Cook Children's "Hospital" conforms to WRETCHED Stereotypes

"Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:12

This is astounding:

Lawyers from a Fort Worth hospital are harassing a conservative organization in North Texas as part of their plan to combat a judge’s interference in killing a 9-month-old baby.

Tinslee Lewis was born with congenital heart disease. She is currently at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth and relies on a ventilator to live. On October 31, against the objections of Tinslee’s mother, the hospital announced it would remove the ventilator from Tinslee on November 10, thus killing her. No reasons relating to bodily health were given by the hospital. Instead, only a vague “quality of life” argument was provided.

The action by Cook Children’s is legal under Texas’ controversial 10-day rule, which allows a hospital committee to end “life-sustaining care” even if the patient, or his or her surrogate, objects; it also overrides a duly executed medical power of attorney or advance directive from the patient.

Tinslee’s life was temporarily spared when Judge Alex Kim of the 323rd District Court approved a temporary restraining order filed by lawyers from Texas Right to Life on her behalf on November 10—the day she was scheduled to die. A hearing originally set for November 22 was postponed until December 10 after the hospital dispatched its lawyers to try and force Judge Kim to be recused.

The lawyers have now issued a subpoena to True Texas Project, the North Texas grassroots activist organization—formerly known as Northeast Tarrant Tea Party—led by Julie White McCarty. The subpoena contains a draconian list of communications to be turned over to them, including:

• All documents and communications related to any endorsement of Judge Alex Kim’s judicial campaign by True Texas Project. 

• All documents and communications related to any contributions True Texas Project made to Judge Alex Kim’s judicial campaign.

A similar subpoena was given to Empower Texans, the publisher of Texas Scorecard. The subpoenas included a deadline for compliance of less than 48 hours during the week of Thanksgiving.

Because nothing screams "everything we're doing is on the up and up" quite like attempting to sue your critics into silence.

Which is a shame.

Here's the secret: This type of care is extraordinarily expensive.  Hospitals frequently eat that cost.  These are some of the most challenging examples of what the industry calls "indigent care."

It's not an objection to which we are entirely unsympathetic.  A conversation about how to pay for this sort of treatment probably should.  There's got to be a better way.

But then they do something like this.

Cook Children's "Hospital" can find the money to sue their critics...but they can't find the money to treat a little girl?!?

It's quite something.

It also makes one wonder what else they're hiding.

Bottom Line: At a minimum, the optics are terrible...and it's probably worse than that.

Genius Texas Republicans Do Something Super Genius-y!!!

"He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer."
Proverbs 18:9

Good grief:

In a bizarre political blunder, a document laying out the Republican Party of Texas’s election strategy for the 2020 elections has ended up in the hands of Texas Democrats. Attacking Democratic candidates through websites and mitigating “the polarizing nature” of President Donald Trump are part of the plan.

The document — called a draft for initial discussion by the Texas GOP Party chair — was titled “Primary/General Election 2020 [Draft]” and began showing up in Democratic emails Monday evening.

It includes a target list of 12 statehouse districts, including six in North Texas, that Republicans are aiming to take back in next year’s elections.

....

“Starting after the Primary, the RPT will generate microsites for negative hits against the Democrat candidates in our twelve target race—we expect each microsite to be roughly $500,” the document reads. “We will then begin rolling out these websites, prioritizing the races that were within 4% in the 2018 election.”

....

The document says Republicans will audit search engine optimization results to make sure that the negative attack websites are on the front pages of various search engines and work with other stakeholders — such as Texans for Greg Abbott, the governor’s campaign arm — “to get any more insight on issues that matter to these districts.”

“We will attack these Democrat candidates with contrast hits which we will obtain from, public votes from the 86th Legislative Session, their campaign websites, and any other means to gather negative material on them,” the document says.

In addition to the individual websites, the plan calls for a “master site" to house attacks on Democrats across the state, focusing on federal, state and down-ballot Democrats and “how Democrat values don’t match Texas values.”

Most of this stuff isn't earth shattering.  They're building websites.  Political parties build websites.

Still, the sloppiness illustrates so much more.

But maybe Karl Rove will fix things.

Bottom Line: When you can't competently execute basic campaign blocking and tackling...why should anybody trust you with anything else?!?

