Tag Archives: Rick Perry

Perry goes on the attack as evidence of a coverup mounts

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The evidence keeps coming in. Lawyers representing Gov. Rick Perry on two occasions grilled Austin lawyer Sam Bassett on the activities of his Texas Forensic Science Commission, telling him its probe into a controversial Corsicana arson case was inappropriate and … Continue reading →

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Perry meddles again

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

All of his shenanigans with the Texas Forensic Science Commission have kept Governor Perry busy lately, but not so busy that he can’t mess with other things, too. Gov. Rick Perry plans to reshuffle the board leadership of the state’s … Continue reading →

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The DMN on the food stamp situation

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s depressing reading these articles, but it’s important to do so, to really understand why we’re so screwed up. First and foremost, it’s an attitude problem. As in, the people who have the most power over it have the least … Continue reading →

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Tim Cole advisory panel begins its work

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Tim Cole Advisory Panel on Wrongful Convictions, which was created to much fanfare by the Lege this spring, begins its mission this week in the shadow of the Cameron Todd Willingham uproar. Cole was wrongfully convicted in 1986 and … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Takings

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Prop 11, which is the constitutional amendment to limit eminent domain takings that were allowed by the Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo ruling. [It] would prohibit “the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property” for purposes of economic … Continue reading →

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Playing politics: Not just for the Forensic Science commission

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know that two billion dollars of federal funds we need to borrow to shore up the unemployment insurance trust fund? I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that Rick Perry’s appointees on the Texas Workforce Commission are thinking … Continue reading →

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More heat on Perry over the Forensic Science Commission

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chicago Tribune provides further evidence that gutting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission was all about politics. Just months before the controversial removal of three members of a state commission investigating the forensics that led to a Texas man’s … Continue reading →

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Perry fills out rest of Forensic Science commission

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Sam Bassett, the now-former Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission whom Rick Perry abruptly replaced with Williamson County DA John Bradley, wasn’t the only member of the Commission that got the ax, but his was the only slot that … Continue reading →

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Kay’s dominoes

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Jason Embry notes that if Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison waits until January to officially resign, there could be a profound effect on the Republican ballot. If she announces a resignation date during the filing period (Dec. 3 – Jan. 4), … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to force TCEQ to regulate greenhouse gases

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, if you want the TCEQ to do its job, you need to file a lawsuit against them to make them do it. Which is what Public Citizen did on Tuesday, with a request to stop the permitting of coal-fired … Continue reading →

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Whitmire pushes Bradley

Posted on October 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. John Whitmire, who has previously indicated that he will hold a hearing to inquire about the current status of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, has reiterated that intent for the near future. “I’m concerned about the process,” said … Continue reading →

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Some criminal justice quick hits

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some short commentary on a few articles that have appeared lately and were worth mentioning. Murray Newman disputes the need for a public defender’s office in Harris County. I’m perfectly willing to accept the idea that there’s a better way … Continue reading →

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Bradley dithers on Forensic Commission

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is an incredibly frustrating article about John Bradley, the handpicked new chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Bradley told The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday that he doesn’t know when the board will take up its investigations again. … Continue reading →

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Feds to Texas: Fix food stamps!

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another (bad) way in which our state has distinguished itself. Federal officials say Texas should appoint a food stamp czar to take charge of fixing the application backlogs and high error rates plaguing the program. “All states are feeling … Continue reading →

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Scratch EZ Match

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t say this comes as a surprise. EZ Match is a scratch. The Texas Lottery Commission pulled the plug Friday on the proposed game that would have allowed players to become instant winners by handing their money to a … Continue reading →

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It’s not too early to reschedule that meeting

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey talks to State Sen. John Whitmire about Rick Perry’s choice of Williamson County DA John Bradley as the replacement chair of the Texas Forensic Sciences Commission, and how we can tell if the intent was as sinister as … Continue reading →

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Reschedule the meeting

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve read a bunch of coverage of Governor Perry’s conveniently-timed decision to replace members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission just before they were scheduled to review the Beyler report on the Cameron Todd Willingham arson investigation, and one thing … Continue reading →

