is that Jesus in your shot or are you just happy to grift me? (a tale of fees)

when most people think of TX Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Mad Hatter they think of Trump on a Jesus shot with an office full of carcasses and a 50 gallon hat. some may even comment on his authorship of the Texas sonogram which requires the doctor to shove a wand in your yoni to, ya know,…

TX Sen Fi Digest 1/23/17

things the Texas Legislature is obligated to do: pass a budget.      and they get paid $7,200 each to do it--everything else is window dressing. sure, some people will tell you that legislative budget hearings are boring--those people are wrong. but they have the right to be wrong, we have a whole amendment for them…

20 ways of looking at CPS

.     1 for the record: Belle's author was never wild about this notion that Texas would follow up Judge John Specia with the former head of the Texas Rangers as the Commissioner for DFPS. she wasn't gaga for someone who'd spent the last quarter century dealing with perpetrators to be in charge of the displaced and discarded.…

towel watch 2016 part 1

you may think it would be difficult for Belle to pick who is hands down THE WORST among the boogers that consistently get elected in TX. but, now that Kyle Janek has been disposed of, it's OMG Kenny, could you not make headlines for a week?! it's bad enough that the top law enforcement officer in…

don’t call us Tejas, we are not friends.

the debate, oh the debate. that glorious treasure trove of a debate. everyone is talking about it and since Belle didn't post about the previous two or the VP one, let's gab. what can we say that is not being said by everyone else on the planet? we could talk about how Trump es muy malo para…

House Committee on Messing with Dan Patrick

in a normal world the 5th hour into a 9 hour house hearing--any 9 hour house hearing--finds you dusting your keyboard with Cheeto crumbs and wondering where all the Tylenol disappeared to. you don't remember buying Cheetos--you don't even like Cheetos. but you will conquer this bag of Cheetos and origami its aluminum laminated with polypropylene husk into a hat. you're sure…

a little bit nerves of steel.

by now you've been clued into the fact that the ludicrous tangerine ballbag is recruiting poll watchers. so what's the probability of your polling place looking less like a library and more like this on E-day? according to Vox's Dara Lind we might be in danger--especially if Trump loses. Mother Jones Patrick G. Lee provided a more sober view: it depends…

I’d like a new future now.

“No one in the Republican Party or anyone in society accepts what he said,” Patrick said. “He apologized, you move on. The future of the country is at stake.” I've never been quite clear on what exactly TX Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (nee Dannie Goeb) believes. he seems to change his demeanor depending on what…

calling all Tank Girls

Chair Jim Keffer is retiring and he wants to make sure that he leaves behind a legacy of people who care about water. there have been a number of interim hearings regarding the State Water Plan, irrigation, water resources, interstate compacts, environmental flows and water markets. if that last one doesn't scream To the Bat Tank! to…

I am skeptical of insurance committees

not everyone is going to understand everything all the time. I'm trying to believe that is the case here. but the fact that I can't seem to follow policy discussions on insurance irks me. when AIG testifies, it scares me. here's what I managed to understand from today's discussion in the House Insurance Committee: reinsurance…