Texas Jeff

As part of Project Connect, Cap Metro purchased 46 electric buses from a company that went bankrupt ... and the buses evidently suck ... so Cap Metro is parking them for at least a year: https://www.statesman.com/story/business/transportation/2024/11/19/capital-cap-metro-austin-tx-proterra-electric-bus-fleet/76429586007/ Which is worse, empty diesel buses actual making rounds or electric buses purchased and parked?

I attended the 1991 Texas Arkansas game, four years after the 1987 Tony Jones win. At pregame, the announcer said "There are some kids in the end zone that have a message for everyone in Arkansas, so please pay attention." Each end zone had a line of kids and there was a teacher passing out letters to each kid. The announcer said "OK kids, on the count of three, show us your message!". The kids turned around and held up their letters, which read: ! D U O R P D N A E E R F G U R D The announcer said "That's right! These kids are drug free and proud". The woman behind me said "I'm sure about the kids, not so sure about the teachers"

In other city council news, Kirk Watson is likely to win reelection and avoid a runoff by 14 votes. He currently has 50.0041% of the vote. He raised three times more than the total contributions of his four opponents.

They spend about $200 billion per year. Mostly they give grants to undergraduates and local school districts, with an emphasis on those with financial need or from low income households. The big ticket items are Pell Grants, student loans, Title 1 funding, and special education. A Pell Grant is funding to help college undergrads with financial need earn an undergraduate degree. Title 1 funding is extra funding to schools with 40% of students from low-income households. The money is given to local school districts, and the local school districts spend it. The money they distribute does help states and local school districts and, in theory, helps to level the opportunities within our country. What would you replace it with? Nothing? Or something different?

Last Sunday, Trump promised to put Herschel Walker in charge of US missile defense.

Anyone can send astronauts to Mars. Even Boeing got astronauts to the space station. Kennedy made the moonshot a lot harder as soon as he started talking about getting them back. 🙂 I like the idea of this list...

My predictions for Trump's 2nd term: Trump likes the adulation of the presidency. Trump has no interest in governing. And it will show. Trump will spend a lot of time golfing. Lots of parades. Lots of Diet Cokes. Governing will be delegated to others. He will be mostly alone in the White House. We will watch him get old and slow. Somewhere around the middle of 2026, both parties will kick off a wide open race for 2028 and attention will shift away from Trump, and he will not like it. Second terms usually see less action than the first, but we have never experienced non-consecutive terms. There may be more change in the next year or so, but eventually 2028 will loom. Trump's minions will do a lot of damage. His first term bench is gone. We are going to see some wacky people in high level jobs. The minions are the concern. The Dems have at least two years and maybe four to sit in the penalty box and think about how to get back on track.

1992: * A one-term president, portrayed hilariously by Dana Carvey on Saturday Night Live, is removed from power and replaced by a guy born in 1946. 2024: * A one-term president, portrayed hilariously by Dana Carvey on Saturday Night Live, is removed from power and replaced by a guy born in 1946.

Lady Gaga can sing... At this point, Andy Samberg is more Doug than Doug.

Trump has hosted SNL twice, once during his 2015 campaign. Candidates have made cameo appearances on SNL but I’m not aware of any other candidate that has hosted.

I would say Vandegrift. Looks like they are at the top of their district despite having the lowest enrollment: District 25 6a standings with UIL enrollment numbers: Vandegrift (2533.5) 7-0 Round Rock (3882) 6-1 Vista Ridge (2668.5) 5-2 McNeil (2631) 4-3 Hutto (2929.5) 3-4 Cedar Ridge (2898) 3-4 Stony Point (2769) 2-6 RR Westwood (2834) 1-6 Manor (2570) 1-6 Games left: RR Westwood vs Vista Ridge Round Rock vs Vandergrift Hutto vs McNeil Manor vs Cedar Ridge Austin High's enrollment is 2296.5, by comparison. One of the smallest schools in 6A.

A final from House Park: Austin High 35, Bowie 32

I always let folks merge. Robots and people. I don't honk unless a car is about to hit me and I think they don't see me, which happens every few years at most. I have been stuck at a four way stop because I keep motioning for the other person to go and they keep motioning for me to go and I think ... ah, a fellow Austinite. McConnehey says everyone needs to just chill out, we're all going to get there ... makes sense to me.

Every county posts a list of who voted. In Travis county it is posted by day, so you have to know the day you voted. Not sure about a statewide list. You should be able to go to your county’s voting info website and get a list.

