- Texas faces a looming $4.6 billion deficit, comptroller projects
- Texas Projects Nearly $5B Budget Shortfall Due to Pandemic
- Comptroller Glenn Hegar Projects a Fiscal 2021 Ending Shortfall of $4.6 Billion in Revised Revenue Estimate
- Just like that: Comptroller Glenn Hegar says Texas’ $3B surplus became a nearly $5B shortfall
- After COVID-19 closure, some Texans may wait months to renew driver’s licenses
- State allows reduction in price of importing nuclear waste to Texas
- Putting an end to Texas’ $4.3 billion electricity tax
- Virtual GOP convention reveals party at odds with its governor – Abbott has adopted a Democrat/Leftist philosophy of governing.
- Allen West ousts James Dickey as Texas GOP chair
- Allen West Declares Victory in Race to Lead Texas GOP
- Allen West unseats James Dickey to become Texas GOP chairman
- Former Florida Rep. Allen West Named Texas Republican Chair
- Texas GOP ousts chairman, picks tea party firebrand Allen West to lead in 2020 elections
- Chaotic Texas GOP Virtual Convention Makes Progress on Elector Nominations, Chairman Says
- Texas GOP convention chaos prompts delegates to create a second gathering for unfinished business
- Glitches, turmoil dog Texas GOP’s virtual convention
- Dickey’s Dumpster Fire
- US Appeals Court Overrules Texas GOP’s In-Person Convention – none of this matters.
- Steve Evans and Robin Hayes Elected to SREC from Senate District 28 – way to go Steve Evans, my great guest host!
- 8 Legislative Priorities Approved at Texas GOP Convention
- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s video address to Texas GOP Convention VIDEO
- Ted Cruz’s 2020 warning to Texas Republicans: ‘This is a real race’
- Suit alleges Texas election laws discriminate against minorities in pandemic – another bit of insanity from Leftist Democrats
- Blue Wave of Litigation
- Youth vote was surprise factor in Travis County runoffs
- Abbott-Endorsed Candidates See Mixed Runoff Election Results
- North Texas congressional, state House contests will set Texas political scene for next decade
- Suburban women voters key to Democratic revival in Texas
- Bernie-Backed Candidate Headed for Win in Race for Top Prosecutor Job in Travis Co.
- TX13: Leftist media already on the attack of Dr. Ronny Jackson
- TX21: Wendy Davis closes in on U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in San Antonio-area race
- TX21: Setback in GOP bid for U.S. House as Rep. Chip Roy gets ‘toss up’ rating in skirmish with Wendy Davis
- MJ Hegar on GOP Senate rival: ‘Cornyn is not Ted Cruz’ – really?
- College Democrats Don’t Condemn Threats of Violence Against Conservatives
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- Federal/DC related to Texas
- Trump Proposes End to Obama’s Suburb-Killing Forced Housing Rules
- Congress returns with top priority of passing another coronavirus stimulus package
- The stalemate over extending unemployment benefits could be solved with a single sentence
- Inmates’ relatives plan to protest conditions at Beaumont federal prison
- Obama misused intelligence agencies for years to spy on political opponents
- Broken Trust? FBI wanted to use White House briefings to spy on Trump, aides, memos show
- Sen. Cruz Slams Chinese Communist Party’s Oppression & Democrats’ Defund the Police Movement
- Flynn attorneys file to oppose Judge Sullivan request for full judge panel to review case dismissal
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- Presidential race / national politics
- Biden offers no change and no hope; Expect four more years of disappointment and stasis
- Former captive blasts Biden: ‘You left us behind in Iran. Remember?’
- ‘Redirecting’ Police Funding is the Same as ‘Defund the Police’
- Jay Leno to Host Joe Biden Fundraiser, with Rob Reiner and John Legend
- Will black voters abandon the Democrats in 2024?
