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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

Larry T. Spider

Legacy Members

So if we get the 11 billion back, it’s going to education? Sweet.

royiv

Legacy Members
3 minutes ago, Larry T. Spider said:

So if we get the 11 billion back, it’s going to education? Sweet.

It’s most definitely not going to public education.

BrazilHorn

Certifiably Surly
14 minutes ago, Larry T. Spider said:

So if we get the 11 billion back, it’s going to education? Sweet.

Those rural football mega stadiums and water parks aren’t going to build themselves. 
Oh wait recapture already taking care of those, so no. 
 

You will get more and more bond and prop packages which raise taxes and like it. 

Pescado_Rojo

Certifiably Surly
18 hours ago, pyrohornIII said:

 

While there are some who are behind another Allred run, I say the majority are gunshy of it at this point.  He burned a lot of bridges trying to play the bi-partisan game.  Beto has been rattling his sabre some.   We shall see.  I'd personally like to see Crockett take a swing at it. 

I'd LOVE to have her as a senator, but the racist dog whistles in that campaign would be ultra-gross. Especially if Paxton wins the R primary (he will). 

Longhorn_Fan68

Certifiably Surly
Just now, Pescado_Rojo said:

I'd LOVE to have her as a senator, but the racist dog whistles in that campaign would be ultra-gross. Especially if Paxton wins the R primary (he will). 

good, she's demonstrated she's more than capable of not only deflecting that shit, but turning it back on them. I hope she continues to pursue higher office

Brisketexan

Legacy Members
Just now, Pescado_Rojo said:

I'd LOVE to have her as a senator, but the racist dog whistles in that campaign would be ultra-gross. Especially if Paxton wins the R primary (he will). 

Yeah.  None of this conversation matters.  Paxton wins the R primary running away (seriously, he beats Cornyn by 10 points or close to it).  And he'll win the Senate race against whoever the D's put up by at least 6 points.  Because we are a shitty state full of shitty people, and Paxton's shittiness, criminality, etc., are not negatives -- they are strengths to our electorate.

Chad Fuck

Legacy Members
Yeah.  None of this conversation matters.  Paxton wins the R primary running away (seriously, he beats Cornyn by 10 points or close to it).  And he'll win the Senate race against whoever the D's put up by at least 6 points.  Because we are a shitty state full of shitty people, and Paxton's shittiness, criminality, etc., are not negatives -- they are strengths to our electorate.

Real talk.

Steamboat1874

Legacy Members
4 minutes ago, Chad Fuck said:


Real talk.

And true.

LCHorn

Full Members
13 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

good, she's demonstrated she's more than capable of not only deflecting that shit, but turning it back on them. I hope she continues to pursue higher office

I have a hard time imaging her with the kind of crossover appeal needed to win a plurality of voters in Texas.  She’s better as a bomb throwing house rep or going for something less ambitious like Texas AG.  
 

One of the unfortunate consequences of having such a terrible state party is that good candidates are running for higher office before they are ready.  

Fudge Nuggets

Legacy Members

She would get her ass kicked in the election, but at least she would fight them, like really fight them.  I could see old dead eye make a snide comment towards her during a debate and the next thing you know, she’s tying back her hair, taking out her earrings and running across the stage to whoop some ass.

MissingInAction

Certifiably Surly
2 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

She would get her ass kicked in the election, but at least she would fight them, like really fight them.  I could see old dead eye make a snide comment towards her during a debate and the next thing you know, she’s tying back her hair, taking out her earrings and running across the stage to whoop some ass.

Go on...

Vegas64

Full Members
20 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

The 10 commandments shit is fucking so dumb. At this point, I dont know how anyone can be a christian anymore

Jewish, too, right? 10 commandments is OG Torah iirc....

BearSchlong

Legacy Members

Sure.
But Machete.

In Trejo’s autobiography, which I own and cherish because his life is truly fascinating, he talks about how during his criminal childhood they avoided starting shit with average law abiding citizens because they were “Republicans” - which was his gang’s catch-all slang for people who would bring heat from law enforcement, not for people of any particular political affiliation.

If you haven't read his book, I recommend it.

royiv

Legacy Members
55 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Talarico is so good at making these people look stupid, but they don't care. They have an audience of two billionaires, and don't give a single shit what ordinary Texans think

I love how he just deadpans it when he’s questioning these morons.

pacman

Burnt Ends

Best of all, the commandments are so important to her that she had to fumble around and look it up.ost kids learn that before they graduate out of kiddie Sunday school.

The Original Greaser Bob

Certifiably Surly

“If you think that it would be impossible to improve upon the Ten Commandments as a statement of morality, you really owe it to yourself to read some other scriptures. Once again, we need look no further than the Jains: Mahavira, the Jain patriarch, surpassed the morality of the Bible with a single sentence: 'Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being.' Imagine how different our world might be if the Bible contained this as its central precept. Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries, on the basis of a theologically defensible reading of the Bible.”

 Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation

Sawbonz

Certifiably Surly
2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah.  None of this conversation matters.  Paxton wins the R primary running away (seriously, he beats Cornyn by 10 points or close to it).  And he'll win the Senate race against whoever the D's put up by at least 6 points.  Because we are a shitty state full of shitty people, and Paxton's shittiness, criminality, etc., are not negatives -- they are strengths to our electorate.

