The Noise Machine (2/24/11)

Cuts are cuts....

• Bipartisan survey: Westerners want renewable energy | The American Independent

              "Studies" of this type are so stupid.  People want almost anything if they're not faced with the realities of trade                  offs.

              tags: Ecomental

• Is Houston Metro's 'Airport Direct' shuttle about to be put on blocks? | Texas Watchdog

  no riders= no route.  Part of the problem is the limited audience the route has to draw from.

  tags: Dysfunction Junction

• Houston ISD overlooks Houston Community College for partnerships, Sen. Mario Gallegos says | Texas Watchdog

  Lone Star is doing a better job.

  tags: Teach the Children

• Open government chairman in Texas Senate supports open government initiatives, but is no zealot | Texas Watchdog

  Ignored in this story is the fact that oft-times pragmatists, despite their bad reputation, usually get things done.

  tags: The 82nd

• Texas State Rep. Aaron Peña plans legislation to curb mail-in ballot fraud | Texas Watchdog

  I wonder if this (An issue that even progressives admit is a problem) will get Peña his tilde back?

  tags: The 82nd

• Democats push cuts to counter Republicans - David Rogers - POLITICO.com

  The "government shut down is terrible!" crowd was amusing during all of this.

  tags: Politics

• Standing Down - The Texas Observer

  And they wonder why Texans (Pro Military, with many bases an integral part of communities) are rejecting the progressive and news-ish message.

  tags: News-ish

• Colin Goddard Bears Witness to Campus Massacre — Texas Concealed Handgun License Law | The Texas Tribune

  That's a news-ish headline if I've ever seen one.

  tags: News-ish

• CDC Releases Texas Abortion Stats — Abortion Sonogram Bill | The Texas Tribune

  Big Abortion in Texas is running wild.  Of course, as Justice Ginsberg would say..."As a population control measure it's having the desired effect among certain demographics....."

  tags: Politics

• Texas congressmen ranked 'most conservative' among members | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com

  The only people upset by this are newspapermen and the InterLeft.

  tags: Newspapering

• Metro settles with ex-lawyer, agrees to pay $100,000 | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  How much money did Frank Wilson walk away with again?

  tags: Dysfunction Junction

• TBD.com cuts staff, changes mission - Keach Hagey - POLITICO.com

  The MSM still doesn't get it.

  tags: Newspapering

• DE BORCHGRAVE: Extremist amnesia - Washington Times

  tags: International

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

As you may have noticed....

...blogging is a little light right now.

Chalk it up to interference of the real world.


Regular blogging will resume one of these days.....

The Noise Machine (2/17/11)

Because the follow up to "New York City" in Texas is.......

• NYTimes columnist takes on Rick Perry | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com

  Ask yourself this:  Is attracting the ire of a New York based columnist REALLY a BAD thing for Perry in Texas?  If you want to know why he's (still) popular and Texas Democrats are not......

  tags: Politics

• Antitrust Enforcers Eye Apple Anew - WSJ.com

  I'm expecting an iFit to occur from Tech land. (Who rake Microsoft over the coals but have left iApple alone in their writings)

  tags: Tech

• Economy Plus is here to stay at the new United! - One Mile at a Time

  Good.  A, rare example in this merger of keeping the good instead of the bad.

  tags: Travel

• BurkaBlog :: Spending binge contributed to the structural deficit

  "The main point of this summary is that the “structural deficit,” of which we hear so much, was not entirely the result of tax cuts, but rather the result of a quadruple whammy: the unprecedented drop of sales tax redeipts, the use of stimulus funds that were a short-term blessing but a long-term curse,  the underperformance of the new franchise tax, and $5.3 billion in new education spending," As much as it pains me to say this, Burka is right here.

  tags: Texas our Texas

• Abbott Releases Rulings on Abortion "Affiliates" — Abortion Sonogram Bill | The Texas Tribune

  tags: Politics

• Video: Texas Senate Passes Abortion Sonogram — Abortion Sonogram Bill | The Texas Tribune

  The triumph of Dan Patrick?

  tags: The 82nd

• Attorney Steve Mostyn: ‘Perfectly appropriate’ for a state rep - the mediator on a Mostyn case - to accept $25K campaign contribution from Mostyn's firm | Texas Watchdog

  Of course, if almost anyone else did this it would be a fire-able offense.

