Your afternoon reading

Will there be enough money to cover the current state budget? "Fortunately, it's too early to tell," jokes House Speaker Joe Straus. He and other state leaders are well aware of the numbers, and although they think it's not yet time to act, they're focused on the big question.

Kay Bailey Hutchison used to like term limits. And then she didn't. And then she did. Not surprisingly, her rivals are quick to point out the contradiction.

Governor Rick Perry admits the state needs more money to pay for new roads. But he doesn't agree with the Texas Senate Transportation Committee Chairman on how to pay for them.

What the Twitter contest between Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina tells us about their campaigns for governor.

The full text from state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh's e-mail response to The Texas Tribune for the story "Shapleigh Ever After" is pretty illuminating. Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

KBH resigns herself to staying in the Senate, Grissom investigates the broken border, Ramshaw outs IT contractors who make gigabucks from state agencies, Hu gives Hutchison and Perry the Stump Interrupted treatment, the new head of the Foresenic Science Commission faces his critics, Stiles posts a searchable database of fines levied by the state ethics commission, and Hamilton discovers the consequences of party switching (none): The best of the best from November 9 to 13, 2009.

Kay Bailey Hutchison won't resign from the Senate to run for governor. Hutchison and her aides began calling other Republicans Friday afternoon to tell them to make other plans.

It’s beginning to look a lot like primary season.

For many who call the border home, all the guns, all the money, all the technology, and all the police badges have done little to address the problems that make their lives insecure.

Rick Perry's campaign spokesman says the governor opposes limits on contributions and thinks the solution is transparency, so that voters know who's backing whom.

Hmm, maybe the Great Burka is right.

In some places, the governor's border security efforts have led to a reduction in crime — in rural counties, for instance, where there aren't many people and there wasn't much crime to begin with. But in large urban counties like El Paso and Webb, it's a different story.

Watch Governor Rick Perry's Wednesday speech at the Midland County Republican Women's luncheon, where he claims President Barack Obama is "beyond not caring about Texas."

The Web site where you can view border cameras isn't getting the predicted traffic, calling into question the program's law enforcement impact.

Your afternoon reading.

If Williamson County DA John Bradley is sick of the spotlight, then he got appointed to the wrong commission.  Of course, many people would argue that regardless.