Moronic ATX City Council to "censure" Arizona

Tonight I had the privilege of hanging out with some of central Texas' brilliant young political minds at a cozy restaurant just up the road from the People's Republic of Travis County.  While there, one of these people asked me if I heard what was happening in Austin.  I was still feeling pretty raw about MALC's kangaroo court at the Capitol and assumed he meant that.  Oh no, said my friend.  He wondered if I'd seen what the Austin City Council was up to.  And no, he wasn't talking about the city's new green energy plan.

Geez Louise, what now??? I thought.

Apparently the city council, that great bastion of liberal nonsense, plans to cut all ties with the state of Arizona, citing the recently passed (and signed into law by the inimitable Gov. Jan Brewer) immigration enforcement laws.  There is a great breakdown of what the law actually does over at Travis Monitor.

The lede from the Trib:

The Austin City Council will formally consider limiting travel to Arizona and terminating any business contracts currently in place with the state. A resolution will be introduced at a May 13 meeting, according to a statement issued today from Councilman Mike Martinez’s office.

Shall we pause a moment and let that sink in?

In fact, I'm just going to let it sit.  The city council in Austin regularly unleashes the most ridiculous crap on taxpayers here.  And for the most part, the voters here are content - probably more ignorant than anything, but content.


I urge you to contact the city council now and tell them how asinine this resolution is.

MALC holds kangaroo court in state Capitol

Yesterday, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus held a "hearing" at the state Capitol on the social studies curriculum standards that were approved in March by the State Board of Education.

Jonathan Saenz has his report from yesterday's hearing here (you should add his blog to your reading list while you're there).  MALC's hearing appears to have been an exercise in crucifying and criticizing the conservatives on the SBOE; it was not, in any way, a fair discussion of the curriculum standards.  The Houston Chronicle picked up the story here.

It needs to be said, this "hearing" was not a legal proceeding - the House rules do allow for caucuses to use the Capitol for limited purposes, but what happened yesterday may be misconstrued as to actual effect and function.  It was a dog-and-pony show for MALC to display their discontent and political aim.  The primary concern, other than the obvious political crucifixion that MALC attempted on Republican members of the SBOE, is whether or not MALC's "hearing" is a violation of HR 3, the rules resolution of the 81st session that sets forth the regulations for caucus activities.

The Republican Party of Texas, and this blogger (as not just a Republican, but a very concerned citizen) want answers to the following questions:

1. Why is MALC - which accepts donations from nonmembers and special interest groups - holding a mock hearing in the state capitol?
2. Why did they use state staffers in a political hearing?
3. Were other state resources and personnel used to facilitate their pretend hearing in any way?
4. Did any of the state representatives who attended claim per diem for April 28th, 2010?
5. What is MALC's agenda, and why was this pretend hearing so politically one-sided?
6. Why did a hearing supposedly about education standards veer off into irrelevant topics that have nothing to do with educating students in Texas? And why was a Democrat SBOE candidate allowed to give a stump speech and bash our state's elected SBOE?

Because this "hearing" was held in a Capitol hearing room, it was broadcast over the closed circuit television system inside the Capitol.  Which means it was pumped into every office in the building - and we're lucky enough to have video of it  (04/28/10, Mexican American Legislative Caucus). MALC is a political caucus with a political agenda.  Using government facilities (read: taxpayer-funded) and government employees (read: taxpayer-paid) for political purposes is usually illegal.  Letting candidates for the SBOE speak, and basically make stump speeches against incumbents, is blatant electioneering.

Thoughts on the ACC Board of Trustees races

Before I get into this, I want to say something about the nature of non-partisan races.  I've had a number of emails in the last couple of days from people concerning the May 8 local election, and some have had a very frustrated tone.  Why is there no information on these candidates, or if there is, why is it so hard to find?  A contact in one of the local 9/12 groups told me that the information on primary voting history isn't helpful for her purposes, because her group members and friends want to vote based on principles.  Totally fair, I have to say, and I wish there was a way to help expose the principles of these individuals better.  You can get some great information from the "Meet the ACC Candidates" article by the Austin Chronicle - but as for local ISD races, it is much harder to find good information.

That being said, primary voting history can be helpful if you look at it as a pattern of beliefs.  If someone has voted in the Democratic primary since 1994 (like Austin Community College Board candidate Lupe Sosa), I think that's a pretty clear indication of her views on education spending and taxation, two of the major issues in the ACC races.  We know where the Democrat Party purports to stand on these issues, and Sosa has chosen to align herself consistently with those viewpoints.  Witness, too, her endorsements - the Austin Progressive Coalition thinks she's just dandy, and she's got the backing of teacher unions and labor organizations.  So does Vic Villareal, running for place 6.  That's not the kind of thing that conservative groups should cotton to.

Primary voting history isn't 100% reliable.  ACC candidate David Reiter, for instance, voted in the last two Democratic primaries in Travis County.  On his campaign website, David talks about "fiscally prudent" management and reveals that he serves on a task force for the Austin Chamber of Commerce that assesses the performance of school districts in central Texas.  His voting history clearly doesn't say everything about him that we need to know - and being a Travis County resident, voting Democrat in the last couple of cycles could simply mean that down the ballot, a person wants to be able to choose who represents them on the courts and in some county races, since Republicans haven't been running for those seats.  The real contest is sometimes in the Democratic primary.  Reiter's positions on the issues, and the fact that the labor and Democrat groups have stayed away from him, should give anyone reason to believe that he is a more nuanced and thinking candidate who isn't towing a party line.  (note:  State Reps. Patrick Rose and Mark Strama have reportedly given Reiter their endorsements, though they are not listed on Reiter's website).

And then there are the candidates whose voting history is hard to find.  Fred McGhee is a good example here.  Fred is running for Place 5 - he's a Navy veteran, which we get right away from his website.  He's got the support of Austin City Council members Sheryl Cole and Mike Martinez, and the endorsement of several local Democratic clubs.  He's very detailed on the issues; this is a candidate who knows exactly why he's running, and has an agenda to put into place immediately upon getting into office.  McGhee reminds me that it is crucial for voters to not only understand where the candidates stand on issues, but to know where they themselves are on the issues.  If you don't know what you believe, and what you want to see accomplished, it is very difficult to get behind a candidate.  While McGhee sounds like he would know what he's doing, I don't know that I would agree with everything he wants to do. 

