If those of us long suffering Texans thought Slick's pervasive crony capitalism, Ayn Rand libertarianism, self-serving greed and right wing extremism would disappear with the departure of Rick Perry, one likely knows such is a pipe dream given the opening days of the Texas Ledge.
The 2015 Legislative Session has certainly opened with a bang, almost. It seems that a bunch of boys with a lot of big bad guns decided to play bad cowboys in favor of open carry. Some of the more conservative members of the Legislature have been discussing the passage of such a bill, HB195.
However, not all members of the Legislature are on board with this insanity and so the cowboys decided to have a conversation with their representative who is opposed HB195.
Long story short, the Legislature will now install panic buttons in lawmakers' offices for future potential gun brandishing incidents by angry and disgruntled constituents.
You reap what you sow, ladies and gentlemen lawmakers.
The Texas House approved the use of “panic buttons” in lawmakers’ offices after several incidences earlier this month where open-carry advocates showed up to bully and harass politicians and staffers they deemed “anti-gun.” Nothing says free and open democracy like people with guns threatening people who oppose them at the place that they work.
In a disturbing video posted to social media, open-carry advocates from the group “Open Carry Tarrant County” pile into the office of Texas Rep. Poncho Nevarez (Eagle Pass), and start demanding to know his stance on gun control. At issue is a new bill led by Texas Republicans that would repeal a century-long ban on openly carrying handguns. To his immense credit, Nevarez doesn’t waiver from his position that he is for strong gun control laws, however that position led to the group hurling ugly accusations, and finally, outright threats at him.
To my fellow non voters, this is what we get when we fail to show up at the polls. But the gun advocates incident isn't all that is weird and very unsettling about the current legislative session.
By voting for Greg Abbott or, by not voting, did we elect a more divisive and compassion challenged snake oil dealer than Rick Perry and G.W. Bush? I am beginning to get more anxious and very nervous about Greg Abbott and his threat to crack down on the state's municipalities and local governments for passing ordinances that are deemed necessary and have the support of the majority of their residents.
And so it comes as quite a shock to Texas voters to learn that our rabidly anti-federal government Govenor elect Greg Abbott wants to do to local municipalities what he accused the big bad feds of doing to Texas. While Attorney General, Greg Abbott sued the federal government for overreach more than thirty times. But now, as the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott wants to prevent municipal ordinances that ban fracking, plastic bags and tree cutting.
In one of his speeches, the Governor told a conservative business group that Texas is becoming California-ized.
Of course, Rick Perry and Greg Abbott always enjoy bashing California, almost as much as they do our duly elected President, as simple minded and apparently entitled white men would do, but the stark reality is Texas is becoming more and more Kochified. Greg Abbott's attacks on municipal governments is a prime example.
Needless to say, the Governor elect's assault on local bans has set off a flurry of stunned disbelief and outcries of hypocrisy and overreach throughout the state.
Abbott seems to be maneuvering this argument in a way to justify state intervention in the regulation of gas-fracking operations. Just as is the case when local governments have a right to establish zoning rules — limits on where heavy industrial sites can be located, for example — local governments also have a right to say whether they want noisy, polluting fracking operations within their city limits. Abbott wants to take that right away.
Amazing. This is the same guy who fought so hard against increased federal intervention in our lives. When it comes to his perspective of top-down governance from Washington, he’s against it. But, somehow, he believes in the McCity concept that establishes uniform rules that must apply to all cities across the state. We all must look, smell, feel and behave the same, according to state mandate. Under Abbott’s vision, top-down governance from Austin is better than what we, the citizens of Dallas, Austin, Lubbock, Clarendon, Muleshoe, Brownsville and El Paso choose for ourselves.
It seems to me that Greg Abbott's campaign contributors in the fracking industry expect to get what they paid for. The Kochification of Texas continues.
As if it isn't enough to feel anxious about a Koch/fossil fuel industry paid dictator for ignoring the voices of citizens by imposing edicts on what cities, towns and townships can and cannot do, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick's schemes for public education are about to take us to a whole new world of hurt.
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