Shell_Seas
Shell_Seas's JournalTexas Democratic Party Becomes First State Party To Call For A Ceasefire
This is a win for Texas Progressives.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/texas-democratic-party-becomes-first
Only moments ago, the State Democratic Executive Committee passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Palestine. This is a huge step for the party, showing them embracing a leftward swing, which is a win for progressives.
How Republican Policies Have Led To High Poverty Rates In Texas
Republican legislators in Texas consistently throw up roadblocks to Democratic solutions for poverty issues and deepen hardships for Texans.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/how-republican-policies-have-led
Texas isn’t a red state. It’s a non-voting state. We can talk about why that is or who is at fault, but more importantly, we need to talk about the consequences of it. Earlier this week, the Texas Tribune published an article titled. “Food banks are under pressure from Texas’ high level of food insecurity.”
I shared that article on Twitter, and what surprised me was how many people responded that they didn’t believe there were high rates of food insecurity in Texas or that so many people in Texas are below the poverty line.
Here is the information (hyperlinks lead to sources):
According to the US Census, the poverty rate is 14% in Texas, which is almost three points higher than the national average.
According to Feeding Texas, 4 million Texans regularly struggle with food insecurity.
Also, according to Feeding Texas, 20% of Texas children experience hunger.
The Very Crowded Democratic Primary Race For TX32
Navigating the TX32 Democratic primary. Who's in the Running?
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-very-crowded-democratic-primary
Colin Allred (TX32) announced he would run for the U.S. Senate, and Democrats flocked to run for his seat. We have a Democratic primary race in March with ten candidates. It’s a packed race, but with so many candidates running, it’s hard to know who they are and what they stand for. So, let’s talk about it.
Here are the candidates (in no particular order):
Julie Johnson
Jan McDowell
Dr. Brian Williams
Justin Moore
Kevin Felder
Alex Cornwallis
Zachariah Manning
Chris Panayiotou
Raja Chaudhry
Callie Butcher
Whew. That’s a lot. So, who are all of these people?
The Most Important Texas Elections No One Is Talking About
🚨🚨🚨 With 20 days left until the filing deadline - we urgently need candidates to run for the SBOE.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-most-important-elections-no-one
Last week, the State Board of Education (SBOE) rejected science books that teach children about climate change. The week before, they sent educational resources to teachers regarding the Israel/Palestine conflict. Many educators and community members testified that these so-called resources were full of factual errors and showed political bias.
In August, extremist, insurrectionist SBOE member Julie Pickren announced to the world that they would be implementing PragerU in the classrooms. Later, the rest of the SBOE members said that wouldn’t happen.
Throughout history, fascist regimes have targeted education as a way to expand their ideas and solidify control over societies. What we’re seeing currently taking place is the consequences of electing fascists to the SBOE.
The GOP intends to indoctrinate Texas children through public schools.
The GOP's Rejection Of Science And The Urgency For Environmental Action
Republicans at the State Board of Education deny climate change and uphold fossil fuel interests.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-gops-rejection-of-science-and
Last week, at the regular State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting, Republican members rejected most of the science books because of science’s “negative portrayals of fossil fuels.” Worse, they aren’t allowing any language regarding climate change.
This is a consequence of 20 years of GOP rule, gerrymandering, and voter oppression.
Heat in Texas kills nearly 300 people per year as it is. That doesn’t count the increasingly severe thunderstorms, ice storms, and hurricanes. Completely ignoring climate change and pretending like it doesn’t exist will cause the situation to get worse.
Texas has warmed between 0.5°-1°F in the past century. “In the coming decades … summers are likely to become increasingly hot and dry, creating problems for agriculture and possibly human health,” warns the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It predicts that 70 years from now, the state will have three or four times as many days per year above 100°F as it has today.
At this rate, we’ll see a mass exodus in Texas within the next few decades. Yet, Republicans in charge of our school systems want to teach our future generations that the climate crisis isn’t real.
