Monthly Archives: November 2012

Harris County and court costs

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Grits has some interesting local news. An appellate court has ruled that all court fees in Harris County criminal cases, going back for some indeterminate amount of time, are invalid if the county did not produce a written “bill of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Various miscellaneous

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Just a brief roundup of various endorsements that have come to my attention lately. No particular theme to them, just what I’ve seen in the past few days. – The Environmental Defense Fund has endorsed the HISD bond referendum. The … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 4

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s almost over, it’s almost over, it’s almost over… Paul Krugman writes the introduction for a new edition of Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” trilogy. You may commence having your nerdgasm now. This is sort of like Kickstarter in reverse. “Common sense” … Continue reading →

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Final EV totals

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting was up from 2008, but not quite as much as the initial hype might have led to you think. By the time early voting in Texas ended Friday night, an estimated two-thirds of those expected to cast a … Continue reading →

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Perryman for expanding Medicaid

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Economist Ray Perryman makes the straightforward economic case for expanding Medicaid in Texas. According to our analysis, every $1 spent by the State of Texas to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act returns $1.29 in dynamic State government … Continue reading →

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TAPPS changes its playoff policy

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, which faced controversy last spring in a basketball tournament scheduling issue with a local Orthodox Jewish school, has amended its bylaws to ensure that its statewide high school competitions … Continue reading →

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Closing arguments for the Metro referendum

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One way or another, this argument will be settled on Tuesday. What happens after that is still anyone’s guess. The referendum on Tuesday’s ballot asks whether to continue spending some public transit sales tax money on streets and bridges. Opponents … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: China Girl

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #45 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “China Girl”, originally by Iggy Pop, and covered by David Bowie. Here’s the original: Yet another “Song that I didn’t know was a cover” song. The instrumentation is different, but … Continue reading →

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More strip club cash in the county races

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Given the prevalence of strip clubs in Houston, I’m actually a bit surprised we don’t see more of this in our elections. Four people associated with the strip club Treasures have contributed a combined $48,700 to the Republican challengers for … Continue reading →

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On helping District B

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

District B Council Member Jerry Davis is taking a direct approach to improving his district. Davis hopes to inspire through his do-it-yourself approach a strengthened ethic of self-reliance. The answers to the challenges of District B, and there are many … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the bonds

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its support for the bond issues on the ballot. While all eyes are on the presidential race, we would like to remind voters that some of the most important issues for Houstonians aren’t on the first page … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: For the ladies, part 4

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Happy Friday after Halloween! 1. Ida Red – Hot Club of Cowtown 2. Irene – Leadbelly 3. Isabel – Steeleye Span 4. Jackie O – John Mellencamp 5. Jamie – Trinity University Jazz Band 6. Jeannine – The Manhattan Transfer … Continue reading →

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Back to Basics polls SD06

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t know when a special election in SD06 to succeed the late Sen. Mario Gallegos would be, but Back to Basics says we should start preparing for one. According to a new poll commissioned and released by the Back … Continue reading →

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KHOU story on the Metro poll question

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I noted yesterday that there would be a separate story on the Metro referendum result from that KHOU/KUHF poll of Harris County.That story is here. A new poll indicates the Metro referendum on Houston area ballots will probably pass, but … Continue reading →

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No, they can’t

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You just need to ask yourself one simple question about this. Planned Parenthood will remain part of the Women’s Health Program for now, state officials said Wednesday, putting off the organization’s ouster as critics questioned whether enough health-care providers would … Continue reading →

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Overview of SBOE6

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Memorial Examiner takes a look at the race in SBOE6 between Republican Donna Bahorich and Democrat Traci Jensen. Bahorich is former district director for state Sen. Dan Patrick (R-District 7) and says her experience with the state legislative process … Continue reading →

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Obama leads in poll of Harris County

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More polling goodness for you. The poll conducted for KHOU 11 News and KUHF Houston Public Radio indicates Obama leads Romney in Harris County, but not by much. That gives some indication how election night might go for politicians running … Continue reading →

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Strip club cash in the Sheriff’s race

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The waning days of a campaign always have the greatest potential for hijinx. A $25,000 political contribution from the owner of a strip club being sued by Harris County lawyers found its way, via the Harris County Deputies Organization, into … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Perez in HD144

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron finally makes an endorsement in the other open legislative seat, HD144. For this open seat, we recommend the Democrat, Mary Ann Perez, whose professional skills and experience in another contentious political arena would serve her and the district … Continue reading →

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Elsa Caballero: Public Employee and Janitors Mobilize in Support of City of Houston Bonds

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following is a guest post. For the past month, Houston’s janitors have joined forces with our city’s public employees in favor of the City of Houston bond package and METRO referendum on the ballot this election cycle. Volunteers, … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 29

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance urges you to take advantage of early voting this week if you haven’t already done so as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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