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As Texas Goes...: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda
As Texas Goes . . . provides a trenchant yet often hilarious look into American politics and the disproportional influence of Texas, which has become the model for not just the Tea Party but also the Republican Party. Now with an expanded introduction and a new concluding chapter that will assess the influence of the Texas way of thinking on the 2012 election, Collins shows how the presidential race devolved into a clash between the so-called “empty places” and the crowded places that became a central theme in her book. The expanded edition will also feature more examples of the Texas style, such as Governor Rick Perry’s nearsighted refusal to accept federal Medicaid funding as well as the proposed ban on teaching “critical thinking” in the classroom. As Texas Goes . . . will prove to be even more relevant to American politics by the dawn of a new political era in January 2013.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
55 people are currently reading
896 people want to read
About the author
Gail Collins
19 books198 followersGail Collins was the Editorial Page Editor of The New York Times from 2001 to January 1, 2007. She was the first woman Editorial Page Editor at the Times.
Born as Gail Gleason, Collins has a degree in journalism from Marquette University and an M.A. in government from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Beyond her work as a journalist, Collins has published several books; Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics, America's Woman: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines, and The Millennium Book which she co-authored with her husband Dan Collins.
She was also a journalism instructor at Southern Connecticut State University.
She is married to Dan Collins of CBS.
Born as Gail Gleason, Collins has a degree in journalism from Marquette University and an M.A. in government from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Beyond her work as a journalist, Collins has published several books; Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics, America's Woman: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines, and The Millennium Book which she co-authored with her husband Dan Collins.
She was also a journalism instructor at Southern Connecticut State University.
She is married to Dan Collins of CBS.
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August 8, 2025
4 stars for a book about how Texas hijacked the American agenda in many ways-- all of them detrimental to the wider US society. This book reminds me of Molly Ivins books, in that she leavened her books with humorous asides about Texas politics and personalities. There are chapters on financial deregulation, Texas textbooks, "No child left behind", and Global warming, to name a few of the issues covered.
There is a direct connection between the financial deregulation written by Texas Senator Phil Gramm and the financial crisis of 2008. After Gramm retired from the US Senate, he was awarded a high paid job with UBS, a Swiss bank.
Some quotes: "...I ran into an officer of wildlife enforcement who assured me that it was illegal to sell a live armadillo. 'Dead armadillos you can sell parts of them,' he added."
On Debbie Riddle, a state Republican representative, who worried publicly about female terrorists sneaking across the border to give birth to what opponents dubbed 'terror babies' who would use their citizenship as a tool in the war against America.
Sex education is required in Texas. However the policy does not specify the content of said sex education. A liberal non profit organization sent out questionnaires to every Texas school district. More than 94% gave "abstinence only" instruction exclusively. Texas has the third highest rate of teenage births in the country.
Reading this book made me angry that so much damage has been done to our country by politicians out to line their own pockets.
This was a inter library loan book.
There is a direct connection between the financial deregulation written by Texas Senator Phil Gramm and the financial crisis of 2008. After Gramm retired from the US Senate, he was awarded a high paid job with UBS, a Swiss bank.
Some quotes: "...I ran into an officer of wildlife enforcement who assured me that it was illegal to sell a live armadillo. 'Dead armadillos you can sell parts of them,' he added."
On Debbie Riddle, a state Republican representative, who worried publicly about female terrorists sneaking across the border to give birth to what opponents dubbed 'terror babies' who would use their citizenship as a tool in the war against America.
Sex education is required in Texas. However the policy does not specify the content of said sex education. A liberal non profit organization sent out questionnaires to every Texas school district. More than 94% gave "abstinence only" instruction exclusively. Texas has the third highest rate of teenage births in the country.
Reading this book made me angry that so much damage has been done to our country by politicians out to line their own pockets.
This was a inter library loan book.
June 23, 2012
Well, I lived in Texas for 19 of the most miserable of my 66 years. Native Yankees who are not sorority sisters, who value education and who are unreligious feminists do not transfer well to these open spaces. Everything that Collins describes about Texas in this book is oh so true. For those who want "facts" -- well they are legion in this book. In fact there is a well referenced notes section and a bibliography (that contains both material from the left and right positions of our political spectrum. There is also an appendix that ranks Texas on multiple indicators. This index is not a leftist document. It is compiled yearly IN TEXAS. Such gems include (50th = lowest, 1st = highest) 2nd in birth rate, 1st in CO2 emissions, 1st in toxic chemicals released into water, 43rd in high school graduation rate, 1st in uninsured children, 4th in children living in poverty, 50th (dead last) in per capita spending on mental health care, 50th in Workers Compensation Coverage. This is just a small sampling. I could go on. But get the book and be as appalled and distressed as I was.
Collins thesis is that Texas has a disproportionate amount of influence over the national agenda. In some of the chapters, she is persuasive. In some she is less so. I was less than persuaded by the financial deregulation chapter. There is plenty of blame to go around on that one that is not limited to Texas and its S&L difficulties. Ditto the global warming issue and the abstinence only education. But the textbook wars are well known and it is no secret that textbook publishers are held captive by what the yahoos in Texas dictate to them. As they know well down there, money talks. I would argue that Texas does not set the agenda, rather it reflects what is going on in much of the country, and that is that southern states that are the most religiously conservative, are also social darwinists, ruthless, and least interested in education of any kind. Texas is only one of those, not unique, but perhaps the one with the biggest and most outsized ego.
Also, I have to wonder. If Texas was all THAT influential in setting the agenda for the rest of the country, then why the crash and burn of their nitwit governor who possibly ran the worst presidential campaign in history and slunk back to the Lone Star state with his tail between his legs? Perhaps my logic is flawed, but it seems to me that they would have run someone smarter, slicker, less repulsive, and gotten a lot further in the race if they were so inclined to influence the national debate.
She points out the legacy of and the ongoing presence of racism, and the dwindling of the white population. Texas will be an overwhelmingly Latino state shortly, but is still controlled by white men. White Christian men.
Collins does a great job of debunking the Texas miracle, which has happened by keeping wages of poor Latino workers as low as possible, throwing regulation of the environment down the toilet, depriving people of health care, and importing brain power from other states.
There is no surprise here. If you keep people uneducated and oppressed and you act like China with your environment, you too will prosper.
