Monthly Archives: August 2006

Libertarian response to CD22 special election

Just to prove that I’m not a one-trick pony, I’m now on the distribution list for Libertarian Party press releases. Here’s what they say about the Very Special Election for CD22: In response to Governor Rick Perry’s announcement calling for … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Lampson will not run in CD22 special election

When I said before that I was aware of a highly interesting rumor about the CD22 Very Special Election, this was what I was talking about. Nick Lampson, the Democratic candidate for Congressional District 22, will not participate in a … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 8 Comments

Ciro dropping out

Well, that didn’t last very long. BOR had the scoop last night, and now it’s in the papers: Ciro Rodriguez has abandoned his effort to run in CD23 against Rep. Henry Bonilla and others. Democrat Ciro Rodriguez told a roomful … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Ciro dropping out

Third write-in for CD22

Want to know another reason why it’s hard to take write-in candidacies seriously? Because, as Juanita discovered, literally anyone can be a write-in candidate. Does anybody else think that this guy was aiming to be on the CD21 ballot and … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Do you love your BlackBerry too much?

Via John comes this story of new frontiers in employer-employee relations. Keeping employees on electronic leashes such as laptops, BlackBerries and other devices that keep them constantly connected to the office could soon lead to lawsuits by those who grow … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Bidness | Comments Off on Do you love your BlackBerry too much?

Texas poverty

The problem, in a nutshell. Eighteen percent of Texans, and 25 percent of Texas children, lived below the federally defined poverty level, according to the 2005 American Community Survey. The nationwide percentage below poverty level was 13 percent. […] Overall … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

On the enthusiasm gap

In my post on the CD10 poll that provides some good news for Ted Ankrum, I mentioned that one reason why the proportion of likely voters was higher in Travis County than in Harris was greater enthusiasm by voters in … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Poll in CD10

A few days ago, Paul Burka reported being on the receiving end of a robocall poll for CD10, which he presumed came from the Mike McCaul campaign. He was wrong about that – the poll was commissioned by Ted Ankrum. … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 5 Comments

How special is this election anyway?

I’m just thinking out loud a little here about the Very Special Election for CD22 that will be held on the same day as the regular election. I’m still not sure what the point of it all is, besides Rick … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 8 Comments

Interview with State Rep. Scott Hochberg

Continuing with my interview tour of the State House, today I bring you my first interview with an incumbent Rep who’s running for re-election, Rep. Scott Hochberg. I’m proud of all the interviews I’ve done so far, but if you … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Interview with State Rep. Scott Hochberg

“Bless your heart”

As a naturalized Texan, I loved this story about the expression “Bless your heart”. Like a sweet candy with a sour center, “bless your heart” can cloak a tart surprise, however. That’s likeliest in the South, where good manners and … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Society and cultcha | 2 Comments

Friday’s the day for red light cameras

We knew that the red light cameras would be operational and fine-inducing as of September 1. Well, that’s this Friday. “This is a great opportunity for us to use technology so we won’t have to use officers as much for … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Ben Barnes interview

The PerryVsWorld blog has part one of an interview with former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes up, and it’s some interesting reading. So far, they’ve mostly covered redistricting and redistricting reform. I hope the question of Carole Keeton Strayhorn comes up … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Other punditry | Comments Off on Ben Barnes interview

Urban corridor planning report

For those of you who didn’t get to attend last weekend’s urban corridor planning meeting, fear not. Tory was there, and he’s got a report of what happened. Check it out. Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Urban corridor planning report

ParentPAC endorses Ellen Cohen

I knew this was coming, but here’s the official announcement: Texas Parent PAC today endorsed Ellen Cohen for state representative in House District 134, which encompasses Bellaire, West University, River Oaks, Meyerland, and Montrose areas of Houston. “Ellen Cohen is … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Three! Three special elections!

