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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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    Biff Tannen

    Posted

    Vape talk not going away

    mchookem

    Posted

    33 minutes ago, Ghost of NMAS said:

    I guess Texas is no longer a failed state since this thread has turned into a vape discussion group

    vapes, cooking oil, Hall&Oates...surly thread derails are an art form, dude!

    • Hook 'Em 1
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    Pato del Muerto

    Posted

    Texas s a failed state, and surly threads getting derailed are a stale fate. 

    TwiceHorn

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Foosters said:

    Is that right? Because the THC stuff is a pretty thick oil, and I'm just imagining my lungs looking kinda like my oven range hood after a couple of months of cooking...

    Well, sorry, I am less familiar with THC vapes than nicotine vapes.  But, pretty sure that's the same sticky icky that gets burnt with the doobage and inhaled, so avoiding the whole combustion of plant material is probably a harm reduction.  They're just now coming around to the notion that smoking marijuana is about as bad as smoking tobacco.

    • Like 1
    chainsaw

    Posted

    What is the link to the actual law

    Homercles

    Posted

    5 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

    Simpsons Sandwich GIFs | Tenor

    Two more feet and I can fit it in the fridge 

    • Like 1
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    Horn Dog

    Posted

    4 hours ago, mchookem said:

    vapes, cooking oil, Hall&Oates...surly thread derails are an art form, dude!

    Hey guys which kind of motor oil is better to use in the winter 5w20 or 5w40?

    Pato del Muerto

    Posted

    9 hours ago, Horn Dog said:

    Hey guys which kind of motor oil is better to use in the winter 5w20 or 5w40?

    Olive. Its low smoke point means it has a lower viscosity at low temps. 

    • Haha 2
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    HornOnTheBayou

    Posted

    12 hours ago, Horn Dog said:

    Hey guys which kind of motor oil is better to use in the winter 5w20 or 5w40?

    Speaking of winter, do y'all drip your faucets when the temperature drops below freezing?

    • Drool 1
    elfenix

    Posted

    Imagine thinking the problem with the Texas Republican Party is that it's too moderate 

     

    Quote

    Because Texas has open primaries, people who traditionally affiliate with the Democratic or Republican parties can vote in the other party’s primary election, commonly referred to as “crossover voting.” The suit alleges that crossover voting leads to the selection of more moderate candidates and gives non-party members unfair influence.

     

    Texas GOP sues Secretary of State to close primary elections | The Texas Tribune https://share.google/RPLcJQORsnoOHJcx8

    Valmy77

    Posted

    The Democrats better keep theirs open if the GOP does this.

    BrickHorn

    Posted

    I have been insisting for a while now that UT’s academic standing in the world has peaked. I think that’s true for Texas generally. It will take a while for students to catch up to the likely faculty exodus, but the brain drain over the next decade plus will be significant.

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    Satchel

    Posted

    1 hour ago, BrickHorn said:

    I have been insisting for a while now that UT’s academic standing in the world has peaked. I think that’s true for Texas generally. It will take a while for students to catch up to the likely faculty exodus, but the brain drain over the next decade plus will be significant.

    The sole finalist for the Tech’s chancellor position is a UT grad and virulent right wing ideologue. He’s responsible for all of the anti CRT and DEI legislation and the law that limits free speech on Texas campuses:

    Building off his success banning CRT in Texas schools, Brandon Creighton championed a 21st-century curriculum for Texas to increase rigor and keep political agendas out of the classroom.  In Higher Education, Creighton passed the strongest ban on DEI in public universities in the nation and sweeping reforms to rein in tenure.

    The Campus Protection Act was Introduced by state Sen. Brandon Creighton and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, SB 2972 amends Section 51.9315 of the Texas Education Code to clarify where and how students can demonstrate on college campuses.

    • Rage+1 4
    Horn Dog

    Posted

    3 hours ago, BrickHorn said:

    I have been insisting for a while now that UT’s academic standing in the world has peaked. I think that’s true for Texas generally. It will take a while for students to catch up to the likely faculty exodus, but the brain drain over the next decade plus will be significant.

    So maybe in 10yr dipships like us can get in, like back in the good ole days!

    • Haha 1
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    dcbc

    Posted

    On 9/4/2025 at 7:05 PM, Homercles said:

    Two more feet and I can fit it in the fridge 

    LOL.  Homer reaction.  And username checks out.  This was just the perfect post.  Thank you.

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    dcbc

    Posted

    On 9/5/2025 at 8:07 AM, TwiceHorn said:

    That seems to be a new development associated with the disposable vapes.  I am more familiar with the older, sort of DIY vape apparatus.

    Oh, a volcano man, I see.

    chainsaw

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

    To get this thread back on track, we did it. My wife and daughter are safely in our new home in New York, while I close up shop here in Texas. My daughter Facetimed me really excited. She said she was at practice talking to her coach. Her coach was complaining about the drop in temperature and my daughter said, "You could always move to Texas". To which he coach responded, "Oh no. We like our women up here, thanks!". My daughter was beyond delighted. 

    So she is finishing up her senior year of high school and then it's off to play college vball. Her high school is super excited that they got a D1 volleyball player dropped in their laps, and she is happy to be surrounded by liberal-minded people. It sucks to be down here alone. The wife and I have been having Facetime movie dates. For their sakes the move had to be made. 

