The Noise Machine (04/26/10)

Too nice of a day to be inside.....


Earmarks? Earmarks? We don't need no stinkin'.... OK wait....



White, White he's our man, if he can't do it no one can! Some cities are blessed with a watchdog press. Houston has been saddled with the JV cheer leading team.


For supporters, A one-time grant that will go-away over time is an A-OK way to start a public defender's office. We'll deal with those sticky things like budget burdens later. (Hopefully, much later...say, after we're 65 and our property taxes freeze. Yeah, that's it.) I like the idea of a PD's office, but not the current funding options.


Texas + Mexico = Texico? Just asking.


Are overwritten ledes now required in advocacy journalism pieces? (Poorly overwritten at that) The Bill White Texas Tribune does breaking news fairly well, everything else has been unimpressive at best. For an organization that promised much, it'd be nice to see them step up their game.


Unca Darrell proposes you Honor Dan Duncan's memory by donating to one of his many charities. That's an idea with which HCA heartily agrees.


Tom Kirkendall of Houston's Clear Thinkers continues his examination of the overcriminalization of American society. If you haven't been reading his blog you should. (Unless you're OK with the fact that the so-called "freest country in the world" incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than anyone else. That's right, even those scary places)


Evan over at Perry vs. World notes that It only took a year for Obama's "no red states or blue states" campaign slogan to be cast aside. (It's amazing how much the end to politics as usual feels just like politics as usual.)


Tea Partiers...Meet the public sector unions. (Peas in a pod)


Big Jolly Politics lets us know that the HCRP is playing nice. (for now anyway)


And finally....


BlogHouston's running a water/sewage rate hike takedown by guest commentator Brutus. Make sure to give it a read.