For an 18-year incumbent with "Seniority," Cornyn can't even work system

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
Colossians 3:17

We recently observed traffic on I-35 in downtown Austin when we had a thought: Isn't I-35, technically, a federal highway?!?

Furthermore...isn't our senior Senator the #2 Republican in the United States Senate?!?

Obviously, this website doesn't *really* support pork-barrel governance.  Taxpayers elsewhere in the U.S. shouldn't *really* subsidize I-35 expansion.  Still, for such a situation to emerge under the jurisdiction of a  U.S. Senator who claims to "work within the system" indicates said U.S. Senator's incompetence.

Put differently: $23 Trillion national debt...and John Cornyn STILL can't secure funding for (already federal) I-35.

It's quite something.

Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn may have been completely wretched.  But at least Texas got some infrastructure out of them.  With John Cornyn, we get the wretchedness without the infrastructure.

Bottom Line: If we're going to be stuck with a U.S. Senator who doesn't represent our values, they ought to at least manipulate the status quo to Texas' advantage.  Cornyn can't even do that.  What purpose does he serve?!?

Facing Environment that resembles 2006, GENIUS Texas Republicans turn to...Karl Rove?!?

"As a dog returns to his own vomit,
So a fool repeats his folly."
Proverbs 26:11

What could possibly go wrong?!?

A group of Texas House Republicans is making a multimillion-dollar effort to defend the party's majority in 2020 with the speaker sidelined and Democrats pushing to flip the chamber.

Earlier this month, the group quietly filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to create Leading Texas Forward PAC, with famed Republican strategist Karl Rove listed as the treasurer.

....

Rove's involvement is also notable — and it is not his only project this cycle focused on keeping Texas red. The former top adviser to President George W. Bush is also helping with the Texas GOP's Volunteer Engagement Project, an effort to revive the party's nuts-and-bolts functions ahead of 2020.

The funny part is that, the last time the GOP got into trouble because they lied and broke a bunch of promises to their voters, they had Karl Rove "run turnout operations" to keep a legislative chamber red.

We all know how that worked out.

Bottom Line: Something, something, definition.  Something, something, doing the same thing.  Something, something, expecting a different result.

Even when he does something right, Abbott's still Completely Incoherent

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
1 John 4:1

Interesting development this morning:

Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to review and overhaul their licensing requirements, with an eye toward providing Texans “the opportunity to earn a living free from unnecessary state intrusion.”

In an Oct. 8 letter to the heads of state agencies, signed by the Republican governor himself, Abbott directed agencies to trim licensing regulations, reduce fees and educational requirements for certain professions, and, “where appropriate,” remove licensing barriers for individuals with criminal records. He set a Dec. 1 deadline for agencies to tell his office which steps they plan to take. There are hundreds of professional licenses in Texas — from tow truck operators to physicians to laser hair removal technicians.

“Reforming Texas’s occupational-licensing rules must be a priority for all state leaders,” Abbott wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Texas Tribune. “Sensible licensing rules, when necessary, can protect the public from legitimate harm, but overbroad rules stymie innovation, raise consumer prices, and limit economic opportunity. Overly burdensome licensing rules also discourage individuals from pursuing professions or prevent the unemployed — or former inmates who have paid their debt to society — from building a better life.”

Several state agencies confirmed they received the letter and are preparing their responses.

....

Abbott ordered agencies to reduce license application fees to 75% or less of the national average for comparable occupations.

This is good.  We're glad the governor is doing this.  But who is he kidding?!?

The Trib article explains:

Earlier this year, the governor also acted independently, signing an executive order to keep alive the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners after the Legislature allowed it to shut down.

Well...yeah.

You can see more about what we said about the plumbers board debacle here, here, and here.

Bottom Line: At best, Abbott's sending a mixed message.  That might be better than a uniformly negative one.  But it's hardly inspiring.  Which is a shame, because we'd like to praise him over this.

#TXLEGE: Republicans still deserve to lose...but Democrats don't deserve to win.

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

[Note: We'll be travelling out of state most of the next week, we're not sure when we'll resume publication.]