The Fiscal Irresponsibility Of Texas Republicans
Waste, Walls, And Mismanagement: The truth about Texas Republicans' reckless spending.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-fiscal-irresponsibility-of-texas
The legislative budget board just added a fiscal note to the voucher scheme bill, HB1. This scheme is estimated to cost Texas taxpayers $25 billion over the next five years. It’s important to note that vouchers will only be available to 1% of Texas’ 5.5 million children.
It’s hard to contextualize how much money $1 billion is, let alone $25 billion. If you were to count one dollar per second, it would take you 32 years to count to $1 billion.
This bill is awful and a wasteful use of our hard earned tax dollars. Over the last decade, we’ve seen a repeating pattern of wasteful spending by the Texas government on its culture war issues. Yet, all I hear from politicians, right-wing media, and the loudmouths that parrot them is how Democrats are not fiscally responsible.
That’s complete bullshit.
Which Democratic Campaigns Have Announced Their Run In The 2024 Texas Election?
There are 26 days left until the filing deadline. Find out who has already announced their candidacy.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/which-democratic-campaigns-have-announced
Last week, I listed the open seats. Since then, official filings have opened up with the state, and campaigns are announcing left and right. The filing deadline is December 11, 26 days from now. So, I’ll keep y’all updated until then on new announcements, as I expect many more.
Let’s get into it. (These are not endorsements. It’s just a list of everyone running.)
If I didn’t mention your favorite elected official, don’t worry; it doesn’t mean they aren’t running again. They just haven’t announced yet. Also, there are more than a dozen Democrats I know who are running for the State House but haven’t announced yet. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you updated.
Texas House Republicans Advance Racist Border Bills... Again
It won't be much longer before the Texas GOP runs out of marginalized groups to target.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/house-republicans-advance-racist
I’ve lost track of how many times this year Republicans in the legislature have thrown billions of dollars at the border or pushed for a “Show Me Your Papers” bill. We’re on the fourth special session, so it’s all beginning to run together. They did it again today.
Listen to Representative Gene Wu call out Republican’s excessive spending spree:
How much money has gone to Abbott’s stunts at the border so far? More than $10 billion. The total number over the last several sessions is $11.5(ish) billion. Today, they greenlit another $1.5 billion.
The GOP continues to throw all of our money at the border, and it hasn’t done anything except give them political clout. It doesn’t “secure our border.” This money won’t stop mass migration. We might as well be flushing it down the toilet.
32 Days Until The Filing Deadline - How Many Republicans Are Still Unopposed?
We can do this, Texas and we have 32 days to find candidates for these open seats.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/32-days-until-the-filing-deadline
Last night, I met with several organizations recruiting candidates to run against unopposed Republicans. We are dwindling them down. I can’t tell you all the candidates because many haven’t announced their campaigns yet. More importantly, we need to discuss which seats are still open.
Over the next month, I’ll discuss these races in greater detail.
If you’re thinking of running for office or know someone who is, I’ll list resources at the bottom of this article to help you get started.
Break Down Of The Texas Election Results
Texas saw the highest turnout in a Constitutional election in almost two decades. What does that mean for Democrats?
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/break-down-of-the-texas-election
Another election has come and gone. Democrats all around the country won big last night. Ruby-red Kentucky keeps their Democratic governor, Ohio secures abortion rights and legalizes marijuana, and the Virginia State House flips blue. As Democrats see big wins throughout America, the question remains: What about Texas? And what does this mean for our 2024 chances?
Turnout.
Y’all. I’m so proud of Texas right now. Our turnout in the Constitutional election was 14.6%. Now, I know what you’re thinking. That number is abysmal. But that’s the wrong way to look at it. For Texas, this number is high. In fact, on a Constitutional election, this is the highest turnout Texas has seen in almost two decades. In 2021, the turnout was only 8.75%. This is a good sign that more people are paying attention and getting engaged. That’s what we want.
What does this mean for Democrats?
