Millions In Toxic Relationship With Texas

Yesterday we asked If The Texas Governor Is A COVID Idiot?

In addition to asking that question we answered the question by making mention of the Facebook reaction of many Texans to their governor declaring Texas back opening 100% and lifting the mask mandate.

And now on this 4th day of March, when many similar type idiots think that Trump will be re-installed today as president, Facebook provides additional reaction to the Texas governor's latest embarrassing idiocy.

We have gleaned some of what we have seen on Facebook today.

The comments to these various postings on Facebook are sort of alarming. Alarming in that it is alarming how cluelessly idiotically ignorant way too many people are.

Such as no understanding of the actual concept of freedom of speech, or freedom in general. The reality that one is not free to shout "FIRE" in a crowded theater is lost on these sorts. 

And their concept of government, in that government has no business telling citizens what to do. That a person can process the data themselves and decide for themselves whether or not to wear a mask, with no thought given to the fact that another citizen might understand the need to wear a mask, and the threat posed by those who refuse to wear a mask.

Taking these type idiot's logic to its logical conclusion why should the government decide on an arbitrary speed limit? An idiot should have the freedom to decide how fast to drive. These type idiots can apply their idiot logic to any law. 

And these same type idiots are the most ardent in demanding the government put an end to abortions.
 
Anyway, scroll down for a sampling of Facebook memes regarding Texas Governor Greg Abbott ending the mask mandate...

Is The Texas Governor A COVID Idiot?

Earlier today Spencer Jack's Favorite Dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, texted me saying "I just heard on the news that Coronavirus is apparently over in Texas."

That was the first of many messages today from friends and family who live to the west of Texas, appalled that the governor of Texas would totally open Texas and lift the mask wearing mandate, whilst we are still in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

I told Jason that I have seen many people currently living in Texas who are also appalled at the latest idiocy from the Texas governor. Texas does have some idiotic doozies at the top of the state's government. 

In addition to Governor Greg Abbott we have Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and the Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton.

I do not know how the same state which elected someone popular across America, like Anne Richards, to be the governor, can elect the trio of bozos I mentioned in the above paragraph. 

Maybe part of the problem is so few people vote. I think Texas has the lowest, or near the lowest voter turnout of the 50 American states.

I have long opined, ever since my first experience with voting in Texas, that perhaps part of the lack of voter interest is there are so few things to vote on on any ballot I have ever voted on in Texas.

I do not recollect voting for school board members, water board members, justices of the peace, and other such things on a Washington ballot. Maybe such was on the ballot, but I just don't remember due to all the other things to vote on.

In Washington, and the other west coast states, and many other states across America, voters vote on things like legalizing marijuana, abolishing the state liquor sales monopoly, various public works projects, funding for parks, multiple initiatives, referendums and propositions. 

In Washington a citizen who thinks they have a great idea, which they think the public would support, can get enough petition signatures from voters to put an Initiative (hence the name) on the ballot. This type thing makes for much livelier ballots, unlike the boring, simple ballot one votes on in Texas.

Like I already said, I told Jason I am seeing a lot of reaction among Texans to the latest embarrassing stupidity from the state's governor. We are barely past how ineptly Greg Abbott handled the Texas power meltdown disaster.

Many think Abbott is appealing to his idiot base by pandering to their bizarre ongoing ignorant nonsense about mask mandating being some sort of government take away of their freedom, most recently on display via another Texas embarrassment, greasy creepy Ted Cruz shouting FREEDOM at the end of his CPAC comedy routine. 

That screen cap you see at the top, from Facebook, I have seen repeated multiple times on Facebook today, Texans displaying a mask saying "My Governor is an Idiot".

I think these Idiot Governor masks began appearing during the Texas Deep Freeze Disaster. 

The Facebook screen cap above is Jon Perry's version, with his comment adding "I live in Texas."

Jon Perry is one of the many Texans I have come across who do not fit the Texas redneck ignorant poorly educated yahoo stereotype.

As is the case which has happened multiple times since I have been in Texas, when I find myself thinking now this is a clear thinking, intelligent, logical, sensible Texan, I then find myself learning that that person is not a native born Texan, as is the reality in the Jon Perry case.

With Jon Perry I think his formative years were on the east coast, Massachusetts, I think. 

No, Jon Perry is not related to that other idiot governor of Texas, Rick Perry. Nor is he related to Katy Perry. Wait, a sec, I'm not sure of that.

It will be interesting when next I visit Walmart to see if there is a noticeable drop in the number of people wearing masks.

