Monday Roundup: TDex May Cause Some Problems

Rick Perry's office no doubt keeps a great many files — on issues, on opposition research, on bills, on developing items of interest. One thing that you wouldn't normally expect out of an office built around a guy who apparently never communicates via email is a massive database on Texas citizens. The Texas Data Exchange database, or TDEx, referred to as a database of "criminals and potential terrorists" in the media, has raised questions ever since its existence was made public late last week.

Conceived of after 9/11, the database was originally going to be run by DPS, but it ended up inside the Office of Homeland Security, which Perry runs. Questions over whether the data is secure have arisen, and concerns over the potential use of the data for political purposes have also caused some discomfort. This is yet another in a long line of bad deals gone weird for Governor Perry, and since TDEx is supposed to expand significantly in May through the inclusion of federal agency data, it is not something that will go away. Representative Richard Raymond has filed legislation to remove the database from the governor's purview, and is curious to know if there are any elected officials in the database. I wonder how many people I know that are on it.

I was surprised to see an editorial in the Dallas Morning News calling for an end to capital punishment. The arguments made are the usual ones you might hear from groups opposed to the death penalty; I just didn't expect to see them in the Dallas Morning News.

Paul Wolfowitz can't get along with people, and that has had a negative effect on his leadership at the World Bank. It is really sort of turning into a soap opera over there, with employee and governor's boards meeting and engaging in testy condemnations of Wolfowitz's practices. The Washington Post article contains some really intriguing information about practices on lending in Iraq that have been undertaken at Wolfowitz's direction.

Another report on the teaching of abstinence to youngsters is out, and it says what these reports always say — the strict curriculum and message embedded in the abstinence education programs the government spends almost $200 million a year on have no real effect on whether or when a teenager has sex. On how much attention government pays to reports that disagree with their stated agenda, I usually compare sex education with global warming, and possibly with intelligence concerning what would happen if we bombed some country.

Evangelicals continue to be disappointed with the Republican field, just like everyone else. I often tell my Republican friends to buck up, that at least the field has some zazz this time even if it's not ideologically satisfying. It could be worse; you could have people that are properly aligned but terrible, like Gary Bauer.

Finally today, Cheney made some broad predictions on Sunday about how the Iraq funding bill struggle would shake out. He says that Democrats in Congress will fold and give Bush what he wants. I don't know that will happen without some sort of concession (or some sort of hay) being made first. I suppose time will tell, as in all things.