SCOTX to Austinites: Drop Dead

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

Horse manure:

The Texas Supreme Court will not order the Austin City Council to change the language it approved for two November ballot issues, regarding a city-government-wide independent audit and the fate of a new land development code.

The court late Monday notified attorney Bill Aleshire, representing the parties on both issues, that it declined to issue writs of mandamus that would have obliged the council to reconsider language that citizen groups contend was misleading to voters.

The city clerk has until Sept. 4 to finalize the language that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. If approved, the first proposition would authorize the council to hire an outside company to do an efficiency review of all city departments, including the utilities. The other would give voters the authority to approve Austin’s first new land development code since 1985.

The court ruled 6-3 to reject Aleshire’s request, made on behalf of Ed English, an unpaid advisor for Citizens for an Accountable Austin, the political action committee organized to promote the audit.

The justices unanimously rejected the plea of Allan McMurtry, a signer of a petition asking that voters be given final approval for whatever land development code the city creates.

Bottom Line: Never, ever, ever forget that most of the time the highly overrated Texas Supreme Court lets the government do whatever it wants....