She peppers the book with the colorful cast of characters, who could exist and prosper nowhere but in Texas. These guys (and they are USUALLY guys) are amusing until you realize that they are not all that funny. They are disingenuous at best and often dangerous -- DeLay, Armey, the Bushes, the Gramms, etc. She does a great job with her themes of illusory open spaces in a sprawling urban state, and pokes a huge deflating finger in the myth of the hapless Alamo. She is right, it is underwhelming. Having lived in Midland - I agree -- there is absolutely nothing to do. No, wait. If you are a woman, you can meet with your sorority sisters from SMU (even though you are 45 years out of college). You could also go to lunch and belong to the Junior League (reference to The Help for a thorough explanation of that phenomenon). Although I was not altogether persuaded by her thesis, the book is fun and should be read by anyone who is open minded to what unfettered capitalism has wrought in a single state. I suspect that there are equally dismal places, such as Mississippi and Louisiana to name but a few, but they don't have the outsized swagger, ego and sheer chutzpah of Texas. What other state with such dismal rankings would obfuscate reality and float the propoganda of exceptionalism that Texas does? THAT is the real story in this book. Way to go Collins.
Collins thesis is that Texas has a disproportionate amount of influence over the national agenda. In some of the chapters, she is persuasive. In some she is less so. I was less than persuaded by the financial deregulation chapter. There is plenty of blame to go around on that one that is not limited to Texas and its S&L difficulties. Ditto the global warming issue and the abstinence only education. But the textbook wars are well known and it is no secret that textbook publishers are held captive by what the yahoos in Texas dictate to them. As they know well down there, money talks. I would argue that Texas does not set the agenda, rather it reflects what is going on in much of the country, and that is that southern states that are the most religiously conservative, are also social darwinists, ruthless, and least interested in education of any kind. Texas is only one of those, not unique, but perhaps the one with the biggest and most outsized ego.
Also, I have to wonder. If Texas was all THAT influential in setting the agenda for the rest of the country, then why the crash and burn of their nitwit governor who possibly ran the worst presidential campaign in history and slunk back to the Lone Star state with his tail between his legs? Perhaps my logic is flawed, but it seems to me that they would have run someone smarter, slicker, less repulsive, and gotten a lot further in the race if they were so inclined to influence the national debate.
She points out the legacy of and the ongoing presence of racism, and the dwindling of the white population. Texas will be an overwhelmingly Latino state shortly, but is still controlled by white men. White Christian men.
Collins does a great job of debunking the Texas miracle, which has happened by keeping wages of poor Latino workers as low as possible, throwing regulation of the environment down the toilet, depriving people of health care, and importing brain power from other states.
There is no surprise here. If you keep people uneducated and oppressed and you act like China with your environment, you too will prosper.
She peppers the book with the colorful cast of characters, who could exist and prosper nowhere but in Texas. These guys (and they are USUALLY guys) are amusing until you realize that they are not all that funny. They are disingenuous at best and often dangerous -- DeLay, Armey, the Bushes, the Gramms, etc. She does a great job with her themes of illusory open spaces in a sprawling urban state, and pokes a huge deflating finger in the myth of the hapless Alamo. She is right, it is underwhelming. Having lived in Midland - I agree -- there is absolutely nothing to do. No, wait. If you are a woman, you can meet with your sorority sisters from SMU (even though you are 45 years out of college). You could also go to lunch and belong to the Junior League (reference to The Help for a thorough explanation of that phenomenon). Although I was not altogether persuaded by her thesis, the book is fun and should be read by anyone who is open minded to what unfettered capitalism has wrought in a single state. I suspect that there are equally dismal places, such as Mississippi and Louisiana to name but a few, but they don't have the outsized swagger, ego and sheer chutzpah of Texas. What other state with such dismal rankings would obfuscate reality and float the propoganda of exceptionalism that Texas does? THAT is the real story in this book. Way to go Collins.
June 24, 2022
Engaging read of the state of affairs in Texas published in 2012. Full review to follow.
June 25, 2012
This is a super-abridged review. You can read the full thing here.
As a Texan, I had the misfortune of being governed by Dumb and Dumber way before they decided to take their circus to the (inter)national level. And as an educator and a feminist, I've always tried to stay informed and keep up with the shenanigans going on in my state. Naturally, when I saw that Gail Collins had penned a new book about Texas's impact at the national level, I had to get a hold of it.
From financial deregulation, to education, to sex education and women's rights, to the environment, Collins presents countless examples of federal policies that have roots in Texas policies. That said, were a few instances where I thought Collins's arguments were too anecdotal, or too tenuous when it came to tying the state agenda to the national agenda. I also wish Collins had held back on some of the blanket generalizations about Texans. Not all of us are religious or conservative, and progressive Texans *do* exist outside of Austin. This may be a red state, and you can definitely find your share of stereotypical Texans, but there are also a lot of people who vehemently oppose what is going on in this state.
Those problems aside, As Texas Goes... offers readers engaging commentary. Even if you don't wholly buy her arguments linking Texas's influence at the federal level, there's no denying the numerous problems that Collins uncovers at the state level. For that alone, it's a must-read.
As a Texan, I had the misfortune of being governed by Dumb and Dumber way before they decided to take their circus to the (inter)national level. And as an educator and a feminist, I've always tried to stay informed and keep up with the shenanigans going on in my state. Naturally, when I saw that Gail Collins had penned a new book about Texas's impact at the national level, I had to get a hold of it.
From financial deregulation, to education, to sex education and women's rights, to the environment, Collins presents countless examples of federal policies that have roots in Texas policies. That said, were a few instances where I thought Collins's arguments were too anecdotal, or too tenuous when it came to tying the state agenda to the national agenda. I also wish Collins had held back on some of the blanket generalizations about Texans. Not all of us are religious or conservative, and progressive Texans *do* exist outside of Austin. This may be a red state, and you can definitely find your share of stereotypical Texans, but there are also a lot of people who vehemently oppose what is going on in this state.
Those problems aside, As Texas Goes... offers readers engaging commentary. Even if you don't wholly buy her arguments linking Texas's influence at the federal level, there's no denying the numerous problems that Collins uncovers at the state level. For that alone, it's a must-read.
May 28, 2012
If you pick up Gail Collins’s new book hoping for a Seamus the Dog reference, you might be disappointed.
The author and New York Times columnist is best known of late for her running gag of inserting a reference to Seamus into each of her columns, but Collins has long had other interests.
Her latest work is As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda. With a title like that, you can understand that there would be precious little space to devote to the time Mitt Romney drove 650 miles to his vacation home in Ontario with the family’s Irish Setter strapped to the roof of the car.
But, like I said, this book is not about Seamus the Dog.
What it is about is how Texas has used its sheer size and strong political forces to drive the national agenda. If you don’t believe that this is the case, I leave you with this tidbit: in 1988, addressing climate change was part of the Republican platform. Now, through the hard work of (Texan) Tom DeLay, “the political debate about global warming, when it comes up at all, is usually about whether or not it exists.”
