Monthly Archives: February 2013

Is Hillary the key to turning Texas blue?

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, but it’ll take more than this to convince me. The Lone Star State is headed blue — the only question is WHEN Texas becomes a Democratic state. If Hillary Clinton runs for president, she will have a fighting chance … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Medicaid expansion still a big underdog in Texas

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Kilgore sees good things in a poll about expanding Medicaid. But even in Texas, a new survey sponsored by the American Cancer Society Action Network has found, there’s strong majority support for the Medicaid expansion. The survey extended to … Continue reading →

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The court of inquiry

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Going on this week is a court of inquiry in the matter of Williamson County Judge Ken Anderson, who was the District Attorney that won a conviction against Michael Morton for the murder of his wife, Christine, which as we … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Payday and title loan regulation in Houston

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Nonsequiteuse, who got the following email in her inbox: Proposed City of Houston Lending Ordinance Presentation to Council Committee Tuesday, February 5, 2013 The City of Houston Legal Department has proposed new regulations for credit access businesses, commonly referred … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

School finance system ruled unconstitutional

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Surely no one is surprised by this. The system Texas uses to fund public schools violates the state’s constitution by not providing enough money and failing to distribute the money in a fair way, a judge ruled Monday in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How cursed is Houston as a sports city?

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So another Super Bowl is history, and as you might have noticed the Houston Texans were not be playing in the game. This continues an unbroken streak of Houston football teams not making it to the Super Bowl, some in … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sunsetting tax expenditures

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sens. John Carona and Rodney Ellis have the right idea. Over the past 18 months, many of our constituents told us they have trouble finding a reliable, accurate and up-to-date source of information on these tax breaks, exemptions and special … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Free WiFi finally coming to Houston airports

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And there was much rejoicing. Free WiFi is set to land at Houston’s two main airports by year’s end. As wireless fidelity service becomes a consumer expectation, the Houston Airport System told the Houston Chronicle it is working to develop … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Amazon fulfills its end of the deal with Texas

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Nine months after it struck a deal with the state to bring thousands of jobs and invest millions of dollars in Texas, online retail giant Amazon.com on Wednesday unveiled the first steps toward keeping its end of … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 3

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

See you in the fall, football. What if Jimmy Olsen were a woman? Doesn’t bother me. Derek Jeter goes to Davos to talk about climate change. Maybe they’ll listen to him. Please don’t photograph the food. Thank you. The march … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Schechter’s seat filled

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The HCC Board of Trustees has named a replacement for the outgoing Richard Schechter. Houston Community College trustees unanimously agreed Thursday to appoint attorney Leila Feldman to fill a recently vacated seat on the school board. Feldman served as associate … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Then YOU fix it!

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Stuff like this really pisses me off. On Wednesday, the [Senate Finance] committee heard testimony from state officials on the proposed health budget, which grew 2 percent from the current biennium budget to $70 billion. The chairman of the committee, … Continue reading →

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

How about a local safe passing law?

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Man, I’d forgotten about this. After Gov. Rick Perry’s veto in 2009 blocked a statewide law requiring drivers to keep a minimum distance from cyclists on the road, 13 cities approved a model safe-passing law developed by cycling advocates. Dallas … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Small bills, please

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re a regular reader here, you know that I’m a skeptic of proposals to replace the dollar bill with dollar coins. As I’ve said before, I personally would rather have a wallet full of bills than a pocket full … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Saturday video break: Killing Me Softly

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Song #33 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Killing Me Softly”, originally by Lori Lieberman and covered by The Fugees. Here’s the original: This one I have heard before, on an episode of Coverville. For some reason, I … Continue reading →

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Sports Authority gets sued

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

MBIA, the company that insures the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority’s bonds, has filed a lawsuit to force the Sports Authority to collect more money to pay its obligations. If MBIA must cover payment shortfalls and cannot reimburse itself from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wolverines!

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. While advocates of Texas secession may have stalled with their online petition efforts, state lawmakers have filed numerous bills objecting to major White House initiatives and suggesting the state doesn’t have … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

County settles with Treasures

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s over, at least for now. When city of Houston lawyers settled a public nuisance lawsuit against Treasures last December, Harris County attorneys continued to pursue the jointly filed case, saying they needed more assurances from the strip club that … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: That’s just super

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ten super songs for Super Sunday. 1. Super Freak – Big Daddy 2. Super Frog – Asylum Street Spankers 3. Super Trouper – from “Mamma Mia” 4. Champagne Supernova – Oasis 5. John Lee Supertaster – They Might Be Giants … Continue reading →

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Smaller WHP provider list back up

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe they got it right this time. A revised list of Texas Women’s Health Program providers — with 965 fewer doctors and clinics — has returned to the state’s website. […] The HHSC had previously stated that the Texas WHP … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Committee time

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now the real work gets started. House Speaker Joe Straus announced committee assignments for the Legislature’s lower chamber on Thursday, ending speculation over key chairmanships and giving lawmakers the go-ahead to start considering bills. Here’s his list. Of the standing … Continue reading →

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Crocodile tears over the school finance lawsuit

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is little more than blaming the victim. A state judge is expected to rule next week on whether the school finance system is broken, but lawmakers aren’t anywhere near ready to launch repairs. Instead, Republican leaders plan to wait … Continue reading →

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Sidelining themselves on immigration reform

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what’s going to happen with the comprehensive immigration reform proposals that are out there now. It’s long overdue, and the political stars all seem to be aligned for it, but we said the same things about health … Continue reading →

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