88th Texas Legislature

[Shut up Lou Holtz 2090]

47 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Former youth pastor? Yeah, he did it.

That’s all the evidence I need. Fuck this guy. 

[YGIFS 19456]

That awkward moment where even Briscoe Cain looks at you and says, "Dude, you're a deviant."  

[CooterBrown 18272]

That awkward moment where even Briscoe Cain looks at you and says, "Dude, you're a deviant."  

It must be pretty damning evidence if they’re not circling the wagons around him. Briscoe was obviously asked to lead point and publicly create distance between the GQP and this guy.

[atomheartbevo 90544]

38 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

It must be pretty damning evidence if they’re not circling the wagons around him. Briscoe was obviously asked to lead point and publicly create distance between the GQP and this guy.

Or Briscoe is always scared shitless for some reason, and wants everybody paying attention to this guy.

[Evil Bill Obrien 3493]

Wonder if he learned that fake email loyalty test trick at Youth Pastor orientation? What a piece of work…

[Biff Tannen 46060]

2 hours ago, Evil Bill Obrien said:

Wonder if he learned that fake email loyalty test trick at Youth Pastor orientation? What a piece of work…

The shocking part of this to me is that it's a "her" and not a boy.

[gmr548 16681]

Jared Patterson throwing down a dunk that would make MJ jealous…

On himself.

[pyrohornIII 4844]

Toth and Cain are using this as a lever to get rid of Slaton because he's a loose cannon and is always mucking things up with a lot of 'look at me' amendments and bills.  This way they can rid themselves of a moronic maverick and try to maintain the GQP holds some sort of moral high ground.    At least that's the takeaway I had after reading the TM article.  

[Bozo_Casanova 26773]

surprised they didn't point out how she was dressed

 

[Beau Vine 55817]

46 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

try to maintain the GQP holds some sort of moral high ground.

[YGIFS 19456]

That awkward moment when your strongest argument for your political hero taking sexual advantage of a staffer begins with "Teenage Republicans and Young Americans for Liberty"...and nobody bothered to stop and think, "Hey maybe this isn't the best way to describe her or our argument against her."  

Bashing a teenager with a substance addiction, kudos GOP.  Way to fucking go!  Why assist her in getting help and counseling when you can "out" her as a drunken whore?  

[tx 3 putt 78468]

21 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

surprised they didn't point out how she was dressed

 

Tejano Republicans sounds like they suck 

[Beau Vine 55817]

"Maybe she got the Rep drunk and is blackmailing him"

Really?  

That's a defense they came up with?

 

[Evil Bill Obrien 3493]

28 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

surprised they didn't point out how she was dressed

That Tejano Republicans account just keeps digging the grave deeper and deeper 

[YGIFS 19456]

This is fucking amazing.  Shaming a 19 year old with a substance problem and accusing her of getting an adult drunk, making sexual advances to him as her superior, and then blackmailing him.  

Somebody please find their contact information.  We've got work to do.

[atomheartbevo 90544]

6 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

"Maybe she got the Rep drunk and is blackmailing him"

Really?  

That's a defense they came up with?

Republicans are not known for being very bright these days...this is a lot of them these days:

[safe sex 11913]

Well, let me know when it stops working

[atomheartbevo 90544]

14 minutes ago, safe sex said:

Well, let me know when it stops working

Oh it's not going to work for him.  His fellow Republicans have already publicly put him on trial.  Briscoe Cain doesn't make that play unless he knows the outcome.

[safe sex 11913]

Intellectually, i know that. But I've been burned too many times thinking that this time it's too far

[Beau Vine 55817]

14 minutes ago, safe sex said:

Intellectually, i know that. But I've been burned too many times thinking that this time it's too far

Well, they'll just replace him with someone even dumber and more reprehensible, so it's nothing to get excited about.

[Sawbonz 28081]

1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

surprised they didn't point out how she was dressed

 

[Brisketexan 106615]

surprised they didn't point out how she was dressed
 

1 - I’m trying to come up with something that would be MORE on-brand for the GQP….but I can’t.

