Bridget Grumet
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bgrumet.bsky.social
Bridget Grumet
@bgrumet.bsky.social
200 followers 65 following 110 posts
Editorial Page Editor and occasional columnist at the Austin American-Statesman. Tell me about that thing no one's talking about. DMs open or bgrumet@statesman.com. Reposts ≠ endorsements.
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bgrumet.bsky.social
A proposed $300 tax hike from Austin, a $200 tax hike from Travis County, another $64 from Central Health. With several entities asking the same taxpayers for more dollars, why aren’t they talking about their cumulative impact on taxpayers? My latest for Statesman:
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
For Austin homeowners, every tax hike comes from the same wallet | Opinion
Austin families deserve more collaboration — and fewer surprises — from the local governments tapping their budgets, Bridget Grumet writes.
www.statesman.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:51 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
The Austin City Council is slated to vote Oct. 9 to buy a site at I-35 near Oltorf St for a homeless services center, but officials still lack key details of the safety plan neighbors deserve. American-Statesman Editorial Board urges a delay to get things right:
www.statesman.com/opinion/edit...
Neighbors deserve safety plan before Austin buys homeless site | Editorial
Austin should take time to craft a clear plan before committing $4.4M to a new homeless services site, the Statesman Editorial Board writes.
www.statesman.com
October 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"And that's what I've been warning my fellow Democrats for the past decade," Jonathan Zimmerman writes in the Statesman. "We have fueled our own brand of censorship, via social media mobs and public shaming. ... People walk in fear and bite their tongues."
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
Democrats, Republicans both need a truce on free speech | Opinion
From cancel culture on the left to censorship on the right, free speech won’t survive without a bipartisan cease-fire, Jonathan Zimmerman writes.
www.statesman.com
September 30, 2025 at 6:25 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"Enough is enough. Texas must allow faculty and college students to explore freely the breadth of human knowledge, and administrators must support us in that time-honored quest," a UT professor writes in the Statesman re: recent firing of Texas A&M professor:
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
Manufactured outrage is killing academic freedom in Texas | Opinion
Enough with the "gotcha" attacks like the recent firing of a Texas A&M instructor. Let professors teach. Let students learn, writes Pauline Turner Strong.
www.statesman.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Bridget Grumet
gestaltistic.bsky.social
She made it loud enough for y'all in the back.
clairezagorski.bsky.social Claire Zagorski, MSc, EMT-P @clairezagorski.bsky.social · Sep 4
*deep breath*

VACCINES BEING FREE OR VERY LOW-COST DEPENDS ON VOLUME SALES, THIS IS THE RELEVANT BUSINESS MODEL. IF PEOPLE STOP GETTING VACCINES, THEN THAT MODEL NO LONGER WORKS AND VACCINES GET MORE EXPENSIVE OVERALL WHICH FURTHER DEPRESSES UTILIZATION.
altcdc.altgov.info Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · Sep 4
RFKJ: Anybody can get the booster. We don’t recommend it.

Warren: if you don’t recommend it, people can’t get it.

RFK: I’m not taking it away. Most Americans will be able to get it for free. I’m not going to recommend drugs for which there is not clinical data.

