Author Archives: Bill Hobby

If Republicans increase the number of seats they now hold in the United States Senate by seven, they become the majority party for the first time in eight years. They just might do that. An equation developed by two political … Continue reading →

As we near an election and another legislative session, we will hear a great deal about things Texas does badly. Let’s discuss an area where Texas leads the nation–state research funds for colleges and universities. Texas is the only state … Continue reading →

It’s summer in central Texas. The temperature has been in the upper 90’s for weeks. It hasn’t rained in a month. Just as in every other hot, dry summer, the level of the Edwards Aquifer is sinking. The headlines are … Continue reading →

For about 75 years, Shanghai was the leading port in Asia. When the Chinese Communists took the city over in 1949, they wanted to maintain Shanghai’s flourishing economy as a model of Communist prosperity. Not surprisingly, they could not do … Continue reading →

Recently, the Wall Street Journal worried that Texas was in the “thrall of tax-and-spend politicians.” Much as we appreciate advice from New York City about how this state should be run, we must suggest that they not worry their little … Continue reading →

Early in May a sewer line in Tijuana, Mexico, broke and dumped 12,000,000 gallons a day of untreated waste into the Pacific Ocean, polluting beaches as far up the coast as San Diego, California. That pollution was an accident. For … Continue reading →

Experience government at any level for a time and you may come to believe that it operates according to the rule of unintended results–or by a corollary, that no good deed goes unpunished. The current debate over Medicaid, the federal-state … Continue reading →

When President Clinton gave his State of the Union address recently, he made a reference to a key aspect of the peace dividend–the highly-trained men and women mustering out of the military. He emphasized his earlier proposal that gives incentives … Continue reading →

During what was once referred to as the Christmas season, there was a sign across from my office at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. It said: “Happy Winter Holiday of Your Choice.” It was witty. It was … Continue reading →

These three questions frame an issue that is older than the Republic of Texas and as current as the most recent court decision or the last speech in the governor’s race. The questions of who controls and who pays for … Continue reading →