Tag Archives: Rick Perry

“Flex permit” plants agree to follow EPA guidelines

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Somehow, the world continued to rotate on its axis afterward. The unique way Texas regulates air pollution from refineries, chemical plants and other major industries is no more — for now. The EPA said Tuesday all 136 industrial plants with … Continue reading →

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Our debt is good, your debt is bad

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, the humanity! For all the controversy over the national debt ceiling, here’s a surprise: Since 2001, the debt load in conservative Texas has grown faster than the federal debt. Texas has been borrowing more than most other states, too. … Continue reading →

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RIP, Department of Rural Affairs

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

People say they want to shrink government, except when it happens to them. The Texas Department of Rural Affairs, the office that helps keep rural Texas communities afloat, is scheduled to close in October, and the lawmaker who wrote the … Continue reading →

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New clean air rule from EPA

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A new rule from the EPA that seeks to limit pollution that originates in one state but affects others as well should have a big effect on Texas. The rule, which covers 27 states and the District of Columbia, will … Continue reading →

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Perry appoints Forensic, SBOE Chairs

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The new SBOE Chair is not who I expected. State Board of Education member Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, will take the helm as the board’s new chairwoman, Gov. Rick Perry announced Friday. She will follow Gail Lowe, who was appointed … Continue reading →

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Perry gets to keep his secrets

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Quelle surprise. The Texas Supreme Court this morning ruled that details of Gov. Rick Perry’s travels can remain secret, overturning two lower court rulings that found travel vouchers filed by state troopers should be made public. In an opinion written … Continue reading →

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PPP poll shows Obama leading Perry in Texas

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps this will put a little dent in the Perry-for-President bandwagon. A potential Rick Perry Presidential bid has been getting oodles of attention in the last few weeks. There’s one place where voters aren’t real into the possibility though- Texas. … Continue reading →

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Sine Die, take two

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The House followed the Senate out the door yesterday, leaving a bit of unfinished business behind. The Senate’s version of a bill to criminalize intrusive pat-downs by federal agents with the Transportation Security Administration has died in the House, after … Continue reading →

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House passes budget after brief meltdown

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For a few brief moments, it looked like we were heading to double overtime, as Republicans voted down their own budget in the House. The Texas House, in a surprise turn of events late Tuesday afternoon, tentatively voted down a … Continue reading →

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Non-robust job numbers in Texas

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As goes the country, so goes the state. The Houston area is showing signs of a slowdown after coming off some fairly strong job gains during the winter months. “It’s very consistent with the national pattern,” said Barton Smith, professor … Continue reading →

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Senate not inclined to accept Amazon’s bribe

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. It looks like the Texas Legislature is likely to say no — at least for now — to Amazon.com’s proposal to bring 5,000 jobs to the state in exchange for a temporary break on collecting sales tax. … Continue reading →

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Senate approves TWIA bill

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Reform of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Agency was the original reason for this special session. It may yet be the reason for the next special session. Like ringing the bell at the boxing ring, the Senate today approved a bill … Continue reading →

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Amazon offering a bribe to keep its sales tax exemption

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what would you call this? Amazon.com is negotiating a deal with Texas officials that would see the online retail giant promise to bring more than 5,000 jobs and $300 million in capital investments to the state over the next … Continue reading →

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Hey, remember Perry’s Emerging Technology Fund?

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still a mess, and a cookie jar for his cronies. The founders of Convergen LifeSciences Inc. had invested only $1,000 of their own money when they asked the State of Texas in 2009 to give them $4.5 million to … Continue reading →

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Here are the vetoes

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Sunday was the deadline for Rick Perry to sign, veto, or leave unsigned all of the remaining bills from the regular legislative session. He had 1170 pieces of legislation awaiting a decision while he was busy gallivanting around the country. … Continue reading →

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2012 still looks like 2008 so far

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Lyceum put out a series of polls this week – you can see links to them here – but it was the Thursday poll that interested me the most, as it was related to the 2012 elections. Here’s … Continue reading →

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“Sanctuary cities” bill passes the Senate

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Once it was added to the call, this became inevitable. Senate Republicans finally passed a priority issue for their party early Wednesday morning when they outmuscled their Democratic colleagues on an immigration-related bill intended to make it easier for law … Continue reading →

