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The Texas Blue
Advancing Progressive Ideas

Robin Orlowski's blog

The state of (in)Justice

When he ran in 2000, then-Governor George W. Bush aggressively positioned himself as an ally of several religious right groups. It wasn’t a new strategy in the Republican party’s playbook. Taking the same tack throughout the 1980 presidential primary, Reagan received the endorsement of Jerry Falwell, effectively edging out W's dad — who was then attempting to run as a social moderate!

What was new was the zeal with which faith-based initiatives were being promoted as an important component to effective public service and policy.

Together We Stand, Divided We Fall

The beating of a passenger around the time of Juneteenth festivities in East Austin is receiving international attention.

Reforming CPS Should Be Child's Play

Child Protective Services is currently still pursuing state custody of Ana Marie Maudlin, a 2-month-old girl who was placed in a microwave oven in a Galveston hotel room by her parents, a young Arkansas couple whose exact motive for performing their abuse changes with the tide. Hearing about these events, our public gut instinct naturally encourages immediate and permanent state custody until a suitable foster home is located.

Now would be a good time for some of that compassion!

Hoping to rally whoever is left in their supporter camp, the White House has threatened to veto a proposed hate crimes bill.

Testing Texas’s commitment to education

On Monday, a Texas House committee gave preliminary approval to a proposal which would, if ratified, scrap the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in secondary schools, leaving academic testing only for the elementary schools.

Making high school ‘special’ for all students

The recently signed SB 673 contains important implications for how Texas runs its special education programs.

‘Think tanked’ for disability rights

Meeting for a joint “Coalition of Texans/Brain Injury Association of Texas Think Tank 2007” convention, 500 delegates advocated for change to respect the needs of Texans with disabilities.

The Sun Should Not Go Down On Common Sense

During the 1980’s, conservatives pledged to abolish the United States Department of Education, arguing that education policy was a job best left to the states. Prior to 1979, there previously only had been a Commissioner of Education in the Health Education and Welfare Department.

The ‘Walk for Epilepsy’ failed to shake me up

On the last day of March, the Epilepsy Foundation of America concluded its first annual ‘Walk for Epilepsy’. Theoretically, I should have been one of their biggest supporters; after all, I am a politically conscious person with epilepsy.

Thank you Barbara and Chris!

During my search for mass transit-accessible entry level jobs suitable for somebody with a graduate education but not much paid employment outside of a college campus, I volunteered in several campaign offices. I was attempting to build up both my business skills and job-placement connections.

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