2 - y’all need to start speaking more respectfully about our future president, Mr Slaton.

[tx 3 putt 78468]

20 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Well, they'll just replace him with someone even dumber and more reprehensible, so it's nothing to get excited about.

correct 

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

1 - I’m trying to come up with something that would be MORE on-brand for the GQP….but I can’t.

2 - y’all need to start speaking more respectfully about our future president, Mr Slaton.

grab’em by the pussy !!!!

[Post Oak 20551]

 

	Senate's power plant buying spree would cost $8 billion more than early estimates The LCRA hires lobbyists and is written into SB 6, entering the sweepstakes for $18 billion in taxpayer and ratepayer money DOUG LEWIN APR 11     SHARE   When conversations picked up this year about the rebirth of the “Berkshire Hathaway bill” of 2021 — the then-$8 billion plan from Warren Buffett’s financial giant for the state build 10,000 megawatts of rarely used gas plants — rumors flew that the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) was working behind the scenes to get a piece of the action.  The thing about rumors is, they’re often true. Upgrade to paid Thanks to great reporting last week by Mose Buchele of KUT and Naureen Malik and Mitchell Furman of Bloomberg, Texans finally know that, according to the LCRA’s own estimates, this gas plant building spree will cost almost double what Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and many senators said it would. Further, new language was inserted into the committee substitute of Senate Bill 6 — the legislation outlining the massive gas plant proposal — that redefines who could bid on the plants. It all but identifies the LCRA by name:  Original language: New language: Note the insertion of “a river authority that… operates electric generation assets totaling at least 2,500 megawatts.” LCRA currently owns 3,000 megawatts of generation.  Even half of the 10,000 gigawatts Patrick wants to build would more than double the size of the agency’s generation capacity. More than that, the deal would break LCRA out of its Central Texas footprint (it currently sells power only to co-ops and small municipal utilities) and put the agency in a much bigger statewide game — one that, before this year’s Senate bills, was largely shaped by the competitive market.  To that point, the bill guarantees a rate of return of up to 10%, via Texas taxpayers and ratepayers, for whomever builds the plants. The Man — and Lobbyists — Behind the Curtain LCRA did not testify for SB 6, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t working on it behind the scenes. General Manager Phil Wilson was previously Gov. Rick Perry’s Secretary of State and Texas Department of Transportation executive director. After he got his current job, Gov. Greg Abbott named him interim head of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission — during which time he continued to lead LCRA, to which Abbott appoints every single board member. After the Winter 2021 blackouts, the legislature created the State Energy Policy Advisory Committee, and Abbott picked Wilson to lead that too. In that post, Wilson was mostly known for trying to conceal its proceedings (though, given that one of Lt. Gov. Patrick’s appointments said renewable energy was contributing to changes to the earth’s magnetic field, one can understand the desire to keep the committee out of the public eye). Most state agencies are not allowed to lobby the legislature; unlike its peers, the LCRA is, even though it’s a “governmental agency” in statute. And boy does it lobby. This year, the LCRA has engaged at least 14 lobbyists, including Governor Abbott’s recently departed Chief of Staff, according to Texas Ethics Commission reports.  How Much — and Who Gets Paid The LCRA’s SB 6 estimates prove that the $10 billion number was a fantasy, dramatically complicating the bill’s prospects.  But they also establish that, should the bill survive, one of the state’s favorite big government entities would get to build the plants for a cool $18 billion. The Senate has tentatively allocated only $10 billion for these expensive power plants. The remaining $8 billion would likely be paid — if you’re a Texan — by you, dear reader, every month on your electric bill for several decades. Below are LCRA slides that KUT published last week. Note that $10 billion buys only 5,800 megawatts of gas plants, not 10,000 — not a surprise, exactly, but it’s still stunning to see the proof. And while most Texans still worry — every time extreme weather strains the power grid or knocks out gas plants — about power outages, the LCRA projects that these plants won’t be completed until today’s third grader is in college. All told, the LCRA estimates show that this would likely be the most expensive energy insurance plan in human history. And it probably won’t work.  After all, if state government leaders and bureaucrats decide they want to get into the business of building power plants and guaranteeing profits with ratepayers’ money, why would any private generator ever even try to compete? What would stop the state from building more plants — and guaranteeing ratepayer-subsidized profits for favored generators? Why would anyone risk private capital, as they do now, when public-sector competitors would get such a prohibitive public advantage? No wonder conservative groups like Americans for Tax Reform and publications like National Review are strafing the various proposals, including SB 6, coming out of the Senate.  Share It never made much sense that the state’s so-called conservative leaders would needlessly send billions and billions of Texans’ dollars to Warren Buffett’s investment behemoth. Now, it turns out, they probably won’t. This is a plan to make big government in Texas much, much bigger. Endless Questions, No Answers The LCRA slides are enormously helpful in that they illuminate questions that the Senate — in rushing to pass SB 6 and other half-baked (at best) energy policies — went to great lengths not to answer. All of the estimates of low costs to consumers from the many bills the Senate passed to punish renewables all have even lower credibility than they did before (SB7, SB1287, SB2012, SB2015, and the still pending SB624). When they say these bills won’t cost much, we now have good reason to not believe them. Just one example of how barely thought through these Senate passed bills were: LCRA says it would earn market revenue from the plants “at the systemwide price cap” to “reimburse the state” for the cost of their construction. So who pays that massive bill? Would the cost be assigned to all Texas ratepayers? Would the Lower Colorado River Authority be charging Texans billions of dollars in what amounts to a self-dealing program for state government? These questions were never answered in the Senate. A majority of Senators, of both parties, didn’t seem to want to know. They rushed the LCRA-Berkshire proposal and all the other grid related bills through the process without even pausing to determine how they would work — by themselves or with each other. They were making decisions without analysis or anything close to complete information. Or worse, they were trying to hide the information. We were told that the price tag would be $10 billion. Now it’s $18 billion. All for some shiny new objects that don’t solve Texas’ reliability challenges and could even make them worse.  If Texas moves forward with these plants, they’ll likely be the last gas plants ever built here — at least until the legislature opens up the checkbook again.  If that day comes, you can believe the LCRA will be right there — with slides, lobbyists, and their hands out.   Upgrade to paid   You're currently a free subscriber  Upgrade to paid   LIKE   COMMENT   RESTACK     Read The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter in the app Listen to posts, join subscriber chats, and never miss an update from Doug Lewin.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Post Oak