Also from Facebook, seen moments after posting the above...

Texas Governor Abbott Thinks He Is Doing A Profound Job Protecting Property Rights

Looking at the group photo, above, does that not look like a group of men up to no good?

The men standing behind the man with a pen in his hand look like henchmen forcing the signer to sign something.

The thing the signer is signing is HB40.

That would make the signer the new governor of Texas, Greg Abbott.

I do not know who the henchmen are standing behind Abbott sporting evil grins and multiple chins.

Maybe they are oil and gas industry lobbyists, pleased with themselves for having managed to get the Texas legislators, whom they control, to pass a bill taking away the right of a Texas town to have a say about what the oil and gas industry does in their town.

Denton was the Texas town which pushed the gas drillers too far by voting to put an end to the poking of holes in their town's ground, followed by fracking.

Denton had experienced some of the results of sloppy gas driller's operations, which have resulted in gas fires, explosions, leaks, noise pollution and earthquakes in various locations in Texas.

When Abbott signed the bill he said that local regulations threatened gas production.

And that the new law did a “profound job of protecting property rights.”

Recently dozens of Arlington residents were forced to evacuate their homes due to a poisonous leak leaking from an Arlington fracking operation.

It seems the latest Texas governor does not think any Texans, other than gas drillers, have any profound right to protect their own property rights by voting to not allow gas drillers to operate close enough to do them and their property harm.

When was the last time Texas elected a governor who did not end up being a national embarrassment? Was it Ann Richards?

How Come The People Of Denton Have Not Shut The Town Down Protesting Abbott's Ban of Anti-Fracking Bans?

A couple days ago in a blogging titled In Seattle Protesting Pot & Impeaching A Mayor I mentioned something along the line of the fact that I will be reading a west coast newspaper online, like the Seattle Times or Post-Intelligencer or San Francisco Chronicle and think to myself, well, that is something I would never read in the Star-Telegram regarding such a thing happening somewhere in Texas.

In that same blogging I also opined, "Protesting is something I have long made note of being absent, for the most part, at my current location on the planet, where there would seem to be so much to protest about. Fracking earthquakes come to mind."

Well, this morning it happened again. That which you see above is a screen cap from this morning's Seattle Times. Yesterday, thousands of teachers, and others, staged a protest march in Seattle during a one day strike.

Over the weekend hundreds of kayakers protested a Shell Oil rig being floated into Seattle's Elliott Bay before heading north to poke holes in the Arctic seabed.

Meanwhile, in Texas, yesterday the new governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed a bill into law which he claimed "protects private property rights from the heavy hand of regulation".

Last year a Texas town made national news when that town's voters voted to ban fracking in Denton. This upset the oil and gas industry, which pretty much controls Texas state government and so the oil and gas industry got their Republican lackeys, that they'd installed in Austin, to pass a bill banning Texas towns from banning fracking.

Denton banned fracking when that town's people  got tired of the heavy handed gas industry abuse of their private property due to shoddy operations causing things like a well explosion, and noisy drilling near homes and schools. Along with earthquakes and air pollution.

So, why are not freedom loving, independent, free-thinking Texans who live in Denton not staging massive protests over this heavy handed gas industry usurpation of their right to have a say over what is allowed in their town?

Denton is a college town, for gawd sakes. Why have the college students in Denton not shut the town down in protest?

Greg Abbott is already a national joke. Achieving that status far faster then his two predecessors.

If the people of Denton staged a massive protest march, such as you see above, it would get national attention, with the nation's outrage focused on the outrageous bill which yesterday the Texas governor signed into law.

Come on Texans in Denton, don't be sheep.

PROTEST.....

Texas Governor Greg Abbott Increases High School Graduation Rate To 100%

I saw that which you see here, this morning, on Facebook, and found it to be amusing.

The brilliant  new governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed into law something called SB 835.

This new law exempts thousands of Texas high school seniors from needing to pass graduation exams before being allowed to graduate, thus solving the chronic Texas low high school graduation rate problem.

Greg Abbott seems to be on a fast track to making an even bigger impression on the rest of America than his two predecessors, Perry and Bush.

Will this new law cause the upcoming Jade Helm 15 takeover of Texas to now be expanded to taking over Texas high schools?

The first event I went to after my arrival in Texas was Fort Worth's Main Street Arts Festival. I had never been to anything where you had to convert your American currency into coupons in order to buy something like a hot dog. Or turkey leg.

