Republicans Support our Troops? No!!!

The U.S. House of Representatives under control of the Republicans and under pressure from the TeaBaggers are truely a confusing bunch.  These Republicans have built their careers and a huge chunk of their party platform of being the only party that is strong on national defense and the owners of the Phrase “Support our Troops”.  They went thru a phase where anyone without a US Flag pin on their lapel was un-american and maybe even one of them, them being the terrorists.

But now, Majority Leader, Arch Conservative and leading Teabagger of the Republican majority of the House, Eric Cantor, says that the House has decided they don’t have time and won’t hold a vote on a resolution honoring U.S. troops on the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.  Cantor says that House Republican leaders considered a resolution honoring the Navy SEALS involved in the bin Laden raid but decided against it as they needed to keep in line with their new rules prohibiting commemorative measures.

This is very strange as not even a month ago Cantor and his compatriots passed a resolution honoring former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush by renaming the federal courthouse in Midland, Texas after them.

It must be that honoring ex-republican presidents is not a waste of time but honoring the brave troops that took out the Worlds Number One Terrorist is.  This just befuddles the mind.  But keep in mind come close to election time, these same defenders of our way of life will be using the Troops as props to show their position as being strong on national defense.

Chewing Tabaccy costs to go down due to new House Bill

Now here is one that really takes the cake.  As many places across the country in an effort to reduce usage and save on public health costs have raised tobacco taxes, the Texas House of Representatives has once again shown how in tune they are by doing a 180 and going in the other direction.  Representative Allan Ritter, R – Nederland authored House Bill 2599, which the House passed  passed 83-53 last wednesday, to correct what he says corrects an unfair tax that’s been levied on pouches of loose-leaf tobacco since the Legislature in 2009 created a weight-based tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes and cigars.

Ritter claims this has resulted in loose-leaf tobacco products being unfairly taxed.  Ritter further claims that “It destroyed an industry,” and that the bill “brings back fairness” and €œfor all of us that chew tobacco, it’s a damn good thing.  He says the price for a pouch of tobacco jumped from about $6.00. Meanwhile, the price of cans of snuff such as Copenhagen, Skoal and Kodiak haven’t increased because they weigh about a third as much as a pouch of loose-leaf tobacco.  Ritter claims the industry has said that since the 2009 law went into effect, sales of loose-leaf tobacco plummeted 50 percent.

When Ritter laid out his bill only on House member raised a question. Representative Jason Isaac, R – Dripping Springs, stated “I just had to clarify. It’s cutting taxes to chewing tobacco?  We just created an incentive for people to use cancer-causing products.  When we have the fiscal problems that we have, it’s wrong to be cutting taxes on products like chewing tobacco.”

When asked by Isaac, if he would could live with the bill leading to more tobacco use in the state, Ritter responded, I’m very happy with that. Texas!  Then in true TeaBagger mode Ritter stated “Is this guy sure he’s a Republican?  He just supported a tax.  He’s a freshman legislator.  Somebody’s never getting elected again.”

An official state analysis of the bill says that the tax change would increase consumption of chewing tobacco and that sales “would rebound sufficiently” so that the state’s tax coffers wouldn’t be negatively affected. However Isaac said that the state ultimately would end up worse financially once Ritter’s bill becomes law. More chewers of tobacco would lead to additional long-term health costs as the state ends up dealing with more people with tobacco-related health problems.

With the current TeaBagger mentality of our State Legislators they do not see this as a health issue problem.  Thsy see it as a boon to the Health Care Industry.  More Oral Cancer = More Money spent with the Medical Industry. A Win-Win.  Ahhh, Priorities, Priorities.  And oh by the way, Ritter is reported to be an avid RedMan Tobacco chewer.

Texas Passes Emergency Anti-Abortion Bill Requiring a Sonogram 24 Hours Before an Abortion

The Texas Grand Old Partiers campaigned on jobs, jobs and more jobs as their main priority to save Texas’ sagging economy.  Prior to the elections the TeaBaggers were in all their glory in Austin with The Beckster, Ted Nugent and Gov. Perry repeating over and over how government should stay of our lives, get out of Texas or Texas should secede.  They evangelized about how the role of government should be to keep the brown skins out and provide jobs with no taxes.  Everything else was an unconstitutional invasion of our rights. The Gov. boasted with chest out that the bizness friendly laws he had pushed through had made Texas the envy of the nation.

Then lo and behold the elections pass with Texas making the Democrats feel like outcasts.  But, news soon comes out that Texas has mysteriously encountered a $27 billion budget deficit.  Almost overnight, amazing!!

