Monthly Archives: April 2006

Newcomers and comebacks

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The new kid on the block today is Texas Kos, an outgrowth of the (very busy) Yahoo group of the same name. It’s one of those hot new Soapblox sites, so you can join in and add content as you … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Let the legislative liveblogging begin!

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

With five bills comprising the TTRC plan to be debated, there’s a lot of moving parts to keep track of. Here’s what we know so far: Debate on HB3 has been postponed until 1 PM, which is to say right … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Political theater alert

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

This is set to take place in less than an hour in the Capitol. Call me crazy, but I don’t think these folks are gonna get embraced by the state Republican leadership. Whether they represent enough of a force to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Political theater alert

Garcia and Nelson-Turnier

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Red State brings the latest round of news on Juan Garcia: a visit from his Harvard Law classmate Sen. Barack Obama, and a glowing column from Carlos Guerra. It’s a rare State Rep campaign that can get this kind … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Garcia and Nelson-Turnier

Plotting your commute

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Have you ever wanted to do a ridiculously in-depth analysis of how long it takes you to drive to and from work, and what factors might play a significant role in your commute times? This guy followed through on that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Plotting your commute

CD10 and straight ticket voting

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

There was some good feedback to this post on the odds of Libertarian Party candidate Michael Badnarik getting as much as 20% of the vote in CD10 this year. I was going to reply in the comments, but got a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

California versus Bush on energy policy

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating LA Times piece by national politics writer Ron Brownstein on how California is aggressively pursuing an energy policy that focuses on reducing oil usage and cutting down carbon dioxide emissions. What makes this stand out is that, incontrast to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 3 Comments

Pena on the rule changes

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Aaron Pena talks about the rules changes that were passed in the House on Friday and on the current level of support for HB1, a/k/k the Get Out Of Dodge plan. The full floor debate in the House on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 7 Comments

Marsha Rovai

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the woman who was shoved at the recent Nick Lampson press conference in Sugar Land, held shortly after Tom DeLay announced his future resignation from Congress? She’s filed a complaint in connection with the incident. The probe has taken … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s best blog

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to The Jeffersonian for being named the Best Local Blog in San Antonio. He’s quite right about the blossoming of the blog scene in the Alamo City recently, something for which I’m very pleased to see. Being recognized as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Strayhorn revisits constitutionality of the TTRC plan

Posted on April 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how the issue of whether or not the Texas Tax Reform Commission plan was an unconstitutional income tax or not was settled by an opinion from AG Greg Abbott? Well, maybe it’s not so settled. Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

It’s not just H-GAC

Posted on April 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to make this an add-on to my earlier post on the Perry executive order for naming crisis managers for catastrophe situations, but for future reference I figured making a separate entry would be better: Turns out it’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 5 Comments

A new twist in the DeLay resignation saga

Posted on April 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Friday Chron story on the latest entrants and non-entrants into the CD22 mix includes this update on how the selection process is going. Fort Bend County GOP Chairman Eric Thode wants to poll Republican voters to see if there’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Disaster commander to be picked

Posted on April 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

We have a resolution for the disagreement between Governor Perry and the Houston-Galveston Area Council over his demand for a single commander for catastrophe situations (see here and here for background): A committee chair will be chosen to serve as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 1 Comment

The latest Resmussen result

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Since I promised something to say on the latest Rasmussen poll of the Texas Governor’s race, let me go ahead and say a few words. First, the numbers: Rick Perry (R) 40% Chris Bell (D) 17% Carole Keeton Strayhorn 19% … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 5 Comments

Business tax passess committee, teacher pay raise next?

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, more of the TTRC tax plan passed through Ways and Means, and more noise was made on behalf of actually doing something about school finance this session. “There’s a lot of support for a teacher pay raise, both Republicans … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Business tax passess committee, teacher pay raise next?

