Early voting has begun on the several contested elections in Montgomery County. Here's the list of people I think can benefit our county the most.

221st District Court - Lisa Benge Michaulk

County Court No. 2 - Claudia Laird

District Clerk - Cambi Cartwright

These are people that I have personally seen their work, their ethics and their commitment to doing a good job. These are not recommendations for people that I am friendly with.

I have also seen the work and ethics of their opponents and while some are good, I believe that these are the best people for the respective position based on their ability, performance and commitment to their higher goals.

Read up on your candidates and follow what they are telling you. I think you will find that some are changing what they say to fit the group to which they are currently addressing. What could be worse than someone pandering and making false statements just to secure a job, or your vote.

Learn about your candidates and I think you will agree that these are the best people for their jobs.

Growing up in Louisiana, everyone gets excited when Mardi Gras begins. This weekend will start the season in Galveston, which has a historical connection to the French.

When I attended Tulane Law School in New Orleans, you either left town for a week to escape the crowds or stuck it out and joined the party for a week long celebration of excess. I couldn't afford to leave since I was a poor student so I was forced to stick around for the party. Me and my closest 2 million friends!

The party will be converging on Galveston this weekend and so will the police. This will be a no-refusal weekend and that means that if you are suspected of driving while intoxicated - which only means the police want to stop you for some reason, you will be required to give a blood sample for testing.

Better to take a cab, than to be forced to submit to the State's newest tool. Why?

Because the expense associated with defending a blood case is very high, if your attorney knows how to defend you in one of these cases. A blood DWI is the State's high tech version of grinding you down because of the high cost of experts required to defend one of these cases. DPS estimates that the average cost of a DWI is approximately $24,000.00

That's a lot for a party.

The problem is that arresting someone based DWI blood case does not mean that the State can get a conviction. On the contrary, because defense attorneys that know how to defend these cases are able to obtain all of the necessary discovery, there is a good chance that some error can be found that will enable a top notch defense lawyer to successfully defend you.

But those lawyers are few and far between. Make sure your lawyer has successfully defended a blood case before making the decision to hire. These cases require a level of expertise that few attorneys are willing to master.

But the one's that take the time to learn and defend these cases can do their clients a lot of good.

Make sure you have the name and contact information of a qualified DWI Blood lawyer BEFORE you need it.

Be safe and have a great Mardi Gras. Les Bon Temps Roule!!