Some argue that Confederate monuments are symbols of Southern pride. Whose pride? Certainly not the millions of African-Americans who suffered under slavery. Certainly not their descendants, who still face indignity, injustice, terror and violence because of our country’s thriving racist attitudes, systems and institutions.
The Elder Financial Protection Law, which takes effect in September, sets new standards to combat financial scams and abuse. It enables others, including financial advisors, to step forward to protect seniors when they see something is amiss.
Whites chose Confederate symbols for their unmistakable meaning: black slavery, white supremacy, and disregard for federal law. By erecting these memorials, local whites indicated their devotion to racial hierarchy and their willingness to violate federal civil rights policies, especially school integration.
Many conservatives are against comprehensive sex education, noting the skyrocketing rates of teen pregnancies in the early 60’s and believing that teaching contraceptive use gives teens mixed messages. Liberals, on the other hand, urge that education is the key to reducing teen pregnancy and disease. Surely there is ground where both sides can meet for respectful dialog.
One would think that all people descended from European, Caucasian immigrants would be too ashamed to appear in a rally like the one in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Unite the Right” rallies are nothing more than the descendants of immigrants espousing bigoted, anti-immigrant viewpoints.
With the spotlight now clearly on the platform goals and the need for the Legislature to make those a reality, we can and should expect much greater results in the next legislative session on unresolved issues. I am proud of the engaging role the party played during this special session and am grateful to all the Texas Republicans who fought hard for the principles of liberty and limited government in order to make Texas an even better place for everyone.
All in all, UT-Austin is a "university of the first class," and the UT System does rather well considering its level of funding, its size and complexity and its many well-funded competitors.
Our analysis of the current Texas delegation to the U.S. House, state Senate and state House of Representatives plans suggests that under a novel test presented by the plaintiffs in a Wisconsin case, and heavily referenced by a federal lower court, Texas’s congressional redistricting plan is likely unconstitutional while the Texas Senate and Texas House redistricting plans are constitutional.
After 29 bonus days at the Texas Capitol, lawmakers headed back to their districts without having accomplished much. That’s good news, because Gov. Greg Abbott’s 20 priorities mostly would have harmed Texans.
The work is challenging and the conversations can be difficult, but that’s always been the case. And, we’re not backing down from our work to foster an open, welcoming and inclusive state for businesses, their employees and their families.
White identified a critical problem in public education, developed a solution and got it passed into law despite the difficulty and the risk. He was willing to put his political career on the line because he believed it was what Texas needed. He devoted his long public career to improving Texas for all Texans. The courage he showed is sorely needed in American politics today.
It was no small task: the Texas child welfare system is incredibly complex, meshing public and private resources into a safety net that events of the past few years have shown to be riddled with dangerous holes. The 85th Texas Legislature leveraged a key resource in closing these gaps by further investing in children’s advocacy centers.
The stakes are much higher than they were seven years ago when Obamacare was enacted. Since then, healthcare expenses have increased at more than twice the rate of wages. Americans need Congress to fix healthcare now more than ever before.
While there are only a few beats left in the heart of the current special session, the 85th Legislature can still equitably fund education and direct more dollars to classrooms so quality teachers receive higher merit-based pay.
In a state where voting is increasingly polarized by race, racial and partisan bias are often joined at the hip. Fixing one generally also will fix the other.
This proposal especially burns customers who invested in solar with the understanding that it would pay for itself through lower electricity bills. SEIA said more than half of current solar customers would lose 40 percent of their expected savings. Others would pay more for electricity than if they had never installed solar at all!
Employees who feel comfortable and welcome at work are more likely to succeed in their careers and contribute to their teams, companies, organizations and communities. Isn’t that what we want for Texans?
Currently, our elected officials draw their own electoral district boundaries; the foxes aren’t just guarding the henhouse, they’re building it. Unsurprisingly, our political foxes, Democrats and Republicans alike, have abused this power for decades, stealing power for themselves and punishing their enemies. A nonpartisan, independent commission puts a stop to that, creating fair districts that faithfully represent the people and lead to fairer elections.
Even with a 22-year record of growth, student outcomes, and parental demand, public charter schools are still not recognized by some as fully part of the public education system and quite frankly, enough is enough. Students at charter schools should not be penalized because parents select the best school that meets their needs.
The first hurdle for any transgender child or adolescent is helping people understand that they are who they say they are, who they know themselves to be — and that they are capable of knowing that even at ages as young as pre-school.
