Burka Blog Archives – Texas Monthly

Rita Clements, The Power Behind a Governor, Dies at 86

R.G. Ratcliffe — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 03:05:14 +0000

Texas governors once held Christmas parties at the Governor’s Mansion for the capitol news media. They weren’t lavish affairs—just a few canapés and drinks. But it was a night when journalists and the targets of their barbs could call a truce and meet as human beings, rather than as adversaries.One year, toward the end of Governor Bill Clements’ second term of office, breaking news kept me from going to the Christmas party on time. After completing my story, I thought about heading home, but I hadn’t missed the party in years and Clements served stiff drinks.When I got to the Governor’s Mansion late that night, most guests had left. The front door opened and Governor Clements, drink in hand, was there to greet me, full…

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U.S. Immigration Director Threatens to Jail Elected Officials in Sanctuary Cities

R.G. Ratcliffe — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 23:48:32 +0000

Mayors from across the state were stunned today when the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Thomas Homan, went on Fox News and threatened to jail and prosecute elected officials in so-called sanctuary cities who do not fully cooperate with federal authorities in rounding up and deporting undocumented immigrants.“Did he mention me?” an incredulous Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner asked when reporters brought up the remarks.When I asked Austin mayor Steve Adler for a response, he characterized Homan’s remarks as un-American. “Threatening to jail political opponents, especially for laws they aren’t breaking, is not the America I grew up in,” he said. “Austin is the safest big city in Texas, and we follow the law. I will oppose anti-immigrant policies, regardless of the personal consequences,…

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“Will Rap 4 Weed” and Other Independent Candidates for Governor You Probably Won’t Hear About Again in 2018

R.G. Ratcliffe — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 16:20:47 +0000

Dallas billionaire Ross Perot did it in 1992 and 1996. Satirist Kinky Friedman and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn did it in 2006. They each got on the ballot as independent candidates in the November general election—Perot twice for president, and Friedman and Strayhorn as candidates for governor. None won, but they were on the ballot and votes for them got counted. This year, “Will Rap 4 Weed” and sixty-nine other people have given notice to the Texas Secretary of State that they intend to run as independent candidates for state and federal office this November.But getting on the ballot as an independent in Texas is no easy task. A want-to-be candidate can’t just buy a spot; they’ve got to collect signatures on a ballot petition.…

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The Republican Tax Bill Likely Will Add to the Coming Explosion in the National Debt

Bill King — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 18:15:23 +0000

Contrary to the partisan narratives of our two dissembling political parties, federal deficits and the national debt have been growing steadily since WWII through every administration, with the sole exception of the Clinton administration. The growing deficits have been the result of the federal government spending more and collecting less of our gross national output.Democrats and Republicans like to do a lot of finger pointing about tax cuts and spending increases, but the historical record shows that since 1960 both parties have been gradually increasing spending and decreasing taxes thereby fueling our ever-growing national debt.But what is even more troubling is that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says things are going to get much worse. According its estimates, federal deficits will steadily accelerate over the next decade,…

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Ken Paxton Rules That Licensed Handgun Owners Can Bring a Firearm to Church

R.G. Ratcliffe — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 20:03:32 +0000

In the wake of the state’s worst mass shooting, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a legal opinion stating that people with a state License to Carry may bring a handgun into a church unless the institution has given visitors proper notice that firearms are banned from the premises. The ruling was designed to help provide legal options for improving church security.The opinion had been requested by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick after a gunman killed 26 people on November 5 at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, a tiny community outside San Antonio. A neighbor shot the gunman as he tried to flee, and a subsequent car chase ended when the man committed suicide. The incident sparked a debate over whether churches should have…

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Enjoy Your Eight-year, Temporary Federal Tax Cuts

R.G. Ratcliffe — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 23:24:42 +0000

Millions of Texans will feel the impact of the new federal tax law—even if most of the tax breaks for individuals only last through the end of 2025 and then revert to current law. That eventual repeal of individual tax cuts is designed as a kind of bait-and-switch to get Americans to support a permanent reduction of corporate taxes from a top rate of 35 percent to 21 percent.President Trump and the Republican leadership of Congress say the bill will spur economic investment and job growth. A major tax break for corporations was not popular, though, and one recent poll found only a third of Americans believed they would benefit from the bill. So, Congress included the cuts for individuals as sweeteners. But enjoy your…

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Updated: Ted Cruz Scores a Victory on Funding for Private Schools

R.G. Ratcliffe — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 18:35:42 +0000

