Ari Phillips

Trying to Save TEXAS GrantsMar 10, 2011
Like many important lifelines for poor and middle class Texans, the TEXAS grant program is on the chopping block at the Capitol. Established by [...] Full Story
What if I Want a Solar Panel Shaped Like the Starship Enterprise?Mar 02, 2011
To boldly go where no man has gone before is the last thing many homeowners’ associations want their members to do. That includes installing [...] Full Story
Walking the Fence LineMar 02, 2011
Suzie Canales is one cafeteria worker you don’t want to mess with. Attendees at last December’s first-ever White House Forum on Environmental Justice learned [...] Full Story
Underfunded Public Ed: Cyclical or Structural?Feb 21, 2011
In case you haven’t heard, Texas public education system is facing a $9.3 billion shortfall over the next biennium. That’s not including funding needed [...] Full Story
Legal Aid Funding CrisisFeb 16, 2011
Devastating budget cuts could mean even fewer Texans can access basic legal services. With only about 20 percent of Texans in need of basic [...] Full Story

Senate Puts Brakes on ‘Pork Chopper’ BillApr 26, 2011
Having already passed the House by a huge margin, the “Pork Chopper” bill, House Bill 716, lost some momentum today when it arrived in [...] Full Story
The Wages of Climate-Change DenialApr 21, 2011
The American Goldfinch can’t get out of Texas fast enough. Not because real estate is cheaper elsewhere, or birdseed more readily available, but because [...] Full Story
Perry Touts Education Record in Face of Impending Cuts, ControversyApr 14, 2011
This morning Governor Rick Perry joined members of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to announce the release of the inaugural edition of the [...] Full Story
The Convoluted Path of Natural Gas PipelinesApr 07, 2011
It’s an axiom: A straight line is the shortest, most efficient way to get from point A to point B. But where natural gas [...] Full Story
The High Cost of Tax ExemptionsMar 28, 2011
Here’s a bold idea for fixing Texas’ $23 billion budget deficit: repeal sweetheart tax loopholes for Big Business. While this Legislature is unlikely to [...] Full Story