Georgia Proving Greg Abbott's Pro-Life FAILURES

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."
James 4:17

Via Erick Erickson:

The Georgia House of Representatives has passed the fetal heartbeat legislation. In the past week, progressives have mounted strident opposition to the legislation, but Republicans held their ground. The measure passed the Georgia House with 92 votes to 78 in opposition.

Democrats claim they will use this measure to take back the House next year, but objective polling shows most women are actually in favor of some restrictions on abortion. This measure would begin restricting abortions when the child has his own heartbeat. It would also allow parents to claim children in utero for tax purposes and allow mothers to get deadbeat dads to help cover the costs of pregnancy.

Governor Kemp intends to sign the legislation.

Meanwhile, in Texas, we can't even establish a quorum to pass the joke bill they're using to run interference.

What's really insane: 2018 General Election was closer in Georgia than Texas.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp:

Greg Abbott:

Even if you use the Cruz/O'Rourke race as your benchmark, Texas Republicans still won bigger.

Which proves that close elections are no reason to go soft on life.

Bottom Line: The midterm election was closer in Georgia than Texas.  Yet Georgia moves forward.  For that, you can blame Greg Abbott....

Greg Abbott should Party with This Guy

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
John 8:24

LOL:

Texas Attorney General will investigate San Antonio’s ban on Chick-fil-A at their airport. The ban has the stench of religious discrimination against Chick-fil-A. ⁦@KenPaxtonTX⁩ #txlege https://t.co/W8AKypXozB

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 28, 2019

We'd originally planned to write a full blog post ridiculing this disgraceful and embarrassing spectacle, but this gem from 2012 says it better than we ever could:

[Note: If you don't understand why Texas' Republican elected officials actions related to Chick fil a are a disgraceful and embarrassing spectacle, you're part of the problem.]

Throngs fill #Chick-fil-A on Appreciation Day--this could foreshadow a November to remember. http://t.co/9dm8M5gw #tcot

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 2, 2012

Spoiler alert:

Bottom Line: If they go down this path, they're going to deserve what they get....

#TXLEGE: Right Wingers SQUANDER, yet another, Opportunity on Higher Ed.

"That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun."
Ecclesiastes 1:9

[Note: The hearing can be viewed here; our testimony is at the 1:37 mark.]

Guess what, geniuses!!!  There was a U.T Regent confirmation hearing this morning.  Were you there?!?

Just kidding.  We know you weren't there.  Because we were:

More Empty Seats than the Erwin Center

Right-wingers constantly complain about college campuses.  Correctly.  Yet, the one time they can actually do something about it?!?  Nothing.

Bupkus.  Squat.  Zilch.

Go ahead, get mad at the legislature.  These Regents are going to be confirmed.  But the legislature will only try what they think they can get away with.

And, on the subject of higher ed., the legislature knows the right wingers are a bunch of chumps.

A point y'all just proved.  YET AGAIN.

The status quo continues.

Bottom Line: Why work the levers of power to change policy when you can get outraged on social media over alleged "political correctness," amirite?!?

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Note: This blog post does not apply to those who are working hard on other issues.  If you have bandwidth issues, that's fine.  But it is to call out those who constantly complain, yet never lift a finger.

#TXLEGE: An Embarrassment to Dogs and Ponies....

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."
James 4:17

We're currently sitting in the house gallery, watching the so-called debate on the state budget.

They're just going through the motions.  There's no vision, or guidance, or sense of where they want to take the state.  It's government on autopilot.  But Democrats want to spend even more....

Which is pretty crazy, considering how much Republicans want to spend.

But the worst part is the Republicans' inability to answer completely obvious questions.

Case in point: We just watched an exchange between Chris Turner and Gina Hinojosa over child care.  The details aren't important, except that they were asking for more money.  They were pitching increased spending on child care subsidies as a way to 'help' struggling families.

Had any Republican been smart about it, they could have pointed out that government expenditures on child care make it more expensive.  Thus, the best way to help struggling families afford child care is to keep the government away from it.  Make Chris Turner and Gina Hinojosa defend making child care more expensive.

Instead, we only get languid, tepid, passivity.

And more spending.

A LOT of spending.

Bottom Line: This is how Republics die....

#TXLEGE: The wrong questions on Occupational Licenses and Religious Liberty

They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Matthew 22:21

We made a similar point about a similar topic over the weekend, but it looks like the topic is here to stay.

From Yesterday:

Opening what promises to be one of the most contentious fights of the 2019 legislative session, a Senate committee on Monday approved a bill to give state-licensed professionals — including doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and barbers — broad protection for actions taken according to their religious beliefs.

Opponents said the bill, and more than a dozen similar measures that have not yet been acted upon, would give religious people, particularly conservative Christians, the power to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people as well as anyone they don’t want to do business with or serve.