At the time I thought American currency was legal tender for any monetary transaction.

The State Fair of Texas was the next event I attended where I had to get in a line to buy coupons before I could get in another line to buy deep fried butter.

After several more events where I could not use money, directly, to buy something I figured this was some sort of universal Texas practice.

And then I went Canton First Mondays Trade Days to find myself surprised that I could use regular money to buy a smoked turkey leg.

At some point during my period of puzzlement about what seemed to me to be a bizarre practice, after opining that I thought it bizarre, a Texan told me the reason American currency is not used directly at a lot of events in Texas.

The low high school graduation rate.

Many of the kids hired to sell the hotdogs and turkey legs don't have the math ability to make change.

But, they can count coupons.

Somehow I don't think Greg Abbott's SB 835 improvement to the Texas high school graduation rate is going to end the need to get in line to exchange American currency for coupons at next year's Main Street Arts Festival...

Texas Walmarts May Be On The Verge Of Being Taken Over By ISIS And The United States

Yesterday, on Facebook, I saw a quote from something called politics.blog.statesman.com that amused me...

"Texas, it appears you are on the verge of being taken over by either ISIS or the United States of America."

Why is the above an either or type proposition? Couldn't Texas be taken over by both entities?

The new governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, so far appears to be much more wackydoodle than his two predecessors.

Apparently Abbott plans to send the Texas State Guard, whatever that is, to monitor a military exercise called something like Jade Helm.

From what I understand this Jade Helm military operation is a regularly scheduled thing.

But, this year, for some reason, supposedly Greg Abbott thinks this may be a nefarious plot of Obama's to declare martial law with a federal takeover of Texas.

I am a little unclear as to why Greg Abbott, or anyone else would think the federal government would want to take Texas. Isn't Texas already part of the United States of America? Didn't the federal government sort of take over Texas a long time ago, back when Texas was annexed into the U.S.?

There is also a lot of concern that federal military operations are already underway, digging tunnels  under Texas Walmarts with those tunnels leading to massive detention camps. I guess the plan must be to lure shoppers into the Walmarts with some super bargains, and then somehow trick the shoppers into the tunnels.

Walmart has denied that their stores are being tunneled under by the U.S. military. What else would they say? Yes, it's true, we are in cahoots with the Obama federal takeover of Texas.

To err on the side of caution, I plan to stay out of Walmart til this crisis blows over.

As for ISIS.

Well, it would appear that ISIS is already doing its bad deeds in Texas, what with last weekend's attack in the Dallas suburb of Garland.

ISIS has been in the Fort Worth Stockyards as long as I have been in Texas, calling itself New ISIS, as you can see  above.

How come Greg Abbott has not yet ordered the Texas State Guard to monitor this possible Texas ISIS headquarters in Fort Worth?

How come when a bad thing comes to America it often comes to Texas first, usually to Dallas, or a Dallas suburb? Just a few months ago Dallas had America's first Ebola fatality, sending much of America, and the news, into an irrational panic. And now this first ISIS attack in America takes place in Texas, in the Dallas suburb of Garland.

What's next? I shudder to wonder.....

On Tuesday Vote To Set The Clock Back 50 Years To A Time Of Liberal Progress

I found that which you see on the left on Facebook.

I found it to be both amusing and to make no sense.

I suppose though if one was a right wing nut job, then I guess voting Tuesday to NOT set the country back 50 years might make sense, in an ignorant sort of way.

In the November election 50 years ago my favorite Texan, Lyndon Baines Johnson, won the presidency in one of the biggest landslides in presidential election history.

Along with LBJ getting elected president, after having become president due to the unfortunate demise of John F. Kennedy, the Democrats also increased their majorities in both houses of Congress.

When LBJ assumed the presidency in 1963 he used his highly evolved political skills to pass all sorts of legislation which resulted in things like new libraries, schools, hospitals, roads. The one thing LBJ was not able to pass, until after the election of 1964, was augmenting Social Security to provide medical care for the aged. That had to wait til 1965 when LBJ began to expand his Great Society programs.

In addition to what became known as Medicare, other anti-poverty programs were expanded, along with a multi-billion dollar federal aid to education program. Civil rights bills were passed which were first proposed way back when Harry Truman was doing a good job as a Democrat president.

It was Harry Truman who, in his Fair Deal, first proposed what later became Medicare. When it came time to sign the Medicare Act into law, LBJ flew to Independence, Missouri so that Harry Truman could be present at the signing of the bill.

