New feature and Monday news roundup

Today we have a new feature from Judge Susan Larsen, in which she shares her observations on the decline of oral argument in Texas appellate courts.

The Chron's Clay Robison openly wonders if Chisum or Turner will get the Appropriations chair that Craddick is certain to take away from Pitts. Since Chisum hasn't been shy about his desire for the gig, I'm willing to bet he'll get it.

An ongoing saga at SMU is the Bush presidential library, to which many faculty and alumni are opposed. The problem is that people are concerned the library will appear as an endorsement of some or all aspects of Bush's presidency. It is an interesting debate, and you can catch up here if you haven't paid it much attention yet.

Most government offices are closed today in observance of Martin Luther King Day, and those that weren't already may end up as such due to the winterocolypse. It finally came to Denton County last night, leaving a layer of ice that will probably be gone by 10:00.

John Edwards is winning the anecdotal poll at BOR. Anecdotal polls are my favorite kind. The Presidential news actually keeps coming these days, like the news that the Democrats are getting an early start on holding debates, scheduling one on April 26 in South Carolina. So, welcome to Election Cycle 2008.

In a display of selective free marketeering, this story from the Chron details how Texas phone companies are getting huge subsidies. As in, $1.3 billion in subsidies. Most of that money comes from the customers and then subsidizes the phone companies operations in other, higher-cost parts of the state. Oh, these heady days of open competition.

In case you were wondering, that whole thing with the new plan in Iraq hasn't gotten off to a very good start. With so much of the plan hinging on Iraqi cooperation, it isn't a good sign that everyone in that government is already arguing the fine points.

If you missed it when it first made the rounds, you deserve to see it now in this retrospective piece on the changing dynamic in the leadership of Texas government:

And when negotiations on congressional redistricting stalled, Dewhurst said Craddick negotiated like "an Iranian cab driver."

Oh, what a Monday! In a final note, Vince over at Capitol Annex has project underway called Delegation Watch. It is ambitious but contained therein are all the activities of the people Texas sent to Congress. Enjoy it.