Tag Archives: Dan Patrick

A bipartisan equality bill

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the effort, but we can’t expect too much to come of this. Five Democratic and two Republican state legislators announced plans Wednesday to file a bill next legislative session that would bar discrimination against LGBTQ Texans in housing, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A bipartisan equality bill

Of course they have voted by mail

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It should surprise no one that the three main opponents to an expansion of voting by mail have all voted by mail themselves in past elections. Three of Texas’ top Republican leaders are vigorously fighting efforts to expand mail-in voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Dan Patrick gets all hysterical about voting by mail

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Poor Dan. You know how emotional he gets. Could someone get him a nice cup of chamomile tea, to help him calm down a bit? Thanks. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday said that efforts to expand mail-in voting during … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Patrick’s megadonor task force tells him what he wanted to hear

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Knock me over with a bag full of unmarked bills. Local governments could find their emergency powers hemmed in during future emergencies under recommendations proposed by a task force that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick set up. State government needs an … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

What if it were Ed?

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The question to ask yourself in reading this story about Republicans bitching and moaning about Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is “How different would things actually be if Ed Emmett were still County Judge?” By the time Harris County Judge … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The fight over sick leave has to be at the state level

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I get this, but it’s not going to work. The coronavirus outbreak is sparking a debate over paid sick leave in Houston, the largest U.S. city without a law requiring businesses to provide paid time off for workers who fall … Continue reading →

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

How partisan is concern about coronavirus?

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

On the one hand: Texas’ economy is taking a catastrophic hit — and hundreds of thousands of Texans are out of work — as officials shutter businesses and limit some establishment’s operations to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. But while Texans’ optimism … Continue reading →

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

“There are more important things than living”

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, everybody. After facing intense criticism for suggesting on Fox News last month that he’d rather perish from the new coronavirus than see instability in the state’s economic system, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said last night that … Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

So this is reopening

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not much to this, is there? Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced initial steps to reopen the Texas economy during the coronavirus pandemic, including those that in the next week will loosen surgery restrictions at medical facilities, allow all … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Only the megadonors can save us now

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Actual headline, from an actual Houston Chronicle story: Dallas megadonor leads secret team charged with carrying out Dan Patrick’s plan to restart economy Remember how I said that the story of Steve Stockman and his supporters using the cover of … Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Only the megadonors can save us now

Treating COVID-19 patients at nursing homes

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is a huge can of worms. When Larry Edrozo got a phone call from his mother’s nursing home in Texas City telling him she was being treated for the novel coronavirus with an unproven pharmaceutical drug, he had two … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Younger people get coronavirus, too

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because that’s how viruses work. More Houstonians younger than 60 are testing positive for the novel coronavirus than those who are most at risk of developing serious complications from the illness. Of that number, middle-aged adults — those in their … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Younger people get coronavirus, too

Harris County stay-at-home order extended

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday extended her stay-at-home order through April 30, as cases of novel coronavirus infections in the Houston area continue to rise, three county officials with knowledge of the plan said. Hidalgo … Continue reading →

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

Still trying to do something about the coronavirus risk in the jail

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time is extremely limited for this. A federal judge Friday asked lawyers to hammer out a plan for releasing about 1,000 indigent inmates detained on bonds of $10,000 or less amid fear of a COVID-19 outbreak at the third largest … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Republican death wish

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It would be one thing if they were just putting their own lives at risk, but that’s not how viruses work. After Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins became the first to announce a mandatory stay-at-home rule, conservative groups including Empower … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Houston/Harris County stay-at-home order

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s hoping we won’t have to do this for too much longer. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a stay-at-home order Tuesday morning closing most businesses and directing residents to stay put except for groceries and errands in the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Go ahead and die, Dan

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just do it on your own time, and try not to take anyone with you. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, chiming in to support President Donald Trump’s new focus on the economy over fierce warnings from public health officials, suggested … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 31 Comments

