Texas Dems Exodus - Part 2
Category: Politics...
Posted Wednesday, May 14, 2003 at 05:39 AM [GMT-6]

Update: Texas Dems Exodus Revisited...

After further reflection and a little more research, I think I was a little premature in my reaction yesterday to the fleeing of Texas House Democrats in protest of Republican moves regarding redistricting in the state. I now believe this is a good example of bipartisan stupidity, with both parties being guilty of violating the public trust.

It's not hyperbole to say that our state is facing crises in both school financing and overall budgeting, and yet the legislature is focused on gerrymandering voter lines...again? I suggest that our elected representatives need to get a grip on reality, and reprioritize their efforts to concentrate on fixing things that really matter to the rank-and-file citizenry.

"Speaker Pro Tem Sylvester Turner of Houston, one of the House Democrats who stayed, asked [Speaker of the House] Mr. Craddick to pull the redistricting bill from the calendar so the House could move on to more pressing matters, such as the state budget.

"Congressional redistricting is not a must-do thing," Mr. Turner said. 'The budget is No. 1.'"

I find that in this case, I'm leaning toward agreement with the Democrats — probably not for the same reasons; their motives aren't completely pure either. In any event, this is a no-win situation.