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  • I think that it’s now safe to say that we Texans now live in a failed state.  30 years of GOP rule, setting our own standard, living the “Texas Dream,” which they’ve bragged about relentlessly…and let’s see where we are:

    A majority of the state in complete failure, unable to deliver the most BASIC of services (things that are called “utilities,” not “luxuries,” for a reason).  No power.  No water.  No means of clearing roads (that one, I can’t fault the state so much….but it wouldn’t be as big a crisis if people weren’t stuck in their homes with no power and water).  So citizens are stuck in their homes, some of them dying there. 

    Water resource planning?  After pretending for decades that a drought would never happen again, and not doing ANYTHING to develop resources in the state water plan (a document actually developed using science and mathematical projections), we had several locations, including actual cities, down to a few days of water supply.  We’ve finally gotten on our horse a bit, but it may be too late if the next drought comes anytime soon.  

    State rank in key categories:

    Education – 34

    Health Care - 37

    Infrastructure - 33

    Opportunity - 39

    Environment - 44

    Infrastructure - 33 

    In overall quality of life ranking by US News, we are now #38, down from #36 just two years ago.  At that rate, we’ll be in the bottom 3 within ten years.

    We are SUPER independent, and FUCK the feds….but we have requested federal disaster assistance more than any other state in the past decade or so.

    But hey, our economy is ranked #15!

    That’s right, we have a “roaring economy” and the “Texas Miracle!”  But we can’t deliver the basics for our citizens.  The economy is VERY efficient at funneling bazillions to the very few…..with little of it “trickling down” to most Texans.  Yeah, the people on this board generally do fine, but face the facts – we’re the top 10% or so.  We are educated, older, and fortunate.

    Our federal system allows for state-by-state experiments.  Texas is the poster child for near anarcho-capitalism and zero regulation or oversight.  We have tested that approach, for over a generation now (30 years of Republican rule).  That approach is a failure.  The evidence is undeniable, and overwhelming.  It doesn’t matter how many River Oaks millionaires you produce if the rest of your people are dying in their homes.  Shit, some of those River Oaks millionaires might be freezing to death today, too.

    The kids of a middle class family can hardly afford to go to a good state school.  Their prospects for employment are mediocre.  Their prospects of suffering crippling medical debt at some point are significant.  Their chances of not having basic utilities needed for life safety at some point – all but certain.  Their chances of becoming ill or dying from a pollution-caused illness are material.

    What’s the result?  Our leaders have sold Texas as a paradise – move here!  Bring your business here!  And some businesses have done so, adding opportunity…..but providing little to no tax support for the infrastructure we all depend on.  To the contrary, over the past few years, I know more and more people – educated people, people who can do their jobs elsewhere, who are looking to bail on this state.  It’s people with young kids, who want them to grow up in a better place.  It’s people in their working years, who simply want a better path.  It’s retirees, who want a safe and secure place to live.

    We have consumed our seed stock.  We have burned through our reserves.  We are now consuming ourselves.  The ability to pitch Texas as the land of opportunity is done.  Seeing what we have become, the tentative thought/plan my wife and I had of wrapping up our careers here and then getting the hell out of Dodge is becoming much more concrete.  My children are already unlikely to make their future in this state.  Now we are, too.

    But the response from the Republican leadership and their sycophants – “how are you gonna pay for it?  Taxes?  That’s socialism!  You want that stuff, you have to pay for it!”

    Fuck yes I do, and I’m okay with that.  I want groceries…so I have to pay HEB.  I want a car…so I have to pay Ford.  I want clothes…..so I have to pay Dillards.  I want my population educated….so I have to pay the school district.  I want electricity, with enough capacity to keep us running when we need it…..so I have to pay my bill, maybe with a capacity surcharge.  I want water to come out of the taps….so I have to pay for development of resources and maintenance of infrastructure.  I want roads….so I pay taxes to build and maintain them.  YES, I have to pay for all of those things, and “nothing is free” – no fucking shit.  So, let’s pay for it.  We have the #15 economy….we HAVE the funds in this state.  An economy with the flow of funds that ours has can produce and maintain all of those results.  But we have chosen a different path; funnel all the dollars to the top, and spend next to nothing for the public good.  We have privatized profit….we have socialized the costs.  And we are dying because of it.

    My fellow Texans are dying in their homes….and there’s nothing I can do about it today.  And I am enraged.