Editor’s note: The future of Cruz’s amendment for a private school savings plan in the tax bill is now uncertain. The House this morning approved a conference committee report that included the Cruz plan, but late this afternoon House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced that the Cruz amendment violated a Senate procedural rule. However, a Capitol source told Texas Monthly that only the homeschool provision would have to be removed to conform to Senate rules. The Senate tonight will vote on the Cruz amendment, and the bill will go back to the House for further action on Wednesday. Update: The Senate did, in fact, vote to remove the piece of the Cruz amendment that extended college savings plans to homeschool programs. His private school provision…

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University Presidents Say Tax Reform Policy Will Hurt Texas Higher Education

Gregory L. Fenves and Danny J. Anderson — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 20:28:17 +0000

Today, U.S. government leaders have enormous decisions to make about tax reform. Their choices will affect the future of our students and our universities. If the proposed policies are put in place, the ability of Texas students, both now and in the future, to earn life-changing degrees will be compromised.We are the presidents of two universities in Texas — one public, one private. And many students from both The University of Texas at Austin and Trinity University rely upon financial aid that is drawn from endowments.Both the House and Senate bills that are now being resolved by a conference committee propose a 1.4 percent excise tax on certain private nonprofit university endowments. This puts the college educations of many current and prospective students at risk,…

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Blake Farenthold Withdraws from Re-election But Will Likely Remain on Ballot

R.G. Ratcliffe — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 18:23:01 +0000

Amid allegations of sexual harassment, payoffs, and rude behavior, U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold of Corpus Christi announced today that he is withdrawing from his campaign for re-election. The problem is that the Republican congressman can’t.I asked Sam Taylor with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office if Farenthold could withdraw since the candidate filing deadline passed on Monday. “No,” Taylor replied. “Barring a successful challenge to the candidate’s application before the mail-in ballots go out in late January, his name will still be on the ballot for the March 6 primary.”The only way to remove Farenthold from the ballot now is for the Republican Party of Texas to declare him ineligible to serve in office. Using $84,000 of taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit…

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The Painful Similarities Between Alabama and Texas Politics

R.G. Ratcliffe — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 20:03:03 +0000

Politics n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.—Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary, 1906.Although Texas politics currently is not quite as volatile as Alabama’s, the controversial election for the U.S. Senate between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones is a mirror of our own state’s political condition—and a reflection of why many in the nation are sick of both major political parties.Moore has been accused of preying upon and molesting teenage girls during his days as a bachelor (accusations he has denied), but Moore still has the support of President Trump and many other national Republicans. Meanwhile, other, more rational Republicans, such as 2012 party presidential nominee Mitt Romney, are left complaining in impotent frustration. And on the flip side, Jones…

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How Democrats Are Working to Build Statewide Victory

R.G. Ratcliffe — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 12:05:31 +0000

Of the fifteen most populous counties in Texas, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won eight last year. She carried three congressional districts and ten state House districts over Republican President Donald Trump. Her big showing in Dallas provided the coattails needed for a Democrat to ride to a House seat held by a Republican, and the Democrats swept the Harris County elections. Topping it all, the Republicans have a president whose poll numbers with independents and moderate voters are tanking—more than half the moderates in one recent state poll disapproved of the job Trump is doing as president.All that sounds like a formula to put the long-suffering Texas Democratic Party onto the comeback trail. And, yet, the party could not find a candidate with statewide…

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Jerry Patterson Won’t Let George P. Bush Forget the Alamo

R.G. Ratcliffe — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 00:39:08 +0000

Jerry Patterson, a former state land commissioner who played a soldier of the Texas Revolution in the 2004 Hollywood version of The Alamo, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is launching a Republican primary challenge against George P. Bush. The biggest reason? He claims that Bush has mismanaged the Shrine of Texas.Bush’s work to “reimagine” the Alamo plaza, such as moving a memorial to fallen defenders, has angered many conservatives, especially in the San Antonio area.During Patterson’s tenure, the famous Texas battleground was transferred from the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to the land office, but Bush has been widely criticized for handing off restoration plans to private foundations. State legislators have charged that those non-profits have been secretive and have not released records for public scrutiny. Patterson, meanwhile, said that Bush…

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Julián Castro’s Road to the White House Begins in Arizona

R.G. Ratcliffe — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 18:04:54 +0000