Eight Travis County locations have extended voting hours on the last two days of early voting. Polling places normally close at 7pm, but these locations will be open until 10pm on Oct 31st and Nov 1st: * Austin Permitting and Development Center (close to Highland ACC) * Ben Hur Shrine Center * Carver Branch Library * Lakeway Activity Center * Pflugerville ISD Rock Gym * Southpark Meadows * Travis Co Clerk (on Airport) * UT Texas Union Here's a list of all locations and hours for Travis Co: https://votetravis.gov/wp-content/uploads/Travis-County-Early-Voting-Sites-Flyer.pdf

Maybe folks are waiting for the lines to go down. The county courthouse is in Mentone, along with a lot of the voters. The town is three streets with no traffic lights. For some reason they built a bypass around it.

So 6% of Texans the NYT polled were like: Pollster: So how are you feeling about Trump? Voter: I am all aboard the Trump Train ... love me some Trump! Pollster: And what about Ted? Voter: Holy crap not that guy again, who's he running against?

Every one of these assholes will go out to eat tonight or stay at a clean hotel or take a cab or eat food that someone else picked or have their lawn mowed or need help in some way with something and there is a good chance that an immigrant will provide that service for them. An immigrant who is just trying to climb up the ladder and provide a safe home for their family. We all benefit from the work of people who are just here to live the American dream.

I voted today at the Austin ISD Anita Ferrales Coy facility after posting here that it was the least used site in Travis Co. The school district is going to tear it down sometime in the future to build affordable housing, hopefully for teachers and staff. Sure enough, no line and I saw four other people voting when I was there.

Trump is live in Michigan with folks having medical emergencies in the crowd and Ava Maria is back on the menu.

PBS as others have mentioned, but C-SPAN will have it up forever if you missed it: https://www.c-span.org/video/?539508-1/vice-president-harris-campaigns-houston-texas

Amazingly, you can watch film from the last Texas/Vanderbilt game from 1928. The game was played at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas and Texas lost. The next year, Texas started a new streak of annual games in Dallas against Oklahoma, which continues until this day. OU and Texas had played six times before in Dallas, but not every year. Here's the video, such as it is: And a picture of Fair Park Stadium, the predecessor to the Cotton Bowl:

Kamala onstage in Houston with Willie and Beyonce ... I will never be cool enough to attend such an event. ... meanwhile ... in a dark corner of a private jet terminal in Austin ... Trump and Cruz yuk it up with Joe Rogan ... so so exciting.

Happy she got to vote! For those that haven't, please don't be deterred by lines. Lines will be shortest on Sunday but hours are a bit reduced on Sunday. Here are some places you can vote in Travis County that have the fewest number of early voters per day: East: Anita Ferrales Coy Facility - in east Austin, an old AISD school that is now closed - about 170 voters per day - lowest turnout in town Cepeda Branch Library - also in east Austin - about 350 voters per day Community Center at Del Valle - this may surprise you but it's in Del Valle, just past the airport - 430 voters per day Delco Center - AISD gym off 183 in east Austin. The Delco Center may have more parking than the airport - 550 per day Central: Travis Co Civil and Family Courts Facility - this is downtown on Guadelupe just south of campus. UT has a parking garage just south of it. - 280 voters per day LBJ School of Public Affairs - on the west side of campus. I'm not sure about free parking but UT has another parking garage just south of it, by the soccer/track stadium - 615 voters per day Austin Rec Center - next to House Park off Lamar. Free parking. Free skateboarding. Some folks living in their cars. - 850 per day North Central: Austin Permitting and Development Center - this is central/north, near the Highland Mall ACC campus. They have a parking garage. This is a City of Austin facility so it is very nice and probably cost $1000/sq ft to build - 752 per day Travis Co Clerk - on Airport Blvd, nowhere near the airport, it's south of 290 and west of IH-35. They wish they had CoA money. - 659 per day West: Lake Travis ISD Educational Development Center - I have never been here but it probably has something to do with football, it's just off 620 in Lakeway - 695 per day. If you are waiting in line at Bee Caves City Hall then get in your car and drive to this place with 1/3 the number of voters. North: Gus Garcia Recreation Center - on Rundberg just east of IH-35 - 800 per day Round Rock ISD Hartfield PAC - on McNeil east of Parmer, adjacent to McNeil HS - 971 per day South: Dove Springs Recreation Center - hey it's in Dove Springs, a little south of Stassney and east of IH-35 - 700 per day More info here showing locations, current wait times and a report of the daily totals for each location, which is the data I used above: https://votetravis.gov/current-election-information/current-election/

I am predicting Harris between 270-276, a razor thin margin - and I really really really hope Harris wins by much more. The Pennsylvania winner wins the election. Harris will lead early in Penn but Trump will pass her at some point and she will hopefully retake the lead by morning.