Why "tradition" supports hearings on Obama's Supreme Court nominee
Whatever justifications Republicans might have to deny confirmation for an Obama nominee, refusing to consider any nominee based on the Thurmond Rule isn't one of them.
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The real story behind UT's tuition increase
If you were to believe the sound bites about tuition at public institutions in Texas, it would be easy to assume higher education is an unchecked behemoth that wastes money and wreaks havoc on students. While it is certainly true that there is room for improved efficiency, it is time to take a clear-eyed look at the facts.
On World Water Day, Let's Work to Protect Texas' Drinking Water
As we celebrate World Water Day today, let’s consider a few of the threats to our drinking water right here at home — and what we can do about them.
Deepwater Horizon settlement money will go far in Texas
In Texas, the process for deciding how to best funds from the Deepwater Horizon disaster settlement has been transparent and geared toward projects that have a broad public benefit.
Universities are better off hiring smart, not big
While any new allocation of state resources for higher education is a welcome departure from the broad erosion of financial support for public universities across the nation, Governor Abbott's new initiative misses the point.
The questions I didn’t get to ask POTUS
The only real regret I have after my interview of President Obama last week is that I didn't get to ask him more questions. Here are some things I would have asked, along with my thoughts on why these questions were worth asking.
Illegal immigrants should not receive taxpayer-subsidized attorneys
By guaranteeing a taxpayer-subsidized attorney for their civil proceeding, Sen. Harry Reid's new bill would effectively give illegal immigrants greater rights than citizens.
Vehicle safety inspections are more than just a chore — they're a tax
The time and money Texans expend on state-mandated inspection of passenger vehicles would be justifiable if they meant safer roads for us and our families. Unfortunately, they do not.
Medical innovation: a policy priority in Texas
Ultimately, a thriving collaborative environment is what will put us on an accelerated path to advance cancer prevention and control, early detection and treatment in Texas and around the world.
The (even higher) cost of higher education
Unless our public universities are faced with the necessity of reducing costs, they will never be appropriately motivated to combat wasteful spending, address administrative bloat or find new ways to keep college affordable for students.
"Making a Murderer" showed justice is about more than just a conviction
The integrity of the criminal justice process is critical to prevent incarceration of the innocent, even if we must permit a guilty person to go free to preserve that integrity.
Texas, abortion and the power of the Supreme Court
Whole Woman's Health v Hellerstedt could pull the U.S. Supreme Court into a new, prolonged fight over the future of abortion politics, raise the stakes in filling Justice Antonin Scalia's seat and increase the political attention given to the Court — all outcomes that the institution has tried to avoid.
We will stop Robert Morrow from taking over the Travis County GOP
Robert Morrow's election to the chairmanship of the Travis County GOP is a disaster for our party, and I will not rest until he is removed.
If a storm hits Houston, protection is less costly than recovery
We can wait until our hopes and dreams, and possibly our lives, are swept out to sea when the next big hurricane hits, or we can do something now.
The Texas GOP goes nativist in 2016
Renewed fears of terrorist attacks and a fiercely competitive Republican presidential nominating contest have brought to the surface a set of nativist attitudes that have not received such full-throated expression in American politics for at least several decades.
I’m living proof: Walmart believes and invests in its workforce
I am proud to be part of a company that demonstrates every day a commitment to improve the lives and careers of people in my community.
End of the road for the Driver Responsibility Program
Public safety on the roadways is certainly something lawmakers should strive to facilitate, but it shouldn't be done using an insurmountable tax that has left over a million Texans without a license.
Abbott's constitutional wish list
There is much to be said for Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for a new convention to revise the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, ours is the most difficult to amend in the world, making his proposal more of a wish list than a practical program.
Sale of Oncor is a bad bet for Texans
The sale is merely a transfer of wealth from millions of Texas ratepayers to the suit pockets of hedge fund managers and bankers.
Armed with reason, we're fighting against guns on Texas campuses
As gun rights advocates across the country force guns into academia, academics will feel compelled to bring scholarship to the gun debate.