Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

Feds say No to Abbott on refugees

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What now, Greg? The federal government on Wednesday informed refugee resettlement agencies in Texas and across the country that states do not have the authority to refuse to accept Syrians. The statement, made in a letter obtained by the Houston … Continue reading →

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The Mexican abortion option, part 3

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Between 100,000 and 240,000 Texans have attempted to terminate their pregnancies without medical assistance, according to new research released Tuesday. Based on interviews and a statewide survey, the unprecedented study by the … Continue reading →

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Now who’s messing with religious freedom?

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What is Greg Abbott’s beef with faith organizations? A prominent Texas faith organization signaled Friday that refugee resettlement agencies in the state may not comply with Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to turn away Syrian refugees, writing a letter “to express … Continue reading →

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The Dallas Equal Rights Ordinance

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Buckle up. Chapter 46 of the Dallas City Code, which was passed in May 2002, makes it illegal to discriminate against someone based on sexual orientation. The ordinance, which applies to everything from employment to housing, has defined sexual orientation … Continue reading →

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Feds warn Texas about Planned Parenthood

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what happens. The Obama administration has warned state officials that pushing Planned Parenthood out of the state’s Medicaid program could put Texas at odds with federal law. Officials with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contacted … Continue reading →

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If you really want to improve turnout in city elections

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is a plan that would do it. Councilman Ron Nirenberg [recently] called for a major change to local elections that he says would boost voter turnout and bolster public participation. The councilman said he’s spent years considering ways to … Continue reading →

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How much do you hate same sex marriage?

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not as much as this guy does. Ammon J. Taylor of San Antonio is so vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage that he took the unusual step of forming a federal super PAC to fight it. The 27-year-old salesman is taking … Continue reading →

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2015 Texas Lyceum poll

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Issues first, election stuff to come. From the press release: The 2015 Texas Lyceum Poll Finds:  Immigration remains the most important issue facing the state and Texans support lawmakers’ increased spending on border security. Texans’ views on  gay marriage are changing. … Continue reading →

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BGTX 2.0

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They will have a lot to prove, let’s just leave it at that. Battleground Texas, nearly a year after it and Wendy Davis were crushed in an uphill governor’s race, officially has launched an effort to re-brand itself in light … Continue reading →

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The local minimum wage fight

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not quite on the radar here, but it could be. After years of failed proposals in the Texas Legislature to raise the minimum wage, organizers and advocates for higher hourly wages are going local. Leaders in two major Texas cities … Continue reading →

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As if we needed a reminder that Sid Miller is an idiot

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We got one anyway. Don’t expect Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller to apologize over a social media post that appeared to call for the atomic bombing of “the Muslim world” – despite an outcry from critics. Miller, who is currently … Continue reading →

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We wouldn’t be having these problems if we had just expanded Medicaid

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The chickens, they are roosting. Hospitals that serve large uninsured populations in Texas stand to lose critical funding if the state can’t convince the federal government to continue helping with the cost, doctors and health advocates told the state health … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County “voter fraud” case update

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear this. The whole case is ridiculous. A self-described “egghead,” Jim Jenkins accomplished his dream by founding his own microsystems company. He also takes satisfaction in being a Christian conservative who is unabashedly proud of his 11 grandchildren. … Continue reading →

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Where are the ladies?

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not in Congress, where only three of the 36 members Texas sends to the House are of the female persuasion. Week after week at the U.S. Capitol, the Republican congressional delegation from Texas gathers for a ritual Thursday lunch. And … Continue reading →

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Your daily Paxton update

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This guy. I can’t even. Despite promising last year to “wind down” his involvement in dozens of real estate and business ventures, Attorney General Ken Paxton continued to expand his holdings in 2014, according to personal financial documents. Paxton pledged … Continue reading →

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Texas sues the EPA again (and again, and again, and…)

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday filed a lawsuit over the agency’s rejection of parts of a Texas clean air program, launching the state’s second battle against EPA regulations in less than … Continue reading →

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SOS to review motor voter complaints

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this amounts to more than lip service. The Texas Secretary of State has agreed to study why thousands of Texans have complained over the past year and a half that they had problems registering to vote despite a … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s cronies