[Bozo_Casanova 26773]

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

This is fucking amazing.  Shaming a 19 year old with a substance problem and accusing her of getting an adult drunk, making sexual advances to him as her superior, and then blackmailing him.  

Somebody please find their contact information.  We've got work to do.

...and they doxxed her (obv not going to post it here), but wow extremely gross. 
 

[Brisketexan 106615]

...and they doxxed her (obv not going to post it here), but wow extremely gross. 
 

So, she’s a minor. Given alcohol by and assaulted by an adult.

And the response of the party that can’t stop yelling “PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!! YER GROOMERS!” for a split second is…attack the minor.

Perfectly. On. Brand.

[Beau Vine 55817]

34 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

1 - I’m trying to come up with something that would be MORE on-brand for the GQP….but I can’t.

2 - y’all need to start speaking more respectfully about our future president, Mr Slaton.

 

[YGIFS 19456]

21 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

...and they doxxed her (obv not going to post it here), but wow extremely gross. 
 

I meant the tejano Republican group.  I’m 90% sure I’m stuck knowing somebody in it given my family.  But I want to tread lightly 

[Ghost of LL 15664]

2 hours ago, YGIFS said:

That awkward moment when your strongest argument for your political hero taking sexual advantage of a staffer begins with "Teenage Republicans and Young Americans for Liberty"...and nobody bothered to stop and think, "Hey maybe this isn't the best way to describe her or our argument against her."  

Bashing a teenager with a substance addiction, kudos GOP.  Way to fucking go!  Why assist her in getting help and counseling when you can "out" her as a drunken whore?  

Wait--that wasn't parody?  I was sure that was a parody account.  Like Three-Year Letterman or something.

You mean that post was serious?

