Texas Progressives talk boatload of Lege and neoliberal stupidity

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is a siime mold in many ways for his deal with Strangeabbott and Goeb to have DPS troopers on Austin streets.

The Texas Observer got a GoFundMe temporary new lease on life. Without MASSIVE reform, including of its business and operations model, temporary is all it will be. (And, for this and other reasons, no money of mine shall it see.

Chris Tomlinson talks about George Mitchell's foundation's commitment to helping Texas transition to a low(er) carbon future. I remain somewhat more skeptical.

SocraticGadfy has an idea or two for honest property tax reform.

Why does Oilmonger Joe hate wildlife?

Plenty of other not-so-good environmental news to ponder where I got that link from, Counterpunch editor Jeff St. Clair's Roaming Charges for last Friday.

Will Healthwrecker Joe do what both his former boss, Dear Leader, author of Obamacare, and Der Trumpenführer failed to do and enforce provisions of the The Less Unaffordable Care Act that cover women's contraceptives, as House Democratic women are asking?

Court-packing is right.

 

Wingnuts take it in the shorts twice at the end of last week. Here in Tex-ass, a federal judge tossed Llano County's library books ban. Judge Pittman also banned any more book removals while the case is ongoing. Cool! Can we have Neoliberal Joe send the 82nd Airborne to enforce that? And, in Tennessee, another federal judge paused its anti-drag show law. Related? The Monthly profiles the efforts of the drag queen trying to stop similar law here.

Kenny Boy's best bud Nate Paul is back in jail.

Danny Goeb and Dade "Dade" Phelan continue to fight over property taxes.

Fresh off taking over Houston ISD, the TEA wants a partial grab at Austin ISD. That's even as civil rights activists are now suing it over the Houston takeover, which is a guaranteed loser in court. (I can't remember if it was ever tried ni Marlin after I left there, but I don't recall it. Of course, middle income, working poor and poor rural Blacks don't get on civil rights radar screens as easily as in big cities.)

Will the Texas Senate join the House and do something that passes for compassionate here in Tex-ass, namely, ending the death penalty for the mentally ill?

Given that the Lege is, per the Monthly, trying to undo even the modest protections the state has, purely at local levels, against loan sharks, don't hold your breath.

Off the Kuff wrote three posts about Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's entry into the Houston Mayor's race.

The San Antonio Report explains the "Justice Charter" referendum on the May ballot.

Your Local Epidemiologist assesses the risks and benefits of active shooter drills.

Mandy Giles writes about the effort to testify against HB1686, the bill that would ban all affirming health care for Texas transgender youth.

Emily Eby French documented the testimony about all the bad voting bills that had committee hearings in the Lege.

CultureMap delivers the ancient beaver fossil news we all needed.