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The cost of doing nothing

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, as the health care reform battle lurches towards the finish line, that doing nothing is not a viable option. A week after a Texas agency reported health care reform legislation would cost the state’s Medicaid program an … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/30

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While it’s an interesting story, I don’t quite see what the fuss is about Rick Perry using monetary rewards for volunteers who get people to sign up with his campaign. As the story notes, rewards of some kind, usually campaign … Continue reading →

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Perry attempts to gut Forensic Science Commission

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is an outrage. Gov. Rick Perry today replaced the chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, which is conducting a politically sensitive investigation into whether the state executed a man based on a fatally flawed arson investigation. The commission’s … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/29

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Dallas DA Craig Watkins’ Republican opponent. I thought he came across better than the commenters did, but I feel pretty good about Watkins’ chances nonetheless. Via Grits. Some love for Bill White, including the Bill Whites for Bill White … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/28

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Two weeks till Early Voting begins. Psst! Hey, Peggy! Rep. Kristi Thibaut represents HD133 here in Houston, not Galveston. Just FYI. As for the news that the GOP will be targeting State Rep. Abel Herrero, given the 2008 partisan index … Continue reading →

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Food stamps fail

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Budget board denies request for more food stamps workers. The Legislative Budget Board has denied a request from the Health and Human Services Commission to hire about 650 state workers to relieve the state’s food stamp enrollment system, … Continue reading →

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One step closer to expanded gambling in Texas?

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, though I’m not sure how much closer this really gets us. [The] Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma is poised to take possession of an existing horse racing track in Grand Prairie. The tribe runs one of the biggest Indian casinos … Continue reading →

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Perry sneers at Willingham evidence

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is exactly what I expect from Rick Perry. Governor Rick Perry today strenuously defended the execution of a Corsicana man whose conviction for killing his daughters in a house fire hinged on an arson finding that top experts call … Continue reading →

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In case you were wondering why we have bad air quality in Texas

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ever wonder why we have such lax enforcement of environmental regulations here in Texas? One reason is because the people who head up the agencies that have the power to enforce those regulations are mostly charlatans and industry apologists. Go … Continue reading →

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We’ve got uninsured people, yes we do

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

More than one out of four people in Harris County doesn’t have health insurance. One in three adults in Harris County lacked health insurance in 2008 while Texas continued to have the highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, … Continue reading →

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A Rick ‘n’ Kay threefer

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

1. I wouldn’t make such a big deal yet about the latest Rasmussen poll that shows KBH with a slight lead over Rick Perry, reversing a months-long decline for her. Without any other polls to compare this to, it could … Continue reading →

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Now you can blow your money on lottery tickets even faster

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Is it just me, or does this sound like much ado about not very much? A proposed lottery game that would allow players to become instant winners (or losers) without so much as scratching a ticket is under fire from … Continue reading →

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Up, up, up…

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the direction your health insurance premiums have been going, at an ever-increasing rate. A national report that was released today says family health insurance premiums in Texas increased 91.6 percent since 2000 — 4.6 times faster than earnings. The … Continue reading →

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Medina officially gets into the GOP primary for Governor

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were three on the Republican side. Saying her two high-profile rivals have dropped the ball for Texas, Wharton County GOP chairwoman Debra Medina on Saturday announced her campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. “We’ve done little … Continue reading →

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The veto that keeps on giving

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bicyclists are still pissed off at Rick Perry for his veto of the Safe Passing bill. The man does have a talent for making people dislike him.

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Retired general calls out Perry

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. A retired Air National Guard general called Thursday with three worries. “Something bad’s gone wrong in this country,” said retired Brig. Gen. Tom Daniels, 62, of Fort Worth. “Something’s wrong in Arlington. Something’s wrong in Austin. And something’s wrong … Continue reading →

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KBH, the anti-toll road crusader

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Team Kay takes aim at one of Governor Perry’s many vulnerabilities. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has seized on [the Trans-Texas Corridor] as she seeks to take his job, saying the project and Perry’s transportation policies smack of arrogance. “It’s … Continue reading →

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