One more candidate I want to talk about.  Michael Perrine, running for Place 6 on the ACC Board of Trustees, has voted in the last two Republican primaries in Travis County.  I'll let Michael speak for himself, in this response to an Austin Chamber questionnaire:

I believe that the Trustee’s duty is to provide a valuable role of strategic leadership, oversight and governance in its actions.  The Trustee is accountable to the taxpayers and others within our community, as well as to the students and faculty at Austin Community College.  This is something that cannot be underestimated.  My background includes work with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements facing publicly traded companies.  These requirements were implemented to improve oversight, transparency and objectiveness of corporate boards.   I feel that four (4) key issues face the District – managing growth; (ii) focus on workforce development and training initiatives; (iii) addressing faculty and student needs and (iv) addressing needs for improvements, repairs and renovations to existing campus locations.  My role as a Trustee will be to work to build upon these standards and to add value to the strategic direction of the Community College District and its Leadership.

Community college boards of trustees are the only place in higher education where the taxpayers get a say in how things are run.  For ACC, board members serve six-year terms, and the board has substantial taxing authority (about $100 per $100k of assessed value).  It is really crucial to pay attention to these races and to vote according to your principles.

Primary voting history for ISD trustee candidates

Alrighty then.  Thanks to Dan McDonald, blogger over at Travis Precinct 211, I have some info on primary voting history for some of the candidates on the May 8 ballot.  I have included the anecdotal evidence about the Round Rock ISD candidates who live in Williamson County, but otherwise all of the candidates I list here have Travis County voting records.  I will do city council candidates in a separate post.  Remember, early voting has begun and goes through Tuesday, May 4.

For ACC Board of Trustees Place 5:


David Reiter:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 2008, 2010
Patrick Jones:  Voted in Democrat primary in 2010


For ACC Board of Trustees Place 6:


Michael Perrine:  Voted in Republican primaries in 2008, 2010
Guadalupe Sosa:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010



For Austin ISD At-Large Place 9:  

Tamara Barksdale:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 1998, 2004, 2008 and 2010
Cassandra Brown:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2010
Julie Cowan:  Voted in Republican primaries in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010
Dianne Mendoza:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2010
Michael Reed:  Voted in Republican primary in 2004, voted in Democrat primaries in 2008 and 2010


For Austin ISD Single-Member District Place 6:

Glen Mayes:  No primary voting history
Louis Moya:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2008, and 2010

For Austin ISD Single-Member District Place 7:

Warren Faulkner:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 1990, 1992, 1994, 2002, 2008.  Voted in Republican primaries in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2010.
Robert Schneider:  Voted in Republican primaries in 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2010.  Voted in Democrat primaries in 1994, 2008.

For Del Valle ISD Single-Member District 9:

David Mellenbruch:  Voted in Republican primary in 2008
Gina Wagner:  Voted in Democrat primary in 2010

For Eanes ISD Place 5:

James Kallison:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008.  Voted in Republican primary in 2010.
Sharman Reed:  Voted in Republican primaries in 1992, 1998, 2002.  Voted in Democrat primaries in 2008, 2010.

For Eanes ISD Place 6:


Colleen Jones: Voted in Republican primary in 2008
Michael Monnig: Voted in Republican primaries in 1994, 2006, 2008, 2010

For Lake Travis ISD Place 3:

Alex Alexander: Voted in Republican primary in 2010
Hamilton Cooper:  Voted in Democrat primary in 2008

For Lake Travis ISD Place 4:

Jason Buddin: Voted in Republican primaries in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
David Lovelace:  Voted in Republican primary in 2008

For Leander ISD Place 3:

Elizabeth Frey:  Voted in Republican primaries in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010.  Voted in Democrat primary in 1992.
Pam Waggoner:  Voted in Republican primaries in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010.

For Leander ISD Place 4:

Caelum Jones: Voted in Republican primary in 2010


For Leander ISD Place 5:

Rufus Fruge: Voted in Democrat primaries in 2008, 2010







For Pflugerville ISD Place 3:


Mario Acosta:  No primary voting history
Ginny German:  No primary voting history
Chester Hoster:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 2008, 2010
Robin Reyes:  Voted in Democrat primary in 2008



For Round Rock ISD Place 4:


Terri Romere:  (anecdotal evidence she voted in R primaries)
Linelle Clark-Brown: (anecdotal evidence she voted in D primaries)

For Round Rock ISD Place 5:

Catherine Hanna:  Voted in Democrat primaries in 2008, 2010
Jennifer Shockley-Daniels:  (anecdotal evidence she voted in D primaries)

Catching up on local election mayhem

I've still not had a chance to sit down and go through all of the information regarding the May 8 local election here in Travis County.  There are a ton of races on the ballot, including spots in most of the school districts that encompass a portion of Travis County.

The Williamson County Conservative blog has information regarding Round Rock ISD and Cedar Park City Council, if you live in those taxing entities.

Sample ballots for Travis County races can be found at the TC Elections website. Remember, there are no Austin City Council races this year, but there are elections for city council in some of the smaller neighboring towns.  There are also MUD, ESD, and school board races galore, and Austin Community College district races.

Unless there are special elections to fill partisan elected office (of which there are none in Travis or Williamson counties this May), the only elections on the May uniform election date are non-partisan.  But that doesn't mean you can't figure out who is conservative or liberal, and primary voting records are public information.  I'll have more about this later this week.

Report: Birdwell's residency cleared up

Early voting has begun for the May 8 elections, including the special election to fill retiring State Senator Kip Averitt's seat in SD 22.  Candidate Brian Birdwell reports via Facebook that a judge has ruled he has been a resident of the state of Texas since 1973.

I wonder if his opponent, David Sibley, can say the same regarding his own peculiar residency issue?

Tonight: NWARW Book Review at Dave & Buster's, 7pm

Y'all are invited to come out to the Northwest Austin Republican Women's Club Book Review, tonight at 7pm at Dave & Buster's on 183.  I'm presenting a review of Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny.  There is no charge for the event, though we do ask that you plan to purchase a meal or dessert from the restaurant.

Great improvements at the State Capitol

A few hours ahead of Van Taylor's official swearing-in, the State Preservation Board is on top of things:

A great day in the Texas House of Representatives, to be sure.

