At yesterday’s hearing of the House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations, Rep. Ferdinand Frank Fischer III (who goes by the moniker, “Trey Martinez Fischer”) compared the committee’s efforts to impeach UT Regent Wallace Hall with the famous...
Tony McDonald
A Lone Voice of Reason
Yesterday the ironically titled Texas House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations finally met in public to hear allegations against UT Regent Wallace Hall. Sadly, only one member of the committee dared to act as a voice of reason throughout day...
Pompa “Campaigns” for Tarrant County Senate Seat … In Austin?
Today Tony Pompa, a Republican candidate for Senate District 10 in Tarrant County, posted on his facebook account pictures from a “campaign Meet & Greet” he held last week. There’s a couple of problems though. The “campaign” event was held at the Intercontinental...
TxDOT Singles Out Citizen Scofflaws; Won’t Release Outlaw Legislator Names
Today the Texas Department of Transportation released a list of “habitual toll violators.” The list singled out by name citizens of the state who had racked up thousands of dollars in unpaid tolls. The list was made under the authority granted to TxDOT by Senate Bill...
Lies, Damned Lies, and LBB Statistics
“Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.’” —Mark Twain In August, the...
“Transparency” Committee Lurks in the Shadows
At the last meeting of the Texas House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations — the committee that has been tasked by Speaker Joe Straus with impeaching University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall — the committee’s outside counsel, Rusty Hardin...
A Tale of Two Freshmen
When Representatives Jonathan Stickland (R–Bedford) and J.D. Sheffield (R–Gatesville) arrived in Austin in January, they were both freshman Republican legislators; newly elected to their first public offices. Both ran for office with an “R” next to their name and on...
Get Two Free Tickets to a UT, A&M, or Texas Tech Game*
It is common knowledge around Austin that state officials are offered free tickets to UT sporting events. What wasn’t known—until now—was which Reps, Senators, and statewide officials take advantage of the program.
Witch Hunt Denies Wallace Hall His Right to Cross-Examine
Rusty Hardin has been hired as a special prosecutor against Wallace Hall.
Trading Access?
A recent study found that a UT degree comes in third place amongst Texas colleges in a ranking of “return on investment.”