By William Lutz on
8/20/2010 5:07 PM
Former McLennan County Democratic Chairman John Cullar has withdrawn his candidacy for the Texas Senate in the wake of a Fifth Court of Appeals ruling that refused to kick his opponent Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) off the ballot. The result of Cullar's action is that Birdwell is almost certain to win a full two-year term in the Texas Senate. The Waco Tribune-Herald has more details on Cullar's decision.
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By William Lutz on
8/20/2010 4:19 PM
Some interpreted Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's committee reshuffle as the death-knell for the Texas Local Option Transportation Act -- a bill that allows local governments to raise taxes with over approval for commuter rail and other transportation projects. That's a fair interpretation of the new order in the Texas Senate.
But this week's activity in the governor's race virtually guarantees that TLOTA will not see the light of day in 2011. Democratic candidate Bill White gave an interview to the Associated Press where he said he wouldn't rule out higher debt, or local tax hikes, to finance additional roads. Within hours of the White interview getting published, I was deluged with statements from just about every conservative group out there and the Perry campaign condemning White for endorsing a "tax hike."
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By William Lutz on
8/17/2010 5:11 PM
In the previous entry on this blog, we highlighted a Dallas Morning News story about a study on college administrative costs. That study was a product of the Goldwater Institute and theGeorge W. Bush Institute. The study's primary author is Jay P. Greene, head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. His coauthors are Brian Kisida and Jonathan Mills. Click here to read an executive summary or download the full study.
The study concludes that -- despite increasing subsidies from government -- college administrative costs have exploded. It also states that the solutions advocated by college administrators (and their taxpayer-funded lobbyists and government relations professionals) won't solve the problem. Click here to read the study.
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By William Lutz on
8/17/2010 10:43 AM
This morning's Dallas Morning News contains an article chronicling a study by Arkansas professor Jay Greene showing that administrative employment has grown faster than instructional employment at state universities -- especially in Texas. Click here to read the article in full. In 2003, the Legislature surrendered tuition-setting authority to appointed boards of regents. At the time, critics predicted that both tuition and administrative spending would go through the roof. Both critiques have now been borne out.
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By William Lutz on
8/11/2010 11:31 AM
This Sunday, LSR Managing Editor William Lutz blasted Texas's school accountability ratings on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics. Lutz's objections include low passing standards for the test and the fact that students can score a zero on the test and still be credited with passing for accountability purposes. He suggests ignoring state accountability ratings and using college entrance exams and national exams instead. Lutz's commentary follows a lively discussion between Farmers Branch Mayor Tim O'Hare and Domingo Garcia on illegal immigration. Lutz's commentary starts 9 minutes into the program (about 8 minutes left in the program). Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday at 9 am on Channel 8 in North Texas. We post a clip of the program below:
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By William Lutz on
8/11/2010 11:25 AM
In writing up the reaction of state officials to passage of the Doggett amendment last night, we accidentally neglected to post the statement of Commissioner of Education Robert Scott. His statement is posted below:
“Congress has crafted legislation that will exclusively harm Texas public schools and our teachers. Every member of the Texas congressional delegation who supported this measure owes Texas voters an explanation as to why they are in favor of imposing punitive measures on our schools.”
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By William Lutz on
8/11/2010 11:16 AM
The Back-To-Basics PAC, funded by plaintiff's attorney Steve Mostyn, has released another attack ad blasting Gov. Rick Perry for his veto of a property rights bill in 2007 and for his advocacy for the privatized Trans-Texas Corridor. The group has also set up a website Hands Off Our Land, to highlight problems with Perry's property rights record. We post the ad below:
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By William Lutz on
8/10/2010 5:45 PM
Gov. Rick Perry made it clear in no uncertain terms that he’s not happy with the State of Texas being required to increase dramatically education funding in exchange for getting $830 million from today’s education stimulus bill. The so-called “Doggett amendment” to the new federal stimulus bill has taken fire from Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Speaker Joe Straus.
