Category Archives: TPA Round-Up

The Texas Progressive Alliance has seen what Battleground Texas wants to do and is ready to do its part as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff takes a look back at the Democrats in the Legislature who voted for the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment of 2005 and follows up to see where they stand on it now.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson posts on the budget debate in the House this week, and the fact that there was little discussion of what Texans really need, Still trying to find a way in…the budget version.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw explains why Senator Cruz Brings Plenty of Spite But No Bacon. Check it out.

The Republicans in the Texas House passed an amendment that kinda sorta endorsed the spirit of Medicaid expansion, but within a few hours got ‘corrected’ by their lobbyists and rescinded it. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs kind sorta expected that.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that Rick Perry implies Mexicans shot the Texas DAs. Didn’t Perry get the Reince Priebus memo about gratuitous racist eruptions?

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And here are some blog posts of interest from elsewhere in Texas.

The Lunch Tray is a Food Blogger Against Hunger.

Bob Cavnar explains some lesser known dangers of fracking.

Juanita has a question for the queen of True The Vote.

Texas Vox says that the pipeline spill in Arkansas calls into question the viability of converting other older pipelines for transporting tar sands.

Equality Texas reminds us that it’s always a good idea to get to know your legislator.

Jason Stanford has a strategy for coping with the STAAR tests.

Austin Contrarian publishes a response from Sen. Kirk Watson to an earlier post about one of his bills.

Raise Your Hand Texas outlines an agenda for real school reform.

Texas Leftist talks to the city of Houston about its plans to overhaul its development and density ordinances.

Harold Cook channels William Travis.

And finally, we wish fellow blogger Katy Anders a peaceful but not too lengthy sabbatical.

The Texas Progressive Alliance has all its brackets ready as it brings you this week’s roundup.

The Republicans, perhaps unwittingly, offer the Democrats a deal on redistricting, which Off the Kuff thinks they ought to give serious consideration to taking.

Dan Patrick wants to pull a Jan Brewer and Dos Centavos tells you what is going on with SB1128 in what might fast become another Republican-created debate on just what kind of History is taught at Texas colleges and universities.

The stock market surge is breaking records, but strangely neither the Republicans nor the Democrats want to talk about it, much less take credit for it. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has noticed the anamoly.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw has a bone to pick with the City of Houston. Check out Houston: It is illegal to feed homeless but country clubs get tax cuts.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that we’re #1 in minimum wage jobs. Just what the crony capitalists pulling Republican strings ordered.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson says all we ever hear from is the center and the right. It’s long past time for Pushback from the left.

Neil at Texas Liberal was in Los Angeles this past week. When Neil is on the road, he tries to make the time to visit a veteran’s cemetery. Neil posted this week a picture from the main veteran’s cemetery in Los Angeles.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Letters from Texas suggests we need to move beyond the usual debates on public education.

News Taco rounds up reaction to the death of former Ambassador and Mayor of El Paso Raymond Telles.

Keep Austin Wonky describes the choice Austin must make on urban rail routes.

Burnt Orange Report was there for the Battleground Texas launch in Austin.

Grits for Breakfast reports on a bill from Rep. Harold Dutton that would reduce the penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The Texas State Teachers Association points out that public schools don’t have waiting lists.

Nonsequiteuse documents AG Greg Abbott’s hypocrisy about misleading medicine.

Texpatriate notes that there is in fact a candidate for Governor that would be worse than Rick Perry.

Jason Stanford tells Dan Patrick that keeping public and private school athletics separate is actually not like the civil rights struggle at all.

Texes Leftist reminds us that the Family Research Council really hates the ladies.

Beyond Bones reminds us that now is an excellent time to be looking up at the sky.

And finally, The Bloggess reveals the untold truth about McDonald Land.

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ever grateful that the word “blizzard” is not part of its usual vernacular as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff looks at how the 2012 election results differed from 2008 in State Senate and SBOE districts.

DosCentavos‘ Fidencio Leija reports on the work of HOPE in the End of Course testing debate.

There is a troll hiding in plain sight on the United States Supreme Court, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs says it’s going to take a lot of willpower not to feed it.

Over at TexasKaos, Lightseeker reports on the Charter School Money Grab, aided by the usual suspect. Check it out – Charter Schools Make Play for Huge Increase in Public Funding.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that a couple of our Supreme Court Justices don’t appreciate racism. Lets hope that number rises to at least five for the Voting Rights Act.

The problem for our state’s “leaders” is that they’ve been telling us for so long that we have a spending problem, they have no answer when it becomes obvious that we don’t have a spending problem. That’s why WCNews at Eye on Williamson says, we have a lack of spending problem in Texas.

Neil at Texas Liberal did not post so much this past week. However, Neil remains at work on a new website to be published this April to be called NeilAquino.com. This website will have a photo essay extolling the intellectual virtues of everyday life , a metaphorical history of existence, some poems and a blog about the 2013 City of Houston elections. For the TPA round-up this week, Neil has submitted a popular Texas Liberal post about the famous Dogs Playing Poker paintings.

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And here are some more interesting posts from Texas blogs.

See creationism opponent Zack Kopplin on the Bill Moyers show.

Brewed and Never Battered and Open The Taps give an update on the legislative effort to improve the lot of Texas microbreweries and brewpubs.

Texas Watch sets the record straight on lawsuit “reform”.

Texas Vox has an update on litigation against the Keystone XL Southern Segment.

Burnt Orange Report discusses whether we are in the waning period of a short golden age of African American influence over the city of Austin.

Texpatriate discusses the candidate who just won’t go away, whose name rhymes with Stinky Peedman.

Jason Stanford points out what a fraidy cat Bill Hammond is.

Nonsequiteuse examines the criticism of Yahoo! CEO Marissa Meyer.

Lone Star Ma celebrates the fact that the teen birth rate in the US is at an all-time low.

The Lunch Tray asks if the dairy industry is using school kids as a Trojan horse to change artificial sweetener labeling rules.