Don Zimmerman is racist ... toward his own son?

Remember that little flare-up last night regarding City Councilman Don Zimmerman's "offensive comments?" About that: it looks like he said something very similar about his own two-month-old son.

As a bonus, it appears no one was offended at similar remarks made over the course of his two-year-term.

See below for a press release from Zimmerman's office setting the record straight:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 19, 2016
Contact:  Joe Petronis, Chief of Staff,
City Council Member Don Zimmerman, (512) 978-2106

Subject: Council member Zimmerman offers all children same advice he would give his own son

AUSTIN, Texas -- In an off-the-cuff comment following a long day of city business, Austin City Council member Don Zimmerman urged school children present at Thursday night's Austin City Council meeting to pledge to finish school and pursue a lucrative career rather than expect government subsidies to foot the bill for day-to-day living. 

A handful of Zimmerman's colleagues assumed there was a racist motive behind the comment and rushed to "apologize" for what was said. However, Zimmerman points out, he has made similar comments before over the last year and a half with no negative reaction. 

"If my comment was designed to humiliate our young guests yesterday evening, then that begs the question: why would I say that about my own newborn son, or even myself?" Zimmerman asked. 

During the June 9 Council meeting, Zimmerman said he would expect his son, born just three days prior, do "go do something useful" before registering to vote. 

In another instance, on Feb. 25, Zimmerman joked that school children should learn a trade skill or go to college to aspire to become something more than a government official. 

June 9 comment (Consent Agenda, 3:38):
http://austintx.swagit.com/play/06092016-569/0

Feb. 25 comment (Item 48, 21:58):
http://austintx.swagit.com/play/02252016-710/0 

Oct. 15, 2015, comment (Item 58, 5:30):
http://austintx.swagit.com/play/10152015-556/0

"The only people we should be apologizing to are non-subsidized taxpayers and business owners who are being chased out of Austin due to the runaway cost of government," Zimmerman added.

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Here is the verbatim text of what Zimmerman said, free of any vocal inflection or bad timing. We'll let our readers judge for themselves:

“I’d ask for everyone here, including the children, when you grow up, I want to ask you to pledge to finish school, learn a trade, a skilled trade, get a college education, start a business, do something useful and produce something in your society so you don’t have to live off others. Thank you.”