“Educating our children is one of our highest priorities, and Texas has a strong track record of continuous educational improvement,” Perry said. “From rising standardized test scores to recognition as a national leader for having the steps in place to prepare our students for success in college and the workplace, Texas schools are moving in the right direction. Despite Texas’ public school success, Lloyd Doggett and the misguided congressional majority are putting Texas in the position of violating our state constitution to receive additional federal funding for Texas students. It is unfortunate that Washington continues to play partisan games with Texans' tax dollars and the very future of our children. Texas will not surrender to Washington’s one-size-fits-all, deficit-spending mindset or let Washington do to the Texas budget what they have done to the federal budget. We’ll continue to work with state leaders, including the attorney general, to fight this injustice.”
The U.S. Department of Education’s top brass tried to strike a more conciliatory tone in a teleconference with reporters this afternoon. Officials said they would enforce the Doggett amendment but would work with Texas officials to try to ensure Texas schools receive the money.
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By William Lutz on
8/10/2010 1:48 PM
House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) blasted Congressional Democrats for trying to hamstring the state budget by singling out Texas in education jobs bill.
“I am very concerned about the flawed legislation passed in the United States Senate that unfairly targets Texas, punishes our kids and teachers, and attempts to micro-manage Texas schools from Washington, D.C.," Straus said. "I call on members of the Texas congressional delegation to work to protect Texas, and especially our school children, by removing this provision and refraining from imposing Washington mandates on Texas schools.”
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By William Lutz on
8/6/2010 4:53 PM
Sen. Brian Birdwell's (R-Granbury) campaign office got back to us a few minutes ago with a statement on the lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party questioning his eligibility to serve in the Texas Senate. Birdwell's statement reads as follows:
“I am honored to be serving the citizens of SD 22 as their state senator, and look forward to the opportunity to serve a full term after November. The matters raised in this lawsuit have been addressed in previous challenges, yet the Secretary of State affirmed my candidacy, a respected appellate judge affirmed my residency status, and most importantly almost 60% of the voters cast their vote for me. I have met all residency requirements, and believe we will receive a fair hearing from the respected members of the Court of Appeals. I look forward to putting these accusations to bed.”
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By William Lutz on
8/6/2010 2:13 PM
Lone Star Report Managing Editor William Lutz will appear on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics Sunday morning at 9 am. Inside Texas Politics airs at 9 am on Sundays on Channel 8 in North Texas. Lutz will be discussing his concerns about low standards in the Texas public school accountability system.
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By William Lutz on
8/6/2010 12:25 PM
There's a lot of spin going back and forth on exactly what the Doggett amendment to the federal stimulus bill does. Democratic political consultant Philip Martin -- as usual -- posted partisan talking points to the Burnt Orange Report that, at best, constitutes political spin and, at worst, misrepresents the Republican objections to the Doggett amendment.
The Doggett amendment does not merely require the state to spend the same dollar amount that it currently spends on education. It requires the state to spend the same percentage of state general revenue on education than what it current spends. (Here is the exact text of the amendment from the Congressional Record -- section 11 is the Doggett amendment).
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By William Lutz on
8/6/2010 11:08 AM
The Texas Democratic Party and its nominee in Senate District 22, John Cullar, are challenging Sen. Brian Birdwell's (R-Granbury) eligibility to serve in the Texas Senate. The Texas Constitution requires Senators to be residents of the state for five years prior to their election, and Birdwell voted in Virginia 2004-2006. The Democrats' filed their request for a writ of mandamus in the Fort Worth Court of Appeals.
“We’re very pleased to offer SD 22 residents an excellent candidate and a real choice in their representation in the Texas Senate,”said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie. “These voters deserve a Senator who has lived in the district, knows its communities, and runs a campaign on the issues that matter to his neighbors – not on partisan rhetoric.”
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By William Lutz on
8/6/2010 10:52 AM
Texas Democrats have nominated John Cullar for the Texas Senate in District 22. The seat was formerly held by Kip Averitt (R-Waco) and is currently held by the recently-sworn-in Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury). The nomination was made by Democratic county chairmen in the district. Cullar is former chairman of the McLennan County Democratic Party.
