Two Texas Teas

The first Sip Senate from Two Texas Teas: a quick rundown of what city hall and the county did this week in San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels, and San Marcos. San Antonio's bond committee fight and the $442 million bond preview, the October 29 data center zoning vote, Bexar County backs BAMC and tweaks the Spurs deal, Austin's wildfire protection plan and Parmer Lane pushback, New Braunfels road fees, San Marcos water bonds, and what's on your November ballot. To hear more, listen to Two Texas Teas.

Era 2: Witches, Money & MidtermsPlease go vote! 🗳️Lawson and Don are back and they have a lot to catch up on. Halloween decorations. Plastic surgery hypotheticals. Dentist conspiracies. Donald Trump showing up to the Freeman Coliseum. And a midterm election that actually matters more than most people realize.This one starts exactly where it should — with Don confessing he once dated a woman exclusively around Halloween and Lawson asking what they're both dressing up as. From there it goes everywhere. Lawson's coven of five witches is back, the levitating pumpkins are returning for year two, R2D2 is stocked with beverages for the adults, and Larry almost died on a ladder last year so we are working on a new installation strategy.Then we get into the real stuff. What would Lawson and Don do with generational wealth? Lawson wants a 20,000 square foot cottage, all the houses on her cul-de-sac, fog machines, jet black cars, and a legend. Don wants a flat on the River Thames, a ranch in Marfa, land in Nigeria, and for people to create Twitter accounts just to hate him. We also debate dentists, the yellow Listerine, Kris Jenner, and whether facial recognition on your phone is actually the bar for how much work you should get done on your face.Then we get into the midterms. Trump came to San Antonio and had to curtain off half the Freeman Coliseum. Gina Ortiz Jones is ahead in the polls and apparently making Governor Abbott more nervous than Beto ever did. Luke has memorized the Ken Paxton commercials and is using logic on them. And Lawson has a PSA that she means every single word of.Texas is not a red state. It is a non-voting state. November 3rd is election day. Go vote.Real talk. Texas brewed. ☕Chapters00:00 Intro00:32 Brewed Tea: Halloween02:16 Wife of Dell04:44 More Money More Faces10:00 Dentist22:20 If I Had a Million34:01 Lawson's Pumpkins42:51 Hot Tea: Go VOTE!Want to Be Part of the Show?🎙️ Be a guest: beourguest.twotexasteas.com📣 Advertise with us: ads.twotexasteas.com🛍️ Merch: shop.twotexasteas.comListen Everywhere🎧 listen.twotexasteas.com🔗 biosites.com/twotexasteas📸 instagram.com/twotexasteas🎵 tiktok.com/@twotexasteas🐦 x.com/twotexasteas▶️ youtube.com/@twotexasteas📧 substack.com/@twotexasteasReal talk. Texas brewed. ☕

Era 2: Stitch by Stitch — Liby Tolm of Elite Knitting and Looking FridayFrom Kazakhstan to New York to Austin, Liby Tolm has spent 14 years turning yarn into art and building a fashion house that does things entirely on her own terms.Lawson and Don sit down with the founder of Elite Knitting Studio and Looking Friday to talk about crochet, couture, community, and why fast fashion is ruining everything. Liby moved to Austin from New York because she wanted to — simple as that — and has spent the time since building a sample-making team, earning a Nest Guild Handcrafted Certified mark, working with designers on film and TV, recreating heirloom pieces for families who lost everything in the California fires, and hosting community gatherings to bring Austin and San Antonio's fashion world together.We also find out Don crocheted a scarf at age 10 and has never fully recovered from the experience.We get into why natural fibers are non-negotiable for anyone doing handcraft work in Texas heat, why trends move so fast now that the best strategy is to just make what you love, how Lawson and Liby connected through Fashion Group International during the pandemic while Lawson was wearing a full glam dress and house slippers, and why Liby hopes her pieces end up in a vintage store one day.Her upcoming couture collection is called Angels and Demons. We are ready.Real talk. Texas brewed. ☕Connect with Liby Tolm🔗 eliteknitting.com🔗 lookingfriday.com📸 @eliteknitting📸 @lookingfriday📧 [email protected]📞 347-278-5610Chapters00:00 Introduction to Libby Tome and Elite Knitting02:45 The Impact of the Pandemic on Community and Networking03:58 Ad Break04:40 Covid Friendships06:23 Libby's Journey from Kazakhstan to the Fashion Industry09:18 The Fashion Scene in Texas: Opportunities and Challenges12:09 Building Community in the Fashion Industry15:01 Creative Process and Inspiration in Knitting17:57 Elite Knitting: Custom Creations and Client Stories20:44 Looking Friday: Couture and Ready-to-Wear Fashion22:11 The Fast-Paced World of Fashion Design23:59 Ad Break24:42 Fast Fashion Continued28:54 Navigating Trends in Fashion34:53 The Influence of Local Culture on Design38:04 Future Aspirations and Upcoming Collections42:10 OutroWant to Be Part of the Show?🎙️ guests.twotexasteas.com📣 ads.twotexasteas.com🛍️ shop.twotexasteas.comFind Us Everywhere🔗 biosites.com/twotexasteas📸 instagram.com/twotexasteas🎵 tiktok.com/@twotexasteas🐦 x.com/twotexasteas▶️ youtube.com/@twotexasteas📧 substack.com/@twotexasteasReal talk. Texas brewed. ☕

