Monthly Archives: May 2010

Perry’s rental crib

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This AP story about the Governor’s rented mansion is certainly entertaining. With the state facing a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The stalking horse

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Peggy Fikac brings up a familiar point about expanded gambling. [Rob Kohler, a Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission consultant working against gambling expansion] suspects the gambling talk is paving the way for a new push to lease the state lottery … Continue reading →

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Science textbook delay

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The adoption of new science textbooks may be delayed a year as a budget maneuver. The $1.4 billion price tag for new science textbooks and other materials has been causing sticker shock among state officials bracing for the upcoming budget … Continue reading →

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Rodney Ellis makes the case for expanded gambling

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via the Trib, here’s State Sen. Rodney Ellis on why he will once again carry a bill to expand gambling in Texas: For what it’s worth, the “People are already gambling, why not let them do it here where we … Continue reading →

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Still smoking in San Antonio

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

But maybe not for much longer. San Antonio City Councilman Justin Rodriguez announced [last] Friday that he is sponsoring an ordinance to outlaw smoking in most public places, including all bars, restaurants and workplaces. Rodriguez said San Antonio is one … Continue reading →

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Rasmussen: Perry 51, White 38

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, Rasmussen published a poll showing Bill White trailing Rick Perry by four points. This month, they claim a 13-point advantage for Perry, giving him his highest level of support and White his lowest since they started polling this … Continue reading →

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Edwards drops lawsuit to challenge election result in HD146

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Former State Rep. Al Edwards, who had filed a lawsuit challenging his electoral loss in the HD146 primary to Rep.-elect Borris Miles, has now dropped the suit, which should clear Miles’ path to Austin. Miles’ lawyer, Randall “Buck” Wood, of … Continue reading →

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New frontiers in open meeting laws

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There’s an awful lot here to think about. The Texas Legislature may become the first in the nation to tackle whether tweeting and texting is being used to circumvent open meetings laws and whether the private devices of public officials … Continue reading →

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“We went out and won some elections”

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I know people who read this blog understand the importance of voting in every election, but I think it’s good to be reminded from time to time. So with that, this Statesman article about the current state of the SBOE … Continue reading →

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Selig avoids All Star Game issue

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We always knew he was a weenie. With a lengthy non-answer, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig on Thursday gave no indication he would move the 2011 All-Star Game from Phoenix in response to Arizona’s immigration law, saying MLB has … Continue reading →

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“Perry’s Fiscal Flim-Flam”

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just go read this article/slide show from the Texas Observer about the gap between what Rick Perry says about the state’s finances and the truth. It’s stuff we mostly knew already, but it’s still sobering to see like that. And … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 16

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The gay camping menace. Billy Joel once said that Woodstock was nothing but “mud, body odor, and acid”. So I hope these folks in Iowa have some idea what they’re in for. It’s a Twitter scandal! Well, no, it’s not … Continue reading →

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Metro responds to FTA letter about “Buy America”

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, Metro had received a letter from the FTA that challenged its compliance with the FTA’s “Buy America” requirement due to Metro’s agreement to buy two prototype light rail cars that would be built in Spain. Metro has … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

And the bitching about the water rate hike begins

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It took a little longer than I might have thought it would take, but as the sun rises in the east, the kind of person who gets outraged when the government does something other than lower taxes is outraged about … Continue reading →

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White tells the SBOE to wait till next year

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the SBOE is set to take a final vote on their proposed revisions to the social studies textbook standards. They’ve received a lot of mostly negative feedback so far, but have said they’re still considering specific suggestions. … Continue reading →

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TAMU-SA groundbreaking

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that UTSA is growing rapidly, but they’re not the only state school in San Antonio any more, as ground was broken for the Texas A&M-San Antonio campus this past Friday. Born in May 2009 after a drawn-out political … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Is there such a thing as being “too 80s”?

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m pretty sure the answer to that question is No, but if it is possible to be “too 80s”, I think this might qualify: It’s hard to say just what exactly is the most awesome part of this video. Is … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Hey, want to be a political blogger?

