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The Latest Texas News
Texas Attorney General’s Office and 2 Counties Join ICE’s Reinstated Task Force Model
Legislators, sheriffs, and ICE are encouraging Texas’ unenrolled counties to join.
Jim Davis Named Interim President of UT Austin
Davis was appointed by the UT System chancellor under the recommendation of the Board of Regents.
Lawmakers Propose Limits on School Superintendent Salaries
Taxpayer-funded salaries for Texas school districts’ top administrators have skyrocketed in recent years.
Pressure Mounts on Supreme Court To Review Texas Ethics Commission’s Speech Regulation
The Texas Ethics Commission has faced increasing scrutiny for what critics call overreach in regulating political speech.
The Archive
Government’s Potteresque savior complex
I couldn't help myself this morning, when I read this story about former President George W. Bush's defense of the 2008 bailouts, from thinking of Harry Potter. In one of the books, Hermione Granger says to Harry, while he's preparing to go on another of his...
Senatorial Shift
With four Republican retiring, perhaps two more Republicans vulnerable to primary challenges, and a Democrat heading for defeat, the Texas Senate will look a lot better in 2013. Each outgoing senator is likely to be replaced by conservatives TFR has previously...
The fleeting joy of tax rate cuts
Tax rate cuts are like bluebonnets - temporary and sometimes non-existent beauties that fade with the season. Even when tax rates are cut in one taxing entity, other entities will often hike your rate, and it is likely your appraisal goes up as well, making any joy...
EPA Regulations in Texas Will Devastate Local Communities
This summer, the EPA released a new regulation regarding coal-fired power plants in Texas. Called the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), it will devastate mine and other local communities, wreak havoc on already strained power supplies, and cause the loss of...
Open Seat Draws Out Distinctions
Another open Metroplex house district, and another race pitting a candidate boasting support from the House Speaker' cheering squad against a candidate with conservative credentials. Newly redrawn House District 115 in Dallas County includes part of Coppell, Irving,...
Recession Over? It Is For Texas Local Governments
Are we out of recession? Has the economy in Texas, outside the immediate oil-patch, started to boom? If you look at local government decisions across the state you’d think Texas to have an unemployment rate half what it is. Just a review of the past few days of news...
Are school boards powerless in Texas?
Michael Quinn Sullivan of EmpowerTexans.com posted on his Facebook: “The AP is reporting that SAT reading scores have dropped to new low. We've doubled per-pupil spending in Texas, yet test scores are declining. Who'd have imagined that?! Just waiting for the...
Excuse Me, But It Is A Ponzi Scheme
With apologies to Shakespeare, a Ponzi scheme by any other name is still a Ponzi scheme. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is just the first major political figure to have the courage to stand by saying what we all know to be true. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney says...
The Travis County CAD, and Why Appraisals Matter
In my inbox tonight, I found the news that Patrick Brown, chief appraiser in Travis County, is leaving his post effective January 13, citing family reasons. Now the board of directors, an unelected group of people responsible for property appraisals, must look for a...