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June 05, 2019

TX Progressives look harder at the Lege
while wondering what Strangeabbott will still veto

Gov. Greg Abbott has until June 16 to sign bills, veto them, or let them become law without his signature. Among the things he can do nothing about, short of a special session is the non-law that did not address sunset issues and keep state plumbers' regs in place.

So, the Lege doesn't give a shit about shit, even as a protest of licensed plumbers is reportedly headed to Austin. And with that, here's the Roundup.

The Lege

Justin Miller at the Observer reports that Dennis Bonnen pulled some short-term punches as first-term speaker with an eye on longer-termGOP power, starting with 2020 Census redistricting.  At the same time, Vicky Camarillo notes the Lege refused to spend money to help the Census in its counting, which could cost the state big time

Sexual harassment fared poorly in the Lege even as it addressed sexual assault. Details here

The Lege joined 18 other states in the newest War on Drugs stupidity, thinking “robotripping” is a threat to our way of life as we know it and banning minors from buying NyQuil.

It also made pipeline protesting a felony.


Better Texas Blog has three Top Fives from the legislative session.

Stephen Young has his own Best and Worst list from the session.


Texana

Rural East Texas has pockets with some of the higher suicide rates in the nation. The Observer has details. Although it’s not part of the West, it mirrors in some degree the West’s sociological profile — and that area leads the nation in suicides, especially of older white men

Trump’s new tariffs on Mexico could seriously ding the Texas economy.

SocraticGadfly looked at a key period of early Anglo-Texas history to discuss how much of northern Mexico President Polk wanted, when and why, and connected this to the Compromise of 1850.


Off the Kuff was all over the reports of Republican Census rigging that emerged from the computer files of a deceased redistricting guru.

Benjamin Collinger warns that exposure to lead-based paint is still a big health risk for children.

Sunland Park, New Mexico, sadly caved to Kris Kobach et al on a privately built strip of border wall.

Royce West continues to "do his due diligence" about running in the Dem primary to face John Cornyn. Royce is taking about as long to shit or get off the pot on this decision as Joaquin Castro, and having lived in his state senate district most the previous decade, say he'll probably get off the pot. He's got too much of a black eye potential from old Dallas Inland Port shenanigans, as both I and Jim Schutze know. He also was MIA on some south Dallas development issues next to his beloved UNT-Dallas. Beyond that, he and former Houston black state senate peer Rodney Ellis both have taken powders in the past on statewide runs. Read everything with my Royce West tag for more.


Houston

David Bruce Collins documents the newest implosion of the Harris County Green Party. 


Dallas area

Stephen Young documents that the old Dallas business coalition still considers itself in the business of mayor-picking. D Magazine also got the secret recording, and also blasts the Dallas old guard for untruthfulness.  In a related matter, Jim Schutze tells Dallasites to vote for Scott Griggs because that's a vote against the Morning Snooze; Schutze shows how its op-eds have actually gone backwards under its current op-ed head.

(Please, activist investors, force Belo to privatize this POS, and put up a higher paywall for the online version so that few people other than that Dallas Old Guard read it.)

Young also gets emails about his piece about the city of Dallas' old Confederate statues. Great laughs.

Jim Schutze takes the Catholic Diocese of Dallas to the woodshed over its response to a Dallas PD raid for material related to allegedly child-abusing priests and kicks it hard in the ass


National

Iowans have more opportunities than ever to get sick of Robert Francis O’Rourke.

Rick Perry's back pain meds must be acting up, as the Department of Energy talks about "molecules of freedom." Juanita weighs in, getting high on Freedom Gas.

Brains has a Dems 2020 update, with a climate change scorecard.


Mean Green Cougar Red touts the virtues of less-visited countries.

Sarah Martinez reports on a fake Buc-ee's spotted in the country of Jordan.

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Sneak peek at next week's Roundup: We'll have an update on what Strangeabbott has sined and what he has made die on bills the Lege passed, a look at not-so-progressive librul Supreme Court justices and more. Last week's issue is here.

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