Abbott to Spend $250 Million of Texas Money on Border Wall
The day after asking Texans to conserve energy because our power grid was once again about to be over capacity, Abbott announced that $250 million will be pissed away for a border wall that will eventually be torn down if it is ever built at all. This is after refusing to fund upgrades to power grid and refusing to expand Medicaid so that Texans can get the health care they need. He is a slimy sumbitch, isn’t he?
I am nuclear levels of angry after reading the Tribune’s article of his announcement. He’s basically using 250 million dollars to campaign for re-election. He’s even invited former President Trump to the border, apparently forgetting that Trump is a private citizen. I hope someone shows up with some children that Trump separated from their parents without keeping records so they could be reunited.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday began announcing details of his plan for Texas to build its own border wall, starting the hiring process for a program manager and providing $250 million in state funds as a “down payment.”
“Texas will build a border wall in our state to help secure our border,” Abbott said.
The governor did not specify how long the wall would be or where it would be built, saying that those decisions will need to be determined by a program manager after more research.
Greg has to woo the crazies, I guess. I’m so tired of conservatives acting like they’re such amazing stewards of budgets and the economy and then the second they need political advantages they just throw massive amounts of tax money onto projects that are going to be overturned by the courts anyway and cause even more spending on legal defense.
If Greg Abbott has been Governor of Texas for as long as he has and he still does not understand that he does not have the jurisdiction to build a wall between a state and another country, he’s too damn stupid to run for re-election. He will not hesitate to pull funding that helps women and children in the name of “fiscal conservatism” but he will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to double down on his hatred of our Mexican neighbors and the asylum seekers from Central America.
He’d probably win more votes if he just got the DMV to run so that Texans do not have a 5 hour wait – that is the standard wait time in these parts – unless you get an appointment several months in advance or drive several hours to a rural DMV (The rural DMV’s closer to the cities also all have wait times of several hours).
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I do not understand why Texans continue to vote for these incompetent, shady, slimy, corrupt, two-bit asshats-with-less-sense-than-a-doodlebug Republicans.
Abbott did mention that he may crowdfund the wall, hoping for volunteers to give up their land and money to build his political pet project. When Trump’s buddy Steve Bannon did this, he then “funneled” aka stole hundreds of thousands of donated dollars and used them on his own expenses and “lavish lifestyle.” Trump pardoned him for this, of course. I imagine Abbott will use this crowdfunding for his campaign or will create a shell corporation and use that to buy all of his books or run attack ads on his opponent and steal the money that way. Or maybe he’ll use it to build a wall. I’m sure the people with land near the border will just be happy to give it to Greg Abbott.
It’s all a show, it’s political theater, and half of the state will fall for it. Voters have got to step up and say enough. If the ERCOT disaster didn’t do it, I don’t know what will. If this actually works and absolves him of wrongdoing, because Texans are happy that he’s being mean to brown people, well, what does that say about us as a people?
Long time follower of Juanita’s salon and just want to say i like your work.
1A night or two ago, when ERCOT first told us that we have to start conserving energy and not use our clothes washers, I lost it online and was snorting fire at Abbott, Patrick, Paxton, the GOP in the lege, ERCOT, the so-called production owners (the companies, I suppose, that are supposed to produce the electricity we need) and every Republican who supported these persons, in language unsuitable for JJ’s mama. Getting that out at least let off enough steam I could deal with life the next morning after having to deal with scorpions in the night.
(We live in an older, but not fashionably old, house, that apparently houses the Sunshine & Summer Scorpion Factory. Last night the score was E-3, Scorps-0.) After last summer, the count so far isn’t that bad, though I do lose sleep in the hunt-and-disposal every night. My goal is not to be stung in bed while sleeping; the scorps’ goal is, apparently, to find a way into the bed to sting me. Since they can climb the walls and drop off the ceiling, they have a strategic advantage; I have the tactical force to attempt victory-by-attrition.)
I am still furious with Abbott, Paxton, Patrick, ERCOT, and my state rep and senator, but since they don’t care what I think, and I can’t get anyone elected who does (we came closer in 2020, but not close enough) strong language is what I have left (and the vault of same is not empty, by any means.)