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Have you ever looked around at the political blogging landscape and said to yourself “I can do that”? Ever wondered how you could get paid to do it? Well, the Houston Press is looking for someone to fill their political … Continue reading →

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White and Parker

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not particularly concerned about this. Gov. Rick Perry has found an unlikely — and apparently unwitting — ally in his effort to paint Bill White as a liberal spendthrift who left Houston in arrears: Mayor Annise Parker. As she … Continue reading →

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Austin divests itself from Arizona

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Austin City Council decided Thursday to end business and travel ties with the state of Arizona to protest a new state law that will allow law enforcement officers there to detain people they suspect are in … Continue reading →

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CO2 emissions down

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I thought this was worth sharing. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) just issued its must-read report on U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009.  It turns out energy-related CO2 emissions have dropped faster than EIA had expected just a few months … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Who, what, where, when, why?

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Unlike some other letters I could name, the letter W offers a plethora of possibilities for the “ten songs that start with the same word” theme. So rather than pick just one, I thought I’d go all journalist on you … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Blowing the whistle on worker’s comp fraud

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Really good article in the Trib about worker’s compensation fraud and why so little of it is being actively investigated these days. This is the sort of thing that really ought to get traction, as it has something for all … Continue reading →

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Computer recycling

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As a state, we do a pretty lousy job of recycling old computers and computer components. Texas ranks last in recycling computer parts among states that require manufacturers to take back their electronics, according to a report by an Austin … Continue reading →

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Prison health care

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just another dimension to the complex budget picture. An early casualty of impending state budget cuts could be the health care contract that serves most of Texas’ 154,000 prison convicts. Top officials at the University of Texas System, whose Galveston … Continue reading →

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Meet George Greanias

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, former City Controller and member of Mayor Parker’s transition team George Greanias has taken over, at least on an interim basis, as the CEO of Metro. Houston Tomorrow has a brief intro to Greanias, including a pointer … Continue reading →

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And in case you were wondering about gambling

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

And to complete this impromptu three–parter about the state’s budget situation, we ask the question “What about gambling?” Lawmakers had been warned to expect a shortfall of at least $11 billion in the next two-year budget period. But Appropriations Chairman … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

We will keep trying the same solutions until they work

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Speaker Straus says that all options are on the table for dealing with the budget shortfall, as long as we’re talking about spending cuts. The table isn’t big enough to accommodate any other kind of options. Straus, R-San Antonio, said … Continue reading →

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Where have all our sales taxes gone?

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege would like to know. “The situation is not good,” said Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, who has asked representatives of Comptroller Susan Combs to testify before his Appropriations Committee. State revenues remain “well short” of predictions, although sales tax … Continue reading →

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Who can get health care in Williamson County

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is a bad idea. Williamson County commissioners have decided to stop paying health care costs for indigent adults and children who don’t have valid Social Security cards. County Judge Dan A. Gattis said last week that he wanted to … Continue reading →

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Who’s homeschooling?

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Are there a lot more home-schooled high school students, or are they just conveniently mislabeled dropouts? You decide. More than 22,620 Texas secondary students who stopped showing up for class in 2008 were excluded from the state’s dropout statistics because … Continue reading →

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An open letter from Hector Uribe

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned before that Hector Uribe, the Democratic candidate for Land Commissioner, may be my favorite candidate for this election cycle. I said that because he showed early on that he had a sense of humor and wasn’t afraid to … Continue reading →

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The unemployment tax and the Enterprise Fund

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that unemployment insurance taxes have gone up, and we know that the increase is more than it would have been had Governor Perry not rejected $555 million in stimulus funds for unemployment insurance. But there’s another way in … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker’s first budget

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It sounds good, and she kept her promises about not raising the property tax rate, at least for this year, but there are some blanks that still need to be filled in. Mayor Annise Parker unveiled a $4.1 billion spending … Continue reading →

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