THERE IS TONS OF CLINICAL DATA.
September 4, 2025 at 4:40 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
We are loath to give Valentina Gomez the attention she craves. But we must say clearly: Her hateful stunts are not welcome here. Latest from the Austin American-Statesman Editorial Board:
www.statesman.com/opinion/edit...
Quran-burning stunt has no place in Central Texas | Editorial
When Valentina Gomez torched the Quran, she wasn’t just attacking Muslims. She was attacking freedom itself. Texas must reject this politics of hate.
www.statesman.com
September 4, 2025 at 5:21 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
Texans deserve real health care solutions, not DIY drug policy from lawmakers. My latest for the Austin American-Statesman, on the Texas Legislature deciding (FDA notwithstanding) that ivermectin will be available at pharmacies without a prescription:
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
Forget the FDA. Texas lawmakers now decide which drugs need prescriptions
House Bill 25 makes ivermectin available without a prescription, but Texans are no closer to accessing the quality health care they deserve.
www.statesman.com
August 28, 2025 at 5:04 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"To be certain, her death was heroic. But it was also 100% preventable," John and Andrea Ferruzzo write in the Statesman about their 19-year-old daughter Katherine, a Camp Mystic counselor who died in July 4 floods. They urge #txlege to make camps safer for kids:
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
Our daughter died at Camp Mystic. Texas lawmakers must save others.
The 27 girls who died at Camp Mystic, including 19-year-old counselor Katherine Ferruzzo, were failed by flawed policies, inadequate safety procedures and a severe lack of planning, her parents...
www.statesman.com
August 19, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Bridget Grumet
jimhightower.com
Brilliant piece right here.
August 13, 2025 at 11:14 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
Cost of culture wars? Extrapolating from study data, Texans spent a staggering $112 million last year to manage culturally divisive conflicts in schools — money that should go toward supporting students and teachers, UT professor Rachel White writes in Statesman:
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
Culture wars divert millions of dollars from Texas schools. It must stop.
Extrapolating from our study data, Texans spent a staggering $112 million last year to manage culturally divisive conflicts in schools — money that should go toward supporting students and...
www.statesman.com
August 8, 2025 at 6:43 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
I have good news! There is a painless way out of Texas' redistricting fiasco. A way in which almost everyone wins. My latest for the Statesman:
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
How to end Texas’ redistricting drama so (almost) everyone wins
Just think: If you did the popular, tangible things, the electoral victories would follow! Voters would want what you’re doing, because you’d be doing what voters want.
www.statesman.com
August 8, 2025 at 3:08 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
We are 5 weeks removed from the deadly Hill Country flooding, but this has it backward. We are 5 weeks into a disaster that will be felt for generations, and we are 5 weeks closer to the next great flood, the Statesman and @expressnews.com editorial boards write:
www.statesman.com/opinion/arti...
Lawmakers could break Guadalupe’s chain of sorrow
We are five weeks into a disaster. We are also five weeks closer to the next great flood.
www.statesman.com
August 7, 2025 at 2:23 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
In the early minutes of this 2023 saga, an APD officer said the cops outside Glen Shield's home were at the “wrong frickin’ house.” A DPS SWAT unit still blew open the door 1.5 hours later. My latest for the Statesman on the new lawsuit in this troubling case:
www.statesman.com/news/local/a...
'100% the wrong house': Lawsuit reveals details of mistaken SWAT raid
“I didn’t think something like that could happen in this country."
www.statesman.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:25 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"When Republicans can’t win fairly, they cheat," @bucyfortexas.bsky.social writes in Statesman. "When voters reject their agenda, they change the rules. If we let them succeed here, we’re inviting more of the same across the country." More on quorum break decision:
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
Rep. Bucy: I broke quorum because the GOP is trying to silence Austin voters
When Republicans can’t win fairly, they cheat. When voters reject their agenda, they change the rules. If we let them succeed here, we’re inviting more of the same across the country.
www.statesman.com
August 4, 2025 at 3:27 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
Thousands of Texans turn to their members of Congress for help with veterans' benefits, Social Security checks and other apolitical issues. Reshuffling districts could create confusion and delays. My latest for the Austin American-Statesman:
www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
Redistricting won't just redraw lines. It could disrupt lifelines | Opinion
Thousands of Texans turn to their members of Congress for help with veterans' benefits, Social Security checks and other apolitical issues. Reshuffling …
www.statesman.com
July 31, 2025 at 8:10 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
