The Brownsville Beacon

  By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon When I first started my blog, I allowed people to leave comments on my posts. I very quickly decided that was a bad idea and I removed the option to leave comments on my posts altogether. If you visit the Facebook version of the Beacon , you can leave a comment, but you'd have to use a fake Facebook profile to leave a nasty comment — you can't simply leave one as an "Anonymous" commenter. I have made no secret of the fact I think Jerry McHale, Juan Montoya, and Jim Barton are the preeminent bloggers in the Brownsville Blogosphere. I have never pretended to be a professional journalist. My degree is not a degree in journalism. I have never worked for a legitimate news publication. I recently published an article discussing a scenario where Downtown Brownsville could have been a thriving, bustling city center if the University of Texas System had decided to make UT Brownsville a legitimate university rather than a

  By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon Downtown Brownsville is trying to survive. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc among South Texas and its local businesses, the Downtown area is trying to do all it can to stay afloat during these trying times. There are several watering holes that are doing all they can to serve their clientele despite the restrictions on occupancy. I have even visited a few of these Downtown spots and picked up some rather delicious takeout treats. If you're in the mood for a decent burger or hot dog, I recommend you give The Library at La Rioja a try. Their service is second to none and their food is tasty. Despite places like the Half Moon Saloon, The Library, and The Palm Lounge, Downtown is looking more ragged than it has in a very long time. Despite the efforts of Mayor Trey Mendez and his partners over at Dodici, and the proprietors of establishments like the Main Street Deli, most of Downtown is still looking like a ghost tow

  By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon The Pareto Principle is credited to Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. The principle states that for many things that transpire in the world, approximately 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Pareto developed this theory after realizing that 20% of Italy's population in the late 1890's owned 80% of the property. In a nutshell, Pareto theorized the bulk of the world's issues are caused by a small percentage of the population. This principle has been applied in economics, in computing, in sports, in occupational health and safety, and it is definitely true in politics. Many of our problems come from establishment politicians who have forgotten the real reason the people elected them to office. In a representative republic, politicians are trustees who are supposed to represent the wishes of the people who voted them in.  A school board is supposed to efficiently govern a community's respective public sch