Now pay to play has brought its cute self to the University of Texas.

In a front page investigative reporting piece, the Austin American Statesman has found some really magical happenings among rich white boys who know each other very well but had no idea they were helping each other out.  Magic like that happens all the time in Texas.

The University of Texas regents took the unprecedented action of investing the University’s money all on their own without any advice from their money management firms — $10 million dollars of it, as a  “unrestricted, unconditional” investment.

Wow! A Real Calendar!

The investment is with a start-up called myedu.com.  My edu.com is nothing new.  It collects public information from several websites and public records and allows students to access it all in one place.  It also has a calculator and a calendar.   You know, things your average college student doesn’t have.  It’s free.

Now, the Austin American Statesman found something interesting about this unprecedented investment –

The governing board of the University of Texas System invested $10 million in a privately held company with close ties to the system’s former chancellor, the chancellor’s son and associates of Gov. Rick Perry.

Hot Damn! A Calculator!

I’ll be a second cousin to monkey’s uncle!  Ain’t that a damn coincidence?

Not only is the former chancellor’s son a founder and senior vice president of the start-up, but the political connection doesn’t stop there.  Honey, this whole deal is more connected than a dorm room power strip  —

The company’s chairman and CEO, Michael Crosno, served on the governor’s statewide re-election finance committee last year.

MyEdu adviser Bob Pearson, who holds a stake in the company, donated to the governor’s re-election campaign and is a former Perry-appointed chairman of an advisory panel that recommends proposals

for state funding through the Emerging Technology Fund.

Margaret Spellings, who was secretary of education under President George W. Bush, is also an adviser to MyEdu.

But none of these people, including the Board of Regents, knew anything about all this and are stompin’ that this is not, I repeat, goldarn not, some sort of insider deal.

Yep, it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck but it’s a porcupine.

It’s also that magical things that happens when you have the right friends.

It also appears that facility and students at UT are not as impressed with myedu.com as the regents are.

Yep, that’s the UT Board of Regents.  And, yes, they are all appointed by Governor Rick Perry.  In case you’re wondering, UT became a majority minority school in 2010.

And we just invested “unrestricted, unconditional” $10 million dollars with something old white guys think college students will like.

You know how Rick Perry believes in state’s rights and how each state should be allowed to make their own rules?

Well, that’s true until it’s rules that Perry doesn’t like.  He was in New Hampshire this week spouting off about his two favorite subjects – gay marriage and abortion.  Now, it seems to me that the more gay marriages you allow, the fewer abortions you get, so Perry ought to love that New Hampshire legalized gay marriage in 2009.  But, noooo …..

And it also seems to me that Planned Parenthood, where they distribute birth control, also would be high on Perry’s list.  But, noooo …..

“Unfortunately this current administration has since provided one million dollars in federal grant money to Planned Parenthood in direct conflict with this state’s policies. And the bottom-line is this: If you want to stop Washington’s many violations of the 10th Amendment … then we must make President Obama a one-term president,” Perry said.

So, Perry will not rest until New Hampshire becomes just like Texas.

NOTE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE:  Dumb down your schools, increase your teen pregnancy rate, make sure half your population has no health insurance, and have the second highest high school drop out rate in the nation.  Rick Perry is coming and I know you want to make him feel at home!

Thanks to Sharon for the heads-up.

Even after a rough night last night, Michele Bachmann can still make me giggle this morning.

In a recent interview with ABC News, Bachmann accused Texas Gov. Rick Perry of borrowing heavily from her campaign’s tax plan in his latest iteration of his flat tax proposal.

“Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. And so we’re grateful,” Bachmann told ABC News. “The ideas that I’ve been espousing — again lower the taxes rates, flatten it, make it far more simple, far less complex, but also make it so that the average American can fill out their taxes on a postcard — I’ve been talking about this for months. These are all good ideas, and if other candidates want to come and take these ideas out of my plan, they’re more than happy to take them.”

First, since Bachmann has given absolutely no specifics about her plan more than the above mentioned, it seems that anyone who says “my tax plan is good, and like, you know, simple and in addition less complex, and easier and plus not so hard,” is stealing her plan.

Second, and I’m talking to Michele here so I’m gonna whisper, “Honey, when you say that someone stole your tax plan, make it one that economists and people who can do math aren’t laughing their butts off about.”

A little cool front came through here yesterday so I’ve got a big pot of chili on the stove just waiting for the game tonight.

Watching the game last night was like watching Groundhog Day.

And for you non-baseball fans out there, let me just remind you that God does not take away from your allotted time on this earth any time spent at the ballpark.   Next best thing – a great series on the teevee or the radio.

Go Texans!

One of our long time customers, BarbinDC, had a little spare time yesterday and sashayed herself over to the Capitol to help deliver some petitions with progressive Democratic Representative showing support for the Occupy movement.  My signature was on there so he helped make sure it got to Speaker Boehner.

You can catch a glimpse of Barbara in a brown smocked blouse.

Her report:

Five or six Democratic House candidates from all over the country were also there and each spoke to the cameras before we went to Boehner’s office.  What a feisty bunch they are!  We weren’t allowed inside the office; the Press Secretary came out to the hall and keep saying the same thing over and over:  I’m happy to accept your petition and will give it to the Speaker.  There were some cameras from CNN and other folks, so the candidates all gave another short spiel for their benefit.  One of them noted that we were standing by a sign at the office door that said:  Welcome!  Please come in! HAHAHAHA!

Looks like Boehner has the same rules as Crockett Keller’s handgun school.

Well done, Barb, well done.  A grateful beauty salon thanks you.

The main problem with Rick Perry saying ignorant things is that it encourages the masses in Texas to do the same.

Mason, Texas, where the town’s motto is “Yeah, well, we never heard of you either,” has a certified license to carry school run by a man named Crockett Keller.  Now I gotta fess up right here that I am gonna start writing the book that’s been jangling around in my head since I now have the main character’s name – Crockett Keller.

Except, my Crockett Keller, unlike the real one, will have a brain.

It seems that the 65 year old Crockett bought himself some advertising for his license to carry school on the radio station in Mason, Texas.  Since Mason, Texas, ain’t a place you can get to accident, I suspect “radio station” means Joe Bob’s Ham Radio and Feed Store.

Here’s what Crockett Keller said:

“If you are a socialist liberal and/or voted for the current campaigner-in-chief, please do not take this class. You have already proven that you cannot make a knowledgeable and prudent decision as required under the law.

“Also, if you are a non-Christian Arab or Muslim, I will not teach you the class. Once again, with no shame, I am Crockett Keller. Thank you and God Bless America.”

Spoke like a true Christian, by gawd.

Now, I imagine there ain’t exactly herds of libruls and Arabs in Mason, Texas, but I could be wrong about that.  No, I’m not wrong; I just said that to be nice.  Mason is off the highway between Llano and Junction.  They voted 73% for John McCain and Sarah Palin.  That’s not like hanging out the welcome sign for diversity, you know.

You can listen to Crockett on the radio right about here.  You might want to listen just to hear him try to pronounce “Muslim.”

Now the State of Texas can’t take away Crockett’s right to teach the licensing class “unless a written complaint, complete with evidence, is filed.”

So what we need is a Librul in an Obama tee-shirt to head directly to Mason, Texas with a film crew.  And a police escort.  And a couple of cattle prods.  And open up a yoga class across the street from Crockett.  With free beer.  And a big screen for football games.  And a Monster Truck Rally field in the back.  And girls, girl, girls.

Crockett is 65 years old.  His heart ain’t that strong.  There are some weapons better than a handgun.