As Collins points out: "We feel Texas’s influence in our lives every day, but we’ll be feeling it much more in the future, due to its enormous population growth, helped along by those interesting sex education classes and the almost complete lack of state family planning funds."
I think it’s safe to say that most Texans will not love what Collins has to say about their state, but it’s not necessarily because of a left-right divide.
Instead, Collins notes, what is perceived as a conservative/liberal battle is really a “great, historic American division between the people who live in crowded places and the people who live in empty places.” Texas – even though it has densely populated urban areas – exemplifies the empty place ethos.
In an “empty” place, government looks different than it does to those who live on the coasts – or even in the Midwest.
From the Texas standpoint, Collins asks, "What’s the point [of government]? It’s just going to tax you or get in your way. If a robber breaks into your house, it could take hours for law enforcement to arrive; carrying a gun is more practical. Government can’t help you and it has no business telling you what you can do with your property. Who could you hurt? There’s nobody else in sight. You’re on your own and you like it that way."
Collins – who views Texas from the political left and from a “crowded place” – asserts that the “empty place” ethos is untenable for the rest of the country, where we live close enough to each other that some regulation is in order.
As Texas Goes… ends with a rather grim prognosis: “if Texas goes south, it’s taking us along.”
An uplifting note does follow. “Texas on the Brink,” a report produced by the Legislative Study Group in the Texas House of Representatives, appears in the book’s Appendix, and for all the grim statistics it offers (Texas is dead last in the percent of the population with a high school diploma, percent of uninsured people, amount of pollution released into the air and water, etc.), it also offers a bit of hope: “Texas is on the brink, but Texas can do better. The choice is ours.”
Ultimately, that means the choice isours, too, but, first, we have to choose not to follow Texas into the future. Is this a choice we will make?
Collins thinks not. However, if you’re going to read a book by a writer who thinks the nation is facing disaster, you might as well read one as funny as this. Collins is witty and darkly comic in a time when the national political scene could use a good dose of levity.
You wouldn’t think that a book that ends with sixty pages of notes, an appendix, and a bibliography would be concise and immensely readable, but there’s a reason that Collins has a loyal following at The New York Times.
Readers who pick up As Texas Goes… for a dose of Collins’ signature incisive commentary will not be disappointed.
The author and New York Times columnist is best known of late for her running gag of inserting a reference to Seamus into each of her columns, but Collins has long had other interests.
Her latest work is As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda. With a title like that, you can understand that there would be precious little space to devote to the time Mitt Romney drove 650 miles to his vacation home in Ontario with the family’s Irish Setter strapped to the roof of the car.
But, like I said, this book is not about Seamus the Dog.
What it is about is how Texas has used its sheer size and strong political forces to drive the national agenda. If you don’t believe that this is the case, I leave you with this tidbit: in 1988, addressing climate change was part of the Republican platform. Now, through the hard work of (Texan) Tom DeLay, “the political debate about global warming, when it comes up at all, is usually about whether or not it exists.”
As Collins points out: "We feel Texas’s influence in our lives every day, but we’ll be feeling it much more in the future, due to its enormous population growth, helped along by those interesting sex education classes and the almost complete lack of state family planning funds."
I think it’s safe to say that most Texans will not love what Collins has to say about their state, but it’s not necessarily because of a left-right divide.
Instead, Collins notes, what is perceived as a conservative/liberal battle is really a “great, historic American division between the people who live in crowded places and the people who live in empty places.” Texas – even though it has densely populated urban areas – exemplifies the empty place ethos.
In an “empty” place, government looks different than it does to those who live on the coasts – or even in the Midwest.
From the Texas standpoint, Collins asks, "What’s the point [of government]? It’s just going to tax you or get in your way. If a robber breaks into your house, it could take hours for law enforcement to arrive; carrying a gun is more practical. Government can’t help you and it has no business telling you what you can do with your property. Who could you hurt? There’s nobody else in sight. You’re on your own and you like it that way."
Collins – who views Texas from the political left and from a “crowded place” – asserts that the “empty place” ethos is untenable for the rest of the country, where we live close enough to each other that some regulation is in order.
As Texas Goes… ends with a rather grim prognosis: “if Texas goes south, it’s taking us along.”
An uplifting note does follow. “Texas on the Brink,” a report produced by the Legislative Study Group in the Texas House of Representatives, appears in the book’s Appendix, and for all the grim statistics it offers (Texas is dead last in the percent of the population with a high school diploma, percent of uninsured people, amount of pollution released into the air and water, etc.), it also offers a bit of hope: “Texas is on the brink, but Texas can do better. The choice is ours.”
Ultimately, that means the choice isours, too, but, first, we have to choose not to follow Texas into the future. Is this a choice we will make?
Collins thinks not. However, if you’re going to read a book by a writer who thinks the nation is facing disaster, you might as well read one as funny as this. Collins is witty and darkly comic in a time when the national political scene could use a good dose of levity.
You wouldn’t think that a book that ends with sixty pages of notes, an appendix, and a bibliography would be concise and immensely readable, but there’s a reason that Collins has a loyal following at The New York Times.
Readers who pick up As Texas Goes… for a dose of Collins’ signature incisive commentary will not be disappointed.
June 4, 2021
I have finished reading this book and am working on my notes. On this Memorial Day 2021, I have just read a report about the recent QAnon conference. Michael Flynn was there saying that what happened in Myanmar "should" happen here. That means a military takeover while shooting civilians in the streets. Who else attended? Texas Republican representative Louis Gohmert, the dumbest post in Congress. Also Allen West, the chairman of the Texas Republican party. Texas has a problem. The Republican party has a problem. America has a problem. Can anyone reading this still call themselves Republicans with any sort of pride? Isn't it way past time to pull out? And have you Republicans been following the decline of democracy not only here but around the world? Can anyone explain to me what the hell you are doing?
The book was published in 2012. I thought it was entertaining and troubling. The situation seem only to have gotten worse. On guns, for example, Texas just passed a law not requiring any license to carry a firearm. As the book points out, gun sales don't stop at the border. So-called "conservatives" complain about Mexico, but our guns are smuggled across the border in their direction. They are also smuggled to other states with stricter gun laws. For example, in 2010 California traced 368 weapons used in crimes back to Texas gun dealers. For those of us who know people who have died by gun violence, we find this deplorable.
Texas has no state income tax. But you can bet the money you did not pay in taxes they get billions in aid from the federal government. They follow the irresponsible ideology of libertarianism by cutting regulations. The results are things like flooding in areas where houses should never been built. The federal government foots the bill.
