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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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    bolverk

    Posted

    The guy Talarico is questioning is Stan Gerdes, State Representative for Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee, and Milam counties. The guy isn't an old or really even a rural rube either. He's a 39yo Texas grad whose biography seems to indicate he's lived in and around Austin, as well as DC, for the last two decades.

    He didn't write this bill out of ignorance or gullibility. It's just another example of manipulative lies to throw on the pile with the intent of breeding hate, scaring old people, and destroying public education in Texas. If any of you live in that district, he and his staff need to be mocked and hassled relentlessly over this complete stupidity.

    I realize that Talarico's M.O. is calm and patient logic, but he missed a chance to ask that asshole if he wants his name permanently attached to such an imbecilic law that folks will still be making fun of in 100 years like we do other pointless bullshit on the books like those forbidding using feather dusters in public buildings or milking your neighbor's cow. 

    Or maybe Talarico should take Brisket's advice and just start accusing the guy of being a sick pedo to his face for fantasizing about children using a peepee box while wearing garanimals.

     

    • Hook 'Em 7
    • Like 1
    pacman

    Posted (edited)

    33 minutes ago, Larry T. Spider said:

    I know administrators that have had to release public statements saying they do not have litter boxes in their schools.

    It was actually a campaign issue in Round Rock a few years ago and the district had to release a statement. It reads like an onion article.

    https://www.kxan.com/news/local/williamson-county/tables-not-being-lowered-for-furries-rrisd-responds-to-candidates-twitter-claim/amp/

    Yeah, pretty sure you can thank this very special person for all of this furry and cat litter talk....same story as the other right wingers, a basic nobody and then rose to "fame" by making an outlandishly false claim..now lives off the far right salary in some made up policy org..

    An Interview with Michelle Evans - The Texas Horn

    Edited by pacman
    • Hook 'Em 1
    Michael Knight

    Posted

    PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!!* from everything except bullets

     

    • Rage+1 4
    Sbbruin

    Posted

    PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!!* from everything except bullets
     

    I just saw this. Sheer madness.
    bolverk

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

    I just saw this. Sheer madness.

     

    It's like every conspiracist from the John Birchers on down to today's anti-vaxxers are running the show now.

    • Hook 'Em 1
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    Updawg

    Posted

    Fuck yeah, Libs of Lake Travis ISD won… 260ish votes. Our efforts mattered. Fuck yeah.

    Just heard. Awesome
    troph

    Posted

    48 minutes ago, Updawg said:


    Just heard. Awesome

    We control the school board now.

     

    • Hook 'Em 5
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    • Drool 1
    Ghost of NMAS

    Posted

    They’ll start throwing out votes now

    safe sex

    Posted

    Super proud of y'all out in Lake Travis, troph

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
    HenryJames

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, troph said:

    it was exactly as I dreamed it in my head!

    image.png.a38ea550d4456a05ce191eff7b266e21.png

    • Haha 2
    cactusflinthead

    Posted (edited)

    Andy Hopper's candidate in the Denton School board got trounced too. Mansfield flipped. 

    https://www.newsweek.com/texas-school-board-mansfield-election-day-2067789

    Democratic Texas state Representative Chris Turner wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "There is something poetic that the day Greg Abbott signs his voucher scam into law, reform candidates in Mansfield ISD are running the table. Voters are angry about the way our public schools have been treated in #txlege and want strong, pro-public education leaders."

    Activist Carlos Turcios wrote on X: "Horrible News in Mansfield Texas. The Radical DEI Left has flipped the conservative school board. Mansfield ISD has capitulated to the DEI-LGBTQ Left."

     

    Screenshot_20250504-084125.png

    Screenshot_20250504-084135.png

    Screenshot_20250504-084142.png

    Edited by cactusflinthead
    Moar
    • Hook 'Em 6
    tx 3 putt

    Posted

    6 hours ago, sasquatch69 said:

    IMG_9897.jpeg

     

    allen west need to back home and ruin his home state, leave texas alone 

    tx 3 putt

    Posted

    abbott and paxton are not dumb and stacked with cash. they will take action against these results and the trend we are all seeing 

    Pato del Muerto

    Posted

    Alumnus of two Mansfield elementary schools here, and grapevine middle and high. 
     

    nice to see the results. Hope it makes a difference there and all the other places that voted for change/decency. 

    • Hook 'Em 1
    tx 3 putt

    Posted

    these groups will simply rebrand / rename, reorganize with better messaging,  but the same intent 

    troph

    Posted

    We can NEVER take elections for granted again. 

    • Hook 'Em 6
    Chuckie Finster

    Posted

    IMG_8690.thumb.png.d465914b6d62c11fc89c58b26f01ccd4.png

    When I went to research the different KISD candidates, the very first sentence from Perez on why he should be re-elected to a FUCKING SCHOOL BOARD was that he was a “strong Christian conservative.”
    No additional research needed. Proud of the voters.
    • Hook 'Em 5
    • Drool 1
    troph

    Posted (edited)

    the best thing about last night... we walked into a home of engaged, motivated and happy people, who care for one another and others even if those others are not like them, and they (we) were straight, gay, white, Hispanic, black, men and women (including trans) and it was amazing, normal, refreshing, and just undeniably right.  there can be hope.