Harris county could win it by themselves. I say let her run and let her go off on these fucks

Pescado_Rojo

Certifiably Surly
36 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Harris county could win it by themselves. I say let her run and let her go off on these fucks

not after they slash the number of voting locations in certain parts of the county, don't ship enough ballots to certain parts of the county, and start the bi-annual whisper campaign that if you have warrants they will arrest you for voting. 

MissingInAction

Certifiably Surly
2 hours ago, BearSchlong said:


In Trejo’s autobiography, which I own and cherish because his life is truly fascinating, he talks about how during his criminal childhood they avoided starting shit with average law abiding citizens because they were “Republicans” - which was his gang’s catch-all slang for people who would bring heat from law enforcement, not for people of any particular political affiliation.

If you haven't read his book, I recommend it.

Absolutely true. In 10 years of living in the St Johns area the only people who have ever fucked with me were white, crack heads,  or white crack heads. 

Latinos just want to practice their english with me, and my espanol with them. Ive developed a Jalisco accent im told.

Sawbonz

Certifiably Surly
14 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

not after they slash the number of voting locations in certain parts of the county, don't ship enough ballots to certain parts of the county, and start the bi-annual whisper campaign that if you have warrants they will arrest you for voting. 

They will turn out for the right person. They’ve had 50+ years of not seeing a real difference whether they turn out or not. Allred squandered a golden opportunity. Crockett wouldn’t 

kevwun

Legacy Members

Like they turned out for Kamala?

Sawbonz

Certifiably Surly
2 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Like they turned out for Kamala?

Do you think they saw her as an agent of real change?

Brisketexan

Legacy Members
14 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

They will turn out for the right person.

No.

They won't.

kevwun

Legacy Members
4 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Do you think they saw her as an agent of real change?

I think they'll find some excuse to not vote.  I'm glad you still have some hope though.  It's been beaten out me.

I thought radical republicans were for freedom?

why is this a bad thing that needs a ban? It’s not taking away guns

 

Bullneck

Certifiably Surly
23 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

more customers for private prisons 

image.thumb.png.32d879557db67a0c8a1553502866750e.png

TexasHooch

Legacy Members

Um... What?

 

wildcat09

Full Members
Just now, TexasHooch said:

Um... What?

 

Was just coming here to post this. Literally all a Texas Dem running for statewide office should do is point to this and yell loudly and often how they're all fucking like this.

TwiceHorn

Full Members
11 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

Was just coming here to post this. Literally all a Texas Dem running for statewide office should do is point to this and yell loudly and often how they're all fucking like this.

Aaron Nielson?  Need deets.

Also, take a look at the SGs of Texas.  Quite a rogue's gallery.  But these motherfuckers are seriously the most responsible parties for the state's slide into fascism.

DDD Dad

Certifiably Surly

 

DDD Dad

Certifiably Surly
1 minute ago, DDD Dad said:

 

What's his surly handle?

Bozo_Casanova

Legacy Members
17 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

Was just coming here to post this. Literally all a Texas Dem running for statewide office should do is point to this and yell loudly and often how they're all fucking like this.

Kenan Thompson Snl GIF by Saturday Night Live

TwiceHorn

Full Members
2 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

What's his surly handle?

Untitled_Session6820_Edit_b04c11633f.jpg

MissingInAction

Certifiably Surly
24 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

What's his surly handle?

Awkward Season 4 GIF by The Office

Nice Guy Eddie

Certifiably Surly
1 hour ago, TexasHooch said:

Um... What?

 

 

53 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

 

The correction isn't helping me understand what is going on here.

DDD Dad

Certifiably Surly
8 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

 

The correction isn't helping me understand what is going on here.

I Was Inverted - Top Gun (3/8) Movie CLIP (1986) HD on Make ...

bolverk

Legacy Members
4 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

 

The correction isn't helping me understand what is going on here.

I read it as:

  • The first one says he discussed it with colleagues for a long time, for months.
  • The second one says he discussed it in excruciating detail with influential and powerful people for a long time, once during dinner.

wildcat09

Full Members
56 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

So he’s a weeb, a neckbeard, a sex pest (allegedly), AND, of course:

image.thumb.png.c7e624b6935dd0ee0b0cc86139f50407.png

He was a Scalia clerk too.

Brisketexan

Legacy Members
16 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

 

The correction isn't helping me understand what is going on here.

The context and length of time over which you discuss forcible asteroid sodomy is a very important detail. Pay attention, man.

sasquatch69

Legacy Members

In essentially one generation, we have gone from having folks in state and national leadership who, while differing on policy sometimes to an extreme level, were still generally respected, knowledgeable, and held in high esteem -  to cretin like this  in many crucial roles. I don’t see any easy way to recover from this.

tx 3 putt

Legacy Members

never heard of asteroid anal rape fetish 

 

NYTransplant

Legacy Members
2 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

never heard of asteroid anal rape fetish 

 

TILT. Will not be googling.

Schulz2.0

Certifiably Surly
3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

never heard of asteroid anal rape fetish 

 

PM NowThis

DDD Dad

Certifiably Surly
(edited)
6 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

never heard of asteroid anal rape fetish 

 

 

3 minutes ago, NYTransplant said:

TILT. Will not be googling.

From the comments.

Edited by DDD Dad

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