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Xarthor posted:
A tiny correction to this statement about Perry; he became Governor of Texas in December 2000, due to Bush movin' on up to the White House after winning* the 2000 presidential election. So Perry has actually been Governor for more than 13 years, not 8 years. 
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Jun 18, 2014 06:34
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Shear Modulus posted:Do you know why they suddenly moved to fire him last week? It seemed like the "resign or be fired" ultimatum came out of nowhere. Did Hall finally find something bad that happened at one point in the last decade? It seems to be the law school admissions thing that Dante Logos described above.
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Jul 10, 2014 05:23
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Any chance Perry resigns before the end of his term, which I believe would move Dewhurst into the governor's mansion? I guess it would be too late for Dewhurst to challenge Abbott for the office since Abbott already has the nomination. But it could muddy the waters a bit.
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Aug 16, 2014 02:23
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Omi-Polari posted:Question for Austin goons: Why aren't we sprawling eastward? Or are we? Much of 130 runs through countryside, and east of 130 there's nothing until you reach Bastrop or Elgin. There's been some housing growth in the Manor/Harris Branch area, I keep seeing new tract-house developments go in. (I live in the general vicinity). Its probably one of the last areas in/near Austin where you can buy a large brand new home for under $200k, and a small or medium new home around $150k. And Highway 290 is a straight shot** into Austin. But the downside is, the Manor school district isn't great; the giant landfill(s); and the complete lack of any "nice" shopping, entertainment, or dining options over here. It seems like where every other small local municipality in the county has exploded with growth, Manor remains a dumpy ramshackle mess with no attractions whatsoever. Even Manor Downs closed. ** when not closed due to accidents
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Sep 13, 2014 07:09
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e_angst posted:I feel sorry for the poor bastards stuck in state jobs, though, as the Republicans in capitol are happy to starve them. They used to be the stable backbone of the city, and now it's hard to imagine someone with an entry-level state job being able to afford to live anywhere near the capitol. This is my greatest concern/complaint. Professional municipal, state, and university workers are typically still making salaries in the $35 - 65k range. (Obviously there is a great deal of variation and many outliers, but that range is based on my experience for non-management positions requiring a college degree.) In 1960s or 1970s Austin, a married couple like that could have bought a home in many or most parts of Austin, within reason. But now these workers are being displaced into distant suburbs because so much in Austin, including the once-affordable working-class neighborhoods of the 1940s-1960s, has spiked to $400k+. City of Austin, I moved here in 1989. Just write me a check for 250 grand and I'll call it even.
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Sep 13, 2014 07:30
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SALT CURES HAM posted:So is there even a remote chance of Wendy winning? Pretty sure it would take a **major** gaffe or scandal to shift things enough for that to happen. Like probably even bigger than Clayton Williams' "rape is like the weather" joke in 1990 when he lost to Ann Richards.
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Sep 28, 2014 07:21
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Shifty Pony posted:I had a person trying to push a petition to overturn Austin's ban on digital billboards by straight up lying to me and saying it was to upgrade the amber alert signs on the highway. Any chance this was at the early voting location in Pflugerville? 'Cause I got this pitch there.
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Oct 24, 2014 07:08
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Randandal posted:I know I've brought it up and its been somewhat explained before in this thread but I'm still not sure why Austin doesn't expand eastward onto the featureless flat plain that's right there next to East Austin. The east side is still viewed by many as "the bad side", and that stigma seems to drag down any attempts to do anything nice (residential or business) over here. The Manor area has grown quite a bit, in terms of tract housing, but the schools are marginal and there are few options for food or entertainment.
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Mar 8, 2015 09:09
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Any idea if that abortion ID bill has a chance in the Senate? I understand it passed the House, and the no-insurance-coverage-for-abortion bill passed the Senate. Even loving private insurance, so I guess even the holy free market must bow down to the wishes of these zealots. It's only a matter of time before they make it illegal to connect an abortion facility to a public road, or make it illegal for cities to supply municipal services like water or power.
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May 16, 2015 07:15
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How about this thing about Abbott cutting off funding for "sanctuary" cities? The actual dollar amounts of the grants in question don't sound like much--but doesn't this seem like a type of "coercion" like the Rick Perry/Travis County DA thing? http://news.yahoo.com/texas-governor-abbott-issues-warning-over-immigrant-detentions-025147604.html
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Nov 5, 2015 07:59
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Zwabu posted:What are you all hearing around Texas as far as sentiment for the Presidential candidates? Any friends and neighbors who want to Make America Great Again? Purely anecdotal, but for my conservative relatives, it depends on the relative intensity of their racism vs their evangelicalism. For the racist, FYGM crew, Trump is the man. But the True Believers I know are rolling for Cruz. None of them care about Rubio, to them he's a RINO.