Former Texas Congressman Phil Gramm led the fight to save sub prime lending and save the banks from collapsing. So much for "libertarianism." It's all BS. The suckers fall for it while the wealthy reap the rewards. Then we have to clean up with our tax dollars.
They have a great influence on textbooks and other things having to do with public schools. Every salesperson I spoke to told me about the influence of Texas on our school books. Each one complained. And more and more of our tax dollars are going to private and religious schools. They want alternative theories to evolution in textbooks. Like a seven day creation?
Sex education was also opposed. And any help for preventing pregnancies. And of course once a baby is born it's on its own. Can't waste tax dollars on helping actually born and living people.
Here is a summary of what made the Texas economy boom while it did: 1. They had oil. 2. They were not in the snowbelt so people moved there from the north. (Let's hope they can bring changes.) 3. They have a high teen birthrate because of failures in sex education. 4. They share a border with Mexico. 5. They like to hitch a free ride on the nation's federal tax dollars. 6. They complain about federal jobs, but they have tons of them, especially military bases.
They can only ignore climate change for so long before the fertilizer hits the fan. They are already in big trouble.
The book was published in 2012. I thought it was entertaining and troubling. The situation seem only to have gotten worse. On guns, for example, Texas just passed a law not requiring any license to carry a firearm. As the book points out, gun sales don't stop at the border. So-called "conservatives" complain about Mexico, but our guns are smuggled across the border in their direction. They are also smuggled to other states with stricter gun laws. For example, in 2010 California traced 368 weapons used in crimes back to Texas gun dealers. For those of us who know people who have died by gun violence, we find this deplorable.
Texas has no state income tax. But you can bet the money you did not pay in taxes they get billions in aid from the federal government. They follow the irresponsible ideology of libertarianism by cutting regulations. The results are things like flooding in areas where houses should never been built. The federal government foots the bill.
Former Texas Congressman Phil Gramm led the fight to save sub prime lending and save the banks from collapsing. So much for "libertarianism." It's all BS. The suckers fall for it while the wealthy reap the rewards. Then we have to clean up with our tax dollars.
They have a great influence on textbooks and other things having to do with public schools. Every salesperson I spoke to told me about the influence of Texas on our school books. Each one complained. And more and more of our tax dollars are going to private and religious schools. They want alternative theories to evolution in textbooks. Like a seven day creation?
Sex education was also opposed. And any help for preventing pregnancies. And of course once a baby is born it's on its own. Can't waste tax dollars on helping actually born and living people.
Here is a summary of what made the Texas economy boom while it did: 1. They had oil. 2. They were not in the snowbelt so people moved there from the north. (Let's hope they can bring changes.) 3. They have a high teen birthrate because of failures in sex education. 4. They share a border with Mexico. 5. They like to hitch a free ride on the nation's federal tax dollars. 6. They complain about federal jobs, but they have tons of them, especially military bases.
They can only ignore climate change for so long before the fertilizer hits the fan. They are already in big trouble.
July 11, 2012
Wow! This author, Gail Collins really knows what she is talking about! I think everyone should read this book, especially Texans so people are more educated about the state they are actually living in. As a Houstonian, I found this book insightful, thoroughly researched, and for the most part unbiased. Collins really attempts to give you the whole picture without being overly rude or condescending. But be ready for a healthy dose of sarcasm. Most of the things she discussed in the book (healthcare, textbooks, education) I already knew a lot about and agreed with her on, but I was able to learn more details about each subject and facts and figures to support my arguments. Texas thinks it is just soooo great! We spend so much time denouncing the Federal government when many of the things we do have (which isn't much in the first place) are because of federal aid. Not to mention the fact that Texas leads the country down paths by influencing and many times actually being the model for, federal legislation, then when things don't work out (as much of the rest of the country knew it would not) Texas points their "bigger in Texas" finger at the White House. Please read the book if you want to be more informed about our nation and how Texas agendas become national agendas. You will not believe some of the things you will discover about the Lone Star State...
September 13, 2013
She brings up some good points, and if you're from Texas, nothing new is being addressed. However, I can't finish this. She's too much of a talking head, a columnist driven by reaction and web traffic, and I'm tired of it. Whether the left or right, I'm done with books that spend more time vilifying people they don't agree with and less time discussing possible solutions and common ground.
December 5, 2012
Unless you want to be thought of as a commodity like a palate of car parts, we best start thinking of our policies from a non-free market approach.
This book is a painful look at the ways Texas has set the US on the wrong course for so many policies. Privatize everything and corporations will fill that vacuum and ruin your life. The corporations want you to buy everything from them so they are funding this free-market takeover of the government. Texas doesn't want any government help but facts show they have needed government help many, many times in the past. Texas wouldn't have electricity if it wasn't for the federal government. The books details the dangerously hypocritical denial of history by the leaders who espouse this nonsense and those that follow them.
Besides that Texas has some nutty people in places of power. Really should consider not electing those with the most extreme views in topics. Those people usually are full of crap(can I say crap?).
There's hope though. Friday Night Lights is the greatest.
This book is a painful look at the ways Texas has set the US on the wrong course for so many policies. Privatize everything and corporations will fill that vacuum and ruin your life. The corporations want you to buy everything from them so they are funding this free-market takeover of the government. Texas doesn't want any government help but facts show they have needed government help many, many times in the past. Texas wouldn't have electricity if it wasn't for the federal government. The books details the dangerously hypocritical denial of history by the leaders who espouse this nonsense and those that follow them.
Besides that Texas has some nutty people in places of power. Really should consider not electing those with the most extreme views in topics. Those people usually are full of crap(can I say crap?).
There's hope though. Friday Night Lights is the greatest.
November 18, 2018
Seriously Texas, get your shit together.
February 5, 2015
***** Goodreads giveaway *****
Texas: government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations with the heaviest tax burden on the poorest to get more government money for corporations.
Texas: Home of Tea Partiers who hate communism but do wishful-thinking science & math like the USSR, fanatically toe the party-line like the USSR, believe their own propaganda like the USSR, and who will never recognize that they're imitating the USSR's fall because they believe St. Ronald saved the world from communism.
Texas, where Bush, Cheney, Rove and Perry created a conservative political agenda of vigorous support of banking and other deregulation, lax environmental standards, draconian tax cuts, mediocre schools, mediocre health care, states' rights, gun ownership and sexual education limited to abstinence.
Chapter 3 is a very confusing history of the Republican party's takeover of Texas, jumping back & forth in time and back & forth between Democrats and Republicans.
