Here are a few items that merit Grits readers attention while your correspondent makes his way out of town for a few days. Blogging will be light until I return, but in the meantime check out these stories:
Staff sex with prisoners seldom leads to jail time
The Marshall Project published an extensive feature on the infrequency with which Texas prison guards who coerce sex from inmates are punished with criminal convictions and jail time.
Abbott to drug users: Drop dead, literally
The Houston Chronicle published an editorial lashing Gov. Abbott for vetoing Texas' Good Samaritan statute, HB 225, quoting the House-side bill author disputing Abbott's claim that he offered amendments to the bill. In fact, the governor's office offered amendments at the eleventh hour in the senate only, after the bill had already overwhelmingly passed the House. The rejected changes were not legitimate concerns but poison pill suggestions that would have made the bill worse than current law. As the Dallas Observer put it, Abbott appears to think "better that five junkies die of overdoses than 10 overdose and live."
A 'banner session' on criminal justice?
Greg Glod from the Texas Public Policy Foundation authored a column declaring the 84th Texas legislature to be a banner session on criminal justice. I can understand that argument, though Grits had earlier offered a less sanguine assessment. The things they accomplished were worthy, but much more was left on the table.
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5 comments:
No matter what your political philosophy, every legislative session is going to disappoint you for lack of doing what you consider to be the "right thing to do" or refraining from doing the "wrong thing". I'm guessing the governor believes those who make their choice to do hardcore drugs should live or die by their own choices, not a giant leap of logic given the GOP mantra. Other reforms ran into similar hurdles while some surprisingly passed, no sure bets when the state is dominated by one political party but only by a certain amount. Chalk up the wins as you see them and start working on individual politicians until next time.
Why do we Texans consistently elect low information ass holes like this who periodically embarrass themselves at our expense? This was really more shameful, but give him time & an equally embarrassing decision or statement will be revealed.
Anon 6/19/2015 07:08:00 AM, isn't the GOP mantra that all life is sacred?
Anon 6/20/2015 03:58:00 AM, the governor panders to his core, big surprise yes? It's not like junkies vote en masse or pull out checkbooks to reward the politicians they buy.
That's true but this bill had overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House & Senate, & I don't see how signing a harm reduction bill that's intended to save lives would have alienated his core? (the proud to be too far right, closed minded, always judgmental, usually hypocritical ass holes that most of them undoubtedly are)
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