News
May 2, 2011- THE PERVERTED VILLAGE by Bill Hobby
Sweet Austin, capital of the Lone Star State,
What have we done to earn this grisly fate?
Why do you make of us a state of fools?
To save a buck you close our schools.
Because research and scholars you do mock
Once proud, higher ed is now a laughing stock.
North and South, East and West
Our highways were once the best.
Now, because of what you’re doin’
You’ll let them go to rack and ruin.
By now we should have learned to be wary
Of those that gave us Clements, Craddick, Perry.
Says King Rick, he of the long and onerous reign:
If at first you don’t secede, try, try again.
The springs over which he rules have run dry in fact,
But, never fear, the Rainy Day Fund’s intact!
O for the glorious days when our Lone Star’s light
Shed on the likes of Briscoe, Richards, and White.
Once famed, our glories melt away
Now that the radical right holds its sway.
From the Llano Estacado to the Rio Grande
This land is your land, this land is my land.
The Lone Star dips slowly into mire.
On dune and headland sinks the fire.
Lord God of Votes, come down on them yet,
Lest they forget—lest they forget!__________________________________________________________________________
With apologies to Oliver Goldsmith, Rudyard Kipling, and others from Bill Hobby.
April 30, 2011 - The Perverted Village, a poem by Bill Hobby was posted to the Letters from Texas website. Follow the link to The Perverted Village.
April 14, 2011 -Video interview by Jen Reel of The Texas Observer. Follow the link to Bill Hobby on the Texas Legislature.
February 27, 2011 - Houston Chronicle Op-Ed by State Senator Rodney Ellis and Bill Hobby. Follow the link to read A Simple Truth: 22-1 Ratio Works.
February 5, 2011 - Houston Chronicle Editorial. Follow the link to read Heeding Hobby.
February 1, 2011 - Peggy Fikac and David Hendricks wrote about the joint letter by Gov. Hobby and Judge Scott McCown urging business leaders to support a balanced approach to the state's current fiscal crisis. Follow the links to read the articles in the San Antonio Express News and in the Houston Chronicle.
January 22, 2011 - Robert Garrett of the Dallas Morning News interviewed Governor Hobby. Follow the link to read What Would Veteran Lawmakers Do About Texas' Budget Deficit.
January 9, 2011- Gabe Gutierrez of KHOU TV in Houston asked Gov. Hobby his thoughts about the budget shortfall facing the 82nd Texas Legislature.
Given the tense political climate, even former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, who presided over the state senate for a record 18 years, told 11 News he wouldn’t want the job now.
"These people are ideologues trying to run things," Hobby said. "The only (bill) that matters is the general appropriations bill. The rest of it is poetry."
Click here to read the full story.
January 3, 2011 - William McKenzie of the Dallas Morning News interviewed Governor Hobby. Follow the link to read Point Person: Our Q&A with former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby.
December 25, 2010 - Joe Holley of the Houston Chronicle interviewed Governor Hobby. Click here to read the excerpts.
December 18, 2010 - How Things Really Work was included in a list of holiday book suggestions on the UT Department of Public Affairs' KNOW website.
December 12, 2010 - Kanelis' column ran in the Amarillo Globe News. Click here to read Hobby's view: partisian = Republican.
December 8, 2010 - John Kanelis, Editorial Page Editor of the Amarillo Globe News, posted some of his imporessions after interviewing Gov. Hobby on his blog. Follow the link to read "Free to speak his mind".
November 12, 2010 - Gov. Hobby and Saralee Tiede appeared on Houston Public Television's Red, White and Blue program. Click here to watch.
November 9, 2010 - Joe Holley writes about Hobby's Lessons on the Houston Chronicle's Houston Politics blog.
November 8, 2010 - Mike Perry reviewed the book in the Alpine Daily Planet. Click here to read his column.
November 7, 2010 - Elizabeth Bennett reviewed How Things Really Work in Culture Map Houston. Follow the link to read They don't make politician's like Bill Hobby anymore - and that's too darn bad.
November 3, 2010 - The River Oaks Examiner profiled Gov. Hobby. Follow the link to read Steve Mark's article, Bill Hobby: From arm-twisting to numbers-crunching.
October 18, 2010 - W. Gardner Selby wrote a reveiw of How Things Really Work. Click here to read his article in the Austin American Statesman. Later in the day, Mike Perry wrote about Selby's review and the book for the Alpine Daily Planet. Click here to read his somewhat daily coumn, Where Have All the Bill Hobbys Gone?
October 14, 2010 - KUHF, Houston Public Radio, spoke with Gov. Hobby about the book. Click here to listen.
October 8, 2010 - Jessica Stark of the Rice University News Staff wrote about the book signing event at the Baker Institute. Click here to read the article. Also, a webcast of the event is available from the Rice University. Click here to view it.
September 20, 2010 - Bob Moser writes about How Things Really Work in the Texas Observer's Purple Texas blog. Click here to read Unchained.
September 19, 2010 - Dave Montgomery wrote about the memoir in the PoliTex column in today's Fort Worth Star Telegram. Follow the link to read Hobby's History.
September 12, 2010 - Ken Herman profiled How Things Really Work in today's Austin American Statesman. Follow the link to read his column Best of Hobby, in book form.
September 1-3, 2010 - The Texas Tribune posted three excerpts from the book on their website. Follow these links to read about the two-thirds Rule, education reform and campaigning for office.