I keep thinking that it’s not possible for the November elections to get any screwier. I keep getting proven wrong. Gov. Rick Perry today officially set the special election to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay to … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

CQ updates its ranking in CD22

CQ Politics has updated its rating of the CD22 race from “No Clear Favorite” to “Leans Democratic”, which makes it “the first House seat being defended this year by the Republicans in which the Democratic nominee is rated as having … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on CQ updates its ranking in CD22

Updated list of candidates for special Congressional elections

According to this list (PDF) from the Secretary of State’s office (via Quorum Report), each of the five re-re-redistricted Congressional seats has at least two challengers. That contradicts this sloppy AP article, which says the following about CD21: In the … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Updated list of candidates for special Congressional elections

Clutterbuck’s cantilever canned

This should come as no surprise to anyone. Metro has evaluated Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck’s suggestion that part of its future University light rail line be suspended over the Southwest Freeway, and the results are hardly a surprise. In the segment … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Why not Kinky

Clay Robison sums up the case against Kinky better than I can by simply quoting the man himself. “It’s politically correct these days to apologize to the Indians and apologize to the Hawaiians for taking their land, apologize to the … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 23 Comments

A Katrina timeline

The Talent Show takes a look back at the horrors we all witnessed a year ago in New Orleans. Ray looks at his own writing from a year ago here and here. The lead story on the Chron is about … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 1 Comment

Candidate Q&A: Neeta Sane

Continuing in my series of interviews with local candidates, today I bring you Neeta Sane, who is the Democratic candidate for County Treasurer in Fort Bend. 1. Who are you and what are you running for? My name is Neeta … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Alvarado: Still cloutful

The Chron checks in on City Council member Carol Alvarado, who is still wielding considerable influence with Mayor White despite having stepped down from the Mayor Pro Tem position. Despite a cloud of uncertainty about an ongoing investigation by local … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Comments Off on Alvarado: Still cloutful

Feeding the spammers

Dwight points to a story about the latest spam craze and asks the obvious question: “Who are the idiots that buy stocks touted to them in spammed email?” Spam messages that tout stocks and shares can have real effects on … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Bidness | 2 Comments

Time for new mnemonics

This Chron article addresses what I think is the most crucial question about Pluto’s demotion from planet to Vowel Planet: What about the mnemonics? Now how will students learn the planets? Some possibilities: My Very Extravagant Mother Just Sent Us … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 4 Comments

The CD22 wrap-up story

It’s Sunday, so it’s News Feature Story Day, and today’s feature is an overview of CD22 and how Shelley Sekula-Gibbs came to be the One True Write-In. There’s lots of stuff here that’ll be familiar to those who’ve followed this … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

The mouse that roared in CD10

This is the funniest thing I’ve read all weekend. Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik has asked Democrat Ted Ankrum to withdraw from the race against U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, to give the Libertarian a better chance at unseating the freshman … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Poll favors Ciro in CD23

Greenberg Quinlan Rossner Research has released a poll that shows some good news for Democrats and Ciro Rodriguez in CD23. I’ve got a copy of the poll memo here (PDF) for your perusal. To summarize: Congressional Vote Candidate Vote Total … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Poll favors Ciro in CD23

Would you believe there could still be a special election in CD22?

Believe it. [W]ith all eyes on the November election, overlooked is the fact that the Constitution states that the governor shall call a special election to fill DeLay’s unexpired term. Despite previously declaring he would call a special election, Gov. … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Would you believe there could still be a special election in CD22?

Vintage Base Ball

If you don’t care for the current style of baseball, perhaps this will be more to your liking. Former major league pitcher Jim Bouton announced Thursday the launch of an organization that will play by 19th century rules: The Vintage … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Baseball | 9 Comments

Casey on Radnofsky

Well, I don’t know if the headline is one that you’d want, but overall I’d say Rick Casey wrote a pretty complimentary column about Barbara Radnofsky and her Senate campaign. He certainly mentioned a lot of the things she likes … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Tom DeLay: Still unclear on the concept

From the “I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)” files, I bring you the master of denial himself, Tom DeLay. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said he never thought the courts would prevent the Republican Party from replacing … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

Good news on the I-45 front

Via his spiffy new Chron blog, Marty Hajovsky brings some good news about the planned expansion of I-45. [Jim Weston, president of the I-45 Coalition] also said that after years of back and forth on the Interstate 45 question, the … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Good news on the I-45 front

Wider smoking ban may be on the way

Didn’t get to this yesterday: Remember last year when a compromise ban on smoking in restaurant dining areas but not bars was enacted? Well, it looks like that ban will be extended to include bars, thanks to the unexpected support … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | 1 Comment