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A Billion Bucks And Not A Penny To Spend

Houston ISD managed to get 51% of the voters to impose $850 billion in debt upon themselves a month ago -- for the children, of course. But a lawsuit is stopping the district from the getting the cash, under allegations that not all the children are benefit from the...

So The Bad Teachers Stay Longer?

The Austin American Statesman’s editorial board is breathlessly writing that “Smarter teachers leave sooner.” Texas is facing a worsening shortage of qualified teachers in science, math and other highly-specialized fields. Could that be because we let crummy...

It’s Just $900 Million

State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown of Irving is at it again. She's worried taxpayers are being scammed by the mass transit authority in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. She must be crazy -- taxpayers' don't really mind $900 million errors with their money. We work for...

Stinson Puts Down His Pen

The newspaper industry is suffering a rotten blow this week, with the announcement that columnist Roddy Stinson of the San Antonio Express-News is retiring, effective Dec. 30. Stinson has been an unabshed advocate for old-fashioned common sense, even when --...

Houston Chronicle Reports on Need for More Property Tax Relief

The Chronicle story "Homeowners still waiting for tax relief from Perry" reports most of the $2,000 promised property tax relief is evaporating due to appraisal increases, and in some school districts, rate increases. But the obstacle last session to more...

UPDATE: Threat Against TFR

Late Friday afternoon the Austin emergency response teams and federal agencies declared the substance mailed to TFR to be mostly harmless. The TFR staff and others in their section of the building were released, after being sequestered until the powder was identified....

Statement on TFR Death Threat

The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Michael Quinn Sullivan, offered the following statement on the death threat and powdery substance he received in the mail today. In response, the building has been evacuated but the TFR staff has been asked to remain...

Geren’s Obfuscation

State Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth wants it both ways. While he doesn't want his constituents to know about his anti-taxpayer ways, but he also says he isn't to worried about being seen as a government-growing spendoholic. Scoring just 45% on the TFR Index, Geren...

The Law Man

My travels took me to Del Rio for a speech this week, a border town in Val Verde County. I had the good fortune to chat with the sheriff, D'Wayne Jernigan. He’s true West Texas lawman who has earned the ire of the left-leaning establishment for doing his job well...