ONE STATE TWO PLANETS

Austin: Barton Springs

When I lived in Austin in the early and mid 1990s, real estate developers were trying to build over the aquifer that fed Barton Springs, which is considered by Austinites to be a local treasure. Many believed that the developers' plans could very easily wreck the delicate ecological balance that allows the springs to exist: a local political movement of citizens quckly arose, gained power and seats on the city council, and did battle with pro-development political forces. (Alas, recent news indicates that the efforts of Austin's green alliance may have been for naught.) Democracy, or at least a reasonable facsimile, seems to exist in Austin.

Contrast that with:

Lobbyists lead pack of donors
Poured $4 million into Harris County legislators' campaigns

"It tells you that for many politicians and candidates, it is money over principle," said Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice, another campaign finance advocacy group.

Plutocracy prevails in Houston. That's where our president's daddy lives...

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