- Biden eyes GOP supporters while Trump focuses on his base
- Pelosi: ‘Whether He Knows It Yet or Not’ Trump Will Be Leaving the White House — Even If He ‘Has to Be Fumigated’ VIDEO
- Trump has been right about China for years
- Who wins? Trump Challenges Joe Biden AND Fox News’ Chris Wallace to IQ Test VIDEO
- Former San Antonian Brad Parscale Takes Demotion From Trump’s 2020 Presidential Campaign
- Ballot harvesting in Oregon’s vote-by-mail system demonstrates Democratic strategy to steal elections
- We’re all thought criminals now
- The weaponization of whining
- Mark Cuban, Ted Cruz each accuse the other of lacking testicular fortitude in testy Twitter spat
- Hallmark will include LGBTQ storylines in Christmas movie lineup: Diversity and inclusion are ‘top priority for us’ – Hallmark caves to the Left
- America Cannot Afford to Abandon Its Moral Certitude
- CDC employees’ political donations went overwhelmingly to left-leaning recipients, report says
- Americans feel that politics is polarized, but that may be a good thing
- ——————————————–
- Border / immigration
- More Clashes in Mexico Over Repaying U.S. Water Debt
- 22 Illegal Migrants Held by Armed Human Smugglers Rescued in Texas near Border
- Texas Border Hospitals Filled with Migrants Is False Narrative, Says CBP Commissioner
- What the Mexican Cartel’s Armored Paramilitary Unit Video Teaches Us VIDEO
- Cartel Video of Armored Paramilitary Unit Puts Mexican Government in PR Damage-Control Mode VIDEO
- Jerry Nadler Proposes Ban on Deporting Illegal Aliens with Coronavirus
- Trump Offers Confusion, Contradictions on Immigration Order
- Exemptions added to border-wall spending bills as White House issues waivers to build faster
- Immigrants close to U.S. citizenship find delays and uncertainty
- ——————————————–
- Coronavirus related (while I hold over some stories for a while this is not a collection that grows each day. You must go to previous days’ posts.)
- Texas COVID-19 situation report for 7/20/2020 (pdf) [TDEM is no longer posting this until late in the day] – 3,432 deaths. Official Texas 2018/19 flu season P&I deaths were 9249 by end of July last year, over 10,095 for the annual season. By the way, the # tested in Texas is now 2,924,288.
- Gov. Abbott says if Texans follow mask order, no lockdown will be needed
- As COVID infections soar, Gov. Greg Abbott eludes media scrutiny – they have figured him out, this type of media pressure causes him to cave
- Governor Abbott warns if COVID-19 spread doesn’t slow, next step would be a lockdown – extortion
- CDC says outbreak no longer qualifies as epidemic
- Let’s Not Pretend This Is Constitutional
- Facts About COVID-19, CDC says virus close to losing epidemic status
- Thousands of scientists and doctors condemn COVID-19 panic, more
- Shutdowns Are Not a Serious Solution to the Coronavirus Threat
- Unemployment in Costa Rica reaches 20.1%, the highest in its history, in midst of pandemic – the cost of ill-advised “shutdowns”
- Pandemic tensions revive protests in Latin America
- Time is Running Out for Coronavirus Course Correction
- Country-by-country data on mortality risk of the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19: Scientific Disinformation is, Quite Literally, Killing Us
- Texas Health Dept. Reported Inflated Coronavirus Cases for Bexar County
- Texas hospitals are not full with Coronavirus patients
- Military Medical Teams Sent to Texas Border Hospitals as Coronavirus Pandemic Spreads, more
- Texas Border Hospitals Filled with Migrants Is False Narrative, Says CBP Commissioner
- Deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals is dropping
- Most Young Virus Cases in Texas County Diagnosed This Month – and most young people have very little sickness with the virus
- Lubbock identified as a COVID-19 ‘red zone’ in unpublished White House Task Force report
- Florida Health Officer Labels Motorcycle Crash Victim a Coronavirus Death
- Health Department: ‘Very, very low’ risk of dying from COVID-19 in East Tennessee – but people believe the opposite
- ‘I’m scared to death’: Custodians worry about safety, working during COVID-19 pandemic
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice explains COVID-19 reporting methods
- 5 residents, 5 employees at assisted living facility test positive at Midland assisted living facility
- The Oxford vaccine appears to have surpassed expectations
- A San Antonio Hospital Is The World’s Largest Study Site For A COVID-19 Drug In High Demand
- RGV U.S. Rep. Vela: Another stay-at-home order is needed
- Hidalgo County Issues Unenforceable Stay-at-Home Order
- “Expert” warns of coronavirus ‘consequences’ when NASCAR fans come to Fort Worth – the sky is falling too
- CDC employees’ political donations went overwhelmingly to left-leaning recipients, report says
- Trump to restart White House coronavirus task force briefings
- COVID & masks
- CDC: Considerations for Wearing Cloth Face Coverings
- Now Abbott’s chief wants you to wear masks inside your homes!
