Eclectic commentary from a progressive voice in the red state

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Texas’ execrable, repulsive and deplorable attorney general

Americans who face potentially devastating medical problems have found succor in the Affordable Care Act and, with today’s United States Supreme Court decision, will continue to do so. The 6-3 ruling affirmed the constitutionality of the law, also known as Obamacare, with the three most ignorant, corporatist shills on the bench dissenting.

The right wing’s ideological knee-jerk sure to follow has already begun with Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general currentlyunder investigation for securities fraud, quick with a pressrelease — as he usually is — to condemn the federal government for “overreach,” clearly forgetting his oath to uphold the constitutions of the United States and Texas. This poor excuse for a law enforcement officer squanders taxpayer money to rail against those acts of government that don’t capitulate to his corporatist overlords. Like almost all politicians of the right wing, he fails to understand basic health care economics, the multiplier effect of funding health care and ignores the national interest in having a healthy society.

Further, the content of the press release is populated with right wing lies, perpetuated on right wing “news” sources and blogs since February 2014 when the Congressional Budget Office released a report on the ACA. Economist Paul Krugman pointedout what the CBO report really stated; so did Newsweek, among other emphasizing that the ACA didn’t cost American jobs.

Whatever our political persuasions, Texans have the highest regard for honesty, revering such symbols of integrity as sealing a deal with nothing more than a handshake. With Paxton, we have a traitor to this state’s righteous history. Texas deserves better.


What big media will call his cards on this as we have?