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Health Class No Longer Required In Texas High Schools

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:44:22 +0000

From Houston Chronicle:
AUSTIN, Texas — Health class will no longer be a state requirement for high school students this fall, making Texas one of the few states in the country with no required health education, officials said.

Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced the move in a recent letter to school districts, causing some to worry Texas students will miss out on critical topics like alcohol awareness, sex education and basic nutrition.

“It was very surprising to a lot of people,” said Diana Everett, executive director of the Texas Association for Health Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Dance. “We’ve all been in shock.”

Individual school districts still can require students to take health classes, but Scott eliminated the state requirement to comply with a new law that bumps up the number electives required to graduate. Starting this fall, students must take six elective courses, instead of the currently mandated three-and-a-half.

Officials wanted to give students more flexibility to pursue electives of their own choosing, so while two required semesters of fine arts were maintained, a semester of physical education and two semesters of a technology class also were removed from the state’s recommended high school program.

“It’s a major statement about where we’re going,” Everett said. “We’ve been trying to address the issue of childhood obesity, but we seem to be losing ground every time the Legislature meets.”

Full Article Here

Countdown: Gov. Perry and Sanford Named Worst Persons

Thu, 14 May 2009 15:47:31 +0000

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Terrell, TX Republican says Asian-Americans Should Adopt “Easier” Names

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:36:44 +0000

A North Texas legislator during House testimony on voter identification legislation said Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.”

The comments caused the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday to demand an apology from state Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell. But a spokesman for Brown said her comments were only an attempt to overcome problems with identifying Asian names for voting purposes.

The exchange occurred late Tuesday as the House Elections Committee heard testimony from Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans.

Full Story Here

Texas Rep Tries to Absolve Bush of Budget Deficits

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:42:59 +0000

From Talking Points Memo comes this video of Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R – Texas – Dallas, Athens) saying the current budget deficit is the fault of the Democrats who have controlled Congress since 2007 and by extrapolation, not President Bush.

[Video]

Governor’s Race Could Shift Course For Texas GOP

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:47:58 +0000

From NPR:
“It almost falls into the category of cruel and unusual punishment, since many of us are still in recovery from the last election cycle. Still, the evidence is undeniable: The race for Texas governor is already under way — a full year ahead of the March 2010 primary.

In the far right corner of the ring is the Republican incumbent, Gov. Rick Perry. Perry has been Texas governor longer than any in history, since December of 2000, when former President Bush was elected to the White House. In the other corner — also to the right, just not as far — is Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. This is a 12-round fight between political heavyweights, splitting the Texas GOP in two. The loser’s career will almost assuredly be over.”

Full Article Here

Debating Voter Fraud/Suppression in Texas

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:50:31 +0000

“Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott recently wrote an opinion piece for the Fort Worth Star Telegram titled, ‘Voter Fraud Must Stop.’ Abbott discussed his commitment to use a newly created office – the Special Investigations Unit – and a $1.5 million grant from the Governor’s office to train local officials so they can stop what Abbott describes as ‘an epidemic of voter fraud [that] is infesting the electoral process.’

Ed Ishmael, a Dallas lawyer and President and Cofounder of the Texas Values in Action Coalition, disagrees with Abbott’s assertion that voter fraud is an ‘epidemic’ in Texas. In a viewpoint posted on Dallas Blog, Ishmael points out that:”

“If you add up all of the suspects Abbott references in his article as being somehow involved in election fraud in Texas, it comes to 16…If you wade through Abbott’s carefully parsed words, you see that only three of these suspects have actually been found guilty (all three of them pleaded guilty) and the rest have either been merely accused or only recently indicted so they haven’t even yet gone to trial…Three! How is that an epidemic?”

Read More At Burnt Orange

Tom Schieffer may run for Texas governor

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:09:24 +0000

Having wrapped up his career as an ambassador under President Bush, Fort Worth’s Tom Schieffer is back home and pondering a run for governor – as a Democrat.

“I’ve thought about it for a while,” Schieffer told the Star-Telegram. “I have not made a decision.”

Although Schieffer served in a Republican administration under Bush – with whom he worked as general manager of the Texas Rangers – he says there should be no confusion about his political affiliation. “I am a Democrat,” said Schieffer, who voted for Barack Obama in the primary and general elections.

Full Article Here