We don’t need a *!!**! border wall. We DO need a reliable power grid run by people who work *for the people* and not to make huge profits for themselves. We don’t need the !%&#!! border wall. We DO need expanded Medicaid, better nonprofit health care coverage overall. We don’t need the !!*&%^#$$!! border wall. We DO need a living wage for every employee, expanded public transportation options, and a bunch of other stuff that makes GOPpers turn pale their fingers twitch as if they felt dollar bills being pulled from their fingers. Not you, I want to say. TAX THE 1%!! I have said until my throat’s sore. Just DO it. They’ll scream but we’ll have money to do what needs doing.
And don’t get me started on Joe Manchin because I will need these old teeth later, and gnashing them here is a waste.
2Yup, all political theater to entertain the cult base and deflect the conversation about abbott’s failures:
Trump to pretend he’s still president during Texas visit – Raw Story
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-texas-wall-visit/
3@Elizabeth Moon–Today there was a letter to our local paper here in Fredericksburg from the head of the county GOP. He actually claimed that Trump had “two landslide victories” so it’s no wonder Abbott is hosting him at the border. This is the lie we’re up against and is what gets my old teeth gnashing.
As for your battle with the scorpions, I had one drop from the ceiling onto my pillow once. That tends to concentrate the mind, for sure.
4Elizabeth Moon and TTPT:
5I went with my dad to his west Texas deer lease 30 years ago, and discovered the scorpion/ceiling phenomenon.
No sting, but it unnerved the hell outta me.
You fine folks have my utmost respect.
And Jet, good piece.
Two things about that “build the wall” scam —
* in 2018, several people pointed out the eminent domain suits were getting verdicts or reaching a settlement — the eminent domain suits begun during the Bush 43 regime that had ended almost 10 years before. And all that land became the property of the Federal Government, making it somewhat more difficult for Texas to grab. So, I figure if Abbott starts soon, he may be able to gain access in 6 to 8 years.
* at $3-4 million per mile, the $250 million “down payment” might cover 80 miles. Though I’m told there is substantial inflation in construction materials, so it may be even less.
6In regards to Governor Gregg’s latest irresponsible antics and thinking of our grid’s condition, I would quote the late Eddard Stark and say that Winter Is Coming.
7250mil to spend for no effect at all!!! rePUKEians are utterly stOOpid! Unless they are grifting money by saying its for a worthless wall but pocketing most of it themselves…after all they are rePUKEians!!!
8This is yet another example of selling a pig as a peacock. What would be more beautiful for Texas? Another 80 miles of border wall (existing sections of which have been breached by ropes, ladders and tunnels) or an electric grid that is able to support the current and future residents and businesses of Texas. Most astounding to me is the notion we have so many “lemmings” amongst our citizens who have been easily and readily sucked into the fiction promulgated by these “men behind the curtain.” Fix the grid, get rid of the notion that our grid shouldn’t be connected to other grids as a safety net, and forget the wall. It didn’t work in Berlin either.
9https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/06/16/ercot-heat-meme/
10Is desperation is so apparent. He’s having to talk ‘guns’ and a ‘wall’ to whip that base into a frenzy. His entire time as AG was spent suing DC with suits he knew never would pass legal muster but the intent was purely theater. Juanita has used ‘evil’ when discussing Abbott.
11Ma’am, have you considered the possibility, that your state is mostly populated by morons? that would explain a lot.
12Elizabeth Moon at 2. Get yourself a canopy bed. They were thought up by people who had thatched roofs. Critters dropping from the roof throughout the night fell on top of the canopy.
13Could the wall be on the state’s northern border, probably get lots of contributions from the rest of the US then
14EM, I’ll second Crone’s suggestion. You can rig up something that will help in the meantime, using a sheet suspended from four poles. Set the poles into five gallon buckets with sand in them. You can put some gunk on the poles to keep the scorpions from climbing those, but it’s been 60 years since I had to do this and don’t remember just what it was. Axle grease?
Strangely enough, just last week I was remembering the horror of hearing the “thunk” of a scorpion hitting the bed in the middle of the night, and not knowing just where in the bed it was. It was one reason to always sleep under a thick sheet, even in the summer without air conditioning.
For any who think we’re getting sidetracked … you’ve clearly never had scorpions dropping in on your sleep!
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