    Edited by troph
    • Hook 'Em 4
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    Steamboat1874

    Posted

    1 minute ago, troph said:

    the best thing about last night... we walked into a home of engaged, motivated and happy people, who care for one another and others and they were straight, gay, white, Hispanic, black, men and women (including trans) and it was amazing, normal, refreshing, and just undeniably right.  there can be hope.

    I certainly “hope” you are right.

    Eskimohorn

    Posted


    When I went to research the different KISD candidates, the very first sentence from Perez on why he should be re-elected to a FUCKING SCHOOL BOARD was that he was a “strong Christian conservative.”
    No additional research needed. Proud of the voters.

    Was the same for me. When a board candidate waffles on supporting librarians, it makes it really easy to select.
    • Hook 'Em 4
    troph

    Posted

    29 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said:

    I certainly “hope” you are right.

    there's going to be a backlash like there always is in the mid terms. the real question is when will good people realize that you have to vote in every god damned election and you have to organize, give money and give time to help our neighbors who are running, from city council and school board to state rep and senate to state wide and then federal and national elections.  it's not an option anymore.

    TwiceHorn

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, troph said:

    there's going to be a backlash like there always is in the mid terms. the real question is when will good people realize that you have to vote in every god damned election and you have to organize, give money and give time to help our neighbors who are running, from city council and school board to state rep and senate to state wide and then federal and national elections.  it's not an option anymore.

    And possibly even more than that, will those who remain passive forget all this shit conveniently.  Like they seemed to in 2024.

    • Hook 'Em 1
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    Steamboat1874

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, troph said:

    there's going to be a backlash like there always is in the mid terms. the real question is when will good people realize that you have to vote in every god damned election and you have to organize, give money and give time to help our neighbors who are running, from city council and school board to state rep and senate to state wide and then federal and national elections.  it's not an option anymore.

    Absolutely correct.

    Hopefully at least some people might figure it out and I am pretty sure many of the people having their faces devoured by leopards will help swing the mid terms.

    Seeing these school board results in Texas is an early, encouraging sign.

     

    • Hook 'Em 1
    troph

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Steamboat1874 said:

    Absolutely correct.

    Hopefully at least some people might figure it out and I am pretty sure many of the people having their faces devoured by leopards will help swing the mid terms.

    Seeing these school board results in Texas is an early, encouraging sign.

     

    my dream is the voucher shit went one step too far and we actually make a dent in the state legislature and congressional races. it's still too much to ask for state wide offices.

    • Hook 'Em 2
    Larry T. Spider

    Posted

    Turnout > changing people’s minds

    • Hook 'Em 2
    Steamboat1874

    Posted

    Just now, troph said:

    my dream is the voucher shit went one step too far and we actually make a dent in the state legislature and congressional races. it's still too much to ask for state wide offices.

    I agree and I think we just saw that with these school board results but we need the rural Texans to stand up and say enough!

    That will be interesting.

    • Drool 1
    TwiceHorn

    Posted

    Seems like Democrats really need to hammer whether Texans voted for Tim Dunn, Faris Wilks, and Jeff Yass to run this state or not.

    • Hook 'Em 2
    • Drool 1
    Larry T. Spider

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said:

    I agree and I think we just saw that with these school board results but we need the rural Texans to stand up and say enough!

    That will be interesting.

    They already fucked their small towns for eternity with the voucher bill. 

    • Like 1
    Steamboat1874

    Posted

    Just now, Larry T. Spider said:

    They already fucked their small towns for eternity with the voucher bill. 

    Yes and hopefully those people will respond accordingly.

    Wait until they can longer afford to replace the lights in the football stadium.

    Maybe that will wake them the fuck up.

    Sawbonz

    Posted

    Anyone got a link to how the GOP did on dog catcher races?

    Pato del Muerto

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Sawbonz said:

    Anyone got a link to how the GOP did on dog catcher races?

    This is key, as you know that with the immigration crackdown the strays will be uneaten. 

    • Hook 'Em 1
    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    41 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

    Seems like Democrats really need to hammer whether Texans voted for Tim Dunn, Faris Wilks, and Jeff Yass to run this state or not.

    That’s inside baseball, nobody knows who they are.

    Texas Democrats need to bang on local tangibles, where even Republicans concede they have a problem, and don’t present themselves well, to wit,

    shot:

    image.thumb.png.a6db8cff2d24a289355c32dd73634299.png
     

    chaser:

    image.thumb.png.af79446c73d3bbf2e05ace9d2d899188.png

    troph

    Posted

    54 minutes ago, Larry T. Spider said:

    Turnout > changing people’s minds

    100% -- my efforts the next 2-3 years will be in convincing sidelined good folk to participate. our cabal added 30-50 new voters to the LTISD tally (about half donated money for the first time to a local election), and that's 10-15% of the vote differential. turnout is it, it will always be turnout. ELECTIONS ARE NOT OPTIONAL.