TWC Chairman Tom Pauken in Austin tonight

The Central Texas Republican Assembly is welcoming Texas Workforce Commission chairman Tom Pauken to tonight's meeting.  Social time at 6:30, meeting at 7:00, at 7901 Cameron Rd., Bldg. 3, Suite 202. 

Come on out - this one's worth the drive!  And if you can't make it (or even if you can!), why not pick up a copy of Chairman Pauken's new book, Bringing America Home?

Taylor to be certified April 20, Jackson pulls out

Quorum Report has a blurb claiming that Mabrie Jackson has pulled out of the May 8 special election for HD 66, and that Republican primary winner and special election candidate Van Taylor will be certified as the new state rep. in HD 66.

I have not found secondary confirmation of this and will update again if/when I do.  However, reliable sources in Collin County say they've heard about Jackson pulling out of the race as well. I have now had it confirmed, via Taylor's campaign, that this story is true. Van Taylor will be sworn in as HD 66 state rep. at 6:00pm in Plano.

Taylor will face off against a Libertarian opponent in the November general election.

Karl Rove at the University of Texas tonight

Just an FYI.  I figure some of my readers may be interested.  Me?  I'll be at home, finishing Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto and perhaps starting Bringing America Home. (I think it will offer a sobering counterpoint to this event....)

Friday Link Round-Up

Slow, rainy Fridays are not conducive to productivity, so in case you're languishing and waiting rather impatiently for the bell to toll so you can go home, here are some links to pass the time:

I just don't have words.  There's going to be a debate tonight at the University of Texas on whether or not it is ethical to eat meat.

Primary election dates by state - I've been looking for something like this for awhile.

There is a good discussion going on about conservatives and the income tax.

Here's a link to a nice debunking of the biggest myths about the tea party movement.

Harkening back to what I said yesterday about the need to put your boots on and work for change, Erick Erickson sends up an alert - the Indiana primary election is a mere 19 days away, and it is important to make sure the conservative message is spread.

Tax Day was yesterday, but Congressman Mike Pence reminds us:  "This Congress has voted and this President has signed into law $670 billion in tax increases in the last year and a half. $670 billion! And this list includes 14 tax hikes signed into law totalling $316 billion on middle class families, in direct violation of the pledge President Obama made not to raise taxes on individuals that made less than $200,000 per year or families filing jointly that make < $250,000 per year."  Meanwhile, His Arrogance, President Obama, thinks we should be thanking him for tax cuts (?!?!whatfreakingtaxcuts?!?!) and is "amused" by the tea party movement. 

The Iceland volcano blast is gumming up intercontinental travel.  Scientists don't know when it will end.  The cynical among us want to know:  who is going to pay the carbon tax on that baby?

A federal judge in Wisconsin thinks that a National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.  Sigh.

Hey, did y'all know that choosing adoption is not a valid option?  This abortionist thinks so, anyway.

There has been chatter lately about the value-added tax.  Economists Robert Carroll and Alan Viard have a great argument here against the VAT and in favor of replacing the income tax with a consumption tax.

Finally, for now, my book recommendation this fine drizzly Friday afternoon is After the Fall - Saving Capitalism from Wall Street and Washington by Nicole Gelinas.

The Tea Party Movement - A Year Later

It is a bit difficult to believe it has been just a year since the tea party movement got off the ground.  It is even more difficult to believe that a year into this phenomenon, the biggest and most successful things the movement can accomplish are rallies.

A year ago today, more than 5000 people gathered in Austin at City Hall and the Capitol, for speeches, music, and a march down Congress Avenue.  While this was happening, the Texas House Ways and Means committee was having their hearing on various pieces of legislation dealing with the franchise tax - including one, HB 1825, that would have cut the franchise tax rate in half, and HD 720, which raised the exemption threshold.  There were 13 people who showed up and dropped a card in favor of HB 1825, and about as many there in favor of HD 720.

While 5000 people rallied in downtown Austin, only a handful went down to the Capitol to stand up against a small-business-crippling tax. 

Last year at this time, when the spectre that would become health care reform, that was already "stimulus packages" and corporate bailouts taunted and threatened our nation, the tea party movement seemed important.  It felt like such an important step, especially with so many previously unengaged citizens getting involved.  Now, while these rallies are still gathering like-minded folks together to give a physical representation of the broiling anger so many still feel, Congress goes about its business, taxing and spending maliciously and gleefully.  Our local governments, which have never felt the pressure Congress does, are sending up bonds and begging for new tax rates, spending us all into oblivion without a second thought.

Today, I am doing the final clean-up of primary election paperwork and information, getting documents prepared for a new executive committee term, and answering phone calls from people who want to know who is running against Lloyd Doggett (by the way, her name is Dr. Donna Campbell).  I couldn't justify going and holding a sign at a rally for two hours; looking back on last year, instead of speaking at the tea party at City Hall, I should have been at the Capitol myself. 

I could not agree more with RedState's Erick Erickson, who called for tea party activists to start calling themselves concerned Americans, and to put down the protest sign and pick up the campaign sign.  I want to go further and call for these individuals to take a day off and show up at city hall, the county commissioners' court, and school board meetings, instead of just taking time off to rally.  Heck, I was making this argument a mere three days after the tea party last year.

KLBJ's Jeff Ward is on the radio right now calling for "small government politicians" to start calling for an end to social security (and, one assumes, to actually FILE THE BILL and work for it), to stand up against things like Allen ISD's $60 million football stadium.  To actually cut off big spending instead of just talking about it.  Y'all, they will not do it if all you do to encourage it is rally.  They need you to show up and testify, show up and vote, show up and be part of the process.

Dr. Melissa Clouthier chimed in with a similar call to action here. She's asking people to watch the school boards and run for office, to fundraise, to get out the vote.

My favorite politicians, Cheryl Johnson (Galveston County Tax Assessor-Collector) and Sarah Palin, have stories that I think speak to what I'm asking people to do.  Each of them was fed up with the government they dealt with locally.  For Cheryl, it was her local school board, and for Sarah, it was her city council.  Each of them made the decision to sacrifice and serve - each of them made their decisions when they realized that just talking about the need for change was going to accomplish nothing.

Even if that's a leap you can't make, consider getting involved anyway.  Speak up where and when you will actually be heard - and leave the protest sign at home.

Do you want to know why the radical left that made an appearance in the 1960s is now in charge of our country?  Because they put down the protest signs and picked up campaign signs.  Because they put their energy into government from the ground up.  Because they worked harder than the right.  Now it is time to outwork them.  Now is the time to out-campaign, out-fundraise, to out-organize, to out-educate.