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On tithing and faith

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve seen this Chron article about Rick Perry’s ungenerous giving to his church shared all over Facebook since it was published, usually accompanied by a healthy dose a schadenfreude. I’m not particularly interested in jumping on that bandwagon, as I … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against sonogram bill

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Center for Reproductive Rights, a national abortion-rights advocacy group, has filed suit over Texas’ newly-signed abortion sonogram law, alleging it violates the First Amendment rights of the doctor and the patient. […] The suit, Texas Medical Providers Performing … Continue reading →

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When winning means not getting pulverized

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

By that measure, this was a good session for environmentalists. For environmental activists, the legislative session looked to be a grim one as it got under way in January. Keen on regulating businesses, they had feared that a body empowered … Continue reading →

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More pushback on Perry’s choice of prayer partner

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to see it. Gov. Rick Perry’s Aug. 6 day of prayer and fasting at Reliant Stadium is generating significant heat nationwide, with critics protesting the exclusively Christian focus of the event and Perry’s partnership with the controversial American Family … Continue reading →

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Same schism, next verse

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not surprised that there exist other GOP activists besides the usual Bob Perry/Bill Hammond/business interests types that aren’t happy with their party’s recent anti-immigrant/anti-Hispanic fixation. Nor am I surprised that like their business-oriented counterparts they haven’t figured out what … Continue reading →

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Bill in US Senate to make Amazon pay sales taxes

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As someone who believes that online retailers like Amazon should collect sales taxes and who believes that federal action will be needed to make that happen, I’m glad to see this. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says he plans … Continue reading →

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House defies Perry over Amazon and sales taxes

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pleasant surprise. Breaking with Gov. Rick Perry, the Texas House today refused to kill a provision that aims to tighten the state’s rules on when online retailers like Amazon.com must collect sales taxes. The vote could force … Continue reading →

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The Cottage Food Law was adopted

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I received the following email from Kelley Masters of the Texas Cottage Food Law group late last week: After a roller coaster of a session, the cottage food bill ended up getting attached as an amendment to SB 81 in … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Be careful who you pray with

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the “Lie down with dogs” department: Gov. Rick Perry, who has made economic populism the cornerstone of his political ambition in Texas, has jumped headfirst into America’s culture war as he ponders whether to run for president of the … Continue reading →

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Perry adds “sanctuary cities” to the special session

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I wasn’t sure if this would happen or not. I guess you can never pander to the base too much. Gov. Rick Perry has added controversial immigration and homeland security measures to the agenda for the special legislative session that … Continue reading →

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About that Rainy Day fund

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Peggy Fikac puts it in perspective. Why are state GOP leaders so firmly against spending more money from the rainy day fund for public education? As some explain with increasing clarity, it’s because budget writers have all but spent it … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis profile

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib profiles State Sen. Wendy Davis. It’s a good read. The filibuster was a defining moment for Davis, a twice-divorced single mother who had her first daughter as a teenager, was the first in her family to go to … Continue reading →

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Senate committee approves redistricting map

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. A state Senate panel, voting along strict party lines, approved a Texas Congressional redistricting plan designed to increase Republican strength in the U.S. Congress. The Senate redistricting committee voted 8-4 to send the map to the full … Continue reading →

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The Seliger-Solomons Congressional map is out

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s a joke. Seriously, I can’t describe it any other way. Look at the following districts – go to http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/ and look up Plan C125 – and tell me how they can possibly satisfy any rational legal argument for … Continue reading →

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Perry vetos Amazon sales tax bill

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he did. Gov. Rick Perry has vetoed legislation that was aimed at tightening the state’s rules on when online retailers must collect sales taxes on Texas transactions, the bill’s author said this morning. Perry had earlier criticized Comptroller … Continue reading →

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Get ready for the special session

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here they come back. And with the start of the special session comes a little surprise. Gov. Rick Perry and legislative leaders hope to move through a series of bills quickly during the special session that begins … Continue reading →

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The Mayor and the firefighters

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the tone of this, I wouldn’t make too much of it. While looking for tens of millions of dollars through a combination of cuts, deferrals, savings and fee hikes, Mayor Annise Parker repeatedly has identified the Houston Fire Department … Continue reading →

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