    How is the real estate market there

    • Hook 'Em 2
    Thatguy

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

    How is the real estate market there

    Upstate is relatively cheaper than Texas. I was shocked. Bracing for the winter though.

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    Longhorn_Fan68

    Posted

    Just now, Thatguy said:

    Everyone here(Texas) thinks we are crazy for picking up and moving. I just couldn't keep staring my wife and daughter in the face day after day and telling them it will be ok. Meanwhile the state of Texas is showing it's ass week after week. I had to do something. 

    we'll hold shit down while you're gone. hopefully you come back to something better someday. hopefully.

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    Pato del Muerto

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

    we'll hold shit down while you're gone. hopefully you come back to something better someday. hopefully.

    In the time it will take to reverse things sufficiently, climate change will have Houston underwater and most of Texas an uninhabitable desert wasteland. 
     

    but, you know, here’s to hoping!

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    BrickHorn

    Posted

    21 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

    Everyone here(Texas) thinks we are crazy for picking up and moving. 

    Sounds like y’all were surrounded by dummies. Damned near everyone in our social circle is contemplating a move out of state. Not everyone will pull the trigger, but I’ve yet to hear a single friend or family member question the wisdom of getting the fuck out.

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    LCHorn

    Posted

    1 hour ago, BrickHorn said:

    Sounds like y’all were surrounded by dummies. Damned near everyone in our social circle is contemplating a move out of state. Not everyone will pull the trigger, but I’ve yet to hear a single friend or family member question the wisdom of getting the fuck out.

    My circle isn't, but that's all because we have little kids and extended family that's part of the care givers.  

    That said, my wife works in tech and I've already made clear that if her career prospects are better in the South Bay then I'll be happy living in a shack and away from Gilead.  

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    sasquatch69

    Posted

    Quote

    Facing growing political pressure, Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III announced Monday evening that the dean and department head overseeing a children’s literature course at the center of a viral recording were going to be removed, saying they approved plans to teach material inconsistent with the published course description.

    The announcement came after a video circulated online Monday showing a student confronting a professor over LGBTQ-related content in the class, sparking backlash from Republican lawmakers and calls for investigations, a response from the U.S. Department of Justice, and a statement from the Texas A&M System chancellor pledging to discipline the professor.

     


    https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-am-video-professor-student-gender-identity-content/

    • Rage+1 6
    BrickHorn

    Posted

    Our universities are so fucked. 

    • Hook 'Em 3
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    Chuckie Finster

    Posted

    Our universities are so fucked. 

    There’s still about a decade before we have to make the call, but at this point I’ll consider it a failure if my kids end up going to school in state.
    • Hook 'Em 3
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    South Austin

    Posted

    37 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

    Our universities are so fucked. 

    After reading the football forum I tend to agree with you.

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    Michael Knight

    Posted

    They will probably wind up firing the president too

    HenryJames

    Posted

    On 9/8/2025 at 8:41 AM, CooterBrown said:

    My kid went to the doctor in Fort Collins for the first time last week.  When the nurse asked where she was from and she replied Texas, the nurse said "don't worry we love you here and will take of you."

    YARN | 'cause I'm the nurse who likes to... | Ferris Bueller's Day Off  (1986) | Video clips by quotes | 28e2dc12 | 紗

    • Like 3
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    Fudge Nuggets

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Chuckie Finster said:


    There’s still about a decade before we have to make the call, but at this point I’ll consider it a failure if my kids end up going to school in state.

    My kid will be class of 2028 and has already said she would prefer not going to school in TX.  I told her I don't blame her one bit and I'll foot the bill wherever she decides to go as long as it's not OU.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    speed817

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

    My kid will be class of 2028 and has already said she would prefer not going to school in TX.  I told her I don't blame her one bit and I'll foot the bill wherever she decides to go as long as it's not OU.

    Liberty University???

    • Haha 2
    Biff Tannen

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

    My kid will be class of 2028 and has already said she would prefer not going to school in TX.  I told her I don't blame her one bit and I'll foot the bill wherever she decides to go as long as it's not OU.

    image.jpeg.32547aa6efeaacfadf6aaa8d071777c0.jpeg

    • Haha 2
    Fudge Nuggets

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, speed817 said:

    Liberty University???

    I kind of figure if she don't want to go to school in TX for "reasons", then Liberty would be off the list as well; along with a whole spate of sec sec sec sec sec type schools.

    HenryJames

    Posted

    1 hour ago, speed817 said:

    Liberty University???

    Bovine University?

    • Hook 'Em 1
    Satchel

    Posted

    6 hours ago, BrickHorn said:

    Our universities are so fucked. 

    This is so damned depressing. 

    TwiceHorn

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Michael Knight said:

     

    J'Accuse!

    Fucking narc tattletale.

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    Burt

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Michael Knight said:

     

    um

    um

    um

    um

    um

    um

    • Hook 'Em 2
    Dbeasy

    Posted (edited)

    Jesus. This is unbelievable. The US has become the Taliban. 
    edit: what’s even more frightening is all the Aggie rubes supporting the firings on Facebook. Thousands of people. 

    Edited by Dbeasy
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    speed817

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

     

    Just ventured over to texags to see their thoughts on this.  Not surprised by a majority of the responses 😅

    The aggies subreddit is the exact opposite of texags.....




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