has only two. Which one have you chosen?)
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To: Ol' Sparky
For instance, she apparently submitted the following report to the ABA's House of Delegates. Here are two of the report's recommendations:

Supports the enactment of laws and public policy which provide that sexual orientation shall not be a bar to adoption when the adoption is determined to be in the best interest of the child. ...

Recommends the development and establishment of an International Criminal Court.

This is such fear mongering b.s. I'll direct you to the ABA's House of Delegates page that says nothing about Harriet Miers supporting your claim.

In fact, these were POTENTIAL AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE 1999 MIDYEAR MEETING OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
18 posted on 10/03/2005 12:03:54 PM PDT by demkicker (Life has many choices. Eternity has only two. Which one have you chosen?)
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To: DallasMike

Just like when one drop of cool rain hits a pot of boiling oil..

The crooks no doubt hated her and still do...


19 posted on 10/03/2005 12:06:31 PM PDT by joesnuffy
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To: DallasMike

....Linares' attorney, Charles Soechting, complained that Miers .....

That would be the same Charles Soechting who is currently the Texas DNC Chairman.


20 posted on 10/03/2005 12:34:13 PM PDT by stoney
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