Republican former Senators defend anti-majoritarian practices

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the spirit in which this was offered, but it’s completely out of touch with reality. The purpose of the 31-member Texas Senate is similar to that of the U.S. Senate: to cool down some of the fevered legislation … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Republican former Senators defend anti-majoritarian practices

The Observer overviews the DA primary

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve had a chance to listen to my interviews with DA candidates, now read this story for more on this important primary. When Kim Ogg first ran for Harris County district attorney, she had a simple pitch for criminal justice … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Observer overviews the DA primary

January 2020 campaign finance reports: SBOE and State Senate

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s finish off our review of state offices. This post will cover State Board of Education, District 6, and the State Senate. My two-part look at the State House was here and here, Harris County offices were here, and statewide … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dan Patrick makes the most predictable announcement ever

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Really, who didn’t see this coming? Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Thursday he may further lower the threshold required to bring bills to the Senate floor if Republicans lose one or two seats in November. Patrick made the comment at … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Update on the “Judicial Selection Committee”

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, this is a thing. All but one member of the new Texas Commission on Judicial Selection indicated at the group’s first meeting Thursday that they believe partisanship is problematic in the state’s method of selecting judges. Only Sen. Joan … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The extraordinary danger of being pregnant and uninsured in Texas

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So utterly appalling. From 2012 through 2015, at least 382 pregnant women and new mothers died in Texas from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, according to the most recent data available from the Department of State Health Services; since then, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The extraordinary danger of being pregnant and uninsured in Texas

Roland Gutierrez running in SD19

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Most of the action in Texas in 2020 is in the Congressional and State Rep races, but there’s one big State Senate pickup opportunity, and we need to close the deal on it. State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dan Patrick’s budget destruction

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not what you think it is, but it’s still bad. Tucked away in a quiet corner of Texas state government, an arcane team of 100 or so budget nerds has led a private, if stressful, life — running financial … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dan Patrick’s budget destruction

The next bathroom bill

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You can see it coming from here. The Texas House LGBTQ Caucus is counting on Democrats flipping the Republican-held House to keep another possible ‘bathroom bill’ off the table during the 2021 legislative session. Texas Republicans last week rallied around … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Barohich not running again in SBOE6

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another open seat. Texas State Board of Education chairwoman Donna Bahorich, who represents part of Harris County, announced Friday she will not seek reelection in 2020 as the District 6 representative. “I have 8 years of service on the board,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

UT-Tyler: Trump still looks weak in Texas

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Two months later, there may be a story line to watch. Beto O’Rourke remains competitive against President Donald Trump in a Texas head-to-head matchup, according to a poll released Thursday by the Center for Opinion Research at the University of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Everybody hates Dan

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You just hate to see it. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is doubling down on his call for closing loopholes in gun sales background checks despite withering criticism from other Republicans, conservative groups that have ardently supported him, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Everybody hates Dan

Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan fighting is the sweetest sound you will ever hear

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Inject this directly into my veins. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan, a hardline conservative activist long aligned with the head of the Texas Senate, publicly accused each other of “destroying” the Republican Party on Tuesday — seeming … Continue reading →

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

Abbott’s gun suggestions

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Weak leader makes timid proposals. Film at 11. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the Texas Legislature to consider laws that would make it easier for private gun sellers to perform voluntary background checks on buyers — declining to go as … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Abbott’s gun suggestions

Red flag

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This seems like maybe it’s a problem. A report out Wednesday by the San Antonio Express-News found that a gun owner in Texas had sent more than 100 pages of racist and violent letters to the Texas Attorney General’s office … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dan Patrick says he’s for slightly expanded background checks

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’s “willing to take an arrow” and defy the National Rifle Association by pressing Texas to close one loophole in gun-purchaser background checks. On Friday, Patrick said it’s “common sense” to tighten … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dan Patrick says he’s for slightly expanded background checks

Is there anything Houston can do about gun violence?

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not much, unfortunately. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday said he wants state lawmakers to give cities and counties more flexibility to address gun violence in response to mass shootings this month that killed 31 people, including 22 in El Paso. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments