Sorry, He's A Funny Dude

Decision Points confirms it: I want to have a beer with George W. Bush

I will never have a beer with George W. Bush. Not because he'll be forever flanked by federal security agents, or even because I hated him as President, but because he quit drinking cold turkey after his 40th birthday. This, and other turning points, are documented in his soon-to-be-released memoir, Decision Points.

When I first heard that former President George W. Bush was releasing a memoir called Decision Points, I joked that it would have been more appropriately titled "Decider Points."

Dubya has long been the butt of our (like-minded liberals and true moderates') jokes, and mocking him has become something of a coping mechanism for the feeling that we're voting pointlessly in our hot mess of a nation. (No son or daughter of Texas who's read Molly Ivins hasn't had a laugh at the family's expense.)

So when excerpts of his memoir started hitting the web, I was surprised to find that I found him so . . . well, funny. Dare I say it — likeable. The warmest I'd felt to our former President was a sort of pity that such a regular Joe had gotten in so far over his head. If only he'd had the luxury of being just a good father, husband, and golfin' buddy, I thought. Too bad his father was who he was.

My views on his presidency remain resolute, but I've got a feeling people's views about the man — famous for his fumbling with words — may be about to change.

Take this excerpt, from an interview with Matt Lauer — his first interview since he left office: "I wasn't a knee-walkin' drunk. I could easily have a beer or two, or a martini, before dinner, bourbons, B&Bs. I was a drinker. […] So I'm drunk at the dinner table at Mother and Dad's house in Maine. And my brothers and sister are there, Laura's there. And I'm sitting next to a beautiful woman, friend of Mother and Dad's, and I said to her out loud, 'What is sex like after 50?'"

Bush goes on to say that he called the woman to apologize and had the joke batted back when, on his own 50th birthday, he received a card from her that read: "Dear Governor, Well, what's the answer?"

I laughed! I mean, that's a great story, and Bush tells it to Matt Lauer with a familiar Texas charm. Then I promptly looked around in horror, hoping no one saw me — do I like this guy?

Also much-talked about is the hurt Bush said he felt at the hands of Kanye West after the rapper charged that the then-president "didn't care about black people." In that segment of the interview, Lauer wonders if Bush will get some heat for saying that the insult, not the failings of federal aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina, was his Presidency's lowest point.

The full interview airs Monday at 7 p.m. on NBC; Decision Points is out Tuesday. Amazingly enough, I plan to buy a copy; though I'm more scared I'll like it than become incensed by it.

The midterm elections just reversed the pecking order in congress. What do you think of Bush's legacy? Is it changing? Are your attitudes? Tell us in comments.

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population explosion

2 Houston neighbors had biggest population booms in U.S. for 2023

Atascocita.com/Facebook

Atascocita was the No. 5 fastest-growing suburb in America in 2023.

Two burgeoning Houston suburbs – Atascocita and Conroe – are among the top 10 U.S. cities that have experienced the biggest population booms nationwide from 2022 to 2023.

A new population growth analysis by SmartAsset examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Atascocita trailed close behind with a 11.03 percent increase in population from 2022 to 2023, which landed it the No. 5 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 11,876 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 119,502 residents in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Atascocita, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the most livable small cities in America in 2022, and earned a top-30 spot in a recent ranking of best U.S. suburbs for house renters in 2024.

According to SmartAsset's five-year population comparison, Atascocita had the second highest growth rate in the country, at 38.56 percent. There were only 86,243 residents living in the far-flung Houston suburb in 2018, showing an increase of 33,259 residents within the five-year period.

The report also examined the changes within Atascocita's working-age population:

Number of working-age residents in 2022 – 54,095
Number of working-age residents in 2023 – 58,297
Percent of population of working age in 2022 – 50.26 percent
Percent of population of working age in 2023 – 48.78 percent
One-year change in the number of working-age residents from 2022 to 2023 – 7.77 percent increase

Meanwhile, Conroe ranked No. 9 nationally with a 6.73 percent one-year change in total population. Conroe gained over 6,800 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 108,244 residents. The city had a far more dramatic five-year growth rate, at 23.49 percent.

Conroe has also earned some well-deserved time in the spotlight as one of the best small cities in America in 2024, and the fifth best city for renters in Texas.

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Atascocita and Conroe can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

The North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4) ranked one spot above Atascocita with an 11.34 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.85 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset georgetown