One of the most difficult jobs any legislative body faces is writing a budget, especially when the economy is down. Most citizens understand taxation is a virtual requirement when it comes to funding law enforcement, public infrastructure and education. But what happens when there isn't enough money to pay for everything, and deals begin to be struck to divert money from one program to another? That, as State Senator Kirk Watson told me, is when the trouble starts.

Watson: Diversions a Result of "Laziness"

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When country music artist Kevin Fowler was growing up in West Texas, he listened to the likes of George Strait, Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughn. And while those names have become synonymous with greatness, Fowler recently joined their ranks with his selection as one of three artists promoting this year's Don't Mess With Texas campaign. I spoke with Kevin recently about his involvement with the iconic Texas program. For more information, visit http://dontmesswithtexas.org/.

Don't Mess with Texas

Driving across the country takes planning and preparation, not the least of which involves figuring out where to get gas in some desolate places along the route. But for the University of Michigan's Solar Car Team, which recently rolled through Texas on a practice run, fuel is the least of their concerns. For more, I spoke with Allison Hogikyan, a freshman engineering student and team spokesperson. For more information about this unique project, visit www.umsolar.com.

UM Solar Car Team Rolling Through Texas

Need to get from Point A to Point B? Someday soon you might have more options than you think thanks to the new RideScout app, which debuted in November. RideScout CEO and co-founder Joseph Kopser sat down with me at the 9th Annual Texas Transportation Forum to tell me more.  This episode originally posted in January 2014.

Best of the TxDOT Podcast: RideScout - The Logistics of Getting There

Nearly everyone has an opinion about teen drivers. And while teen drivers are pretty much the same everywhere, in New Jersey, they're dying at a much lower rate than in Texas and much of the United States. For more on how New Jersey does it, I spoke with Pam Fischer, founder of the New Jersey Teen Safe Driving Coalition.

Fisher: "Teen Safe Driving Affects All of Us"

As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, also known as D-Day, what is often overlooked is not only the logistics of preparing for such an operation, but the logistics required after the invasion as the allies pushed east toward Paris, and then to Germany. The unsung heroes of the march to Berlin were a group of dedicated truck drivers, many of them African-American, who drove supplies from the French coast to the front lines in an unending circle called the Red Ball Express that, if broken, could have stopped the world's most powerful army in its tracks. For more, I spoke with Collin Makamson, Family Programs and Outreach Coordinator for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA. For more information about the National World War II Museum, visit www.nationalww2museum.org or call 504-528-1944.

Watson: Diversions a Result of "Laziness"

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