Evan, Kevin and I have pulled up the curtain on Texas Iconoclast, what we're hoping will be your go-to site for Texas Political news and opinion presented from the perspective of the center-right.
For now, my plan is to roll most of my Statewide political writing and commentary over there and to the IconBlog which will be our format for more long-form posts when the occasion calls for it, or when one of us is stricken with the muse.
Initially our plan is to have a post up every morning at 9:00 providing you with all of the Texas State political news you can hope to find. Over time? Who knows? We just hope that you'll join us on the journey.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
The more things change....
....the more they stay the same.
It's amazing to me that, after the replacement of part of the executive staff and most of the board, Metro STILL doesn't understand it's basic function: Moving people from point A to point B efficiently and with minimum hassle.
Not creating a new urban wonderland, not land speculation, not generating good PR, paying a lot of money for bloggers and PR reps with name recognition. Nope. Moving a bunch of people. That they are getting no better at this despite all of the changes leads me to believe it's past time to stop referring to our region's transit agency as the "New" Metro.
They're the same old Metro. A Metro that, perhaps, should be shuttered and reconstituted under a different structure/leadership. Perhaps it's time to give the County more say than the City? Commuter rail vs. a toy train that doesn't go anywhere, can't carry a significant amount of people and takes away from needed bus service that can actually get you where you want to go.
It's just Metro, same as the old Metro only with more spin.
It's amazing to me that, after the replacement of part of the executive staff and most of the board, Metro STILL doesn't understand it's basic function: Moving people from point A to point B efficiently and with minimum hassle.
Not creating a new urban wonderland, not land speculation, not generating good PR, paying a lot of money for bloggers and PR reps with name recognition. Nope. Moving a bunch of people. That they are getting no better at this despite all of the changes leads me to believe it's past time to stop referring to our region's transit agency as the "New" Metro.
They're the same old Metro. A Metro that, perhaps, should be shuttered and reconstituted under a different structure/leadership. Perhaps it's time to give the County more say than the City? Commuter rail vs. a toy train that doesn't go anywhere, can't carry a significant amount of people and takes away from needed bus service that can actually get you where you want to go.
It's just Metro, same as the old Metro only with more spin.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Noise Machine (04/03/11)
-
Gray: Residents get street smart | Arts columnist | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
"The Houston bunch isn't a gang of hipsters so much as a "diverse coalition of groups, businesses and passionate individuals," in the words of one flyer. Mostly, they're earnest activists - lovers of biking, of intelligent transit design, of urban planning - who have joined what's now the national Better Block movement to improve city life. The Houston bunch is much more likely lapse into jargon - "complete-streets principles" and "proof of New Urbanist theory" - than to crow about sticking it to the man."
// - Translation: They're a bunch of wealthy, elitists who think everyone should want and value the same things as they. And Gray is one of them or, at least, willing to provide them journalistic cover. -
I remember when the DMN used to be go-to. Now, they've dumbed down their reporting and placed it behind a firewall. Pass.
-
Texas’ Clout in Congress Rises Along With GOP — U.S. Congress | The Texas Tribune
These stories crack me up. Effective legislators are effective legislators. That's been proven time and time again.
-
KNIGHT: Obama's energetic war on the young - Washington Times
"The speech served up progressive approaches to save the planet with windmills, toy cars (“1 million electric vehicles on our roads by 2015”) and generators hooked up to millions of people playing Angry Birds on their iPhones. Just kidding about the Angry Birds. The top-selling app in the world (100 million downloads), the addictive bird video game was developed without government grants. Not a useful example in any case for a president who extols the idea that all good things come from government’s hand." // - Nice job.
-
All Benefits, No Costs | The Weekly Standard
"Many companies complain that the Obama administration has increased the cost of doing business by issuing loads of new regulations. The administration does not deny being aggressive in issuing new rules or that compliance costs may ultimately total in the billions of dollars. Instead, it has rejected logic and common sense and argues that increasing the costs of doing business benefits the economy. The chain of reasoning by which it reaches this conclusion is breathtakingly audacious, not to say absurd." // - Obama & Co are getting the economy they want. Less socialist than state-controlled.
-
Is It Better to Save No One? - NYTimes.com
"Mr. Obama and other world leaders did something truly extraordinary, wonderful and rare: they ordered a humanitarian intervention that saved thousands of lives and that even Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s closest aides seem to think will lead to his ouster." Uh...no...it looks as if Muammar is going to be just fine.
-
RealClearPolitics - Obama's 'Bloodbath': Can We Believe the Hype?
A war based on false pretenses?
-
RealClearPolitics - What in God's Name Are We Doing in Libya?
Heh.
-
Energy mandates ignore real world - SignOnSanDiego.com
"Who are the most powerful opponents? As has been widely reported in the state and national media, it’s members of the same environmental movement that has led the fight for cleaner energy."
