Tag Archives: Rick Perry

Governor Perry loves the stimulus

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That Governor Perry loves the stimulus shouldn’t be a surprise, despite his high-profile bleatings. He loves anything he can use to his political advantage. Gov. Rick Perry rallied opposition to federal stimulus spending, but he now is the manager of … Continue reading →

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Another Democratic gubernatorial hopeful

Posted on September 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, you can’t say that the Democratic cast of characters for Governor lacks characters. Rick Perry might not be the only candidate in the 2010 race for Texas governor who is known for great hair. As the Republican governor with … Continue reading →

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Please go ahead and leave

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the real America haters. And remember that even though he wants nothing to do with them now, because it would look bad, these are the people Rick Perry was speaking to when he spoke about seceding. You can run … Continue reading →

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The state of the Governor’s race

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So we know that Tom Schieffer is in. So are Mark Thompson and Felix Alvarado. Ronnie Earle may or may not be in. Hank Gilbert now says that he’s in. Kinky (sigh) is fixing to be in. Some people think … Continue reading →

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From the “Term limits for thee, but not for me” department

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Write down the date and time, kids, because this doesn’t happen very often: I agree with Rick Perry about term limits. In seeking to retire the state’s longest-serving governor, Hutchison wants to limit Texas governors to eight years in office, … Continue reading →

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Steroids: Still not a problem in the schools

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

At least, as far as our ridiculous and expensive steroid testing og high school athletes program can tell, we don’t have a problem. More than a year has passed since the state implemented one of the world’s most ambitious steroids … Continue reading →

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Meeting Tom Schieffer

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I had the opportunity to have lunch with Democatic gubernatorial candidate Tom Schieffer on Wednesday, along with several of my blogging colleagues (*). This was at his initiative, and I appreciated the opportunity to get to hear him speak. I’ll … Continue reading →

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Brister retiring from Supreme Court

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A second State Supreme Court justice will not be on the ballot next fall. Texas Supreme Court Justice Scott Brister will leave the court for private practice next month, he announced Monday. Brister, a former Harris County civil district court … Continue reading →

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Kay finally announces

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

To paraphrase The Observer, this was the least unexpected announcement in Texas politics history. Obviously, her message isn’t supposed to appeal to people like me, but I’ve read this story twice now and I’m still not exactly sure what her … Continue reading →

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It’s hard to be unemployed in Texas

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this comes as no surprise. If you lose your job in Texas, you may be out of luck in more ways than one. The Texas Workforce Commission rejected about a third of jobless claims last year and 27 … Continue reading →

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The CW on KBH

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison gets set to launch her listening announcement tour of Texas, Gardner Selby brings us a conventional wisdom roundup of the state of her campaign. To win, Hutchison faces a daunting task — making a case … Continue reading →

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You can pay me now, or you can pay me later

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Odds are, we’ll opt for later to deal with the large deficit we’re facing with the unemployment insurance trust fund. Texas’ jobless-benefits fund is empty, and the state will probably borrow $1.5 billion from the federal government to pay benefits … Continue reading →

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Burka on the politics of unemployment insurance

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Burka takes a look at how Rick Perry’s rejection of the stimulus funds for unemployment insurance might play out in his eventual battle with Kay Bailey Hutchison for the GOP nomination for Governor. Be sure to also read this comment … Continue reading →

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Harper-Brown vows to try again on Safe Passing bill

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The bicyclists will not go away despite the setback on the Safe Passing bill. A state legislator’s unsuccessful efforts to pass a “safe passing” bill for cyclists said Wednesday that an accident involving her granddaughter has renewed her interest in … Continue reading →

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Environment Texas scorecard

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Environment Texas scorecard (PDF) for the 2009 legislative session. A few points of interest: – There were seven scored voted for Senators, and eight for the House. For all but two, the “right” vote was Yes, which is … Continue reading →

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HHSC sued over food stamp delays

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This will definitely bear watching. Legal services lawyers for the poor have filed a class-action lawsuit demanding immediate repair of Texas’ much-criticized eligibility screening system for health and welfare programs. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Austin … Continue reading →

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Safe Passing bill still in the news