A year after the tea party movement began, we're still throwing tea into the harbor.  It is past time for the next step - actually working to stop the taxes and the spending that led to our organizing in the first place.

More runoff chatter

Some thoughts as the gremlin hour approaches....

1 - On the Democrat side of Travis County, Mindy Montford lost her runoff against Karen Sage for the 299th District Court.  This despite big-name endorsements from the likes of Senator Kirk Watson, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, County Judge Sam Biscoe, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez.  Since this was the only race on the Travis County Democratic ballot, you have to ask yourself - what does this say about the Travis County Democratic establishment?  (side note - Karen Sage had the endorsements of State Reps. Donna Howard and Mark Strama, and our ne'er-do-well tax assessor-collector Nelda Wells Spears, among others.  Perhaps the establishment was simply split....)

2 - Also, it seems Montford is stuck.  In 2008, the establishment was against her in the district attorney race, and in 2010 they're on her side.  Neither time does it work out for her.  Maybe she needs to rethink her political strategy?

3 - Moving on.  In the primary, more than 50,000 people voted Republican in Travis County.  More than 14,000 voted in the runoff.  Y'all, if you keep voting your pocketbook like this, someone at city hall might start sweating!

4 - I'm already seeing rhetoric that claims "tea party" victories in Lubbock and Plano.  I have a long ranty post coming about that, but here's the summation - conservatism beat incumbent liberalism, because the message that many of us have LONG been preaching has finally reached seemingly deaf ears.  I think it is time we begin defining "tea party" - because I've also seen rhetoric claiming the "tea party" lost in the SBOE 10 and Supreme Court 3 races.  You can't have it both ways unless you define, once and for all, what it means.

5 - El Paso Democrat Naomi Gonzalez beat State Rep. Norma Chavez tonight.  That's another Dem seniority seat lost.

6 - Not only did Republicans in Williamson County choose an Hispanic for their nominee in a state House race, but Republicans in San Antonio also chose an Hispanic for CD 22.  Congrats are in order for Quico Canseco, who will take on Ciro Rodriguez.

Okay, that's it, I'm spent.  I'm coming off a serious adrenaline high after confirmation of Delwin Jones' defeat in Lubbock.  That's sweet, sweet victory, y'all.

The successful RINO hunt of 2010

Via my friend Will: 

2010: The Year we threw RINOs out of the Texas House.

Goodbye, so long to Delwin Jones, Tommy Merritt, and Brian McCall.  We knew ye far too well.

A big welcome to Charles Perry, David Simpson, and Van Taylor.

Travis County early voting results are in

Here we go.  Early voting results just hit my inbox.  Remember, these are Travis County ONLY.

Supreme Court Place 3
Rick Green:  3027 votes, 44.38%
Debra Lehrmann:  3794 votes, 55.62%

State Board of Education Place 10
Brian Russell:  1111 votes, 42.40%
Marsha Farney:  1509 votes, 57.60%

House District 47
Paul Workman:  1960 votes, 51.60%
Holly Turner:  1824 votes, 48.20%

Ft. Bend County polls open until 8pm; SBOE 10 in the balance

Word is out that Ft Bend County experienced problems with their voting equipment today, and as a result the polls there will be open an hour later, closing at 8pm.

This means the results for State Board of Education Place 10 will be later in coming.

I will update with results for the major primary races as I'm able - we're heading out to be with friends tonight.

Mabrie Jackson - educrat, and now shill for gambling lobby??

I got this email today from a friend in Collin County:

Campaign Finance Reports posted just today reveal that, just yesterday, Mabrie Jackson accepted $10,000 from a political action committee [Texans for Economic Development PAC] that is funded by liberal Democrats and supports the expansion of casino-style gambling in Texas. Here is the link which documents this contribution: http://204.65.203.5/public/448951.pdf.

Why did Mabrie Jackson hide this campaign funding from Plano voters until the very last possible moment? Only she knows, but this latest development underscores the liberal groups who have much at stake in trying to elect your next state representative. 

From the FEC filer description, Texans for Economic Development's stated goal is "the promotion of improving the horse and greyhound racing industry of Texas by encouraging new legislation."

This group has also given money to Democrats Patrick Rose, Mando Martinez, Norma Chavez, and Republican Myra Crownover this year.  They routinely give money to support liberal Democrats and liberal/moderate Republicans.  Notably, Texans for Economic Development has given significant money to the subject of a complaint filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.

Polls close at 7pm.  If you're in Plano, please consider this information when you go to vote. 

A sad day for Texans

Today, the State Preservation Board voted to spend $3 million on metal detectors and x-ray machines for each of the four public entrances to the State Capitol. 

This happened in response to a shooting at the Capitol back on January 21.  A gunman, who had acted suspiciously in Senator Dan Patrick's office before the shooting, fired several shots outside the building just off the South Steps.  After it happened, some lawmakers called for a review of security policies.

I am severely disappointed to hear this decision, though not particularly surprised.  The Texas State Capitol is one of the most open and accessible government facilities I have ever encountered.  It was only a matter of time before a lone nutcase caused government officials to respond to safety concerns in this way.  Whether they did it consciously or not, they've essentially made it more difficult for people to participate in government with this decision.

There are assurances already from the SPB and elected officials that this will not keep people from entering the building.  There are assurances that there will not be "lines" to get in, even during session when access to the Capitol is in higher demand.  And yet:

The plan would have the public use the north side entrance, which includes a disabled-access entrance. Tour groups would be sent to the south side. The east and west entrances would be used by lawmakers, staff and other officials who would use an ID card.

Screening would be similar to airport security. Capitol visitors would walk through the metal detectors and place any bags on the X-ray machines.

"Times have change regrettably since 9-11. There are people out there around the world who want to do Americans harm. The state Capitol in Texas is the monument to the people in Texas," [Lt. Gov. David] Dewhurst said.

Big problem there - this is not about 9/11, which happened almost nine years ago.  If lawmakers had felt threatened post-9/11, these measures would have been taken then.  So, that's a non sequitur and it is disingenuous.  The comparison to airport security also completely undermines the idea of actual security - remember, if a nut wants to hurt you, all the technology in the world isn't going to stop him.  Lt. Gov. Dewhurst says he doesn't want it on his conscience if someone gets hurt because of a nut at the Capitol.  Metal detectors and x-rays aren't going to prevent the nuts from trying to hurt people.  They'll just get more creative, and more desperate, and find other ways. 

