Greg Abbott - Gregory Wayne Abbott, former TX AG, now 48th Governor of Texas

[Kendra]

[Volkonski]

[Volkonski]

And TX taxpayers are paying big buck for that whole useless performance.

[Estiveo]

The cost of Abbott's kabuki truck stops just keeps going up. (Story behind paywall)

The jist of it is this rail link from Mexico, which is apparently a very big deal, will now enter the US about 20 miles East of El Paso and skirt the Texas border thus bringing its revenue benefits to New Mexico and Governor "now they take me seriously when I negotiate" can suck it.

[AndyinPA]

Good for Mexico.

[Gregg]

Roller Nazi for the win!

[humblescribe]

The cost of Abbott's kabuki truck stops just keeps going up. (Story behind paywall)

The jist of it is this rail link from Mexico, which is apparently a very big deal, will now enter the US about 20 miles East of El Paso and skirt the Texas border thus bringing its revenue benefits to New Mexico and Governor "now they take me seriously when I negotiate" can suck it.

Estivo,

I think you mean west of El Paso.

[Estiveo]

y'know, I think I did.

Seen on twitter this morning: Mexico is going to build a rail line, and Texas is gonna pay for it.

[AndyinPA]

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[raison de arizona]

Emboldened.

Abbott says Texas could 'resurrect' SCOTUS case requiring states to educate all kids

Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that Texas would consider challenging a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring states to offer free public education to all children, including those of undocumented immigrants.

"Texas already long ago sued the federal government about having to incur the costs of the education program, in a case called Plyler versus Doe," Abbott said, speaking during an appearance on the Joe Pags show, a conservative radio talk show. "And the Supreme Court ruled against us on the issue. ... I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again, because the expenses are extraordinary and the times are different than when Plyler versus Doe was issued many decades ago."

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/20 ... 652463002/

[Gregg]

Because they no longer believe in case law at all.

Phuck it, I demand trial by combat! I challenge Hot Wheels Himmler to a 110m low hurdle race, TO THE DEATH!

[AndyinPA]

Wait til they see the costs of not educating those kids. Stupid, short-sighted, racist POS.

[neeneko]

Wait til they see the costs of not educating those kids. Stupid, short-sighted, racist POS.

I was actually just listening to a piece about the economic future of texas. Texas has been attracting a lot of high tech companies lately because of favorable taxes and cheap land, but this means they have been seeing a big inflow of people who are more educated, progressive, and affluent. Transitioning to a service economy rather than resource one has a massive impact on not only culture, but the value of differnt education levels.

Put another way, I would not be surprised if the right in texas is feeling anxiety about all these progressive affluent educated people taking centre stage and sucking power away from industries that thrive on low or no education. Cutting education would be one way to ensure that there is still a supply and community of such people.

[AndyinPA]

Interesting. Texas is probably changing in lots of ways that the old white men (and women) won't like.

[neeneko]

Interesting. Texas is probably changing in lots of ways that the old white men (and women) won't like.

There was also a bit of sugar coated irony... apparently Texas itself is not attracting investment or innovation. High tech workers from outside the US do not want to immigrate there and foreign investors do not want to set up shop. What they have been doing is going around to companies that are already doing well and trying to coax them to move there. Which is probably a good policy, but makes them look rather bad since it mostly means they are depending on companies that are established enough to have been taken over my old white guys and not building an environment for home grown innovation/growth themselves.

[johnpcapitalist]

Put another way, I would not be surprised if the right in texas is feeling anxiety about all these progressive affluent educated people taking centre stage and sucking power away from industries that thrive on low or no education. Cutting education would be one way to ensure that there is still a supply and community of such people.

That becomes an accelerating death spiral. The more uneducated the indigenous population, the more likely a high-tech employer would be to pay extra to move people in from out of town, even subsidizing their housing costs (Austin is the least affordable city in the US, considering housing cost relative to average incomes). The population mix shift towards progressives would thus accelerate, and there would be a lot of unemployable, uneducated native Texans manning the Walmarts and fast food restaurants to wait on their new non-Texan customers.

[raison de arizona]

Tech folks don't want to move to Texas. Tech work is becoming more and more remote anyhow. I personally have rejected otherwise sweet jobs in the last five years because they involved relocating to TX and it just wasn't something I was willing to do. And I'm not the only one. There are those that will do it, but as the politics there become more and more extreme, I expect more and more of the educated folk to just say no.

That said, maybe we'll see folks moving there to try and change things? I dunno. I haven't seen that in my circles.

[neeneko]

That becomes an accelerating death spiral. The more uneducated the indigenous population, the more likely a high-tech employer would be to pay extra to move people in from out of town, even subsidizing their housing costs (Austin is the least affordable city in the US, considering housing cost relative to average incomes). The population mix shift towards progressives would thus accelerate, and there would be a lot of unemployable, uneducated native Texans manning the Walmarts and fast food restaurants to wait on their new non-Texan customers.

Which seems to be exactly what is happening, and is one of the reasons we have seen the rise of populists like Abbott who can tap into the blue collar anxiety.

[neeneko]

Tech folks don't want to move to Texas. Tech work is becoming more and more remote anyhow. I personally have rejected otherwise sweet jobs in the last five years because they involved relocating to TX and it just wasn't something I was willing to do.

Same. I keep getting pings for TX and FL, which you can not pay me enough to move to (or at minimal, I am not worth the kind of paycheck that would be needed). This is actually causing me a great deal of anxiety since I believe my project and company are close to collapse, so I will have to job hunt soon,... so having these kinds of horrible options dangled in front of me.. blek!

[northland10]

Wait til they see the costs of not educating those kids. Stupid, short-sighted, racist POS.

What I despise more than their own racism is their own attempts to push those who are nervous and fearful into all-out racism simply to get more voters and donations (and power). They're waving great temptations to folks who might otherwise try a little to restrain their inner biases.

[Frater I*I]

Interesting. Texas is probably changing in lots of ways that the old white men (and women) won't like.

I read that 90% of TX population growth this past decade was minority, and yet not one new minority congressional district was created...


Funny how that worked out....

[Frater I*I]

That becomes an accelerating death spiral. The more uneducated the indigenous population, the more likely a high-tech employer would be to pay extra to move people in from out of town, even subsidizing their housing costs (Austin is the least affordable city in the US, considering housing cost relative to average incomes). The population mix shift towards progressives would thus accelerate, and there would be a lot of unemployable, uneducated native Texans manning the Walmarts and fast food restaurants to wait on their new non-Texan customers.

So San Fran lost it's title...

[raison de arizona]

Paywalled. Bet there are some juicy ones in there he is hiding.

The governor's office says letters from trade groups, political leaders and perhaps others that have weighed in on the trucking slowdown ordered by @GovAbbott should be kept secret from the public. An AG opinion has been requested on the question. #txlege

[tek]

An AG opinion has been requested on the question.

I'm sure his buddy Ken will issue a carefully considered opinion on the issue.