Prop A Is Long Overdue

Proposition A is Austin’s latest and most ambitious attempt at developing a robust mass transit system. If approved by voters, the $7.1 billion bond will expand the MetroRapid bus system as well as adding two light rail lines, a downtown tunnel and a second commuter rail line to the city’s public transit infrastructure. Despite requiring a 4 percent property tax increase, the […]

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Politics and Governance

Of, By and For the People: Getting Involved in Local Government

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Photo: Sarah Pollock For a state that prides itself on having a culture of go-getters, Texas has a population of citizens who are remarkably disengaged from the political process. According to the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, voter turnout in Texas has been one of the lowest in the country for […]

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LBJ School Multimedia

The Higher Court: Episode 2

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/303973646″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] Photo: Rock, Paper, Scissors Read more about The Higher Court and the LBJ School students behind it at thehighercourt.org  

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LBJ School Multimedia Politics and Governance University of Texas at Austin

Graduate Public Affairs Council (GPAC) 2015 Elections

Editorial Note: This election has been decided. Check the bottom of the page for results.  Who’s committed to the idea of electing leadership through democratic decision making processes? That’s right – as students at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, we all are. Let’s live out one of the most special political exercises around and […]

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Health & Social Policy LBJ School Philanthropy & Non-Profit Organizations

LBJ School Students Help Count Austin’s Homeless Population

While some students spend their Friday nights at bars, a group of LBJ School students recently spent theirs counting homeless people in South Austin. Twelve LBJ students braved the cold weather Friday, Jan. 24th to volunteer for the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition’s (ECHO) annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. Students drove, walked, and hiked through South Austin […]

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Health & Social Policy

Fluoride Is Too Toxic of an Issue for Austin City Council

  The quality and purity of the drinking water supply has a dramatic influence on the public’s health.  What if a sub-population is known to be negatively affected by something artificially added to the water … should city government stop adding that substance, or at least warn the people so that they can make an […]

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Politics and Governance

Austin City Council Needs a Lesson in Statistics

  Austin needs public officials who can understand and base their decisions upon statistics. Austin also needs money, lots of money. Austin City Council planned to generate $3 million by extending parking meters downtown until midnight Monday through Saturday. Currently, parking is free after 5:30 pm on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. The […]

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Politics and Governance

Fusion Centers: Effective Tool in Fighting Terrorism or Big Brother on Steroids?

  There is something watching you. It can access your bank records, your credit records, who you texted on your cell phone, whether or not you are vaccinated … all without your knowledge. It isn’t an identity thief searching through your garbage, it is a highly sophisticated federally funded data center called a Fusion Center. […]

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Health & Social Policy

City Council Is Prescribing Medicine? Austin Experts Testify to the Dangers of the Forced Medication of Artificial Water Fluoridation

  Fluoride History: Sixty years ago the U.S. Center for Disease Control proposed that fluoride be added to drinking water to prevent cavities. In December 2009, the Austin Environmental Board recommended that city council evaluate the costs and benefits of water fluoridation. In July 2010, Austin Health and Human Services warned mothers not to give […]

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Energy & Environmental Policy

Trash or Treasure?

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or so the saying goes. Waste-to-Energy technology takes many people’s trash and makes it into usable energy, at the same time reducing landfill carbon footprints. As the United States pursues carbon legislation and alternative energy sources, what role will trash have? Waste-to-Energy is a technology that burns municipal […]