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Xarthor posted:So great, we have one debate left, in McAllen. I bet Abbott finds a reason to pull out of that one too. Coward. Coward like a fox. He has absolutely nothing to gain from a debate.
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Aug 29, 2014 18:20
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Every once in a while, we win one.
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Aug 29, 2014 23:27
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Ah yes the story of how I got rich as gently caress and then used that money to become powerful and then tried to prevent other people from doing the same.
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Sep 3, 2014 17:13
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Also they are inept. I have so many friends who are hype as gently caress about Wendy and getting involved in politics like never before and they always come to me with puppy dog eyes and say "She's got a chance right" and I have to crush their little hopes and dreams and tell them she's going to get smoked worse than Chris Bell because the GOP has now taken its other hand from behind its back.
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Sep 4, 2014 15:50
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Badger of Basra posted:Austin just stopped electing all its city council members at-large this year. We're doing them by district for the first time ever this November. 72 candidates!
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Sep 5, 2014 05:47
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I'm in 5 because I live in the '04 
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Sep 5, 2014 07:09
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Trabisnikof posted:What on earth does the libertarian candidate mean by 'ending protectionism (reduces traffic)'? Probably wants toll roads and thinks that the city government is somehow responsible for the toll road moratorium.
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Sep 10, 2014 20:36
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Ha the City Council just lowered the property tax rate this week. Though appraisal values continue to go up, but I don't know what a city councilman could do about that. Did anyone get the bond measure mailer? It was one of the better one's I've seen and I've never seen one that used the term "clusterfuck" before.
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Sep 10, 2014 21:21
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ReidRansom posted:Does Austin do the property tax freeze at age 65? I *think* that was a temporary statewide measure, but I can't recall for sure.
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Sep 10, 2014 21:35
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Ronwayne posted:To be fair, is there anything Austin can do to fix its north-south traffic problem that is both feasible and likely to happen instead of the entire city just choking to death? I moved back to Dallas and was reminded how traffic here at its worst is still about the level of Austin on average*. Yeah get rid of the upper lower deck split. There is nothing that you can do about Austin traffic that won't lead to a three year ultimate clusterfuck due to road closures and construction.
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Sep 11, 2014 15:47
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What they need to fix is the goddamn train that blocks Oltorf at Lamar at rush hour every other day 
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Sep 11, 2014 16:01
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We could forcibly expel every emigre from California and solve all of our traffic problems.
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Sep 11, 2014 20:02
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Fine kick out every person that's lived here less than 10 years.
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Sep 11, 2014 21:06
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Or if there were lanes instead of a train track running down the middle of Mopac?
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Sep 11, 2014 22:10
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Nonsense posted:Commuter rail ain't going to do dog poo poo, and everywhere they will decide to build it in Austin will serve like 10 people. MetroRail is apparently killing it right now.
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Sep 11, 2014 22:23
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I used to commute to downtown from Georgetown.
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Sep 12, 2014 07:21
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The airport hurts that, I guess. They are doing massive reconstruction on 71, bypassing Riverside, but I don't know if that hurts or helps. Also it seems the lion's share of development money is going downtown. Why go out when you can go up. zoux fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Sep 12, 2014 |
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Sep 12, 2014 21:07
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The SBOE is going to meet in 2 weeks to adopt some textbooks which lie about climate change. quote:McGraw-Hill Education (World Cultures & Geography) – includes information pulled directly from the Heartland Institute, a polluter-funded advocacy group infamous for its anti-climate change propaganda. I'm not advocating signing this because I think online petitions are loving stupid but here's the source.
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Sep 16, 2014 14:31
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Nope. I will say that when the Tribune launched I was super skeptical about it but it's turned into a real deal respected and accurate outlet.
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Sep 16, 2014 19:25
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You do.
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Sep 16, 2014 21:54
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There are literally no barriers to a school voucher program if the election shakes out like it's gonna. Pick a crazy Tea Party policy; that will be the law in Texas after next session.
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Sep 22, 2014 15:54
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The school finance system has been in court since basically 1984, it has solved nothing and the state has one of the most unequal education systems in the country. Courts can't or won't give any sort of direction to the Legislature on how to create an equitable, effective education system (probably because it's literally impossible under the Constitution) and legislators are going to be under a court order to "fix" the finance system in 2015. They will "fix" it with vouchers, there will be a suit that will take four years to shake out, so they can revisit it in 2019 and we have to hope the Tea Party has been ejected by then. Oh I might add that the 2/3 Senate rule that has served as a bulwark against a complete conservative steamrolling in Texas since '99 is in serious danger this session. Patrick has challenged the rule at the beginning of every session he's been in and it's been held back by the Democrats joining with moderate Republicans to keep that rule. Five of the seven moderate Republicans in the Senate were primaried from the right or left the Senate in the interim so basically abandon all hope. zoux fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Sep 22, 2014 |
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Sep 22, 2014 16:19
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Well the Tea Party won't care for that. But yeah everyone has known for years that the TEF was Perry's personal petty cash fund for paying his best business buds.