How has our elected legislators spurred the economy?  Well, passing a bill to allow the privileged few who can afford a half million dollar yacht to skip on the taxes, this is sure to create thousands of jobs.  But the whopper is the legislation the Texas Legislature passed Friday which requires doctors to perform a sonogram at least 24 hours before an abortion and to describe what the sonogram shows. Unlike some even redder states, there was wording allowing exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, or fetal abnormality. The Gov’ described this anti-abortion legislation as an €œemergency priority€ and put it on the fast-track to ensure prompt passage.  The Gov’ feels this is more important than jobs or the economy and that all Texans should have access to all the information when making such an important decision. The main reason is to further restrict abortion but the Gov’ doesn’t want to come out and say so. However he did say that the legislation “is a critical step in our efforts to protect life, and I look forward to this legislation reaching my desk very soon.

Texas leads the nation in uninsured citizens and no matter what your position is on abortion, the Teabaggers want to defund Planned Parenthood, where one could get a sonogram.  The Elitist Republicans however will require the female to pay for the test herself. Just another kick in the gut and another case of the so called Christians really caring for the poorer members of our society.

Whining that FEMA turned down Fire Assistance Request

Ten years into his quest to reduce the economy of Texas to 3rd world status, rallying with the TeaBaggers and advocating secession because Texas can take care of itself and be better off without the Unconstitutional Federal Government and learning that FEMA has turned down the state’s request for funds to pay fighting the west Texas wildfires, Governor Perry was quoted as saying “I am dismayed that this administration has denied Texans the much needed assistance they deserve. It is not only the obligation of the federal government, but its responsibility under law to help its citizens in times of emergency. Our state has become a model for the nation in disaster preparedness and response, but Texas is reaching its capacity to respond to these emergencies. We will immediately look at all of our options, including appealing the denial, so Texans can receive the resources and support they need as wildfires continue to threaten life and property across our state.”

Weeks before the denial, Perry had insisted that Texas didn’t need Federal help and invoked the citizens of Texas to pray for rain to end the fires.  Unfortunately the rains came with a vengeance but in the wrong part of the state, causing severe damage in some areas.

Perry has requested:

  • Federal Assistance including aviation assets and firefighting resources to state and local agencies, and
  • Emergency Protective Measures €“ measures taken before, during and after a disaster to save lives, protect public health and safety, and protect improved public and private property.

Basically the request to help pay for the State’s efforts in putting out the fires.  As is well known, the policies of Governor Perry has resulted in a budget deficit of $27 Billion.  It has been the wholesale giveaway of needed resources to the rich and corporations and from the people of Texas which has caused this problem.  Ironically just this week the Republicans voted to pass a bill to put a cap on the taxes for folks purchasing yachts in Texas which Perry has said he will sign, see previous post for more on this ridiculous issue.

Perry is quick to show his disdain for the federal government but now that he needs them it is quite a different story that is sure to be spun as Washington’s political disdain for Texas.

Tax cuts for yacht buyers

If Texas was to secede how much crazier could things get?  The Republican lead legislature continues to show they have no concern whatsoever for those not in the ivory towers.  These Elitist Republican Representatives passed HB 2187, which caps the maximum sales tax to the first $250,000 of the sales price on sales of yachts. It was passed by an 8 to 3 vote along party lines, with Republicans supporting the measure.

This new tax break for the rich comes after the Elitist Republican legislators proposed cuts to education, nursing homes, and other basic government services.   The House’s budget cuts between $5 billion and $10 billion from public schools which relates to the loss of 80,000 to 100,000 education jobs state wide.

It boggles the mind as to what these people are thinking.  The Elitist Republican Legislature has once again told the citizens of the State that they prefer to cater to the people who can afford to go out and buy a half a million dollar weekend playthings and that the education of our children doesn’t matter.

Our Texas Government at work

West Texas is turning to ashes from devestating wildfires. Thunderstoms pummel north and east Texas where thousands of homes and businesses are left without elctricity.  Over a quarter of the peoples are wihout insurance.  The state, according to The Gov’ner, faces a gazilliaon dollar defecit and need to secede to correct it. And what does our hard working elites in Austin do to help tackle these problems?  They propose a bill that would bar district clerks from accepting court orders from transgendered individuals recognizing they had a sex change as legal documentation for a marriage license.  You got it, the Republican majority is so ignorant/homophobic that they are afraid that teh gays will get sex changes just to get married.   The Gov’ner has stated he will sign the law if it comes to his desk as Christian law teaches us marriage is between one man and one woman. The law would make it illegal for someone who had sex reversion surgery at a very young age to get married as it states that the sex on the birth certificate is the only sex recognized.   As a side note Teabaggers are reportedly jumping up and down hoping the law passes as then they will claim President Obama is living in sin with two illegitimate children in the White House.  Since he don’t have no birth certificate, under our law he could not prove he was male, thus he could not get married.

