Your afternoon reading.
The Midday Brief: December 8, 2009
Cap and Trade on the Campaign Trail
Rick Perry attacked the EPAโs decision yesterday to declare carbon dioxide a public danger, arguing that the ruling lacks scientific evidence. The EPA’s move could propel the cost of carbon reduction onto the list of issues in play in the governorโs race. Ben Philpott, who’s covering the 2010 election for KUT News and the Trib, filed this report.
Audio: Cap and Tirade
Rick Perry attacked the Environmental Protection Agencyโs decision yesterday to declare carbon dioxide a public danger, arguing that the ruling lacks scientific evidence. The EPA’s move could propel the cost of carbon reduction onto the list of issues in play in the governorโs race.
HuTube: Dueling ’12 Days’ Vids
The warm spirit of the holidays is not deterring the Rick and Kay campaigns from their latest bitter back-and-forth: competing “12 Days of Christmas” riffs.
2010: DRLC Seeks ADTAW*
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson hasn’t drawn any opposition so far, and he’s apparently lonely.
The Brief: December 8, 2009
For a campaign that is all about creating jobs, Farouk Shami was very quick to end some.
Aging Out
When kids with disabilities transfer from childrenโs Medicaid to the adult program, they lose services, health care and medical expertise. A few committed doctors and social workers are stepping in to ease the transition.
Caven’s Quest, Part One
After his son and two others died in a horrific car wreck in 2004, former UT Regent Scott Caven Jr. set out to prove that his namesake, Scotty, wasn’t to blame. He eventually persuaded the Texas Department of Public Safety to change its accident report โ a rare feat: In the last five years, DPS has changed the final reports in fewer than 1 percent of fatal crash investigations.
Show Us the Money
The Texas Ethics Commission wants candidates and elected officials to come clean about their spending, and it’s adopted new rules that require them to do just that.
Guest Column: Elections Don’t Win Themselves
It’s not an accident that Democrats have been winning races in Republican-held urban and suburban districts, and narrowing statewide Republican margins. That Democrats are attracting A-team candidates like Mayor Bill White is testimony to years of hard work, not coincidental political evolution.


