A quick look at the news and info of the day.

Good morning,

Today I reflect on how the remains of a once famous city serve as a poignant reminder about the fleeting nature of fame and glory.

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Friday, January 3, 2020

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From the “Another One Bites The Dust” files: The Daily Wire reports [[link removed]] Julian Castro – the former San Antonio mayor tapped by Obama to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – dropped out of the 2020 presidential hunt yesterday. That brings to 14 the number of Democrats vying for the opportunity to lose to Donald Trump in November.

The U.S. Census Bureau has released new population growth estimates for the states. Factoring those numbers through the apportionment formulas, Jim Ellis finds [[link removed]] Texas is poised to gain three congressional seats. The states set to lose seats in the U.S. House include California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.

If the estimates hold, Texas’ delegation would increase from the current 36 members in the U.S. House to 39 – taking effect for the 2022 elections and the Congress that would convene in 2023.

Here’s a brief reminder about how congressional seats are distributed among the states. By law, the U.S. House has been capped at 435 representatives since 1929. Those seats are apportioned to 50 states based on population, but each state gets at least one. There are currently seven states with only one representative in the U.S. House. (Meanwhile, every state gets two seats in the U.S. Senate regardless of population.)

Fun Fact: Article 1, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution originally assigned one representative to every 30,000 persons – without any cap on the number of congressional seats. With the country’s population now estimated at 330.2 million, under that apportionment there would be approximately 11,000 members of Congress!

McKinney voters moved closer to ousting a liberal council member they say is hurting the city with divisive rhetoric and unethical behavior. Erin Anderson reports [[link removed]] recall organizers delivered more than 3,000 signatures to city hall—well above the 2,127 needed to initiate a recall vote. Among those seeking to recall Councilman La’Shadion Shemwell are former supporters who say they were “fooled” by his campaign.

In case you missed it yesterday, the newest edition [[link removed]] of Texas Scorecard Radio features a review of the big stories from 2019, and what they mean for 2020. Tony McDonald is joined by Brandon Waltens and Destin Sensky.

Even if Texas Scorecard Radio [[link removed]] isn’t broadcast locally, you can catch every edition on Spotify [[link removed]], iTunes [[link removed]], Google Play [[link removed]], SoundCloud [[link removed]], or Stitcher [[link removed]].

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​ Friday Reflection

It doesn’t look like much today, but the archeological site Tel Sheva was kind of a big deal. It was at the center of much of the narrative in the Bible’s Book of Genesis.

Its name then was Be’er Sheva. Most translations render the name as “Beer-sheba.” It’s in the Negev desert in the south of Israel where Abraham and Sarah lived with Isaac, and where the great patriarch swore an oath of peace with his neighbor. As adults, both Isaac and his son Jacob found themselves at various times passing through or living in Beer-sheba.

The place was so well known, in fact, its name was commonly used in describing borders and distances. An expansive area would often be described as spanning from “Dan to Beer-sheba.” Tel Dan, of course, is in the far north of Israel. Everyone knew Beer-sheba, until they didn’t.

In modern times, a dismantled animal alter was found there during excavations, very possibly one of those that was targeted by the righteous King Hezekiah. In 2 Kings we read how he ordered the destruction of such altars around Israel, and forbade the worship of false gods in the temple in Jerusalem.

It is likely Beer-sheba was destroyed when the Babylonians invaded Israel, taking the Jews into captivity. The city’s distinguished history couldn’t save it from the inevitability of time.

The same goes for us as men. However exalted (or self-important) we may be, we all eventually become a footnote in the great story of history.

And yet, like Beer-sheba, our legacy can go on.

The Greek statesman Pericles understood this when he wrote, “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

Let us live not for recognition, but for impact. Let us not seek fame, but to be of lasting value.

Number of the Day

15.3%

Texas’ estimated population increase between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2019.

[Source: U.S. Census Bureau [[link removed]]]

Today in History

Happy birthday to Presidio County, which was formed on Jan. 3, 1850!

Quote-Unquote

“What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?”

– Winston Churchill​

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Ted Cruz - R

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PO Box 36875 | Houston, TX 77236 The Texas Minute is a quick look at the news and info of the day that we find interesting, and hope you do as well. It is produced on week days and distributed at 6 a.m. (though I'll probably take the occasional break for holidays and whatnot).

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