Jump to content
  • 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.

     

     


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    HenryJames

    Posted

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

    If it’s open.

    • Like 1
    • Haha 4
    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? 

    • Hook 'Em 1
    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.

    • Hook 'Em 3
    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....

    • Hook 'Em 4
    • Rage+1 1
    • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
    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 2
    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.

    • Hook 'Em 4
    • Like 2
    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…

    • Like 1
    • Rage+1 1
    UpperWestside

    Posted

    On 6/18/2025 at 3:05 PM, Blotto said:

    $3B .....65 miles. Money well spent. At least for the contractors that received that $3B. 

    https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2025-06-17/with-only-8-built-texas-quietly-defunds-state-border-wall-program

    State-built border wall under construction near the banks of the Rio Grande in Zapata Co. on Sept. 23, 2024.

    impenetrable 

    So to recap the new Texas. When these buffoons realized they couldn't build the wall they blamed the federal government. The party/cult of "small government" that wants Washington to stay out of their business now says flatly that this is the responsibility of the clown show in the nation's capital. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE. 

    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    11 hours ago, Hefeweizen said:

    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.

    The irony of Rick Perry is that the two things that killed his career were the two best things he tried to get done. 

    • Hook 'Em 4
    • Rage+1 1
    Brisketexan

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    The irony of Rick Perry is that the two things that killed his career were the two best things he tried to get done. 

    Well, yeah....human decency and good public policy are political poison in this state.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Rage+1 1
    bolverk

    Posted

    I've mentioned it before, but I was working in one of the divisions that fell under the umbrella of the governor's office during the transition between Perry and Abbott. It wasn't a terrible place to work before the change, but after Abbott's political appointees took over, it quickly became a toxic workplace environment.

    Nice Guy Eddie

    Posted

    Remember when Rick Perry had the audacity to suggest the idea that all Texas children should have the Gardasil vaccine to prevent HPV and future cancers. Since the virus is usually spread by sexual contact, the church going crowd cannot let their children have the vaccine since they believe it promotes sex. 

    I give Perry credit that he saw this is a healthcare issue to prevent cancer, and not the ridiculous idea that it promotes underage sex. However even he had to retract the idea because conservatives look at the future cancer as a result of low morals and most likely they think the victims deserve it.

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Like 1
    LCHorn

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

    Remember when Rick Perry had the audacity to suggest the idea that all Texas children should have the Gardasil vaccine to prevent HPV and future cancers. Since the virus is usually spread by sexual contact, the church going crowd cannot let their children have the vaccine since they believe it promotes sex. 

    I give Perry credit that he saw this is a healthcare issue to prevent cancer, and not the ridiculous idea that it promotes underage sex. However even he had to retract the idea because conservatives look at the future cancer as a result of low morals and most likely they think the victims deserve it.

    To be fair, I think a lot of people that would be supportive of the vaccine considered this so out of character for Perry that it became immediately suspicious.  

    Who knows, maybe some phd candidate working on their poly sci dissertation can make an argument this was the start of some traditional Dems moving toward MAHA.  

    scottsins

    Posted

    To be fair, I think a lot of people that would be supportive of the vaccine considered this so out of character for Perry that it became immediately suspicious.  
    Who knows, maybe some phd candidate working on their poly sci dissertation can make an argument this was the start of some traditional Dems moving toward MAHA.  

    To be more fair, IIRC, one of Perry’s most influential money bundler/PAC people was on the board of the the pharma company that produced the vaccine to be mandated.

    It wasn’t some legitimate rational decision based on wanting to do what was best for Texans.
    • Hook 'Em 2
    • Like 2
    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    On 7/3/2025 at 12:22 AM, scottsins said:

    It wasn’t some legitimate rational decision based on wanting to do what was best for Texans.

    There was also some speculation of a personal element. 

    Brisketexan

    Posted

    There was also some speculation of a personal element. 

