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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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    Bookman

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

    When he dies if he doesn't end up in hell, there's no point in having one.

    I have some bad news for you. 

    Homercles

    Posted

    I too have been to multiple dispensaries in legal states.  The products may be more limited, but I’ve found them to be completely consistent and without fear of being in the waiting zone ‘did I get a bunk one or…holy shit I may have made a mistake, cancel all plans and lock all doors code green I repeat code green’.  That alone is nice

    • Hook 'Em 2
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    Longhorn_Fan68

    Posted (edited)

    1 hour ago, Homercles said:

    I too have been to multiple dispensaries in legal states.  The products may be more limited, but I’ve found them to be completely consistent and without fear of being in the waiting zone ‘did I get a bunk one or…holy shit I may have made a mistake, cancel all plans and lock all doors code green I repeat code green’.  That alone is nice

    yeah, the oversaturation of thc-a in texas gives a false impression of the availability of actual thc products. I still believe regulation (correct, actual regulation, which we know we won't get, but still) is better than unfettered market - at least when we're discussing mind-bending substances. consistency and expected dosage are big things and should be taken seriously. I think flower should be generally be unregulated and anything that is concentrated should be regulated.

    Edited by Longhorn_Fan68
    Satchel

    Posted

    23 hours ago, elfenix said:

     

    Thirteen states, all with Republican governors, opted out of a federal summer food program that provides electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards to families for the purchase of groceries.These states include Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

    • Rage+1 3
    bluto

    Posted

    Fan damn tastic, schatzline gunning for the state senate seat that Hancock just vacated to move over to comptroller. Can only imagine the fuck head O’Hara has lined up in Fort Worth to replace schatz. 

    SimonBolivar

    Posted (edited)

    On 6/23/2025 at 4:50 PM, Ted Lange said:

     

    I love this headline from a local paper.

    image.png.f35283f0eff4ce2e3b938a7493a39459.png

    Real headline should read, "State rep pretends to need more information on topic that he felt confident enough to vote on, but now smells which way the wind is blowing in his party's power structure."

     

    Edited by SimonBolivar
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    Satchel

    Posted

    Good news!

    https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/june-2025-university-of-texas-texas-politics-project-poll-economic-concerns-drag-trump-s-job-approval-underwater-in-texas-while-most-texans-oppose-ban-on-thc-products-dividing-gop-leadership

    A new University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll finds approval of President Donald Trump’s job performance falling into net-negative territory for the first time in his second term, with 44% approving and 51% disapproving, tied for the highest negative job approval rating ever recorded for Trump in University of Texas polling. Texans’ views of the performance of state political leaders also took a negative turn as economic concerns persist in the Lone Star State, and the legislature looks toward a potentially heated special session following Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of SB 3, the comprehensive ban on hemp-derived and other THC products aggressively championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

    In the wake of Gov. Abbott’s veto, and his subsequent announcement that he would convene a special session in July to reconsider less restrictive regulation, the poll reveals that Texas voters largely side with Abbott overall, but with the plurality of Republicans slightly in favor of the ban favored by Lt. Gov. Patrick.

    More than half of Texas voters, 53%, opposed the ban passed by the Legislature, while 31% supported it. Republicans remain closely divided, with 46% supporting a ban and 39% opposing it, a reflection of Texas Republicans’ divided opinions on the legal status of marijuana writ large Well more than half of Democrats (68%) and independents (58%) were opposed to the Legislature’s THC ban. In another item assessing the more general handling of marijuana/cannabis laws by state leaders and the legislature, 22% approved and 47% disapproved of the state’s performance so far, with similar patterns in partisan evaluations to those seen in the more specific item. The poll was conducted shortly after the end of the session but prior to Abbott’s veto.

    Larry T. Spider

    Posted (edited)

    3 hours ago, Satchel said:

    Good news!

    https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/june-2025-university-of-texas-texas-politics-project-poll-economic-concerns-drag-trump-s-job-approval-underwater-in-texas-while-most-texans-oppose-ban-on-thc-products-dividing-gop-leadership

    A new University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll finds approval of President Donald Trump’s job performance falling into net-negative territory for the first time in his second term, with 44% approving and 51% disapproving, tied for the highest negative job approval rating ever recorded for Trump in University of Texas polling. Texans’ views of the performance of state political leaders also took a negative turn as economic concerns persist in the Lone Star State, and the legislature looks toward a potentially heated special session following Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of SB 3, the comprehensive ban on hemp-derived and other THC products aggressively championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

    In the wake of Gov. Abbott’s veto, and his subsequent announcement that he would convene a special session in July to reconsider less restrictive regulation, the poll reveals that Texas voters largely side with Abbott overall, but with the plurality of Republicans slightly in favor of the ban favored by Lt. Gov. Patrick.

    More than half of Texas voters, 53%, opposed the ban passed by the Legislature, while 31% supported it. Republicans remain closely divided, with 46% supporting a ban and 39% opposing it, a reflection of Texas Republicans’ divided opinions on the legal status of marijuana writ large Well more than half of Democrats (68%) and independents (58%) were opposed to the Legislature’s THC ban. In another item assessing the more general handling of marijuana/cannabis laws by state leaders and the legislature, 22% approved and 47% disapproved of the state’s performance so far, with similar patterns in partisan evaluations to those seen in the more specific item. The poll was conducted shortly after the end of the session but prior to Abbott’s veto.

