Only in Texas

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2003-05-22 02:14pm

Well, the democrats were successful. They managed to stall the legislative session for 5 days, preventing many other bills from healthcare to child welfare from being addressed.

And its not over. Now they will call a special summer session to pick up the slack, at taxpayer expense, where they'll start all over again.

What cracked me up was while the dems were hiding, they were having their own "senat", passing imaginary bills and levying imaginary taxes in a hotel room at the Holiday Inn.

Make no mistake, Texans are mad as hell at these guys making Texas a national joke. Expect an upset next election.

ArthurDent · Post by **ArthurDent** » 2003-05-22 05:49pm

Iceberg wrote:Ah, yes. Arthur. Mr. "Everything a Republican does is automatically justified; everything a Democrat does is automatically wrong."

Of course you focus on me rather than the points I raised.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-05-22 07:17pm

ArthurDent wrote:
Iceberg wrote:Ah, yes. Arthur. Mr. "Everything a Republican does is automatically justified; everything a Democrat does is automatically wrong."
Of course you focus on me rather than the points I raised.

He mocked your points~ not really an adhom

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2003-05-22 07:26pm

Plus I actually want to know when's the last time Arthur's either (a) disagreed with the Republicans on any issue of substance, or (b) agreed with the Democrats on any issue of substance, because from what I've been able to discern, he basically goes straight down the GOP party line.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-05-22 07:46pm

Iceberg wrote:Plus I actually want to know when's the last time Arthur's either (a) disagreed with the Republicans on any issue of substance, or (b) agreed with the Democrats on any issue of substance, because from what I've been able to discern, he basically goes straight down the GOP party line.

He's just flinging shit in the same manner that he does at Spacebattles

Post by **Beowulf** » 2003-05-23 01:18am

Iceberg wrote:Ah, yes. Arthur. Mr. "Everything a Republican does is automatically justified; everything a Democrat does is automatically wrong."

Mock, mock, mock, mock. Seems like you need to actually try to make a point, instead of a blanket statement.

ArthurDent · Post by **ArthurDent** » 2003-05-23 03:27pm

Iceberg wrote:Plus I actually want to know when's the last time Arthur's either (a) disagreed with the Republicans on any issue of substance, or (b) agreed with the Democrats on any issue of substance, because from what I've been able to discern, he basically goes straight down the GOP party line.

Typically my views are similar to those of the GOP, especially in the areas of limiting government intrusion and taxation. Do I agree with everything they do? No. Have I agreed with the Democrats? Yes, I have, though the current crop seems to have no purpose, no direction other than opposing anything and everything Bush is pushing.

As for disagreements I have with Republicans, there are some. For instance I totally disagree with the "No Child Left Behind Act." Regulating education is not a power granted to the Federal Government by the Constitution and therefore belongs to the states. I also disagree with the proposed Patriot Act II. And in Texas it appears that the House Republicans have some explaining to do about their handling of the Democrat walkout.

All in all my views are pretty much libertarian (excepting the drug stance) and I am not affiliated with any party.

Hamel wrote:He's just flinging shit in the same manner that he does at Spacebattles

Uh huh. How about you address the points I raised?

Post by **AdmiralKanos** » 2003-05-24 12:21am

CaptainChewbacca wrote:Make no mistake, Texans are mad as hell at these guys making Texas a national joke. Expect an upset next election.

Wait ... wait ... are you saying that Texas was not a national joke before this?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-05-24 12:28am

AdmiralKanos wrote: Wait ... wait ... are you saying that Texas was not a national joke before this?

I'd respect a state that's national guard can field a complete armored division.

Rubberanvil · Post by **Rubberanvil** » 2003-05-24 08:13pm

Sea Skimmer wrote: I'd respect a state that's national guard can field a complete armored division.

And there's almost enough surplus armored vehicles in Fort Hood, TX to field a couple more brigades if it is nessecary to do so. granted they're in various stages of mothballs.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2003-05-24 10:04pm

Give em a month and watch the armor roll!

Rubberanvil · Post by **Rubberanvil** » 2003-05-24 11:28pm

BTW most of the mothball vehicles are M113s and its varients..

Vercingetorix · Post by **Vercingetorix** » 2003-05-25 03:09am

I don't know if I'm sufficiently familiar with the situation to judge whether the Democrat's tactic was wise, but I think we should remember that the really big issue here is not about Republicans giving themselves more seats. As many people have noted, both parties do that all the time. The issue here is how they've done it. They've come up with ridiculously contrived districts, lumping geographically distant areas together, and mixing rural and suburban regions. Even if you put all concerns about which party gets more seats aside, this plan would be very destructive to the quality of representation in Texas. Different regions have different concerns and different issues, and if unlike regions are lumped together, it will be much more difficult for representatives to adequately address the concerns of all their constituents. For example, if rural regions are lumped in with more populous suburbs, represenatitves will likely pay a great deal of attention to suburban voters, and ignore pressing issues like farm policy and rural infrastructure. Republicans have taken lots of flak from their own constituents for the above resons, but they've pressed ahead, apparently unconcerned with degrading the quality of democratic representation if it means they can gain political advantage. I think they deserve at least as much criticism for subverting democracy as the democrats.

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-05-25 11:05am

No they don't. Unlike what the Republicans have done, which is not without precedent, the means the Democrats are using is extralegal. The Republicans are dominant in the Texas legislature for the first time in 130 years, and they have endured many, many Democratic gerrymandering operations. Now the shoe is on the other foot and the Democrats are behaving a spoiled little child who taked his football home and won't play because the other children won't let him play quarterback. The Democrats are doing the same thing in the U.S. Senate filibustering the confirmation of Miguel Estrada. In both cases the Republicans have democratically elected majorities in these legislative houses, which gives them the legal and moral authority to enact the policies the voters put them there to enact, and the Democrats are proving unwilling to accept the results of the elections. What they couldn't achieve through the ballot box, they are determined to achieve by alternate means - nevermind that that's not how our government is supposed to work. To put it another way, the Democrats are behaving like shady trial lawyers - do whatever it takes to win, no matter how unethical.

This "win at any cost" mentality is what is harming our political system more than anything else.

Anarchist Bunny · Post by **Anarchist Bunny** » 2003-05-25 12:02pm

AdmiralKanos wrote:
CaptainChewbacca wrote:Make no mistake, Texans are mad as hell at these guys making Texas a national joke. Expect an upset next election.
Wait ... wait ... are you saying that Texas was not a national joke before this?

WTF, this coming from a Canadian.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-05-25 12:18pm

This doesn't bother me a bit, having had my state routinely carved up in order to elect embarrassments like Cynthia McKastro.

Lonestar · Post by **Lonestar** » 2003-05-25 05:09pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:
I'd respect a state that's national guard can field a complete armored division.

That'll teach those Okies from given asylum to dem Demos!