    Rick Perry has a cervix?
    • Haha 2
    bluto

    Posted

    But we just couldn’t quite squeeze  60M into the budget for low income kids summer lunch assistance. 

    • Like 1
    • Rage+1 2
    FORTY NINE TO ZERO

    Posted

    wtf is abbot?  out of the country?  why is paxton doing all the flood press conferences 

    Biff Tannen

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Im_smarter_then_you said:

    image.thumb.png.bdf4a872a35d41857d32cb744ce04f85.png

    This is one I actually agree with. See Canada’s problem in British Columbia with Chinese nationals buying up all their real estate, making it unaffordable for actual citizens. Of course, we just have corporations doing that here anyway, but baby steps. 

    • Like 1
    hobbes2702

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Biff Tannen said:

    This is one I actually agree with. See Canada’s problem in British Columbia with Chinese nationals buying up all their real estate, making it unaffordable for actual citizens. Of course, we just have corporations doing that here anyway, but baby steps. 

    I feel like North Korea probably already can’t buy land here…

    Biff Tannen

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

    I feel like North Korea probably already can’t buy land here…

    Ha, touche. 

    Im_smarter_then_you

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

    This is one I actually agree with. See Canada’s problem in British Columbia with Chinese nationals buying up all their real estate, making it unaffordable for actual citizens. Of course, we just have corporations doing that here anyway, but baby steps. 

    Sure but what about South Koreans, Japanese, and Brazilians 

    chainsaw

    Posted

    Within 24 hours, you will hear almost verbatim:

    Quote

    Liberal climate activists intentionally downplayed and covered up the Camp Mystic weather forecast to ethnically cleanse conservatives

     

    • Like 1
    • Rage+1 2
    CTC2

    Posted

    People are really sensitive about pointing fingers over in the rain thread, but it seems like to me that Texas government is pretty much like the federal government. They put their best people on the grift and the worst on policy and governance. 

    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

    Within 24 hours, you will hear almost verbatim:

     

    I mean, if you look on Twitter there are a a few fundagelical influencers claiming that this storm, like recent hurricanes across the south, was caused by weather modification. 
    As we all know, the only thing that can modify the weather is Jewish space lasers. In other words:

    image.png.1632ba02ff7e8d85736a606b930ce0e9.png

    • Hook 'Em 1
    chainsaw

    Posted

    Soros is a calamari appetizer compared to the army of Kraken behind Trump but at least it's an intersectional movement that includes gentile and non-gentile billionaires. Progress!

    • Hook 'Em 2
    • Like 1
    Hagbard Celine

    Posted

    52 minutes ago, CTC2 said:

    People are really sensitive about pointing fingers over in the rain thread, but it seems like to me that Texas government is pretty much like the federal government. They put their best people on the grift and the worst on policy and governance. 

    patricia says the gutted noaa told all of the counties and cities they were about to get a 27-foot wall of water

    leaders of cities and counties say nay

    kxan requesting all comms

    wouldn't dare post this over in the dt feels thread but this shaping to be a popcorn-consuming event

    probably should be in the leopards thread but that would be cruel to the maga families who lost kids

    https://www.kxan.com/investigations/federal-forecast-concerns-surface-in-texas-deadly-flooding-debate/

    • Hook 'Em 4
    Hagbard Celine

    Posted

    psa: lake medina sits at 2.9%, the top of the dam is 1076', and these deaths took place at 1900', so it remains comical that we do not have a giant flood control system for these hill country rivers that do this once every 10 years

    i was laying in bed at 2am watching the system sit in place and rotate - it was a tight, 50-mile wide miniature hurricane and looked exactly like the blanco event from 15 which i also watched live on the radar

    maybe wheels and paxton can hire some fascist cruelty iterns to take turns watching the kxan radar - that's all it would have taken to save 50 dead kids

