Fear, hype and misinformation over mold in 2001 and 2002 created an insurance crisis in Texas that we're still paying for today. Our court system was flooded by questionable lawsuits driven by personal injury lawyers who preyed on people's health fears, despite the lack of any scientific evidence.

Today's vote to raise the cigarette tax was a clear sign of support for our state's children, both for their health and their education. It's also a victory for tens of thousands of Texans of all ages who will quit smoking – or never start – because of the higher cigarette tax.

Because of possibly baseless mold claims, most Texas homeowners were slapped with huge insurance premium increases, whether they filed a mold claim or not. Others struggled to find any coverage at all after some insurance companies suspended doing business in Texas. Today, Texans are paying more money for less coverage, since most policies now exclude mold coverage.

Cable companies are proud to already provide high-speed Internet access to Texans in numerous small towns across the state, including Sabine Pass.

Ne treba čovjek da se pretvori u svoju suprotnost. Sve što u njemu vrijedi, to je ranjivo. Možda nije lako živjeti na svijetu, ali ako mislimo da nam ovdje nije mjesto, biće još gore. A željeti snagu i bezosjećajnost, znači svetiti se sebi zbog razočarenja. I onda, to nije izlaz, to je dizanje ruku od svega što čovjek može da bude. Odricanje svih obzira je prastari strah, davna suština ljudskog bića koje želi moć, jer se boji.

We're confident that TCEQ will resolve this issue. We are confident that we are going above and beyond what we need to do to protect that aquifer.