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March 25, 2009
Bloody Tuesday (and Wednesday)
The past two days have been rough ones at Houston's paper of record, the Chronicle. It is no secret that the news business as a whole is downsizing in a big way, as it struggles to find its niche in an increasingly wired world. The local rag, alas, is not immune from its industry's troubles, particularly since its fortunes are tied to those of its parent company -- Hearst -- which owns a number of papers across the country. While the Chron has largely remained profitable (no small feat in the business these days), its sister publications have lost money hand over fist. Hence, corporate decided the Chron, too, must atone for the family's sins.
So, yesterday the ax began to fall. By some reports 90 newsroom employees and contractors were eliminated, a deep and grievous wound to the paper's nerve center. Today, apparently, the advertising section was hit as well. The total casualty count is as yet unclear, but it is undoubtedly massive. Richard Connelly at the Houston Press has done yeoman work reporting on the situation on his Hair Balls blog, and has compiled and updated a list of the fallen.
First of all, it is tragic to see so many dedicated professionals lose their jobs, particularly in the inhospitable economic situation we currently face. We are very sorry and wish them the very best for the future.
But after witnessing such a journalistic slaughter at a newspaper that had already steadily been sacrificing quality people and content to save money, we are left to ask, who is left to report the news in the nation's 4th largest city? Of course, this question can, and is rightly being asked about the news business as a whole. Are pictures of people's dogs and video from the weekend bar scene really what we can come to expect from our supposed news sources? Will opinion blogs like this one supplant real reporting?
Such a future is very grim to contemplate, but a very real possibility. Or, will a new but sound (ethically, intellectually and financially) journalistic model emerge? We certainly hope so.
Posted by houtopia at 10:27 PM | Comments (1)
March 17, 2009
Texas Won't Be Spared
A new report just issued from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas confirms what a lot of Texans already know: the economic recession was late getting to our state, but it is definitely here.
The Dallas Fed report suggests that the economic downturn in Texas lagged the nation as a whole by about six months, and that 2009 is likely to be a rough year in the state. Employment, exports, new home construction, and other indicators are all down. Jobs in Texas are expected to decline by about 3% in 2009 -- partially due to layoffs, but also because of a growing labor market. That means while we do have current members of the workforce losing their jobs, we also have other folks moving here from elsewhere, as well as young Texans reaching working age.
If there is any silver lining for the Houston area, it is that our city is not expected to be hit quite as hard as Austin or Dallas, unless energy prices really tank. Small consolation to the thousands of people here who are struggling, but let's hope it's true.
So, newsflash: it's gonna be a tough year.
Posted by houtopia at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2009
A Tale Of Two Republicans
It is no secret that the Republican Party is in trouble. After two disastrous election cycles, which lost them both houses of Congress and the White House, the circular firing squad is now forming around the national party's new chair, Michael Steele. To boot, the last two elections have seen the GOP perform disastrously with young voters, who are forming political views and behavior that will likely last a lifetime. Not exactly a formula for future success.
Congressional Republicans have opposed President Obama's agenda to date, virtually in lock step, and watched their polling numbers head even further south as the country cries out for action from its government. And while Rush Limbaugh rallies the party faithful, to stick to dogma and with leadership that has demonstrably failed, to the rest of America the vaunted GOP "base" seems to be living in an alternate universe.
Here in Texas, which is still Republican-run but not quite as GOP-friendly as it once was, and which is assuredly feeling the economic pain gripping the entire country, our Governor appears to be in a universe, or perhaps a vacuum, all his own.
Yes, the policy genius who brought you zero-dollar budgets submitted to the Legislature, the HPV vaccine and the Trans Texas Corridor today decided, in his infinite wisdom, to reject federal stimulus funds to aid the unemployed. Never mind that Texans are hurting and pay federal taxes like everyone else, and that those funds will simply go to another state, Rick Perry is a true believer. He is also headed for a tough Republican primary for reelection, so throwing red meat to that aforementioned base is priority one.
Short-term, such a strategy may be viable in Texas, but our state has a large and growing underclass, not to mention a whole lot of folks in the middle who are being squeezed economically, so playing only to the Republican faithful is not likely a recipe for continuing to dominate politics statewide.
By contrast, the new Harris County District Attorney, a Republican who won office by less than 5,000 votes out of over 1.1 million cast, may have a strategy for success worthy of emulation by fellow Republicans. It's called doing one's job.
Pat Lykos, who took over for the previous Republican incumbent Chuck Rosenthal, a lying, philandering, drug-addled failure, seems to be making the restoration of public confidence in the DA's office her number one priority. Lykos just announced that DNA testing of evidence will become mandatory in every case where it is available and relevant. In addition to being the right thing to do, her action is a politically smart move in a county that has had several high-profile cases of wrongful convictions in recent years.
Republicans in Austin and Washington DC could learn a thing or two from our DA.
Posted by houtopia at 11:01 PM | Comments (3)