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. The father of a driver accused of killing two bicyclists last summer recently urged Gov. Rick Perry to veto a bill that generally would have required motorists to give vulnerable road users more space when passing them. Cyclists believe … Continue reading →

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Kay the vincible

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers. The 1978 Boston Red Sox. The 2010 Kay Bailey Hutchison for Governor campaign. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison began this year as “Kay the Invincible.” But as she prepares to officially launch her bid for governor … Continue reading →

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A&M and the Emerging Technology fund

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Loren Steffy tells us about politics infecting research at Texas A&M. And Rick Perry is involved. Shocking, I know. In January, the state awarded A&M $50 million from the Emerging Technology Fund, which purports to benefit private-sector technology startups, for … Continue reading →

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Dems attack Perry over stimulus funds

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Texas Democratic lawmakers Thursday defended President Barack Obama’s stimulus package against criticism from Republican leaders, saying Texas is making economic progress with the help of recovery funds. Texas state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, said … Continue reading →

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Perrycare

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Who says Republicans don’t have any ideas about health care reform, or anything else for that matter? Here’s Rick Perry’s plan to overhaul the system. This afternoon, Rick Perry’s office released a letter the governor has sent to Health and … Continue reading →

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Two billion dollars

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry’s grandstanding rejection of the federal stimulus money for unemployment insurance is going to cost us all more and more. Texas is preparing to borrow as much as $2-billion to pay for unemployment insurance benefits. That’s what the chairman … Continue reading →

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KBH goes link trolling

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Oh. My. God. This morning, I came across a Web site for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s gubernatorial campaign. A provocative twist: The site may have been juiced with the intent of drawing visitors with the help of more than … Continue reading →

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From the “Nobody knows what KBH will do” department

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That would be because she doesn’t know what the hell she’s going to do. Here’s Kay, take one, from the Mark Davis radio show. Davis: So you’ll be coming out at some point. When do you think its decision time … Continue reading →

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KBH to vote against Sotomayor

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody is surprised by this, right? Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says she will vote against confirming Sonia Sotomayor to be a Supreme Court justice. She said Tuesday she is concerned about Sotomayor’s views on the Second Amendment on the … Continue reading →

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Education stimulus money for Texas approved

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The U.S. Department of Education has approved Texas’ application for using $3.2 billion in federal stimulus money, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said. That money will be used to pay for textbooks and a $1.9 billion increase in school … Continue reading →

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Maddow on Perry

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned in passing that Governor Perry has decided that since his battle against the stimulus package was so effective, he needed to turn to health care reform, which he planned to oppose on 10th Amendment grounds. No, I have … Continue reading →

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Our friend the stimulus package

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Jason Embry tells us just how much Texas relied on the stimulus package this year. A new report from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that federal stimulus dollars played a large role in allowing Texas lawmakers to balance … Continue reading →

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From the “Reasons why KBH won’t resign” files

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Gardner Selby notes that whenever Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison decides to resign from the Senate, Governor Perry controls the timing of the special election to replace her and can use it to help his preferred candidate. Under the law, if … Continue reading →

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Watson on unemployment

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Kirk Watson reviews the bidding on how the state of Texas has handled its unemployment issues. As was noted during this past legislative session by Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken (who was appointed by the Governor and once … Continue reading →

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Texas Voices update

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits gives a report. I was pleased to get to spend a little time with Mary Sue Molnar and the folks at Texas Voices (a group made up of families of registered sex offenders) at their statewide conference here in … Continue reading →

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Ellis asks for AG opinion on Cole pardon

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You remember Timothy Cole, the wrongly-convicted man who died in prison ten years ago and has since been exonerated in a court of inquiry. The Lege passed a bill named for him to increase compensation to those who have been … Continue reading →

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More unemployed, fewer benefits

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, no one could have predicted this. In a sign of lingering hardship, more than 15,000 Texans will lose their unemployment checks at the end of the month because they have exhausted their benefits after 59 weeks without a job. … Continue reading →

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Virtual border fence: Still a failure

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Our Governor in action. Gov. Rick Perry’s border Web camera program has run out of money, and in its first full year of operation failed to meet nearly every law enforcement goal. Last year, Perry gave the Texas Border Sheriffs … Continue reading →

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