Chad’s Morning Brief for 01.08.13

Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of January 8, 2013. Give Chad your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11 am.

1. 83rd Texas Legislature

Let the 83rd Legislative Session begin! Today marks the start of the legislative session down in Austin and all the drama it will bring. For the next 140 days, lawmakers will deal with a budget, create new laws, and probably make some of us angry.

There are many issues that lawmakers will tackle in Austin, but I've got my eyes on a few. Water and education are going to be two of the major issues, but also the "nanny-state". Will we see lawmakers go after property rights and smoking? What about texting bans?

What about guns? Open-carry and Campus-carry have been on the top of mind of gun owners in the state for a while now, but will they be on the minds of lawmakers? I predict not.

I am also looking forward to the debate over vouchers. Parents and students need a choice when it comes to education. Competition is a good thing. Seems like the only ones against competition in education are the ones getting taxpayer dollars.

What will you be watching for in the 83rd Legislative Session?

2. Perry's Second Chance (link)

Is the legislative session Rick Perry's second chance? Politico seems to think so.

If Texas GOP Gov. Rick Perry is serious about running again for president – he has said he might take another bite at the apple in 2016 – or even running for re-election in 2014, the business of rehabilitating his damaged political brand will begin in earnest Tuesday when the legislative session opens.

And from the Houston Chronicle:

But some are hard-pressed to imagine a session — or anything else — good enough to make voters forget his disastrous White House race that limped to an end just about a year ago.

 

“On the one hand, Reagan, Bush, McCain, and Romney all lost on their first nomination try, and they came back to fight and win another day. The problem for Perry is that he crossed a line from contender to punch line,” said University of New Hampshire political scientist Dante Scala. “My guess is that the window is closed for Perry.”

I don't know about this. I don't think that Perry is using the session to rehab his image. Sure, the national pundits made fun of Perry, but they will do that with any Republican these days.

I will be keeping an eye on immigration-related issues when it comes to Perry. Will Perry do anything about sanctuary cities? What about the Texas Dream Act? Watch for these and other immigration-related issues to be a possible tipping point for Perry.

3. Bond Election Chatter

In an article about what will happen with the old Health Department comes this little nugget. The Mayor is looking at having a bond election by May of 2014. A new fire station is what the Mayor would like to see in the location, but it would have to be part of the bond. The question is, what else will be part of it? I think we will start hearing the wishlist soon from members of the City Council.

Any ideas?

Appearing on today’s Chad Hasty Show:

10:05am- Norma Ritz Johnson, Lubbock Chamber of Commerce

Other Top Stories:

Members of the Texas Legislature That Tweet

Sen. Vitter Calls Harry Reid An Idiot

Obama's CIA Pick Could Face Rocky Battle

How Much Is Texas Tech's Football Program Worth?

CES 2013

The Chad Hasty Show on the Road: Pie Bar- Friday January 11, 2013. 82nd & Quaker Kingsgate North. 8:30-11am.

These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.