Texas, We Need to Talk
Hurricane Beryl is just the latest debacle to rock the Republican-run leadership in Texas and frankly, it’s embarrassing
Texas Republicans have had a stranglehold on legislative power for three decades. Since 1994, every elected statewide office has been held by Republicans. And yet, even with control of the governor’s office and both state legislative chambers, the state still struggles where it matters the most (poverty, education, crime, infrastructure) while elected ‘leaders’ stoke fear and hostility toward fellow citizens.
Enough is enough.
Let’s start with poverty. Despite Texas political leadership bragging about the overall poverty rate dropping in 2022, 76 of Texas’ 254 counties saw an uptick in poverty rates. Most of those were rural counties with populations lower than 50,000. Nearly 5 million people live in rural Texas communities representing the largest rural population of any state. After the drop in overall poverty in 2022, it’s back up and now sits at roughly 14% of the state’s population.
An estimated 3.5 million Texans receive aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A program Republicans in both Washington D.C. and in the state have consistently made harder to qualify for leaving families struggling to…