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This guy really is a piece of work. When seeking a job at the Texas attorney general’s office, it’s less about what is on your résumé than who you know. In Attorney General Ken Paxton’s first weeks in office, he … Continue reading →

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Wilson thwarted again

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Dave Wilson’s latest troll job: applying for a spot in the annual Pride parade. It did not go well. Wilson told me he received preliminary approval to appear in the parade, and paid $805 in fees. He said he crossed … Continue reading →

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The next steps for equality advocates

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Marriage equality will be a huge step, but there are many more steps to be taken. The newly launched Texas Wins campaign—a multiyear, multimillion-dollar effort—aims to increase the number of LGBT Texans protected by local nondiscrimination ordinances. “We want to … Continue reading →

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On judicial elections and campaign finance

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey raises an interesting point. It might seem silly to elect people who promise they won’t represent you, their political party or their donors, but that’s what we expect judges to do. They’re supposed to apply the law, and … Continue reading →

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Pointless pastor protest

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Where to even begin? Some prominent Houston church leaders put their names on a full-page open letter to the U.S. Supreme Court in major U.S. newspapers, promising to defy the court should it decide same-sex marriage is a civil right. … Continue reading →

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Sid Miller confirms that he’s a joke

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Sadly, the joke’s on us. Across the U.S., officials waking up to the nation’s obesity epidemic have been moving to cut down on unhealthy food in schools. Not in Texas. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced Thursday that schools around Texas, … Continue reading →

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Maybe Ratliff won’t step down from the SBOE after all

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Just when he thought he was out, they (might) pull him back in. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed a social conservative and former staffer for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to chair the Texas State Board of Education on Thursday. Donna Bahorich … Continue reading →

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Why don’t younger people vote in local elections?

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a great and confounding question, isn’t it? The folks at the Knight Foundation tried to answer it. Local government often has more real-world impact on the everyday lives of citizens than other levels of government. Police departments, libraries and … Continue reading →

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Further lessons in throwing money at dishonest people

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s so sad seeing such savvy businessmen being so badly fleeced, isn’t it? A second major donor to the conservative group that secretly recorded elected officials and lobbyists says he stopped providing financial support after growing dissatisfied with how his … Continue reading →

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A brief lesson in the value of disclosure and transparency

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I have not been following the “wingnut activists videoing everyone at the Capitol” clown show very closely, but the absurdity of it all has been kicked up to the point where I couldn’t ignore it any more. The … Continue reading →

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Another redistricting update

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Once again from Russ Tidwell, writing at Letters from Texas. The three judge federal panel in San Antonio is nearing a final decision on redistricting litigation for the Texas House and congressional delegation. As previously discussed here, multiple weeks of … Continue reading →

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Point/counterpoint on online voter registration

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Point. Texans can use www.Texas.gov for nearly 1,000 services, such as applying for concealed handgun licenses and driver records, and renewing driver licenses, vehicle registrations and many state-required professional licenses. It is time to allow Texans to use this proven, … Continue reading →

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No, seriously, expand Medicaid or else

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bring. It. On. The federal government is officially holding state leaders’ feet to the fire, hoping to get Texas to expand its Medicaid program to provide health insurance to more low-income Texans. Federal officials called the state’s health agency this … Continue reading →

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Vote centers in Fort Bend

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I continue to like this idea. Voters may get more flexibility on Election Day as Fort Bend become the largest county in the Houston area to consider moving away from precinct polling sites. “A voter could vote at any location … Continue reading →

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State-run Women’s Health Program continues to be a failure

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Quelle surprise. Thousands fewer women are getting health services through the now state-run Women’s Health Program after Planned Parenthood was barred from being a provider. A report released Monday by the state Health and Human Services Commission showed that almost … Continue reading →

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The At Large trend

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Think Progress: Yakima, WA is one-third Latino, but a Latino candidate has not been elected to the city council for almost 40 years. Santa Barbara, CA is 38 percent Latino, but only one Latino has been elected to its … Continue reading →

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The scared institution of marriage

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Smell the fear and desperation. Several hundred Christian fundamentalists gathered on the south steps of the Capitol today in a rally that was less about the defense of traditional marriage than about preparing for civil disobedience if, as expected, the … Continue reading →

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