May God rest the soul of Molly Ivins, a brave and talented woman. The Texas Observer reports she succumbed to her battle with cancer today.
I’ll remember, I’ll remember…sunsets, rivers, hills, plains, the Gulf, woods, a thousand beers in a thousand joints, and sunshine and laughter. And people. Mostly I’ll remember people. –Molly Ivins, 1976 editorial
To [...]
01.31.07 | Uncategorized | pinkdome
Yesterday Rep. Alonzo from Dallas filed HB 993 to move our state’s Presidential primary up to the first Tuesday in February. Rep. Richard Peña Raymond from Laredo sent us a release saying that he endorses this bill.
I think we should definitely try for early primaries. It would make candidates focus more on our [...]
01.31.07 | Uncategorized | admin
Texas ranks fifth in the nation in childhood obesity rates. Recently, several states have been taking action to curb the trend with requirements on nutritional standards and educational awareness…Texas was not one of them. We can blame a million things on obesity in children, but there are things we can do to intervene. Why [...]
01.31.07 | Uncategorized | pinkdome
Via the DMN blog Capitol Letters, Karen Brooks brings us the following exchanges that took place on the House floor today:
Chisum vs. Burnam
Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth: “The reason we have such conflict is … the minority part has been totally disrespected for four years. The minority party has an opportunity to, all of us, [...]
01.30.07 | Uncategorized | admin
I’m on the bkackberry so excuse typos. I’m in the House gallery trying to listen, but as usual I am distracted by the yelling and the grand theatre that is always on display below me.
This whole suspension of the 60 day rule is annoying. The rules are suspended all the time to bring shit up, [...]
01.30.07 | Uncategorized | pinkdome
The latest YouTube craze is turning your own words against you. The “McCain vs. McCain” video is a shameless attempt to show a man struggling through policy positions in front of a national audience. McCain’s inability to decide if he’s the straight talker or ‘base-panderer’ is much more annoying than his actual policy positions.
01.30.07 | Uncategorized | pinkdome
The Statesman has a follow-up article to Saturday’s piece on Jennifer Kim and the hubbub surrounding access to the airport with her council member badge. According to today’s article, Kim and the City Manager, Toby Futrell, are blaming an inaccurate 2005 memo that was passed out as part of Kim’s orientation to her office. [...]
01.30.07 | Uncategorized | admin
The receptions are gearing up. Faithfully attended by you poor staffers that get a free meal and a few drinks, the lobbyists and organizations are trying to draw your bosses out more. Perks such as scholarships and massages are now on the agenda at these events, but not for you staffers.
“I wouldn’t want to take [...]
01.30.07 | Uncategorized | pinkdome
I know y’all have been wracked with sleepless nights since we posted on Brazoria Mayor Ken Corley’s recent proposal to fine residents for using the word “nigger” in an offensive or aggressive manner - what will happen next? Are there free speech concerns? Where the hell is Brazoria?
Well, it turns out the residents [...]
01.29.07 | Uncategorized | admin
So much for No Child Left Behind. Wow, a third of all students don’t graduate. That’s the good news. The bad news is the dropout rate among blacks, Hispanics and low-income students is about 60 percent, according to the Center for Education at Rice University.
Naturally, the dropout rate in urban centers is higher. According to [...]
01.29.07 | Uncategorized | pinkdome