The Texas Senate has confirmed three new appointments to the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Can we now get back to the business of letting UT-Austin President Bill Powers do his job … without interference/meddling from regents? http://www.texastribune.org/2013/05/24/texas-senate-confirms-nominees-ut-system-board/ Senate Higher Education Committee Chairman Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, noted some mistakes in confirming earlier regents … Continue reading Now let’s allow the UT-Austin boss to do his job →

The power struggle that’s enveloping the University of Texas System is not going to end well if the system regents don’t back off and let the man they hired to run the flagship campus do his job without interference. http://www.texastribune.org/2013/04/08/the-brief-top-texas-news-for-april-8-2013/ UT-Austin President Bill Powers has been in an ongoing battle with regents who many critics … Continue reading UT power struggle cannot continue →

I cannot help but snicker whenever I read about Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s rants at an alleged federal takeover of Texas matters. He now is saying he’ll oppose Medicaid expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act because he doesn’t want Texas to be held hostage by Washington, D.C. http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicaid/291257-perry-doubles-down-against-medicaid-expansion Oh really, governor? Maybe he … Continue reading Texas already is ‘hostage’ to feds →

Whenever I write something about term limits, some of my Texas Panhandle friends almost always bring up U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry’s name and accuse of him of hypocrisy on the subject. Here’s what I wrote recently on the subject of term limits: http://www.johnkanelis.com/2013/03/term-limits-move-stirring-to-life.html Now, let me try to set straight what I understand to be … Continue reading Setting the record straight on term limits … again →

Our formerly esteemed leadership in Washington, D.C., just isn’t getting what’s happening out here in Flyover Country. Those automatic budget cuts are about to kick in and the impact will be real. http://www.connectamarillo.com/news/story.aspx?id=866857 New Mexico, with a federal work force that is roughly twice the national statewide average, is going to see a significant job … Continue reading D.C. isn’t feeling our pain →

Amarillo is a more sophisticated and complicated city than many of its residents care to acknowledge. They like the old days when it was a one-horse town fueled by farmers and ranchers’ income with help from the Santa Fe Railroad. But it now comprises nearly 200,000 residents. City Hall’s budget – taken all together – … Continue reading State of the City address, anyone? →

Amarillo is going to spend the next few days looking back at an event that touched many residents here deeply, while also bringing tears to many others around the world. It was a decade ago, on Feb. 1, 2003, that the space shuttle Columbia broke apart in the sky over Texas as it hurtled back … Continue reading Looking back at a local, international tragedy →

There’s little doubt that Alberto Gonzales’ record as U.S. attorney general is, shall we say, mixed. He left office near the end of President Bush’s second term a fairly scorned public official. He got into serious political difficulty over several matters. But one cannot help but be impressed with the man’s personal story. He is … Continue reading Set your goals high →