Collins' snarky tone was offputting for a while. It felt like a modern Nero watching a decline & fall from the sidelines, constantly elbowing to say "Look at that" and "Look at that!" I'd rather have had a modern Dante describing new circles of hell for these piped pipers of unbridled free exploitation.
Quotes:
Texas: government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations with the heaviest tax burden on the poorest to get more government money for corporations.
Texas: Home of Tea Partiers who hate communism but do wishful-thinking science & math like the USSR, fanatically toe the party-line like the USSR, believe their own propaganda like the USSR, and who will never recognize that they're imitating the USSR's fall because they believe St. Ronald saved the world from communism.
Texas, where Bush, Cheney, Rove and Perry created a conservative political agenda of vigorous support of banking and other deregulation, lax environmental standards, draconian tax cuts, mediocre schools, mediocre health care, states' rights, gun ownership and sexual education limited to abstinence.
Chapter 3 is a very confusing history of the Republican party's takeover of Texas, jumping back & forth in time and back & forth between Democrats and Republicans.
Collins' snarky tone was offputting for a while. It felt like a modern Nero watching a decline & fall from the sidelines, constantly elbowing to say "Look at that" and "Look at that!" I'd rather have had a modern Dante describing new circles of hell for these piped pipers of unbridled free exploitation.
Quotes:
p. 70
"Gramm ... seems to feel that his amendment made things better.
The last-minute stuck-in-the-budget amendment also included deregulation of energy futures, the very thing that Enron was hoping to make its twenty-first-century career manipulating....
Soon thereafter, California, which had been having energy troubles of a serious but not desperate nature, began imploding."
August 27, 2012
A snarky look at the economic and social contradiction that is the state of Texas, birthplace of the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement which is permeating the GOP. Business is booming in Texas, thanks to a skewed tax structure and lax regulation. On the other hand, its industrial areas have the dirtiest air and water in the country. Texas' leaders abhor the Federal Affordable Care Act, yet the Lone Star State has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation (one-third of adult, working-age Texans have no health insurance). Former Governor and President "W" was lauded for his educational initiatives, but Texas is dead last in the percentage of residents with a high-school diploma, and near last in SAT scores. The state that eschews traditional high-school sex ed has the seventh highest teenage birth rate in the USA. One point of "pride": Texas ranks number one in criminal executions. Facts aside, Collins well-researched text is marred by the snide asides of a Manhattan elitist. Too bad. The hypocrisy and hubris of Texas' elected officials are entertainment enough.
March 1, 2014
I'm aware of the BIG money some of the Texans use to back candidates that will "help" their interests over the years. This year I'm a bit more interested since THEY (whoever THEY are) found a willing YES MAN in NJ's current governor. So when I scanned the shelves of the library this book's title was a definite "take home".
I was looking specifically for who has the money ...but I was more than pleased with the author's funny, witty, snarky observations!! She explained plenty! I am a novice when it comes to politics...definitely no pollyanna, actually very cynical ..knowing that nothing is ever what it appears as and NEVER what THEY claim it is. I came away knowing more.....
Anybody who votes should read this book. At least you can laugh a little as you read, then cry later knowing there's not much you can do...
And so ....I will maintain and continue waving my banner..."Pat Paulsen for President! Before, Now and Forever" You never know....:)
I was looking specifically for who has the money ...but I was more than pleased with the author's funny, witty, snarky observations!! She explained plenty! I am a novice when it comes to politics...definitely no pollyanna, actually very cynical ..knowing that nothing is ever what it appears as and NEVER what THEY claim it is. I came away knowing more.....
Anybody who votes should read this book. At least you can laugh a little as you read, then cry later knowing there's not much you can do...
And so ....I will maintain and continue waving my banner..."Pat Paulsen for President! Before, Now and Forever" You never know....:)
February 13, 2016
Between the Texas led banking deregulation and giving the country No Child Left Behind while coming in dead last in the country for "percent of population 25 and older with a high school diploma", Texas is pulling the rest of the country south. Living here for most of my life, it's almost easy to forget that there is a "rest of the country" other than those vague dreams of OZ. It was very nice to get an outsiders perspective on the crazy that is Texas.
October 21, 2014
I received this book in a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
I made it through the prologue hoping it was not just a rant from a woman who judges a place and people she doesn't even know. Then the embarrassment hit. She is from my state and is doing exactly what I dreaded. I started to read the first chapter and less than two sentences in there was a typo. Sorry, but no. Just no.
I made it through the prologue hoping it was not just a rant from a woman who judges a place and people she doesn't even know. Then the embarrassment hit. She is from my state and is doing exactly what I dreaded. I started to read the first chapter and less than two sentences in there was a typo. Sorry, but no. Just no.
April 24, 2013
The only thing I learned by reading this book is that Gail Collins really, really does not like Texas.
February 8, 2023
Occasionally overly broad in its assertions and its generalizations, in a way that makes more sense on the Op-Ed page than an almost 300 page book, but several of the chapters were really solid dives into aspects of Texas policy that haven’t been very widely covered (esp. the education chapters).
February 15, 2024
It’s dated now, but still holds up! There’s good humor scattered throughout and I could’ve done with an entire chapter on abortion rights — hello! Roe v Wade was a Texas case! But this is still a good read.
July 7, 2012
First, a warning: If you are a member of the Tea Party, or a die-hard Republican, you will not like this book. In fact, you will probably throw it across the room in a frustrated rage after the third or fourth chapter. If you are one of those people who drive around with a bumper sticker on your dualie pickup truck that reads "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could", the same likely goes for you.
Gail Collins is so funny, and she has Texas pegged. I am not a native Texan, but some unnamed individual at the engineering firm my father worked for sealed my fate when a decision was made to transfer my father to Houston, Texas in the 1980's. I found myself nodding in recognition at many of her experiences. She's very good at pointing out the irony that is Texas- on gun rights, she points out that "states' rights" is overridden by Texas' congressional delegation's support for a "national concealed carry" law that would require all states to honor permits issued by other states.
The overarching point her book makes, although she never comes out and says this exactly, is that the Texas economic "miracle" is based on externalities- economic and social effects that business and companies never have to pay for. For example, environmental regulation is poor and for the most part, dictated by business. If industry had to foot the bill for the growing number of children with asthma, or cleaning up polluted water, there would be no economic miracle. No issue is ever resolved- the costs of managing the environment, or education, or health care, are simply passed on to others who may not be able to afford them or remedy them on their own. Ms. Collins addresses mental illness benefits, and this is acutely true for disability assistance in Texas- if you are disabled, or have a family member with a disability, your benefits are constantly on the chopping block. She does make the case that those of you who live in other states will be absorbing the cost of Texas' poor policy decisions at some point- when our graduates move to other states, or our untreated chronically ill move to, say, Minnesota, and need medical care.