  tags: Texas Watchdog

• Texas Watchdog to Democratic mega-donor Steve Mostyn: There you go again | Texas Watchdog

  Maybe nobody told Mostyn that nobody likes a bully?

  tags: Texas Watchdog

• President Obama: Tim Kaine 'would be a great senator' - Jennifer Epstein - POLITICO.com

  He'll never win.  

  tags: Election 2012

• Sarah Palin slams Michelle Obama over nursing - Amie Parnes - POLITICO.com

  Un-serious moments such as this make Palin look even less Presidential than she did before.

  tags: Election 2012

• House votes to overthrow 'czars' - Robin Bravender - POLITICO.com

  This is a big win for elected democracy.  Be interesting to see the arguments against by the usual cast of partisans.

  tags: Politics

• Hey Wisconsin, that's our idea! | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com

  I wait for the same positive reaction after some GOP minority does this....

  tags: Newspapering

• Carona: No need for Lege to act on blackouts | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com

  I real reporter would have spent 10 minutes checking to see how much money power companies poured into Corona's campaign.

  tags: Newspapering

• If you owe city of Houston money, get ready to pay up | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  Doesn't something like this get trotted out every year or so?  Funny no one ever quantifies how much they receive?

  tags: Politics

• $1 million found in broken pipes in West Texas | News Bizarre | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  No truth to the rumor Perry has considered adding it to his Enterprise Fund.

  tags: Politics

• Consumer costs, applications for jobless benefits rise | Business | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  Nice.  What we need now is the promise of green jobs that will never appear.  (Oh, and higher taxes on companies who are actually employing people and turning a profit.)

  tags: Economy

• AAA: Texas gas prices pass $3 mark in some cities | Business | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  Chronblog has been SEARCHING for this news.  I'll bet they're elated.  Expect bad editorials and columns to follow.

  tags: ChronBlog

• Unca Darrell: FEBRUARY 16 / Why I have stopped reading the Houston Chronicle

  Love the love.

  tags: Bloggers o' the Right

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Mobile blogging

Finally HCA has joined the 21st century and purchased decent smart phones for our staff of one.  Sure, we're not brushed metal stylish like our iApple friends over at Chronblog, but we do now have a device that allows for the download of the Blogger app.  Just wait until we switch this sucker over to WordPress.....  you've been warned.

The Noise Machine (2/16/11)

It's not as bad as it seems.

• BurkaBlog :: Dewhurst’s Secret Budget Plan

              If Texas Monthly knows about it it's not a secret, it's common knowledge.

              tags: Texas

• Today's featured video: State approved crummy charter schools despite red flags; schools misspent $13M in state funds | Texas Watchdog

  tags: Texas Watchdog

• Sacrifice is for the little people – Off the Kuff

  "You almost have to admire the gall." Or, in Kuff's case, identify with it.

  tags: InterLeft

• Whitmire, Ogden push back on Perry's plea for more $ | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com

  As well they should.

  tags: The 82nd

• Rail car supplier refunding $14 million to Metro | Newswatch | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  "and Garcia said the $14 million could be applied toward new rail car purchases." Of course.

  tags: Dysfunction Junction

• Iranian Govt. Calls for Friday Rally to Show 'Hatred' for Opposition | Middle East | English

  Nice.

  tags: Stupidity

• Comment of the Day: Right-Wing Talk Radio at Its Worst - Houston News - Hair Balls

  If that's the comment of the day the Press should consider moth-balling the comments.

  tags: Houston Press

• Texas state Rep. Todd Hunter accepted $25k donation from Hurricane Ike lawyer Steve Mostyn's firm days after being chosen to mediate his case | Texas Watchdog

  Kudos to TW for not bowing to the pressure of a frivolous lawsuit by a political partisan.

  tags: Texas Watchdog

• RealClearPolitics - Mitch Daniels' Moment, and Dilemmas

  Daniels pleased everyone but the fringe. That's a good thing. I still don't think he can win though.

  tags: Election 2012

• Answering Obama's Budget Critics | The New Republic

  If you build a big enough straw man.....

  tags: Healthcare

• The Ever-More-Desperate Health Care Budget Gimmicks - Megan McArdle - Business - The Atlantic

  McArdle has been spot on with this.

  tags: Healthcare

• The Politics of the New Middle America

  This idea that voters didn't reject Democrats is unusual at best, dishonest at worst.

