The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds you that early voting for the November election starts next week as it brings you this week's roundup. (And WhosPlayin is reminded that we're way behind in getting information posted.)

Off the Kuff looks at the likely effect of voter ID on voter participation. Hint: Fewer people will be able to vote. Who could have guessed?

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme calls out Lamar Smith for his racist legislation that will harm abused women.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson says it's time for the people of Williamson County to stand up so they no longer ask, How do these people keep getting elected?

Neil at Texas Liberal offered some pictures of Occupy Houston. Neil has visted the good folks at Occupy Houston a few times now and has donated some supplies and a few bucks. The Occupy movement has taken hold in many Texas cities and across the nation. Please consider supporting Occupy in some fashion.

The Ghost of Sam Houston has some unkind words for Rick Perry's Energy Plan over at Darth Politico.

In the spirit of Halloween, McBlogger takes a look at The Return of the Living Dread.

The Texas Progressive Alliance believes that all visitors are welcome in Texas as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff has one piece of advice for President Obama regarding Rick Perry's Presidential ambitions.

The already-existing field of Republican Presidential candidates, along with former Bush administration officials, and even the current occupants of the White House, reacted to Rick Perry's entry into the Presidential race, and Letters from Texas reacted to their reaction. The conclusion: they're all screwing this up.

Bay Area Houston says Fact checking Rick Perry is not for the ignorant.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is amazed that the always nuts Congressional rep Peter King wants Rick Perry to tone it down. No doubt that today's republican is looking to nominate the mayor of crazy town.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the horror that often times is the Williamson County justice and DA John Bradley. A man has spent 24 years in jail for a crime he did not commit, it truly is A tragic story.

From Iowa corn dog porn, to "gaps" in the theory of evolution, to passive-aggressive assaults on Ben Bernanke and from Karl Rove, Rick Perry had a no good, very bad first week on the national stage. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs documents the governor's gaffes, faux pas and self-administered gunshots to both cowboy-booted feet.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy continues the Rick Perry’s Texas series by looking at innocent executions, college denied, child poverty, and even a chart showing that despite Perry’s belief in the “free market” that Keynes has come to Texas.

Neil at Texas Liberal said this week that while circumstance matters, it is best not to let others construct your reality.

The Texas Progressive Alliane would like you to know that it has never held the full faith and credit of the United States hostage as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff says that Texas Democrats need to think about future races when contemplating retirements and open seat opportunities in 2012.

As President Obama asked the nation to call their representatives in Congress to air their views on the so-called debt ceiling crisis, so phoned the nation. And John Culberson finally heard from those in his district whose views have gone unrepresented during his tenure. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs contributed to the conversation. Whether Culberson actually listened is an open question.

While blasting Obama's plan for NASA, Gov Perry silent about tea party's $1.6B cut to NASA funding.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson on how the GOP's budget tricks and cuts will hurt our economy, Diversions & Austerity - the Texas GOP two-step.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw asks So, who is Rick Perry? and answers - he is a chameleon with an unlimited appetite for the limelight and power. Check out the details.

Neil at Texas Liberal marked five years of writing the blog. Thanks to everybody who has read Texas Liberal over the years.

Dos Centavos is back with a guest post by Dr. Rey Guerra regarding Harris County redistricting and the Latino Commissioner's seat. There's one more public hearing on Monday, so, make your voices heard!

The thoughts and prayers of the Texas Progressive Alliance are with the people of Norway as we bring you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff has an update on redistricting litigation that's being filed.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the Lt. Gov.'s latest move, Dewhurst announces for Senate, commits to gutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

A couple of Republican bloggers thought they were breaking news with murmurings of a Texas Senate Demoratic primary challenge by Sylvia Garcia to Mario Gallegos. By the end of the day the senator, the former county commissioner, and their shared political consultant shot the rumor down in flames. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs reminds you why you just shouldn't believe anything posted on conservative blogs.

Lightseeker takes a shot at connecting some sad dots in Republican Lies, their connection to our looming Doctor Shortage and Corporate Power. It turns out that making public policy by using the repeated Big Lie will come back to bite you in the ass after all.

Neil at Texas Liberal has begun to read Rick Perry's book Fed Up! Neil is finding this great work to be very enjoyable so far.

