Monthly Archives: October 2012

Endorsement watch: For Ann Johnson

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I noted on Monday that the Chron listed Ann Johnson as one of its endorsed candidates. Yesterday they wrote the endorsement editorial to go along with that. The tea party turnout of 2010 gave Republican candidate Sarah Davis the narrow … Continue reading →

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I-45 public forum tomorrow

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: I-45 Public Forum ~ October 24th! Many people who attended the TxDOT public meeting last week (October 9th or 11th ) left with more questions than answers! Why? It appears that TxDOT is listening & trying to come up with … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Ticket splitters

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For better or worse, we live in a polarized world. Often, knowing a candidate’s political party tells you most of what you need to know in a general election. But definitely not always, and this year in particular there are … Continue reading →

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That Chron story on True The Vote

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For a variety of reasons, I never got around to reading that Sunday Chron story about True The Vote, that self-styled “watchdog” group that claims to be interested in ferreting out all those instances of “vote fraud” that nobody else … Continue reading →

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More on the microbrewers’ legislative strategy

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman returns to our favorite subject. The small brewers, generally a young and passionate group, always have been better at creating hoppy and original brews than navigating the Legislature and the network of big-money lobbyists who are experts at … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Three out of four ain’t bad

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Star-Telegram becomes the third of the four major papers to endorse Paul Sadler for Senate. Sadler can be aggressive, even abrasive, as he demonstrated in an early-October debate with Cruz. But Sadler has specific, practical notions about improving how … Continue reading →

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All the interviews for 2012

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As we begin early voting for the November election, here are all the interviews I conducted for candidates who are on the ballot as well as for the referenda. These include interviews that were done for the primary as well … Continue reading →

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School finance lawsuit starts today

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, the latest school finance lawsuit, which Judge John Dietz has called “the granddaddy of them all”, begins today in Travis County. The Statesman takes a look at the history of school finance and associated litigation, and how … Continue reading →

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Early voting begins today

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Shamelessly stolen from Greg, here’s a convenient Google map of the early voting locations in Harris County: For the more traditional view plus hours and other information, visit Harris Votes. I intend to bring the girls with me when I … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Wendy Davis

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Very nice. Two state legislators are running to represent a demographically changing senatorial District 10: the incumbent, Democrat Sen. Wendy Davis, and Republican state Rep. Mark Shelton. Davis, who defeated an entrenched incumbent four years ago, did not take long … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 21

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

“The Shikse’s Guide to Jewish Men”, published in 1978. Exactly as awesome as it sounds. “Now I’ll bet you didn’t wake up wondering today how turtles go pee. But that’s what I want to talk about.” If there wasn’t some … Continue reading →

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Who doesn’t like parks?

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The usual suspects – cranks, malcontents, and the Harris County GOP, that’s who. Proposition B on the Nov. 6 ballot asks you to pay for part of that plan, of course. Not with increased taxes, though, [Mayor Annise] Parker insists. … Continue reading →

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Margins tax survives another challenge

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mighty quick ruling from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Texas on Friday struck down a challenge by Nestle Inc. and two other businesses targeting the state’s franchise tax. Lawyers for Nestle and two Texas-based companies, Switchplace LLC and … Continue reading →

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The Lege is going to have to spend some money

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Whether they want to or not, there are a lot of issues that will be demanding attention and money from the Legislature when they convene in January. For example, there’s water. House Speaker Joe Straus said Friday the state’s water … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HCDE and District E

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses three Democrats for the Harris County Department of Education. At-Large Position 3: Democratic challenger Diane Trautman would bring expertise and professionalism to the job. As a professor of education at Stephen F. Austin State University, she taught … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: 20 years of “Smells Like Nirvana”

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a big fan of Weird Al Yankovic, and a big fan of his classic “Smells Like Nirvana”. After reading this story about how the video for that song got made, I’m an even bigger fan of each. I can’t … Continue reading →

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Texas appeals DC Court redistricting decision

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. Texas is appealing a federal court decision that denied preclearance to legislatively drawn redistricting maps, saying the court overstepped its authority under the federal Voting Rights Act, Attorney General Greg Abbott announced late Friday. That … Continue reading →

