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Tis the season. Flu season that is. |
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| According to a recent Census Bureau survey, almost 1 in 4 Texans don't have health insurance. Texas is the second-most populous state in the U.S., with 23.8 million residents, meaning that more than 5.7 million Texans are uninsured, according to the bureau's data. Cannon said the large levels of the Texas' uninsured could reflect the large number of illegal immigrants in the state, which shares a border with Mexico. Joanna Turner, a statistician with the Census Bureau, said the bureau does not ask participants about their legal status, so those numbers are hard to pin down. Bernstein [of the National Academy of Social Insurance] said that Texas, unlike Massachusetts, "is just not into protecting the generality of its population."
Mr. Berstein's quote rubs me the wrong way, but whatever side of the aisle you sit on, 24% uninsured is no bueno. |
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| I ran across a couple statistics in the last couple days that make me stop and go "whoa". Thought I'd share... #1 - A report from the Mortgage Bankers Association said 13% of Americans are either late on their mortgage payments or in foreclosure, a record-high number. #2 - Among Republicans, Palin has a 73 percent favorable rating, with 16 percent holding an unfavorable view. [source]
In the interest of full disclosure, I happy to say I am in the 87% majority of people who are still paying their mortgages on time. It boggles my mind though that over 1 in 10 of homeowners are in this bad situation though! Also, I'm in the 27% minority on the second issue. I still consider myself a Republican, but would not call my view of Palin "favorable" (regardless of my Halloween costume). Do Republicans these days no longer watch TV? Two words: Katie Couric. Or maybe they just watched the RNC and nothing since? Or maybe I'm no longer a Republican and have become an independent... |
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| At the start of June my office in north Houston relocated to downtown and I started riding the bus to work again. I have great timing... it's flippin' hot outside. When I was about to leave yesterday to get the bus I saw this... 
At least it was cooler than it was in my car after it baked in the sun while I watched the Astros blow a lead 9th inning lead with Taps, my father-in-law, and Chip. 
Welcome to summer in H-town. |
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| With all the frustration that people feel toward the federal government as jobs disappear and companies get bailed out it seems that you can't turn on the news without hearing about "tea parties" and now there's talk of Texas seceding. Really? I thought this random fact from a Time magazine article was interesting. Most experts say the notion that Texas can legally secede is mistaken, but the state does have the right to split into five states, offering the prospect of 10 U.S. Senators, math that would send cold shivers down any Democratic back.
So what do you think? Is all the secession talk just political posturing by the governor of Texas? Or would my fellow Texans seriously consider the possibility of splitting the state in 5 or even consider more drastic action like secession? |
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