  tags: Politics

• Greens sour on natural gas - Bob King - POLITICO.com

  "Whatever happened to the romance between the environmental lobby and natural gas? "// - It makes sense and will work, which means the Greens are against it.

  tags: Ecomental

• Texas Republicans in risky territory - Richard E. Cohen - POLITICO.com

  There's probably no way to protect ALL of the current seats.

  tags: Politics

• Russ Feingold launches progressive PAC - Jennifer Epstein - POLITICO.com

  The Democratic Tea Party? Fighting of course.

  tags: Politics

• GOP blasts FCC on net neutrality - Eliza Krigman - POLITICO.com

  "Republicans took the FCC to task for enacting a net neutrality order without any sound market-based analysis to justify it at a House hearing Wednesday."// - The problem, of course, being that the FCC doesn't understand the concept of the "Market"

  tags: Politics

• PUC: Still looking, but no signs of price gaming in blackouts | Energy | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  Ironically, many of the same people who point to a lack of "evidence" of massive voter fraud believe price gouging occured despite the lack of any hard "evidence".

  tags: Politics

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

The Noise Machine (2/9/11)

Heavy on the news-ish, light on the news. (Much like Texas political reporting)

• GOP dominates new chairs announced by Texas House Speaker Straus | The American Independent

  Which makes sense when you consider they dominate the membership of the House.  Not to the news-ish however.

  tags: News-ish

• Mayor expresses regret over withholding video of alleged HPD brutality | khou.com | Khou.com - News, Houston news, Texas News, Headlines

  Think you've had a bad 2011 so far?  Think about Mayor Parker.

  tags: The Houston Way

• Report: Undocumented population up in Texas, down in U.S. | The American Independent

  Gotta love watching the news-ish people squirm over one of Perry's emergencies being backed up by facts.

  tags: News-ish

• Texas Senate panel approves abortion sonogram bill | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  This story punches all kinds of holes in L'il Red's column.  I wonder if she's self-aware enough to realize this.

  tags: ChronBlog

• The real answer to Houston's traffic congestion | Opportunity Urbanist | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  tags: Dysfunction Junction

• House GOP Fears 'Looming Fiscal Crisis' for States - WSJ.com

  "House Republicans said Wednesday they are concerned of a "looming fiscal crisis" in state and local finances but ruled out any federal bailouts for states. "// - What can they do? They don't have any money to spend either. Eventually this entire house of cards is going to fall....then what?

  tags: Politics

• BurkaBlog :: Dan Patrick: “middle class should not pay for college for the poor”

  As much as I dislike the man....he's correct on this issue.

  tags: The The 82nd

• The Daily Show's Latest Texas Takedown - Houston News - Hair Balls

  "Last week The Daily Show finally aired the long-awaited piece on Joe Strauss"// - That's Straus. Geez

  tags: Houston Press

• Shock & Awe - The Texas Observer

  This is a funny tack by the Democrats. Republicans, by and large, ran on a limited government platform, and the voters overwhelmingly told them to go for it. Now the Dems are trying to say that they're wrong for doing what they said they'd do?

  tags: Politics

• Texas Democrats Blame Republicans for Budget Blues — Texas Legislature | The Texas Tribune

  "State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, said he wasn't ready to release how he would fix the problem but said he plans on making waves during the budget debate."// - Is anyone REALLY surprised by this? If they admit their real plan (tax everyone but us) they'll be laughed out of the State.

  tags: Politics

• Perry: Defund Texas Arts, Historical Commissions — Texas Commission on the Arts | The Texas Tribune

  The Left Rallies.

  tags: News-ish

• Natural gas plant burns in Mont Belvieu | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  Damn.  Too bad the ChronBlog reporters couldn't get basic facts right.

  tags: Oil bidness

• Perry wants $500M for initiatives in budget facing $15B in cuts | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

  Taking sacred (power creating) cows off the table is not a smart move. Unfortunately, there's no one credible in the State to call him on it.

  tags: Texas our Texas

• GOP lawmakers hit for votes on health care repeal - On Politics: Covering the US Congress, Governors, and the 2012 Election - USATODAY.com

  "APLiberal groups and bloggers have launched radio ads targeting House Republicans in some swing districts for voting for repeal of the nation's health care law."// - Not pressure. Just sayin'

  tags: Newspapering

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.