Monthly Archives: December 2012

How long before marriage equality comes to Texas?

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As is so often the case, the state of Texas will lag behind the rest of the country on the issue. If DOMA is struck down, questions will be raised about states that don’t recognize same-sex marriages and if it … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s the vote spread that matters

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I had an email conversation with Judge Mark Davidson regarding my post about straight-ticket voting and its effect on judicial races. He said I misunderstood the point he was trying to make in that Chron story. From his email, quoted … Continue reading →

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CM Brown reimburses the city for her magnets

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for David Feldman. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown has repaid the city nearly $3,000 in taxpayer money she spent on refrigerator magnets that the Texas Ethics Commission says amount to campaign swag. City Attorney David Feldman, who had … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

San Antonio B-Cycle expands again

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m truly impressed at how successful this has been. San Antonio’s newest B-Cycle bike sharing stations opened Friday at six new locations around South San Antonio. The new stations — located at Roosevelt Park, Concepcion Park, Mission Concepcion, Mission Road … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of December 3

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is making a list and checking it twice as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Precinct analysis: A closer look at the Latino districts

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a more in-depth look at the Latino districts in Harris County. I’m particularly interested in the question of how President Obama did in comparison to the other Dems on the ballot, since as we know he lagged behind them … Continue reading →

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Plaintiffs want to proceed with new redistricting maps

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: Plaintiff groups in the Texas redistricting litigation in San Antonio told the court that it should go ahead and start the process of drawing remedial state house and congressional maps for use in 2014, but disagreed slightly about … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Could this be the catalyst for Astrodome redevelopment?

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. The city of Houston and Harris County are preparing to create a mammoth, two-part economic development zone covering more than 11 square miles along the South Loop and at the northeast end of downtown. The plan stems from a … Continue reading →

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EDF report on school buses

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Environmental Defense Fund: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) [Monday] released a report titled “Review of Texas’ Clean School Bus Programs: How Far Have We Come and What Is Still Left to Do?” This report evaluates each of the clean … Continue reading →

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Straight ticket voting and judicial races elsewhere

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You may be wondering, after reading my post about straight ticket voting and judicial races if the same thing is true in counties other than Harris. I got to wondering that myself, so I checked out the results from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HouZE

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is very cool. Independence Heights earned a place in history as Texas’ first African-American city, settled in 1908 and sovereign until it was swallowed by the city of Houston 21 years later. But tomorrow’s residents may be pioneers of … Continue reading →

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I’m glad someone is optimistic about the possibility of Medicaid expansion in Texas

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Because I sure can’t say that I’m optimistic about it happening. State Senator Rodney Ellis, Democrat of Houston, said fiscal conservatives have an incentive to reach an agreement “because the alternative is going to cost us much more economically and … Continue reading →

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Support Senate Concurrent Resolution 2

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Until something is done at the federal level about the awful Citizens United ruling, there’s not much states can do about it. One thing they can do is tell the feds that they want them to take action against this … Continue reading →

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Can you believe it’s been ten years?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ten years (and one week) ago, four defeated Democratic candidates for the State House filed a lawsuit against the Texas Association of Business, claiming that TAB funneled illegal corporate contributions into state legislative races in the 2002 election. As you … Continue reading →

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Getting out the vote in Bexar County

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Stace pointed me to this Express News story about the Bexar County Democratic Party’s ground game for the November election. Many factors influence the outcome of an election, and precise analysis is not always available. But putting $600,000 into a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Have I mentioned the that drought is back?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I hate to say it, but it is. A dry winter that’s on track to making the record books has sent portions of Texas, including Houston and Fort Worth, back into severe drought, raising concerns about wildfires and the health … Continue reading →

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Help Metro figure out the bike and transit thing

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Your public service opportunity of the day: METRO and the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) are seeking input from bicyclists on the use of public transit. Want to join? You must meet the following criteria: Already integrate biking and public transit … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for December 2

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Insert standard plaintive cry about where the year has gone here. Help the Waltrip High School Band travel to play at President Obama’s inauguration. Here’s a comprehensive list of people who are paid to pontificate about politics saying dumb things … Continue reading →

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Some sanity on STAAR

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is a welcome development. A requirement that the state exams count toward 15 percent of a student’s course grade sparked a backlash last spring over the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, among parents whose ninth-graders … Continue reading →

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Parties split on waiting for SCOTUS

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: Lawyers for the Justice Department and intervenors in the Texas voter ID case told the court yesterday that the court should put off consideration of Texas’ claim that section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional until … Continue reading →

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This is what a full-scale Latino outreach program looks like

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is what I’m talking about. President Barack Obama’s campaign team realized even before Romney was nominated that the growing Latino vote was the key to a second Obama term. And they acted to sew it up with an early, … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: Smooth Criminal

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #41 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Smooth Criminal”, originally by Michael Jackson and covered by Alien Ant Farm. Here’s the Gloved One: That’s the radio edit – my Youtube search shows that the full version of … Continue reading →

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The payday lenders’ new tricks

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You really need to read Forrest Wilder’s story about the latest scheme by payday lenders to skirt regulation. As serendipity would have it, I had stumbled onto the latest mutant creature in the wild and wooly world of Texas payday … Continue reading →

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DRT vs OAG: OAG wins

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the Daughters of the Republic of Texas have conceded in the fight over how the Alamo has been maintained. In a news release Tuesday, the Daughters acknowledged recent troubles at the shrine and … Continue reading →

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So you say you have Bigfoot DNA

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have one thing to say about this. A team of scientists can verify that their 5-year long DNA study, currently under peer-review, confirms the existence of a novel hominin hybrid species, commonly called “Bigfoot” or “Sasquatch,” living in North … Continue reading →

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