2nd Thought
Why He’s Running
Comptroller candidate Mike Collier says big owners are shifting Texas’ tax burden to the little guys. He wants to change that.DAVE McNEELY
Why did the Texas Legislature in 2011 cut $5.4 billion from school funding even though property tax revenues went up? That’s what Mike Collier, a Houston corporate number-cruncher wondered. “I knew something was terribly wr...
NORML-izing Drug Laws
Saturday’s Global Marijuana March is drawing more interest than usual.EDWARD BROWN
If there’s any doubt that the landscape of marijuana laws is changing in Texas, as it is in the rest of the country, look no farther for proof than the Global Marijuana March coming up Saturday in downtown Fort Worth. Shaun M...
One Less Worry?
Despite tension in Ukraine, WWIII isn’t looming.GWYNNE DYER
With apologies to God, Voltaire, and the Ukrainians, I must point out that if Ukraine did not exist, it would not be necessary to invent it. It has no resources the world cannot do without, and it is not a “vital strategic in...
A lighter “Lite Guv”?
Either Patrick or Van de Putte could find their Senate powers reduced.DAVE McNEELY
The lieutenant governor — the “lite guv” — is the second most powerful state official in Texas. Here’s what’s going on in the race for the job, why it’s so powerful, and why that could change. Lt. Gov. David Dewhu...
Waiting Impatience
People in doctors’ waiting rooms are already worried. Must they also bear the pain of politics?KEN WHEATCROFT-PARDUE
Due to my wife’s recent medical problems, I’ve become an expert of sorts on doctors’ waiting rooms. This niche ecosystem is filled with a cross-section of humanity, trending toward the elderly but also including more than...
Drug War Victims: Taxpayers
DAVE McNEELYA rare political collision is occurring in Texas: The left and the right have backed into each other, both deciding that long sentences for most drug offenders are inhumane, ineffective, and expensive. Progressives think such s...
Mission Not Accomplished
GWYNNE DYERIn his visit to Afghanistan last December, British Prime Minister David Cameron ended up sounding just as deluded as President George W. Bush had been when he proclaimed “Mission accomplished” six weeks after the invasion o...
Getting off the High Horse
Knee-jerk reactions in a shock-jock world help no one.KEN WHEATCROFT-PARDUE
After a tough day, you’re decompressing, shutting out the world, checking out the lightest of internet fare. You come across a video with a headline about a high school teacher falling asleep in front of her class. What a los...
Fools Rush In
Legislators consider bringing high-level radioactive waste to Texas.KAREN HADDEN
The Texas Legislature will hold hearings this year on the supposed benefits of our state storing the very hottest type of radioactive waste. Only political greed overriding common sense could account for such a stupid idea. Whe...
Dynasty
Another Bush looks for his place in Texas’ political orchards.DAVE McNEELY
The Bushes don’t hanker to inch up the political ladder. They start at or near the top. For four generations, it’s either been Congress or statewide office for them. George P. Bush, 37, is no exception. He announced early i...