    I love Texas.  I am 6th generation here.  My ancestors have Texas historical markers on their graves.  We helped make this state, and this state helped make us.  It educated us (back when college was affordable).  But it’s time to face the fact – this state is a failure, and on its current path, with its current leadership and philosophy, it will only get worse.  This state has a terrible future, unless we dramatically change our path.   Chances of that happening?  0.0% -- because we’ll continue to vote for the guys who make our leadership priorities bathroom bills, and transgender sports, and requiring the national anthem be played at certain events.  Any bill that has been proposed to improve emergency preparedness of gov’t entities has been crushed by the Republicans controlling the lege….but we will definitely stick with those guys.  No taxes.  No government functionality.

    What we are seeing happening right now is our system working EXACTLY AS IT WAS DESIGNED AND INTENDED TO WORK.  And we will, I guarantee it, collectively decide to stick with that.  This state is in free-fall, and anyone with eyes can see it.  And anyone with a brain is starting to think of ways to make their life elsewhere.  It breaks my goddamned heart to see us commit collective suicide, but here we are.

     

     


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    Nivek

    Posted

    no taxation without representation.   I am sure they will remove that woke phrase from books next.

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    Ghost of NMAS

    Posted

    He probably thinks it should be like the electoral votes and the winner gets all of the seats

    softlynow

    Posted

    47 minutes ago, Ghost of NMAS said:

    He probably thinks

    Doubtful. He likely just repeats shit he heard somewhere. 

    • Hook 'Em 6
    • Like 1
    Nice Guy Eddie

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    @Ag with kids thinks this is fine because Texas votes 56% R in presidential elections 

    If Texas moves forward with this plan, and then CA does the same thing in the reverse, there will be screams from the Texas GOP MAGA types about how Newsom is breaking the law.

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    Horn Dog

    Posted

    3 hours ago, crash_davis said:

    Most kickass aggy I've ever seen. Fuck these corrupt assholes running this state. 

     

    He’s gonna lose his aggy ring talking truth to power like that!

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    South Austin

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Horn Dog said:

    He’s gonna lose his aggy ring talking truth to power like that!

    The glasses are a Clark Kent-type giveaway. He’s got a burnt orange superhero suit under that shirt.

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    tx 3 putt

    Posted

    7 hours ago, bolverk said:

    That whole area from northern Travis County up to Georgetown is fucked on the proposed map.

    Say you get in your car from North Austin and head up to Ikea. You start out in TX-37, drive a couple of miles through TX-10, then a couple more in TX-11, maybe pass one Exit in TX-17, and you finally reach your destination, only a few miles away in TX-31.

    Communities of interest, eh?

    • Western Travis/Round Rock is paired up with Livingston in the Piney Woods of East Texas.
    • Round Rock/Pflugerville hangs with Midland/Odessa.
    • Cedar Park/Round Rock goes along with Corsicana.

    Yeah, buddy.

     

     

    id be curious to see the R/D splits. they're assuming all R's will stay R, or factoring in losing a certain % ?

    doubtful those numbers would ever be public 

    Hookah Horns

    Posted

    That's the most winning anyone's ever done in maroon. 

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    Michael Knight

    Posted

    18 hours ago, ChuckNorrisActionJeans said:

    I know this is a stupid question but how is mid-decade redistricting based on nothing whatsoever even legal? 

    laughter laughing GIF

    • Rage+1 2
    Evil Bill Obrien

    Posted (edited)

    18 hours ago, ChuckNorrisActionJeans said:

    I know this is a stupid question but how is mid-decade redistricting based on nothing whatsoever even legal? 

    Gov. Hot Wheels:

    a man is smoking a cigarette in a dark room and saying `` i will make it legal '' .

    Edited by Evil Bill Obrien
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    bolverk

    Posted

    28 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

    In case anyone is wondering if their shit changed

     

    https://dvr.capitol.texas.gov/Congress/0/PLANC2308

     

    Northern Travis and southern Williamson counties, this is who your future Congress critters will actually represent. Only the core of Austin will really have its voice heard. Everyone else in the area will be ignored.

    One voice against five others. The extreme nature of this gerrymander truly is taxation without representation.

    image.thumb.png.61a2d8b6426f147a02c41779ea929579.png

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    Surly Bevo

    Posted

    Districts should have to be quadrilaterals with an exception granted for state boundaries.  
     

    Say no to squiggly lines. 

