Tex-ass constitutional amendments: Just Say No!

To quote Nancy Reagan's most famous line, that should be your answer on most of these. I'll give an overview of the whole schmeer here, with breakouts for at least some in days and weeks ahead.

Proposition 1: "Right to Farm" — Just Say No. This is a virtue signaling POS par excellence which is actually vacuous beyond its virtue signaling.

Proposition 2: Child-care property-tax exemption. Just say no, but less loudly. Sounds good, but many day care centers are run by churches, and this would only further favor them.

Proposition 3: "Wealth tax." Just Say No. Virtue signaling in that the state constitution's prohibition of an income tax would likely be legally interpreted as already blocking this, plus, wealth should be taxed!

Proposition 4: Homestead exemption. Just Say No (yes, even you Tex-ass #BlueAnon, or #BetoNon [pun there]) for a variety of reasons. I'll have a breakout.

Proposition 5: Texas University Fund. The amendment sounds arcane, but the background issue is not. This would mandate another payout from the rainy day fund which the #wingnuts don't want to tap whenever it really needs tapping. Plus, there's Tex-ass government censoriousness of universities on the rise. So, Just Say No.

Proposition 6: Texas Water Fund. Until we have a Texas Climate Fund, until Strangeabbott, Goeb and the Lege treat climate seriously, Just Say No, especially as this amendment specifies that 25 percent of the bucks MUST go to new water projects. In other words, Tex-ass leaders don't want to read Ed Abbey's "growth for growth's sake is the theology of the cancer cell."

Proposition 7: Texas Energy Fund. Everything I just said in spades, plus ERCOT, Dan Patrick and Wayne Christian. JUST Say No. Will have a breakout.

Proposition 8: Broadband Infrastructure Fund. Sounds good on paper, but the Tim Dunn following mouth-breathers who have moved to some exurban areas that will benefit from this shouldn't be rewarded so easily. Plus, it's arguable this gives the Comptroller's office too much free play.

Proposition 9: State retirees' COLA. Sounds great. But, Just Say No because the Lege is limiting its use of COLAs to just this. Will likely have a brief additional breakout, either stand-alone or tied with Prop. 4.

Proposition 10: Medical facility property tax breaks. Just say no. It's another carveout, plus in the COVID and post-COVID days, what's to stop the Lege from giving some ivermectin quack a tax break?

Proposition 11: El Paso conservation districts. At least on the surface, this is the "exception that proves the rule" of my header. Seems legit and for something good, and El Paso is often treated as the state's red-headed stepchild. Yes is OK.

Proposition 12: Abolish Galveston County treasurer. Usually, every other year, we have an amendment for some jinglebob size county to get rid of its constables. (We actually should abolish the office statewide, but that's another story.) Why is a county this big wanting to get rid of its treasurer AND why does the amendment then go neoliberal and say the county can contract for outside services? JUST say no.

Proposition 13: Increase the mandatory retirement age for Tex-ass judges and justices. I'm torn on this one. I don't like mandatory retirement ages for elected officials in general. I also don't like Tex-ass partisan judicial election system. I also don't like singling out one branch of government for mandatory retirement ages. So, I'd rather leave the current system in place than give judges a slight nudge while keeping the rest of the problematic current system in place.

Proposition 14: Texas Parks and Wildlife conservation fund. Fuck, no. Per Fairfield Lake, I WILL have a follow-up on this.