Governor Perry calls for Texas Day of Prayer

Governor “Texas can take care of itself” Perry, has asked Texans by Official Proclamation to pray for rain in the midst of a severe drought that has sparked more than 8,000 wildfires.

Perry issued the following proclamation today.

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

WHEREAS, the state of Texas is in the midst of an exceptional drought, with some parts of the state receiving no significant rainfall for almost three months, matching rainfall deficit records dating back to the 1930s; and

WHEREAS, a combination of higher than normal temperatures, low precipitation and low relative humidity has caused an extreme fire danger over most of the State, sparking more than 8,000 wildfires which have cost several lives, engulfed more than 1.8 million acres of land and destroyed almost 400 homes, causing me to issue an ongoing disaster declaration since December of last year; and

WHEREAS, these dire conditions have caused agricultural crops to fail, lake and reservoir levels to fall and cattle and livestock to struggle under intense stress, imposing a tremendous financial and emotional toll on our land and our people; and

WHEREAS, throughout our history, both as a state and as individuals, Texans have been strengthened, assured and lifted up through prayer; it seems right and fitting that the people of Texas should join together in prayer to humbly seek an end to this devastating drought and these dangerous wildfires;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to  offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my Office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 21st day of April, 2011.

RICK PERRY
Governor of Texas

Although pandering to the religious right is always among the first actions of the Texas Governor, this proclamation does however bring up several issues:

  • Should we leave the fires unattended for another day and wait until tomorrow to start praying?
  • What if all our prayer causes a flood? Do we then pray for no rain?
  • Do we tell all the hard working men and women actually fighting the fires to take a break and pray too?
  • Does this cross the boundary of the separation of Church and State?
  • And mainly, does this mean we have to put aside our egg dyeing kits and tell the kiddos the easter bunny isn’t coming?

Although prayer probably wouldn’t hurt, why not direct the resources necessary to get the fires under control to where they are needed, or get the villagers to put down their picket signs and use their pitchforks for something useful.

Then again, weather forecasts for the more eastern areas are calling for thunderstorms, some severe.  So if it foes rain they will call him a prophet.

Texas now needs FEMA

Strong winds and dry conditions made for difficult conditions for Texas battling wildfires in communities across Texas.  Austin was not immune and had a fire that destroyed several homes and required water drops from aircraft to battle it.   The wildfires have spread across more than 700,000 acres in drought-stricken Texas. More than a half dozen large fires were still burning.

Sunday Governor Perry asked President Obama for federal help.  Ouch….  “Texas is reaching its capacity to respond to these emergencies and is in need of federal assistance,” Perry said in a statement Sunday. “I urge President Obama to approve our request quickly.”

Now in my opinion this is what a responsible Governor should be doing.  Working with the federal government to benefit the citizens.  But what seems hypocritical to me is that not even a year ago the Governor and his party were bemoaning the largesse of the federal government.  Many of the Teabagger Partiers in their zeal to attack President Obama, even now are screaming how the government is broke and even espoused the mantra that FEMA was unconstitutional.   But now that the State that brags it can take care of itself and should secede is begging for help from the very federal government they hate.

Sometimes it makes me ashamed to be kin to these nimrods.  Yes we fought the war a 150 years ago, lost and have moved on, so get over it and let’s work hand in hand to make this a better State and a better Nation.

Republicans to tap rainy day fund.

Governor Perry, who in September proclaimed that Texas was better off than any State in the Union, backed off his pledge to use the rainy day fund, under pressure from Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Republican Speaker Joe Strauss.  Secessionist minded Governor Perry, has pledged to keep Texas the most business friendly state by slashing business taxes and wage laws, keeps insisting that no taxes on business and no spending on the people of the state will ensure that Texas remains a model for all other states to emulate.

After ten years in office, Governor Perry has ensured Texas’ drop to third world status.  The state ranks among the last in almost all categories such as education, health, etc., while amassing a $27 Billion deficit.  Governor Perry insist his secessionist teabagger model will lead to 250K new jobs next year, all paying less than $10 an hour.

The $9 Billion Rainy Day Fund will be tapped of over one third it’s value, $3.2 Billion, to get the state thru August.   So much for the Teabaggers model.