     

    People can disapprove all they want. Doesn’t make a shit until they vote differently…..and they won’t.

    Edited by Larry T. Spider
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    Satchel

    Posted

    I hold on to hope that little by little, bone marrow Republicans/conservatives will begin to understand the degree to which their loyalty and obeisance to a party that no longer exists, has harmed them and the country they purport to love. Just today, there have been rumblings from the base who have begun to question why a guy who is spending 25 million on his second wedding, needs a tax cut paid in part by the 21% of Iowans who are will lose their Medicaid to make it possible. These are the murmurings of which revolutions are made.

    • Like 3
    Nice Guy Eddie

    Posted

    I'm always so annoyed that when the state GOP officials want to provide tax relief, they only focus on property tax. Which further strangles local govt and schools, forcing them to be more dependent on the growing state of Texas govt. And Texas does it best to refuse federal funds.

    If Abbott or Patrick want to lower taxes, they should only have the right to change the state sales tax. If they want to lower tax revenue, they should start with state tax revenue first. I don't even see why or how they should have control of local taxes. Believe the sales tax rate has been 6.25% (state level) since 1990. If it was those nasty Dems that took it up to 6.25%, why hasn't the GOP brought it down. Funny how there's never a peep out of them to touch their funds.

    Satchel

    Posted

    15 hours ago, Satchel said:

    I hold on to hope that little by little, bone marrow Republicans/conservatives will begin to understand the degree to which their loyalty and obeisance to a party that no longer exists, has harmed them and the country they purport to love. Just today, there have been rumblings from the base who have begun to question why a guy who is spending 25 million on his second wedding, needs a tax cut paid in part by the 21% of Iowans who are will lose their Medicaid to make it possible. These are the murmurings of which revolutions are made.

    My bad. The Bezos wedding will cost 56 million…slightly more than mine.

    HenryJames

    Posted

    Taking a gold bar to H‑E‑B tomorrow.

    If it’s open.

    • Like 1
    Pescado_Rojo

    Posted

    On 6/27/2025 at 2:38 PM, Satchel said:

    My bad. The Bezos wedding will cost 56 million…slightly more than mine.

    Are you including the inevitable divorce in that number? 

    Nice Guy Eddie

    Posted

    14 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

    Screenshot2025-06-29at9_16_32PM.thumb.png.549594b67fe7204afc26bd4f869b42ac.png

    Was a bill really required to allow Texans to spend gold and silver? I'm assuming this doesn't require companies, stores, vendors, whatever accept gold. Hell, some places don't even accept cash these days.

    Greg Abbott has morphed from entertaining the ideas of the fringes to mainly focusing on the fringes. Crazy how he's surpassed Rick Perry.

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    The Original Greaser Bob

    Posted

    On 6/27/2025 at 2:38 PM, Satchel said:

    My bad. The Bezos wedding will cost 56 million…slightly more than mine.

    You did the Thursday nite wedding?

    Smart.

    Brisketexan

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

    Was a bill really required to allow Texans to spend gold and silver? I'm assuming this doesn't require companies, stores, vendors, whatever accept gold. Hell, some places don't even accept cash these days.

    Greg Abbott has morphed from entertaining the ideas of the fringes to mainly focusing on the fringes. Crazy how he's surpassed Rick Perry.

    Was just having that conversation with someone who was much closer to Republican inside circles than I ever was.  Conversation ended with "When Abbott took over for Perry, did you ever imagine how badly you'd be longing for the return to the relatively decent and benign reign of Perry?"

    I'd kneecap any 10 Surly posters if it would get Rick Perry back in the governor's mansion.

    I mean, I'd also probably kneecap any 10 Surly posters just because we've all got it coming, but still....

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    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    On 6/26/2025 at 11:36 PM, Satchel said:

    I hold on to hope that little by little, bone marrow Republicans/conservatives will begin to understand the degree to which their loyalty and obeisance to a party that no longer exists

    You mean the party that was exactly like this one but was too embarrassed to act like this in public?

    • Like 1
    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    Was just having that conversation with someone who was much closer to Republican inside circles than I ever was.  Conversation ended with "When Abbott took over for Perry, did you ever imagine how badly you'd be longing for the return to the relatively decent and benign reign of Perry?"

    I'd kneecap any 10 Surly posters if it would get Rick Perry back in the governor's mansion.

    I think I’ve told you this before, but I would make Rick Perry Governor for life if it saved us one month of Greg Abbott. He’s the worst governor we have ever had, and no one is close. 

    mchookem

    Posted

    21 hours ago, HenryJames said:

    Taking a gold bar to H‑E‑B tomorrow.

    If it’s open.

    closed!

    image.gif.ac544a234d514fef9a4d086b5d69087c.gif

    Hefeweizen

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    I think I’ve told you this before, but I would make Rick Perry Governor for life if it saved us one month of Greg Abbott. He’s the worst governor we have ever had, and no one is close. 

    Rick Perry was just a typical grifter politician. I remember 30 years ago him coming into my old bosses office to talk about the manor airport site.  He was just a dumb guy who was pretty likable and political.  Nothing like the evil criminals we like to put in office these days.

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    Evil Bill Obrien

    Posted

    Greg Abbott and Donald Trump have been some of the best PR money can buy for Slick Rick and W, respectively.

     

    Oh Yeah Abc GIF by Dancing with the Stars
     

    George Bush Dancing GIF
     

    Sure they weren’t great but at the time had no idea how much worse it could get…




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