Former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro has spent 2017 preparing for what now looks like an inevitable run for president. But for Castro, a Democrat, the road to the White House doesn’t pass through his deeply red home state. Instead, it winds through Arizona, where he is speaking this Saturday at the Maricopa County Democratic Party winter convention in Phoenix.When the question of presidential candidacy has been put to Castro, he’s consistently demurred, but he has also said he’ll decide by the end of the year whether he wants to run. In the meantime, he’s created the “Opportunity First” political action committee (named for his favorite catchphrase) in order to raise money for other Democratic candidates, and one surefire way to cultivate a political base is…

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Lupe Valdez Hopes to Make the Leap from Dallas County Sheriff to Governor

Michael Hardy — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 21:44:49 +0000

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez announced her candidacy for governor on Wednesday morning at Texas Democratic Party headquarters in Austin, promising a new direction for the state. Valdez is the highest-profile Democrat to join the race.“For far too long, hardworking Texans have been left behind, kept out, and, frankly, attacked for who they are, where they come from, and who they love,” Valdez said at the press conference announcing her candidacy. “Texans and Texas businesses are begging for a return of common sense.”During her brief announcement speech, Valdez telegraphed a few of the issues she plans to run on, including more pragmatic government, immigration, and LGBT rights (Valdez is openly gay). In her announcement, she made special mention of the Dreamers—the nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants who…

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After Back-to-Back Sex Scandals, Joe Barton Announces Retirement

R.G. Ratcliffe — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 19:08:56 +0000

Congressman Joe Barton, a Republican who was elected 32 years ago to replace Phil Gramm in the U.S. House, announced today that he will not seek re-election next year. This followed revelations that he sent one woman a nude photo and video of himself and asked another in a Facebook chat whether she was wearing underwear. Both incidents occurred in 2012, when Barton was estranged from his wife, but they came to light beginning last week.Barton made the retirement announcement in an interview with the Dallas Morning News. “I’ve always listened to people in Texas and worked for them in Washington, and I’ve been listening to a lot of people the last week in Texas,” he said. “There are enough people who lost faith in me that…

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Joe Barton’s Suggestive Messages to Arlington Woman Are Indefensible

R.G. Ratcliffe — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 01:07:14 +0000

It’s only been a few days since Joe Barton’s nude selfies surfaced on the internet, and at that point, we were discussing his savvy public relations pivot that might just save his political career. “As salacious as a naked photo of a congressman might be, victimhood goes a long way toward earning forgiveness from voters,” I wrote last Friday. Well, as of today, stick a fork into Barton, because he’s done.The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported this afternoon that Barton sent several inappropriate messages to Arlington Republican activist Kelly Canon through Facebook. For years, she told the paper, she had discussed politics with Barton on Facebook, but in 2012 and 2013, he made several inappropriate suggestions to her. Canon shared copies with the newspaper, including the following exchanges:Barton:…

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The Deadline for Harvey Victims to Apply for FEMA Assistance Is Thursday

R.G. Ratcliffe — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 20:42:48 +0000

For victims of Hurricane Harvey who have not yet applied for FEMA assistance, the deadline is this Thursday (it was extended because of the Thanksgiving holiday). To apply, check out DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-3362. Unsure if you’re eligible? Here’s an explainer from FEMA:Federal assistance includes help for temporary housing, rental assistance and repair or replacement of damaged homes for eligible individuals and families who have suffered losses as a result of the storm. Additionally, grants may be available to help with other expenses such as medical and dental care, child care, funeral and burial costs, replacing essential household items, moving and storage, vehicle repairs and some clean-up items. Renters and homeowners must be in a designated county to qualify for assistance. Those counties include: Aransas, Austin, Bastrop,…

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Former La Marque Mayor Geraldine Sam Is Cruz’s Latest Challenger

R.G. Ratcliffe — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 23:49:22 +0000

At first blush, it appeared that former La Marque Mayor Geraldine Sam filed as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate because she was mad at incumbent Ted Cruz. As a delegate to the Republican National Convention last summer, she unloaded on Cruz when he made a prime-time speech and declined to endorse Donald Trump as the party nominee. Instead, he urged delegates to vote for their conservative principles.“You lied to me. You lied and said you were going to support the party nominee, and you won’t. Then you lied to me. And I’m very upset at this time,” Sam told a reporter at the convention. “I came to this convention as a Cruz delegate, and I’m leaving supporting Donald Trump as the party nominee.”Cruz did endorse…

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Sage Shopping Advice from a Neiman Marcus Stalwart

