We learned in the second presidential debate that Texas is a state where the legislature meets 140 days every two years. A lot of Texans think two days every 140 years would be enough. Texas is a state of mind that's generally down on "gov'mint," even when you're running it, in George W. Bush's case. And of course it's down on the anagram of Texas, spelled Taxes. Al Gore wants the country to know some of the results: that Texas is at the bottom of the state rankings for kids and families with health insurance, for example.
You can learn a lot more about Texas on the Internet: that it's number one in executions of course, number one in drunk-driving deaths, and energy consumption; number one in the number of gun dealers and gun shows, number one in industrial production of hazardous wastes. You can learn still more from Molly Ivins and Paul Burka, who fight over Texas for a living. The great state of Texas is this hour on The Connection. (Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
