Texas is a proud state. Ask most any Texan and they'll not hesitate to tell you how proud they are of their state and how lucky they are to live in Texas.Texans pride themselves on being fiercely independent and free. Many of them, including most Texas politicos, say they don't need no guv'mint 'cause they can take care of themselves. Yessiree, Bob!
In fact, a former guv of Texas, by name of Pewy or Petry or Perry or somethin', once got so pissed at the U.S. Guv'mint for some reason he suggested maybe Texas ought to secede from the Union and start its own country. When millions of non-Texans expressed the notion that was one hell of a good idea and would free up millions of dollars that Texas gets from the Federal Guv'mint which could be used by other, less independent states, Pewy or Petry or Perry, shut up pretty damn quick.
Now, Texas may rank at the bottom of the barrel in just about every category you can name, but they're still proud as a longhorn steer on steroids! Sure their job creation might look good on paper but it's mostly low-paying miserable jobs. Educationally, Texas ranks way down low but they don't truck with that there evil evolution stuff and they teach that the Civil War was about "states' rights" and that Jefferson Davis was a true patriot - you know - the truth!
And if'n you ain't a prosperous white person - well, Texas would rather y'all didn't vote. That's 'cause the non-prosperous persons in Texas tend to vote for the minority party which happens to be the Democratic Party. They've experienced the pain of living under the Repugnicans.
One of the things those good ol' boys in the state legislature have done is pass a voter ID law which very specifically targets minorities, the elderly, the infirm. If you are one of the aforementioned and you want to vote, you're screwed! Almost.
This was to counter non-existent "voter fraud" they claimed.
A funny thing happened a few days ago. Jim Wright, a Democrat, and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, decided to go get hisself a voter ID card so that he could vote in the upcoming elections.
Mr. Wright is 90 years old, but in pretty darn good shape. So he went to the proper office and presented his ID cards in order to get his voter ID card. He had a driver's license, but unfortunately it had expired. I guess he doesn't drive much anymore. He also had a Texas Christian University faculty ID, but for some reason that wasn't sufficient, either.
So, Mr. Wright was turned away. He said the folks who denied him a voter ID card were very nice, though, and he'll try to get the proper paperwork in order so that he can try again and maybe, just maybe, he can get it all taken care of before the elections.
Now, let's say that you're an immigrant who isn't familiar with the language or with the ins and outs of bureaucracies, or maybe you're a minority working two or three low-income jobs to get enough to eat and you have very little time to spare and you go to the Voter ID place and they tell you that your identification is insufficient. It is pretty reasonable to guess that you would not be treated with the same respect as the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, either.
What do you do?
Probably give it up as a bad idea and not vote.
Which is precisely what the Texas legislature had in mind! They politicians know you know the Repugnicans are out to screw you and that you would have voted Democratic!
Is this a great country or what? God's country! Land of the free! God bless America and God bless Texas!
Aargh!
h/t to Daily Kos
