I was reading the Curmudgeonly Clerk of October 5. He quotes a Sports Illustrator author as saying “Austin is so not Texas.” He disagrees with that. I don't.

One thing he argues is that all large cities in Texas have Starbucks, Walmarts, and Best Buy. Well, I haven't checked it out, but I'm guessing most major cities in the Southwest have those. It doesn't mean they're in Texas.

Austin has some things in common with other Texas cities, but it has more that is not common. Austin is the liberal city in Texas. Even if you might argue it's not, it claims itself that it is.

In Young Conservatives Rate Texas Legislators it says, “The Legislators from the City of Austin scored very poorly in this year's ratings. Senator Gonzalo Barrientos (Dist 9) received the distinction of being the most liberal State Senator by scoring a zero on the ratings. Four Austin Representatives scored a zero and tied for the most liberal Representatives. These four are Dawnna Dukes (Dist 50), Sherri Greenburg (Dist 48), Glenn Maxey (Dist 51), and Elliot Naishtat (Dist 49).

Representative Terry Keel (Dist 47) was the only Legislator from Austin to receive a score above zero as he received a solid 86%. The mean legislative rating for Austin is a 14%.”

There's a lot more I could say, but I'm sick of the topic after looking for quotes on the net. Houston is conservative. Dallas has good roads. Austin is liberal. Fort Worth still shows its cowboy roots. Midland's an oil town. Lubbock's on the plains. Texas has a lot of different cities. Some of them are more alike than others. Austin is one of the most different.