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Houston City Council is set to vote on the budget this week, and if you want to understand Mayor John Whitmire’s budget, then you need to learn about Bob Lanier.
A moderate Democrat and successful land developer, Lanier was swept into office on a promise to divert funds from transit to policing and bring down the city’s sky-high crime rate.
Does that sound familiar?
Read my column where I dive into the Houston Chronicle archives to poke at Lanier’s track record and imagine what Houston would look like if we had built the monorail system imagined by his predecessor — and imagining now what we want our future to look like.
And speaking of imagining the future, we want to know what you think about data centers. Should Texas be the new frontier for artificial intelligence? Share your opinion here.
Our picks
Photo by: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle
By Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Whitmire's focus on fiscal responsibility doesn't seem to apply to the Houston Police Department.
Read More
 Photo by: Sharon Steinmann, Houston Chronicle |
By Sharon Steinmann, Staff Writer The world is coming to Houston for FIFA, and Houston is airlifting stray dogs to other cities. Animal welfare and public safety should be a priority every day, writes Sharon Steinmann. Read More |
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 Photo by: Lauri Gray Eaton |
By Houston Chronicle Editorial Board Politicians don't want schools to teach the real story of German Texans — radical freethinkers who settled the Hill Country and opposed slavery, writes the editorial board. Read More |
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 Photo by: Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press |
By Houston Chronicle Editorial Board Also: Barbette gets a marker but what about Ray Hill; even solar is bigger in Texas; and Paxton wants to talk about girlfriends? Read More |
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 Photo by: Eric Gay/Associated Press |
By Houston Chronicle Editorial Board Lawmakers wanted to protect students. That's not what's happened, argues the Houston Chronicle editorial board. Read More |
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 Photo by: Sharon Steinmann, Houston Chronicle |
By Houston Chronicle Editorial Board Houston's animal control agency, BARC, is severely underfunded. Mayor Whitmire should work with City Council and the Legislature to find new funding, writes the editorial board. Read More |
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 Photo by: Jacquelyn Martin, AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin |
By Houston Chronicle Editorial Board Houstonians are hurting at the gas pump. At the grocery store. At the doctor's office. So why does President Trump say he doesn't care, asks the editorial board. Read More |
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 Photo by: Spencer Platt, Getty Images |
By James Skoufis We New Yorkers live longer than Texans, writes New York state Rep. James Skoufis. That’s because we spend tax dollars to keep our people healthy. Read More |
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 Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle |
By Kenny Webster Do you like traffic and hate fun? Then you’ll love Houston hosting the World Cup, writes Kenny Webster. Read More |
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 Photo by: Shafkat Anowar, Dallas Morning News |
By Aaron Pomerantz Politics in the Lone Star State has a leadership problem — and a followership problem — writes Aaron Pomerantz. Read More |
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 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle |
By Charles Blain Ken Paxton and Letitia Plummer don't have a lot in common, but they both benefit from politics being taken over by aggrieved voters who want to tear down the establishment, writes Charles Blain. Read More |
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 Photo by: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle |
By Tiffany D. Thomas Houston’s homeless strategy should not stop at 419 Emancipation, writes Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas. Read More |
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From our readers
 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle |
"We want someone leading the court who has some fight and passion and won’t just roll over to the state at the first "'No,'" writes Hayden Cohen. Read More |
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 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle |
"Looking at the 'map,' it’s not clear to me that it’s actually a 'corridor.' It mostly seems like existing features that have been connected by lines on a map," writes Kevin Strickland. Read More |
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 Photo by: Sam Owens, San Antonio Express-News |
"Despite warnings from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Texas has more structures in flood-prone areas than most states," writes Cliff Bodin. Read More |
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 Photo by: Vernon Bryant, Staff Photographer |
" Can we pray that we discover ways to fight oppression and injustice practiced by our ‘enemies’ without alienating them?" writes John T. James. Read More |
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 Photo by: Mikala Compton, Austin American-Statesman |
"After all, what can they do to him now?" writes Keerthana Krishnan. Read More |
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 Photo by: Joel Angel Juarez, AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez |
"What’s wrong with being vegan? Why does Attorney General Ken Paxton think that would preclude his opponent from representing Texas’s cattle breeders?" writes Nancy Higgs. Read More |
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 Photo by: Tony Gutierrez Juan Figueroa, AP/The Dallas Morning News |
"It would be a shame to elect a brand-new senator without a real debate," writes Patrick Cooney. Read More |
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