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Feb 28, 2016 09:41
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Went to my Travis Co. polling location (an elementary school) after work tonight and a friend at the front of the line told me he was waiting 45 mins, and the line was longer when I got there than when he did. The line filled a long hallway, took a 90 deg turn and continued down another hallway. Had to be at least an hour wait. I've stood in long lines to vote before, and survived the '08 prima-caucus, but frankly, for this primary, I just don't care that much. Usually I early-vote but I hosed up this time.
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Mar 2, 2016 01:12
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Austin hasn't been the same since we lost Roy's Taxi.
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Mar 11, 2016 08:28
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In Austin, if you happen to be near the N. Lamar/Braker Ln area, there was no line when I voted today at the supermarket in the Chinatown shopping center there.
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Oct 27, 2016 06:26
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:+2 for the Iron Abuela yesterday in Austin. We tried the Randalls at Mopac and Billy Boom Boom (William Cannon). Some guy was at the end of the line with a tablet saying he didn't work there, but was taking pictures of the backs of licenses and made the line form along the far wall into the refrigerated section. What the gently caress (bolded quote)? Isn't this illegal?
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Oct 28, 2016 04:34
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In Travis County (Austin) about 51% of registered voters voted early. This beats (barely) the 2008 early voting record of 49.6 percent. In 2012, our early voting turnout was 37%.
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Nov 8, 2016 05:53
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Badger of Basra posted:The revenue estimate is out and it's less than last time so get ready for more cuts (after they've already cut everything to pieces)! https://www.texastribune.org/2017/01/09/hegar-gives-lawmakers-dour-revenue-estimate-2017-s/ I've always assumed the Rainy Day Fund is basically just a place to sequester public money until they find a politically convenient way to give it to the rich/business class in the form of tax cuts. I hope I'm wrong.
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Jan 10, 2017 06:49
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Almost nothing surprises me anymore, but this actually did surprise me. "Texas House Votes to Cut $20 Million from Air Quality Budget to Fund Anti-Abortion Program" http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/...bortion-program
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Apr 8, 2017 08:53
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I have to wonder if all the poo poo the Lege and Abbott are pushing is basically designed to make Texas so inhospitable to gays, minorities, immigrants, poor people, and liberals that they just get us all to leave. Those of us with that option, anyway.
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Jul 14, 2017 05:49
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zoux posted:Lol drat Belo is offering Amazon the DMN"s newsroom to use as their new HQ For a city who's citizenry has generally been opposed to growth for at least 25 years, holy poo poo what the gently caress Austin why are we still trying to draw in massive employers and sponsor big cultural/tourist events. We desperately need an anti-chamber-of-commerce to make sure nothing else moves here.
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Sep 30, 2017 07:13
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but but but my neighborhood character
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Jan 15, 2018 07:35
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Badger of Basra posted:
I don't know how marginal the Council/public support is for this plan, but if it's necessary to pass, could they not toss in an exemption for those situations? Coverage for some is better than nothing... If it does pass, who wants to bet that the vindictive ghouls in the Lege will pass something in the next legislative session prohibiting municipalities from regulating sick leave or other worker benefits.
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Feb 9, 2018 06:45
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spoon daddy posted:Anyone have a list of the best choices for sacrificial lambs, er, Democrats for Statewide races besides Beto? Well, Austin's local quasi-progressive weekly zine has the following endorsements, but I encourage you to consult other sources as well: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2018-02-16/chronicle-endorsements/
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Mar 6, 2018 06:41
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sexpig by night posted:he's a loving lunatic Alex Jones type who keeps getting fired because he's too stupid to be a cop. Are we talking about the same guy? He was chief in Austin for 9+ years, and got hired away for a better position, not fired.
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Oct 8, 2018 05:43
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Voted this evening at the Manor ISD building just east of Austin, on 290. Effectively zero wait time, good parking, would vote again. Not enough of a crowd to really gauge any trends. Guy voting next to me had a boy with him, was showing him the ropes of the voting machine. The election staff were surprisingly adamant about no cell phones, for some reason. They basically yelled at one guy about it. The only race I really had to mull over was whether to vote for Adler again...I was tempted to cast a protest vote in that race, but the other candidates didn't seem any better.
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Oct 24, 2018 05:19
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Do they run widespread tests on these machines before an election? It seems like they ought to hold some kind of mock test election where officials hold a "simulated vote" with known vote counts for several test races/candidates, and compare that to the electronically-tabulated results to make sure things are working as intended.
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Oct 26, 2018 04:26
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Why is it OK for the state to persecute Planned Parenthood into the dirt but Chik-Fil-A is off limits? A corporation is a thing. A thing can't have beliefs, much less "sincere religious beliefs." And even if it could, why is a religious belief given protection over and above a scientific belief, a policy belief...and every other form of belief that exists? Who gets to decide when a belief is "sincere" or "legitimate"? Whole loving thing is moronic and yet terrifying.
