| It's Friday! As you roll into your weekend, here's some news and notes from Texas and elsewhere to distract you for at least part of your day. (In other words, let's see if I can't get some of these browser tabs closed.)
Reminder: tonight is BOR's first big fundraiser! Join us tonight in Austin. Can't make it, want to help? Consider contributing via ActBlue.
Lege will be Less Experienced: The Statesman reports that members in the upcoming Legislative session will be less experienced than past sessions, due to retirements and turnovers caused by redistricting. Furthermore, Republican primary challengers -- and just the primary process in general -- may make the body even more ideologically conservative. Yay. Best way to fight back? Work to elect more Democratic legislators here in Texas!
Mitt Romney Pays A Lower Tax Rate Than You: Taxes are due Tuesday, so now's as good a time as ever to remind y'all that Mitt Romney wants to let millionaires continue to pay a lower tax rate than the average middle-class American. The Obama campaign put together a widget to fill you with a profound sense of dismay at how much lower of a tax rate Mitt Romney pays than you. Obama wants to change this, and make sure millionaires -- even himself -- pay their fair share. Check out what America could do with the revenue generated from passing the Buffett rule.
One-Man Dick Armey Trying to Oust Straus: FreedomWorks, a conservative (c)4 located in DC, has endorsed the challenger to House Speaker Joe Straus, Matt Beebe. The group is chaired by Armey, who said in a public statement, "Speaker Straus has not led the fight for limited government in a way that Texans want and deserve." The group also endorsed Ted Cruz over David Dewhurst in the Republican Senate primary.
Eschewing the Governor's Mansion: The New York Times has a story on Governors who are eschewing life in their states' mansions for more inauspicious, modern, or comfortable digs. The costs of maintaining some of these official residences are starting to mount, but no one seems willing to shut the buildings down. Sadly, the article fails to mention Rick Perry, who has been living in a much larger and more auspicious residence, his $10,000-a-month rental mansion paid for with your tax dollars, while the state's official domicile is under repair from arson. So much for being a fiscal conservative -- Texas is suffering from massive budget cuts while Perry is spending $1000 on emergency ice machine repairs in his rental mansion.
Hard Up In Lubbock: Lubbock topped Chemistry.com's survey of The Top 10 Cities That Value Sex the Least. Meanwhile, Austin remains America's horniest city. Don't go to Tech, kids! Perhaps Lubbock's lack of lovin' explains the popularity of the new Fantasy Maid Service, which sends nude or scantily-clad women to clean your home. The business is in trouble, however, for running afoul of anti-prostitution laws.
She's LYING: State Comptroller Susan Combs actually said -- out loud, where other people could hear her, in a public setting -- that the state did not reduce funding for public education -- in fact, the state increased funding by $2 billion. Oh wait, except Texas did slash funding to public education, to the tune of $5.4 billion dollars in cuts. Liar liar pants on fire! |
