It always begins with them. A group who is demonized, criminalized, stripped of legal protections and turned into scapegoats for an administration intent on consolidating power. It’s the …
If you’re feeling like the world is turning its back on the United States, you’re not wrong. But the real kicker is that it’s not just that people don’t trust the U.S. …
Elon Reeve Musk is good at many things, as he has proven during his decades in the public eye. He’s an ace at seizing upon technologies that wind up running our lives, and he’s also …
Click bait title aside, while many Republican congressmen and Donald Trump insist they will not touch Social Security, their actual rhetoric, and move on Medicaid, make it clear that they will. The …
Elon Reeve Musk is good at many things, as he has proven during his decades in the public eye. He’s an ace at seizing upon technologies that wind up running our lives, and he’s also …
There were a couple of revelations in the recent State of the Union address last week that really stand out. I’m not referring to the cancer patient becoming an honorary Secret Service …
By Jim Powers jim@polkcountypublishing.com Ever heard the term competitive authoritarianism. It describes a political space where elections still occur but are neither free nor fair. In my …
Ah, the Washington Post, or “WaPo,” as attention span-deficient culture has shorthanded it in recent decades. It’s only the national paper of record, which under the …
Years ago in my career, I was working for a family-owned newspaper group in New Mexico when there was an economic downturn. The company had recently acquired business partners (BlackRock) in …
By Jim Powers jim@polkcountypublishing.com Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5-11 (NIV) Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat …
I cannot let the retirement of Ofeira Gazzaway pass without publicly acknowledging the part she played in the promotion of Tyler County for nearly 40 years. Her career was spent as the overseer of a …
The current administration’s findings of wasteful and fraudulent spending are as welcome as the people defending the grift is puzzling. Puzzling in the fact that these people believe that …
As we approach the 50-day mark of the 89th Legislative Session, legislators are putting the finishing touches on the bills they intend to file before bill filing deadline, and the hallways are …
Rooting out corruption can be tough, especially when laws have been put in place to keep the regular schmoes in line while giving a pass to fearless leaders. For instance, under the guise of …
Last week, if Google Maps is the last word (and it is, since our entire lives are controlled by all things Google), the Gulf of Mexico is now named the Gulf of America. This re-christening is …
The revelations that have come from the shuttering and review of the Obama era USAID program are as eye-opening as they are sad, but there are a few in there that are downright infuriating. Of …
There has been some confusion during the past several years about the requirements for businesses, city and county government, school districts, and individuals providing public notice to citizens in …
The revelations that have come from the shuttering and review of the Obama era USAID program are as eye-opening as they are sad, but there are a few in there that are downright infuriating. Of …
It was another busy week in Austin and it was a pleasure to welcome more constituents from House District 9 to your Texas State Capitol. Among those who made the long drive from Deep East Texas were …
One hundred and forty-three years ago this week, building commissioners for the Texas Capitol broke ground for the present-day building. Nimrod Norton and Joseph Lee turned the first shovels on Feb. …
