Daily Archives: 03/28/2009

(Community Matters) I’ve blogged about the danger of populism. The Economist does so much more articulately.

The danger for Mr Obama and the ruling Democrats is that the administration is relying heavily on private investors and Wall Street banks to implement its various rescue plans. This inevitably means rewarding some of the people who were responsible for the crisis. The president hopes that his budget will channel destructive anger into support for his policies. But he could also find his administration blown off-course or even swept aside by popular outrage.

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) No numbers in the GOP released budget – hmm, can’t even stretch to imagine what they might have been thinking

(Community Matters) BOR’s/KT’s posting on bids to purchase the AAS.

(Community Matters) Continuation of this war concerns me. Has anyone ever sustainably beaten the tribes of Afghanistan?

(Community Matters) Perfect timing – as our book club is wrapping up the reading of Billy Lee Brammer’s Gay Place, Nadine Eckhardt is publishing her own perspective of Austin/Texas/Washington DC times back then – way many gatherings at Scholz’s, partner swapping, Tx legislative votes for hire, long drives in the Texas Hill Country.

Nadine is a 78-year old Austinite, the widow of Brammer and Harris County’s Bob Eckhardt, mom of Travis County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt and inspiration for Ouida in the Gay Place. Plus, gotta love a 78-yo woman who insists a reporter publish the fact that she smokes pot, details of Molly Ivins fan mail, what she really thinks of Ann Richards and, obviously, many other details. AAS article

(Community Matters) I’m not especially in disagreement with the Governor’s office decision to waive employment targets for corporations receiving monies from the Texas Enterprise Fund and which have banked credits. I appreciate the Governor’s empathy for our corporate partners in these challenging economic times and, frankly, don’t have enough details otherwise. I only wish Rick Perry’s empathy carried over for the men & women of Texas who might need extra assistance during these times – yet, he rejects stimulus monies for the unemployed.

(Community Matters) Our system of electing state judges and their critical reliance on contributions – especially from the legal community and special corporate interests – almost forces us to question any verdict overturning a juries’ opinion, in this case the appeals court too. Grisham couldn’t write a better setting for bias – whether perceived or real. O’Connor verdict against Exxon overturned