At WhosPlayin, Regina responds to all those forwarded emails, and gives a dozen good reasons why she can't support Rick Perry for President.

The Texas Progressive Alliance salutes the US Women's National Team in their quest for the World Cup as it brings you this week's roundup.

Refinish69 has a "Texas Update! We Are In A Severe Drought Situation! ACT LIKE IT, STUPID!!!!!". He also has a message for the young people out there. "It Does Get Better".

Lightseeker takes us on a quick tour of the Perry prayer tactic over the last 10 years to make a point: when you discuss his upcoming Prayer Summit, don't fall into the trap of yelling "church and state", at least not only and not first. Check it out: Talking Back to Perry's Prayer Summit.

Bay Area Houston has the scoop on The Groundrules for Rick Perry's "The Response".

The Three Stooges -- Susan Combs, Todd Staples, and Jerry Patterson -- staged an eye-poking, face-slapping, hair-pulling pie fight as the Battle for Texas Lieutenant Governor in 2014 broke out early. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs reports from the front lines.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson tells us that as long as the same people keep showing up to vote nothing is going to change, The electorate must change, before change can come to Texas.

Off the Kuff looks at the opening arguments of the lawsuit over the sonogram bill, which didn't go in the direction people expected it to go.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy returns after taking a hiatus from blogging to take a look at Governor Rick Perry’s far right radical social conservative appointment to the Texas State Board of Education.

Neil at Texas Liberal wrote about two books of New Deal Era Texas art that show Texans working together and respecting the land. This stands in sharp contrast to the current reality of Texas where greed, anger at people who are different, and exploiting public resources with no concern for the future are the order of the day. There are resources out there---in addition to your imagination and hard work---that offer Texans a path to a more hopeful way of everyday living.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know why Bexar County DA Susan Reed didn't get any grief over denying a Mexican national consulate support in a death penalty case.

Have we mentioned that the Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for some rain to fall? Because we're ready for some as we bring you this week's roundup.

We have our first poll of Texas for November 2012 and Off the Kuff says that so far 2012 still looks like 2008.

This week WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the Texas GOP's latest health care scheme, House GOP OK's following Oklahoma and Georgia into misguided health care compact.

Bay Area Houston has a theory about Rick Perry's veto of the texting while driving ban.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus is organizing a series of nationwide rallies calling for our country's leaders to focus on employment, and the road show comes to Houston on July 21st. PDidde at Brains and Eggs has the details on the "Speak Out for Good Jobs Now" tour.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that John Cornyn had a busy week what with moving to kill Medicare and raining on Rick Perry's presidential parade.

Libby Shaw explains how Rick Perry is wooing Wall St. What a shock! Check it out at TexasKaos.

This week at McBlogger, we take a look at the Olympic-sized swimming pool of fail that is the policy section of General Sanchez's website.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted a picture of a man wading in the waters of the Houston Ship Channel. No matter how bad a day you feel you're having, you're likely having a better day than somebody who feels they must wade into one of the most polluted bodies of water in the nation.

No matter what the Lege chooses to do, the Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for summer as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff suggests that maybe a Rick Perry Presidential campaign might not be such a bad thing after all.

The demise of the 'sanctuary cities' bill in the closing days of the Texas Legislature's 82nd session represents a "strategic victory" for Rick Perry, according to Mark Jones at Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs also notes, in other news, that a Blue Angels-like formation of flying pigs is circling the state capital.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know why Bill Gates is helping republicans destroy our public education system. Could it be all of that potential revenue from computerized curricula?

Left of College Station, Teddy asks the question who is the Texas Public Policy Foundation? Then he takes a look at the power, influence, and money at work on the Board of Directors on the TPPF, and the man behind the so-called “breakthrough solutions,” Jeff Sandefer.

McBlogger takes a look at the compromises Speaker Straus had to make to the Teabaggers and their allies, compromises that will more than likely return Texas to recession.

Neil at Texas Liberal noted that Democratic Houston Mayor Annise Parker has proposed a city budget that is balanced on the backs of city workers and on citizens of Houston who are most in need of city services.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson has an update on What's been happening in Williamson County.