Expanding Social Security, Medicare, Civil Rights, other social programs. That is the legacy of the election of 50 years ago.

Only the most extremist right wing nut job in 2014 would dare suggest terminating Social Security or Medicare.

Or a Rick Perry type, too dense to understand why it would be a good idea for Texas to accept the Medicare expansion concept.

So, to me, it would be a very good thing if on Tuesday America gets set back 50 years to the time when one of the greatest Texans in history did some mighty fine things for all of America. Mighty fine things a Rick Perry, Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz and others of their limited ilk would never consider doing....

Today It Is Chuck Norris Who Wants Me To Help Greg Abbott Save Texas

Yesterday when I returned to my computer after voting for Wendy Davis I found email from the Republican opponent of Wendy Davis, Greg Abbott, trying to enlist my help in his efforts to stop the federal government from stealing private property in Texas.

The stealing of private property in Texas is a serious problem which happens all too frequently, but I'm only aware of Republican-related private property stealing, such as that which was done in Arlington to build the Dallas Cowboys a new stadium, and that which is being done in Fort Worth to facilitate a boondoggle known as the Trinity River Vision.

I digress.

So, yesterday, for reasons unknown to me, I got email from Greg Abbott, with his fervent plea for my help. Today I got email from a Greg Abbott lackey named Chuck Norris, with the email's subject line being "Because I Said So".

Chuck Norris is an actor, I think.

In the email, screencapped above, with a video of Chuck Norris removed because it caused the screencapping to malfunction, Chuck Norris says "It's been said that guns have two enemies...rust and politicians."

I have never heard that said, til Chuck said it. Personally, I think the worst enemy of guns are morons who use guns to wreak havoc on innocent people.

Apparently among the gun enemies, according to Chuck, is President Obama and his allies, who Chuck thinks are anti-gun politicians.

Additionally Chuck feels Greg Abbott needs my help in his fight to protect our Second Amendment rights, and other rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution.

If rights are guaranteed by the Constitution why do Chuck and Greg feel we are in danger of losing them? Are there proposed Constitutional Amendments of which I am unaware?

Chuck also opines that there are some liberals in Texas who want to impose gun control in Texas with outrageous ideas like tampering with concealed carry laws and banning gun shows within a city's limits.

Chuck thinks those progressive sorts who think we need some additional gun controls are just backwards.

I am drawing a blank right now as to what the psychological term is for people who project on to others what they are unable to face in themselves. You know, like calling someones thinking backwards when it is your thinking which thinks in the wrong direction.

Chuck also lets us know that if Greg Abbott gets elected he will make sure that the next four years in Texas don't look like the last six years under Barack Obama.

Yeah, I agree, that really makes no sense at all.

I thought Texas was doing just peachy under the enlightened leadership of Rick Perry, leadership which has thwarted much of what Obama policies have done for the rest of America.

Things like expanding Medicare.

Perry blocked expanding Medicare so we in Texas were not faced with the spectacle of seeing who knows how many millions of poor Texans able to afford medical insurance for the first time in their lives.

Why am I getting these embarrassing emails from the embarrassing Greg Abbott and his equally embarrassing lackeys?

Not that I mind, too much.....

To Get His Vote Stenotrophomonas Wants An Abbott Rant About Taking Private Citizens' Rights

Earlier today I blogged about Greg Abbott's overstepping of Texas boundaries.

In that blogging I sort of indicated that I am a bit appalled at the idea that Texas may be electing yet another Republican as governor of their mighty fine state.

The rest of America should be concerned.

Both of the previous Texas Republican governors made a run at the U.S. presidency, with one of them winning.

Twice.

A mistake from which America is still recovering.

This latest possible Texas Republican governor seems to be the worst of the trio, to me.

After I blogged about Greg Abbott and his overstepping issues, Mr. Stenotrophomonas made a comment which pointed me to a project about which I was not familiar and which seems to do a good job at explaining why Greg Abbott should not be the next governor of Texas.

Stenotrophomonas has left a new comment on your post "Greg Abbott Wants To Hear My Ideas About Overstepping Texas Boundaries & So I Obliged Him":

I'll vote for Abbott if, within the next six days, he puts out a rant about Rule 37 exceptions and how they enable drilling companies to swoop in and take private citizens' unleased mineral rights.

Probably won't happen. F'ing crook.

Lone Star Project

______________________________________________

Texas has a terribly low voter turnout. I do not understand why this is the case. Voting in Texas is relatively easy, even with the controversial I.D. requirement. The poll workers make the experience quite pleasant. If a voter is confused by the video game machine one uses to early vote, the poll workers kindly explain how to work the gadget.