The Waco Tribune-Herald reported today that Cullar opposes Republican efforts to fight voter fraud by requiring voters to present photo id prior to voting.
Below is a bio of Cullar distributed by the Texas Democratic Party:
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By William Lutz on
8/6/2010 10:43 AM
Gov. Rick Perry Aug. 5 received the American Legislative Council’s (ALEC) Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award at the group’s 37th annual meeting in San Diego, Calif.
ALEC is a conservative non-partisan membership association for state lawmakers, which espouses belief in limited government, free markets, federalism and individual liberty.
The award is ALEC’s highest honor, given annually to a current or former public official for advancing the Jeffersonian principles ALEC espouses. Reagan received the inaugural award in 1990. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour are also past recipients.
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By William Lutz on
8/4/2010 4:17 PM
Democrat Bill White unveiled a new positive TV ad yesterday.
For the past month, the candidates for governor have bickered over each other's business dealings, with each side questioning the integrity of the others' business deals. The latest in that skirmish involves an Associated Press story raising questions about whether Democrat Bill White interceded to resolve a dispute involving a company he later invested in.
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By William Lutz on
8/3/2010 4:14 PM
Several Texas Congressional Democrats have filed a resolution attacking the conservative State Board of Education’s new patriotic social studies standards.
In May, the State Board of Education adopted new social studies standards that focus on teaching patriotism to children and the fact that America is unique, and while not perfect, positive. The standards also comply with Texas state laws that require instruction with “emphasis on the free enterprise system and its benefits.” The standards require that Celebrate Freedom Week be taught in every grade.
Specifically, Education Code 21.002(h) states, “A primary purpose of the public school curriculum is to prepare thoughtful, active citizens who understand the importance of patriotism and can function productively in a free enterprise society with appreciation for the basic democratic values of our state and national heritage.”
The resolution claims the State Board of Education “disregarded many academically based recommendations and approved politically biased standards within the curriculum that are outside of mainstream scholarship.”
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By William Lutz on
8/2/2010 4:18 PM
Dr. Steven Hotze, president of the Conservative Republicans of Texas, announced an online matching program for competitive house races statewide.
“This morning, CRT sent individualized emails into 18 House Districts, nearly 60,000 in all. We are encouraging voters to visit their candidate’s website and make an on-line contribution with the additional incentive that their on-line contribution will be matched. We are sending a strong signal to the Conservative grassroots movement in Texas. We believe in these candidates. These races are winnable, and CRT will work towards Republic victory in Texas by doubling the contributions of voters.” Hotze said.
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By William Lutz on
8/2/2010 4:12 PM
Attorney General Greg Abbott has promoted Daniel Hodge to First Assistant Attorney General. Hodge replaces Andrew Weber who returns to private practice. Also, promoted was David Morales, who will now become Deputy First Assistant Attorney General. Morales previously served as Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation.
“Having spent their entire legal careers at the Attorney General’s Office, Daniel Hodge and David Morales have a combined 22 years of service dedicated to the State of Texas—so they are uniquely prepared to help oversee and administer the agency,” Abbott said.
Attorney General's full list of promotions and bios of the promoted attorneys.
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By William Lutz on
8/2/2010 4:07 PM
Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond issued the following statement on release of the accountability ratings Friday:
"Texas students, families and employers all benefit from an honest accountability system of the academic performance of public schools. It has the ability to shine a light on the challenges we face, both now and in the future. Unfortunately, the system we currently have in places falls woefully short of that standard."
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By William Lutz on
7/30/2010 4:40 PM
Today’s accountability ratings didn’t come from Lake Wobegon, they came from the Texas Education Agency. But they still ranked a substantial majority of campuses and districts above average (officially: exemplary or recognized).
Commissioner of Education Robert Scott unveiled state accountability ratings at a press conference at Texas Education Agency headquarters today. According to the new ratings, 239 Texas School Districts are exemplary and 597 are recognized, while only 298 received an academically acceptable rating and 30 were ranked unacceptable (formerly called low performing).
