Watson Wire
Crazy Time
Monday, May 11, 2009
Amid the flood of legislation passing through the Legislature, we’re all still trying to pass our bills, shape the larger policy initiatives so that they’re better for the state, and watch out for the bad bills and amendments that would do more harm than good to everyday Texans. It’s a uniquely crazy time.
The Way It’s S’posed To Be
Monday, May 04, 2009
29 days left. Everything's at full speed. But let's take a few minutes to talk about non-partisanship. Let's praise people who can put experience and ambition aside to embrace the other side. Raise your glasses to those who, even against their better judgment, show some love for the Baylor Bears.
Seceding in Governing Without Really Trying
Monday, April 20, 2009
Recently, I asked a smart young woman to help me figure something out. The problem involved lots of numbers and moving parts. She quickly created some documents and a nifty spread sheet that, she claimed, explained the issue.
Where Good Ideas Go to Die
Monday, April 06, 2009
There are a couple of dates every session that aren’t on the legislative calendar but seem to settle on most folks who care about what they’re doing up here.
The Dark Rider
Monday, March 30, 2009
It may well be that one of the most important laws that gets made this session isn’t even a law. It didn’t get a hearing. It was never evaluated for its fiscal impact. No one, for it or against it, ever got to testify on it or really even knew it was happening.
A Small World After All
Monday, March 23, 2009
Senate Bill 362, the so-called Voter ID bill, finally left the Senate last week. It felt like a loud, obnoxious party guest that was invited accidentally, made everybody miserable, left a huge mess, and kept people from doing the stuff they wanted to do.
Back to Business
Monday, March 16, 2009
What’s the word for last week? Amazing? Exhausting? Riveting? Shocking? Absurd?
This Is More Than a Game
Monday, March 09, 2009
Politics is a fascinating thing to watch and be a part of. They don’t call folks political “junkies” for nothing (and if you’re reading a state senator’s mostly weekly newsletter, you probably know it).
Getting Our Dog Back
Monday, February 23, 2009
To go straight to highlights of the federal stimulus package's impact on Texas, click here.
When I was a kid, in third grade or so, I came home from school one day real agitated about something that I can't begin to remember now. But it was a big enough deal back then that I needed to find my dad.