Yep,

 I'm from Texas too.  I remember talking to a state judge some years ago, and he had been around a really long time.  And he told me that back in the day (whenever that is), Texas voters almost always voted against constitutional amendments, and that it was a relatively recent change that Texas voters vote for all of them.

I guess most Texans just figure that, well, their legislators voted for it, and that's good enough for them.

 I'm biased cuz I live in Travis county, and we were the only county, out of over 200!!, that voted against the gay marriage amendment.  From here it's sometimes hard to see the rest of the state, especially when there's so much activism going on in Austin. 

But yeah, we vote yes on fucking everything. 

Posted at November 9, 2005 5:44 PM in response to Ballot Initiatives Lose (And the News Is??)

I believe Delay's attorney is trying to get the case moved totally out of Travis County.  But yes, there are a few district judges that are Republicans, from the suburban areas of Austin. 

Posted at October 21, 2005 5:12 PM in response to Delay's Court Appearance

Yes, these judges are elected in partisan elections.  Yet in this case, the judge is being elected in a very Democratic city.  So, by keeping the case he will not only be doing his job, but will be making democrats happy.  By the way, Tom Delay is hated nowhere in the world as much as he is in Austin.  Delay's redistricting was targeting specifically (as well as a few other representatives) at Austin's beloved Rep. Lloyd Doggett.  Doggett kept his job, but his district now goes all the way to Mexico from southeast Austin.  West Austin is represented by a Republican from San Antonio, and Northeast Austin's district goes almost to Houston.  From the roof of my house, I can see the other two districts.  

Posted at October 21, 2005 5:09 PM in response to Delay's Court Appearance

Voting machines in numerous legislative bodies in the United States have been known to malfunction.  In most state houses, there is a motion for "verification" of a vote if somebody claims there vote wasn't counted.  

Posted at July 28, 2005 2:16 PM in response to House Voting Machines from Diebold?

Why not provide free pre-school, nevertheless, for those other 30 - 40% who simply can't afford it.  If there is evidence showing that pre-school can be beneficial, and I think that's not a disagreement here, why not at least offer it to the many low income families in this country?

Posted at June 14, 2005 1:49 PM in response to The Secret Plot To Steal Your Children

And I love it.  I'm also a progressive American.  I happen to live in the Oasis of Texas that is Austin, one of the more progressive cities in the United States.  We have a centralized core and most of are politicians are quite left of center.  Texas gets a bad rap, but most of that is because of its politics are our large incidence of trucks.  We also have 3 of the fattest 10 cities in America and the most polluted one (Houston).  But we still have sort of this attitude, which is sad to see shift towards the Christian right style of politics exhibited by our President and Congress.

 I don't plan on moving, though.  I plan on staying here and fighting the good fight.  What you may not have heard about Texas this year is that the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring written consent to search vehicles.  A marijuana reform bill, that would have made marijuana possession not an arrestable offense, passed out of a House committee unanimously (although primary politics made any bill with the "M Word" die).  The gay marriage amendment came close to dying in the Senate.  Are we a regressive state?  Yes.  But there are lots of good people here fighting the good fight, and most progressive have the feeling that during our lifetimes Texas will not only vote blue, but it will be a shining example of progressive state politics.

Posted at June 6, 2005 9:13 PM in response to Gov. Perry of Texas, Christian Soldier ... Onward

I'll be voting and campaigning for him.  

Posted at June 6, 2005 8:52 PM in response to Gov. Perry of Texas, Christian Soldier ... Onward

As an Austin resident who did some work in the Texas Capitol, I'd like to clarify a couple of things.

 First, there were two separate resolutions here, not one big bill.  The first is a parental consent bill (Texas currently only has parental notification).  The second thing was a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.  An amendment actually doesn't need the governor's signature, he just decided to sign it for fun.

 On the politics side, in my opinion Perry isn't particularly religious.  This is just good old fashioned Texas primary politics.  Perry has a really tough fight ahead in the primary, more than most people realize.  His poll ratings are hovering near 40% and he delivered almost nothing that his business friends wanted.  Hutchison is looking good.

Posted at June 6, 2005 6:14 PM in response to Gov. Perry of Texas, Christian Soldier ... Onward