- Sen. Bob Hall Criticizes Abbott’s Face Mask Order Shift: ‘We Are Expected to Live As If We Have a Monarchy’
- Some “experts” claim we need to wear masks “for several years.”
- MASKS – manners, manipulation and maths – what are your odds of getting or dying from COVID-19? Healthy People Should Not Wear Masks
- Republican activist sues Gov. Abbott, challenging mask order
- Sheriffs Across Texas Say Governor Abbott’s Mask Order is Unenforceable – things I pointed out the day the decree was issued from King Abbott
- Woman takes Lefty talking points about how ‘it’s just a mask’ apart
- SRI finds ‘counterfeit’ masks among hospital supplies of coronavirus gear
- Pecos County to comply with face mask mandate
- Washington State: Man told to ‘put on a mask like the rest of us’ pulled gun on Fred Meyer shopper
- Lubbock Citibus driver assaulted after man refused to wear mask on bus
- Coronavirus Mandate Stories: ‘I’m Not Able to Wear a Mask’
- COVID & schools
- CDC director says closed schools pose larger public health risk for kids than reopening, U.S. Pediatricians Call For In-Person School This Fall
- Dr. Scott Atlas: There Is No Risk To Children From Covid-19, I Don’t Know Why People Deny This. AUDIO
- Dr. Scott Atlas: Too much hysteria over school reopenings VIDEO
- Virus Spread, Not Politics Should Guide Schools, Doctors Say
- Teachers call on Texas Education Agency to rethink reopening schools
- State Will Allow Districts to Offer Online-Only Instruction for First 8 Weeks of School Year
- Attorney General Ken Paxton Issues Guidance to Religious Private Schools for Fall Re-openings
- Parents consider home school amid COVID-19 pandemic – for most, it’s the best gift you can give your children and our failing society
- Iowa governor orders classrooms to open in fall
- Guidance for masks in schools varies widely across US states
- It Took A Statewide Order, But Wearing A Mask In Austin Isn’t Weird Anymore – good little sheeple of their Leftist overlords
- ——————————————–
- Business
- Chevron Acquires Noble for $5 Billion in All-Stock Deal
- Beach business slow after holiday shore closures
- Defendants respond in Moody lawsuit
- SpaceX Starship prototype being prepped for first hop in Texas
- 69% of surveyed Bryan-College Station businesses say COVID-19 hurt revenue
- Lubbock Loses Growler USA, They’re Closing Their Doors for Good
- Trial and error: Texas hemp crop facing challenges in first season
- Austin hotel projects move forward, including at new Apple campus
- ———————————————
- Protest, rioting, looting & more
- Clyburn: Trump, AG Barr Engaging in ‘Gestapo Activities’ in Portland VIDEO
- Portland Moms Create ‘Human Shield’ to Protect Protesters from Law Enforcement
- Perspectives differ in Galveston County over Indians mascot
- Taxpayer funded media group stirs up tension over small monuments in Lubbock
- Nolte: Connecticut ‘Satanic’ Desecration Marks 11th Attack on Christian Church
- Jacksonville residents thankful for police conversation VIDEO
- Dallas: Rep. Sherman supports the renaming of Lamar St. to Botham Jean Blvd.
- The weaponization of whining
- College Democrats Don’t Condemn Threats of Violence Against Conservatives
- America’s Useful Idiots
- Rioters vandalize, loot downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill; police report arrests
- Officials report more violent protests in Portland, federal forces protect U.S. courthouse
- Portland Police Association office was set on fire, officials say
- Missouri Gov. Parson considers pardon for St. Louis couple McCloskeys if charged on gun violations
- Adios, Trader Jose. You’ve been canceled
- Brian Stelter out-taters even HIMSELF shaming Sean Hannity and right-wing media for fear-mongering in Portland coverage
- ———————————————
- Crime & general news of Texas
- Fort Davis Fire Department continues to fight Mesa Fire; 90% contained.
- Fire Chief: Large grass fire in Eastland Co., believed to be intentionally set
- Airtankers working overtime helping firefighters put out flames
- Texas City closes roads over rail car malfunction on Saturday
- Woman charged with hitting family with car on Bolivar Peninsula
- Man dies from fireworks injuries sustained on Bolivar Peninsula
- Man in custody after convenience store shooting
- Man killed in Texas City shooting identified
- Galveston tied record for days of high-tide flooding in 2019
- Texas crash caused by alleged drunk driver kills 3 members of Thin Blue Line motorcycle club, injures 9
- Suspect identified in officer-involved shooting at San Marcos 7-Eleven
- Body of man found near Tyler State Park; homicide investigation underway
- Odessa: Man charged with kidnapping ex-girlfriend with firearm
- Not a meteor, but a Russian rocket re-entering Earth’s atmosphere streaks across the West Texas skies
- Texas FedEx Driver Refuses To Help Old Man That Slipped and Fell in Freeport – darn near a soulless bastard!
