Politics &amp; Policy

April 1, 1992

The Write Stuff

Suzanne Coleman reveals the secret of her success: “You have to be a sentimental fool.”

By Helen Thompson

April 1, 1992

“This Is the Alamo!”

If Congressman Charlie Wilson has his way, the humble wood chip will be the focus of a trade war between East Texas and Japan.

March 1, 1992

EVEN AS CHARGES FLY OVER the awarding of state lottery contracts, the next battle over gambling is taking shape for the 1993 legislative session. This time the issue will be casinos—on riverboats and on land. Lloyd Criss, a former legislator from La Marque, in Galveston County, who is now the

March 1, 1992

Railroaded

Hiking in a country setting? Great, but not in my back yard, say rural citizens.

By Helen Thompson

March 1, 1992

Battle Lines

The weird shape of a new Houston congressional district guarantees a power struggle between Hispanic and Anglo politicians.

March 1, 1992

Showdown at Maverick Ranch

With bulldozers poised to plow through their family’s historic spread, three San Antonio sisters are waging war against the state department.

By Jan Reid

Health|

March 1, 1992

Rescue Mission

The politics of trauma.

March 1, 1992

Mr. Right

Dallas professor Mel Bradford thinks that Abe Lincoln was a scoundrel and that equality is nonsense. I had to find out why.

February 1, 1992

Male Delivery

Bob Lanier’s victory in the Houston mayoral runoff guaranteed that all three of the state’s biggest cities will be led by white male political insiders for the first time since 1971. A year ago all three cities had women mayors. But the elections of Lanier, Steve Bartlett in Dallas, and

February 1, 1992

A New Foundation

If Texas is already overburdened with lawyers, and if, nevertheless, our law schools are still bursting with students, then I have a simple solution. Before submitting an application, all who want to apply to law school must sit down and read every word of the Texas constitution that was passed

By Gregory Curtis

January 1, 1992

Straight Shooter

Gary Bledsoe, the new head of the Texas NAACP, doesn’t dodge the tough questions.

By Joe Nick Patoski

January 1, 1992

Can Berney Seal Save Corpus Christi?

A critical appraisal of a local phenomenon by the ultimate insider.

By Mark Seal

December 1, 1991

Uncandid Camera

What a puff piece! 60 Minutes, which has eviscerated many a victim over the years, gave Ann Richards the royal treatment in its October 27 profile. When interviewer Morley Safer wasn’t rewriting history (blaming Clayton Williams’ rape gaffe for the unraveling of his campaign, when in fact Claytie maintained a

December 1, 1991

Plains Poll

For the Bush administration, Lubbock is still the hub of popular opinion.

By Rich Deutsch

December 1, 1991

Nervous Wrecks

A breakdown in state tow truck regulation leaves motorists stranded.

By Helen Thompson

November 1, 1991

The Three Kingdoms of Kathy Whitmire

Her critics used to say that Houston’s mayor was a great administrator but a bad politician. Now, on the eve of her toughest race, her critics are saying just the opposite.

By Al Reinert

November 1, 1991

Dirty Deal

Texas politics has seen its share of backroom deals, but for sheer brazenness, it’s hard to top the recent play by nineteen Democratic senators that effectively repealed the brand-new Senate redistricting plan and substituted their own creation—a nifty feat, considering that the Legislature was not in session at the time.

November 1, 1991

Billy and Lyndon

Lyndon Johnson understood all too well the advantages of being Billy Graham’s buddy.

By William Martin

September 30, 1991

1991: The Best and the Worst Legislators

We bring you the heroes and the villains of the Capitol circus. Guess which list had more contenders?

By Paul Burka, Patricia Hart and Ellen Williams

September 1, 1991

Who Says One Man Can’t Change The World?

And now, speaking for the poor and downtrodden, Ernie Cortes.

July 1, 1991

The Ghosts of the Freedmen

Dallas is a city that has prided itself on having escaped the hostility of the civil rights years—until now.

By Dana Rubin

June 30, 1991

Going by the Book

Under Jim Hightower, the agriculture department was liberal and loose. Under Rick Perry, it will be corporate and crisp.

By Dana Rubin

May 31, 1991

Dough Boy

Since the publication of Paul Pilzer’s book Unlimited Wealth, the Dallas economist’s career-and ego-are on the rise.