    /leopards

    • Hook 'Em 1
    chainsaw

    Posted

    17 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

    psa: lake medina sits at 2.9%, the top of the dam is 1076', and these deaths took place at 1900', so it remains comical that we do not have a giant flood control system for these hill country rivers that do this once every 10 years

    i was laying in bed at 2am watching the system sit in place and rotate - it was a tight, 50-mile wide miniature hurricane and looked exactly like the blanco event from 15 which i also watched live on the radar

    maybe wheels and paxton can hire some fascist cruelty iterns to take turns watching the kxan radar - that's all it would have taken to save 50 dead kids

    /leopards

    They say Waffle House has a dedicated weather monitoring team

    • Hook 'Em 1
    royiv

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

    They say Waffle House has a dedicated weather monitoring team

    HEB does.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
    pyrohornIII

    Posted

    1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

    Every preventable tragedy is partly caused by a pervasive culture among political and media figures that, in the past, stigmatized discussing exactly what should be discussed, that stigmatized advocating exactly what should be advocated, and that stigmatized spending political capital exactly when and on exactly what political capital should be spent.

    Every single person who participates in "This is not the time and place" culture is standing in the way of saving lives in the future. I hope we remember that when (not if) this happens again.

    Agreed.  Same can be said for Uvalde?  Sutherland Springs?  Santa Fe?     But there is a faction that continues to deny that guns kill people, and that our climate isn't affected by humans.  

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Like 1
    Pato del Muerto

    Posted (edited)

    Texas appears to be getting more proficient at letting kids get killed in bulk. 
     

    glad my kids aren’t in that ecosystem any longer. 

    Edited by Pato del Muerto
    • Hook 'Em 1
    GreenspointTexas

    Posted

    Im shocked no one in here has started the “who did the they vote for” line yet

    Fudge Nuggets

    Posted

    On 6/30/2025 at 5:25 PM, 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 mean, I'd also probably kneecap any 10 Surly posters just because we've all got it coming, but still....

     

    On 6/30/2025 at 5:51 PM, 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. 

    Both of you are missing the obvious catch here.  Perry of 15 years ago was way better than the current shit heaps, but I bet Perry today would be every bit as terrible as Hot Wheels now that he knows there will be no accountability for anything.

    • Hook 'Em 3
    Pato del Muerto

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

    Im shocked no one in here has started the “who did the they vote for” line yet

    Kids don’t vote.  And they aren’t local to that area. 

    GreenspointTexas

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

    Kids don’t vote.  And they aren’t local to that area. 

    Agree but there are a lot more dead that arent kids

    Bozo_Casanova

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

    Both of you are missing the obvious catch here.  Perry of 15 years ago was way better than the current shit heaps, but I bet Perry today would be every bit as terrible as Hot Wheels now that he knows there will be no accountability for anything.

    I honestly don’t think that’s true. I’m not going to praise Rick Perry but he’s a real person with core values and cares about outcomes. Greg Abbott has a hole inside he has tried to fill by getting to the next thing. They are different.

    • Hook 'Em 3
    TwiceHorn

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

    Fair. So who’d they vote for?

    Kerr County:

    Donald J. Trump 76.8%

    Kamala Harris 22.4%

    Most Mystic campers are going to be from affluent areas, so it's not guaranteed, but a decent percentage of Trumpists.

    13 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    I honestly don’t think that’s true. I’m not going to praise Rick Perry but he’s a real person with core values and cares about outcomes. Greg Abbott has a hole inside he has tried to fill by getting to the next thing. They are different.

    Trump has a way of coring those people out.  Eating out their substance.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
    chainsaw

    Posted (edited)

    6 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

    Texas will do absolutely nothing

    This is offensive. Stop. Do you have any idea how high Ted and Heidi are lifting them up in prayer? Still think they're doing nothing?

    Edited by chainsaw
    • Haha 6
    South Austin

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

    The only thing I'm confident about is Texas will do absolutely nothing and voters will forget about it in a week

    Wrong. In addition to thoughts and prayers, we never forget.

    • Hook 'Em 2



    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...