I have children in the public school system, and the testing is horrendous. My older child, a straight A student, was reduced to tears at one point over the stress of the state mandated testing.Her school robo-called us the night before her 3rd grade tests to remind us to "make sure your students gets a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast" the day of the test (my mental response was "yeah, because normally I let her stay up all night and eat candy bars for breakfast"). Fortunately, it seems that the leadership of some progressive school districts, mine included, recognize the ridiculousness for what it is, and are looking for creative ways to mitigate the damage. Ms. Collins does recognize the senior Bush in a positive way for his policy of "disaggregation", meaning that they must show that the poor, African-American and Latino students are also making progress, and the overall score of the school is based on that progress as well as the progress of the entire student body. The book is not all Bush bashing, all the time.
"As Texas Goes" is an enjoyable read, and her descriptions of Texas and the people she encounters really make this place come to life; you'll almost be able to imagine yourself driving through the gridlock that is any major highway through any major city at rush hour.
Gail Collins is so funny, and she has Texas pegged. I am not a native Texan, but some unnamed individual at the engineering firm my father worked for sealed my fate when a decision was made to transfer my father to Houston, Texas in the 1980's. I found myself nodding in recognition at many of her experiences. She's very good at pointing out the irony that is Texas- on gun rights, she points out that "states' rights" is overridden by Texas' congressional delegation's support for a "national concealed carry" law that would require all states to honor permits issued by other states.
The overarching point her book makes, although she never comes out and says this exactly, is that the Texas economic "miracle" is based on externalities- economic and social effects that business and companies never have to pay for. For example, environmental regulation is poor and for the most part, dictated by business. If industry had to foot the bill for the growing number of children with asthma, or cleaning up polluted water, there would be no economic miracle. No issue is ever resolved- the costs of managing the environment, or education, or health care, are simply passed on to others who may not be able to afford them or remedy them on their own. Ms. Collins addresses mental illness benefits, and this is acutely true for disability assistance in Texas- if you are disabled, or have a family member with a disability, your benefits are constantly on the chopping block. She does make the case that those of you who live in other states will be absorbing the cost of Texas' poor policy decisions at some point- when our graduates move to other states, or our untreated chronically ill move to, say, Minnesota, and need medical care.
I have children in the public school system, and the testing is horrendous. My older child, a straight A student, was reduced to tears at one point over the stress of the state mandated testing.Her school robo-called us the night before her 3rd grade tests to remind us to "make sure your students gets a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast" the day of the test (my mental response was "yeah, because normally I let her stay up all night and eat candy bars for breakfast"). Fortunately, it seems that the leadership of some progressive school districts, mine included, recognize the ridiculousness for what it is, and are looking for creative ways to mitigate the damage. Ms. Collins does recognize the senior Bush in a positive way for his policy of "disaggregation", meaning that they must show that the poor, African-American and Latino students are also making progress, and the overall score of the school is based on that progress as well as the progress of the entire student body. The book is not all Bush bashing, all the time.
"As Texas Goes" is an enjoyable read, and her descriptions of Texas and the people she encounters really make this place come to life; you'll almost be able to imagine yourself driving through the gridlock that is any major highway through any major city at rush hour.
September 19, 2012
I thought that I would give this book a quick read because of this political season and Texas money and politicians who have so much to say (mainly negative) in the current political narrative. I have read all except the footnotes. This is Gail Collins' view of what she researched about and in visits in the Republic of Texas. I should say that she has a point of view. What I came away with is that Texas has a culture of elitism that would sell it soul to the devil if the price is right. In Texas, much seems to built on the mythology of the Alamo and its small cast of suicidal heroes that have become National legend for freeing the Texas from Mexican repression. You can take it from there.
The current state of Texas is fueled by money from oilmen, corrupt bankers, religious charlatans, political lightweights with a price and racial bigots, who if they were not born white, would gladly consider suicide as great option. Empty spaces, a euphemism that author uses to describe the physical scale Texas, that may also translate to the mentality of the die-hard Texas view of themselves. There seems to be some empty spaces between the ears. Think of the two "old yellers," collegiate cheerleaders George W. Bush and Governor Rick Perry.
According to the author, one Texas train of thought is flat taxes-- the latest ploy to keep the poor poor. Gut public education, cut healthcare, voter ID are all designed to keep the wealthiest of the wealthy in power. According to this author, Texas is at the bottom of the totem pole on almost every category.
Texas has a high rate of teenage pregnancy because beyond the discussion of abstinence, there is no discussion of sex education in the schools (nor at home either). Maybe the pregnancy is also high because of instead leaving no child behind, the child just drops out of school. With nothing else to do, I guess, it's lets screw. It seems like public education has been gutted for chartered, for profit schools --- sound familiar.
Business should not be regulated under any circumstances or taxed. No problem --- the employees will pay the taxes and face regulation. That's how Enron became so big and imploded so loudly, taking the savings of many of its hapless employees who did not know they working for a Ponzi scheme.
The Texas environment according to the author is near the bottom with air pollution filling up the empty spaces and blowing into neighboring states. The water pollution is not far behind. The Civil War abolished slavery (to the disappointment of many), but not to worry, Texas wants to make sure that
you have cheap pool of labor for your business by making sure that the public schools remain poor and that their students don't succeed at anything, except maybe babymaking. Why ship those jobs to China?
I could go on, but the bad thing is that this Texas Tea Party chain of thought is in national dialog. Politicians coming of out Texas, such as Tea Party founder Dick Armey; bug exterminator Tom DeLay; financial regulation wreckers Phil Gramm and his wife Wendy; old yellers George W Bush and Rick Perry; political strategist Frankenstein Karl Rove have made an ugly blot on the political and economics of this country. Sadly, they have made it difficult to have a logical dialogue about anything in the United States. This is worth a read. At least you can figure where the thoughts of some of your local politicians are getting their ideas --- Gov. Tom Corbett.
The current state of Texas is fueled by money from oilmen, corrupt bankers, religious charlatans, political lightweights with a price and racial bigots, who if they were not born white, would gladly consider suicide as great option. Empty spaces, a euphemism that author uses to describe the physical scale Texas, that may also translate to the mentality of the die-hard Texas view of themselves. There seems to be some empty spaces between the ears. Think of the two "old yellers," collegiate cheerleaders George W. Bush and Governor Rick Perry.
