Autocracy Texas Style

[Muse]

Texas’s “Death Star Bill” Is an Attack on Workers and Democracy​

Abbot and his legislature to local governments: Hey, do it Our Way!

Texas House approves sweeping limits on local regulations in GOP’s latest jab at blue cities​

In a major escalation of Republicans’ efforts to weaken the state’s bluer cities and counties, lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are advancing a pair of bills that would seize control of local regulations that could range from worker protections to water restrictions during droughts.

A bill backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and business lobbying groups, House Bill 2127, would bar cities and counties from passing regulations — and overturn existing ones — that go further than state law in a broad swath of areas including labor, agriculture, natural resources and finance. It passed the Texas House by a 92-56 vote Wednesday after clearing an initial vote the previous day.

The bill’s backers argue it’s needed to combat what they call a growing patchwork of local regulations that make it difficult for business owners to operate and harm the state’s economy. Texas’ economic growth and jobs are overwhelmingly concentrated in the state’s urban areas.


HB 2127 is one of several bills that Republicans filed this session to prevent cities and counties from enacting new progressive policies. For example, the bill would block local ordinances designed to provide more benefits to workers such as mandatory paid sick leave — though the state’s courts have already halted such city rules — and eliminate mandated water breaks for construction workers in Austin and Dallas.

The bill’s opponents — which include Democrats, local leaders, advocates for low-income workers and environmental groups — see a major power grab in the making that would prevent local officials from responding to their communities’ needs.

Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat, blasted the bill as “unconstitutional” as House lawmakers debated it Tuesday.

"One law for the lion and ox is oppression" - William Blake

How heat kills: What happens to the body in extreme temperatures​

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/23/1189506023/heres-what-happens-to-the-body-in-extreme-temperatures-and-how-heat-becomes-dead?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 

[brycejones]

The party of small government and local control strikes again

 

[hal2kilo]

Texas’s “Death Star Bill” Is an Attack on Workers and Democracy​

Abbot and his legislature to local governments: Hey, do it Our Way!

Texas House approves sweeping limits on local regulations in GOP’s latest jab at blue cities​

In a major escalation of Republicans’ efforts to weaken the state’s bluer cities and counties, lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are advancing a pair of bills that would seize control of local regulations that could range from worker protections to water restrictions during droughts.

A bill backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and business lobbying groups, House Bill 2127, would bar cities and counties from passing regulations — and overturn existing ones — that go further than state law in a broad swath of areas including labor, agriculture, natural resources and finance. It passed the Texas House by a 92-56 vote Wednesday after clearing an initial vote the previous day.

The bill’s backers argue it’s needed to combat what they call a growing patchwork of local regulations that make it difficult for business owners to operate and harm the state’s economy. Texas’ economic growth and jobs are overwhelmingly concentrated in the state’s urban areas.


HB 2127 is one of several bills that Republicans filed this session to prevent cities and counties from enacting new progressive policies. For example, the bill would block local ordinances designed to provide more benefits to workers such as mandatory paid sick leave — though the state’s courts have already halted such city rules — and eliminate mandated water breaks for construction workers in Austin and Dallas.

The bill’s opponents — which include Democrats, local leaders, advocates for low-income workers and environmental groups — see a major power grab in the making that would prevent local officials from responding to their communities’ needs.

Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat, blasted the bill as “unconstitutional” as House lawmakers debated it Tuesday.

Shades of Michigan under Pub control.
Basically, we can't let darkies/brown people run things.

 

[feralkid]

Shades of Michigan under Pub control.
Basically, we can't let darkies/brown people run things.

Or liberals, homos, women...

 

[gothuevos]

Are local laws supposed to override state laws? No fan of Abbott and I have not read the text of the bill, but what if it was a blue state making sure rural towns were also abiding by state laws (ie, paying minimum wage, anti-discrimination laws, etc)?

 

[Captante]

Not surprising at all. Pretty disgusting though.

Hate to say it but I'm not sure I see a possible "good outcome" for the political situation in America anymore.

 

[sportage]

Have to admit, these republicans in these republican states are on the ball. They have the power and they take full advantage of it. Republicans will always pull this when given the power yet democrats never will. I don't know if thats a good thing or a bad thing. After all, democrats could pull the very same shit in blue states yet they don't. They won't. It's frustrating to watch for a democrat. And I don't get it.

In iOwa, the poor lonely democrat elected to state office was a guy named Robert Sand. Elected state auditor. And Sand is very tough on crime especially crime pulled by the republican governor and republicans who control the state. Sand has been on the Rachael Maddow show.

So in this last election cycle, Sand was re-elected and that did not sit well with the crooked republican governor Kim Reynolds. Thus, she and her cronies in congress passed a law pretty much stripping the state auditor Robert Sand of his powers to investigate. The bill stripped Sand from requesting or accessing any information when the governor pulls her "funny business". Sand can't look at records involving the governor, Sand can't look at records involving any republican state official. And these republicans justify their bill as "protecting personal privacy". Oh yeah, we all want to protect personal privacy especially when it involves breaking the law.