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Presidential campaign contributions in Texas

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I suspect there’s not much in this story that will surprise you. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign raised nearly twice as much money in the greater Houston area than that of President Barack Obama – most of it from wealthier … Continue reading →

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Amazon wine

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You may soon be able to order wine from Amazon.com, depending on where you live. Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -0.88% is planning an online marketplace for wine sales directly to consumers, said executives for several California wineries, marking the Seattle Web … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: DMN for Sadler

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a strange endorsement, at least from my perspective, but it’ll do. Texans face a decision in this election that has come before them only twice over the last four decades: How to fill a Senate seat that has carried … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: For the ladies, part 2

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More songs named for ladies, from my binder full of Friday Random Ten lists. 1. Caroline – Georgetown Chimes 2. Cassidy – Suzanne Vega 3. Cecilia – Simon and Garfunkel 4. Cindy – The Chieftains 5. Claudette – Robert Johnson … Continue reading →

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YouGov: Romney 55, Obama 41

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

YouGov has an updated poll of Texas. Republican challenger Mitt Romney gets a solid majority of the votes of likely voters over Democratic President Barack Obama in Texas, 55% Romney to 41% Obama, in a YouGov poll of 958 likely … Continue reading →

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Maybe the fourth time will be the charm

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston is once again bidding for a Super Bowl. If everything goes according to an ambitious plan devised by city and county leaders, Houston will host its third Super Bowl in 2017. The NFL informed the Texans … Continue reading →

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Precinct 1 Constable overview

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron takes a look at the Constable race in Precinct 1, which will determine the successor to disgraced former Constable Jack Abercia. [Republican Joe] Danna, 59, and a Precinct 1 deputy for 18 years, pledged to reorganize an office … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the city bonds

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron gives its approval to the city bond referenda. While all eyes seem to be on the presidential election, the upcoming city bond measures on the ballot this year may have more immediate impact on Houston than any federal … Continue reading →

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More on Sen. Gallegos

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For better or worse, we must discuss the politics of Sen. Mario Gallegos’ death this week. The first question to address is what happens next? Rich Parsons, a spokesman for Secretary of State Hope Andrade, this morning clarified the timing … Continue reading →

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But was it worth it?

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

No doubt that traffic on the Katy Freeway moves a lot more smoothly now than it used to. But there’s a lot more to the question of whether the $2.8 billion that was spent to widen it was a good … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Strip clubs sue city over $5 fee

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the $5 per customer strip club fee that was added as a budget amendment by CM Ellen Cohen as a way to fund clearing HPD’s backlog of rape kits? The clubs threatened to sue the city at the time … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for October 15

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance and this week’s roundup are both certified 100% malarkey-free.

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Interview with Ann Harris Bennett

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

To wrap up my interviews for 2012, today we have Ann Harris Bennett, the Democratic candidate for Harris County Tax Assessor. Bennett is a former Court Coordinator and was the Democratic candidate for Harris County Clerk in 2010 – you … Continue reading →

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The opposition to the bonds

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Longtime City Hall naysayer Dave Wilson and other anti-tax activists gathered on the grounds of an elementary school that was slated to get $3.7 million from the last Houston Independent School District bond measure but instead … Continue reading →

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Overview of the HCDE races

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has an overview of the races for the Harris County Department of Education, and in describing the one At Large race between incumbent Michael Wolfe and Democratic challenger Diane Trautman they do the useful service of describing what … Continue reading →

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Which way for Hays?

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this. Two years after Republicans trounced Democrats in Hays County, the GOP again is aiming to win. Ten incumbents are running for re-election in Hays County races, but the six Republican candidates are … Continue reading →

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RIP, Sen. Mario Gallegos

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sad news. State Sen. Mario Gallegos, 62, a Democratic lawmaker whose 22-year career in the Texas Legislature was marked by courage, controversy and dogged commitment to issues of importance to the Hispanic community, died Tuesday afternoon at Methodist Hospital in … Continue reading →

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