OK so we’ve had a series of god awful laws passed recently, namely open carry in which it will soon be legal in Texas for gun owners to openly wear their guns in public. Big guns, small guns, long guns, very long guns and penis replacement guns. Few of us wanted this travesty of a law passed, especially those of us in large urban areas, but oh well. The Tea Party Republican and the Texas Taliban lawmakers don’t pay much attention to much of the public’s needs and desires. For all are far too busy sharing steaks, beer and golf with the NRA and all lobbies known to the once great state of Texas. Lots of money changes hands.
Texas: Guns, guns and more gunsFortunately, in Houston, various businesses will shun killing machines on their premises. So far the Galleria, (a mega complex of high end shops, hotels and restaurants), H.E.B., a major grocery store chain, and Whole Foods Market have said no thank you to the potential for gun toting folks to kill its customers while shopping. Simply because a gun toter might be angry or is a sociopath. Remember, this is a lax regulation state with few resources for mental health care.
This gun insanity, of course, falls on top of the right’s various ongoing wars waged against women’s reproductive rights, Planned Parenthood healthcare services including cancer screenings, and voter’s rights. One can say this is a typical operating system in a red state that has been taken over by right wing tea party and religious extremists.
Voter suppression efforts, thanks to the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Right’s Act, low voter turnout and voter apathy delivered this hot mess. Along with a lot of fear mongering from right wing hate radio talkers like Rush Limbaugh and his colleagues. Our Governor and other Republican leaders are known to parrot the hate messages. Remember the fear mongering over U.S. military exercises in Texas, i.e. Jade Helm? Our Governor did not do himself or the state proud. Nor did he show the best of us when Greg Abbott said he would not allow Syrian refugees, fleeing from the depths of hell, to settle in Texas.
Knowing all of this, however, at least most people in Texas, right and left, like to think they are represented by politicians that are fiscally wise even when ideologically blinded by bigotry.
But in the case of Obamacare the total opposite is true. In fact, fiscal recklessness and abject irresponsibility are the driving forces behind the state’s refusal to expand federal Medicaid. There is proof in favor of this argument posted in the article below. Texas voters should wake up and train their laser focused attention on an unforgivable decision our lawmakers made with regard to access to affordable health care coverage in the state.