Sand went on a state wide tour informing people of just what Reynolds had done and what the republican legislators had done to cover their dirty deeds. Passing laws to block Sand from doing his job.
The latest thing, Reynolds pulled some crap diverting taxpayer money from legitimate projects into her pet projects. Reynolds was taken to court over this and Reynolds lost in court. But now, gov Kim Reynolds wants tax payers to pay those legal fees spent on defending her in the two lawsuits. Again... the lawsuits which she lost in court.

Attorney general Sand rejected her request to have taxpayer money pay her legal fees over the lawsuit(s) which Reynolds lost. Sand: YOU CAN NOT HAVE THE GOVERNOR BREAKING THE LAW THEN EXPECTING THE TAX PAYERS TO PAY FOR THE LEGAL FEES FROM HER BREAKING THE LAW.

And yet, ignorant iOwans keep voting this Reynolds moron back into office. Like I've said before, Reynolds is the crook but those idiots who keep voting her back into office are the real crooks. Reynolds, Chuck Grassley, quite a pair of misfits. Quite a pair indeed.

 

[MrSquished]

Are local laws supposed to override state laws? No fan of Abbott and I have not read the text of the bill, but what if it was a blue state making sure rural towns were also abiding by state laws (ie, paying minimum wage, anti-discrimination laws, etc)?

That's not the same thing. State laws have to be followed, but you are allowed to expand on them. Also, none of these laws are BREAKING state law. So a state enforcing state laws is not at all alike to this.

 

[brycejones]

Are local laws supposed to override state laws? No fan of Abbott and I have not read the text of the bill, but what if it was a blue state making sure rural towns were also abiding by state laws (ie, paying minimum wage, anti-discrimination laws, etc)?

It kind of invalidates every Republican complaint about federalism.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Keep Calm and Exaggerate On!

Texas is just making sure those wacky liberals dont create chaos with their odd and unusual regulations that are only meant to bring about socialism.

Granted I do like stronger rules against the dastardly oil and gas industry however we must draw the line at cities trying to do things like minimum wage requirements and other things that make them union friendly.

 

[IronWing]

Keep Calm and Exaggerate On!

Texas is just making sure those wacky liberals dont create chaos with their odd and unusual regulations that are only meant to bring about socialism.

Granted I do like stronger rules against the dastardly oil and gas industry however we must draw the line at cities trying to do things like minimum wage requirements and other things that make them union friendly.

Fuck off, traitor.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Fuck off, traitor.

I was trying to think of an appropriate response, and I think you hit the nail on the head

 

[Captante]

Well said.

 

[BoomerD]

Kind of a repost...

Page 3 - Abbott screwed Texans again...

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

forums.anandtech.com

But worthy of its own thread.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Keep Calm and Exaggerate On!

Texas is just making sure those wacky liberals dont create chaos with their odd and unusual regulations that are only meant to bring about socialism.

Granted I do like stronger rules against the dastardly oil and gas industry however we must draw the line at cities trying to do things like minimum wage requirements and other things that make them union friendly.

Ha, what a joke you are

HB 2127 is one of several bills that Republicans filed this session to prevent cities and counties from enacting new progressive policies. For example, the bill would block local ordinances designed to provide more benefits to workers such as mandatory paid sick leave — though the state’s courts have already halted such city rules— and eliminate mandated water breaks for construction workers in Austin and Dallas.

Those wacky liberals and their water breaks and paid sick leave, work till you drop dead plebe, get fuct - FDC / GOP

 

[akugami]

The Texas bill does not go far enough.

Why stop at making workers in 100 degree weather not get a water break?

They should not get food breaks or bathroom breaks until their shift is over. None of that wussy shit like "I'm about to die in the heat" stuff the libs always complain about. Getting a break while on the clock is stealing money from your employer. Real men work 12 hours straight, 7 days a week, in 100 degree temps, with no breaks.

 

[ch33zw1z]

The Texas bill does not go far enough.

Why stop at making workers in 100 degree weather not get a water break?

They should not get food breaks or bathroom breaks until their shift is over. None of that wussy shit like "I'm about to die in the heat" stuff the libs always complain about. Getting a break while on the clock is stealing money from your employer. Real men work 12 hours straight, 7 days a week, in 100 degree temps, with no breaks.

Food and water is for the weak. Don’t eat or drink and you don’t need bathroom breaks.

 

[kage69]

Keep Calm and Exaggerate On!

Texas is just making sure those wacky liberals dont create chaos with their odd and unusual regulations that are only meant to bring about socialism.

Granted I do like stronger rules against the dastardly oil and gas industry however we must draw the line at cities trying to do things like minimum wage requirements and other things that make them union friendly.

If you're not someone's case study, you should be.

