Where to donate blood to help Ft. Hood victims

By Michele Samuelson | 11/05/09

 Breaking a blogger rule to get the word out to more people. Blood donors are needed to help Ft. Hood shooting victims, and you can go to the following places in the Austin area if you want to help. Thanks to Phillip at Burnt Orange Report for posting this list originally. All Austin Area Seton Medical Centers Click here for a map to find the location nearest you. University Medical Center Brackenridge phone: 512.324.7000 601... read more »

NY-23: Why Hoffman's loss is not a win for moderates

By Michele Samuelson | 11/04/09

I started seeing this meme hit Twitter and Facebook last night: NY-23 was a referendum on conservatism, and maybe now the Republican Party will learn to run moderates in northern races because we can't win otherwise. All due respect to the gentlemen (and ladies) who believe that, honestly. But I must disagree. NY-23 was a referendum on nothing except poorly executed strategy and Republican establishment arrogance. This is a race that... read more »

Early voting results in Travis County, Texas

By Michele Samuelson | 11/03/09

 Travis County early voting results, on the 11 state constitutional propositions and local elections: Prop 1: 49.42% for, 50.58% against, 13,179 votes cast Prop 2: 60.65% for, 39.35% against, 13,185 votes cast Prop 3: 65.26% for, 34.74% against, 13,159 votes cast Prop 4: 55.66% for, 44.34% against, 13,179 votes cast Prop 5: 70.01% for, 29.99% against, 12,934 votes cast Prop 6: 67.73% for, 32.27% against, 12,946 votes cast Prop 7:... read more »

Writing on the wall for Dems as locals switch parties

By Michele Samuelson | 11/03/09

As the nation watches the polls back east for the first indications that the nation is turning against President Obama's regime, there is huge news out of several places throughout Texas today, as local government officials in three counties announce intentions to switch parties. That's Democrat local officials who are becoming Republicans, folks. Fed up with the national Democratic Party's leadership and viewpoints, local government officials... read more »

Prop. 4 opposition much wider than MSM thinks

By Michele Samuelson | 11/02/09

I know you all are watching the elections in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia - but in Texas, we have a crucial election of our own happening, even if it isn't as sexy as NY-23 and others. Kathy Haigler, State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) secretary, has compiled a list of conservative and Republican recommendations and endorsements on the Texas constitutional amendment proposals. Jason Moore, also on the SREC and head of... read more »

Point: Fiorina Wants Big Brother to Sheriff the “Wild Wild” Web

By Michele Samuelson | 10/28/09

Carly Fiorina, U.S. Senate candidate in California, stepped in a cow patty the size of Los Angeles with her recent calls for regulation of the internet. Referring to the “wild wild west” that is the World Wide Web, Fiorina claimed that for reasons of safety, the internet should and will be more regulated as time goes on. Her statement echoed recent moves in Washington along the same lines, and I'm left wondering when the... read more »

Top Tier One universities fail core curricula test

By Michele Samuelson | 10/26/09

One of the loudest arguments we're hearing in favor of Proposition 4 is that if the state of Texas has more Tier One research universities, the quality of higher education will improve. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni has been working on a project, the results of which appear to contradict the idea that research universities provide an inherently superior education to students. The John William Pope Center for Higher Education... read more »

CDC Abortion Report Reveals Shocking Statistic

By Michele Samuelson | 10/25/09

 I don't often comment on social issues on this blog, largely because I feel like the people reading it don't need persuasion on them. There are a great many places on the internet and in the conservative community that will be happy to give you long diatribes about those issues, and precious few that tackle some of the state fiscal issues I try to take on. But I read something this morning that left me so deeply disturbed, and reminded of... read more »

Tuition Costs, Student Debt and Tax Burden Rising

By Michele Samuelson | 10/20/09

The New York Times had an interesting piece up this morning about the rising cost of college tuition in the United States. Studies by the College Board show that average tuition and fees at public two-year colleges are $2,544, up 7.3 percent from the previous year. This is a story we in Texas know all too well, since in-state tuition at public universities has risen about 86% just since 2003. Patrick Callan, from the National Center for... read more »

A Mommy Tax, and more, in the Baucus plan

By Michele Samuelson | 10/07/09

  The health care boondoggle going down in Congress just keeps getting worse. Ed Morrissey at Hot Air did a little digging through the FDA's listing of items that would be taxed under Senator Baucus' debacle of a bill. Originally, the bill was going to include a tax on all medical items. Backlash stemming from Amanda Carpenter's exposure of this nonsense led Baucus to only tax Class II and up items costing over $100. Which... read more »