A Few More Items

Excellent column from the Dallas Morning News, Proposition 2: Bigotry wrapped up in cruelty:

If you're opposed to gay marriage, you can take a stand: Don't go to any gay weddings. If you really want to signal your disapproval, don't send a present.

But don't vote for the mean and meddlesome proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot that would amend the state constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. Proposition 2 is a cruel piece of ideological bigotry that attempts to create and solve a problem that doesn't exist.

I have to admit I was completely ignorant about the state of our state parks before reading this, Deep in the parks of Texas? Ha!:

We Texans like to think of our state as big, bold and generous.

But when it comes to our state parks system, we're small, timid and stingy.

Top state officials and the Legislature deserve most of the blame for the fact that Texas ranks 49th among the 50 states in per capita funding for state parks.

...

If we continue this pattern, we will one day look back and marvel that we -- and, more specifically, top state officials and the Legislature -- were so pathetically shortsighted in not allocating more money for parks.

When it comes to enhancing our quality of life, few government expenditures provide as much bang for the buck as our state parks.

It's just a crying shame that the folks in Austin aren't smart enough -- or perhaps not caring enough -- to fathom that.

Ever since the hurricanes and that audit report Strayhorn has out of sight. Haven't seen much from her lately, her campaign is struggling to get media. I thought she would make this race more interesting/fun than she has so far. Now she's calling for a 3-day special session, I don't think that's good idea when you're running for governor as a Republican in Texas:

With more than 100,000 Texas households still without electricity and local governments stretched thin, Gov. Rick Perry should call lawmakers back to Austin immediately so they can allocate some or all of the state's $1.2 billion budget surplus to disaster relief, Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said Thursday.

...

"I'm hearing from people all over the state -- mayors, city managers, county judges, you have a lot of school districts -- they're strapped for dollars," Strayhorn said.

But a spokes- woman for Perry said the state should keep its budget options open because the federal government has already agreed to reimburse the state government for all Hurricane Rita expenses incurred over a 34-day period, the spokeswoman said.

"It makes no sense to say we need to have a special session to talk about spending money and apply that money on [items] that the federal government will cover," said Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt. "We need to get an assessment first, and find out what, if anything, is not covered by the federal government."

The governor wins this one.