The Texas Progressive Alliance salutes the final voyage of the "Endeavour" as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff took a look at the proposed new map for the State Senate and the effect it could have on incumbent Senators.

The guy in charge of the Letters From Texas blog, which isn't the Capitol Annex blog, published a guest post entitled "Caught in the zipper," written by the guy in charge of the Capitol Annex blog, which isn't the Letters From Texas blog. Confused yet? Our work here is done.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson has the latest installment of My Congressman is an idiot - John Carter praises Socialism.

refinish69 at Doing My Part for The Left is getting fed up with The Texas Lege...The Gift That Keeps On Giving. The only cure for the Herpes that is the Texas Ledge is to vote the jerks out of office.

Why Osama's porn stash matters, at least according to PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Libby Shaw over at TexasKaos helps us understand how and why the GOP stands by its men over at Big Oil.

Stace at DosCentavos reports on a press conference put on by a coalition of 16 pro-migrant organization who slammed the Texas Legislature's HB12--the bill to ban nonexistent sanctuary-cities. It's worse that Arizona, believe it or not.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted about a furniture designer in the Netherlands who asked if he could use a picture posted at Texas Liberal to showcase a table he was designing. You never know when the efforts you make in life will be of benefit to someone else.

This week, Nat-Wu at Three Wise Men takes a look at the surprising results of the elections in Irving.

The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds you that it does not shut down as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff discusses the bet the Republicans have made about how the voters will react to deep cuts to public education.

At TexasKaos, Lightseeker warns Don't Buy Into the Lie - Help Spread the Truth About the Fiscal Mess! Updated with video! Check it out - be part of the solution, not part of the problem...

From Bay Area Houston: Unlike the gop who believes the solution to teen pregnancy is duct tape and a $50,000 speaking engagement by Bristol Palin, PP actually provides education services, family planning services, and low cost birth control.

Barack Obama asked the question "Are You In?" last week, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs decided he wasn't.

Texas has a revenue problem that's so bad even the GOP is starting to realize it. WCNews at Eye On Williamson posted about that this week, Texas GOP tax talk getting louder.

The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the potential, and potentially wacky, new districts in which Denton County might end up.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that republicans want to stop you from voting, kill public education and control women's uteri. Did you see anything about creating jobs, except for the special uterus police?

More bad news for fracking from Public Citizen's Texas Vox blog, as they report House Appropriation will discuss on Thursday the tax exemption for "high cost" wells, valued at several billion dollars that should be going to schools and health care. As fate would have it, they had already planned to join a press conference that morning led by TPA's own TXSharon on health impacts of fracking- click for details!

Neil at Texas Liberal noted that while it is great for Houston Mayor Annise Parker that she raised $1 million for her reelection campaign in a single night, this fact is much less relevance to a public that finds little to care about in a Houston city politics that is nearly devoid of grassroots enthusiasms.

The Texas Progressive Alliance would have voted against HB1 as well as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff notes that when one Bradley goes away, another one gets nominated.

Three Wise Men examines the possibility of a federal government shutdown and what Republicans are doing with the budget in Texas.

Musings rounds up news on teacher layoffs across Texas.

Presenting the comedy gold of the Honorable Anthony Weiner of The Bronx, NY, now showing for a limited time at Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme says you just have to read the paper to see how republicans are destroying every thing and everybody they can.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson says It’s time for the left to join the class war.

At TexasKaos, more on Perry's assult on our State's future. See GOP Robs Texas of its Future. If this doesn't make clear what Perry is doing, you will never get it.

Marking the 43rd annivesary of the death of Martin Luther King, Neil at Texas Liberal reposted his 2011 MLK Reading & Reference List. Every day is the right day to be hopeful. Study MLK's life and make the decsion to take action for a better America. Nobody will do the work of freedom and democracy for you.

Who would have guessed that the biggest problem we have in the US is that taxes are too low? Turns out, that's THE problem with the budget, not spending.

After a weekend of masochistically watching the House debate the budget, TexasVox pointed out several billion in untapped and environmentally friendly revenue that we've left on the table, while the natural gas industry whines that without their corporate welfare check they'll have to move more of their drilling operations out of state to other states like Pennsylvania. Awww, poor babies.