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Sep 26, 2014 14:42
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Sardonik posted:The fact that this is the first time that the Enterprise Fund is being audited is perhaps the only surprising part of this. Considering literally the head of every state agency in Texas was appointed by Perry, there was no way it was going to happen before he was on the way out.
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Sep 26, 2014 16:09
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He won't. He'll be empowered to only put his own people into appointed positions once current terms are up. It's only a problem if you have a Governor in power for a long long time and it's only happened once.
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Sep 26, 2014 16:20
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BTW the same thing happened at CPRIT, where they were just giving out grants without going through the proper channels.
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Sep 26, 2014 16:35
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Trabisnikof posted:Ah yes the classic, lie about committing a crime to someone then expose them as criminals when they don't immediately report you to the police! Brilliant journalism! Well, you know how ACORN doesn't exist any more...
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Sep 29, 2014 21:43
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Has anyone seen any polling in the Lt. Governor's race?
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Sep 29, 2014 22:25
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Yeah, but the Latino vote!
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Sep 29, 2014 23:13
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GreyjoyBastard posted:Dan Patrick, noted crazy person and Texas Lieutenant Governor frontrunner, after repeatedly accusing his opponent of wanting to turn Texas into California, accidentally proposed that tax increases be subject to public referendum. By the way this is already the case, sort of. Per the state constitution, in order to enact an income tax, 2/3 of the electorate must vote yes in a referendum. There's really only one state controlled tax on the public, and that's part of the sales tax. Property tax increases are at the local level, and the franchise tax is only a few years old and has never even suggested to have been raised. His constituency hears that and thinks that it will affect federal income tax rates somehow. I don't know when the last time a tax was raised in this state.
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Sep 30, 2014 15:19
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His education policy scares me much more. He's no different from Standard Republican Man when it comes to fiscal politics.
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Sep 30, 2014 15:28
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Patrick, as chair of the Education Committee, is also the author of the massive curriculum program change that is going into effect this fall. I can go into the (boring) specifics if anyone cares but suffice it to say it's replacing a system that was showing results with one that's a complete disaster.
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Sep 30, 2014 16:02
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Well, we used to go on a 4x4 system, so named because you had to have four years of four key subjects (Math, science, english, social studies). The new system lets people trade out a science course for a STEM course or a math course or whatever. It's intended to let kids tailor their high school education to help them get workforce or college ready, but if you don't pick the right endorsement path as a freshman, you can gently caress yourself when it comes to what you do after you graduate, and there is no way to change paths. Colleges go, hmmm you skipped Biology for Computer Programming or whatever so that hurts your entrance chances. So you get 14 year old kids basically locking themselves into a future. Our accountablility system is also terrible, they change the standardized test requirements every other year it seems and last session they cut in half the number of end of course exams intended to gauge student process. That's harder to lay at the feet of Patrick though, or even the Republican party as it was mostly parents going  it's too hard for our pwecious babies to do tests
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Sep 30, 2014 16:16
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Dante Logos posted:The core curriculum requirements for college students changed too. One change that came to mind that instead of taking a composition class, you can take an communication class instead. So if you are a science/math person starting out school, opt to take the composition courses, because you'll make your classmates seem like illiterate morons by comparison (because they probably are). I don't think that had anything to do with the Legislature though.
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Sep 30, 2014 16:28
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Trabisnikof posted:I don't think "angry liberal women" would sell as well in Texas as you'd like. Well it was essentially how Davis and VDP rose to national prominence so they might try to dance with the one what brung you rather than whatever worthless bullshit campaign they've been running.
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Sep 30, 2014 17:17
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Uh Davis was for sure.
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Sep 30, 2014 17:22
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Actually she picks fights on everything, shows up to committees she's not on to grill witnesses and generally stood out as the only true liberal on the Senate Floor. n.m I'm being rude but, yeah I have seen the filibuster. zoux fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 17:34
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To answer my own question about Lt. Gov polling, the newest Lyceum poll that put it at 49/40 Abbott/Davis has it 47/33 Patrick/VDP 
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Oct 2, 2014 14:36
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I think AG would've been a better slot for her, her money would've made a real difference there. Also name the republican GOP AG candidate! I can, but I bet 90% of people have never heard of him.
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Oct 2, 2014 14:53
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computer parts posted:I think that's part of the issue with VDP though - no one's heard of her. There's 20% undecided in that poll you posted as is. Patrick's the same way though, they're all state senators. VDP has been cochair of the 2008 DNC, chair of the National Hispanic Caucus of Hispanic State Legislators, chair of NCSL, in political circles she's got recognition and connections to raise money. Part of the problem is that Davis is the only Democrat in Texas with any recognition at all, and that's why they pushed her into running for Governor.
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Oct 2, 2014 14:59
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