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By William Lutz on
7/30/2010 10:37 AM
In last week's issue, I wrote an article naming what I believe are the ten most competitive races in Texas (the article is available on the current newsletter page for Lone Star Report subscribers). The first six or so I named were easy – races that obviously would be amongst the most competitive in the state. Beyond that, narrowing down the most competitive 15 or so to 10 is really a judgment call and was very difficult.
Also, I accidentally left the race between Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt (R-Lexington) and Pati Jacobs (D) off my sleeper list. It should have been included on the sleeper list, though as an incumbent, I still think Kleinschmidt will win re-election by a comfortable margin.
Of the races I put on the list, the ones I felt most tentative about were Turner-Zedler, Bolton-Workman, and Herrero-Scott.
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By William Lutz on
7/24/2010 12:37 PM
LAS VEGAS -- Conservative bloggers are more independent than their liberal counterparts. That is a key theme of the Right OnLine conference hosted at the Venetian Hotel by Americans for Prosperity.
Connecting this close to home, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, a Houstonian whose popular twitter handle is @MelissaTweets, led a panel on how to organize conservatives via the Internet. At that panel discussion, several of the speakers noted that Democrats have several donors who are – for all intents and purposes – on campaign payroll, whereas most conservatives bloggers are doing so of their own resources. In other words, internet liberals are about organizing while internet conservatives are about communicating.
A perfect example is Texas’s Burnt Orange Report. The blog basically distributes candidate and party talking points. The folks that run Burnt Orange Report admit on their own website, that they do paid political consulting for campaigns.
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By William Lutz on
7/24/2010 12:21 PM
LAS VEGAS – Sometimes it’s amazing the power of words. Today’s Americans for Prosperity Right OnLine conference is occurring at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. At the conference’s general session today, delegates heard from Andrew Abboud, vice president of government relations and community development for Las Vegas Sands Corp, the parent company of the Venetian.
Abboud told delegates that when President Barack Obama told the American people last year that businesses taking stimulus funds should not go to Las Vegas, the impact on the hotel was immediate. Abboud told delegates that the Venetian lost $6 million in hotel room revenue due to cancellations occurring in the immediate aftermath of Obama’s speech. He said the lost food and beverage tab came to about $5 million. And that’s just one hotel. Imagine the impact on the whole city of Las Vegas, which is currently experiencing 15 percent unemployment.
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By William Lutz on
7/19/2010 3:37 PM
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By William Lutz on
7/13/2010 4:00 PM
LSR Managing Editor William Lutz appeared on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics Sunday. In his "rant," Lutz slams the Environmental Protection Agency for its decision to reject the state's flexible permitting program. Lutz's commentary appears just after the interview with Rep. Phil King, approximately 7 and a half minutes into the program (about 10:30 left to go in the program). Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday at 9 am. Click here to view:
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By William Lutz on
7/13/2010 3:55 PM
Attorney General Greg Abbott and Solicitor General James Ho defended the Texas Open Meetings Act from attack by a handful of city officials. The city officials argue that parts of the Open Meetings Act violate their First Amendment Rights. Ho filed a brief in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas defending the state’s open government laws. Click here to read the entire brief.“Openness in government is a First Amendment virtue, not a First Amendment violation,” the brief states. “The fundamental purpose of the First Amendment is to enable and empower people to engage in free, robust discourse about their government, its officials, and the policies they adopt on their behalf. Open meetings laws thus further, rather than frustrate, fundamental First Amendment values, by educating the public about the conduct and content of public business. Indeed, courts have frequently invoked the First Amendment itself to require public access to certain government proceedings.”
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By William Lutz on
7/13/2010 3:48 PM
Over the weekend, the Austin American-Statesman’s Kate Alexander published a story on the Teacher Retirement System that is well worth reading. She chronicles the history of the Teacher Retirement System’s move toward more alternative investments, such as hedge funds and private equity. This move has garnered significant controversy, and – as the article notes – has been sunset by the Legislature in 2012. Here are a couple of key pieces of background information. First, in 2005, the Legislature exempted a lot of information from public disclosure about the identity of private equity and other alternative investments the state makes. The return is public but in many cases, the identity of the private equity investment is not. The investing community is often an enemy of open government at the Capitol, and the 2005 bill I reference was pushed by private equity and venture capital firms.
