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An IKE DIKE might be, sorta, closer to, maybe, happening in 20 years.

The proposed expanded seawall on Galveston Island, colloquially named after the Hurricane that flooded it in 2008, has been approved by the United States Senate.

It’s, simultaneously, better use of federal funds than 90% (+) of what they do and an illustration of the folly of relying on them for anything.

For starters: Hurricane Ike was in 2008. It’s now 2022. If things go well, the plan is to have the seawall around 2040.

Thirty-two years from the need to project completion seems less than ideal.

Then there’s this:

The current plan imagines artificial islands anchoring massive floating gates more than 80 feet tall that could close as water levels rise during a storm.
On each side of the floating gates, concrete towers would rise more than 100 feet in the air to hold more vertical gates that could lower into the water during a storm. When closed, the gates could reduce surge into Galveston Bay by 30% to 60%, according to the U.S. Army Corps analysis, depending on the hurricane’s track and intensity.

While engineering questions are beyond the scope of this newsletter, questions related to the “technical feasibility” of this proposal are prudent.

Cost estimates for the Ike Dike have also grown substantially over the past decade.

UT AUSTIN will likely receive a record payout from its endowment during the coming academic year. This isn't surprising, considering where oil prices have been over the past year.

Still, it’s worth noting that Longhorn-land continues to have the second largest endowment of any university in the country (behind Harvard, in front of Yale).

Imagine what it could do if Texas’ GOP ‘leadership’ ever put conservatives in charge.

DEMOCRATS, at the national level, are raising money **AGAINST** anti-Trump Republicans in Republican primaries.

This isn’t about trying to flip a seat in the general election. This is about working to unseat a friendly member of the opposing party in favor of an unfriendly. That’s terrible politics in a relatively safe R district.

This also illustrates the political folly of offering any assistance to Democrats.

Hit the Links

Quigley’s Plot

Office Conversions are Good for Cities

Your crazy uncle was right.

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MON brief 8.1.22