Tag Archives: economy

It’s really hard out there on the restaurants

I feel for them, but none of this is unsurprising. Celebrating her birthday in Galveston, Melinda Prince walked out of Yaga’s Cafe on Thursday full of coconut shrimp. What she didn’t realize was one of the employees at the restaurant … Continue reading

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Metro’s long road

It will be awhile before bus and rail ridership returns to pre-COVID levels. Metro officials predict it will be months, and possibly years, before bus and rail service ridership return to pre-COVID-19 levels in Houston as economic uncertainty, a lack … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How low can sales tax collections go?

If we’re lucky, no lower than this. Texas collected about $2.6 billion in state sales tax revenue in May, leading to the steepest year-over-year decline in over a decade, Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Monday. The amount is 13.2% less than … Continue reading

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A bipartisan equality bill

I appreciate the effort, but we can’t expect too much to come of this. Five Democratic and two Republican state legislators announced plans Wednesday to file a bill next legislative session that would bar discrimination against LGBTQ Texans in housing, … Continue reading

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Patrick’s megadonor task force tells him what he wanted to hear

Knock me over with a bag full of unmarked bills. Local governments could find their emergency powers hemmed in during future emergencies under recommendations proposed by a task force that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick set up. State government needs an … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Still trying to avoid total budget disaster

That federal money sure would help. As the prospect of mass furloughs and severe spending cuts looms over the city’s next budget, Houston officials are sitting on a pile of coronavirus stimulus money that amounts to more than double the … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chip Roy would also like you to die for the economy

Truly, I struggle to understand this kind of thinking. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a firebrand freshman Republican, on Wednesday called for a return to economic normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to secure an “overall net positive outcome” for … Continue reading

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Down go the sales tax receipts

It’s bad. Expected, but bad. Texas collected $2.58 billion in state sales tax revenue in April — a roughly 9% drop from what the state collected the same month last year, Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Friday. That drop, from $2.8 … Continue reading

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How partisan is concern about coronavirus?

On the one hand: Texas’ economy is taking a catastrophic hit — and hundreds of thousands of Texans are out of work — as officials shutter businesses and limit some establishment’s operations to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. But while Texans’ optimism … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Greg Abbott’s grand plan is coming

Ready or not (spoiler alert: not ready). Gov. Greg Abbott could make an announcement as soon as Friday about reopening a wide range of Texas businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic, including restaurants, hair salons and retail outlets. During a series … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Meet your recovery czars

For Harris County: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday named state Rep. Armando Walle the county’s COVID-19 recovery czar as local leaders determine how to eventually ease restrictions on public life meant to slow the spread of the disease. … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

So this is reopening

There’s not much to this, is there? Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced initial steps to reopen the Texas economy during the coronavirus pandemic, including those that in the next week will loosen surgery restrictions at medical facilities, allow all … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Texas Central opponents see an opportunity

Never waste an opportunity. Examination of a planned high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas should be halted as the country addresses the new coronavirus pandemic and the company rethinks its financial shape, 30 elected officials in Texas told federal … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Only the megadonors can save us now

Actual headline, from an actual Houston Chronicle story: Dallas megadonor leads secret team charged with carrying out Dan Patrick’s plan to restart economy Remember how I said that the story of Steve Stockman and his supporters using the cover of … Continue reading

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What does “reopening the economy” look like?

We’ll find out (sort of) later this week. Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that reopening the Texas economy will be a “slow process” guided by public health concerns as he continued to preview a forthcoming executive order that will detail … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Republican death wish

It would be one thing if they were just putting their own lives at risk, but that’s not how viruses work. After Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins became the first to announce a mandatory stay-at-home rule, conservative groups including Empower … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Thus endeth this year’s Rodeo

Surely not a surprise. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will close due to concerns about coronavirus after a Montgomery County man with no recent travel history tested positive for COVID-19. The case is the … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Anadarko anxiety