According to the author, one Texas train of thought is flat taxes-- the latest ploy to keep the poor poor. Gut public education, cut healthcare, voter ID are all designed to keep the wealthiest of the wealthy in power. According to this author, Texas is at the bottom of the totem pole on almost every category.
Texas has a high rate of teenage pregnancy because beyond the discussion of abstinence, there is no discussion of sex education in the schools (nor at home either). Maybe the pregnancy is also high because of instead leaving no child behind, the child just drops out of school. With nothing else to do, I guess, it's lets screw. It seems like public education has been gutted for chartered, for profit schools --- sound familiar.
Business should not be regulated under any circumstances or taxed. No problem --- the employees will pay the taxes and face regulation. That's how Enron became so big and imploded so loudly, taking the savings of many of its hapless employees who did not know they working for a Ponzi scheme.
The Texas environment according to the author is near the bottom with air pollution filling up the empty spaces and blowing into neighboring states. The water pollution is not far behind. The Civil War abolished slavery (to the disappointment of many), but not to worry, Texas wants to make sure that
you have cheap pool of labor for your business by making sure that the public schools remain poor and that their students don't succeed at anything, except maybe babymaking. Why ship those jobs to China?
I could go on, but the bad thing is that this Texas Tea Party chain of thought is in national dialog. Politicians coming of out Texas, such as Tea Party founder Dick Armey; bug exterminator Tom DeLay; financial regulation wreckers Phil Gramm and his wife Wendy; old yellers George W Bush and Rick Perry; political strategist Frankenstein Karl Rove have made an ugly blot on the political and economics of this country. Sadly, they have made it difficult to have a logical dialogue about anything in the United States. This is worth a read. At least you can figure where the thoughts of some of your local politicians are getting their ideas --- Gov. Tom Corbett.
September 13, 2012
An engaging and interesting book that, well, many Texans probably won't like this book. It doesn't paint a favorable picture of the future for Texas either. Texas likes to think of itself as the biggest and best-est but they are rapidly becoming a feudal place with lots of disadvantaged folks working low paying jobs with no health care. They are rivaling Mississippi in being in the bottom on many lists in health and education as well as social-unwed mothers, STD's, etc. They are twice what California is for teen pregnancy! And my children and grandchildren are living there. I've been thinking of retiring there as well-well I was, LOL. This book just confirms a lot of what I had already read. The job creation is pretty phoney. Say what you want about California being crazy, Texas makes Calfornia look pretty sane-it's in the Texas Constitution that an atheist can't become governor. Lots of low taxes and lousy services. The author doesn't even cover the prison system as much as she does business, education, jobs, and healtcare. It's a state full of irony as the author frequently points out. LBJ created some of the most effective social programs to help Texas and now the current folks in charge are dismantling them and taking the state back in time, all in the name of states' rights and the glorification of capitalism.
August 10, 2014
This was an interesting book to read, found it reduced from 13 to 3 bucks in a used book store here in San Antonio, guess they didn't like what the author had to say, ha! I've lived here in San Antonio for over 4 1/2 years, having lived in many different states and been stationed over seas in Germany, which means I live in Texas but I am not of Texas and do not identify with the Texas mindset, in fact, it scares me. This book helped articulate the myths that drive Texans, I think most Texans are oblivious of how deeply conditioned they've been as to the greatness of their state. I didn't find the book funny, but the research was very good and also helped me understand the different priorities that states have and the number one priority in Texas in being friendly to business which always directly translates into not being friendly to labor and consumers and taxpayers. Texas is the face and the spirit of corporate America, the worship of bigness, of private property, the magic of the market and rugged individualism (every man for themselves), and ultra competition. Sad to say, I think Texas, at least the principles that guide policy, represent the worst America has to offer. Texas is great if your rich, wealthy and connected, but if you should fall, you're on your own jack. This state does not invest in or care about its people, other than sources of cheap labor.
August 31, 2012
Gail Collins taught me more than one thing in As Texas Goes.
The biggest epiphany was that something has happened to journalism since the advent of 24-hour news networks. The events, quotes, personalities, and misfortunes of each news cycle quickly displace the previous events, quotes, personalities, and misfortunes. Everything flickers by--just like your Facebook wall or Twitter feed. With out the context, analysis, and broader story arc, the dots remain unconnected and even important things fade quickly.
I chose As Texas Goes because I find Gail's matter-of-fact delivery of punch line after punch line extremely funny and a pleasure to read. What I didn't realize is that she was going to do a masterful job of connecting the dots for me. I had lived through all and probably read about many/most of the things she mentioned in her book, but she linked them together to show me the bigger story--what was changing over time and what was remaining the same. If you have any interest in energy, the environment, or education, you might want to take a peak. Even if you are not from Texas, because as Collins says: "As Texas goes . . "
Gail, as always, thanks for the laughs, but even more thanks for the sobering moments of clarity that having context and analysis provides.
The biggest epiphany was that something has happened to journalism since the advent of 24-hour news networks. The events, quotes, personalities, and misfortunes of each news cycle quickly displace the previous events, quotes, personalities, and misfortunes. Everything flickers by--just like your Facebook wall or Twitter feed. With out the context, analysis, and broader story arc, the dots remain unconnected and even important things fade quickly.
I chose As Texas Goes because I find Gail's matter-of-fact delivery of punch line after punch line extremely funny and a pleasure to read. What I didn't realize is that she was going to do a masterful job of connecting the dots for me. I had lived through all and probably read about many/most of the things she mentioned in her book, but she linked them together to show me the bigger story--what was changing over time and what was remaining the same. If you have any interest in energy, the environment, or education, you might want to take a peak. Even if you are not from Texas, because as Collins says: "As Texas goes . . "
Gail, as always, thanks for the laughs, but even more thanks for the sobering moments of clarity that having context and analysis provides.
December 25, 2012
***I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads FirstReads program in exchange for an impartial review..
As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda has a definite liberal tint, just look at who offers endorsements on the back cover. I can understand the thoughts of some reviewers who call it a Texas hating book written by a liberal. There’s not terribly much that Texans would love in this book (although Gail Collins does mention the hospitality and friendliness of Texans.) Then again, I don’t think there’s much to love about pathetic education, health care, and employment stats presented in this book.
Collins acknowledges that even the framers of much of the controversial legislation laid out in the book probably didn’t intend them to be the model of national legislation like banking regulation or No Child Left Behind, but still the reader gets the overwhelming feeling that Texas has done little right since Lyndon Johnson was president. I think Collins makes a perceptive point about bad things happening when a small group of people get to make decisions for everyone. But this book smacks of liberal overtones and the running commentary throughout the book gets old after awhile.