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Mar 30, 2019 07:17
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The homeless should gather en masse and occupy the Governor's Mansion. Or the Capitol.
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Oct 19, 2019 05:54
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Marxalot posted:The Baytown Exxon is extremely on fire again. Lighting up the whole rear end city this time. Got any links, I can't seem to find any news on this yet.
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Jan 31, 2020 06:21
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ReindeerF posted:If the CDC data is correct, and we don't discover the miracle cure or whatever, at least 400,000 of us Texans are going to kick the bucket one way or the other if they don't find something. Our goal is just not to clog the system and make it worse for everyone else, heh. What CDC data or analysis are you referring to?
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Mar 23, 2020 03:56
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zoux posted:https://twitter.com/JohnCornyn/status/1248581686352318464 How about we talk about models like this: 
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Apr 11, 2020 05:15
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Optimus Prime Rib posted:They will, but they have no real leverage. Slashing salaries is the easiest way for them to balance the budget, and most ideologically compatible for the republicans. I have no faith that the legislature won’t just head home to their car dealerships and pat themselves on the back for balancing the budget. Consequences don’t become apparent until long after they’ve headed home. Most Texas state agencies already pay well below market wages, at least for professional, technical, scientific, and legal positions. And when you look at the salary history for state employees by legislative session, it's been a disaster since 1994--most sessions did not provide a cost of living increase, and on the rare occasions when they did, it was usually 1-3% spread over two years. Employee turnover is already high at current salaries; if there are cuts, employees will leave in droves. At least the ones with other options, or close to retirement. (Now, watch them cut funding for the ERS pension system...) Which makes me wonder, for employees close to or eligible for retirement, it might be a good idea to put in your papers before the next Session is over and they do something like add ten years to retirement eligibility... Number_6 fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Apr 24, 2020 |
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Apr 24, 2020 04:50
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I started at UT in Fall '89 (yeah I'm getting old) and my first semester tuition & fees was under $400. (And I think that included the student sports ticket package, which I think was $50 at the time.) Plus, the university gave me an academic scholarship of $1000/semester, as long as I held a 3.25 GPA, so they were basically paying me to go there. It's sad that things have changed so much in basically one generation.
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Apr 24, 2020 21:54
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Sab0921 posted:The best city in Texas is clearly Houston. Integrated (at least in the suburbs), immigrant town with a big working class population. Houston is a humid swamp that floods every year, a poster child for characterless suburban sprawl and traffic congestion, and is thoroughly polluted by (and occasionally exploded by) heavy industry. I still gotta go with Austin or SA as the 'best" city, as far as that unicorn can exist in this state.
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May 29, 2020 05:16
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DuckHuntDog posted:It is particularly funny because police will not be involved at all in something like that. This happened at the complex I lived at a few years ago and APD of course did not care and wasn’t going to do anything, much to the consternation of my neighbors. You file an online police report and give it to your insurance company, and that is basically the end of it. But if a police officer had been standing right there at the time, those broken windows would probably not have happened. And there would have been an officer standing right there if not for these budget cuts which haven't actually happened yet.
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Aug 15, 2020 06:10
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Sinten posted:As a lifelong resident, the state has a cool name, cool shape, but I’ve had enough of the rest. I’ve also felt like this since I was a teenager, yet here I still am 20 years later. I'd really like to move to a California beach house with a nice view of the Pacific but I can't unless the price of houses like that drops to about $250,000.
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Aug 16, 2020 06:23
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i say swears online posted:lmao Probably something more punitive, like any cuts to law enforcement must be matched by 150% cuts to social services, or by a mandatory "self defense" tax credit on homes valued over $1M so they can put up walls topped with razor wire, automatic gun turrets, and security gates.
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Aug 18, 2020 04:42
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I remember as a little kid my parents would take me to Luby's and I would always get the green jello. I wonder how I remember that. As an adult I liked their chopped steak with onions and gravy, but it had the rapid liquidation effect already described in this thread.
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Sep 9, 2020 05:26
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I heard that the designated ballot dropoff location for Bexar County is now in the basement of the Alamo. In Travis County, it's going to be at Franklin's BBQ but you have to wait through the food order line first. Kidding aside, this is such a naked attempt at voter suppression. Claiming "security" isn't even a fig leaf. How is one overcrowded, chaotic location going to be "more secure" than several?
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Oct 1, 2020 19:24
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i say swears online posted:https://www.statesman.com/article/20121104/NEWS/311049793 I'm pretty sure I remember the Statesman stopped doing endorsements for some elections because it was hard, or required research or something. I'm not sure exactly for which election(s) that happened. Historically, the Statesman has often done terrible endorsements anyway (Bush in 2000 and 2004, for two examples.)
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Oct 11, 2020 04:05
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