Free Republic

AUSTIN – State Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson is proud that he can still work a bulldozer, a skill he learned early on the ranch and in the gas fields. Others would say he still drives it at meetings, committee hearings and town hall gatherings. Mr. Williamson, 55, is one of the most influential men in Texas. He has the ear of the governor, with whom he speaks almost daily. He is the architect behind the state's road plan for the next 25 years. He is smart, studious, self-made. And critics, who seem as endless as a West Texas highway,...

The Party Line: May 5, 2004 The Republican Party of Texas today filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission accusing former House Speaker and current State Representative Pete Laney of "laundering" nearly $1.7 million in political campaign contributions for personal benefit. As first reported by Texas Digest.com, from 1995 to 2003, Laney has paid himself $1,698,683 from his campaign account to operate and maintain his personal aircraft, an 8-passenger 1979 Piper Cheyenne II valued between $500,000 and $750,000. "A federal grand jury indicted former Attorney General Dan Morales for converting $400,000 in political funds to buy a swanky West...

Schools may teach Perry new lesson Dave McNeely Thursday, December 11, 2003 Gov. Rick Perry has said he'll call a special session on school finance when legislators agree on a solution. But that might never happen — particularly if Perry continues his opposition to new taxes. The Republican governor said in his inaugural speech Jan. 21, "(W)e will continue to invest in the greatest economic development tool in the history of this state: the education of our children — all of our children." But five paragraphs earlier, Perry said, "When the economy is uncertain, it is precisely the wrong time...