// - Heh. -
Soda tax: Modest price hikes won't quench consumption - latimes.com
Soda taxes just hurt the poor.
-
Federal budget: Picking the right fiscal fight - latimes.com
"The dissidents don't seem to realize that conservatives have already won the argument with liberals on one important level." That's because there's considerable evidence they haven't. Dems will seek to roll back those cuts almost immediately.
-
Right seeks edge in opposition wars - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com
They should have done this a long time ago. They've been getting killed in the media because they don't have the proper infrastructure to fight back.
-
Burden of budget cuts worries Texas' poor | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
More of the same slant from Texas' Political media. (Note the Dem activist shirt on the "average person" that's quoted extensively in the story)
-
Afghan riots over Quran-burning: 2 days, 20 dead - Yahoo! News
Religion of peace?
More than a river in Egypt
Denial as political philosophy?
Present, not voting. Hal, Half Empty
That's one way of looking at it I guess. That Democrats were swept out of power in historic fashion in 2010 not because a majority of Texans disagreed with their message, but that the vast majority who do simply forgot to go out and cast a vote. It's not that Texans look at Democratic blather such as this and are turned off. It's that most Texans are so angry they didn't mark their calendars.
Not that all Democrats are like Mr. Cobarruvias, walking around angry all the time and using clunky humor to try and make their point, it's just that even the serial block-quoters slip up and forget politics is a marketing game from time to time. That's right Democrats, it's typically not a good idea to insult the values and dreams of those people you are trying to woo. Doesn't work out too well.
Nor does it play well to tell your remaining supporters that they're dense and forgot to vote. Certainly not when it's most likely that you're not giving them much to vote for in the first place. The reality is this, at its upper leadership level (in both practical and policy terms) the Democratic party (both State and Nationally) is a rich White-folks club. Ecomentalism doesn't spawn in the ghetto, neither do "smart-streets". Poor families of all races aren't sitting around contemplating farmer's markets and taxes on their sodas.
In short, it's not that Dem voters "forgot" to go to the polls, it's that the party failed to present them anything to vote for.
As a one-time, self-identifying Democrat, this makes me sad. As a one-time, self-identifying Republican, it makes me happy. As a current, self-identifying independent, it depresses me. Because I'm a firm believer in the philosophy that Government works best when there are two strong parties with different, honest ideals providing a policy back-and-forth that weeds out the worst ideas on both sides, providing a healthy amount of gridlock and letting the truly good ideas through the firewall to keep the State from running wild, it concerns me.
Present, not voting. Hal, Half Empty
Hopelessly outnumbered, because Texas Democrats forgot to go to the polls last November
That's one way of looking at it I guess. That Democrats were swept out of power in historic fashion in 2010 not because a majority of Texans disagreed with their message, but that the vast majority who do simply forgot to go out and cast a vote. It's not that Texans look at Democratic blather such as this and are turned off. It's that most Texans are so angry they didn't mark their calendars.
Not that all Democrats are like Mr. Cobarruvias, walking around angry all the time and using clunky humor to try and make their point, it's just that even the serial block-quoters slip up and forget politics is a marketing game from time to time. That's right Democrats, it's typically not a good idea to insult the values and dreams of those people you are trying to woo. Doesn't work out too well.
Nor does it play well to tell your remaining supporters that they're dense and forgot to vote. Certainly not when it's most likely that you're not giving them much to vote for in the first place. The reality is this, at its upper leadership level (in both practical and policy terms) the Democratic party (both State and Nationally) is a rich White-folks club. Ecomentalism doesn't spawn in the ghetto, neither do "smart-streets". Poor families of all races aren't sitting around contemplating farmer's markets and taxes on their sodas.
In short, it's not that Dem voters "forgot" to go to the polls, it's that the party failed to present them anything to vote for.
As a one-time, self-identifying Democrat, this makes me sad. As a one-time, self-identifying Republican, it makes me happy. As a current, self-identifying independent, it depresses me. Because I'm a firm believer in the philosophy that Government works best when there are two strong parties with different, honest ideals providing a policy back-and-forth that weeds out the worst ideas on both sides, providing a healthy amount of gridlock and letting the truly good ideas through the firewall to keep the State from running wild, it concerns me.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Noise Machine (04/01/11)
Fitting that the Parade of fools in Austin is making news on April Fool's Day is it not?
-
Arts vs. Grannies: Texas Lege Axes Culture - Houston News - Hair Balls
So the Houston Press and Richard Connelly are against old people then? (See what I did there?)
-
This is a story that should have just been handled via a link post. No value add etc.
-
Abortion-related amendment passes | Postcards
“Have you used contraception yourself,” Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, asked Weber." That's a cheap-shot, insulting, unprofessional question that has no place in civilized debate.
-
Another amendment seeks to take more money from family planning | Postcards
The argument (one I agree with) is that the State shouldn't be in the family planning business anyway.