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    Longhorn_Fan68

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, Surly Bevo said:

    Districts should have to be quadrilaterals with an exception granted for state boundaries.  
     

    Say no to squiggly lines. 

    one thing is for sure, they shouldn't be drawn by partisans. like a lot of things in this country, the lines should be drawn by a fair and independent body whose only goal is equitable distribution of voters per seat. we certainly be where are today if such a thing had happened before now

    bolverk

    Posted (edited)

    Big City Texas is being disenfranchised by Rural Texas.

    DFW: 2-3 voices vs. 8-9

    image.thumb.png.bfe8d91533b2cf0ca01e5e8d8ebbe3cc.png

     

    Houston: 2-3 vs. 7-8

    image.thumb.png.a90bc147fb13a183fdcf8ad7efb0a428.png

     

    San Antonio: 1 vs. 4

    image.thumb.png.d0f37e57815cd573c6f47bbffffc3c04.png

    Edited by bolverk
    • Like 1
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    Viking

    Posted

    Done in isolation this could backfire in a big way during a blue wave year. But next they'll purge a shitload of blue voters and reduce voting machines and locations in blue areas to prevent that from happening.

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    mchookem

    Posted

    jfc. this is so bad. wow.

    bolverk

    Posted (edited)

    18 minutes ago, mchookem said:

    jfc. this is so bad. wow.

    I think they did this as a sick joke, but downtown Austin and the Capitol Complex are included in TX-10, the same district that will include College Station.

    image.thumb.png.301fcd563b3aae33f7c9b933c68b25e5.png

    Edited by bolverk
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    Nivek

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, mchookem said:

    jfc. this is so bad. wow.

    Kind of makes me think of how the Founding Fathers would respond to this.  Sounds a bit like what Brisket suggested a while back, the way of the gun seems to be the only solution since the way of peace, voting and compromise is being eliminated.  

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    Pescado_Rojo

    Posted

    2 hours ago, bolverk said:

     

    Northern Travis and southern Williamson counties, this is who your future Congress critters will actually represent. Only the core of Austin will really have its voice heard. Everyone else in the area will be ignored.

    One voice against five others. The extreme nature of this gerrymander truly is taxation without representation.

    image.thumb.png.61a2d8b6426f147a02c41779ea929579.png

    I guess if there's a bright side for me, I'll no longer be represented by the corpse of John Carter. Let me see who represents TX17....Ah, shit. 

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    bolverk

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

    I guess if there's a bright side for me, I'll no longer be represented by the corpse of John Carter. Let me see who represents TX17....Ah, shit. 

    Cedar Park/Leander won't even be an afterthought for dear ol' Pete.

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    Pescado_Rojo

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, bolverk said:

    Cedar Park/Leander won't even be an afterthought for dear ol' Pete.

    Looking at it again, I'll have to wait and see a more granular map. I'm in that area north of 1431 and East of 734 (Parmer/Ronald Reagan). I'm in the Georgetown ETJ, and it's going to depend on what road forms that eastern boundary. I might still be in 31 by a matter of feet. 

    bolverk

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

    Looking at it again, I'll have to wait and see a more granular map. I'm in that area north of 1431 and East of 734 (Parmer/Ronald Reagan). I'm in the Georgetown ETJ, and it's going to depend on what road forms that eastern boundary. I might still be in 31 by a matter of feet. 

     

    It's an interactive map, so you can zoom in to find your place: https://dvr.capitol.texas.gov/Congress/0/PLANC2308

    Judge Roybeanbag

    Posted

    I'm slowly becoming a huge 2nd amendment fan.   

     

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    Zepol87

    Posted

    Those maps are pretty insane, holy shit I haven't really looked at this

    bolverk

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

    I'm slowly becoming a huge 2nd amendment fan.   

     

    They'll have drones.

    SimonBolivar

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

    Those maps are pretty insane, holy shit I haven't really looked at this

    Yeah, and I'd wager 95% of adults in Texas will have no idea that it changed.

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    bolverk

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

    Those maps are pretty insane, holy shit I haven't really looked at this

     

    Gerrymandering is just another form of disenfranchising voters. It's a one-two punch.

    I'm sure you probably know a bunch of folks who don't bother to vote because they think know their votes won't matter. And they're right if they live in a part of a city that's appended to a largely rural district. So, people get tired and turned off from voting and having to wait in long lines, while the rural folks can just pop in and vote in a matter of a couple of minutes.