Are some Texans for some reason intimidated about voting? Is that why they've never voted? It really is inexcusable, in my opinion, for someone over the age of 18, not to vote.

With so many regular Texans not voting you get bad results, such as someone like Greg Abbott, or Rick Perry, being your governor.

The low voter turnout really is appalling. The results are often proof that voting does matter. As in, by voting you can either end up with someone like Greg Abbott as your governor.

Or Wendy Davis.

I don't see how any decent minded Texan would not conclude Wendy Davis is the better choice.

Both for Texas.

And America.....

Greg Abbott Wants To Hear My Ideas About Overstepping Texas Boundaries & So I Obliged Him

Why am I getting email from Greg Abbott?

Yesterday I voted for Wendy Davis to be the next governor of Texas.

I did not vote for any of the oodles of Republicans on the ballot.

Now, apparently, Greg Abbott wants to hear my ideas for stopping the federal government from overstepping its boundaries.

Huh?

What does that even mean?

What boundaries does this right wing nut job think the federal government is overstepping?

The boundary between Mexico and the United States? The boundary between Canada and the United States? The boundary between Texas and Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Colorado?

The email from Greg Abbott starts off with him telling me that he is opposed to the Bureau of Land Management's claims that a 90,000 acre piece of land along Texas' Red River now belongs to the federal government.

Is that the boundary Abbott thinks the federal government is stepping over?

Three sentences into the email Greg Abbott is telling me that we can't let the federal government swoop into Texas and take land belonging to private citizens.

Did I already mention this guy is a nut job?

Greg Abbott is worrying about the federal government doing some Texas land swooping? Where is his concern regarding the taking of land belonging to private citizens by the antics of fellow Republican Kay Granger and the abuse of eminent domain by the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

I guess the federal government did, sort of, enable some Texas land swooping with the TRV Boondoggle, due to Kay Granger securing some pork barrel funding, prior to that practice being halted.

With Kay Granger's pork no longer flowing into Fort Worth hasn't the reason for the TRV Boondoggle hiring professional party planner, J.D. Granger, gone bye bye?

Maybe if J.D. Granger were replaced with a qualified project engineer the TRV Boondoggle might develop some sort of project timeline, with a completion date, while speeding up the current four year time frame to build three simple bridges over dry land.

I seem to have digressed from the Greg Abbott for Governor of Texas subject.

I don't understand why Texans would elect yet one more Republican to be their governor. Four years of George W. Bush, followed by 14 years of Rick Perry.

Did the Texans who used to elect people like Lyndon Baines Johnson, Sam Rayburn, Barbara Jordan, Anne Richards,  Lloyd Bentsen leave the state?

When Rome started going nuts it was later learned it was due to lead leaching into the water supply.

Texas has some serious water contamination issues, mostly due to oil and gas drilling. Is it something in the water which has dumbed down the formerly Great State of Texas?

Very perplexing.

It Appears The Dallas Observer Observes More Than Fort Worth Weekly Observes About Greg Abbott Being One Of The Worst People

Last week I ventured into the store which is next to the newly opened ALDI on Eastchase Parkway in East Fort Worth.

At the entry to the next to ALDI store I found that a stack of Dallas Observers had made their way into the Fort Worth part of Tarrant County. I have found the Dallas Observer in the Arlington part of Tarrant County, previously, but never in Fort Worth.

I have read Dallas Observer a time or two or three over the years, but this recent exposure had me noticing something I'd not noticed before. As in the Dallas Observer has way more content to read than does Fort Worth Weekly.

Eventually I figured out why it is the Dallas Observer has way more content than FW Weekly.

The cover article of this week's Dallas Observer is titled "The 20 Worst People of 2013".

I thought this to be an amusing article, but was a  bit surprised at the national scope of where the worst people came from, rather than being Texas-centric. Only one or two of the worst people were Texan. With one of those worst ones being Greg Abbott, he being the embarrassing Texan currently employed, via election, as the Texas Attorney General.

Ted Abbott is running for governor of Texas. I suspect Fort Worth's Wendy Davis will soundly beat Ted Abbott to become the new Texas governor and in the process create a national sensation with tons of verbiage devoted to the return of Texas to being a blue state.

Yes, I am an optimistic dreamer with serious delusional bouts.

So, what is the reason the Dallas Observer has so much more content than FW Weekly?

