12.28.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 12:21 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes Santa Claus was good to you as it delivers the last blog roundup for 2010.
Bay Area Houston notices that Death Panels are starting in Jan.
Off the Kuff took a look at the election contest that was filed in HD48.
Harold at Letters From Texas told a little Christmas story from his childhood, to (unsuccessfully) prove that he’s not a scrooge.
It seems the EPA and Big Gas agree on something: Hydraulic fracturing causes gas to penetrate into the water zone! TXsharon caught Big Gas shooting themselves in the foot and exposed it on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
If you want a lighter take on Texas’s 4 new Congressional seats announced by the Census this week that includes calls for reform on how we do redistricting in Texas and Lord of the Rings references, head over to TexasVox.
WhosPlayin has mostly been quiet over the holiday, but is following how one gas driller, Titan Operating has legal battles going on in two adjacent cities: Flower Mound, and Lewisville.
Over at TexasKaos, lightseeker talks about a recent story out of New Mexico. He asks a number of questions about abortion, choice and reality. Between the warring camps and what real people face there is an enormous gulf. See how you would answer his questions here: Abortion, Choices, and Compassion.
Neil at Texas Liberal wrote about federal money being used to improve the Galveston Seawall. Galveston County voted Republican in 2010. Where are bake sales to raise the needed funds to improve the Seawall and to get the Feds out of Galveston County? Where are the citizen volunteers doing the work themselves? Where are the committed liberty loving citizens of Galveston County living up all the talk of self-reliance and local governance?
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12.20.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Uncategorized at 11:14 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is tracking reports of sugar plum sightings as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
Off the Kuff reminds you that expanded gambling is still doomed in the next Legislative session.
The EPA Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order to Protect Drinking Water in Southern Parker County has spawned a media frenzy but news sources only tell part of the story. TXsharon has a short timeline of events surrounding the water contamination that should change the conversation.
Led by the so-called “professional left”, Texas Democrats locked Aaron Pena in the virtual town square stocks and hurled rotten tomatoes at him until he cried. “Call Out Aaron” Day was the social media hit of the holiday season, by all accounts (except Pena’s). See PDiddie and Brains and Eggs for details.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know how deluded you have to be to pick Dick Armey as Texan of the Year.
Neil at Texas Liberal ran the Dan Patrick family Christmas sugar cookie recipe that Mr. Patrick posted on Facebook. In addition, far-right Senator Patrick announced an update on the Tea Party caucus in the Texas Legislature. After you eat enough of the Patrick cookies loaded with butter and sugar, you can go and die because the Tea Party Caucus made sure you had no health insurance.
Mean Rachel got really pissed off at Aaron Pena.
TexasVox went absolutely crazy covering the Sunset hearings on the TCEQ and Railroad Commission this last week, and if you missed it, you can get caught up here.
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12.13.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Uncategorized at 9:40 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is stocking up on figgy pudding as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
Off the Kuff covered a shoddy attempt by new Harris County Tax Assessor Don Sumners to disallow voter registration efforts at naturalization ceremonies.
Letters From Texas projected out the grim possibilities for state representative Aaron Peña as he contemplates switching to the Republican Party.
Now is the time to ask Larry Summers to do something REALLY useful. You know, for the good of the country.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks Barack Obama is a putz and Bernie Sanders is a hero. UT professor Galbraith says it all.
Edmundo Rocha’s pays tribute to the passing of civil rights activist and former San Antonio Express-News columnist Carlos Guerra. An unsung hero who never gave up hope for a better Texas.
Aaron Pena’s impending party flip is tied directly to his 2012 Congressional ambitions. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs explains.
Bay Area Houston dog piles on State Representative Aaron Pena. He could get with this. Or he could get with that.
lightseeker at TexasKaos reports on Rick Perry’s latest foray into half-truths and self-serving opportunism. This time he is whipping up a big batch of whacked out claims about the cost of providing health care to uninsured Texans. Check out the details here: Rick Perry , Rabble Rouser .
Public Citizen Texas over at TexasVox wants to remind everyone to show up to testify at the Sunset Advsory Commission meeting Dec 15th on the Railroad Commission and TCEQ. Details are at their blog.
Neil at Texas Liberal ran a post with pictures he took last spring at the Houston Ship Channel. Neil’s view is that if the world around us is at times not ideal, there are still many things to consider, learn about, and maybe even embrace. This does not mean we should be resigned to a polluted landscape. Neil has been stressing of late in his blog the need for action by average people in the face of the newly empowered Republican party in Austin and Washington. We know from the TPA posts listed here this week that things are a mess. The question is what are we going to do in reply to this mess?
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12.06.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary at 10:40 am by wcnews
The Texas Progressive Alliance is gathering up boughs of holly in anticipation of future hall-decking as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
Off the Kuff takes a look at the HHSC report on the effects of dropping Medicaid. Short answer: It would be bad, but what they really have in mind to do may be even worse.
Bay Area Houston has some interesting comments on the criminal probe of State Representative Joe Driver.
Capitol Annex takes a look at a dangerous proposal by incoming State Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Humble) to allow independent school districts to lessen the amount of cash reserves they are required to keep on hand and explains why this is a terrible idea.
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy takes a look at the shortfall in the Texas budget. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
This week, McBlogger reminds everyone to STOP SHOUTING at the Federal Reserve for doing it’s job.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme won’t be switching to Uverse now that AT&T bought 700 copies of Rick Perry’s book. Yuck.
Neil at Texas Liberal makes note of the fact that unionized city workers in Houston are taking voluntary furloughs to help ease Houston’s budget crisis. What a contrast this act of helping out Houston represents, in comparsion to the public-at-large in Houston which can be barely troubled to vote in municipal elections. Sometimes it is government that gets it right while individauls may be apathetic or even hostile in regards to the public good.
Public Citizen’s TexasVox blog gives you ways to get involved to keep Texas from becoming the nation’s radioactive waste dump by attending the public hearing in Austin on Dec 9 at 10am.
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