But supporters of Senate Bill 17 — including its Republican author, Sen. Charles Perry — said the protections are needed to ensure that licensing agencies do not discriminate against religious professionals by forcing them to do something that violates their beliefs.

That's fine.  Government licensing boards certainly should not abuse individual conscience rights.  In that sense, SB 17 is worthwhile.

But, let's get real: Is anybody surprised?!?

Occupational licensing, by government, is inherently political.  Period.  End of story.  For a political process to reflect political trends is completely predictable.

Even if you delineate some protections this session, as long as this licensing monstrosity remains in place, those protections are temporary at best.

In the spirit of permanent relief, the Institute for Justice offers something intriguing:



TL,DR version: Take these decisions out of the realm of politics, return them to the free market.

Bottom Line: Maybe it's time to start asking if we've been rendering too much to Caesar in the first place....

#TXLEGE: Texas Democrats remain NUTSO as ever for Murdering Children

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
Matthew 18:6

ICYMI:

A frustrated Texas House Republican committee chairman was forced to postpone a hearing on his anti-abortion bill Monday morning after five members on the nine-person panel didn't show up for the meeting — prompting what’s known as a lack of quorum.

At issue is a bill by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano. The measure, House Bill 16, would require doctors to care for a baby who survives an abortion procedure. It was unveiled earlier this month and already has more than 70 House members signed on as co-authors.

Four Democrats and one Republican on the committee were absent for Monday’s meeting, which was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Leach said state Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-Dallas, missed because of a flight delay. Meyer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The four Democrats, meanwhile, signed onto a statement Monday saying that they would not “join this charade,” apparently referring to Leach’s anti-abortion proposal that was on the committee’s calendar for consideration.

“While some members of the Texas Legislature insist on attacking as well as offending women directly and indirectly, we will not join this charade by participating in this political grandstanding on issues which are already codified in Texas and Federal law,” read a statement signed by state Reps. Victoria Neave of Dallas, Julie Johnson of Carrollton, Jessica Farrar of Houston and Yvonne Davis of Dallas. “We refuse to offend our fellow Texas women, their families, and licensed physicians by wasting time on unnecessary legislation designed to intimidate and restrict women’s access to healthcare.”

That's insane.

This bill doesn't stop a single abortion.  This bill only goes into effect after the baby is 100% outside the birth canal.  That's why we've been unenthusiastic about it.  But Holy Toledo Democrats....

There will be plenty of time to discuss the proper response, but it's worth taking a second to reflect on the insanity of this position: Texas Democrats want to Deny Medical Care to Infants who are 100% outside the birth canal.

This website doesn't often tout our greatest hits, but this incident from six years ago is re-relevant:



Bottom Line: Clearly, some things never change....

San Antonio/Chick-fil-a Debacle Textbook Example of Why GOVERNMENT SHOULDN'T OWN AIRPORTS

They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Matthew 22:21

So this happened:

Wayfarers passing through San Antonio International Airport will be out of luck if they’re craving Chick-fil-A's crispy chicken or waffle fries, as the city council has banned the chicken-centric chain from opening up shop in the air hub due to the company’s alleged “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.”

On Thursday, six members of the San Antonio City Council rejected the inclusion of Chick-fil-A from the new Food, Beverage and Retail Prime Concession Agreement for the airport, KTSA reports. The seven-year contract for concession management at the terminal is expected to create $2.1 million in revenue for the Texas city; the motion that passed gave the green light to food shops including Smoke Shack and Local Coffee.

“With this decision, the City Council reaffirmed the work our city has done to become a champion of equality and inclusion," Councilman Roberto Treviño said of the vote, as per News 4 San Antonio. "San Antonio is a city full of compassion, and we do not have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior."

 Some predictable reactions:

San Antonio punishes Chick-fil-A for its donations to Christian organizations. Sorry, that's unconstitutional. It's also intolerant. And it's more fake outrage. Do people really not feel "welcome" if an airport has a Chick-fil-A? https://t.co/62kuERHK4e

— David French (@DavidAFrench) March 22, 2019

Those reactions aren't wrong. The San Antonio city council's action certainly was an affront to religious liberty.  But they're not asking the right question.

Why does the San Antonio city council have jurisdiction over the airport in the first place?!?

This is why:

Is anyone surprised that an entity controlled by a political body is making political decisions?!?

Because you shouldn't be.

We have no idea about the solution.  Air travel in the United States is, basically, an act of socialism.  There are ample opportunities for reform at both the state and federal level.

As long as socialism continues in air travel, it should surprise nobody that concessions contracts are handed out based on political factors.

Bottom Line: No private business owner would have made this decision....