R.G. Ratcliffe — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 17:51:44 +0000

Books have been one of the great loves of my life. I own books that I have never read and probably never will, but I still find it reassuring that they sit on my shelf. One of my first jobs was as a shelver at the Dallas Public Library. It only lasted three days before they found out I wasn’t 16 and could not legally work. That didn’t stop me, though. I learned both the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress systems of cataloguing books. At the University of Missouri, I worked as one of the night librarians at the medical school, and during the summer I got a job at an upscale book store that catered to the wealthy of Highland Park (plus a…

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How Joe Barton Avoided Becoming a Texas Turkey

R.G. Ratcliffe — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 16:24:47 +0000

Back in 1988, when Chris Matthews was better known as an aide to recently retired House Speaker Tip O’Neill than as the television commentator that he is today, he wrote an excellent political primer for candidates, campaigns and politicians called Hardball. A chapter on how to deal with brewing scandal was called “Hang a Lantern on your Problems.” In short, don’t try to hide your trouble. Get the bad publicity over as fast as possible.That is exactly the tactic taken this week by U.S. Representative Joe Barton as a naked selfie that he sent to a girlfriend in 2015 threatened to add him to the Anthony Weiner Hall of Selfie Shame. Weiner is the former New York congressman who initially ruined his career with naked…

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Remembering Houston’s National Women’s Conference Forty Years Later

Michael Agresta — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:03:16 +0000

What happens to a dream deferred? Ask anyone who attended the National Women’s Conference in Houston forty years ago.For four days beginning November 18, 1977, a diverse group of 2,000 women—elected as delegates at state conventions across the U.S.—debated planks in a bipartisan, federally-organized effort to draft a plan of action to deliver to President Jimmy Carter on the subject of women’s rights. More than 15,000 additional women attended as observers. Delegates emerged with a platform that included controversial and forward-looking support for gay rights, abortion rights, minority rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)—a proposed addition to the U.S. Constitution that, at that point in history, still seemed likely to be ratified, and which would have guaranteed women equal protection under the law.The Houston…

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Sarah Davis Really Gets Under the Skin of Some Republicans

R.G. Ratcliffe — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 23:55:43 +0000

The grassroots activists of the Republican Party of Texas tend to not be the most forgiving people on the planet. In the Republican primaries, they only represent about 35 percent of the vote, but they’re motivated, and they largely come from tea parties and fundamentalist religious groups. After the party primary polls close, they’ll actually show up for the caucuses that elect the people who eventually run the state party infrastructure. They often believe in the inerrancy of the state party platform, and any politician who does not strictly adhere to each of its planks is derided as a Republican in Name Only.For more than two decades, though, the Republican party in Texas has struggled to enforce its platform: candidates and elected leaders are expected…

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The Most Profane Bumper Sticker

Nick Anderson — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 23:51:29 +0000

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls took his problem with a profane anti-Trump message posted on the back of a truck (“F–k Trump and f–k you for voting for him”) to Facebook this week. Nehls said in his post that he could potentially pursue disorderly conduct charges for the post.

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Texas Trial Lawyer and Major Democratic Donor Steve Mostyn Has Died

R.G. Ratcliffe — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 17:56:27 +0000

Houston trial lawyer Steve Mostyn was a pioneer in lawsuits involving insurance claims after Hurricane Ike in 2008 and a major hail storm in South Texas in 2012. For most of this decade, he and his wife Amber have also been the godparents of funding for Democratic candidates in Texas. Since 2009, the Mostyns and their law firm have given $25.7 million to Democratic candidates and organizations, as well as the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, according to the Texas Ethics Commission. On Wednesday, Mostyn took his own life after an onset of mental health issues. Here’s the statement from Amber Mostyn: “Our family is heartbroken to confirm that after a sudden onset and battle with a mental health issue, Steve passed away Wednesday, November 15,…

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Thursday Night Lights Illuminated Segregation in Texas High School Football

Michael Hurd — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 16:37:50 +0000

Player protests in professional football this year put a focus on the ongoing fight for social justice in America, but this is not the first time that the football gridiron has been the disputed turf of equal rights. The phrase “Friday night lights” for most Texans conjures up images of teenage players, cheerleaders and marching bands. But it has not always been synonymous with Texas high school football. For much of the twentieth century, only white schools played on Fridays. Black players took the field earlier in the week. The Texas high school football stadium was among the final segregated structures in the state’s public schools. That ended 50 years ago this fall.The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision from the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed…

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