Collin County Ponders State of the Union

By Zach Markovic, zmarkovic@acnpapers.com
Published: Thursday, January 28, 2010 6:45 PM CST
President Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union speech Wednesday night, and citizens from both parties tuned in.

Some tuned in from the comfort of home, while others gathered at watching parties to cheer or sneer, depending on political leanings.

While the president touched on a wide range of subjects throughout the hour and a half speech, two subjects resonated with citizens in the community: the current dire financial straits and health care reform.

“Of course he spoke on health care, letting people know we are not giving up on them, because we are so close,” said Matt Lagos, a Collin County Democrat. “The tone of his whole speech was on the attack and going out there and getting his message across.”

Lagos said that the message he felt came out of the speech was accountability – and he thought it was aimed at both sides of the aisle.

“He pointed at both parties; I felt that our congressmen, specifically Sam Johnson, will be held more accountable because Obama was talking about everyone in Congress.”

Johnson, Republican Congressman for Texas’ District 3, shared his thoughts on the messages in President Obama’s speech. In response to the president’s call for “if anyone from either party has a better approach” to health care, Johnson said he has set forth a plan that will allow small businesses to pool their resources to increase their health care purchasing power.

“President Obama should listen to the American people who have said loud and clear that they don’t want a government takeover of health care. Republicans in Congress have repeatedly told the White House that we are ready to work together to come up with a common-sense, patient-centered health care reform bill,” Johnson said. “It should include provisions that members on both sides of the aisle agree with; small businesses should be able to enjoy the same benefits that large businesses and labor unions do.”

But others pointed to Obama’s desire to focus on job creation and continued work on the economy, and they said they felt those were important messages for the American people.

Shawn Stevens, chairman of the Democratic Party of Collin County, said the president’s words resonated with him and other members at the watch party at Fox Sports Grill on Wednesday. He said he felt the speech was aimed at the American citizens, not about pitting Democrats against Republicans.

“He spoke eloquently and genuinely and sincerely to every American,” Stevens said. “We are living in times that have a lot of stress and strain and uncertainty for a lot of Americans, and he spoke in a way that recognized the need as a country to work together and to move forward to solve problems.”

Fred Moses, the chair of the Collin County Republicans, said the Republicans watched to see if the president received the message from the voters in regard to the recent Massachusetts election. The election of Scott Brown to a longtime Democrat-held seat was a message from the people, Moses said, that the voters were not happy with the president’s direction in health care and runaway spending.

“He did talk of freezing spending, but continued on in the same speech by talking about spending on job creation and reform, which will require more tax money,” Moses said.

But Moses said Obama’s focus should be on the government coming together and making job creation and the economy the top priorities.

“The president knows the American public is facing real issues,” Moses said. “This administration, I would like to see them get more bipartisan committees working on those issues.”

However, final judgment on whether the speech was successful or not will have to wait. Debroah Johnson, a resident of Plano, said the speech will be viewed on what Obama is able to accomplish moving forward.

“Well, the success is going to come with the following year, with what goes through and what doesn’t,” Johnson said. “With him keeping health reform on the table, we have to look at the outcome.”

Source: Plano Star

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Allen Arts Alliance

01.20.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

01.23.2010 - 01.23.2010 | 07:00 PM PANACHE!

02.17.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

02.27.2010 | 07:30 PM BRAVO!

03.24.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

04.17.2010 | 07:00 PM Allen Dance Festival

04.22.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

Driving Tour of Allen

The Allen Heritage Guild, along with the City of Allen, the Allen Parks and Recreation Department and the Texas Historical Commission have developed a historical driving tour of Allen. More information


PANACHE 2009
PANACHE! January 23, 2010 at Courtyard Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel at the John Q. Hammons Center, 210 E. Stacy Road, Allen, TX 75002. 6:00 pm VIP Reception, 7:00 pm Cocktails and Hors d'oeuvres, 8:00 pm Dinner. Swing in the New Year as we recreate a 1940s radio broadcast at PANACHE! Join us for a glamorous evening of cocktails, dining, and dancing. Music provided by Dallas Unlimited. An appearance by a special guest straight from Broadway. Vignettes by member organizations of the Allen Arts Alliance. We hope you'll join us at our annual Allen Arts Alliance fund raising event celebrating the arts here in our community.


01.20.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

01.23.2010 - 01.23.2010 | 07:00 PM PANACHE!

02.17.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

02.27.2010 | 07:30 PM BRAVO!

03.24.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

04.17.2010 | 07:00 PM Allen Dance Festival

04.22.2010 | 10:00 AM Allen Art to Go Home School presentation

January 2010 Calendar for Allen, TX

Couples find Allen housing complex supplies all their needs

Couples find Allen housing complex supplies all their needs
By Brittany Edwards / The Dallas Morning News
September 18, 2009

ALLEN – After raising four children in a large five-bedroom house, Jana and Mike Brosin decided to scale back – way back. Last December, the empty nesters moved into a 1,450-square-foot apartment at the Lofts at Watters Creek, a complex inside Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm.

"It's kind of our mini Manhattan," Jana says from her fifth-floor unit overlooking a meandering man-made waterway and the Blue Fish Japanese restaurant. "The greatest benefit in renting is that you don't even have to change an air filter. There's no lawn, no maintenance."

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Allen Community Outreach gearing up to host annual golf classic

Allen Community Outreach gearing up to host annual golf classic
By Kim Nguyen / Allen American
September 11, 2009

The Allen Community Outreach is gearing up to host its fourth annual Golf Classic on Sept. 21 at the Heritage Ranch Golf and Country Club in Fairview.

Driving ranges will open at 11:30 a.m. and the tournament will begin with a shotgun start team scramble at 1 p.m.

The tournament, which has been a sellout event for the past two years, was designed to be fun and enjoyable for players of all skill levels with a chance to win prizes while raising awareness for the needs of the Allen-Fairview-Lucas community at the same time.

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Cisco Systems to build new data center in Allen

By Steve Brown / The Dallas Morning News
June 10, 2009

California-based Cisco Systems Inc. has chosen Allen as the site for a new data center.

The worldwide Internet and telecommunications firm will build the $184 million facility west of North Central Expressway on Chelsea Boulevard. Work on the project is expected to begin later this year.

Cisco officials didn't return calls seeking comment, but the Allen City Council is scheduled to approve the big business expansion at its meeting tonight.

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LED lights to give Fairview “green” look

By Jon Vanderlaan / Star Community Newspaper
June 11, 2009

In addition to shopping and dining, the Village development also will bring the town of Fairview the first street in Texas lit entirely by LED lights.

The lights, named The Fairview Bell Series by Sunovia Energy Technologies after the town, will be placed on Fairview Parkway, a street located directly behind the Village at Fairview.

Ray Dunlap, community development manager for Fairview, said the LED lights are aesthetically pleasing and Sunovia was willing to create a light that helped satisfy the requirements set out by the town's dark sky ordinance.

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