Abbot vetoes vote by mail for disabled people (!!) and went right on to cancel water breaks for people working in triple digit heat. He already got someone killed from heat stroke. It's pretty demented that you smile and shrug over people like Abbott, while clinging to your talk radio fantasies about Dems, you get that right? Texan Rs continue to add to their body count of Americans dead from preventable diseases, guns, ridiculous power outages, and horrible health outcomes for women in general but wrt reproductive health especially. You act like Texas has a record to be proud of, when it's actually quite pitiful.

Hell some Texas idiots legislated vigilantism to enforce their control over women's genitals, made it financially lucrative for the rapists family to sue if the victim tries to abort.

But it's the liberals who are wacky and could bring chaos? And your fears of socialism magically don't apply to corporate welfare, as we've established already. But you like stronger rules, right.

Keep Calm and Spew Hypocritical Horseshit.

 

[MrSquished]

If you're not someone's case study, you should be.

Abbot pulls vote by mail for disabled people (!!) and went right on to cancel water breaks for people working in triple digit heat. He already got someone killed from heat stroke. It's pretty demented that you smile and shrug over people like Abbott, while clinging to your talk radio fantasies about Dems, you get that right? Texan Rs continue to add to their body count of Americans dead from preventable diseases, guns, ridiculous power outages, and horrible health outcomes for women in general but wrt reproductive health especially. You act like Texas has a record to be proud, when it's actually quite pitiful.

Hell some Texas idiots legislated vigilantism to enforce their control over women's genitals, made it financially lucrative for the rapists family to sue if the victim tries to abort.

But it's the liberals who are wacky and could bring chaos? And your fears of socialism magically don't apply to corporate welfare, as we've established already. But you like stronger rules, right.

Keep Calm and Spew Hypocritical Horseshit.

Felix, like many of his GQP scumbag friends, has no soul.

 

[coldmeat]

Keep Calm and Exaggerate On!

Texas is just making sure those wacky liberals dont create chaos with their odd and unusual regulations that are only meant to bring about socialism.

Granted I do like stronger rules against the dastardly oil and gas industry however we must draw the line at cities trying to do things like minimum wage requirements and other things that make them union friendly.

This post has finally made me 100% sure you're just a troll.

 

[kage69]

This post has finally made me 100% sure you're just a troll.

Low information conservatives who rely on their infotainment bubble for both history and news do sound like that though. Trolls give up over time, it's the nuts who put 20+ years into embarrassing themselves in front of others. He's one of those "rainbow flags in schools is indoctrination but the10 commandents and school prayer aren't" types, right?

He seems to have more endurance than normal trolls, though I agree he does sound like (an unpaid) one at times.

 

[Vic]

For the life of me, I cannot understand why liberals continue to live in red states whose govts are openly hostile to them.

 

[MrSquished]

For the life of me, I cannot understand why liberals continue to live in red states whose govts are openly hostile to them.

There's not enough room in the blue states because zoning laws are stupid. Also, it's not cheap to just pick up and move across country, and this country is about keeping people down financially wherever possible.

 

[FelixDeCat]

If you're not someone's case study, you should be.

Abbot pulls vote by mail for disabled people (!!) and went right on to cancel water breaks for people working in triple digit heat. He already got someone killed from heat stroke. It's pretty demented that you smile and shrug over people like Abbott, while clinging to your talk radio fantasies about Dems, you get that right? Texan Rs continue to add to their body count of Americans dead from preventable diseases, guns, ridiculous power outages, and horrible health outcomes for women in general but wrt reproductive health especially. You act like Texas has a record to be proud, when it's actually quite pitiful.

Hell some Texas idiots legislated vigilantism to enforce their control over women's genitals, made it financially lucrative for the rapists family to sue if the victim tries to abort.

But it's the liberals who are wacky and could bring chaos? And your fears of socialism magically don't apply to corporate welfare, as we've established already. But you like stronger rules, right.

Keep Calm and Spew Hypocritical Horseshit.

Im willing to bet you are not aware of how hard it is to get anything done in certain parts of California. I remember watching a particular video several years ago about a man who jumped through hoops for years and years trying to build an affordable housing complex in Los Angeles. He spent large amounts of money in lawyer fees, spent lots of time over several years attending meetings with members of state and local government and councils /authorities and other community interest boards - all of which had differing sets of rules he had to comply with to tear down an existing building and build a new housing complex. They even showed some of the meetings he attended. The members of nanny state boards would continue to demand studies, get community input, request more documents and reports and some of them were in conflict with all the various city regulations, building codes, redevelopment boards, housing boards, etc. Just more and more delays, regulations and red tape.

In the end after spending nearly $1,000,000 trying to just comply with all the rules he through his hands up and abandoned the project. A low income housing project that was not built because of multiple layers of bureaucracy, some of it conflict, etc.

So no, cities must be reigned-in in Texas to make sure we dont wind up like California's bureaucratic spaghetti of overlapping and possibly conflicting nonsense.

 

[Vic]

There's not enough room in the blue states because zoning laws are stupid. Also, it's not cheap to just pick up and move across country, and this country is about keeping people down financially wherever possible.

They apparently had no troubles picking up and moving to Texas.

Edit: and to Florida. How's that working out?