Your quick look at all of the important news (in my mind) that you should be reading but probably aren't. (It's like Grey Matters, but with better commentary) This will give you something to read between when the polls close, and when Stan Stanart FINALLY releases the early voting returns.
Does Urban Planning Have a Race Problem? Ryan Holeywell, The Urban Edge - Yes. The next question? What to do about it, because most urban planning conferences and ideas can be pretty much summed up as "Things white people like....in their cities." Unfortunately even the advocates in this piece have a "race problem". They're too busy trying to "fix" other races in a manner of their choosing.
Memo to Cities: Most Cyclists aren't Urban Hipsters. Andrew Keatts, The Urban Edge - If you live and drive on the Northwest side of Houston you know this is true. I also worry that the wrong message will be taken away from this by municipal, progressive politicians looking to gain a voting edge. I'm halfway expecting to hear calls for subsidized bicycle safety equipment for all coming to a City Hall and Statehouse near you.
Bashing Regulations is easy - Until you need a lifeboat. Michael A. Cohen, BostonGlobe.com - Your poorly constructed straw-man of the day. Few, if any, are advocating for NO regulation. What most of us are arguing FOR is regulation that is sensible, transparent, consistent, and doesn't cost a fortune to comply with. As someone who works in the regulatory sphere I can tell you that poorly crafted regulations can alter business planning.
We Regulate toys, so why not guns? Sally Kohn. CNN.com - Another truthy statement by one of the Lefts dimmer lights. Accepting this argument ignores the volumes of regulations.....on guns.
Borell Firing a Disgrace. Bill Finley, ESPN.com - Mattress Mack has never been successful with his horses. Now that he has a winner he fires the trainer that got him to the Winner's Circle, and gives the horse back to his heretofore incompetent daughter-in-law. Houston Proud!
A Feasible Road Map to Compulsory Voting. Nicholas Stephanopolous, The Atlantic.com - Which is only feasible if you choose to ignore the 1st Amendment and the fact that the right to NOT vote is as vital to the health of the Republic as the right TO vote. Being compelled, against your will, to cast a vote is a heinous idea forwarded by those who are also advocating strict limits on political speech. (in the name of democracy of course)
What constitutes a 'fact'? Katy teacher, child disagree. Allan Turner, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$) - Not noted in the story, but, somewhat. important: At no point during this were their death threats or riots from the aggrieved.
Allegations of racism at SMU go viral. Dylan Baddour, Chron.com - Eventually Greek Life (at least, the Caucasian parts of it) are going to be eliminated. I make no judgment as to whether this is a net positive or negative, only that is will eventually happen.
The Gowdy Committee as seen from the Left and the Right. R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. The American Spectator - It is known that we only choose to see what confirms our beliefs. This is a part of being Human. The problem is that the media, in its current state, is composed of outlets who only employ those with the exact same belief systems. This leads to shoddy reporting, partisan editorials and editorial bleed (which should be caught and scrubbed in the editing process) into hard news stories. It is also largely to blame for the "biased media!" howls that emanate from those who don't understand the meaning of slant and how to identify it.
Bad Impression. The Chron Editorial Board. - During a time when Houston is looking over a fiscal cliff....Squirrel!!!!!
Trick or Treat. The Chron Editorial Board - Continuing to bang the broken tourism drum. People come to Houston to get work done. There is nothing wrong with this. Proposing to spend Millions of Dollars to increase tourism will not change this.
Budget Gimmicks. The Chron Editorial Board - The Chronicle desperately wants Houstonians (not them of course) to face steep tax increases. It is a driving principal of theirs and has been for a while now.
Voting Rights. The Chron Editorial Board - Not as heinous as compulsory voting automatic registration still violates a person's right to not partake. Especially when you consider that jury pools are often taken from the voting rolls.
Lawsuit on Post Oak Bus Lanes Dismissed. Dug Begley, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$) - I would like to have the convenient power to decide who can sue me and who cannot.
In area MUD elections, handful of voters decide $1 Billion in bonds. Cindy Horswell, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$) - This is actually a pretty good piece of watchdog journalism by the Chron. The temptation here is to react to the "Something! Must be done." crowd and ensure that whatever is done to remedy this does not create unintended consequences. At the bare minimum you would think it would be fairly easy to prohibit MUD's and other agencies with purse strings to ship in voters in this manner.
"I do, I do, I do" Brazilian female trio to get hitched. Laura Bonilla, Yahoo! - Cool Polygamy, mainly because it's three women, coming soon to a courthouse near you. (Except it's not going to be so cool when some man wants to marry two (or more) women is it now.) File this under the "be careful what you wish for" files.
"If you don't vote you can't complain" - Sylvester Turner supporters- Sure you can. The 1st Amendment does not come with a voting pre-requisite.
Why didn't the (Houston) Downtown Living Initiative include affordable housing Units? Erin Mulvaney, Chron.com - Because the primarily well-off, Caucasian, New-Urbanists who want to live there want the poor to live elsewhere. Next Question.
And finally......
Suburban highways benefit from first funds, should Prop 7. Pass. Dug Begley, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$) - It's always amusing to see what silly new attack David Crossley of the Gulf Coast Institute (trying to rebrand as Houston Tomorrow after they got too out-there for the mainstream) will dream up. Now it's that suburbs are "stealing money from cities". Crossley, who lives outside of the city center on a sprawling rural compound according to rumors, would be an amusing distraction if people like Begley and Parker didn't take the stuff he dreams up seriously.
