Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Surly Horns

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business & Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Advertise... Tailgate Donations

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

Longhorn_Fan68

Certifiably Surly
On 10/5/2024 at 7:15 AM, Macanudo said:

Cop getting hurt in Memphis.  By the time it was actually sent, the dude was in Amarillo by morning.  

Come On Please GIF by NBA

NeverMarryAStripper

New Members

As long as the gun shows come they don’t care

Nice Guy Eddie

Certifiably Surly
1 hour ago, pacman said:

 

57 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

As long as the gun shows come they don’t care

Exactly. We don’t need to seek out intellectual conferences here when gun/nazi paraphernalia shows just travel non-stop across Texas cities.

CooterBrown

Full Members
(edited)

So, how does the training of OB/GYNs work at Texas medical schools since abortion is part of the required curriculum and that can't be taught in Texas?

Run 

 

Edited by CooterBrown

pacman

Burnt Ends

As many suspected, the "gas plants" slush fund has seemingly been run with incompetence..

Screenshot_20241008_090426_X.jpg

20241008_090430.jpg

Screenshot_20241008_090514_X.jpg

Screenshot_20241008_090559_X.jpg

pacman

Burnt Ends

Screenshot_20241009_194053_X.jpg

Burt

Legacy Members
40 minutes ago, pacman said:

Screenshot_20241009_194053_X.jpg

Could be? 

miguelito

Legacy Members
42 minutes ago, pacman said:

Screenshot_20241009_194053_X.jpg

His action itself is enough to scare some people from showing up to vote, fearing that they might be arrested for voting.  You can't get much more un-American than this guy.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

 

atomheartbevo

Certifiably Surly
2 hours ago, miguelito said:

His action itself is enough to scare some people from showing up to vote, fearing that they might be arrested for voting.  You can't get much more un-American than this guy.

At least it shows how scared Republicans in Texas are.

They wouldn't be trying to purge almost half-a-million people if their numbers were great.

Biff Tannen

Burnt Ends
1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

You know. The important stuff. 

Chad Fuck

Legacy Members
You know. The important stuff. 

Gotta feed the hate machine. Keep punching down Ken, you dingleberry on a rats ass.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

good read ….

 

South Austin

Certifiably Surly

Tomorrow is one of my favorite Saturdays of the year, but I still have to suffer a bit watching that feckless dipshit wheel up and down the Texas sideline.

royiv

Legacy Members
13 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Tomorrow is one of my favorite Saturdays of the year, but I still have to suffer a bit watching that feckless dipshit wheel up and down the Texas sideline.

What if Ted is pushing the wheelchair?

South Austin

Certifiably Surly
Just now, royiv said:

What if Ted is pushing the wheelchair?

That would require Ted doing something of service to another human being.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members
3 minutes ago, royiv said:

What if Ted is pushing the wheelchair?

 

don’t even joke about ted cruz being at the game 

royiv

Legacy Members
2 minutes ago, South Austin said:

That would require Ted doing something of service to another human being.

Does slobbing Donald’s knob not count?

South Austin

Certifiably Surly
Just now, royiv said:

Does slobbing Donald’s knob not count?

No, because he thinks that helps him politically.  Pushing the wheelchair of state governor who has hit his ceiling and can do nothing for Ted does not.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

 

Chad Fuck

Legacy Members
4 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

good read ….

 

 

2 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

Dood.  Are you ok?

bluto

Certifiably Surly

A federal judge, Clinton appt, has been on the states ass for a decade to get its shit together on its broken foster care system. Finally resorted to a 100k daily fine. 
 

state sues and says the penalties are too harsh and that judge is beyond biased, the joke that is the 5th circuit says you’re right, fines erased and judge is booted. 

Burt

Legacy Members
15 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

don’t even joke about ted cruz being at the game 

Or about servicing a crippled man.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members
52 minutes ago, bluto said:

A federal judge, Clinton appt, has been on the states ass for a decade to get its shit together on its broken foster care system. Finally resorted to a 100k daily fine. 
 

state sues and says the penalties are too harsh and that judge is beyond biased, the joke that is the 5th circuit says you’re right, fines erased and judge is booted. 

 

that’s what I thought, the 5th did the state a huge favor here. were any of those fines ever paid ?

TwiceHorn

Full Members
4 hours ago, bluto said:

A federal judge, Clinton appt, has been on the states ass for a decade to get its shit together on its broken foster care system. Finally resorted to a 100k daily fine. 
 

state sues and says the penalties are too harsh and that judge is beyond biased, the joke that is the 5th circuit says you’re right, fines erased and judge is booted. 