Second, the Teacher Retirement System has been the subject of multiple allegations of political manipulation the past several years. A divided board past over a long-time civil servant and appointed a member of the governor’s staff as deputy director of the Teacher Retirement System.
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By William Lutz on
7/12/2010 4:26 PM
In last week’s issue, we published a story about a bill that has passed the U.S. House of Representatives that would force local governments and the state DPS to enter into collective bargaining with unions representing its employees. In that story we quoted Frank Sturzl, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, saying “If this doesn’t violate the 10th Amendment, I don’t know what does,” referring to the constitutional amendment that states that all powers not expressly granted to the federal government are reserved to the states or the people.
“The federal government is attempting to intrude upon our state’s authority to independently manage relations with our public employees,” said Abbott. “This law would force the State of Texas into federally mandated collective bargaining agreements with labor unions – despite the fact that state law does not authorize collective bargaining for state employees. If this constitutionally suspect legislation is passed, I will take legal action to protect our state from yet another case of federal overreach.”
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By William Lutz on
7/9/2010 4:03 PM
LSR Managing Editor William Lutz will appear on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics Sunday morning. The program airs at 9 am on Channel 8 in North Texas. Lutz will be expressing his concerns about the federal Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision to reject the Texas Council on Environmental Quality's flexible permit program.
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By William Lutz on
7/9/2010 3:59 PM
I still maintain that Bill White is running an uphill battle, seeking statewide office as a Democrat in a year when most voters are upset over spending excess and command-and-control government from Washington, DC.
That said, the speech he gave to the Texas Farm Bureau yesterday afternoon was the kind of talk that could gain him crossover voters.
First, he made specific promises about specific issues Farm Bureau cares about. No dodging or equivocation.
His promise to sign an eminent domain bill containing diminished access compensation provisions – the Farm Bureau’s top priority – is key.
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By William Lutz on
7/9/2010 12:12 PM
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By William Lutz on
7/9/2010 10:08 AM
LSR just received a joint statement from Curtis Seidlits of Focused Advocacy and Neil T. "Buddy" Jones of the HillCo Partners on the resolution of their lawsuit mentioned in this week's issue over the departure of lobbyists Brandon Aghamalian and Snapper Carr from Hillco to Focused Advocacy. The statement was sent to us by one of the attorneys in the case, Justin Townsend, and reads as follows:
“All the parties hereto have resolved their differences to the mutual satisfaction of the respective firms and individuals. HillCo Partners, Focused Advocacy and their members look forward to continuing their working relationship with each other and wish the other continued success.”
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By William Lutz on
7/8/2010 11:57 PM
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By William Lutz on
7/7/2010 4:59 PM
The Texas Democratic Party has acquiesced to the prospect that the Green Party will appear on the November ballot. Democrats succeeded in convincing Travis County District Judge John Dietz to enjoin the Green Party from filing its list of candidates with the Secretary of State. But the Green Party then sought mandamus relief from the Texas Supreme Court. The court issued a stay on the lower court’s order while it considered the matter. That stay allowed the Green Party to file its candidates with the Secretary of State and appear on the Texas ballot.
“Although the motion we filed today means it is almost certain that Green Party candidates will remain on the ballot in 2010, the facts demonstrate that the participants in this petition gathering scam acted improperly and we continue to seek the penalties allowed by law,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie.
While the Democratic Party is no longer seeking injunctive relief, Texas law allows the party to sue to collect damages against those who violate Texas campaign finance laws. “We brought this action to find out the facts behind the Republican Party/Green Party scandal, and that has always been more important than whether or not Green Party candidates appear on the Texas ballot,” Richie said. “Texas voters should know the truth about what Republican operatives with ties to Rick Perry have done and are deliberately trying to hide from Texas voters.”