On the signature trail

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

On the one hand: Friedman, Strayhorn think past 45,540 The gubernatorial campaigns of independent candidates Kinky Friedman and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said Monday they are on track to getting the 45,540 signatures they need to get onto the general … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 5 Comments

The myth of the easy commute

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Christof takes on one of my pet peeves: the idea that there’s some outlying suburban development that has a genuinely easy commute into Houston’s downtown and will continue to have one in the future. Just go read it, and think … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Analysis of Supplemental Appropriations Bills

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

If a title like that doesn’t get your heart beating…well, okay, I’d understand. The fine folks at the CPPP have been very busy pumping out the position papers and analyses lately. This one, on Senate Bills 13 and 16, is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Fixing CHIP

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Let me join Greg in saying that this Chron editorial hits the nail on the head. WITH almost one-fourth of Texans lacking health insurance, it’s hard to see how things could get much worse. But they are, at alarming speed: … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Helping small businesses during rail construction

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Tory notes a simple solution for small business owners afraid of losing revenue during the construction of the Universities light rail line, courtesy of Tempe, Arizona. The city there has put aside funds to make low-interest loans available to affected … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Restricting debate on HB1

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Many things are happening in the Lege. Let’s start with this: A procedural rule will be introduced tomorrow in the House as the first frontal assault on teachers, schools, and school districts. The rule will dictate the procedure of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Restricting debate on HB1

Eckels reportedly not running in CD22

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Fort Bend Now is first on the scene with the news that Harris County Judge Robert Eckels will not be a candidate for CD22. “It looks like I can do a whole lot more with the issues that are important … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

The “Get Out Of Dodge” plan

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

House Bill 1, known not-so-affectionately as the “Get Out Of Dodge” plan, has passed out of committee. House Bill 1 by Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, would use $2.4 billion of the state’s $8.2 billion surplus for a 12 percent property … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Two quick hits on John Carter

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. John Carter got listed in the 2006 Pig Book by Citizens Against Government Waste for his inclusion of a $6.8 million earmark for a fitness center at Fort Hood, even though that base already has six other fitness centers. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Two quick hits on John Carter

Rice AD Bobby May to retire

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Rice Athletic Director Bobby May, who’s been with the school in one form or another since he was a student in the early 1960’s, is going to retire. May spent five years preparing for this moment, but needed additional time … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

Another Adickes statue downtown

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, how it always gives me joy to see David Adickes in the news. You’d never mistake her for Sam Houston or Stephen F. Austin. Both of those Texas heroes – or at least their concrete likenesses, as rendered by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

On the second tier

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Swing State Project and Chuck Todd are talking about how strong the Democrats have been nationally in recruiting second-tier candidates for Congress, which is to say those candidates who will be in a position to ride any kind of national … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Docs endorse Perry Plan

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for Governor Perry: The previously recalcitrant Texas Medical Association (TMA) has agreed to endorse the Texas Tax Reform Commission’s business tax plan. The TMA had opposed the expanded business tax that Perry is promoting to help pay for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Perry criticizes H-GAC evacuation committee plan

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, I wondered how Governor Perry would react to the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s (H-GAC) cretive interpretation of his executive order to name a single person to manage future catastrophes that may strike the region. Today we find that the answer … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 4 Comments

CREW goes after Sessions

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Add another name to the list of Texas Congressfolk who may find themselves in trouble with the Justice Department: Rep. Pete Sessions. The Lone Star Project has the details. As the Lone Star Project predicted in January, questionable official actions … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds dismissal of DeLay conspiracy indictment

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The 3dr Court of Appeals in Austin has upheld the dismissal of the conspiracy charge against soon-to-be-former Congressman Tom DeLay. The Sugar Land Republican, who has announced he plans to retire from Congress, still faces money-laundering charges. But the appellate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 4 Comments

Liveblogging the Austin events

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

For those of you who missed them yesterday, Karl-T has the blog coverage of the Sen. Russ Feingold/John Courage event (with a post-event wrapup here), while Perry did the deed for the David Van Os whistlestop filibuster at the Capitol. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 1 Comment

Not such a troublemaker after all

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I have to say, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson‘s office puts out some of the more entertaining press releases that I get: AUSTIN – Even as legislators are set to consider proposed sin taxes to help resolve the school finance dilemma, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment