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An Interview with Author Stephen Harrigan

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An Interview with Author Stephen Harrigan JUNE 16, 2006 I $2.25 I OPENING THE EYES OF TEXAS FOR FIFTY ONE YEARS - „, , --, -,--4`— ., *.r. INAtnA li ,t4oel . ,rwe a 4 ..,,,, r....., • •,. ,n4.,.A .' -,-.e. *NA .o,,, ..,,,A .■..4. r.,' e.,, , <., by EMILY PYLE • * * 0 • 4 *111110't if *Ile,* Aft.,*** • *OP A * **, J. ** *fro, iti • AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR STEPHEN HARRIGAN • JUNE 16, 2006 Dialogue TheTexas Observer WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS? universities regardless of their parents' As I sit in my classroom and observe immigration status. No Child Left FEATURES my students working, I wonder what Behind should mean the opportunity will become of them. The recent pro- for a college education for any child BLIND SPOTS 6 tests and the debate over immigration that wants it. Abuse at an Edinburg juvenile prison have only reminded me that many of The children should not be held reveals troubles in the my students do not have legal status back because of decisions made by Texas Youth Commission in this country. As the debate rages, it their parents. story by Emily Pyle seems that focus is on the adults that Anthony Colton photos by Amber Novak are illegal within our country, but Mesquite what about the children? FEAR AND LOATHING IN 10 Many of my students have been in BEACHES SAN ANTONIO the United States since a young age. Thank you for publicizing the immi- Republicans get riled up about taxes and Many have attended schools here in nent threats posed by recent develop- immigration at their state convention the United States since kindergarten. ment proposals to our public beaches. by Tim Eaton and Dave Mann How can it be fair to provide these ("Corpus Christi Coastal Controversy," students with an education through April 21). While the local press corps high school and then deny them the DEPARTMENTS has done its best to tout the develop- right to work? They have not lived er's line, The Texas Observer stayed in the country where they were born true to its motto of being the "Tyrant's DIALOGUE 2 since they were 3 or 4 years old. Many Foe and the People's Friend?' EDITORIAL 3 of them do not even remember those Closing off the beach to vehicle Bermuda Triangle countries and yet when they become access sounds wonderful until it is 16 and start looking for work they are remembered that without adequate POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE 4 treated as second-class citizens and and convenient parking, the public is denied the right to work. It is not their effectively shut out from that stretch ROBERT BRYCE 13 fault that they are here. Their parents of beach. Kenny Boy Goes to Jail made decisions for them. Then when Galveston has many miles of "pedes- they graduate, we simply deny them trian only" beaches where the average MOLLY IVINS 14 the opportunity to continue learning. person has nowhere to park a vehicle. Slam Dunks How is this fair? Shouldn't this be In effect, homeowners enjoy "de facto" JIM HIGHTOWER 15 part of the ongoing debate? If stu- private beaches on western Galveston The GOP'S Xenophobic Goofiness dents earn high school diplomas in Island. our school systems, they should be The threat of the Corpus Christi BOOKS & CULTURE given the opportunity to study in our —continued on page 20 POETRY 21 by Norman Minnick DISSENTING FROM THE 22 WORK ETHIC by Steven G. Kellman HOUSTON, WE HAVE A WINNER 24 by Ed Nowatka TEXAS TERROIR 26 by Char Miller AFTERWORD 31 First Words by James K. Galbraith Cover photo by Amber Novak 2 THE TEXAS OBSERVER JUNE 16, 2006 EDITORIAL Bermuda Triangle few months ago, tract in Texas history—that the state CHIP dropped from about 500,000 in strange faxes began awarded last year to a coalition led 2003 to 330,000 last summer, when the arriving at a warehouse by the Bermuda-based consulting firm decline began to level off. Then, last in Seattle. The docu- Accenture. The contract grew out of December, Accenture took over enroll- ments were pay stubs, legislation passed in 2003 by Republican ment for CHIP and children's Medicaid tax statements, medi- lawmakers. It would revolutionize the (for convenience, the two health insur- Acal forms—all sent by Texans applying way the state screens and enrolls mil- ance programs use the same applica- for state benefit programs like Medicaid, lions of poor and elderly Texans in ben- tion). Since then, CHIP enrollment food stamps, and the Children's Health efit programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, has nose dived by about 10 percent to Insurance Program (CHIP). The folks and food stamps. Under the plan, the 295,000 kids. In Medicaid, 79,000 chil- in Seattle were understandably baf- current system in which thousands of dren have lost coverage since December. fled. Poor people in Texas, meanwhile, state workers at hundreds of local offices Social service advocates blame these couldn't figure out why the state hadn't around the state screen and enroll needy rapid declines on bungled privatization. processed their applications for govern- Texans would be replaced by a pri- As proof, they point to the percentage ment aid. It turned out that a private vate system of call centers and Internet- of families renewing CHIP or children's contractor—recently hired by the state screening. Thankfully, the change-over Medicaid coverage. Prior to December, to process applications for social service was scheduled to be done piecemeal. At the CHIP renewal rate was about 80 per- programs—listed two fax numbers; one this point, Accenture has taken over a cent each month. After Accenture took was incorrect. When poor and elderly handful of tasks: enrollment for CHIP over in December, the rate dropped to applicants used that number, their doc- and Children's Medicaid statewide, and 50 percent and hasn't risen much since. uments would disappear into what state for all benefit programs in a few pilot Children's Medicaid, which covers 1.1 officials began referring to as the "black areas of the state. But already it's a mess. million kids and shrinking, has experi- hole." The delicious details of this story Documents are getting lost (if not sent enced a similar trend. Those numbers were reported in early June by Polly to Seattle), wait times at call centers are show a privatized system that simply Ross Hughes in the Houston Chronicle. too long, eligible kids are denied ben- isn't enrolling poor children who are The error was a small one, affecting at efits, people are losing coverage for no eligible for much-needed government- most a few hundred people in a system reason. Heckuva job, guys. sponsored health insurance. Remember that serves millions. But it's a handy The impact of these gaffes is evi- that kids with health insurance lead example of everything that's wrong with dent in the CHIP and Medicaid rolls. much healthier lives. Texas' attempt to privatize its delivery As we've written before, CHIP enroll- State officials have pledged to rec- of social services. ment has plummeted every month since tify the problems in their clumsy stab at The centerpiece of this privatiza- September 2003, when GOP budget privatization. We hope it's fixable. Right tion effort is a five-year, $899 million cuts and administrative barriers went now they're making FEMA look like a deal—the largest such government con- into effect. The number of kids on model of efficiency. ■ THE TEXAS OBSERVER I VOLUME 98, NO. 12 I A Journal of Free Voices Since 1954 Founding Editor Ronnie Dugger James McWilliams, Char Miller, USPS 541300), entire contents copy- rates on request. Microfilm available Executive Editor Jake Bernstein Debbie Nathan, Karen Olsson, righted ©2006, is published biweekly from University Microfilms Intl., 300 N. Editor Barbara Belejack John Ross, Andrew Wheat except during January and August Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Associate Editor Dave Mann when there is a 4 week break between Staff Photographers Indexes The Texas Observer is indexed Publisher Charlotte McCann issues (24 issues per year) by the Alan Pogue, Jana Birchum, in Access: The Supplementary Index Associate Publisher Julia Austin Texas Democracy Foundation, a 501(c)3 Steve Satterwhite to Periodicals; Texas Index and, for Circulation Manager Lara George non-profit foundation, 307 West 7th the years 1954 through 1981, The Texas Art Director/Webmaster Matt Omohundro Contributing Artists Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone Observer Index. Poetry Editor Naomi Shihab Nye Sam Hurt, Kevin Kreneck, (512) 477-0746, Toll-Free (800) 939-6620 Copy Editors Rusty Todd, Laurie Baker E-mail [email protected] Michael Krone, Gary Oliver, POSTMASTER Send address changes Staff Writers Forrest Wilder, Tim Eaton Doug Potter World Wide Web DownHome page to: The Texas Observer, 307 West 7th D'Ann Johnson, Jim Marston, Gilberto www.texasobserver.org . Periodicals Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Editorial Interns Rachel Mehendale, Editorial Advisory Board Ocafias, Bernard Rapoport, Geoffrey Postage paid at Austin, TX and at addi- Victoria Rodriguez, Kelly Sharp, David Anderson, Chandler Davidson, Rips, Sharron Rush, Ronnie Dugger tional mailing offices. Richard Whittaker Dave Denison, Sissy Farenthold, (Emeritus) Books & the Culture is Lawrence Goodwyn, Jim Hightower, Subscriptions One year $32, two years Csatei.i Acsa: Contributing Writers funded in part by the City 133•Pitiax, Kaye Northcott, Susan Reid In Memoriam $59, three years $84. Full-time stu- of Austin through the Nate Blakeslee, Gabriela Bocagrande, dents $18 per year; add $13 per year Robert Bryce, Michael Erard, Bob Eckhardt, 1913-2001, Cultural Arts Division and Texas Democracy Foundation Board Cliff Olofson, 1931-1995 for foreign subs. Back issues $3 pre- by a grant from the Texas James K.
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