By William Lutz on
9/29/2010 9:10 AM
File this under most outrageous claim made by a city councilor this year. Arlington city council member Gene Patrick was quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as follows:
At-large Councilman Gene Patrick defended the lobbyist expense, saying that it helps protect Arlington taxpayers from unfunded mandates and new taxes. "I am a staunch believer in the principle of home rule. I don't like them telling us what we can and can not charge our own citizens," Patrick said.
You have got to be kidding me. Everyone knows taxpayer funded lobbying is about raising taxes, not lowering them.
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By William Lutz on
9/28/2010 4:45 PM
The Young Conservatives of Texas expressed relief that no one other than the shooter was hurt on the University of Texas campus today, but stated that today's incident is another reason why the Legislature should pass the concealed carry on campus bill. “The event today proves that so-called ‘gun free zones’ don’t protect people,” said Tony McDonald, YCT’s Senior Vice Chairman. “Crazed gunmen don’t follow firearms regulations; victims do. Students should not be stripped of their rights and forced to rely on the protection of police or the mercy of a killer."
“I got a text message from my roommate saying that people were running away from campus because there was a shooting taking place,” said University of Texas chapter chairman Tyler Norris. "It’s unfortunate that students on campus were unable to protect themselves. I’m just glad nobody was killed or injured."
A concealed carry bill was filed last session and will likely be filed again in 2011.
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By William Lutz on
9/28/2010 2:29 PM
Sunday, the El Paso Times published a poll showing Republican Dee Margo leading Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) 42.5 percent to 37.4 percent with a surprising 20.1 percent undecided. The margin of error for the poll is 4.4 percent, meaning that there is a 95 percent probability that the actual number is within 4.4 percent of that measured in the poll.
What this poll tells us is this race is clearly in play. (The district used to be represented by Republican Pat Haggerty.) The high undecided total makes it clear, however, that either candidate can win. In any case, this race is worth watching.
One more caveat: most people who know me realize I am very hesitant to write "poll stories." Here's why I made an exception here:
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By William Lutz on
9/21/2010 1:54 PM
A few items of note this afternoon:
* The two main candidates for Railroad Commission, Democrat Jeff Weems and Republican David Porter traded barbs Sept. 20. Weems called on Porter to debate. When asked, a Porter camapign spokesman told LSR that Porter has accepted all editorial board invitations and has appeared at multiple forms with Weems. Porter responded by blasting Weems for statements in the Nacogdoches newspaper praising the Railroad Commission’s authority to shut down or jail oil and gas well producers who violate environmental laws. Weems responded by noting that the provisions allowing the Railroad Commission to shut down wells and jail bad producers are current law. ...
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By William Lutz on
9/20/2010 4:43 PM
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s James Quintero came out with a fascinating study showing that private sector jobs in Texas were hurt, not helped, by the federal stimulus package. Quintero examines a series of economic variables, including unemployment and personal income and concludes the stimulus hurt, not helped, the Texas economy.
“As policymakers in Washington D.C. and around the state consider how to navigate through the current economic climate, it is important they remember that economic growth is not a function of government spending, at any level,” Quintero said. “The current stimulus, or lack thereof, testifies to this fact. Rather job creation and the production of wealth are products of private sector innovation and efficiency when government gets out of the way and lets the private sector do its job.”
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By William Lutz on
9/20/2010 4:21 PM
An example of this lack of confidence appeared on the Houston Chronicle’s blog today. For a child born today, the latest estimate is a bachelor’s degree will cost $175,000. Of course, neither Powers nor the UT administration are interesting in making any meaningful reforms to higher education. When one reads the speech carefully, it’s clear that Powers wants to create the appearance of reform while arguing against the real thing. Click here to read my entire opinion piece.
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By William Lutz on
9/20/2010 3:58 PM
Thank you Fred Hill! The former Republican state representative from Richardson helped organize other GOP legislators to kill a 2005 bill that would have given greater rights to taxpayers to roll back excessive property tax increases at the ballot box. Many of the Republicans who opposed expanded taxpayer protections came from North Texas legislative districts.
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By William Lutz on
9/18/2010 9:12 AM
Gov. Rick Perry told today’s Red State Gathering in Austin that the 10th Amendment is the most important part of the constitution, and he’s very concerned by attempts in Washington DC to undermine it. This was a friendly audience. Perry received several standing ovations as he highlighted his plan for expanded tort reform. The content of Perry’s speech would not be news to anyone who has followed Perry’s campaign, but it is a concise, clear explanation of his governing philosophy.
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By William Lutz on
9/17/2010 1:04 PM
Rep. Larry Taylor (R-League City) sent a formal request to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) today. Click here to read a copy of Taylor's clarified request.
Taylor had sent an earlier request to TWIA -- a state-created company that provides windstorm insurance in coastal counties -- for information about a recent lawsuit settlement regarding Hurricane Ike. One of the attorneys for the plaintiffs -- Texas Trial Lawyers Association President-elect Steve Mostyn -- objected to release of the information on the grounds that some of it is confidential. Taylor clarified his request today to make it crystal clear he is not seeking personal information about policy holders.
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By William Lutz on
9/17/2010 11:55 AM
While many of us were on vacation, LSR Managing Editor William Lutz made an appearence on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics Sept. 5. Lutz slammed seven of the 15 Dallas City Council members for trying to renew on a no-bid basis concession contracts at Love Field Airport. He also praised the mayor and council majority for insisting on competitive bidding. These contracts are currently held by an ownership group that includes several prominent South Dallas camapign donors and politicians. Basically, the point he made is that any time someone proposes clean government for Dallas, out comes the race card. But civil rights groups used to support competitive bidding because it proves everyone got fair treatment.
We post the entire program below. Lutz's commentary begins with about 7:30 remining in the program.
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