The Midday Brief: April 22, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

“According to a new Marist poll, 79 percent of Americans say it is a bad idea for Reagan to replace Ulysses S. Grant, the general who commanded Union forces during the Civil War and later served two scandal-plagued terms in the White House, on the increasingly common paper currency. “— American public overwhelmingly opposes plan to put Ronald Reagan on $50 bill — Texas on the Potomac

“Students at a Texas college are demanding that their diplomas not be dated "in the year of Our Lord," prompting school officials to consider removing that phrase while leaving what others consider another obvious reference to Christendom — the school's name, Trinity University.” — Texas students see religious bias with 'year of Our Lord' — Washington Times

“2009 was the year when many journalists concluded they were slow to recognize the anti-government, anti-Obama rage that gave birth to the tea party movement.  2010 is the year when news organizations have decided to prove they get it.” — The tea party's exaggerated importance — Politico

“The abuse scandal was rooted in years of under-funding by the Legislature. Low pay and astronomical staff turnover, which ran as high as 70 percent in some facilities, led the institutions to hire low-grade employees—and in a few instances convicted felons—who never should have been caring for vulnerable, and often volatile, residents.” — State Abuse — Texas Observer

New in the Texas Tribune:

The Houston Area Survey has been measuring the attitudes of Houstonians for 29 years. The recently released 2010 report demonstrates that, at least in Houston, the only thing constant is change. — TribBlog: How Houston is Feeling

What's an autistic and suicidal young man to do when he's too dangerous to live on his own — but his IQ score is too high to qualify for state care services? To find out, videographer Caleb Bryant Miller spent a day in San Angelo with Cameron Maedgen and his adoptive mother, Karen Bartholomeo.  — Video: On The Brink

Legislative leaders are not expected to push new taxes as a remedy to the coming multibillion-dollar shortfall, and yet social service advocates say Texas' safety net can't afford any more cuts. So where might new money come from? — The Ditch: A Big Bet