The cost is upsetting, because $3 million is just the initial costs - never mind the eventual need for more personnel, the costs of expanding security during session, that kind of thing.  But the monetary cost is negligible compared to the cost of shutting out people from the political process.  Metal detectors are a deterrent for people who don't want a hassle when they want to just show up and testify in committee or walk down to their legislator's office for a chat with the staff or official.  And what about the scout troops, school field trips, and wedding/engagement photo shoots that will now be encumbered by one more obstacle?

It is difficult now to convince people to show up at the Capitol.  It's inconvenient to get to (especially if you're not from Austin), the parking almost always sucks especially in session.  If you tell people now that they will have to stand in line and basically undergo airport security measures just to enter the offices of government, it will keep more of them from bothering to do anything at all.

This is a sad day in Texas.  I used to brag about how in Texas, anyone can walk right in and talk to elected officials at our State Capitol.  I used to complain, loudly, about having to surrender my I.D. at Houston City Hall, just for the right to testify in front of the City Council - how far are we from this now happening at the Capitol? 

My thanks go to Governor Perry today, who was the lone vote against this ridiculous measure.

Newt Gingrich in Austin Thursday April 15

Yes, what you heard on Fox News last night is true.  Newt Gingrich will be in Austin this week.

Here's the information:

Thursday, April 15  -  A Forum With Newt GingrichModerated by  Empower Texans' board chairman Tim Dunn

When: 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Where: Phoenix Central Ballroom, DoubleTree Hotel Austin, 6505 IH-35 North in Austin
Cost: Free
Presented by the Austin Tea Party Patriots
Come to hear and ask questions of Speaker Gingrich as he discusses how the Contract with America was successful, how it fell short of its goals.

Register today; seating limited: having.anaustinteaparty@gmail.com or call 512.261.8822

Sibley got homestead exemption in Travis County

I'm flatly amazed by this new revelation.  SD 22 candidate David Sibley has a home in Austin, for which he gets a homestead exemption.  One major problem - you can only get a homestead exemption at your primary residence.

There is more about this here. 

Sibley has been attacking his opponent, veteran Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell, for missing an election in Texas while in Virginia (for treatment of wounds sustained on 9/11).  And this whole time, it turns out Sibley himself has residency issues.  A lobbyist seeking a greater tax break, by his own admission. 

Voters in SD 22, when they go to the polls on May 8, have a big task before them.  Sibley has the name recognition and the benefit of being the former incumbent.  And political memory is very short - it's doubtful most SD 22 voters remember or choose to remember that Sibley left the Senate in a fit of pique when he wasn't chosen to be lieutenant governor in 2000 (that job went to Bill Ratliff, and Sibley went on to a lucrative career in the lobby).  But between the thousands of dollars Sibley has given to liberal Democratic legislators (many of whom are his presumptive colleagues) and this new revelation that he likes to throw stones from his glass house, I think the voters in SD 22 don't need a particularly good memory - just these "new" facts.

Need to earn some pocket money? Work the election Tuesday

Travis County Elections has informed us that they are still in need of several election workers for the Tuesday, April 13 primary runoff.  It is vital that these positions be filled, as there are several races on the Republican ballot.

You can contact the county directly if you're available - call Diana Rubio at 512-854-3938.

Below are the precincts that are in need of Republican Judges and/or Alt. Judges - this list may change at any time.  You do not need to live in the precinct to help at this point.  All positions are paid at a rate of $8.50/hour.  You must be a registered voter in Travis County to participate.

149 Riley Elementary School

229 Wells Branch Community Center

241 Brentwood Elem. School

274 First English Lutheran Church

302 Bailey Middle School

308 Briarcliff POA Community Ctr.

317 Eanes ISD Admin Bldg

326 Laurel Mountain Elem School

328 Renaissance Retirement Ctr.

331 Kathy Caraway Elem.School

338 Travis county WCID #18

339 Western Hills Church of Christ

342 Barton Hills Elem School

349 ACC Pinnacle Campus

351 Small Middle School

361 West Rural Community Ctr.

362 Will Hampton Library

364 Valley View Elem School

366 Mills Elem School

374 Deer Creek Elem School

375 Volente Firehouse and City Hall

377 Shepard of the Hills Church

378 Austin Christian Fellowship

403 Creedmoor Elem School

423 Montopolis Rec Ctr.

463 Williams Elem School

SCOTUS, Austin City Council, HD 52, and more

Did you vote?  You have until 7pm tonight, or you have to wait until next Tuesday.

I'm getting ready for a panel speech on conservative activism at this weekend's Young Conservatives of Texas state convention (I'm on the panel with FreedomWorks' Brendan Steinhauser, Texans for Rick Perry political director David White, and UT alum and Baylor Law graduate Austin Kinghorn - two of these guys, Austin and Brendan, were featured on MTV for their campus activism back in the day).  We're also going to get to hear from blogger/columnist/rock star Michelle Malkin tomorrow.  I thought I'd leave y'all with a link round-up post.

Justice John Paul Stevens is going to retire this summer.  All this really means is that Obama will be able to replace a liberal with another liberal, but there are a lot of concerns about what kind of justice he's going to recommend. National Review has an editorial up on the matter.  SCOTUS Blog has written out the timeline to replace Stevens.

The University of Texas system is refusing to release their tax returns, specifically for their Austin flagship school.

The Austin City Council had a spectacularly liberal day on Thursday.  They voted to require pregnancy resource centers to post notice that they don't provide abortions, voted to hire a consulting firm (using taxpayer dollars, of course) to make the fire department more ethnically diverse, and voted to co-sponsor Austin Pride Week.  Regarding the diversity consulting, I think the Austin City Council should spend some time reading and pondering this.  I agree with Eugene Volokh that this bears repeating:  "Simplistic data showing the percentage population of an ethnic group does not paint a picture of disparate treatment when qualifications for hiring are not equally shared among the population at large."  And that's just the tip of the argument.

The BattleSwarm Blog makes a case against John Gordon in House District 52.  I implore my Williamson County readers to vote for Larry Gonzales, the man who can and will represent HD 52 well and faithfully.

I know you've already heard this one:  Congressman Stupak, the man who thinks an executive order is as good as an actual law, is going to retire.

