As a native of western North Carolina who went through Hurricane (well, Tropical Storm) Helene last September, and the aftermath which continued for seven weeks without potable water, I empathize with the author, and with all Texans who are harmed or killed by their state's regime.
However, I really wouldn't mind at all if Texas were to secede once again, and never come back to the United States. Ever since it replaced Ann Richards with the hapless, hopeless, half-witted George Dumya Bush, and voters chose to elect and reelect the worst, most corrupt crew of state officials in US history -- at least as bad, if not worse, than Huey Long's Louisiana -- I've had very little sympathy for the state and its residents.
Vote for Democrats, up and down the line, and Texas can be "saved" as a member of the United States of America. Keep voting for fascists, crooks, liars, and people like the "good Christians" the Paxtons -- husband and soon-to-be-ex-wife -- and it'll be the model of a failed nation-state.
My hope is that (assuming we have actual elections in 2026 and 2028) a new, Democratic, democratic administration in Washington will revoke all federal aid to states with Republican governors and legislatures until and unless they establish nonpartisan, citizen-run election commissions to guarantee free and fair elections; and until they begin to provide the US government with at least 90% as much in taxes paid to the US Treasury as they take out in money from blue states to subsidize their incompetence.
I find it resentful that you would punish all Texans when many of us are Democrats and vote for Democrats but the evil Republicans won and now have been destroying our country.
I assumed and expected that some would feel resentment, which I fully understand. But I live in NC, and I feel just the same about my state. A few Democrats (whom I will never forgive) refused to take Republicans' threats seriously 15 years ago, and we've had a legislature totally corrupted by Republicans ever since. But for statewide offices, we get out the vote, and we've elected two Democratic governors over the past 9 years, and half the state-wide offices (Sec'y of State, Attorney General) are Dems.
But Dems don't play hardball; they don't turn out for crucial, essential elections, they're passive in the face of defeat . . . I'm a lifelong Dem and that's how I feel about my own people. We lost an essential state Supreme Court seat five years ago by 304 votes; this year we barely won one by 750. Turnout was AWFUL.
So, in my view, if voters have good intentions but don't turn out, then I can't fix their problems. I can work on my own state's turnout, and I do.
But it took 10 years before Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper got the majority GOP lege to finally pass Medicaid expansion, adding 600,000 people to the rolls, creating 65,000 new jobs, and bringing in millions in federal money. That was passed in 2023, to take effect in 2024. And in 2025 one of our two Rethuglican senators and all our MAGA House members voted for Trump's bill to gut Medicaid and eliminate those subsidies. Probably 90% of those who will now lose Medicaid VOTED FOR BUDD and TRUMP and all the rest of the scum. And when they're thrown off Medicaid, my attitude will be exactly the same: NO SYMPATHY WHATSOEVER. They bring it on themselves and then expect me to cry for them. Sorry, I'm out of tears.
If politics were about people, rather than power retention and gain, then, of course, making it about politics would be appropriate. But alas, Texas politics exists in a male-dominated culture that only cares about power. If you want to have politicians do something about weather disasters, find candidates that will actually do something about it. You'll need to find people with enormous courage to stand against the current politics of blame and indifference to human life.
As a native of western North Carolina who went through Hurricane (well, Tropical Storm) Helene last September, and the aftermath which continued for seven weeks without potable water, I empathize with the author, and with all Texans who are harmed or killed by their state's regime.
However, I really wouldn't mind at all if Texas were to secede once again, and never come back to the United States. Ever since it replaced Ann Richards with the hapless, hopeless, half-witted George Dumya Bush, and voters chose to elect and reelect the worst, most corrupt crew of state officials in US history -- at least as bad, if not worse, than Huey Long's Louisiana -- I've had very little sympathy for the state and its residents.
Vote for Democrats, up and down the line, and Texas can be "saved" as a member of the United States of America. Keep voting for fascists, crooks, liars, and people like the "good Christians" the Paxtons -- husband and soon-to-be-ex-wife -- and it'll be the model of a failed nation-state.
My hope is that (assuming we have actual elections in 2026 and 2028) a new, Democratic, democratic administration in Washington will revoke all federal aid to states with Republican governors and legislatures until and unless they establish nonpartisan, citizen-run election commissions to guarantee free and fair elections; and until they begin to provide the US government with at least 90% as much in taxes paid to the US Treasury as they take out in money from blue states to subsidize their incompetence.
I find it resentful that you would punish all Texans when many of us are Democrats and vote for Democrats but the evil Republicans won and now have been destroying our country.
I assumed and expected that some would feel resentment, which I fully understand. But I live in NC, and I feel just the same about my state. A few Democrats (whom I will never forgive) refused to take Republicans' threats seriously 15 years ago, and we've had a legislature totally corrupted by Republicans ever since. But for statewide offices, we get out the vote, and we've elected two Democratic governors over the past 9 years, and half the state-wide offices (Sec'y of State, Attorney General) are Dems.
But Dems don't play hardball; they don't turn out for crucial, essential elections, they're passive in the face of defeat . . . I'm a lifelong Dem and that's how I feel about my own people. We lost an essential state Supreme Court seat five years ago by 304 votes; this year we barely won one by 750. Turnout was AWFUL.
So, in my view, if voters have good intentions but don't turn out, then I can't fix their problems. I can work on my own state's turnout, and I do.
But it took 10 years before Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper got the majority GOP lege to finally pass Medicaid expansion, adding 600,000 people to the rolls, creating 65,000 new jobs, and bringing in millions in federal money. That was passed in 2023, to take effect in 2024. And in 2025 one of our two Rethuglican senators and all our MAGA House members voted for Trump's bill to gut Medicaid and eliminate those subsidies. Probably 90% of those who will now lose Medicaid VOTED FOR BUDD and TRUMP and all the rest of the scum. And when they're thrown off Medicaid, my attitude will be exactly the same: NO SYMPATHY WHATSOEVER. They bring it on themselves and then expect me to cry for them. Sorry, I'm out of tears.
It's not only natural disasters; but gun violence has gone has only become worse the the GOP led State.
Well, it looks like my comment posted on July 15 to another article on Texas was spot on.
The gunshot was fired. The climate change is real.
If politics were about people, rather than power retention and gain, then, of course, making it about politics would be appropriate. But alas, Texas politics exists in a male-dominated culture that only cares about power. If you want to have politicians do something about weather disasters, find candidates that will actually do something about it. You'll need to find people with enormous courage to stand against the current politics of blame and indifference to human life.
Everyone who makes less than $150k/year. Then they’ll help the rest.