Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

ACA enrollments top 200K in Texas

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Despite continued fierce resistance from state leadership, people keep signing up for health insurance in Texas via the Healthcare.Gov exchange. Enrollment in the federal health insurance marketplace continued to steadily climb in January, according to data the U.S. Department of … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County voting shenanigans

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating story out of Montgomery County in which a handful of self-styled activists in Montgomery County attempt to register to vote in a Road Utility District (RUD), a taxing entity that has literally almost no voters, and wind up getting … Continue reading →

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Gallup’s poll of Latinos in Texas

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Texas Hispanics are decidedly Democratic in their political party preferences, 46% to 27%, but that 19-percentage-point Democratic advantage is much smaller in Texas than the average 30-point gap Democrats enjoy among the … Continue reading →

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More on Texas Left Me Out

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer reports on the launch of Texas Left Me Out. Members of the coalition pointed to two different studies that estimate that thousands of uninsured Texans with chronic conditions are likely to die as a result of not expanding Medicaid. A Harvard … Continue reading →

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The coverage gap

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As you may know, the intent of the Affordable Care Act was to get people below a certain income level onto Medicaid, with people at or above that income level receiving subsidized health insurance via the exchanges. Unfortunately, when the … Continue reading →

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Cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face isn’t a matter of principle

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just stupid and self-destructive. Lots of conservative lawmakers hate Obamacare. Rep. Louie Gohmert is putting his money where his mouth is. The Tyler Republican gave up his health insurance for 2014, asserting that the president’s signature health care law, … Continue reading →

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Somewhat less onerous navigator rules published

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They could have been worse, but they could still be better. The Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday issued state regulations for health care “navigators,” the workers who assist people seeking health insurance in the federal marketplace created by the … Continue reading →

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ACA enrollments in Texas

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As was the case with the rest of the country, there was a big surge in December. Texas enrollments in the online insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act rose nearly eightfold in December, according to 2013 figures that … Continue reading →

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Where are the women’s health providers?

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Republican jihad against Planned Parenthood continues to have real consequences. In 2011, under pressure from Republican leaders, state health officials began enforcing a provision lawmakers wrote to exclude Planned Parenthood and any clinics with organizational ties to abortion providers … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry doesn’t want people to get health insurance

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There’s really no other viable explanation. On a White House conference call on Monday, Texas Democrats criticized Gov. Rick Perry and other Republican state leaders for “getting in the way” of implementing federal health care reform. During the call, which … Continue reading →

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How Greg Abbott enabled the payday lenders

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Lone Star Project kicks it off: Abbott’s Green Light to Predatory Lenders Key AG document provided payday lenders a loophole to bilk Texans Greg Abbott’s office issued the key document that has allowed payday lenders to operate outside of Texas usury … Continue reading →

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The fox has always guarded the henhouse

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Rick Perry appointee says something obnoxious and privileged about the people his company fleeces for his fortune. The official who oversees Texas’ consumer watchdog says payday-loan customers — not the lenders — are responsible when the loans trap … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis is our Texan of the Year

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas Progressive Alliance press release: The Texas Progressive Alliance, the nation’s largest state-based association of online and netroots activists, today named State Senator Wendy Davis recipient of its Texan of the Year Award for 2013. “Senator Davis’ actions … Continue reading →

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Texas Left Me Out

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This. Obamacare advocates are actively recruiting those left out of the Medicaid expansion in Republican-controlled states to lobby state officials to change their minds and participate in that key provision of the health care reform law. So far, the effort … Continue reading →

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Who enforces voter registration requirements?