Opinion by Edith, she-wolf of the SS, Jones, joined by Edith, Eva Braun, Clement.  And some dipshit I have never heard of named Cory, which tells you all you need to know.

But this is exactly how Cannon can be removed by the 11th Circuit.

Crazy that the 5th and 11th Circuits were once one and now the 11th is the sane(r) one.

Captainant

Burnt Ends
(edited)
44 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Opinion by Edith, she-wolf of the SS, Jones, joined by Edith, Eva Braun, Clement.  And some dipshit I have never heard of named Cory, which tells you all you need to know.

But this is exactly how Cannon can be removed by the 11th Circuit.

Crazy that the 5th and 11th Circuits were once one and now the 11th is the sane(r) one.

It's so funny how the fascist fucks keep their bench while the judges trying to protect children from a horrific foster care system get the boot. 

Must be that much vaunted justice system I hear so much about

Edited by Captainant

tx ind

Legacy Members
(edited)
19 minutes ago, Captainant said:

It's so funny how the fascist fucks keep their bench while the judges trying to protect children from a horrific foster care system get the boot. 

Must be that much vaunted justice system I hear so much about

Banning abortions is the solution to solving the problem of the foster system.

Edited by tx ind

miguelito

Legacy Members
8 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

explain this one please 

"Fuck them kids."

-The State of Texas

hornmpa96

Certifiably Surly
23 hours ago, South Austin said:

Tomorrow is one of my favorite Saturdays of the year, but I still have to suffer a bit watching that feckless dipshit wheel up and down the Texas sideline.

I’m hoping his wheelchair pulls a Sooner Schooner, tips over and we can point and laugh at that asshole lying on the ground.

atomheartbevo

Certifiably Surly
46 minutes ago, hornmpa96 said:

I’m hoping his wheelchair pulls a Sooner Schooner, tips over and we can point and laugh at that asshole lying on the ground.

Wish I knew who made this.  I’m guessing somebody who was wronged by one of his policies.

greg-abbott-abbott.gif

4th&Five

Certifiably Surly

 

Fudge Nuggets

Legacy Members

And their cult will never hold them accountable for never fixing the “border crisis”.

Disco Strangler

Legacy Members

And will never question how the fuck we blew $12 Billion on that shit

pacman

Burnt Ends

Imagine being so beholden to a few wealthy donors that you try to keep people from exercising their right to vote instead of govern responsibly to obtain their vote.

 

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/15/texas-noncitizen-voter-roll-removal-included-americans/?utm_campaign=trib-social-buttons&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Quote

Ockleberry, a native Texan who provided the news organizations with a copy of her birth certificate, had only left the state twice in her life, including a recent trip to California.

Quote

She had no idea Travis County had mislabeled her as a noncitizen until the news organizations contacted her. “How would something like that happen?”

 

Screenshot_20241015_171236_X.jpg

Screenshot_20241015_171225_X.jpg

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

 

MissingInAction

Certifiably Surly
On 10/12/2024 at 7:16 AM, tx ind said:

Banning abortions is the solution to solving the problem of the foster system.

Confused Mark Wahlberg GIF by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

bluto

Certifiably Surly

Hello again

 

safe sex

Burnt Ends

Party of Life, everyone!

YChang

Certifiably Surly

Score another one for junk science.

Brisketexan

Legacy Members
1 hour ago, bluto said:

Hello again

 

Nothing gets MAGA erections harder than the chance to execute an innocent man.

Anyone can execute a guilty man.  But, to execute an innocent man, and nobody can stop you?  Now THAT'S power!  And THAT is what gets MAGA dicks hard -- using crushing power to hurt the weak. 

4th&Five

Certifiably Surly

yep, as soon as this became a national story he was a goner.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

figured he was black. does abbott know he’s a white guy ?

Brisketexan

Legacy Members
2 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

yep, as soon as this became a national story he was a goner.

The hell of it is, the Texas legislature is actually taking up a junk science bill, to address cases and convictions in exactly this kind of case.  As in, even our shitty, dysfunctional Texas Lege can still, out of simple inertia, consider some things that make sense.

But justice, mercy, and truth?  Those values are diametrically opposed to the MAGA code.  Cruelty, injustice, lies, and the raw exercise of power are their gods, and they worship those gods with masturbatory fervor.

Fudge Nuggets

Legacy Members
5 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

But justice, mercy, and truth? 

Exhibiting those traits don't make you "Texas Tough".

DaysOff

Certifiably Surly

Can these "noncitizens" ask for a provisional ballot and fix the glitch later?

Guest
Add a comment...
Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business & Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Advertise... Tailgate Donations

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.