Ramesh Ponnuru has some ideas for how Congressional Republicans can fight back against the now-law  health care legislation.

Lobbyist-in-a-Box.  Genius.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation ought to be a daily read and resource for every thinking person in Texas.  For instance, read this article by the TPPF higher education policy analyst, Elizabeth Young:  Tuition "deregulation didn't deregulate tuition.  Or read this one, by TPPF vice president of policy Justin Keener:  New taxes and old politics won't fix traffic.

Finally, my must-read book recommendation for today:  Michael O'Brien's Mrs. Adams in Winter:  A Journey in the Last Days of Napoleon.  I'm about halfway through this fascinating account of Louisa Catherine Adams' journey from St. Petersburg to Paris in 1815.  It's a great history of diplomacy and offers insights into pre-Victorian Europe.  And if you have the least interest in the history of America's First Ladies, this study of Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, will expand your interest and knowledge considerably.

Travis County needs election workers for April 13

Travis County is once again in need of election workers.  The primary runoff is on Tuesday, April 13. 

Instead of reposting everything here, just click here to see the list of precincts.  No, you don't need to live in the precinct you'd work in.

The pay is $8.50 an hour.  If you're interested (and we really hope you are), please contact the Travis County Clerk's Elections Division at 854-4996.

What do they have against homeschoolers, anyway?

Seems like the word "homeschool" is pinging a lot more than usual in the blogosphere today.

First, Kathleen McKinley reports that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White wants to include homeschoolers in the dropout rate.  Apparently, the "businessman" in him doesn't like the way homeschool graduations are accounted for currently.  Sounds more like the tax-and-spend politician in him doesn't like that school districts can't do one of two things:  count homeschooled kids in the dropout rate and therefore qualify for certain kinds of aid with higher dropout rates, or count homeschooled kids in the graduation rate to qualify for certain kinds of accolades.  I do not want to imagine he has a more insidious purpose than getting more money for Texas public schools.

Second, and this one is a bit more bizarre, homeschool parent and SBOE candidate Brian Russell has apparently made waves for agreeing with a Facebook post about the evils of public schools.  I think it's a bit much to assume that Russell "hates" public schools.  I think he's rightly critical of government-run institutions, especially institutions for which government laws compel citizen participation and funding.  But the bizarre part of this discussion happened because this stemmed from a Facebook post, which Statesman writer Jason Embry quoted without contacting the original author for comment or permission.  That's what sparked today's post over at Central Texas Register - even though the Facebook post itself is weeks old and referred primarily to attacks on Russell's character that were never addressed by the Statesman.

Smart Girl Politics blogger and SBOE 10 voter Holly Hansen has more here.

Never a dull day in politics, no matter your persuasion or niche interest.

Birdwell, Sibley among SD 22 special election candidates

State Senator Kip Averitt is retiring, and this has triggered a special election to fill his unexpired term.  Senate District 22 is essentially Waco and Granbury, and the rural area just south of Fort Worth (click here for a .pdf map).

This is one of those hot races that you haven't been paying attention to.  It started with the primary.  Averitt announced his retirement too late to have his name removed from the primary ballot, so he and Darren Yancy faced off with voters well aware that should Averitt win, he would have to be replaced on the general election ballot.  They also knew there would be a special election at some point to replace him for the remainder of the current term.  With all of that in mind, they went to the polls and chose Averitt over Yancy.

Cue the special election filing cycle, which ended yesterday.  It had been rumored for awhile that former state senator (and recent lobbyist) David Sibley would file to run.  Then, Pentagon 9/11 survivor Lt. Col. (retired) Brian Birdwell announced his intention to run.  Add Yancy, and Democrat (and Baylor professor) Gayle Avant, and you've got a nice full special election ballot.

It wouldn't be a Texas election without a little bit of controversy.  Birdwell is a relative newcomer, which means more in that particular part of the state than it would in, say, Austin (which is practically a colony of California these days).  Sibley's reaction to Birdwell, who is arguably the most viable candidate other than Sibley in the race, was to (what else?) file suit to keep Birdwell off the ballot.

The response from Texas' Republican National Committeeman Bill Crocker was swift (emphasis mine):  “Republicans should not be surprised to learn that since leaving office, David Sibley has not only enjoyed a lucrative career as a lobbyist, he’s played the game well – donating more than 200 times and over $112,000 - to liberal Democrats like Jim Dunnam, Pete Gallego, Kirk Watson, Mike Moncrief and many, many more.   As an Austin lobbyist, he even funded the San Patricio County Democratic Party in South Texas.  With that kind of record it’s no wonder he wants to use the courts to keep a true conservative Republican like Brian Birdwell off the ballot.   Families with loved ones in military service, and every patriotic resident of District 22, should also be outraged that Mr. Sibley and his lobbyist friends are seeking to question Brian’s residence while he was out of the state on military duty and for treatment of service-related injuries, and prevent voters from having a real choice on May 8.”

Sibley's career as a state senator was fairly typical for a Republican, and more conservative than Averitt.  He was in from the 72nd to the 77th sessions - his ratings with Young Conservatives of Texas were, in order:  67%, 85%, 94%, 67%, 83%, 65%, and his composite score was 77%.  But the question has to be asked:  would a post-lobby Sibley continue to vote conservatively?  I don't know how a principled conservative justifies giving money to the likes of Patrick Rose, Kirk Watson, Leticia Van de Putte, and Eliot Shapleigh among many others. 

That's another thing!  Sibley, as a lobbyist, financially supported several still-serving members of the Texas Senate!  Watson, Van de Putte, Lucio, Hinojosa, Ellis, West, Uresti, and Zaffirini (Shapleigh is retiring).  Not exactly moderate or even friendly Democrats for the most part. 

Birdwell has not served in public office, but he has been a very vocal and visible Republican for quite awhile.  I recall the first I time I heard him speak, at the 2006 Republican Party of Texas state convention.  I've also had the privilege of meeting him and I know him to be a principled conservative.  I think that conservatives get a consistent 77% from Sibley - but could get 85% or more from Birdwell.

This special election will take place May 8.

Why you should be concerned about the student loan takeover

The Congressional Budget Office released information today projecting that the federal government's takeover of the student loan industry will cost $52 billion over ten years. "CBO recently estimated that whereas loans issued in the direct loan program between 2010 and 2020 would reduce the deficit by a total of $68 billion under FCRA accounting, those loans would increase the deficit by $52 billion on a fair value basis."  This is according to the March 2010 CBO study, "Policy Options for Federal Student Loan Programs."

