Monthly Archives: June 2011

Senate committee approves redistricting map

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. A state Senate panel, voting along strict party lines, approved a Texas Congressional redistricting plan designed to increase Republican strength in the U.S. Congress. The Senate redistricting committee voted 8-4 to send the map to the full … Continue reading →

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Feds may prevent some cuts to Planned Parenthood

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, at least potentially. Stephanie Goodman of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission confirms that the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent a bulletin advising state officials that federal rules do not permit states to ban … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Songs of the Century, part 4

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing with songs in my collection from the Songs of the Century as compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. 1. Summertime – The MOB (#74, Sidney Bechet) 2. Theme from “Shaft” – … Continue reading →

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Back to school finance

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege has started the process of picking up where it left off on school finance. The Trib reminds us how we got here. [T]he earlier failure of SB 1581, which put a behind-closed-doors conference committee in charge of any … Continue reading →

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Council approves deal to spin off Convention Center

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Houston First, which merges the city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department and the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation, which runs the Hilton Americas. The corporation will not have to come to the council to get expenses approved. The unionized … Continue reading →

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Our young population

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From last week, a story about new Census data that shows (among other things) how young Texas’ population is. The state’s median age — meaning half of residents are older, and half younger — is 33.6, substantially lower than the … Continue reading →

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Ticket to Mars

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

To boldly go where no one has gone before, and not come back. How would you like to take a trip to Mars? That’s right, only to Mars. There would be no coming back. […] The idea was floated by … Continue reading →

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Solomons admits his map is a joke

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

OK, that’s not quite what he said, but you get the idea. A top state Republican said Thursday that the newly proposed congressional map, which includes an odd-looking “horseshoe” district stretching from the northwestern edge of Harris County to the … Continue reading →

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More on the Seliger-Solomons plan

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Dunham has a nice analysis of the proposed Congressional map that’s worth your time to read. I disagree with him on two related points. Republicans successfully shored up three districts they captured from Democrats in the past two election … Continue reading →

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Time for the annual “Are we ready for a big storm?” story

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The answer, of course, is no, not really. After Tropical Storm Allison’s devastating floods, the Houston area widened its bayous and hardened its infra­structure. After Hurricane Rita’s deadly gridlock, the state revamped storm communications and evacuation plans. Yet since Hurricane … Continue reading →

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Corporal punishment

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating story in the Statesman from last week about the debate over the use of corporal punishment in schools. People who are not educators can be confused about the meaning of corporal punishment. It is not a teacher shoving a … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 30

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No matter what the Lege chooses to do, the Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for summer as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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The Seliger-Solomons Congressional map is out

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s a joke. Seriously, I can’t describe it any other way. Look at the following districts – go to http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/ and look up Plan C125 – and tell me how they can possibly satisfy any rational legal argument for … Continue reading →

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Chron profile of Rep. Hernandez Luna

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good story. State Rep. Ana Hernandez Luna stood before the House on the afternoon of May 9, hours after lawmakers passed the controversial “sanctuary city” bill, and started reading from a prepared statement, her eyes downcast. “I know House Bill … Continue reading →

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Perry vetos Amazon sales tax bill

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he did. Gov. Rick Perry has vetoed legislation that was aimed at tightening the state’s rules on when online retailers must collect sales taxes on Texas transactions, the bill’s author said this morning. Perry had earlier criticized Comptroller … Continue reading →

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Who gets prioritized?

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bexar County is beginning to experience what Harris County has gone through for decades: Dealing with lots of growth in unincorporated areas. In Bexar County, the population swelled by 320,000 in the past decade. Providing government services to the now … Continue reading →

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