Papal Punditry
An outstanding front page of today’s Chron hard copy in the featured photo. No explanation needed.
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Folks know that Commentary watches “Today” in the morning. Yesterday and this morning there has been a lot of coverage on the passing of Pope Francis. Part of the coverage included who will be the successor. They mentioned this morning that some media outlets have placed odds on leading contenders. I don’t know about papal punditry. It is safe to say that we will be surprised.
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MAGA State Sen. Paul Bettencourt doesn’t think H-Town city government, the H-Town Mayor, and the H-Town City Council are capable of governing and representing the voters who elect them. It is plain and simple. See this from the Chron today:
Texas lawmakers are pushing a measure that would bar cities from narrowing roadways to create wider sidewalks or protected lanes for bicyclists and buses.
The bill, authored by Houston state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, is meant to stop counties and cities from implementing “vehicle bans, street closures, or congestion pricing,” according to his statement of intent.
Critics warn the bill could grind to a halt projects across the state that local leaders say are needed to reduce traffic congestion and promote safety as pedestrian deaths have skyrocketed in recent years.
Bettencourt didn’t address those concerns during a recent hearing, but emphasized that his intention was to preemptively prohibit any city from imposing a fine on any form of transportation, a response to New York City’s contentious congestion pricing program, which charges drivers a toll to enter Manhattan and directs that money to transit.
“New York has had a major debate on this from the governor to the White House on charging a fee for cars entering Manhattan,” Bettencourt said in a committee hearing in late March. He said that debate triggered him to file the bill to prevent a “congestion fee out of the blue type discussion.”
Here is the entire story: Texas bill would bar cities from narrowing streets for new bike lanes.
Commentary is trying to figure out whose interest Sen. Bettencourt is protecting or promoting with this measure. Where is the constituency for this. It sounds more like Bettencourt just wants to be a bully.
When folks run for H-Town City Council, crime, infrastructure, traffic, congestion, illegal dumping, and parks are issues that are discussed. I would prefer that our H-Town City Council make policy decisions that impact our communities, not the Texas Legislature.
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The Astros won last night. Hunter Brown pitched a solid seven innings of 2-hit ball. They are back at it this evening.
