Texas Outlaw Newsletter: the Inflation Reduction Edition
It wasn't such a bad week for normal people in America!
It looks like the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is on its way to becoming law. According to the WaPo,
"...the package would authorize the biggest burst of spending in U.S. history to tackle global warming — about $370 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below their 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The proposal also would make good on Democrats’ years-old pledge to reduce prescription drug costs for the elderly.
In part by tweaking federal tax laws — chiefly to target tax cheats and some billion-dollar companies that pay nothing to the government — the bill is expected to raise enough money to cover its new spending. Democrats say the measure is also expected to generate an additional $300 billion for reducing projected budget deficits over the next 10 years, though they have not yet furnished a final fiscal analysis of their legislation."
In addition, a labor report was published that concluded that all jobs lost due to the pandemic have been recovered. (And it appears that there is still job demand. Unemployment is at record lows.)
And then there was Kansas. KANSAS! It was so crazy that Dorothy didn't even bother running around Oz to hunt down the Wizard, she grabbed Toto, and said "F**K it, Toto... click your damn heels, we can go home to Kansas. Right. Now!"
That's right, Kansas voted overwhelmingly to keep abortion legal in the state. Who knew??? Certainly not the pundits, the pollsters, the insiders, the press... And it absolutely put a shiver down every Republican candidate's spine. Or a shiver where spines are located actual humans.
And yet, states like Texas continue to double down. Even with the consequences (whether intended or not) of criminalizing abortion becoming apparent. Indiana's governor just signed a bill into law banning nearly all abortions, with only a few exceptions. (Indiana has the third worst maternal mortality rate in the country.) And corporations are now the new battleground as they try to be supportive of their young workers and female employees that demand that management speak up in their defense. It will be a strange calculation as these major companies weigh their need for educated talent (often skewing young and progressive) vs. their need for favorable tax treatment (often offered by GOP state governments.)
The Kansas vote is indeed something to celebrate, but with caution. As mentioned, the polls and pundits didn't see that one coming. Those same prognosticators are now suddenly 100% confident that the vote is a reliable indicator for elections in our near future. Sure would be nice, but you'd be crazy to take them at their word. Keep organizing, keep voting.
Other fun tidbits:
• Dems passed the PACT Act for vets affected by toxic exposure to burn pits during the middle east wars.
• Friend to all progressives, Dick "or I'll shoot you in the face" Cheney, called Trump a "threat to our republic" in a campaign ad for his daughter, Liz.
• Gasoline has dropped in price daily for almost two months straight.
And then there was the Conservative Political Action Conference... held in Texas.
One of the highlights of that CPAC convention this last week in Dallas (that both Abbott and Trump attended) was Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's speech. Orbán, of course, is the fascist that has become a fantasy figure for the GOP. Only a week before he had warned worldwide fans of authoritarianism, "We are willing to mix with one another, but we do not want to become peoples of mixed race."
Somewhere below, Goebbels smiled. Orbán's bigoted comments certainly didn't diminish attendance at the Texas CPAC.
"The West is at war with itself,” Orbán said on Thursday, opening the three-day conference in Dallas. “We have seen what kind of future the globalist voting bloc has to offer. But we have a different future in mind. The globalists can all go to hell, I have come to Texas.”
How Davy Crockett of him.
D'jya ever notice how authoritarians are constantly harping about how they do everything "for the people." Always about the good of the people. And then they do what they damn well please for money and power? From Chavez to Putin to Orbán... and now our own Gov. Greg is only thinking of the good people of Texas when he refuses to force the DPS (and other law enforcement agencies) to release body cam footage and other evidence gathered in the Uvalde mass shooting investigation. Abbott is thinking of us all when he uses the DPS to militarize the border and harass local citizens. It's Abbott's caring that has him leading the charge on limiting health care for women, children, and the poor.
James Moore has an outstanding piece outlining Gov. Greggie's race toward Orbán-style leadership. So much caring in Abbott's heart for the people of Texas...
James C. Moore
DeeceX recently gave us a piece titled, "Can Abbott Get Past Nov. 8th? We Outlaws are nothing if not fair and balanced, so DeeceX came back posing the same question about Beto. Hell, is it possible for ANY blue candidate to win a statewide office anymore? Are rumors of a purple Texas to be believed?
Deece Eckstein
Texas's grid and the recent near-doubling of our electric bills are going to figure heavily in the upcoming election.
And if we run out of power as Texas broils, the state's leaders know just who to blame. The "greenies!" Well, them and those liberal Wall Street bankers and "dope smoking, draft dodging college professors" who got us into all this. But just in case, ERCOT is working into the wee hours preparing its excuses. Roger Gray has the deets:
Roger T. Gray
Myra Jolivet and her family have been out-of-Texas for a while, now. And as blue as her current home state (California) is now, the ugly partisanship that she, well, we all see is becoming more ugly and more violent. We truly are becoming two distinct countries, if not two different planets.
Myra Jolivet, SMPS
A bit of housekeeping and other bits -
A continued 'thanks' to our subscribers and readers that might find us on social media. We appreciate all of your support. We're having a great deal of fun putting this together and love that you are reading and responding. Spread the love! Share the newsletter or a story link!
One of our original Outlaws, John Nova Lomax continues to struggle in the hospital with some serious health issues. He's had a couple of setbacks, but he wants to get through this as much as we want him to come back! We appreciate your thoughts and concerns as we are all pulling for him.
Our original goal was to have our newsletter out early on Sundays, but as you have seen, we sometimes show up in the inbox late in the day or even Monday morning. We're Outlaws, don't you know, not beholdin' to rules or schedules! <Insert "herding cats" analogy here.> Thanks for your understanding as we manage our work and retirement and extra-curricular schedules.
One final note, this next week a couple of us will be traveling, so not sure when we'll get next week's sheet out. Summer coming to a close, and all.
If there are any hiccups, we blame the airlines. Or the Russians. Ted Cruz will be partly responsible, and most assuredly a failure of the grid. Bear with us.