[Nice Guy Eddie 13706]

Briscoe Cain was Slaton to resign? I am conflicted now if I want her to resign. 

[Bozo_Casanova 26773]

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

I meant the tejano Republican group.  I’m 90% sure I’m stuck knowing somebody in it given my family.  But I want to tread lightly 

No what I’m saying is that the Tejano Republican group doxxed the girl, with the usual consequences for her. Repugnant. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by Bozo_Casanova

[tx 3 putt 78468]

 

[Voldemort86 2259]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

Lame

[WBT 20879]

Feds don't allow it thankfully

[YGIFS 19456]

then how did Arizona, Hawaii, and Indiana pull it off?  

[royiv 9679]

1 hour ago, WBT said:

Feds don't allow it thankfully

Curious why you say "thankfully?"

[JohnnyRage 1617]

16 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

Tejano Republicans sounds like they suck 

 

15 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

"Maybe she got the Rep drunk and is blackmailing him"

Really?  

That's a defense they came up with?

 

 

Classic 'Jupiter Nacho' defense:

Jupiter keep yer mouth shut, dis is nacho world.

 

 

 

I'm a coconut, it's ok.

[Ghost of LL 15664]

1 hour ago, royiv said:

Curious why you say "thankfully?"

Because it's a stupid idea, unless you like the idea of the sun not coming up until 8:45 in December.

[DigglerontheHoof 21516]

I'd rather the sun come up at 8:45, instead of setting at 5pm. 

[Biff Tannen 46060]

Glad they are discussing the important things.

[4th_and_18 709]

then how did Arizona, Hawaii, and Indiana pull it off?  

They didn’t. They’re on standard. We passed a law for savings time. Which isn’t allowed under current federal law. If we went to standard it wouldn’t need additional federal approval under current law.

[TexEx15 17912]

I would be good with daylight savings ending late October so it gets darker earlier for kids trick or treating and lasting through Christmas so we can take the family to things like the Trail of Lights earlier. I love the fall holidays and I’m good with it getting darker earlier during those times. However, once the new year hits it’s time to go back to DST.

[YGIFS 19456]

Good point, didn’t realize only DST needs federal approval…thought it was any deviation from the 4mo/8mo cycle.  Pos rep.  
 

I can make nice either way and didn’t used to give fuck one about it.  But between traveling to Arizona for work and having kids who get take a week+ to acclimate twice a year , this is fucking bullshit.   Let’s fucking pick one and run with it 

[royiv 9679]

47 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

Because it's a stupid idea, unless you like the idea of the sun not coming up until 8:45 in December.

I lived in AZ for nearly 20 years and I liked not having the time change. I didn't pick up, as has been pointed out, that this was to be permanently on daylight savings time and not standard time, which I agree would be stupid. 

[Serak The Preparer 3482]

3 hours ago, YGIFS said:

then how did Arizona, Hawaii, and Indiana pull it off?  

Also nobody outside of Arizona, Hawaii, or Indiana gives a shit about planning anything with anybody in those states. Dealing with time zones for national / global business is already enough of a pain in the ass without further trying to remember if the Houston / Dallas / Austin office is 2 hours off, 3 hours off, etc.

[tx 3 putt 78468]

 

[Pig Bellmont 8867]

I bet they didn’t look at Florida’s bill. Just the bill drafted by dark money funded conservative lobbyists and given to state legislators in multiple states. It just is a coincidence the contents are the same. 

[Brisketexan 106615]

15 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

Oh, do I believe that neither Hughes nor his staff read ANYTHING with respect to SB 16, including the text itself, which was drafted FOR THEM by nutbar groups?  100%.  They can honestly say that they haven't read shit.  Because they're fucking pandering morons tilting at windmills and fighting fake enemies.  Which is their entire brand.  If a GQPer gives you an answer that amounts to "no, I'm stupid and ignorant," it's the one time that you can absolutely believe him.

[tx 3 putt 78468]

 

[Updawg 2378]

This sb6 bill is gonna fuck us over. That Lcra guy is abbotts right hand man.

It’s crazy how we as a state love to fuck ourselves over