http://www.txprogress.org Promoting foward-thinking policy in Texas through research and discussion Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:47:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Remember when Senator John Cornyn suggested that the entire nation should model their health care systems after Texas?  Big John may want to get off his high horse and rethink that idea. The head of the Texas Medical Association, Dr. Dan Stultz, says that the high number of uninsured Texans is ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/texas-health-care-system-driving-medical-professionals-out-of-the-business/ Although the Texas Association of Business pleaded to guilty to violating campaign finance laws, the Austin American-Statesman points out that the end result of the legal wrangling is that corporate money will still be allowed in political campaigns in Texas. The courts ruled that as long as the corporate money doesn't ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/expect-more-corporate-money-in-political-campaigns-because-of-texas-courts/ T. Boone Pickens wants you to know that he does not support McCain. Or, for that matter, Obama. At a town hall with the water/wind/oilman on the UT campus October 9, one of the first questions asked was concerning his backing of the Republican candidate as reported in the Statesman ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/pickens-plan-proposes-power-payoff-protesters-probe-plausibility/ The Texas Association of Business pled guilty today to violating campaign finance laws in 2002 and will pay a fine because of it.  The TAB took corporate donations and then used that money to pay staff that were actively campaigning in 24 Texas House races. This violation of campaign finance law ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/texas-association-of-business-pleads-guilty-to-violating-campaign-finance-laws/ After Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi, its victims had to deal with bad faith actions by insurance companies trying to minimize losses by wrongly denying claims.  Owners of homes with their roofs blown off were told their homes were flooded and had their claims denied.  ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/victims-of-ike-and-katrina-will-share-the-same-fate-with-insurance-companies/ Here we go again.  Remember two years ago when the Texas Legislature passed a new school finance plan because of a court order?  Education experts now report that the state will need to put $5 billion more into public education to stay out of court. What's happening is that ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/texas-schools-need-5-billion-to-stay-out-of-court/ A few months ago, the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) along with insurance industry representatives started floating the idea that the Office of Public Insurance Counsel (OPIC) should be eliminated.  OPIC is charged with representing the interests of consumers before the Texas Department of Insurance.  The TPPF and insurance ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/state-insurance-office-for-consumers-lives-to-see-another-day/ When the current leadership of Texas came to power in 2003 they decided to try and privatize parts of state government in an attempt to save money.  Their biggest project was to turn over the new application process for social services, the Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System (TIERS), over to ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/privatizing-public-assistance-applications-will-cost-texas-1-billion-in-the-name-of-efficiency/ Every day, we are all witnessing the costs of the deregulation of the financial industry in this country.  Jobs lost, pensions threatened and the American taxpayer now on the hook for $700 billion to bail out the fat cats on Wall Street. The deregulation of insurance and electricity industries in Texas ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/deregulation-is-failing-this-country-and-state/ Did you know Texas homeowners pay the highest insurance rates in the country?  Did you know that insurance companies can set whatever rate they choose and it's up to the Texas Department of Insurance to prove the rate is excessive after the rate has already gone into effect?  If you ... http://www.txprogress.org/2008/10/come-see-the-fix-texas-insurance-tour/