Politics

We live in an era of rudeness, in society in general, in the popular culture, and in our political life. Our culture today rewards incivility, crudeness, and cynicism. You can get on TV if you out-shout and offend the other guy. Everyone screams. No one listens. People don't just disagree; the challenge to the other is a battle to the death. What happened to us?

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.

Should the state set limits on political contributions? Depends on which candidate you ask.

"It’d be like someone standing at the Alamo going, ‘I’m not gonna survive this thing,’ and all of a sudden he jumps up and starts speaking Spanish!" says Rep. Mark Homer, D-Paris. Maybe so, but switching parties usually works out. 

A patient-centered approach to health care reform would build on America's world-leading quality and high patient satisfaction in a way that extends those benefits to even more people and empowers all patients to make their own medical decisions.

Republican Brian Walker, who lost a close race to Democrat Chuck Hopson in 2008, endorsed Hopson's reelection bid next year — now that Hopson has switched to the GOP.

Is willing yourself to be a player enough to make it so? In the meantime, will the real Matt Mackowiak please stand up?

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is playing a high stakes game of will-she-won't-she. So should she or shouldn't she?