    All of this then affects statewide and national elections, and that's partially why Texas has such a shitty voter turnout rate that's kept the state red the last 30 years.

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    berlinerbaer

    Posted (edited)

    13 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

     

    id be curious to see the R/D splits. they're assuming all R's will stay R, or factoring in losing a certain % ?

    doubtful those numbers would ever be public 

    Word is they are assuming 2024 voting patterns to get to a +5 R pickup.

     

    Edit: He meant 5ish seats in 2024, not 2026.

    Edited by berlinerbaer
    Longhorn_Fan68

    Posted

    Quote

    A lot of this comes down to how Latinos vote in 26 and beyond

    that's been true for a couple decades. hopefully what is happening is eye opening to enough people

    Beantown Express 2.0

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

    that's been true for a couple decades. hopefully what is happening is eye opening to enough people

    Nah.  We will see some ads about trans people or caravans or whatever the scary story is of the day and they will vote Republican like they have been trending and the state will stay Red and pick up 5 Red seats in congress.  If the dems had stones they would tell TX to go for it and gerrymander the shit out of CA and NY and gain dozens of seats.  One side is at war and the other is sitting back saying there is no way they would go to war with us.  

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    Disco Strangler

    Posted

    Only good news from this is that I get to send Chip Roy an e-mail to say 'arrivederci you carpetbagging cocksucker.'  Then I get to welcome my new MAGA overlord, Tony Gonzalez.

    • Like 1
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    SimonBolivar

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

    that's been true for a couple decades. hopefully what is happening is eye opening to enough people

    TikTok is still on and Trump says things to foreign leaders that make people go

    Dwight Yes GIFs | Tenor

     

    Just last week the NYT interviewed Latinos that voted for Trump to see where they are now.

    image.png.af559799da62f28da8f9687a527e0405.png

    image.png.7642169e50a7bdcef7b4a408b0ffdafb.png

    "I voted for Trump because he’s powerful. He is arrogant, but he is powerful. He says, “I am going to do this. I am going to do this. I am going to do this.” And I feel like he is going to follow through." -Estaban, 22, Texas

     

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    hornmpa96

    Posted

    I would really like to see the numbers on how the new districts looked based on the 2018 and 2022 midterms. Presidential election turnouts are clearly a different animal.

    bluto

    Posted

    With the population growth of Tx, covid, and border blowup anything prior to 22 is meaningless. The valley shifting right bigly dooms this state and there’s zero reason for me to believe that momentum is slowing down heading into midterms. 

    • Rage+1 1
    Willfully Horn

    Posted

    I think the proposal gives the nothern Hays congressional district more of Texas’ coastline than any other district.

    Pato del Muerto

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

    I think the proposal gives the nothern Hays congressional district more of Texas’ coastline than any other district.

    Home insurance companies will find a way to require wind/storm services insurance for it. 

    Willfully Horn

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

    Home insurance companies will find a way to require wind/storm services insurance for it. 

    If they are successful, expect every property in the state to have a congressional district that includes coastline.

    CTC2

    Posted (edited)

    I figured I would stay in District 10 because McCaul’s house looks down on my backyard, but it is just insane how it carves up just a sliver of Travis and then goes over and grabs rural East Texas. 

    IMG_1534.jpeg

    Edited by CTC2
    Covri

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, CTC2 said:

    I figured I would stay in District 10 because McCaul’s house looks down on my backyard


    Classic Surly humble brag. Well done.

     

    Covri

    Posted

    54 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

     

    "I voted for Trump because he’s powerful. He is arrogant, but he is powerful. He says, “I am going to do this. I am going to do this. I am going to do this.” And I feel like he is going to follow through." -Estaban, 22, Texas

     


    image.gif.7f8fc1a627e6a10827b245e4ce89fe41.gif

    • Like 2
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    CTC2

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, Covri said:


    Classic Surly humble brag. Well done.

     

    I thought “looks down” conveyed the opposite. But, I’ll take it. 

    EastHorn

    Posted

    7 minutes ago, CTC2 said:

    I thought “looks down” conveyed the opposite. But, I’ll take it. 

    Well he don't look down on poor people.  

    Pasken

    Posted (edited)

    47 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

     

    get out the vote is the best way to fight back 

    If need be, Ice's 10,000 new agents will mitigate that effort.  We've been fully fucked since last November.

     

     

     

    Edited by Pasken
    • Haha 1



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