The people promoting Texas as a location for business constantly push the idea that the state does not have an income tax. While that has some appeal, newcomers learn that there are property taxes that are almost punitive, and that force homeowners to carry the tax burden for corporations. Not Read more…
Commercial aviation is safe, ridiculously safe, which means the probability of a catastrophic mechanical failure in the Malaysian Airlines jet is miniscule. There are millions of take offs and landings each year around the world and in 2012 there were only 475 fatalities. MIT research indicated the average passenger could Read more…
Instead of a romp through various topics of interest, Fridays will sometimes be devoted to a single subject, which is today’s case. Our attempt will always be to provide a context and perspective we don’t see elsewhere, and that’s why this piece is about abortion and the Texas men trying Read more…
Guest post by Ken Vest In the speech to radio and television news directors that ended his career Edward R. Murrow said, “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use Read more…
We were afraid to think much about spring during the month of March up in Michigan. Too many days gave us false hope of warmth, a Chinook wind might melt the ice and show frozen green from the previous summer, and then a heavy snow could fall and cover our Read more…
by R. G. Ratcliffe This is a follow up to my previous post on how everyone should take the University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll with a huge rock of salt. Not many people did in advance of the election. In fact, all of the state’s major papers, other than the Read more…
God apparently wants creationism taught in Texas public schools. Or at least the Texas Tea Party does. Conservative and semi-crazy State Senator Dan Patrick won a big victory over Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the state’s Republican primary, and appears likely to defeat the eleven-year incumbent in the May runoff. Read more…
We call them blue northers; they are usually Canadian cold air or arctic weather systems that push far enough south to dramatically alter the weather in Texas. Often, a person can be standing outside in 80 degree temperatures and the cold can lower it as much as 60 degrees in Read more…
The Texas Tribune is becoming more transparent, even though they have long insisted they were already completely transparent. Keep those two opposing notions in your head and consider this quote from a piece last Friday by the Trib’s Emily Ramshaw, “When you’re asking for peoples’ trust, being as transparent as Read more…