Sessions and Perry: The Moderates In Their Races

The Dallas Morning News endorsed Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) in his District 32 GOP primary against challenger David Smith. Smith did something I didn't think possible. He managed to make "Taliban" Pete look like the moderate in this race. Kind of like how Debra Medina managed to make Gov. Rick Perry (R-TTC) look like the moderate in his GOP primary race against Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-DC). Yeah, I know. It's a crazy year.

What To Do About The Shrinking Gas Tax

The gas tax hasn't gone up since 1993. It's still 38 cents a gallon, even though the purchasing power of that 38 cents has eroded a lot. On top of that, rising fuel economy standards mean that 38 cents has to stretch to cover more miles driven on each gallon of gas. The result is a highway trust fund that's broke. The result of that is highway construction lagging population growth.

After the jump, one idea about what to do about the problem.

The Odd Republican Who Still Believes in Balanced Budgets

For a while now, Texas state Senator John Carona (R-Dallas) has been a puzzle to me. He's an old-style Republican who still believes in balancing a dollar of gov't expenditures with a dollar of revenue. He is open to raising taxes to pay for all the new roads Texans want. He calls other Texas Republicans fiscally irresponsible and hypocritical to boot. Where does he get the courage? For a short profile of this GOP heretic representing Richardson, Garland and north Dallas, be sure to read the cover story, "The Last Republican," by Wick Allison in the March edition of D Magazine.

Tiger And The Press: Made For Each Other

Michael Landauer says Tiger Woods "doesn't get to dictate how his return to the spotlight will go." Sure he does. He can do as he wants and the press can decide whether or not to cover him. The only thing Woods can't insist on is that the press should leave him alone. Little chance of either side wanting that, though.

Government of the People, by the People, for the Corporation

"Corporations pay for half of what we're going to do here ... We have to think about them as well as the people who go in and vote."
-- Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel

After the jump, what was Slagel thinking?

Should Public Schools Promote Godly Character?

How Christian Were the Founders?

Was Jesus one of America's Founding Fathers? If you care about what your children are taught about science and history in Texas public schools, then you'll want to pay attention this election year not only to the governor's race but to some obscure races down the ballot for the State Board of Education (SBOE). According to Unfair Park:

"This could be the election that decides exactly how much power religious ideologues hold over the board that shapes the education for 5 million public school students in Texas."

Last year, the seven members of the religious-right faction on the SBOE successfully steered the science standards to include wording that undermines evolution. This year, the SBOE is tackling social studies, seeking to include language that revises American history to promote Christianity. For the fundamentalists, takeover of education is but a step towards a larger goal, takeover of government. In an article this week, The New York Times explains the fundamentalists' strategy:

"As Cynthia Dunbar, another Christian activist on the Texas board, put it, 'The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next.'"

After the jump, what the SBOE candidates themselves had to say at a League of Women Voters forum in Richardson Wednesday evening.

Spending Millions on "Sprinkled, Iced-Turds"

It's Monday night and you know what that means: open mike night at the Richardson City Council meeting. This week's meeting had only one visitor taking the opportunity to address the council. Andrew Laska, president of the Richardson Heights neighborhood association, voiced his support for the list of projects in the proposed 2010 bond package, projects that will benefit his neighborhood, including a new Heights recreation center and aquatics center. (By the way, why don't people call swimming pools swimming pools anymore?)

After the jump, a losing council candidate's opinion of rec centers and swimming pools.