    • Hook 'Em 4
    troph

    Posted

    52 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

    Seems like Democrats really need to hammer whether Texans voted for Tim Dunn, Faris Wilks, and Jeff Yass to run this state or not.

    take a page from the other side - find a villain and hammer the message. for progressives and those who care about all people, the villain is the billionaire. hammer the fuck out of us vs them over, and over, and over.

    • Hook 'Em 2
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    TwiceHorn

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    That’s inside baseball, nobody knows who they are.

    Texas Democrats need to bang on local tangibles, where even Republicans concede they have a problem, and don’t present themselves well, to wit,

    shot:

    image.thumb.png.a6db8cff2d24a289355c32dd73634299.png
     

    chaser:

    image.thumb.png.af79446c73d3bbf2e05ace9d2d899188.png

    More chaser.

    DX-Photo-Template-2024-10-29T180042.549-

    • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
    troph

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    That’s inside baseball, nobody knows who they are.

    Texas Democrats need to bang on local tangibles, where even Republicans concede they have a problem, and don’t present themselves well, to wit,

    shot:

    image.thumb.png.a6db8cff2d24a289355c32dd73634299.png
     

    chaser:

    image.thumb.png.af79446c73d3bbf2e05ace9d2d899188.png

    we as a society have turned into an us vs. them society, I think you lean into it. yes you can talk about tangibles but when you do, the otherside talks about gay commies and george soros and other enemies and riles them up. I think there is something to identifying the villain.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
    Chuckie Finster

    Posted

    That’s inside baseball, nobody knows who they are.
    Texas Democrats need to bang on local tangibles, where even Republicans concede they have a problem, and don’t present themselves well, to wit,
    shot:
    image.thumb.png.a6db8cff2d24a289355c32dd73634299.png
     
    chaser:
    image.thumb.png.af79446c73d3bbf2e05ace9d2d899188.png

    This checks out. From the few races I followed, Republican-endorsed candidates tended to emphasize why they would be good Republicans. The Democratic-endorsed candidates seemed to emphasize why they would be good for the position.

    Likely not worth reading too much into, but de-nationalizing local races again would be a welcome development.
    • Hook 'Em 2
    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    32 minutes ago, troph said:

    take a page from the other side - find a villain and hammer the message. for progressives and those who care about all people, the villain is the billionaire. hammer the fuck out of us vs them over, and over, and over.

    Sure, and maybe I'm wrong but I'm just not sure that Wilks and co have any salience outside of Active Democrat circles and GOP intermurals. Elon Musk, on the other hand, seems to be a potent motivator. He's well known and acts weird in public. 
     

    25 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

    Likely not worth reading too much into, but de-nationalizing local races again would be a welcome development.

    I think talking about local issues works in local elections because of who votes in them.

     

    Steamboat1874

    Posted

    29 minutes ago, troph said:

    take a page from the other side - find a villain and hammer the message. for progressives and those who care about all people, the villain is the billionaire. hammer the fuck out of us vs them over, and over, and over.

    This right here.

    Those assholes use every fucking tactic there is which is mostly, make shit up, scare the shit out of people with the made up boogie man, lie like crazy, act like you are a Christian and do it because you know there are so many dumb, gullible people out there that they will believe anything.

    And guess what?

    It fucking worked, especially that religion bullshit.

    That is one of the main reasons Texas went from blue to red 25 or 30 years ago.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    troph

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    Sure, and maybe I'm wrong but I'm just not sure that Wilks and co have any salience outside of Active Democrat circles and GOP intermurals. Elon Musk, on the other hand, seems to be a potent motivator. He's well known and acts weird in public. 
     



     

    agreed the actual names of texas conservative billionaire won't resonate with anyone.

    TwiceHorn

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, troph said:

    agreed the actual names of texas conservative billionaire won't resonate with anyone.

    Maybe they need to be educated.  Soros certainly resonated with some people.

    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted (edited)

    49 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

    Maybe they need to be educated.  Soros certainly resonated with some people.

    “some people,” a live look

    image.thumb.png.e5a4113b3cb026e4b58d2dea9e7cac7b.png
    image.png.fb3b799534d6d9bfd4295db2fcf7a924.png

    image.thumb.png.cc8bd8273844092a62d06564363ec73a.png
     


    image.thumb.png.29340bab5fe1839b6ea5b248e3f4fce0.png

    image.thumb.png.2a38b409279ca8a226073080a0192477.png

    Edited by Bozo_Casanova
    Dnaguy

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

     

    image.thumb.png.2a38b409279ca8a226073080a0192477.png


    Deep cut.

    What simpler times.

    • Rage+1 1
    Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand

    Posted (edited)

    3 hours ago, troph said:

    take a page from the other side - find a villain and hammer the message. for progressives and those who care about all people, the villain is the billionaire. hammer the fuck out of us vs them over, and over, and over.

    Evolution has hardwired a negativity bias into our DNA. Use it, because unlike litterboxes in bathrooms, the threat from billionaires turning America into a neo-feudal society of techno scam artists is real.

     

    Edited by Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand
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