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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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Recommended Comments

Pescado_Rojo

Certifiably Surly
(edited)
4 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

If the Texas Democrat 'party' had any semblance of sense, they would make commercials to air in rural and suburban areas of the state, blaring about how under republican leadership, Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and crooked Ken Paxton, state leadership has stolen billions of dollars from your schools and given them to cronies and 'big city' private, charter and magnet schools, while your children go to the same broken down underfunded public schools.

A competent party would be hammering rural Texas with "Under 30 years of Republican leadership, your electric grid has gotten worse and Abbott and company are allowing Chinese bitcoin miners to make it even worse. Your schools have gotten worse and Abbott and company want to kill them once and for all by diverting state money to private schools in Dallas and Houston. Rural healthcare is hanging on by a thread and Abbott and company refuse to expand Medicare."  

Edited by Pescado_Rojo

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

 

Bozo_Casanova

Legacy Members

I can’t I don’t even

 

Brisketexan

Legacy Members
I can’t I don’t even
 

Women in hip-hop DO push back against the male gaze. I heard that they regularly push it, push it, push it REAL good.

safe sex

Burnt Ends

I'd take that class

gmr548

Legacy Members
8 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I can’t I don’t even

 

Don't make a joke about yell practice, don't make a joke about yell practice, don't make a joke about yell practice...

South Austin

Certifiably Surly

Don’t lie, Brian. You got semi-hard when you read “Fag Discourse,” didn’t you?

atomheartbevo

Certifiably Surly

Aggy has one of the largest collections of LBGTQ literature in the country at one of its libraries.  This will give the MAGA idiots a chance to purge it. 

Nice Guy Eddie

Certifiably Surly
On 8/17/2024 at 12:22 PM, tx 3 putt said:

 

Sounds like he would be very fair if an election case came before him.

Eskimohorn

Legacy Members
I'd take that class

giphy.gif

Professor of hiphop

4th&Five

Certifiably Surly

Well I’ll eat my hat!

NeverMarryAStripper

New Members
(edited)
37 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

The intersection of 1488 and 2978 is not in Magnolia; it's in Egypt.  I'm sure Magnolia has plenty of cultists, but at least get the location correct. I've shopped at that Kroger before.

Edited by NeverMarryAStripper

Walser

Certifiably Surly
(edited)

 asdf

Edited by Walser
who cares

Longhorn_Fan68

Certifiably Surly
1 hour ago, 4th&Five said:

Well I’ll eat my hat!

viking GIF

tchookem

Legacy Members
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/texas-teachers-spend-school-supplies-states-19604960.php?sid=5eb35f0cd14307791d11019c&ss=A&st_rid=2fa7d4dd-6d4f-48a7-81ac-0fdb75dd3d65&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_campaign=HC_The713
Texas teachers outspend their counterparts from all 50 states on yearly school supply purchases for their classrooms, according to survey released Monday as educators prepare for the 2024-25 school year.
The survey, which sampled 50 teachers from each state for 2,500 teachers nationwide, found that educators in Texas spend on average $1,396 per year on school supplies for their classrooms, compared to the nationwide average of $915. 
According to the survey, 93% of teachers dip into their own money for school supplies, including pens, paper, ink, classroom decorations, educational aids, cleaning supplies and even snacks. 
While teachers are not required by law to purchase their own supplies, many do so anyway out of fear that their classroom learning environment would suffer if they didn’t -- a statement that 77% of survey respondents agreed with.
While this is a survey and not backed up with receipts, I'm not surprised that our teachers are shelling out this much because Texas and the ISDs fail to adequately supply the teachers and students. But then they blame those same teachers when the students don't score high enough on an exam. 

I spend around $500 a year for subscriptions to online resources alone. Websites like Blooket and Gimkit that let me turn my questions into online computer games. Hate it if you want, but these kids have never not had a screen in their hands, and this is a way to increase engagement. Anyway, that's $500 plus everything else I buy that goes into making a classroom run. So yeah, $1300 out-of-pocket doesn't sound too far-fetched. At least I get a $250 tax deduction. And the $100 department allotment.

Gil Bang

Certifiably Surly
On 8/21/2024 at 4:13 AM, atomheartbevo said:

Aggy has one of the largest collections of LBGTQ literature in the country at one of its libraries.  This will give the MAGA idiots a chance to purge it. 

200.webp?cid=790b7611grddf66mtqaqrdk6ive

 

tchookem

Legacy Members
We should pump tax dollars into whatever educational systems can demonstrate performance on outcomes and objective measures of educational attainment. And I say that as one with three kids in the public school system. 
Educators: "Finland has a fantastic education system and typically outperforms American students."
Texas: "Really? What do they do differently?"
Educators: "Well, one thing they don't do is place an emphasis on testing. Oh, and they also don't allow for-profit education."
Texas: "Oh, well fuck that."

elfenix

Certifiably Surly
7 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

The intersection of 1488 and 2978 is not in Magnolia; it's in Egypt.  I'm sure Magnolia has plenty of cultists, but at least get the location correct. I've shopped at that Kroger before.

basically the back side of the woodlands, not even methnolia

Captainant

Burnt Ends
8 hours ago, tchookem said:

Educators: "Finland has a fantastic education system and typically outperforms American students."
Texas: "Really? What do they do differently?"
Educators: "Well, one thing they don't do is place an emphasis on testing. Oh, and they also don't allow for-profit education."
Texas: "Oh, well fuck that."

