Cathie Adams Steps Down as TEF President
On October 24, Cathie Adams was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Texas and stepped down as Texas Eagle Forum President.  Appointed by Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly in 1993, Cathie said, “ I depart TEF with a deep love for so many with whom I have worked over the years. Our relationship will continue as we work toward our worthy goals of smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense and traditional values.”

Pat Carlson of Fort Worth and MerryLynn Gerstenschlager of Weatherford have been asked by Mrs. Schlafly to be TEF’s chairman and vice chairman respectively. “They will do a wonderful job making sure that our pro-life, pro-family agenda remains strong,” said Cathie. “Thank you for sharing their responsibilities as you have faithfully done with me for the past 16 years.”

NoBig3TV4Me: Take Stand Against Media Bias
The Houston Tea Party Patriots are taking a stand against media bias, and they're urging every American to stand with them. The group has just launched NoBig3TV4Me.com, which details the plans to boycott the Big 3 television networks, CBS, ABC and NBC/MSNBC, from Monday, Nov. 9 through Saturday, Nov. 14 – which happens to be in the middle of Nielsen's Sweeps Weeks.

They're encouraging participants to not only turn off these stations for the week, but to block any channels that promote the left-wing agenda and contact the companies that advertise on these stations.

What Does Medicaid Expansion Mean For Texas?
Texas' Medicaid program is one of the largest and costliest in the nation; and yet, if government-centered health care reform legislation is passed by Congress, the program and its problems could get even bigger, says the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Under Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus' still-developing plan, the "America's Healthy Future Act of 2009," the Texas Health and Human Services Commission estimates that the program's costs will rise by more than $20 billion over the next decade, and the number of people enrolled in the program will grow by more than 2.5 million.

Dumping these state and federal resources into the Medicaid program is not the right answer.  Already the system consumes an enormous amount of public resources.  Adding to it would only worsen the burden on states, enlarge the pool of health care recipients dependent on government aid, and worsen a growing problem of fraud, says the Foundation. Expanding the Medicaid programs of Texas or any other state is not the right way to achieve meaningful health care reform.  Rather, improving the nation's ailing health care system requires a completely different approach -- one that improves the doctor-patient relationship and minimizes bureaucratic interference.

Source: Talmadge Heflin et al., "State Impact: Expanding Medicaid and What it Could Mean for Texas," Texas Public Policy Foundation, September 2009.

Houston City Council Prayer Under Attack
In Houston, Texas, a legal battle is brewing over the city council's practice of praying before meetings. Plaintiff Kay Staley has filed a federal lawsuit against the city. She says the long-held tradition of opening the meetings with prayer violates the Constitution. "Just because it's always been doesn't make it right," she said. "There are lots of people who feel this way. I do. Most people are afraid of their jobs, or their friends." The suit says that allowing prayers of any faith violates the so-called separation of church and state. However, one city council member called the lawsuit frivolous. Attorneys for the city say there are legal guidelines for allowing prayers at public events. "I think they are publicity stunts," Council member Mike Sullivan argued. "I don't think it's a genuine concern. Nobody has come before to do this at the city of Houston that I am aware of." Senior Assistant Attorney Don Cheatham said, "I think what we need to do is review… and make sure we're in conformity with current law." It's not the first time Staley has butted heads with the city over a religious monument. In 2003, Staley sued to have a Bible monument removed from a Harris Country courthouse. Three years later an appeals court ordered the monument removed.

Source: CBN reporting, 10/27/09

Circulation Down in Texas Newspapers
The Houston Chronicle lost 14.2 percent of its daily circulation and 6.3 percent of its Sunday circulation in the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2009, compared with the same six months in 2008, according to Audit Bureau of Circulation figures. The Houston Chronicle retains the ninth-best daily circulation and seventh-best Sunday circulation among the Top 25 U.S. Daily Newspapers, according to the ABC. Hardest-hit during the period was the San Francisco Chronicle, which lost 25.8 percent of its daily readership, followed by the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger and the Dallas Morning News, which both saw daily circulation drop 22 percent.

Source: Houston Business Journal, 10/27/2009