I realized the reason why, via the online version of the Dallas Observer, when I saw that the cover article of this week's Dallas Observer was not a Dallas Observer production about the worst people of 2013.  It was an article written by Pete Kotz of the Riverfront Times, that being the St. Louis version of a Dallas Observer/FW Weekly type publication.

I suspect the Riverfront Times and many other publications across the country are owned by the same entity which owns the Dallas Observer, hence the content sharing, with more content in the publication than that which appears in FW Weekly.

Don't get me wrong. I really like FW Weekly and I think that publication does a real good job of being Fort Worth's only real newspaper, filling in for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram journalistic vacuum.

And now what is it that the Riverfront Times had to say about Greg Abbott, who came in at #11 on the list of worst people? I will copy and paste...

11. Greg Abbott
Dallas couple Jeffrey and Henry Buck were married in Massachusetts, only to see their love wither two years later. A Dallas family court granted their divorce.

This caused Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to blow a gasket. He's a strident opponent of gay marriage, fearing it will spur an outbreak of elegant kitchen remodeling that makes no allowances for gun racks. And because he's also running for governor, he wanted to appease the state's many followers of Mean Jesus, the pissed-off version of the leading brand.

So Abbott appealed the decision. Since Texas law banned gay marriage, he argued, the Bucks couldn't legally divorce either. A state appellate court agreed, reportedly signing its decision in drool.

Abbott got his wish: The Bucks were forced to stay gay married.

Wait? What?

The case is now before the Texas Supreme Court justices, who are expected to hire someone who can read it to them.

The 2012 Election Is Over With Marijuana Legal In Washington While Texas Gets A Lot Of Republican Judges

Well, another election fades to history.

At some point in last evening's return viewing I decided it could wait til morning for me to learn who was going to be president for the next 4 years.

Thirty years ago if a science fiction movie was about the election of 2012 and that movie envisioned the high tech future of coverage, methinks that movie's viewers would have thought all that high tech gadgetry was totally far fetched. And really cool.

But, the reality 30 years after 1982 is that the TV news people manipulate info on giant i-Pad like devices, whilst the viewers at home sit with their smart phones and tablets that do the same thing, on a smaller scale.

My old home state had a couple interesting items on the ballot. Initiative-502 had to do with legalizing recreational use of marijuana. Referendum 74 had to do with letting anyone get married who felt the need to get married. Also known as same sex marriage.

I-502 passed. R-74 is in the process of passing. I don't think it has been called yet. My guess is within a year you will be able to go to your sister's wedding to her girl friend in Washington and smoke pot while watching the ceremony.

I got a letter from my favorite aunt this morning, she being my dad's sister. Among the items in the envelope was an article my aunt snipped from the Washington Post titled "Posturing in Texas validates the world's autocratic regimes." Referencing this article, in her letter, my aunt wrote, "Only in Texas."

The article was about idiotic comments made by the Texas State Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding international election monitors, with the Texas AG threatening to have them arrested and criminally prosecuted.

I do not know what other Referendums and Initiatives were on the Washington ballot this year. Usually there are quite a few, in addition to local bond issues for various things, like a new school or a water works project like Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Billion Dollar Boondoggle that the citizens of Fort Worth have never been allowed to vote on.

There were zero state-wide Referendums or Initiatives on the Texas ballot. I don't recollect ever seeing such a thing on a Texas ballot. Are Texas citizens not allowed to collect signatures on a petition  to put an issue on the ballot?

Voting in Texas is very odd. I suspect others who have voted in other states, prior to voting in Texas, have thought the same thing.

The oddest thing, to me, is you really do not get to vote on all that many things on a Texas ballot. Like I already mentioned, no Referendums or Initiatives to vote on, no approving or disapproving of something like legalizing gambling or legalizing marijuana use or legalizing same sex marriage or any other thing or building a bridge or a football stadium or a useless pond and unneeded flood diversion channel.

In Texas you get to vote on an incredible number of judges, most of them Republicans running unopposed. Is this why Texas produces so many judicial embarrassments that amuse and appall the rest of the country?

In Texas you do not get a voter's pamphlet in the mail. In Washington you get a voter's pamphlet in the mail. In that voter's pamphlet you read the pros and cons of all the Initiatives and Referendums and other ballot issues. Plus info and statements from the candidates.

Does Texas not have voter's pamphlets because the majority of the info in it would be about Republican judges running unopposed, with no state wide votes on anything that would require providing info to the voting public?

It is all very perplexing.