By Sally Giddens

May 1, 1991

Ann of a Hundred Days

Things around the Legislature are looking bleak, but so far, Governor Richards is having the time of her life.

April 1, 1991

Meaner Than a Junkyard Dog

“Guys like me like Iraq,” says Houston oilman Oscar Wyatt. “That’s the way the real world works, baby.”

February 1, 1991

Is the Legislature for Sale?

To reassure a skeptical public, members must pass an ethics reform bill this session. And here’s what it should say.

February 1, 1991

The Old Soldier

In 1957 General Walker warned his troops of rampant communism and lost his job. Today the world has changed, but he hasn’t.

January 1, 1991

State Secrets

A quarter may not be enough to buy a newspaper much longer.

December 1, 1990

Scene of the Crime

It all looked so different 27 years ago.

December 1, 1990

“I Was Mandarin . . .”

Clues left behind by a former Dallas cop convinced his son that he killed President Kennedy—but that’s just the beginning of the mystery.

November 1, 1990

The Lone Ambassador

Henry Catto’s friends knew that one day he would be appointed to the Court of St. James’s. What they didn’t guess is that when the time came, his wife, Jessica, wouldn’t join him.

November 1, 1990

Silber Lining

Former UT dean John Silber's tough talk is about to make him the next governor of Massachusetts.

By Joseph Nocera

October 1, 1990

Meet the Governor

Revealing profiles of Ann Richards and Clayton Williams raise the question: How about none of the above?

By Mimi Swartz and Jan Jarboe Russell

October 1, 1990

Meet the Governor: Clayton Williams

Onward to the past.

September 30, 1990

Saddam’s Shadow

Iraq’s leader may baffle the West, but he’s even more of an enigma to his own people.

By James Hoggard

September 30, 1990

Meet the Governor: Ann Richards

How perfection led to failure.

By Mimi Swartz

July 31, 1990

What Price Glory?

John Wiley Price champions the poor, the oppressed—and his own political future.

By Cecil J. Sharp

July 1, 1990

The Unholy Trinity

“The heavens brought the rain, but Man brought the ruin.”

April 1, 1990

Save Our Schools

In education, Texas ranks below (gasp) Mississippi. Here’s how to turn the public schools around without throwing billions of dollars down the rathole.

April 1, 1990

Back to the Past

With Henry Cisneros out of office, opponents shoot down a tax increase, and San Antonio retreats to 1980.

February 1, 1990

Money, Media, and Magic

Three crucial elements that will determine the outcome of the Texas governor’s race.

January 1, 1990

The Bucks Stop Here

The troubled Parks and Wildlife Department is supposed to protect the state’s natural resources. Instead, it protects its friends and, above all, itself.

By Peter Elkind

November 1, 1989

John the Catalyst

In his new book, James Reston, Jr., tries unsuccessfully to make John Connally larger than life.

October 1, 1989

How Do You Say “Perestroika” In Spanish?

The parallels between Mikhail Gorbachev and Mexico’s Carlos Salinas just might end when it comes to their effectiveness at achieving reform in their nations.

By Dick Reavis

July 1, 1989

On the Defensive

Jim Wright’s attorney Steve Susman is living proof that clients may lose, but lawyers don’t.

By Tom Curtis

July 1, 1989

The Mommy War

Kids in T-shirts bearing political slogans, ideological confrontations in the supermarket, skirmishes at the PTA. Welcome to the battle between moms who work and moms who don’t.

Best and Worst Legislators|

June 30, 1989

1989: The Best and the Worst Legislators

We just rate them. You voted for them.

By Paul Burka, Patricia Hart, Ellen Williams and Jennifer Bradley

April 1, 1989

Don’t Call Him Junior

George W. Bush wants to be governor of Texas. He says he’s not following in his father’s footsteps, but his name, his career, and his ideas about politics seem an awful lot like Dad’s.

By Patricia Kilday Hart

March 14, 1989

Abortion Street

Sixteen years after Roe v. Wade, all the bitterness and horror of the abortion fight can be found at a single site in Dallas.

By Mimi Swartz

March 1, 1989

The Second Coming

Twenty-five years ago, Texans hoped LBJ would lead them into the promised land. They have the same hopes for the new president, but George Bush is making no promises.