I have mentioned the takeover in a couple of posts, but haven't really gotten into this in detail.  What happened?  A provision for taking over direct lending in higher education from banks was inserted in the Senate version of the health care bill, and in the final passed version.  The reasoning was that such a move did not have the votes to pass or survive a filibuster as a stand-alone bill.  Proponents argued that it needed to happen to save the Pell grant program, which has been in danger of collapse for some time.  Money is being moved around; the money that would have been funneled through banks instead of direct lending is partially going to shore up the Pell grant program.

The problem with the student loan industry is similar to the problem in the housing-loan industry.  Banks were losing money on loans, and had to pull back from giving loans in such abundance.  Students were then relying on federal grant programs and federal student aid in greater numbers; the Pell grant program creaked with the added burden.  So the federal government, or more particularly President Obama, decided it was high time to swoop in and take over, because everyone knows, the government always Does It Better.

Right.

It is important to know some of the history here.  Back in the '60s, in an effort to make college more affordable for more people, the federal government wheedled banks into getting involved in loaning money for college.  The feds agreed to back up and guarantee some of those loans.  Suddenly more people could "afford" college.  Tuition rates began going up as universities saw that the bottom line had broadened, and the student loan industry grew larger.  As federal financial aid became limited based on income, the student loan industry became even more important to financing increasingly expensive college educations.  As almost anyone who wanted one could suddenly get a degree, financial aid and student loans became common in most American families.

In September of 2009, the Department of Education reported that the total amount borrowed by students had grown 25% between 2007/2008 and 2008/2009.  This was the highest one-year jump - the amount fluctuated over time, though it was always steadily rising.  Two-thirds of college students borrow some money to go to school, and the average undergraduate debt load is $23,186.  Anecdotally, a student relying on loans for undergraduate and post-graduate school could owe as much as $175,000 or more before the age of 30.

Loans are utilized by families and students who, after filing their FAFSA forms, are informed they do not fit in the proper tax brackets to qualify for other kinds of student financial aid.  That really means most middle-class Americans, but it includes people all over the scale.  Student loans, like home mortgages and credit cards, are artificial ways for people to "afford" things that are actually out of their monetary reach.  Schools are basing their budgeting and plans on what they assume families can afford.  Since admission isn't decreasing as a result of tuition increases (why would it - people know they can get aid and loans from the federal government), universities are secure when they raise tuition and aren't affected by arguments about pricing students out of higher education.

Do you see the cycle here?  Consider further that state universities receive taxpayer money to operate to begin with, that in Texas tuition is "deregulated" and left to the discretion of unelected university boards of regents, and are 100% unaccountable for their financial practices and fiscal health. Put simply by the United Liberty blog:  "Over the last 30 years, college tuition has increased at twice the rate of inflation. Does anyone really think that a federally-run student loan program that does even more to shield the real cost of college from it’s consumers is going to do anything to stop that?"

This takeover is just another government power grab, and it does nothing to address the actual problems with the cost of higher education and the debt problem in this country.

While the country is distracted....

Bunches of interesting things to read this fine Monday afternoon.  Here are some things I recommend checking out.


AT&T Plans to Book $1 Billion Cost for Health-Care Law: Bloomberg story about one company's projected costs associated with the new health care law.  From the article:  "AT&T, the biggest U.S. phone company, joins Caterpillar Inc., AK Steel Holding Corp. and 3M Co. in recording non-cash expenses against earnings as a result of the law. Health-care costs may shave as much as $14 billion from U.S. corporate profits, according to an estimate by benefits consulting firm Towers Watson. AT&T employed about 281,000 people as of the end of January."  Read the whole thing - it's enlightening.  H/T Heritage Foundation.

Sounds like the White House may be able to make a major Supreme Court change before too long - and with the lawsuits now pending against the federal government, this could be one of the more important battles in the ongoing battle over health insurance reform.

It has flown under pretty much everyone's radar, but in the midst of the health care debacle came another takeover - the federal government now controls the student loan industry.  Below the Beltway has a great post about this issue.  Outside the Beltway gets into why this new student loan regime (bite me, Chris Matthews) will actually be worse for students.  Folks, I know that the majority of people pay little to no attention to higher education issues - but now more than ever, we need accountability and reform in higher education.  With the federal government in the student loan industry, you can bet on two things:  first, that very soon the federal government will decide that higher education is a right, not a privilege, and second, that already taxpayer-funded institutions will demand higher tuition rates with that "guaranteed" ROI they'll get from the federal government in terms of government-backed loans, scholarships, and grants. 

Speaking of largely ignored stories, Michelle Malkin has a column up concerning one of the latest incidences of violence on the U.S./Mexico border.  I didn't see it widely reported, but the University of Texas recently recalled some exchange students studying in Monterrey, citing the recent increase of violence in northern Mexico.  Along these same lines - slain Arizona rancher Rob Krentz' funeral is going to be this weekend.  On March 14, the U.S. State Department issued travel warnings because of violence that has erupted between Mexican drug cartels:  "....to U.S. citizens traveling to and living in Mexico of concerns about the security situation in Mexico, and that [the State Department] has authorized the departure of the dependents of U.S. government personnel from U.S. consulates in the Northern Mexican border cities of Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros until April 12."

No one is talking about this, either, it seems:  yesterday, there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Baja and southern California.  It was one of the worst recorded earthquakes in the San Diego area.  Click here for more information including a map of the affected area.  The Washington Post is reporting that 2 are dead, and about 100 are injured, according to Mexican officials.  Reports yesterday said that the quake was felt in Phoenix, Arizona.


Finally, a piece a bit more light-hearted than my usual fare, in celebration of Major League Baseball's opening day - George Will on the unwritten "codes" of baseball.

Early Voting for Runoff - Locations

It's that time again - early voting for the Republican primary runoff started today statewide.  On the ballot in Travis County - SBOE Place 10 (Brian Russell, Marsha Farney), Supreme Court Place 3 (Rick Green, Debra Lehrmann), and State House of Representatives District 47 (Holly Turner, Paul Workman).  The Liberty Institute has a general information voters guide available on their website here - look for the form in the middle of the page.

Early voting goes through Friday, and Election Day is April 13.

