- Target:
- League of Independent Voters of Texas
- Region:
- Texas
- Website:
- LIVTexas.org
The dangerous path to a constitutional crisis in Texas
July 30, 2021 Linda Curtis
The following article is posted at LIVTexas.org/18243-2/
Are imperial governance and the related constitutional wreckage taking us down the dangerous path to a constitutional crisis in Texas? A unified independent electoral movement -- beyond the two parties -- is necessary to change the direction.
These guys look tired, but not as tired as WE -- the people -- are of them.
Illustration: David Gothard, Wall Street Journal, Aug. 1, 2018
“When first elected, the Capitol community had high hopes for Greg Abbott and the intellectual horsepower he brought to the game. Instead, they found a man willing to destroy the village – and not even in order to save it.” Harvey Kronberg, Quorum Report, July 29, 2021
What's getting overlooked in the demolition derby between the two parties is fundamental. The wreckage of the institution of the people – the Texas Legislature. One party is stuck in D.C.; the other party is stuck in the mud and attacking the people who serve them -- legislative staff.
We mean not to minimize the differences, but think about this.
The Governor's veto of Article X of the state budget, unless there is a resolution soon, will withhold pay. We're talking about several thousand Texans who simply work at the Capitol. Their job is to serve us, the citizens.
What will the Texas Supreme Court do? Texans have known for a long time that justice is for sale in Texas. The imperial court reversed course after the titan Houston-based oil company Apache Corp. contributed $250,000 in political support to justices seeking re-election. (Correction to the article. It was Apache executives who donated. Corporate contributions in Texas are illegal.)
We have two of the three branches of government tearing governance to shreds. The republic hangs in the balance of the third branch -- the Texas Legislature.
“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Ben Franklin
It appears that Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, wants to be more than the Governor, he wants to be King. Kings get to decide literally who lives and who dies and dictate to local communities such things as wearing a mask.
Ultimately, only a King would try to destroy a basic tenet of our democratic republic enshrined in US and Texas constitutions. It’s called the Separation of Powers. It’s also known as “checks and balances.”
We must all – no matter our party or political persuasion – ask ourselves what the Governor’s obsession with calling two special sessions on a non-emergency item – voter rules -- is really all about. Could it be any of these?
1. First, and foremost, to aggregate over-arching power in HIS Executive Branch, solely under HIS control as an overlord of the Legislative Branch, our elected representatives, and
2. To avoid accountability for the following abuses of his office:
Accepting a $1 million campaign donation from the CEO of a company that profited $2.4 billion from February's Big Freeze.
Allowing campaign donors off the hook without fixing the grid during the regular session.
Failing to place fixing the Texas electric grid on the agenda for the first special session, and
Failing again to place fixing the grid, investigating its approximately 700 related deaths, and the profiteering of $50 billion from Texas ratepayers on the agenda for his second special session.
Linda Curtis, Board Member of the non-profit, non-partisan all-volunteer League of Independent Voters said,
"Because Texans do not have the right to recall the Governor, our power comes from telling Texas voters the truth about King Greg well before the final vote in November 2022. That is why this petition is TO the citizens of Texas, not to King Greg, who doesn’t listen so well, does he? Pay it -- this petition -- forward please, no matter what your party. We Texas independents – now millions of voters -- can swing elections and knock King Greg right off his throne!"
Click here to Donate online or by check directly to LIV for this Petition Drive: Help promote our petition by donating directly to LIV at our website AND, please share this petition. This petition will be online to continue informing voters through the November 2022 election. Thank you!
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We post the respected Harvey Kronberg's The Quorum Report article explaining the Governor's thinking since 2019 to cancel a co-equal branch of government -- the Texas Legislature.
And this, must-read in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper, "No, the Texas power grid is not fixed," by consumer advocate, Paul Robbins.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The No King Greg petition to League of Independent Voters of Texas was written by League of independent Voters of Texas and is in the category Government at GoPetition.