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My guess upon reading this is in effect nobody. A combination of lax enforcement in the state’s election code, a faulty voter registration system and lack of leadership by state election officials have led to the disenfranchisement of thousands of … Continue reading →

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The oldest established permanent floating ethics probe in the state

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chief Justice of our State Supreme Court, ladies and gentlemen. Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, already the longest-serving member of the state’s highest civil court, has the dubious distinction of owning another record: the longest running appeal … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s CPRIT problem

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Expect to hear a lot about this. A Travis County grand jury has indicted Jerry Cobbs, a former high-ranking official with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, on charges that he unlawfully secured the execution of an $11 … Continue reading →

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It’s still Gene Green’s world

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this story about Rep. Gene Green. The affable, low-key former printer’s apprentice is a legend across his gritty, blue-collar domain along the 54-mile Houston Ship Channel, where he represents the most heavily Hispanic … Continue reading →

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Empty benches

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It would be nice to have some more federal judges here in Texas. Saying that Texas has more vacant federal judgeships than any other state, leaders from state and national liberal advocacy organizations on Monday called on U.S. Sens. Ted … Continue reading →

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The Chron keeps trying to talk to Ted Cruz

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s kind of cute, and probably about as effective as my efforts to talk to my dog. When U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, stands before the Greater Houston Partnership tomorrow morning to deliver his “State of the Senate” address, he’ll … Continue reading →

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It’s about the people who don’t have ID

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve had plenty of blue-sky stories telling us that the voter ID law has been no big deal. A few provisional ballots and some number of affidavits, sure, but everyone who’s wanted to vote has been able to vote, right? … Continue reading →

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Don’t believe anything the TPPF has to say about the Affordable Care Act

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

With the exception of some things they have to say about criminal justice, you shouldn’t believe anything the Texas Public Policy Foundation has to say, full stop. You especially shouldn’t believe anything they have to say about the Affordable Care … Continue reading →

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The problem with voter ID is more than just name matching

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Cindy George is correct about what isn’t a problem with voter ID. The names on your voter registration card and your ID must match. For the most part. They will be considered the same if they’re “substantially similar.” There have … Continue reading →

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On missing KBH

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Does anyone else miss Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison? >We’re not sure how much difference one person could make in the toxic, chaotic, hyperpartisan atmosphere in Washington, but if we could choose just … Continue reading →

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Questions asked about Perry’s job-stealing trips

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. As Gov. Rick Perry visits Maryland in his latest effort to recruit businesses to relocate to Texas, a Washington, D.C.-based group is taking aim at what it calls the governor’s “piracy trips,” raising questions over how they are funded. … Continue reading →

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Restricting abortion has always been about restricting abortion

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Claims that it’s about “protecting women” have always been baloney. In their successful push this summer for strict new regulations on abortion facilities and the doctors performing them, proponents of the legislation said it was needed because conditions at existing … Continue reading →

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You sure you want to attack early voting?

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Greg notes the leading edge of vote suppression efforts, an attack on early voting by Phyllis Schafly. “The reduction in the number of days allowed for early voting is particularly important because early voting plays a major role in Obama’s … Continue reading →

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Standing up for science

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope it did some good. A past Texas State Board of Education chairman and outspoken creationist urged his former colleagues on Tuesday to approve high school biology textbooks he said would “strike a final blow to the teaching of … Continue reading →

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Perry keeps asking for the same Medicaid waiver he hasn’t gotten in the past

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Same as it ever was. Gov. Rick Perry is preparing for yet another battle in his war against Obamacare. In a letter to the state’s health agency on Monday, the governor laid out his plan to request a federal waiver … Continue reading →

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Once again, voter ID is a non-solution to a non-problem

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott’s record is all the proof you need of this. Attorney General Greg Abbott champions a requirement for voters to show photo identification to prevent ballot fraud. But such a rule would have deterred just a few of the … Continue reading →

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Perry’s empty job-stealing tour continues

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, Maryland. Gov. Rick Perry is taking aim at Maryland and its business climate — his latest effort to lure out-of-state companies to Texas. In a radio advertisement, Perry slams Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat who is considering a presidential … Continue reading →

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The voter ID effect

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The conventional wisdom is that we’re unlikely to see the full effect of the voter ID law until next year. The true test of how voter ID will affect voters — and whether it will sway elections — won’t come … Continue reading →

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The obstacles to enrollment

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Affordable Care Act could have a big effect in Houston if the people who would benefit by it can be informed about it and assisted as needed. Houston, with an estimated 800,000 uninsured residents, ranks among the nation’s largest … Continue reading →

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All about Pasadena

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell, the man behind the redistricting scheme there that we’ve been talking about lately. For more than four decades, Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell has had his feet sunk deep into the city’s political landscape of smokestacks … Continue reading →

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