Early voting locations:

CENTRAL AUSTIN
Travis County Airport Blvd Offices
5501 Airport Blvd
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

Fiesta Mart Central
3909 North IH-35 @ Delwood Shopping Center
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

University of Texas
2400 Inner Campus Drive
Flawn Academic Center Lobby, West Mall, UT Campus
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

Goodwill Industries (Lake Austin Blvd)
701 Newman Dr
Mon-Fri: 10 am-7 pm

NORTH AUSTIN
Ben Hur Shriners Hall
7811 Rockwood Lane
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

MT Supermarket
10901 N. Lamar Blvd., Bldg G at Chinatown Center
Mon-Fri: 10 am-7 pm

NORTHEAST AUSTIN
County Tax Office, Pflugerville (Community Room)
15822 Foothill Farms Loop
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

Goodwill Industries
1015 Norwood Park Boulevard
Mon-Fri: 8 am-7 pm

NORTHWEST AUSTIN
Randalls Research and Braker
10900-D Research Boulevard @ Braker Lane
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

HEB Four Points, FM 620 and RR 2222
7301 FM 620 North (temp building in parking lot)
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

SOUTH AUSTIN
HEB South Congress
2400 South Congress (temp building in parking lot)
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

Randalls Ben White and Manchaca
2025 West Ben White Boulevard @ Manchaca Road
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

SOUTHEAST AUSTIN
Dan Ruiz Public Library
1600 Grove Blvd
Mon-Thur 10 am-7 pm, Fri: Closed

Fiesta Mart Stassney
5510 S. IH-35 @ Stassney
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm,

SOUTHWEST AUSTIN
Randalls South Mopac and William Cannon
6600 South Mopac @ William Cannon
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

Randalls Brodie and Slaughter
9911 Brodie Lane @ Slaughter Lane
Mon-Fri 7 am-7 pm

EAST AUSTIN
Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center
2608 Gonzales Street @ East 7th
Mon-Fri: 10 am-7 pm

Carver Museum
1165 Angelina Street
Mon-Fri: 10 am - 6 pm

WEST AUSTIN
Flagship Randalls at Westlake Hills
3300 Bee Caves Road
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

Randalls Lakeway
2301 RR 620 South
Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm

Brian McCall resigns; HD 66 special election May 8

This will make for an even more drawn-out and exhausting election season for Plano residents who live in the bounds of House District 66.  According to Quorum Report, State Rep. Brian McCall has resigned his seat effective today at 5pm, in order to take up the post of chancellor at Texas State University.

QR reports that the special election will be May 8.


The way this will work:  the winner of the April 13 runoff is the Republican nominee for the seat on the November ballot.  The May 8 election will be a special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the current term - so the winner of that seat is not necessarily the Republican (or Democrat) on the November ballot.

Confused? More information will trickle down soon, no doubt.  Hang tight.

New website exposes HD 52 candidate's baggage

Believe me, you'll want to see this.


The True John Gordon.

There is some really interesting information on this website.  Scroll down a bit and it says it was paid for by the Texas 1836 PAC, and a quick perusal of the Texas Ethics Commission website says this PAC has existed since 2005 and is run by Larry Massey, Jr. of Houston.

Mr. Massey clearly has good connections in Round Rock.  You really do need to check this out.

Schools begin strategizing for Prop 4 Tier One money

I figure, since I spent a lot of time dogging on Proposition 4 (the constitutional amendment last November, not the Republican primary ballot prop), readers might be interested to know that some universities have announced strategies for how they will attract the money that Proposition 4 promised - a part of a $500 million pie approved by voters last November.  To earn that money, universities must spend at least $45 million on restricted research during the two years prior to the state's budget cycle - one of the many requirements being laid out by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Seven state universities have submitted plans so far.  I've gotten some of this from the Dallas Morning News report on the topic today and the others from digging around university websites. 

1 - The University of Texas at Arlington:  Offer doctorate degrees in nanoscience, sustainability and globalism, and expand existing doctoral programs.  Increase research spending $51 million to $210 million

2 - The University of Texas at Dallas:  Make the student body and faculty more diverse.  This means:  add faculty (from 419 now to 610 in a decade) and students (from 15,800 to 22,000); spend more on research each year (from $66 million to $130 million) and produce more students with doctorate degrees (from 124 to 240).  Here's a link to their plan, submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

3 - The University of Texas at San Antonio:  Raise admission standards and attract nationally competitive research faculty.  The DMN says that's going to come at a price, as "just the start-up costs for a new researcher can run $350,000 to $2 million, not including salaries." 

4 - University of North Texas:  Working on developing research initiatives; according to the North Texas Daily, plans are included in new budget proposals.  Also:  “UNT lags in restricted research awards and expenditures because as one of the state’s most comprehensive universities, with world-class music, art, education and humanities programs, we have attracted funding but not in the areas that qualify,” said Buddy Price [UNT's news promotion manager].(from this article)

5 - Texas Tech University:  The specifics are not fully laid out that I can find, but the general overview is here, and it really equals more spending on research and faculty.

6 - University of Houston:  General overview and FAQ.  It comes down to attracting competitive faculty and more research grants.  U of H is probably as close as Texas Tech in achieving the standards required.

7 - The University of Texas at El Paso:  UTEP plans to increase the number of doctoral degrees (UTEP only graduated 35 in 2007-2008, and needs to reach 200 to qualify) and, like the others, focus on attracting matching grants to increase the amount of research already being done.  There's an informative op-ed on the Prospector (UTEP student paper) site here.

I am still very much opposed to all of this.  The supporters said and still say, this isn't going to cost us more money - and they are right that Prop 4 itself did not raise taxes.  But the consequence of all this extra spending, more "nationally competitive faculty," "diversity" - it all equals more spending, and since these are public universities, taxpayers ARE taking the ultimate hit in the pocketbook.  We're coming up on a budget shortfall in the state of Texas, and universities may have to take a hit like they did in 2003.  With tuition deregulated, it means that the universities will see fit to raise tuition to continue funding their initiatives to become Tier One eligible.  And when tuition goes up, financial aid becomes more necessary for more students.  The federal government just took over and nationalized the student loan industry (more here on those consequences) - and they already fund and back many student loans and other financial aid packages like Pell grants.  Where exactly do you think the money to do all of that comes from, anyway?

But the voters spoke, and now we just have to watch how this will all play out.  I wonder how much it will cost to go to Tier One UT-Arlington, anyway.