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By William Lutz on
7/7/2010 10:46 AM
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn blasted the administration of President Barack Obama, at an interview conducted June 11 at the RightOnline booth. Cornyn was interviewed by Americans for Prosperity Texas Chairman Ben Streusand. Cornyn said the Obama administration often uses administrative actions to pass items of his agenda that cannot get the votes to pass Congress. Click here to view the full interview:
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By William Lutz on
7/7/2010 10:38 AM
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Conroe) was interviewed at the Right Online booth co-sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and the Lone Star Report, June 10-12. Brady discussed the Obama administration's plans to raise taxes. Brady was interviewed by Americans for Prosperity Texas state Chairman Ben Streusand. Click below to view the full interview:
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By William Lutz on
7/3/2010 2:33 PM
Tired of Rising Property Taxes? Sick of appraisal district officials blaming taxing entities and vice-versa? Lone Star Report managing editor William Lutz led a discussion at the Americans for Prosperity Texas Defending the American Dream Summit on property taxes and how to keep local officials accountable. Specifically, Lutz presented a Lone Star Foundation study showing that property taxes rose and that Texans did not get the tax relief they were promised when the 2006 school finance reform package passed. The entire study can be downloaded at http://www.lonestarfoundation.org. Click here for a direct link.
Also, Lutz showed attendees how they can calculate the average property tax bills in their communities and keep their local elected officials honest. In explaining how to make that calculation, Lutz gave a PowerPoint presentation. Click here to download the PowerPoint from Lutz's speech.
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By William Lutz on
7/3/2010 9:42 AM
Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz spoke at the RightOnline booth at the Republican State Convention, June 10-12. The RightOnline booth was cosponsored by the Lone Star Report and Americans for Prosperity. Cruz was interviewed by Ben Streusand with Americans for Prosperity. Cruz is also the luncheon speaker at today's Americans for Prosperity Texas Defending the American Dream Summit. We post the interview below:
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By William Lutz on
7/3/2010 9:29 AM
Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams said the Texas energy strategy is “all of the above,” in speaking to the Americans for Prosperity Texas Defending the American Dream Summit in Austin July 3. Williams said Texas supports wind power, clean coal, nuclear, and natural gas in meeting the state’s power needs.
Williams said the Barnet Shale has three times the natural gas reserves as in Iraq. He also called on Congress to reauthorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He said that America needs rules to ensure safe and responsible drilling, but that Americans should not let liberals use the oil spill in the Gulf as an excuse to stop drilling for oil and gas domestically.
“We have got to bring the nukes back,” said Williams, noting that nuclear power has no carbon emissions and is available all the time. He noted that France and China have the most aggressive nuclear power programs in the world. “If the French can figure it out surely we can,” he said.
Williams also called for using clean coal both for power and for enhanced oil recovery (using coal to find more oil in formerly dry wells).
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By William Lutz on
7/3/2010 9:22 AM
Gov. Rick Perry accused the federal Environmental Protection Agency and President Barack Obama of trying to destroy the Texas energy industry in a speech given to Americans for Prosperity’s Texas Defending the American Dream summit the evening of July 2. He called Obama “hell-bent on driving this country into socialism.”
Perry told the audience that the leadership he and the Legislature showed in 2003 by balancing the budget without raising taxes.
He told the crowd that when he’s asked how he plans to balance the 2011 budget , he replies that he plans to do exactly what he did in 2003 – set priorities and balance the budget without raising taxes.
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By William Lutz on
7/2/2010 11:58 AM
During the Republican state convention, Rep. Charlie Howard (R-Fort Bend County) stopped by the Right Online booth, co-sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and the Lone Star Report. LSR managing editor William Lutz interviewed Howard on why gambling is a raw deal for the State of Texas. Click below to view the interview:
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By William Lutz on
7/1/2010 11:36 PM
At the state Republican convention June 10-12, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler stopped by the RightOnline booth, cosponsored by Americans for Prosperity and the Lone Star Report. Gohmert talked about offshore drilling, energy policy, and the recent British Petroleum spill.