- WF man charged with deadly conduct after allegedly firing gun at passing cars
- Man arrested after allegedly throwing child into wall, assaulting girlfriend
- Suspect in Knox County officer-involved shooting dies in hospital, more
- Wichita Falls child found unresponsive in car dies
- NM mom arrested after leaving kids inside vehicle at Lubbock grocery store
- 18-year-old shot after suspect began randomly shooting at people during fight in Brownwood
- Abilene man accused of sexually abusing child while watching fireworks on New Year’s Eve
- Abilene Police investigating ‘accidental’ road rage shooting in Abilene, more
- Aggravated assault and vandalism on the rise in Abilene amid pandemic
- Brownwood police arrest 19-year-old in weekend shooting, victim in critical condition
- Lubbock Man Arrested for Stabbing; Claims Self-Defense
- Judge denies clemency to disbarred San Antonio attorney convicted of extortion in lurid sex scandal in 2007
- Vanessa Guillén remembered at Fort Hood memorial; family lawyer demands congressional inquiry
- Police identify man killed by FBI agents in SE Houston
- Austin Crime: Man Killed in Shootout, Another Injured
- Woman Imprisoned for Leaking Government Secrets Has COVID-19
- ———————————————
- Local government
- Abilene City Council to tackle COVID reporting Thursday
- Lubbock’s Census committee is trying to do more with less
- Lubbock police car seat program result of officer’s compassion
- Henry dismayed after League City opts out of testing fund
- Galveston County law enforcement works on diversity
- Public survey opens as part of San Marcos PD chief search
- Nocona City Council buys new computers
- Austin: Group says it has enough signatures to put homeless camping ban on ballot
- Austin City Manager Proposes Modest 2.6% Cut to Police Budget
- Hidalgo County Issues Unenforceable Stay-at-Home Order
- Williamson County Opens New Mile-Long Stretch of Regional Trail
- Tracking cops with tech. Dallas’ plan to curb abuse
- High-Profile Team to Lead San Antonio’s Workforce Recovery Effort
- Fort Worth Residents Vote to Continue Crime Control and Prevention District
- ———————————————
- Colleges & universities
- Lawsuit alleges UT Tyler faculty members were sexually harassed by supervisor
- Bar exam changes lead to uncertainty for graduates
- TCU cuts online course tuition for the fall
- SMU Announces Reduced Capacity at Ford Stadium for ‘At Least A Portion’ of Football Season, Continues Selling Season Tickets
- SMU Mustang Mavericks: A Year in Review
- A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences departments restructured
- A&M experts offer updates on COVID-19 vaccine testing on-campus
- Army veteran Guieb becomes director of George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
- SFA’s summer enrollment shows increase
- SPC Regents approve plan for fall reopening
- TTU: TIEHH Laboratory Awarded $2.23 Million For Efforts To Combat COVID-19
Pratt’s post for 7/20/2020
July 20, 2020 by 2 Comments
Bill Peacock’s Op-Ed in the Dallas newspaper (Putting an end to Texas’ $4.3 billion electricity tax) is behind a firewall, but these might be of interest.
CFACT just published an analysis of the reality of renewable energy taxes (subsidies) on the costs of electricity and how the money was spent: https://www.cfact.org/2020/07/06/time-to-end-subsidies-for-renewable-energy
Texas Public Policy Foundation published the study on the Production Tax Credit and what it has cost taxpayers, how much it’s raised energy costs for consumers and who has really benefited from the taxes:
https://files.texaspolicy.com/uploads/2018/11/13144842/Production-Tax-Credit.pdf
And two other pieces by Mr. Peacock that can be read:
https://thetexan.news/renewable-energy-booming-in-texas-as-oil-and-gas-struggles/
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/403592-markets-not-renewable-energy-magic-ensure-the-affordable-supply-of
Sandy, here is a link to Bill’s piece at his new personal website. He’s a longtime friend of the show. https://www.excellentthought.net/the-high-cost-of-renewable-energy/