"Well if nobody is profiting, then there's no incentive to improve things!!! Free public education is SOCIALISM" [/businessbrain]

Anastasis

Certifiably Surly
8 hours ago, tchookem said:

Educators: "Finland has a fantastic education system and typically outperforms American students."
Texas: "Really? What do they do differently?"
Educators: "Well, one thing they don't do is place an emphasis on testing. Oh, and they also don't allow for-profit education."
Texas: "Oh, well fuck that."

They break kids out after 9th grade into vocational and secondary track. I think that makes a lot of sense. 

tchookem

Legacy Members
They break kids out after 9th grade into vocational and secondary track. I think that makes a lot of sense. 
So does Texas. They just do it in the most inefficient possible way. Oh, and they keep giving standardized tests to the vocational kids.

HornOnTheBayou

Legacy Members
12 hours ago, Anastasis said:

They break kids out after 9th grade into vocational and secondary track. I think that makes a lot of sense. 

So your behavior and academic aptitude when you're 14 should determine the rest of your life? Fuck that.

NeverMarryAStripper

New Members

So that shit really does go on your permanent record

Macanudo

Legacy Members
1 minute ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

So that shit really does go on your permanent record

And fat, drunk and stupid is the way to go through life?

Brisketexan

Legacy Members
And fat, drunk and stupid is the way to go through life?

I mean…it got me this far…

linux

Legacy Members

Have you guys checked if you are still registered to vote after the Abbot purge?

atomheartbevo

Certifiably Surly
1 hour ago, linux said:

Have you guys checked if you are still registered to vote after the Abbot purge?

I did. Was surprised, given I live in Travis County.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members
2 hours ago, linux said:

Have you guys checked if you are still registered to vote after the Abbot purge?

 

yes, i just voted and was glad to see I wasn’t purged 

i’m in the heart of harris county Dem territory. my congress woman was shelia jackson lee, im one block from sylvia garcia’s district 

deep blue country 

Sawbonz

Certifiably Surly
On 8/15/2024 at 12:04 AM, StassneyHorn said:

lol Scott Braddock is drunk and shitposting on Twitter again

 

Schwertner is an absolute piece of shit

atomheartbevo

Certifiably Surly
46 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

yes, i just voted and was glad to see I wasn’t purged 

i’m in the heart of harris county Dem territory. my congress woman was shelia jackson lee, im one block from sylvia garcia’s district 

deep blue country 

How'd you fly under the radar and not get purged?

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members
1 minute ago, atomheartbevo said:

How'd you fly under the radar and not get purged?

Tom Cruise Film GIF

Sawbonz

Certifiably Surly
On 8/20/2024 at 4:27 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

I can’t I don’t even

 

What no “Glory Holes and Jizz Jars?”

gmr548

Legacy Members
On 8/24/2024 at 1:42 PM, NeverMarryAStripper said:

The intersection of 1488 and 2978 is not in Magnolia; it's in Egypt.  I'm sure Magnolia has plenty of cultists, but at least get the location correct. I've shopped at that Kroger before.

James Franco GIF

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members
46 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

What no “Glory Holes and Jizz Jars?”

 

that’s core curriculum for the corp 

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

 

Bookman

Legacy Members
10 hours ago, linux said:

Have you guys checked if you are still registered to vote after the Abbot purge?

No, I'm white. 

SydneyCarton

Burnt Ends
On 8/24/2024 at 11:07 PM, elfenix said:

basically the back side of the woodlands, not even methnolia

I mean it’s magnolia county for a reason. 

elfenix

Certifiably Surly
2 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

I mean it’s magnolia county for a reason. 

?

SydneyCarton

Burnt Ends
5 minutes ago, elfenix said:

?

Ignore me, it was early. I was conflating Magnolia and Montgommery.

FWIW, I know exactly where that is, it's about 5 min from my SIL. You can call it the back of the Woodlands, but that intersection is basically the boundary from where things go from "regular" Woodlands red to dark red/kkk/hunter s thompson weird. 

NeverMarryAStripper

New Members
10 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

How'd you fly under the radar and not get purged?

I voted in the republican primary, so I'm safe

crash_davis

Legacy Members
14 hours ago, linux said:

Have you guys checked if you are still registered to vote after the Abbot purge?

Website to check your voter status. This probably should be a link at the top of this website, not just Cloak Room.

https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do

 

Nice Guy Eddie

Certifiably Surly

I’ve long told Harris County to not display my name on voter registration websites. Downside is that I can’t check my status on self serve websites. Guess I will find out in November if I’m registered or maybe I will just register again.

Scheiss Meister

Certifiably Surly

I check mine regularly, but what I figure will happen is that a big purge will occur at 4:50 pm on the last day to register for the 2024 election.  That way those purged will not have the opportunity to re-register.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members
51 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

I check mine regularly, but what I figure will happen is that a big purge will occur at 4:50 pm on the last day to register for the 2024 election.  That way those purged will not have the opportunity to re-register.

 

oct 7

crash_davis

Legacy Members
3 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Gender: UNSPECIFIED

Philip J Fry GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY

DPS is no longer taking gender changes. You are stuck at Pat.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members
3 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Gender: UNSPECIFIED

Philip J Fry GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY

 

yeah, i had the same 

 

Kel Varnsen

Legacy Members

Mine said SEX: INFREQUENTLY

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

 

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