The interview is in two parts, and we post both YouTube files below:
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By William Lutz on
7/1/2010 11:26 AM
The war of words between Rep. and Speaker Candidate Leo Berman (R-Tyler) and supporters and committee chairmen appointed by Rep. Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) has just got kicked up another notch.
While we were out covering the Democratic State Convention, we received a letter sent June 25 by House State Affairs Chairman Burt Solomons (R-Carrollton) to Berman. “Dear Representative Leo Berman, You are a liar,” the letter begins, and it goes downhill from there. Click here to read the full Solomons letter.
“Contrary to your false assertions,” Solomons writes in another part of the letter, “the truth is our state’s Republican leadership including Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott, former Speaker Tom Craddick, current Speaker Joe Straus, former House State Affairs Chairman David Swinford and myself as current House State Affairs Chairman have all worked diligently on illegal immigration and border security reforms.
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By William Lutz on
6/30/2010 3:33 PM
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst appointed the Senate's Select Committee on Redistricting today. The Committee is expected to travel the state to seek public input on the redrawing of legislative district boundaries. The committee's membership is as follows:
· Chair, Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo)
· Vice Chair, Sen. Mario Gallegos (D-Houston)
· Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas)
· Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler)
· Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls)
· Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (D-McAllen)
· Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston)
· Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston)
· Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas)
· Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands)
· Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo)
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By William Lutz on
6/29/2010 9:24 AM
State Board of Education member Ken Mercer (R-San Antonio) produced a YouTube video responding to the persistent misstatements of fact propagated by the board's left-wing critics. In particular, Mercer notes that the new social studies standards adopted by the conservative State Board of Educaiton include more Hispanics than ever before. But Mercer notes that the board took care to include Hispanics who served in the Military, conservative judges like former Texas Supreme Court Justice Raul Gonzalez, and Hispanic heros of the Texas Revolution. Those Hispanics don't necesarily suit the agenda of the far left, because they weren't union rabble-rousers and they supported Texas independence, rather than Texas becoming part of Mexico again.
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By William Lutz on
6/28/2010 4:19 PM
Today Green Party attorney David Rogers filed a request for a writ of mandamus with the Texas Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn a district court ruling and restore the Green Party to the ballot. Rogers argues that the Texas Election Code allows minor parties to spend corporate funds for the purpose of qualifying for the ballot, and even if it does not, the Green Party itself did not spend corporate funds and should not be punished for the alleged misdeeds of others. Travis County District Judge John Dietz enjoined placing the Green Party on the ballot.
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By William Lutz on
6/26/2010 4:23 PM
 CORPUS CHRISTI -- One hasn’t really attended a Texas political convention unless one goes through the exhibitor booths and looks around. Part bazaar, part political fair, the booths have something for every political activist.
The Texas Democratic Party has a different policy on exhibitor booths than the Republican Party of Texas. The Republicans often deny booth space to organizations that disagree with the party. Thus, gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina’s We Texans didn’t get a booth. The Democratic party will take money from almost anyone. Therefore, the Texas State Rifle Association and the Texas Alliance for Life – for example – both had booths at the Texas Democratic Convention.
Of course, most of the booths are exactly what people would expect to find at the Democratic convention – folks selling Obama T-Shirts and other Democratic memorabilia and various liberal causes.
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By William Lutz on
6/26/2010 3:45 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Democratic candidates for the state’s two highest courts had one thing in common -- they all thrashed Texas's two highest courts.
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By William Lutz on
6/26/2010 11:56 AM
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Delegates to the Texas Democratic Convention re-elected party chairman Boyd Richie overwhelmingly today. Richie received 5891.4 votes (79 percent), compared with 1555.6 (21 percent) for Michael Barnes.
Richie was introduced by former Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and current Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin). Watson credited Richie’s leadership for Democratic gains in county office and the Texas House and Senate. He credited Texas Democrats with unseating former Speaker Tom Craddick.
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