Texas Tea Party Republicans: Rolling back the 20th Century!

A ‘Talking Points Memo’ from the Texas Democratic Party

Thankfully, the 82nd Session of the Texas Legislature is over. It turned out to be the most anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-education, anti-worker, anti-consumer, anti-senior anti-everything legislative session in the history of our great state. These guys tried as hard as they could to roll back the 20th Century and, where they didn’t succeed, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Read on … and have a safe Independence Day holiday!

Here’s what happens when the most Republican legislature in Texas history makes the decisions:

The two-year “deficit budget” will result in at least $17-18 billion in debt and deferrals being passed on to next legislature.
For the first time in 62 years, state education funding was cut below the level needed to provide for projected school enrollment, with cuts totaling $5.3 billion.
Teacher salaries, already below the national average, were cut further, making it more difficult to keep the best teachers in the classroom.
Almost $5 billion in Medicaid funding was deferred to the next legislature, part of a dangerous health care agenda which could also threaten Medicare, nursing home care for seniors and basic health care for children.
Drastic health care cuts will reduce access to prenatal care and basic health care for millions of Texas women.
An anti-Hispanic agenda persisted, including so-called “sanctuary cities” legislation, voter ID and eliminating grants for pre-K and college grants for incoming freshmen.
An anti-consumer agenda made it more difficult for Texans to seek justice in the court system.

Here are some links to a few news items you might have missed:
Howard: How wet do you have to get before you realize it’s raining? – Austin American-Statesman
Sine Die Report: What survived, what died – Texas Tribune
Cost of Perry’s travel security team will be secret for 18 months – San Antonio Express-News

Texas Votes to Defund Planned Parenthood (newser.com)
Congratulations South Carolina! Texas Sits in Your Shadow (alicelinahan.net)
Texas ‘going full speed ahead’ on implementing health care reform (dailykos.com)

About Richard Stone

... is a husband, a father, a writer, a journalist, an activist, an avid reader of trash science fiction and an occasional folk/bluegrass guitar player. He loves to travel, UT sports, community theater and sharing a good bottle of wine with good friends.

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