Interesting column from Ross Ramsey this afternoon:

Who would have guessed that sharing political confidences with a political foe — a conversation that upended the speaker of the Texas House — would have real competition for the biggest blunder a House member might make this year?

The newest contender became public Wednesday: Dropping an envelope containing four packets of cocaine at an Austin airport is clearly a dumbfounding mistake. But the frosting on that particular cake was on the outside of said envelope — which bore the official letterhead of state Rep. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass.

....

The timeline raises some questions. Nevárez was seen on surveillance cameras dropping the envelope as he got into an SUV after arriving on a private plane — in September. For reasons that aren’t completely clear, the Texas Department of Public Safety kept a lid on the news for more than two months.

....

On Thursday afternoon, a warrant for the legislator's arrest was issued; he faces a charge of third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.

Ramsey then speculates over how Bonnen's and Poncho's scandals could impact the current election cycle.  Ramsey's hypothesis is that the scandals portend well for conservatives.  Perhaps.

Allow us, however, to suggest an alternative: Regardless of how the 2020 cycle plays out, 90%(+) of legislators will either be cowards or scumbags.

The precise makeup of R's, D's, scumbags, and cowards won't change the nature of the beast.

Last month, as Bonnen's scandals continued to fester, we wrote the following about Republicans:

It's no longer just about Dennis Bonnen.  Or one act of political funny business.  This specific scandal is the completely predictable result of the toxic culture in the Texas capitol that has prevailed for a long time.

The GOP, meanwhile, has been running the place for a quarter century.

This is the same Republican majority that:

• Five years ago, was running college admissions scandals before it was cool.
• With all due respect to Aunt Becky, she ain't got nothin' on Jim Pitts.

• Two years ago, put a man who had been in a sexual relationship with a lobbyist for over a decade in charge of writing its sexual harassment policy.

• Just elected as vice chair a guy who was taking $56,000 a month from an entity under the jurisdiction of the committee he chaired.

The pattern is obvious...to anyone not under the influence of afore mentioned Egyptian rivers.

It can't be defended, and it shouldn't.

Since then, very little has changed for the GOP.  Sure, Bonnen's gone kinda sorta going away.  But the culture of corruption within their caucus remains.

But then you look to the Democrats...and...well...Poncho.

You can't justify either.

Bottom Line: Whether we're in the territory of "whoa," or the territory of "woe," neither is good.

#TXLEGE: Adios Muchacho

"It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment."
Proverbs 18:5

Lolz, couldn't happen to a nicer guy....

On September 6 a pair of DPS employees at the TXDOT Flight Services location in Austin, Texas found a sealed white envelope on the ground outside of the terminal. Inside were four clear plastic baggies containing “white power.”

That powder was cocaine.

The envelope was white letterhead reading, “Office the State of Texas House of Representatives Member Poncho Nevarez.“ A review of video footage by DPS officers showed Poncho exiting the airport in burnt orange, dropping the sealed envelope and getting into an SUV driven by his chief of staff.

According to the affidavit, Poncho arrived in Austin that day flying a private Cessna T206 owned by the Nevarez Law Group. He was arriving from the Texas-Mexico border, where his legislative district is located.

In a CYA statement to the Trib, Nevarez belatedly claims:

Nevárez said "grief and addiction were consuming me" and noted that he plans to "seek treatment."

Blah, blah, blah.

[Note: Taxpayers gonna be on the hook for that so-called "treatment?!?"]

The only thing to which Poncho Nevarez was "addicted" was arrogance and entitlement.

This author doesn't care about Poncho Nevarez's recreational activities.  Glass houses, stones, the mid-2000's, and all that.  We do, however, care about arrogance and entitlement in the political arena.

It speaks volumes to the culture in the Texas house that the Chairman of the frickin' Homeland Security committee was caught trafficking cocaine.

Sure, it was a relatively small amount.  Sure, there was a big football game that weekend.  Sure, in isolation, this one specific action doesn't amount to much.

But he's the chairman of the Homeland Security committee.

Call us old-fashioned, but we don't think the chairman of the Homeland Security committee should fly cocaine from the Mexican border into the interior.

Just a thought.

Bottom Line: It's not the cocaine.  At least, not really.  It's the arrogance and the political entitlement.