As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda has a definite liberal tint, just look at who offers endorsements on the back cover. I can understand the thoughts of some reviewers who call it a Texas hating book written by a liberal. There’s not terribly much that Texans would love in this book (although Gail Collins does mention the hospitality and friendliness of Texans.) Then again, I don’t think there’s much to love about pathetic education, health care, and employment stats presented in this book.
Collins acknowledges that even the framers of much of the controversial legislation laid out in the book probably didn’t intend them to be the model of national legislation like banking regulation or No Child Left Behind, but still the reader gets the overwhelming feeling that Texas has done little right since Lyndon Johnson was president. I think Collins makes a perceptive point about bad things happening when a small group of people get to make decisions for everyone. But this book smacks of liberal overtones and the running commentary throughout the book gets old after awhile.
December 25, 2014
Disclosure: I won a free copy of this on Goodreads. I'm also a long-time resident of Texas.
Regarding the facts and arguments of her case, for the most part I accept them. I believe her portrayal of Texas as the wackiest of the states sells short so many others - I was in Louisiana for the David Duke/Buddy Roemer/Edwin Edwards election, and certainly Florida has plenty of hijinks for us all to laugh and/or cringe about - but it is probably fair to say that Texas does currently have a disproportionate influence on the country. I also feel that's often not a good thing.
However... I find myself agreeing with many of the other reviewers that the author's outlook, her superior attitude is, at the very least, grating. While quotes given are often bitterly funny, whether intentionally (Molly Ivins) or otherwise (Rick Perry), I repeatedly found myself wondering what the author hoped to accomplish here. Her presentation is certainly not likely to persuade people who are not already of her viewpoint.
Perhaps I have just reached a point where I am tired of authors and commentators mocking instead of trying to have constructive discussions, but if that doesn't bother you then you may appreciate the book more.
Regarding the facts and arguments of her case, for the most part I accept them. I believe her portrayal of Texas as the wackiest of the states sells short so many others - I was in Louisiana for the David Duke/Buddy Roemer/Edwin Edwards election, and certainly Florida has plenty of hijinks for us all to laugh and/or cringe about - but it is probably fair to say that Texas does currently have a disproportionate influence on the country. I also feel that's often not a good thing.
However... I find myself agreeing with many of the other reviewers that the author's outlook, her superior attitude is, at the very least, grating. While quotes given are often bitterly funny, whether intentionally (Molly Ivins) or otherwise (Rick Perry), I repeatedly found myself wondering what the author hoped to accomplish here. Her presentation is certainly not likely to persuade people who are not already of her viewpoint.
Perhaps I have just reached a point where I am tired of authors and commentators mocking instead of trying to have constructive discussions, but if that doesn't bother you then you may appreciate the book more.
August 4, 2012
Ms Collins is definately anti-Texas. She attacks everything about the state from politics to guns to right to life. She doesn't appear to like that Texas is a right-to-work state where union membeership is just to get a job as in strong union states. She feels that the ideal of embracing constitution rights and freedom should give way to submitting to a strong cental [federal] government Her hatchet job just uses evidence from souces biased toward her viewpoint instaead of trying to present a balanced picture. I do applaude her for mentioning some real issues, but feels that her beliefs and ideas are the only correct ones. I did not give this book a high rating due to the political bias, but would reccommend it for any objective person who tries to learn about both ssides of an issue [normally called research]. My question is how long did the author actually spend in Texas and did she come with an open mind or just preconceptions?
July 21, 2012
As a Texan, this book irritated the hell out of me, and maybe that is exactly the point. The facts she chose to include are accurate and painful but that was not my problem with Ms. Collins. My problem, as a transplanted Texan who now calls New England her home, is the air of East Coast condescension that trickles in and then turns into a raging river that sweeps away some of what she is trying to say. I bet my daddy's ranch that the folks in Texas treated her with way more respect than she gives any historical Texas figure. She gives very little air time to Governor Ann Richards, for example, except to say that her oppponent referenced her drinking. So, read this if you must but know that many hard-working Texas populists and long suffering labor organizers are not mentioned. Ms. Collins had her narrative figured out before she ever set foot in the state.
June 24, 2012
Excellent....but I can't help but wonder if I'm succumbing to confirmation bias. Hmm.... nope. It's still an excellent read.
Well researched, well documented, very well composed. It should appeal to - and scare the hell out of - non-Texans. Maybe. Maybe not.
Ms. Collins skewers the players and hypocrisies (she's a little more gentle...calling them "ironies") an even handed, if harsh, journalistic approach. I suspect the natives would view the perpetrators as heroes and the policies as triumphant examples of the spirit of what made Texas great.
Financial deregulation resulting in the meltdown. Educational failure. Enron. Halliburton. Savings and loan non-oversight failures (to recall the golden era of Reagan). Suing the EPA and trying to repeal the Clean Air Act. Yep. Worthy efforts all.
I just live here. I'm not from here, so I guess I'll never understand.
Well researched, well documented, very well composed. It should appeal to - and scare the hell out of - non-Texans. Maybe. Maybe not.
Ms. Collins skewers the players and hypocrisies (she's a little more gentle...calling them "ironies") an even handed, if harsh, journalistic approach. I suspect the natives would view the perpetrators as heroes and the policies as triumphant examples of the spirit of what made Texas great.
Financial deregulation resulting in the meltdown. Educational failure. Enron. Halliburton. Savings and loan non-oversight failures (to recall the golden era of Reagan). Suing the EPA and trying to repeal the Clean Air Act. Yep. Worthy efforts all.
I just live here. I'm not from here, so I guess I'll never understand.
July 18, 2012
Collins is a clever writer who gets off some priceless, laugh out loud lines. But the book is ultimately a very sad one that chronicles just how wrong-headed public policy can be. The theme of the book is that Texas, which is outsize in so very many ways (and lots of them dysfunctional,) has an outsize influence on the rest of the country. Collins presents this in a very entertaining way, but it is notable that a quarter of the book is comprised of notes documenting her assertions. There are no policy recommendations per se; the book raises one's consciousness of the way things are with an implied question as to whether it is the way things ought to be.
July 5, 2012
I adore Gail Collins. I've lived in Texas for the past 25 years. Not only did I watch the schools forced into this testing fiasco as my kids went through the system, I also had daily nightmares doing a stint as a test scorer for the company making all the money off this shindig. Now that would make a story.
Very well researched. As always, well written and a fascinating topic.
Very well researched. As always, well written and a fascinating topic.
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