We know how you feel, The Woodlands. Occidental last month agreed to buy Anadarko for $38 billion, outbidding the much bigger oil company Chevron. The looming question is whether Oxy will maintain a presence in The Woodlands or move out … Continue reading

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Another big flood would be bad

Breaking news, but this is worth paying attention to. Housing sales would drop, gasoline prices would increase and Texas would lose hundreds of billions of dollars in economic output if a major storm struck an unprotected coastline, according to a … Continue reading

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Three reasons our State Senate still sucks

One: The Texas Senate approved in a preliminary vote Monday its first major anti-abortion bill of the session — a measure that would prohibit state and local governments from partnering with agencies that perform abortions, even if they contract for … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Our pretty decent revenue estimate

We’ve seen much worse. At a time when legislators are vowing to spend more money on public schools and slow the growth of Texans’ property tax bills, the state should have enough money at its disposal to do just that. … Continue reading

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From the “Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash” files

Same song, second verse. If budget writers don’t come up with money to address a state employee pension shortfall and mounting needs for public schools, health care and transportation, credit agencies are likely to downgrade Texas’ AAA rating in the … Continue reading

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From the “Nothin’ but good times ahead” department

Given the good economic conditions in Texas right now, you’d think the budget outlook would be better than it is. The Texas economy is growing healthily, but that doesn’t mean state budget writers will have more money at their disposal … Continue reading

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Republican voters are “meh” on the bathroom bill

From the inbox: The Texas Association of Business conducted surveys in five GOP-controlled legislative districts across the state the week of July 24th. “Texas business has long opposed the bathroom bill because it is unnecessary and will have significant negative … Continue reading

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The economic impact of SB4

It could be big. Representatives from Texas’ business, local government and higher education sectors argued Tuesday that the state’s new immigration-enforcement law, which is slated to take effect Sept. 1, could do billions of dollars in damage to the Texas … Continue reading

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Still more big businesses against the bathroom bill

It’s like there’s a strong, overwhelming consensus or something. Top executives of big oil companies and other major Houston firms and organizations on Monday weighed into the political dogfight over the controversial bathroom bill, calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to … Continue reading

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Abbott versus the cities

The continuing story. If Gov. Greg Abbott has disdain for how local Texas officials govern their cities, it didn’t show in a Wednesday sit-down with three mayors who were among 18 who jointly requested a meeting to discuss legislation that … Continue reading

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Texas’ climate change future

Gonna be awesome. The Texas economy could face some of the costliest consequences of climate change as temperatures continue to increase over the next several decades, according to a new study. In the study published last week in the journal … Continue reading

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The Arizona experience

This is what Texas has to look forward to post-SB4. Seven years in, Arizona’s experience hints at what Texas, with the nation’s largest Hispanic population after California, might expect. Supporters of Arizona’s legislation say it has worked, helping to reduce … Continue reading

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Super Bowl economic impact was about what we expected

Not too bad. The receipts are in, and February’s Super Bowl LI appears to have been a substantial boon for Houston — albeit with slightly less spending than expected. Gross spending during the nine days of Super Bowl programming, minus … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bill King wants you to lower his property taxes

That’s not what he says in this op-ed, but it is the effect of what he’s arguing for, even if he’s not honest enough to come out and say it. Let’s start with the basic point that despite King’s disingenuous … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Another study of bathrooms and business

Short answer: Bathroom bills are bad. Legislation viewed by many as discriminatory toward LGBT Texans — including proposals to regulate which bathrooms transgender individuals may use — could cost the state $3.3 billion in annual tourism dollars and more than … Continue reading

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Harris County’s growth slows

We’re still growing, we just didn’t grow as fast last year as we had in previous years. After eight straight years of boom – adding more new residents than any county in the nation – Harris County in 2016 felt … Continue reading

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The North Carolina bathroom bill price tag

How does $3.76 billion, at a minimum, grab you? Despite Republican assurances that North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” isn’t hurting the economy, the law limiting LGBT protections will cost the state more than $3.76 billion in lost business over a dozen … Continue reading

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