-
Turner, others refuse to choose | Postcards
"All are children of the state of Texas, he said" A progressive ideal of family rights where all kids are de-facto wards of the State on loan to the parents who had the temerity to have them.
-
Fireballs, Lightning Bolts and Hell Storms: On Metro Rail passenger capacity
The arguments against MetroRail are staggering. Except to progressives and those who stand to profit from what is essentially a terrible transit system.
-
Burying power lines would be very expensive | Viewpoints, Outlook | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Good counterpoint to Peter Brown's expensive foolishness.
-
Arizona-style immigration bills founder across the country | The American Independent
One State is not "across America" no matter how much lefty partisan reporters want it to be.
-
New reform regulations fire up health debate - David Nather - POLITICO.com
At the risk of being called "clueless". This could actually work if implemented correctly.
-
Regulator Criticizes GOP's Fannie-Freddie Fixes - WSJ.com
"The top regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Thursday criticized several Republican proposals to address the companies' future as either unnecessary or counterproductive." Most importantly, the proposals are detrimental to his personal finances.
-
RealClearPolitics - Ethanol Pork Cowers Most GOP Contenders
This is why having Iowa first in the primary system is just wrong. It should all be done on one day, period.
-
50 facts about the House's proposed state budget | First Reading
Much of this is not "fact" but conjecture provided by progressive policy groups.
-
50 facts about the House budget | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com
"The budget is, by all accounts, a gory document." Nice injection of opinion into what is supposedly a "fact-filled" list. Right.
-
It's telling that our State elected officials ultimately did the right thing not because it was the right thing, but because they were worried about their upcoming re-election campaigns.
-
"House Democrats gathered a hand full of "real folks" at midday Friday to illustrate the "devastating" cuts that Republicans' "slashing" of Texas' budget would cause." Read, Democratic activists on the Government dole. (And yes, I saw that one of them was a veteran. No, I'm not saying Veteran's should not get benefits *And neither is anyone else for that matter*)
-
Republicans demand bulb law repeal | Chronicle | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Glad to see all the Nation's problems are solved.
-
"I don't pay any attention to freshmen," said Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin He should, because they're running things now.
-
Houston libraries brace for cuts, layoffs | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Libraries are the carburetors of the 21st century.
-
Move to natural gas vehicles accelerates | Energy | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Here's a case where Gov't could drive demand by just getting out of the way. They won't though, and special interests will make a fortune.
Carburetors and buggy whips....
Such is the future of municipal libraries?
There's an argument for that, moth-ball our space consuming book repositories and re-deploy with smaller, more economical "data-centers". Hell, I'm willing to bet you could get Apple, HP, Dell and other companies to chip in on some of the infrastructure cost, in return for deals to buy their machines.
Hey, I like books as much (or more) than the next guy. I've always been a voracious reader. That said, I'm about to make the jump to Kindle and leave paper books behind. Think about it: a network of data centers spread across Houston could be established fairly quickly in the many unused store-fronts (Hey, you could even place one in a couple of the many derelict areas along the MetroRail line.) in Houston, they could be staffed by just a few people (an on-site help-desk person and a centralized IT staff) at a fraction of the cost current libraries are burdened with. An ideal arrangement would be to negotiate exclusivity deals with either Kindle or Nook so that children can download books onto devices they purchased at discounted prices. I'm sure a charity group or two could do a device delivery for Christmas as well. Talk about bridging the digital divide, and at a reduction of costs to taxpayers.
Of course, if you don't like this idea there are others. Many others that don't involve continuing to fund a non-sustainable business model just because it's been around for a long time right? Texans have always been about creative solutions to big problems. Let's go Houston, let's get some creativity flowing here.
There's an argument for that, moth-ball our space consuming book repositories and re-deploy with smaller, more economical "data-centers". Hell, I'm willing to bet you could get Apple, HP, Dell and other companies to chip in on some of the infrastructure cost, in return for deals to buy their machines.
Hey, I like books as much (or more) than the next guy. I've always been a voracious reader. That said, I'm about to make the jump to Kindle and leave paper books behind. Think about it: a network of data centers spread across Houston could be established fairly quickly in the many unused store-fronts (Hey, you could even place one in a couple of the many derelict areas along the MetroRail line.) in Houston, they could be staffed by just a few people (an on-site help-desk person and a centralized IT staff) at a fraction of the cost current libraries are burdened with. An ideal arrangement would be to negotiate exclusivity deals with either Kindle or Nook so that children can download books onto devices they purchased at discounted prices. I'm sure a charity group or two could do a device delivery for Christmas as well. Talk about bridging the digital divide, and at a reduction of costs to taxpayers.
Of course, if you don't like this idea there are others. Many others that don't involve continuing to fund a non-sustainable business model just because it's been around for a long time right? Texans have always been about creative solutions to big problems. Let's go Houston, let's get some creativity flowing here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)