No Dems. No Republicans. A Third Party: America's Main Street Party ft. Tom JospehWhat if the problem with American democracy isn't who we're voting for — it's who we never even get to vote for?Lawson and Don welcome back Tom Joseph, founder of America's Main Street Party — a nonpartisan framework designed to take money completely out of the nominating process. Tom is a systems engineer and serial entrepreneur who applied the same engineering brain that built a 35-year remote-work accounting firm to fixing American democracy.His conclusion? The problem isn't Election Day. It's everything that happens before it. Money controls who gets on the ballot. Gerrymandering buries opposition votes before the polls even open. And the only thing both parties agree on is keeping it that way.His solution is a legal loophole — if a nominating contest involves no money, the FEC has no jurisdiction. So he built one. An app. A contest. A whole alternate primary system. No dollars required.We also get into redistricting in Bexar County, why over a million Texas voters had their registrations suspended, and why this could crack the two-party system by 2028.Register to Vote in Texas🗳️ texas.gov/register-to-voteConnect with Tom Joseph🔗 mainstreetparty.org🔗 wilsonsfountain.us📸 @mainstreetparty_🐦 @americasmainst🦋 @mainstreetparty.bsky.social📧 [email protected]📞 412-600-6250Chapters00:00 Introduction to America's Main Street Party01:48 Tom Joseph's Background and Business Journey03:44 The Challenge of Partisanship and Gerrymandering06:22 Impact of Redistricting on Local Elections07:41 Innovative Solutions to Political Representation10:38 The Role of Super PACs in Elections12:30 Accountability in Political Candidates14:39 Creating a New System for Candidate Selection17:35 Application Development and Civic Engagement21:34 The Challenges of Modern Voting Systems24:32 Resistance to Change in Political Ecosystems27:55 Barriers to Voting Access29:46 Reforming the Political Landscape32:43 Innovative Solutions for Civic Engagement37:38 The Future of Political RepresentationWant to Be Part of Season 2?🎙️ guests.twotexasteas.com📣 ads.twotexasteas.com🛍️ shop.twotexasteas.comFind Us Everywhere🔗 biosites.com/twotexasteas📸 instagram.com/twotexasteas🎵 tiktok.com/@twotexasteas🐦 x.com/twotexasteas▶️ youtube.com/@twotexasteasReal talk. Texas brewed. ☕

Special Episode: Vote With Your Phone ft. Ramon PerezLawson and Don are on summer break but the tea is still hot. ☕What if you could vote on legislation from your couch, with a cup of coffee, on the same phone you use for everything else? Ramon Perez, Executive Director of the Digital Democracy Project, joins Lawson and Don to talk about why that future is closer than you think and why the people in power are doing everything they can to stop it.Ramon is a veteran who commissioned after 9/11, a machine learning and AI executive, and the founder of a nonpartisan nonprofit that is giving everyday people a real say in the laws that govern them. He has been thrown out of the offices of both Republicans and Democrats alike. He keeps showing up anyway.This conversation covers mobile voting, gerrymandering, why 94% of US House districts had no real competition in 2024, why your legislators are spending 70 to 80% of their time fundraising instead of reading bills, and why Estonia has been voting online for 14 years while the United States is still arguing about paper ballots.Don plays devil's advocate as a very comfortable incumbent who absolutely does not want more people involved in democracy. Ramon has heard it all before. In real life. Off the record. In actual legislative offices.We also get into voter suppression in Texas, the cost of running elections in Bexar County, why your social media algorithm is not a substitute for civic education, and why Lawson might just have to run for office again.We miss Lawson and Don. They will be back for Season 2 shortly. 🤠Stay cool out there, Texans. ☕Connect with Ramon Perez and the Digital Democracy Project🔗 digitaldemocracyproject.org📸 Instagram: @digital_democracy_project💼 LinkedIn: Digital Democracy Project and Ramon PerezChapters00:00 Introduction to Digital Democracy04:18 The Evolution of Mobile Voting Technology09:57 Civic Engagement and Voter Education15:29 Challenges and Opportunities in Voting Accessibility20:47 Challenges of Traditional Voting Systems23:50 The Case for Mobile Voting25:35 Empowering Voters Through Technology27:09 Ad Break27:52 Devil's Advocate30:07 The Political Landscape and Voter Suppression33:45 Reforming the Democratic Process38:19 Bipartisan Support for Digital Democracy43:39 Conclusion and Future of Voter EngagementWant to Be Part of Season 2?🎙️ Be a guest: guests.twotexasteas.com📣 Advertise with us: ads.twotexasteas.com🛍️ Merch: shop.twotexasteas.comFind Us Everywhere🔗 biosites.com/twotexasteas📸 instagram.com/twotexasteas🎵 tiktok.com/@twotexasteas🐦 x.com/twotexasteas▶️ youtube.com/@twotexasteas📧 substack.com/@twotexasteasReal talk. Texas brewed. ☕