Thumbs up, down
Kudos to philanthropist, blowing off steam in Uvalde, and UH coach’s farewell.
Sometimes seeing is believing. So, for the first time in our history, we need three Thumbs. First, an up to the Texas Organizing Project for compiling videos that show the disrespectful and discriminatory treatment of low-level offenders by Harris County magistrates. Next, an “Up” to Chronicle reporter Lise Olsen for a thorough and relentless examination of the system being challenged in federal court. And, finally, Thumbs Up to state Sen. John Whitmire who, galvanized by what he read from Olsen and saw on tape, filed complaints against the judges.
There’s a lot to be thankful for this season, and at the top of our list is the recovery from a double lung transplant by Lester Smith. He’s home and resting comfortably after more than 100 days in the hospital. One of Houston’s most generous men, Smith is the people’s philanthropist. Like many here, he made his fortune sticking drills in the ground. That wealth has been redistributed largely in the medical arena without forgetting the little guy.
When baby lawyer Patrick McGinnis of Houston became the 100,000th member of the State Bar of Texas recently, he wasn’t awarded a free gavel and gently worn brief case. All he got was an interview on the bar’s blog. “It is an honor to represent a milestone for both the Texas Bar and this wonderful profession,” said the 25-year-old litigator at Eggleston & Briscoe, LLP. “Plus, it’s icing on the cake for getting through that nice little test the Board of Law Examiners administered in July.”
It’s the least wonderful week of the year in Texas when an envelope in the mailbox has a return address from the tax assessor-collector. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt is riding to the rescue with legislation to make it tougher to raise taxes. Property values are escalating in cities like Houston, and incomes aren’t rising. “What happens is tax bills go up faster than Texans’ pay checks,” Bettencourt said. “What this means is that we’re putting too much pressure on where they live and work to pay property tax bills, and those bills must slow down.” The obvious solution would be to tax income, not property, but this is Texas and …
Need to blow off tax-paying steam? Need a very “Texas” holiday present? At the Ox Ranch in Uvalde, you can drive a tank and pop some serious caps for $600 to $8,000 depending on your choice of tank, mortar, machine gun and whether you want to crush a car.
Donald Trump’s single largest haul of electoral votes came from Texas. He also didn’t do bad at fundraisers hosted in River Oaks and the posh suburbs of Dallas. But when it comes to Cabinet appointments, as of today we don’t seem to have a serious dog in the hunt, despite our 38 votes for the Trump-Pence ticket. Sid Miller has been floated as secretary of agriculture, but that’s a non-starter. As for a telegenic former governor becoming secretary of veterans affairs, it looks like Sarah Palin is the person, not Gov. Good Hair.
So much for the Billion Dollar Buyer’s boast in this very column last week. UH board chairman Tilman Fertitta said the university’s football coach wasn’t leaving for money. Well, he did. One day after being outcoached by lowly Memphis for loss No. 3 of the season, Tom Herman was snatched away by the University of Texas at Austin. Price tag? $5 million a year. Here’s what Fertitta told a Houston radio station: “It’s disappointing that the University of Texas — who wants to open a campus in Houston and said they would never do anything to harm the University of Houston, with all the football coaches in America, who said that they would stand up for us to get into the Big 12 and then didn’t even vote for us when they met with the commissioner and all the schools — had to come take our little football coach. But that’s business, and it’s a great opportunity for Tom, and I wish him the best. I hope they all do well, but I just hope we do better.”