The Lost Rider Podcast with Herman Brune

The GOP candidate for HD85 joins us to discuss the Austin Swamp. With the odds, being $2M in lobbyist money, stacked against him, Dennis "Goose" Geeseman unseated the two-term incumbent with a landslide 15-point win. Geeseman knows he's bucking the Austin establishment and jokes that he'll get an office in the basement at the end of the hall. He only hopes that he gets put on a committee. In this interview we discuss the Austin machine losing Public Trust, who he prefers as the Speaker of the House, the push to eliminate property taxes, term limits, elected positions on the LCRA Board, possible selenium problems at the LCRA power plant, and knowing when to say "NO" to budget items. 

Martha Spencer's first career choice was broadcast media. She worked her way up through the ranks to becoming the meteorologist at the ABC affiliate in New Orleans. However, she decided to change careers. Cajun Adventures suited her better and she became an offshore deep-water fishing guide. She loves the deep-water but ultimately moved to guiding the bays along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Much of her interview is about how to fish, know the moon phases, and watching tides. She also discusses the variables of bay guiding versus off shore guiding. Martha says deep water guiding is a young person's business. There are less days to guide, a smaller profit margin, and it's harder on you physically. Nevertheless, it's obvious she still likes the big water as she says that on a good day a person can sneak from the bays to fish a little offshore.

Russell Stacey is the new Executive Director of the Dallas Safari Club (DSC). He came up through the ranks of volunteers and has served as the president of the Dallas Safari Club Foundation.

Stacey relates that while DSC is all about conservation, the Foundation is committed to education.

Also, DSC has added another event to their annual offerings. The DSC Summer Expo and Foundation Gala will be at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, in Grapevine, Texas. It provides a family-oriented outing with vendors, conservation seminars, and the usual waterpark and experience of staying at the Gaylord Hotel. 

Matt Rice is the spokesman for the organization American Rivers. Rice's expertise concerns problems in the American West with the Colorado River that most U.S. citizens recognize. Meanwhile, American Rivers is coming to Texas, and Rice is interested in learning more about the Texas, Colorado River. Brune elaborates the loss of agriculture, and wildlife habitat as the Texas, Colorado River no longer supplies irrigation water to the Lower Colorado River Valley. The two talk about the easily confused topics as Rice explains that the western Colorado River also loses water for agriculture and wildlife as mandates sent water to the east side of the Continental Divide for Denver and Ft. Collins. 

Challenger to the HD85 state representative seat is Lt. Col. Dennis Geesaman. He says that the days of bipartisanship, as seen with George W. Bush and Bob Bullock, are gone. Geesaman feels that the Democrat left has moved so far that compromise is all but gone. He agrees that the MO of school funding should be removed from property taxes, and the homestead tax needs to be eliminated for everyone. Otherwise, the American Dream will not be available to the next generations. He recognizes that new ideas are in place to check the declining rates of education, and he relates that while he would be a freshman legislator, he desires to seek seats on agriculture related committees. One of his quotes indicates that the seemingly bloated budget is caused by spending problems.