Monthly Archives: March 2005

Do these guys sound like reformers to you?

Posted on March 3, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Via Pink Dome, the Quorum Report catches our old buddy Andy Taylor making with the crazy talk again. During a break in the TRMPAC civil trial proceedings this morning, attorney Andy Taylor told reporters that he would be spearheading an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

The coming crackdown on blogging?

Posted on March 3, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Will McCain/Feingold be the end of political blogging as we know it? FEC Commissioner Bradley Smith says yes. This guy says no. Me, I’m unsure. Any lawyers want to wade in here? Seems to me that the naysayer has a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 9 Comments

The WaPo on DeLay

Posted on March 3, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The WaPo does a feature on Tom DeLay, noting that his continued string of scandals may be having an effect back home in CD22. Though the change has received little notice, DeLay’s strength in his suburban Houston congressional district of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Municipal wireless ban making waves

Posted on March 3, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron and the Statesman both have good stories on HB789, the misguided attempt by Rep. Phil King (R, Weatherford) to ban municipalities from offering free wireless Internet service. I’ve noted before that King appears to be open to changes … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

The tax bill cometh

Posted on March 3, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

So how does Texas: The nation’s highest sales taxes! grab you as a new state motto? Texas would have the highest state sales tax in the country, businesses would pay a payroll tax and smokers would pay a dollar more … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 4 Comments

Bell fires ’em up in Austin

Posted on March 3, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

He says he’s still “exploring” a run for Governor in 2006, but Chris Bell sure has the look-and-feel of a real by-God candidate to me, at least based on this and this and this. Read his speech (PDF) – and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Bell fires ’em up in Austin

The single fatherhood diaries

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Tiffany left today for a two-day business trip out west. We considered having Olivia and I go with her, but since she was going to be busy during the day, we decided that if I was going to be by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 7 Comments

More on the upcoming HHSC changes

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

More from Father John on the upcoming changes in how the Texas Health and Human Services Commission will be doing its business, and hoe Colorado may be setting the (not good) example for us. I don’t really have anything to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Bill to limit campaign contributions submitted

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Campaign finance bill Number Two has been filed. Mega-money donors are usurping the power of the people of Texas to control their government, two Democratic lawmakers said Tuesday as they filed a bill that would limit the amount of money … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Bill to limit campaign contributions submitted

If the plaintiffs win

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Daily DeLay has a suggestion for the five plaintiffs in the TRMPAC lawsuit: If the plaintiffs in the TRMPAC civil suit win, they should donate the money they win in damages to the institute Ronnie Earle is setting up … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on If the plaintiffs win

RIP, Michael Lefkow and Donna Humphrey

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I heard about the awful, gruesome murders of Michael Lefkow and Donna Humphrey, husband and mother of Judge Joan Lefkow, yesterday, but wasn’t really in the right frame of mind to write about it then. Judge Lefkow has been under … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 8 Comments

TRMPAC lawsuit, Day Two: The spector of DeLay

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Tom DeLay may not be a participant in the lawsuit against TRMPAC and Bill Ceverha, but that doesn’t mean he’s not there in spirit. The Young Conservatives of Texas featured U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay in a mailing to Fort Bend … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on TRMPAC lawsuit, Day Two: The spector of DeLay

HB2 passes out of committee

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

House Bill 2, the omnibus bill overhauling school finance, passed out of committee yesterday. The Committee on Public Education voted 6-3 in favor of the bill. The committee’s three Democrats, Houston Reps. Harold Dutton and Scott Hochberg along with Brownsville … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on HB2 passes out of committee

Georgia to follow Texas’ lead

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

In case you hadn’t heard, the state of Georgia, whose three branches of state government are newly under all-Republican control, are planning to re-redistrict in time for the 2006 elections. MyDD and Ed Kilgore have the details, with Kilgore noting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 4 Comments

The cloak of invisibility!

Posted on March 2, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Engineers devise invisibility shield. Need I say more? The idea of a cloak of invisibility that hides objects from view has long been confined to the more improbable reaches of science fiction. But electronic engineers have now come up with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 2 Comments

TRMPAC lawsuit, Day One

Posted on March 1, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The lawsuit against the Texans for a Republican Majority PAC is underway, and one of the first witnesses says they shoulda known better. Texans for a Republican Majority, formed by Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, should have reported … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on TRMPAC lawsuit, Day One

MALDEF on the pending Edgewood case

Posted on March 1, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Something I meant to link to when discussing the forthcoming Democratic alternative to HB2 but forgot was a series of posts by Greg Moses covering the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)’s position on the upcoming Supreme Court review … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on MALDEF on the pending Edgewood case

Reports from the Dallas Dems meeting

Posted on March 1, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Byron sides with the disgruntled precinct chairs. Vince, Pink Dome, and Kerry sympathize with DCDP Chair Susan Hays. However you slice it, it sounds like it was ugly. I just hope it all gets settled soon. UPDATE: Kerry explains his … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 2 Comments

Accenture to get HHSC call center

Posted on March 1, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Following up on this post regarding the new call center system in Texas’ Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), we see that they have made a tentative award of a contract to Accenture. Notice of Tentative Award HHSC announces the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Woodfill responds

Posted on March 1, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill responds to the earlier story in which he criticized City Council members for not being more in opposition to Mayor White and to the criticism he received for that story. There’s nothing here that I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Comments Off on Woodfill responds

More tomfoolery

Posted on March 1, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Raw Story follows up on their previous piece which outlined new allegations of inappropriate behavior by Tom DeLay. Will any Democrat step up and file another ethics complaint? Nancy Pelosi seems to be calling for someone to do so. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments