Monthly Archives: February 2013

Why do we think more charters would help?

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Patricia Kilday Hart discusses the political battle over charter schools, but in doing so reminds me that there’s a fundamental question that seems to be going largely unasked. Now, a sweeping bill filed by Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, could lead … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is Section 5 doomed?

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

While there’s been a lot of reporting and analysis suggesting a grim future for the Voting Rights Act, SCOTUSBlog’s Lyle Denniston suggests that maybe, just maybe, Section 5 ain’t dead yet. Sometimes, in Supreme Court argument, a single phrase can … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Vouchers continue to be a tough sell

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I won’t be happy till they’re dead and buried, but it’s something. Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, doesn’t think the Senate has a taste for vouchers. Noting that a two-thirds vote of the 31-member chamber is needed to bring up a … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of February 25

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance remains unsequestered as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Guest post: A response to Sen. Patrick on school choice

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following is a guest post, by Aboubacar Ndiaye. It was sent to me unsolicited. I liked it and agreed to print it, so here it is. In an editorial published last Wednesday in the Houston Chronicle, State Senator … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Battlegound Texas officially launches

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You have probably heard by now that Battleground Texas has officially launched. Spearheaded by organizers of Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 — when Republican nominee Mitt Romney handily carried the Lone Star State — a new push, called “Battleground Texas,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Harris Health System plans to serve more patients via Medicaid waiver

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The story about what they’re going to do leaves a few details out, however. Harris Health System leaders plan to serve 100,000 new patients in the next three years. That is a 37 percent increase from today, and is particularly … Continue reading →

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Early voting ends in SD06

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting ended in the SD06 runoff yesterday. As of when I went to bed, the final daily totals had not been sent out – the daily totals as of Monday, which are here, hit my inbox at 9:30 AM … Continue reading →

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On Latinos not winning Latino Congressional districts

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have a problem with this analysis by Nathan Gonzales, at least as it pertains to the three Texas districts included. Even though a record number of Latinos are serving in the 113th Congress, Hispanic candidates are significantly underperforming in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Yes, Ed Emmett supports Medicaid expansion

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As I’m sure you’re aware, I’ve been banging the drum pretty much nonstop for Medicaid expansion. I see it not only as a state issue but a county issue as well, which is why I’ve made a big deal about … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Some people still want to move backwards on equality

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve noted several bills that aim to move Texas forward, however incrementally, towards greater equality. These are all good and fine things, but don’t mistake their existence for evidence that the Legislature is through trying to move us backwards. The … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Knife rights

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

With all the talk about guns this year, it should be noted that they are not the only weapons under consideration in the Legislature. HB936 by Rep. Harold Dutton would decriminalize the possession, manufacture, transfer, repair, or sale of switchblade … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Precinct analysis: Comparing 2012 and 2008, Senate and SBOE edition

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

To follow up on my previous examination of how the 2012 election returns looked in State House districts compared to the 2008 returns, I now have the data to look at other types of districts as well. You can find … Continue reading →

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Report recommends against privatizing the Harris County jail

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. Privatizing the Harris County jail would be risky and may not result in savings, according to an internal county memo recommending that Commissioners Court keep the state’s largest lockup in Sheriff Adrian Garcia’s hands. The confidential Feb. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

City proposes bike parking alternatives

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Bicycle advocates are cheering a city proposal that would give businesses an incentive to offer bike parking and would require some properties to provide it for the first time, saying the ideas mark a cultural shift in Houston. “This … Continue reading →

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We could do something to make voting easier if we wanted to

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

With all the negative news about voting rights in the news these days – voter ID, electoral college gerrymandering, challenges to the Voting Rights Act – it’s good to remember that positive change is still possible. On two major occasions—during … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 24

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

“I asked Jack White if Jack White had met Jack Black. They had. It has been on my mind for a long time. Now I know.” I’m not embarrassed to punctuate with exclamation points where I feel they properly convey … Continue reading →

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The return of the day pass

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the day pass? One fare, and you could ride the bus and/or light rail all day? Metro is thinking about bringing it back. After a five-year hiatus, the daypass may soon return as an option for Metro bus and … Continue reading →

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

The mouth that roared

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about Ted Cruz. Cruz’s fans, and there are many, compare him to Ronald Reagan, who happens to be the 42-year-old senator’s boyhood hero. Cruz’s detractors, and there are many, compare him to Joe McCarthy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

I knew all this beer harmony couldn’t last forever

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We have some legislative beer controversy on our hands. Texas brewers would lose a potential source of capital and some flexibility in negotiating sales under a bill before the state Senate. The Texas Craft Brewers Guild immediately opposed the legislation, … Continue reading →

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HISD cold on Patrick’s charter proposal

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

HISD has a bone to pick with Sen. Dan Patrick’s school choice bill. The Houston Independent School District was charter friendly long before other school districts were, mainly due to the influence of then-Superintendent Rod Paige. The nationally known Knowledge … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Song #30 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, originally by the Rolling Stones, and covered by Devo. Here’s the original: I trust we’re all familiar with this one. I love seeing 60’s-era videos … Continue reading →

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Vote for Houston in the Mayor’s Challenge final

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the HuffPo: Vote below for your favorite idea among the 20 Mayors Challenge finalists! Voting is open from February 20 through March 6. The Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge is a competition designed to inspire America’s mayors to generate innovative … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Keeping the push for immigration reform

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas House: Democratic Texas House members [have] filed an immigration resolution that could serve as a litmus test for Republican support for reforms being suggested at the national level. House Concurrent Resolution 44, which urges the U.S. Congress … Continue reading →

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The driverless car visits Austin

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Anyone there get to see it? Google, which has been developing and touting the future of self-piloting cars, has parked a driverless car in front of the Hilton Hotel downtown, site of the three-day Texas Transportation Forum. The modified Lexus … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

LBJ Wildflower Center helping to restore pine trees to Texas

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of The University of Texas at Austin has been selected by the Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) to serve as the local grower of loblolly pines to restore wildfire-damaged Bastrop County. The … Continue reading →

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Friday random thirteen: Cracked covers

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You know how much I love lists and cover songs, so you should not be surprised to learn that this 20 worst pop music covers list in Cracked, which I discovered while looking for their story about dirty old-time songs … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

As if you needed another reason to support Medicaid expansion

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Even more data on why Medicaid expansion makes sense from Texas Impact. The study, by former Texas deputy comptroller Billy Hamilton, says Texas shouldn’t pass up the chance to insure up to 2 million of its more than 6 million … Continue reading →

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Fixing our front door

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds very cool. The century-old Sunset Coffee Building, looming in disrepair over Allen’s Landing at the north end of downtown, will become Houston’s “front door” with an $8 million public-private renovation set to begin in April. The three-story brick … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston loses air pollution permit lawsuit

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Houston may not effectively void a state air pollution permit. The justices agreed with Southern Crushed Concrete that Houston’s 2007 law restricting the location of concrete-crushing facilities violates state statute by nullifying … Continue reading →

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Aiming to attract magnets

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

HISD has applied for a $12 million federal grant to create as many as eight new magnet schools. HISD’s application, which is due to the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, would create science, technology, engineering and math programs … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The birth control poll

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Freedom Network would like you to know that Texans support having access to birth control. A new statewide poll from the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund shows Texans believe that access to family planning and birth control is … Continue reading →

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Meet SWIFT

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

SWIFT is the State Water Infrastructure Fund for Texas, which would be created by the big water bills of the session, HB4 and SB4. Basically, this is a plan to create a water infrastructure bank, to finance various water projects … Continue reading →

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Bike trail on utility rights-of-way bills filed

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a big show of support for making bike trails on CenterPoint’s rights of way happen. Houston voters last fall approved a $166 million bond measure to expand the city’s trail system, to be matched by $105 million in … Continue reading →

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