The Latest
Decision Texas, Local, South Texas
South Texas Democrat Switches Party Affiliation
Kleberg County Attorney Kira Talip Sanchez announced she now aligns with the Republican Party.
Over 50 Texas House Republicans Voted to Protect Democrat Influence on Border Security Efforts
If people don’t support border security, why would we put them on the Border Security Council?
New Tarrant Appraisal District Scandal Prompts Calls for New Leadership
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and Keller Mayor Armin Mizani say it’s time to replace Chief Appraiser Jeff Law.
Texas Power Grid Breaks Peak Energy Demand Record Again
On Sunday, August 20, the grid surpassed 85,116 megawatts, setting a new record for energy demand on the weekend.
The Archive
House Chairs
House Speaker Joe Straus announced his committee chairs today, with little in the way of surprises. Not the least surprising was that this crop of committee chairs is slightly less fiscally responsible than the 2011 batch. Since the legislature is in session, it’s a...
Transparency in the Modern Age
Texas government, be it statewide or local, seems mired in a dilemma. On the one hand, we have some tremendously transparent government entities (i.e., the city of Houston's website was given an A- rating by Sunshine Review last year). On the other, we have some...
Hispanic Future
Texas is on a path towards a Hispanic majority, a fact that should make conservatives rejoice. The Republican Party, on the other hand, will have some rough times ahead if they don't get their act together. To the extent that the Republican Party has failed to connect...
Protecting Texans From ObamaCare
Stop ObamaCare! An increasingly important role for the states is to serve as a bulwark against federal overreach and encroachment. Taking that role seriously is State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, who has authored legislation giving state tax credits to businesses fined...
Microchip ID Cards OK Under First Amendment, Says Court
Back in November, I wrote about Northside ISD's effort to increase their state revenue cut down on truancy and keep students in the classroom with microchip tracking technology in student identification cards. At the time, this effort was being challenged in court,...
“No” to new school security taxing districts
“Three Houston-area lawmakers want to allow voters to set up special taxing districts to pay for enhanced security at Texas public schools,” AP reported earlier this week. “The plan broadly outlined Tuesday allows voters in each district to decide if they want to...
Salaries Jump For Austin ISD Administrators
Who needs teachers when you can pay for more administrators? That seems to be the prevailing attitude in Austin ISD’s central office building. The number of six-figure salary earners jumped 63 percent over the last five years, while AISD cut teachers and sued the...
Dirty Harry Reid Attempted to Expand Gambling in Texas
How's this for obnoxious interference? Nevada Senator Harry Reid, the Democrat majority leader and all-around annoying stooge, attempted to pass legislation in December to allow Native American tribes to open casinos in Texas. Politico posted the story a couple of...
Taking Aim at Conflict of Interest
Straight out of the gate, State Representative Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) is taking aim at one of those insidious bipartisan problems in government - conflict of interest. His House Bill 524 is a transparency bill requiring lawyers who happen to be...