April 2013
5 posts
If we can put a man on the moon....
Over Easter weekend Crystal and I took our kids to Washington D.C. The highlight of the trip may have been the planetarium at the National Air and Space Museum. We watched a film about planets in far-away solar systems similar to ours.
Here’s what’s fascinating about those planets: it’s impossible to see them, no matter how powerful the telescope. The film said trying to observe a planet...
March 2013
4 posts
Missing the deadline
In yesterday’s blog post I promised that today I would post something much more important than why I’m against HB 5 - I promised to post what I am FOR. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked from writing that post because I’m trying to finish an op-ed solicited by the Dallas Morning News on HB 5, and it’s 12 minutes to midnight. Since family time for Easter starts tomorrow, the...
Why I voted against HB 5
I felt strongly enough about the shortcomings in HB 5 that I was one of only two members of the House voting against it yesterday. I felt strongly enough that normally I would have delivered a speech in opposition to the bill at the conclusion of the debate, but after 9 hours of debate, I don’t think anyone on the floor was interested in continuing the discussion, and it was clear it was...
Gay marriage debate in Supreme Court
In the news coverage of yesterday’s oral argument in the Supreme Court, I’ve heard them play this clip of John Roberts saying that advocating for gay marriage - presumably in contrast to a civil union with full legal rights but without calling it marriage - is a debate about a label. And as the attorney (I guess Olson) begins to answer that “labels mean something,” Roberts...
February 2013
2 posts
This will be my last session as a member of the...
Before this legislative session began, Crystal and I decided that it would be my last. By the end of this term I’ll have served 10 years in the Texas House, and it’s been a truly wonderful experience, a great honor, and all that stuff. At the same time it’s been frustrating and at times disheartening, especially since the 2010 elections re-set the balance of power in the Texas...
Things I learned in the Ways and Means Committee...
There’s a headline that’s likely to go viral, right?
But there really were two very interesting things I learned today in the Ways and Means Committee. The first is that for some reason, we keep the billions of dollars in the Economic Stabilization Fund - better known as the Rainy Day Fund - in accounts bearing very low interest rates, presumably so the funds can be deployed quickly...
January 2013
7 posts
1 tag
Governor doubles down on no Medicaid expansion
The most noteworthy element of the Governor’s just-completed State of the State address was the refusal to expand Medicaid.
As a refresher, here’s the value proposition presented to Texas by the Affordable Care Act: states expand Medicaid to serve a larger share of their low-income population, and the federal government covers 100% of the cost of expanded eligibility for the first...
2 tags
Addicted to Morning Joe
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’m a junkie for Morning Joe. So much so that I actually DVR it and watch it at night, because my kids don’t let me watch it in the morning.
One of the reasons I like the show is that a couple of friends of mine, both with connections to Rock the Vote, are involved with the show: Ann Edelberg and Madeline Peters. Another reason I like it...
2 tags
1 tag
The President's Inaugural speech
Haven’t had time to post in a week. Trying to be encouraging, someone said to me this week that “eventually you’ll find your voice.”
My problem isn’t finding my voice. My problem is finding the time.
I have been a bit amazed at the reaction to the President’s inaugural speech. Everyone is breathless at the fact that he now says he meant what he said when...
1 tag
Time to stop blogging about blogging
Time to stop blogging about blogging and start blogging about stuff. I’ll start talking policy soon but today I wanted to share a story I told a small group recently at a dinner celebrating the impending wedding of my good friend Patrick Rose.
When I first ran for the Legislature, and for the next 6 years, people I didn’t know would often start conversations with me as if they knew...
2 tags
More thoughts on this blog...
It’s been five days since my first post, which suggests I might not be up to this challenge I’ve set out for myself. Have had a thousand thoughts I’ve wanted to share on this blog in the intervening five days, but just never had the time to sit down and write them.
What makes it even harder to post consistently and frequently is my goal to keep this blog from being anodyne...
10 tags
This blog is a terrible idea
No one is more surprised than I am to find myself launching a blog.
Politicians keeping a blog – or tweeting, or otherwise oversharing their momentary musings – is a terrible idea, politically speaking.
I know there’s a lot of hype around social media and politics, and some if it is well-deserved (though not all of it). But if you’re not running for President, some of this stuff just doesn’t...
