Texas Progressives look at Abbott's veto cancel culture

It was hot outside last week, and ERCOT shows it still doesn't work right. I address the root cause at the bottom of this week's Roundup.

Meanwhile, Abbott made sure it will be hot inside the Pink Dome for any special sessions with his big action.

Let's dig in.

Texas stuff

Strangeabbott did it — he issued a likely unconstitutional veto of legislative and legislative staff pay. But, it's no surprise that wingnuts within the GOP, having long lost touch with the US Constitution, would start doing the same with the state version, too.

 

Mike Hixenbaugh reviews a few of the other bills Greg Abbott vetoed. Hypnosis as investigative junk science remains in law. Requiring school students to learn about domestic and dating violence? Out.

From winter storm to heat wave, and still, all ERCOT can do is say "buckle up and use less power." That's even as SB 3's weatherization requirements have semi-toothless fines and other problems. At the Monthly, Loren Steffy has more on the latest clusterfuck and it being part of an ongoing mega-clusterfuck that Abbott et al don't want to expend the effort to fix. Also there, Andrea Zelinski asked four experts if enough had been done to fix the system. Shockingly, the two in the traditional energy bidness said yes. Non-sarcastically shockingly, a consumer advocate halfway agreed. As for whether this needs further addressing as part of a special session, the consumer guy said yes, the one traditional energy guy said no (with no comment from the other), and the fourth, representing renewables, also said no.

Speaking of, "Win Free Electricity for a Year!" The fine print? We can control your thermostat and remotely adjust it if ERCOT issues an alert. And, we will.

Danny Goeb, against wingnuts selling guns to terrorists until he was for it. (The same goes for Strangeabbott, of course.)

Mark Levin talks about how Goeb hates criminal justice reform.

The Observer talks about an apparent "trans panic" legal defense, one that not officially called that, or officially framed that way by defense attorneys.

Texas Monthly has its biannual best and worst of the Lege. Interestingly, Senate Dems are among the "worst." (They deserve it, TM notes, starting with voting unanimously for Goeb's budget.) Special awards include "Cockroach" Bryan Slaton.

Off the Kuff introduces you to median districts and shows how they have changed over the course of this decade.

The ACLU of Texas shows you 15 ways that the lives of Texans will be impacted as a result of the recent legislative session.

Lisa Gray installed rooftop solar panels so you could learn from her experience. (Blogowner’s note: Rooftop solar will never be a big deal in Tex-ass without a state income tax to offer tax deductions, unless the state OKs a consumer version of a Chapter 313. They also won’t be a big deal until Texas follows western states and adopts a feed-in tarrif.)  

Kimiya Factory tells why she celebrates Juneteenth. 

Luby's sold to Chicago-based catering company that promises, as much as possible, the 32 purchased locations will stay open with most staff. Deal does NOT include the restaurants' physical real estate. Per its website, that leaves not quite 25 restaurants still not sold, it would seem. With Fuddruckers sold off, I can't see these remaining restaurants getting sold.

Texas-national-global

SocraticGadfly says we need some climate radicalism, which we're not getting, in the battle against climate change.

National

At least within African-Americans, being perceived as beautiful may affect income more than sex, or the Black-White race gap.

Steve Vladeck observes that you can't evaluate the Supreme Court's term without also considering the “shadow docket.”

Are some Black people, even if not Republicans, against Critical Race Theory? Sure. Barrington D. Martin makes an "interesting" case, talking about Blacks being upstanding (even though he ran again against John Lewis in last year's primary as a pro-pot legalization guy), hard-working (though he's a pro-Basic Income guy and knows the stereotypes on that) and Christian (even though as someone pro-pot and pro-BI, he should know that's pandering, and also that Black Nones are growing almost as fast as White Nones.)

Global

The Mayor of Kabul talks about the pending departure of (nearly? remember those 1,000 Biden didn't originally count?) US troops from Afghanistan.