A sense that an immigration court visit is synonymous with an arrest has become common knowledge for many immigrants, said an official with the immigration legal aid group American Gateways. The Statesman's Emiliano Tahui Gómez documented the scene in San Antonio:
www.statesman.com/story/news/p...
'Unconstitutional Death Row': At San Antonio Immigration Court, Rep. Casar decries arrests, gets few answers
SAN ANTONIO — Carlos Morales Almario’s court hearing ended almost as soon as it started.  …
www.statesman.com
July 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"I think the vast majority of Americans sense that our political system is really not being used to its maximum potential." Excellent piece by @johnniemo217.bsky.social about San Antonio billionaire Daniel Lubetzky's efforts to improve politics via Builders Movement
www.statesman.com/story/news/p...
How Texas billionaire Daniel Lubetzky is trying to bridge the political divide
The Builders Movement has attracted big names like Karl Rove and Mark Cuban. It will issue a scorecard of Texas officeholders.
www.statesman.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:03 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"Republican lawmakers, so loath to utter the words 'climate change,' nonetheless must enact policies and fund infrastructure that not only respond to the July 4 flooding but anticipate future disasters," the Statesman and @expressnews.com editorial boards write:
www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
Texas GOP won’t say it, but climate change is on special session agenda | Editorial
If lawmakers are serious about flooding, they must be serious about climate change.
www.statesman.com
July 25, 2025 at 5:22 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
The first breath of the bagpipes rose like smoke into still air. They wailed the notes of “Amazing Grace” as mourners honored a man lost to the Central Texas floods: Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Phillips. Via the Statesman's Bayliss Wagner:
www.statesman.com/story/news/l...
Marble Falls mourns fire chief lost during Central Texas floods
MARBLE FALLS — The first breath of the bagpipes rose like smoke into still air. …
www.statesman.com
July 23, 2025 at 7:54 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
For the late Bill Spelman, “it wasn’t about collecting lines in a résumé, it wasn't about making money, it wasn’t about personal accolades, it was about making the world a better place. About being open and fair and compassionate,” his wife told the Statesman:
www.statesman.com/story/news/l...
Former Austin Council member and UT professor Bill Spelman dies at 68
Known on the City Council as a policy wonk and academic, Spelman was instrumental in shaping Austin policing, and taught for more than three decades.
www.statesman.com
July 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"Apparently it’s not enough, in a state where 56% of the voters backed last year’s GOP presidential nominee, that 66% of the congressional seats are drawn to assuredly elect Republicans. It must be 80%." Latest per Statesman Editorial Board on TX redistricting farce
www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
Redistricting ploy sells out Texas voters to shore up GOP seats | Editorial
Texas voters deserve representatives who truly represent, and maps that align with their communities. What a shame some lawmakers will be working even harder to put those things out of reach.
www.statesman.com
July 21, 2025 at 3:12 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"To talk about what is needed going forward implicitly entails acknowledging what has been needed and neglected all along. And that’s never comfortable for the neglecters." A call to action from Austin American-Statesman & San Antonio Express-News editorial boards:
www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
After years of negligence, Texas lawmakers must address flood threat | Editorial
Infrastructure related to flooding and other disasters must be treated as the top priority during the Texas Legislature’s special session that starts …
www.statesman.com
July 18, 2025 at 5:13 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"Yet while we’re craning our necks looking backward, the lesson may be right in front of us. We failed to think ahead. We failed to imagine the consequences of a budget directive or the contours of a worst-case scenario."
My latest for the Austin American-Statesman:
www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
For lessons from Central Texas floods, look forward — not back | Opinion
While we’re looking backward, the lesson may be right in front of us. We failed to think ahead. We failed to imagine the consequences of a budget …
www.statesman.com
July 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Bridget Grumet
4nsmiley.bsky.social
Texas is Hearst land.

The Dallas Morning News agrees to merge with Hearst

www.dallasnews.com/news/2025/07...
DallasNews Corporation agrees to merge with Hearst
DallasNews Corporation and Hearst have signed a definitive merger agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors from both...
www.dallasnews.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
bgrumet.bsky.social
"In times of crisis, we expect our elected officials to show compassion, clarity and humility — not swagger." Powerful op-ed in Austin American-Statesman about Gov. Abbott's retort that assigning blame for flood response "is the word choice of losers":
www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
Texans deserved empathy, not Abbott’s 'winners vs. losers' talk | Opinion
Gov. Greg Abbott’s framing — that pointing out problems is something “losers” do — is not just tone-deaf; it reflects a troubling refusal to take …
www.statesman.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:21 PM